Tricounty DFA Update: Meetup Reminder-- Windpower presentation, Steve Colbert, Net Freedom and More
In this update:

1. Glens Falls DFA Wednesday Meetup Reminder
2. DFA Night School Tuesday
3. Colbert In Washington-- Must See!
4. Internet Freedom
5. Constitutional Crisis
6. Vigil Saturday
7. Panel On Peace And Freedom Saturday at 2pm

1. Glens Falls DFA Wednesday Meetup Reminder

Just want to give everyone reminder that next Wednesday, at 7pm at the Rockhill Bakehouse Cafe in Downtown Glens Falls we will have our first DFA-Linkup, formerly meetup, of our fourth year.

On the schedule is a presentation by Jim McAndrew of Adirondack Windpower on the clean energy wind turbine project being proposed for the old Barton pit mine site near North Creek. With gas prices now over $3 a gallon, interest in clear, renewable energy is at a premium, so this couldn't be more timely. We will also be talking about the DFA Action Day on May 13th and more. We will also be brainstorming what we can do for the DFA Action Day on May 13th, our vigils and more.

The Bakehouse Cafe is on the corner of Elm and Exchange Streets and Hudson Ave. between the Glens Falls Hospital and the Five Corners in Downtown Glens Falls.

2. DFA Night School Tuesday

There will be another session of the DFA Night School Tuesday at 8:30 EDST. The subject this week will be volunteer recruitment. To participate you have to join DFA-Link and RSVP at: http://tools.democracyforamerica.com/nightschool/ This week's subject will be "Making Phoning Fun." Scripts and audio of previous Night Schools are now online.

3. Colbert In Washington-- Must See

Did you know reality has a liberal bias? I bet not! If so, you haven't heard about Steven Colbert of Comedy Central's Colbert Report sketch at the White House Correspondent's Dinner, you need to check this out right away! Colbert's devastating ripping of Bush right to his face seems to be a watershed moment-- and he also included the Washington press corps in his riff. This is the "must see" of the week! http://www.salon.com/ent/video_dog/politics/2006/04/30/colbert_press/index.html There has been a complete blackout of Colbert in the mainstream media so far.

4. Internet Freedom

If you get Moveon.org's postings and if you've been reading DailyKos, you may know that a corporate backed effort is moving through Congress to take away the present, existing neutrality of the Internet. Internet services want to be able to block or charge extra for certain internet sites-- this bill would cripple the Internet based activism that has grown up in the last five years that has done so much to change America for the better. Some people fear this change is being made to crush the free flow of information and keep us in the dark about the evils the Bush administration and their corporate backers are up to. The above report on Steven Colbert is an example-- would some people want that cut off? Given what has already happened in this country, it's possible.

You can call our Senators or email Congress by going to moveon.org; http://civic.moveon.org/save_the_internet/index.html

5. Constitutional Crisis

Drew sends this remarkable piece along about Bush's so-called but little noticed "signing statements" disclaiming acts of Congress he signs into law:

"President Bush has quietly claimed the authority to disobey more than 750 laws enacted since he took office, asserting that he has the power to set aside any statute passed by Congress when it conflicts with his interpretation of the Constitution."
"Among the laws Bush said he can ignore are military rules and regulations, affirmative-action provisions, requirements that Congress be told about immigration services problems, ''whistle-blower" protections for nuclear regulatory officials, and safeguards against political interference in federally funded research."
"Legal scholars say the scope and aggression of Bush's assertions that he can bypass laws represent a concerted effort to expand his power at the expense of Congress, upsetting the balance between the branches of government. The Constitution is clear in assigning to Congress the power to write the laws and to the president a duty ''to take care that the laws be faithfully executed." Bush, however, has repeatedly declared that he does not need to ''execute" a law he believes is unconstitutional."

For more go to: http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=102&topic_id=2255748&mesg_id=2255748

6. Vigil Saturday

We had a solid showing for our vigil at the Five Corners in downtown Glens Falls last Saturday, but nothing like the 300,000 who showed up for the big demonstration in Manhattan: http://www.news24.com/News24/World/Iraq/0,,2-10-1460_1924648,00.html

There will be another Saturday morning vigil for peace and to bring our troops home this Saturday at 11am for one hour at the Five Corners in Downtown Glens Falls. For more info or to RSVP go to http://www.dfalink.com/event.php?id=7785 The weather's getting nice, it's a good hour with good people in the sun. Come and bring a friend!

7. Panel On Peace And Freedom Saturday

Linda sends this along:

A Community Dialogue will be held at the Unitarian Universalist Church on May 6 at 2PM entitled "Freedom & Security--Can We Have Both?"
The forum is free and open to the public. A panel discussion will be followed by comments and questions from the audience. Panelists are: May Saffar (local resident and native of Badhdad, Iraq, Melanie Trimble, ACLU Executive Dir., Jeff Peck (Adirondack Community College Prof. of Political Science), and Nick Buttino (Adirondack Community College Prof. of Business). An additional panelist is the mother of a local Marine Reservist who has been deployed for a 2nd time in Iraq.
The church is located at 21 Weeks Rd., Queensbury. Take a left onto Weeks Road and follow it to its end--church parking lot is on the right. Weeks Road is located between the Flower Drum Song Restaurant and the car wash
The dialogue will be moderated by Deane M. Perkins, minister of the Unitarian Universalist Congregation.

Thanks everyone! See you all Wednesday,

Larry
- posted by Larry Dudley @ 1:02 AM