Tricounty DFA: Meetup Report: Neighborhood Network, more
In this update:

1. Report On Wednesday Meeting: Neighborhood Network Organizing Meeting For 16th
2. Phone Banking & House Party Volunteers Needed
3. Tabling At Farmer's Market-- Possible Vigil
4. Dean In Delaware
5. Car Of The Future Today
6. Friday Film Fest
7. Online Actions:
Dean On Minimum Wage
NARAL On Morning After Pill
Windpower Letters Urgently Needed
8. Lamont Surges Past Lieberman!

1. Report On Wednesday Meeting: Neighborhood Network Organizing Meeting For 16th

Considering it was so hot they closed the racetrack for the first time in its history and there were blackouts in Glens Falls, we had a good if somewhat smaller crowd for our monthly DFA meeting at the Rockhill Bakehouse Cafe Wednesday.

On the agenda was our action program for the next 95 Days until the General Election -- it's getting down there now, and it is time for us all to engage!

We've been contacted by the State Party to help all our candidates by helping build the Neighborhood Network. Basically, they are asking us to contact our neighbors: three a day for 30 days. It's not that much. By talking to our neighbors, we build community in our neighborhoods, get them to vote, and show them we care. This is a program to create long term, and permanent, change.

It also works like an Amway plan, besides contacting people, we look for others who will join us in contacting others.

This is major. It's how we will Take Back America by taking back our own communities. The state party will provide the lists of voters, tips or scripts on what to talk about, and report forms.

To get started on this, we have scheduled a special organizational meeting for the Neighborhood Network for August 16th at 7pm, our usual time, at the Rockhill Bakehouse Cafe. We'll have more details in additional updates over the next week.

Also: check out the DNC's new action site: http://www.100actions.com/index.html for a sense of what this is about.

2. Phone Banking & House Party Volunteers Needed

In other business we discussed House Parties and Phone banking. House parties are one of the best ways to help our candidates; people get to meet them in comfortable, homelike settings. If you haven't done one before, that's not a problem, they are easy to do and we will help. If you are interested, contact me at ldudley@larrydudley.com

Also, the Gillibrand campaign is organizing phone banking at 470 Glen Street in Glens Falls. Contact me for information or Patrick Layden at (518) 796-0109. Patrick is working out of the Saratoga County Democratic Committee's office on Broadway, so he needs enough people to come and open up, in effect. Tuesdays, possibly Wednesday and Thursdays from 5-8. Call before you go.

3. Tabling At Farmer's Market-- Possible Vigil

We will be tabling at the Farmer's Market in downtown Glens Falls from about 8am until 11am this Saturday. At about 11 we will make a decision on the Vigil. It looks good to have a team! If you can't help this Saturday, volunteer for one of the weeks coming up: for more info go to: http://www.dfalink.com/event.php?id=10478 Or you can RSVP for next week: http://www.dfalink.com/event.php?id=10479

4. Dean In Delaware

Governor Dean was in Delaware this week, but he was really talking to us up here, especially now with the Neighbor Network on tap:
"WILMINGTON -- Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean brought a message familiar to every Delaware candidate in a Tuesday visit to rally the local party forces he is helping finance. Person-to-person politics beats big media campaigns when it comes to winning over voters.
"You can't win a campaign with just expensive TV ads," Dean said. "You've got to go out and make yourself known... You have to go to people who didn't vote the way you voted and convince them of your position." And that's why Dean has pressed through criticism to follow through on a "50-state" strategy for building stronger Democratic voting in all states, whether they are currently red or blue on the political map." read more at:

http://www.delawareonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060802/NEWS/608020352/-1/NEWS01

5. Car Of The Future Today

I suspect we've all be thinking about Global Warming given the intense heat this week-- when it is so hot the Flat Track closes for the first time in it's history, you know changes are happening.

Mark Morford writes about the Big Lie there are no alternatives to gasoline cars, especially ones people like to drive. The alternative is the Tesla. It's being built by people in the computer industry, who have given us double the computing every 18 months for half the price for the last 25 years. They can do something similar to cars.
http://www.sfgate.com/columnists/morford/

6. Friday Film Fest
On Friday, August 4th at 8pm, the Rockhill Bakehouse Cafe in downtown Glens Falls continues the Progressive Film Festival continues with, DENIAL STOPS HERE: From 9-11 to Peak Oil and Beyond
Mike Ruppert, founder of fromthewilderness.com, a groundbreaking independent media organization, discusses the 9-11 cover-up, Peak Oil, the War in Iraq, economic turmoil and accountability, world events relating to oil, and sustainability and the importance of community reliance. This film captures the essence of Michael C Ruppert’s most recent lectures from various parts of the country, including stops in California, Washington, Montana and Oregon. Two hours of solid information that is necessary to understand what’s going on in the world today and what we all need to do for tomorrow. Original music composed by David Baerwald. Director: Ken Levine Running time: 120 min.

7. Online Actions:

Dean On Minimum Wage

Governor Dean sent this message out tonight on the new law raising the minimum wage, which the Republican leadership in Congress has destroyed to save the infamous "Paris Hilton Taxbreak."

One of the things this bill would do is cut the tip income of waitresses, waiters and other who rely on tip income by forcing them to include their tips as part of the minimum wage-- many states now allow tip income on top of the minimum wage. Think how hot it was this week. Think how hot it was to be a waiter or waitress racing in and out of a restaurant kitchen. Now think about actually cutting their pay. Some could loses many thousands of dollars. Ruin your appetite yet?

Says Dean,

"In an election year stunt, Republicans have poisoned a bill that would increase the minimum wage with a massive tax cut for just 7,500 millionaires. After the House passed the bill, the Senate must now decide tonight.

Senate Republican Leader Bill Frist has said that this political ploy will be the only vote he will allow on a minimum wage increase this year. It's despicable, it's wrong, and we need to stop it. Contact your senators and tell them to reject this shameful bill by signing this petition." http://www.democrats.org/page/petition/wage

NARAL On Morning After Pill

NARAL is also asking for online action:
"Is the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) ready to end its three-year delay on making the “morning-after” pill available without a prescription? On Monday, July 31, the FDA announced that it will reconsider whether to allow the morning-after pill to be sold without a prescription. Now we need you to take the next step and tell the FDA to stand by the science, stand up to anti-choice politics, and make a decision on Plan B®. http://prochoiceaction.org/campaign/fda_ecotc_0806/wisu5u541t7jn7n?

Windpower Letters Urgently Needed

Earlier this year we endorsed the "green energy" wind project proposed for the old Barton Mines site near North Creek after Jim McAndrew gave a fascinating presentation on Wind Energy. Given the intense heat we had here this week, which is not normal for this area, clearly we need energy that doesn't feed Global Warming.

Jim is asking for letters to the APA in support of the project. He sent us a message, parts of which are below:

Friends,

We are again seeking your help in the form of a supportive letter to the APA in connection with our application for permission to install a temporary wind measurement mast on an industrially zoned portion of our Gore Mt. property.

The APA will be considering our application at their meeting on August 10th. The public comment period ends and all comments must be received by August 10th. Only letters sent by U.S. mail or Fax are accepted by APA (no email).

Supportive letters are very important. They are provided to the APA Commissioners prior to the consideration and vote on our permit request.

*Our opponents will certainly be writing and we would very much like to see an outnumbering group of thoughtful letters in our favor.

*Some points that might be useful for a letter -

Impacts of this temporary mast are trivial or non-existent. It has very low visibility - practically zero off Barton property.

*This mast would be on APA Industrial Use zoning.

*All concerns expressed by Commissioners in Nov. ’04 (at the time they sent our application for a mast at different location to Public Hearing) have been addressed in this new application.

*On the APA towers policy... visibility concerns are “considerably different in developed areas with the less restrictive Hamlet land use area classificatio... Presumably and logically this applies also and more so in Industrial Use Areas since Industrial Use is even less restrictive than Hamlet.

In sum, there is no reasonable basis for anything but approval of this project application.

Mailing address:
Dr. Ross Whaley, Chairman
Re: Application No.: 2005-0271

NYS Adirondack Park Agency
P.O. Box 99
1133 NYS Route 86
Ray Brook, NY 12977

Transmittal by US Mail is preferable. The Fax # is: 518-891-3938.

Please call or email if you have any questions – 518 964-6830.

We are very appreciative of your continuing help and support.

Jim McAndrew
Project Manager
jmcandrew@barton.com


8. Lamont Surges Past Lieberman!

There is real hope for the future! Today's Q-poll finds that Ned Lamont has surged past Joe Lieberman to a commanding lead in the Connecticut primary. The curtain is coming down on the "reign of error" of the DLC and neocon consultants in our party! http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/08/03/AR2006080300597.html

Thanks everyone! See you all soon.

Larry Dudley
- posted by Larry Dudley @ 11:21 PM