Tricounty DFA Update: Meeting Reminder-- N.I.E. "blows up" Iran attack, more
Hello Everyone!

In This Update:

1. Reminder: Glens Falls DFA Meeting Wednesday
2. Intelligence Community Stands Up To Bush, Cheney, Neocons
3. Peace Fair December 8
4. Seasons Greetings To Vets
5. Friday Night Progressive Film Fest


1. Reminder: Glens Falls DFA Meeting Wednesday

Just a reminder that our December Greater Glens Falls DFA Link-Up or "Meetup" will be this Wednesday, December 5th, at 7pm at the Rockhill Bakehouse Cafe on Hudson, Elm and Exchange Streets in downtown Glens Falls.

We set the agenda from last month: We will be discussing out reach and coordination with other area groups engaged in local environmental concerns, for instance, the French Mountain/Bear Pond mess. I hope also to have a video of Governor Dean and Democratic National Committee staff talking about the 50 State Precinct Leader Plan. As we discussed last month, our group really can't take this project all by ourselves for the region, but we may be able to use our skills better in training others.


2. Intelligence Community Stands Up To Bush, Cheney, Neocons

Today's news brought a startling story and an historic sea change in the denouement of the misbegotten Bush/Cheney/Neocon regime. All 16 of the nation's intelligence agencies finally found their guts and principles and stood up to White House bullies who were seeking to suborn their testimony on Iran.

The agencies issued a new National Intelligence Estimate today: Iran is not seeking a nuclear weapon and abandoned the project in 2003.

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/03/world/middleeast/03cnd-iran.html?ex=1354424400&en=db7cde09fe490f20&ei=5124&partner=permalink&exprod=permalink

Put bluntly, the agencies pulled the rug out from underneath White House warmongers. The likelihood of another or larger war in the Middle East took a huge drop, and probably now cannot happen. The neocons are boiling in rage and frustration: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7126117.stm

There no longer is any threat of a "World War Three," no mushroom clouds, no terror war, and no reason not to cooperate with Iran on resolving the mess we created in Iraq.

But let's step back a moment and take in the larger political picture. The end of the Cold War presented the right wing in this country with a crisis: without an enemy, there could be no national security state. Since the first war with Iraq, they have attempted to replace the old Cold War with a new war against "Islamic Fascism" and "terrorism." That would justify their continued grip on the nation's economy and the federal budget, and really our whole society and all of its priorities.

Saddam proved to be an phony threat once we had him, there were no WMD's. So the Bush/Cheney/neocon regime had to find a new bogeyman to keep people scared: they needed to scare us about Iran. Now that threat is gone. And with it so is the justification for domestic spying, overspending on national defense, enveloping the government in secrecy, abusing civil rights guaranteed by the Constitution, torture, attempted censorship-- all the myriad crimes of the Bush era.

Without this spectre, we are eventually going to see the drawdown of the national security state that should have occurred in the 1990s after the end of the Cold War, but did not.

As of today, there is even less reason for Democrats in Congress to continue to fail to stand up to Bush, and even less reason keep financially feeding the neocon fantasy of global struggle.


3. Peace Fair December 8th

The Second Annual Glens Falls Area Peace Fair will be held at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation on Weeks Road in Queensbury this Saturday, December 8th, 2007 from 10am-5pm.

Admission is free, rain or shine. It will feature "A diverse gathering of peace-minded folks, hand-crafted gifts, provocative tables, vegetarian soups and desserts, live music and free child care.

Ruth Lamb recommends a book that will be available at the Peace Fair:

"Everyone of every political persuasion should read the new book by Paul Hawken - "Blessed Unrest How the Largest Movement in the World came Into Being and Why No One Saw It Coming". This is a very upbeat look at coping with global warming that focuses on the many, many, many people who are at work individually, in small groups and larger groups to make a positive difference to the state of the earth. I highly recommend it, not only as an important read, but as a reference to topics, organizations, etc. that are at work. Hope to have it for sale at the Peace Fair. Ruth"

For more info contact organizer Neal Herr at neahherr@verison.net


4. Seasons Greetings To Vets

Tony sends this along:

When mailing your Christmas cards this year, simply take two extra cards and
please send them to the following addresses. (Think of how many cards will
be received by these wonderful special people who have sacrificed so much
for our country!)

A Recovering American Marine
c/o Bethesda Naval Hospital
8901 Rockville Pike
Bethesda, MD 20889

And...

A Recovering American Soldier
c/o Walter Reed Army Medical Center
6900 Georgia Avenue,NW
Washington, DC 20307-5001

5. Friday Night Progressive Film Fest


The Rockhill Bakehouse Cafe's Friday Night Progressive Film Fest continues at 7:30 with:

Fri Dec 7 7:30 pm ADIRONDACK PROGRESSIVE FILM FORUM
TERRORSTORM: A LOOK AT GOVERNMENT SPONSORED TERRORISM (2006) Alex Jones 173 min. No Grade
In this documentary, filmmaker Alex Jones takes a look at global terrorist attacks, including the bombings in London and Madrid. Jones is highly critical of the methodology behind the various governments who are fighting back against such activit! ies, and offers some pointers on how he thinks these situations can be resolved peacefully.


Thanks everyone! See you all Wednesday!

Larry

Labels: Democracy For The Greater Glens Falls Area, DFA, Glens Falls, Iraq Timeline, Iraq War, Larry Dudley, Peace Fair

- posted by Larry Dudley @ 12:36 AM