Tricounty DFA Update: Link-Up Report-- 5th Anniversary of War Plans, Stillwater Dems
Hello Everyone;

In This Update:


1. Report On Wednesday Meeting
2. March 19, 5th Anniversary Of Iraq Invasion Vigil & Name Reading
3. Stillwater Democrats Can't Wait Till Spring Social"
4. "McSame As Bush"


1. Report On Wednesday Meeting

We had a nice crowd Wednesday at the Rockhill Bakehouse Cafe for the rescheduled showing of Uncounted and more planning for the 5th Anniversary of the Invasion of Iraq. Uncounted, an hour and a half long video by David Earnhardt, delved into the many problems with voting fraud, incompetence and mistrust going back to the Stolen Election of 2000-- including the likely stealing of Ohio in 2004. All in all, it was a warning for the future.

A Note on voting machines here: we will still be using our old lever action machines this November-- there isn't time to replace them before the election. Afterwards, we will be voting on paper ballots, optically scanned, which is the optimal solution that advocates have been pressing for. Paper ballots can be recounted. The State Board of Elections recently certified only scanners because the companies making the infamous touch screen machines, or DRE's, refused to make their machine's source code available to the state, as required by state law.


2. March 19, 5th Anniversary Of Iraq Invasion Vigil & Name Readng

Before the showing of Uncounted, we had old business from our last meeting-- further planning of our vigil commemorating the 5th anniversary of the invasion of Iraq, which we were forced to reschedule from last month. This event will be on Wednesday, March 19th. We we will be coordinating with major national groups, including Moveon.org, United For Peace And Justice and others. The scale of this nation-wide event is going to be truly immense, perhaps unprecedented since the beginning of the war.

Kate Austin has set up an event page at Moveon: http://pol.moveon.org/event/events/event.html?event_id=45117
I have set up an event page at DFA-Link: http://www.dfalink.com/event.php?id=28485
Please RSVP on both of these pages!

This event is open to everyone in the community and we would invite and urge everyone concerned about the war in Iraq to attend.

We decided to begin the event at 6pm at City Park downtown. For the event's format, we also decided to hold a reading of the names of the almost 4,000 Americans who have died in Iraq. However, instead of reading them all in sequence, what we will do is have five people read them simultaneously, one person for each year, like a musical counter point composition. A sixth person will read the names of known Iraqis who have died, or days on which large numbers of Iraqis were killed. However, the names of Upstate New Yorkers (and perhaps Vermonters) who have died will be read first, by themselves.

People are urged to bring candles and signs. Bernice Mennis has several signs and she will bring those for others to use.

The goal is for a commemoration, not a celebration. This is necessarily a solemn occasion, given the vast numbers of deaths (up to a million Iraqis, beyond the thousands of Americans) and the incomprehensible suffering the war has brought. There will be no speeches to detract from the proper tone of this event, though some poems might be read at the end.

A group of us will be getting together for a further planning session on Monday, March 10 at 7pm at the Rockhill Bakehouse Cafe downtown.

Again, please RSVP at both http://www.dfalink.com/event.php?id=28485
and http://pol.moveon.org/event/events/event.html?event_id=45117

I should note that person or persons in our community have decided to attempt to preempt and compete with this event. That's unfortunate, because it will confuse people and dilute attendance. It's also a big surprise, considering how many years, literally, years, we've been doing this, and very successfully. I suppose it's an inevitable consequence of being open and transparent and announcing plans and discussion in advance, and a price we have to pay for our principles. However, there will be only one national commemoration on the 19th, the actual day the war started. The attention will be considerable, and anyone really wishing to have any impact should not allow themselves to be distracted and come to City Park on the 19th at 6pm and join us.

Again, that RSVP is http://www.dfalink.com/event.php?id=28485
and http://pol.moveon.org/event/events/event.html?event_id=45117



3. Stillwater Democrats Can't Wait Till Spring Social"

Lisa Scerbo sends this invitation along:

Can't Wait 'till Spring Social
Sponsored by the Stillwater Democratic Club

Henry Lefko American Legion Post
East Street, Stillwater, NY
Saturday, March 8, 2008
7 P.M.

FOOD'S ON US!

Fun Food Door Prizes Silent Auction
Raffles Friends Cash Bar

RSVP: Lisa Scerbo - 664-9718


4. "McSame As Bush"

Drew sends along this great YouTube video -- "McSame As Bush" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cN10_6pyshQ&eurl=http://www.americablog.com/
Thanks, everyone!

Larry

Labels: Democracy For America, Democracy For The Greater Glens Falls Area, DFA, Iraq War, Rockhill Bakehouse Cafe, Uncounted Film, verified voting, vigil

- posted by Larry Dudley @ 11:49 PM