Tricounty DFA Update: Meeting Reminder, Keehn Now Declines, more
Hello Everyone:

In this Update for June 29, 2008:

1. Glens Falls DFA Link-Up Or "Meetup" Wednesday
2. Brief Background Statistics
3. Keehn Not To Run
4. No Film At Rockhill Cafe


1. Glens Falls DFA Link-Up Or "Meetup" Wednesday

This Wednesday, July 2nd, we will be holding our monthly Democracy For The Greater Glens Falls Area Link-up or "meetup" at 7pm at the Rockhill Bakehouse Cafe in downtown Glens Falls.

The principal item on the agenda, by widespread requests from all of you, are the recent votes by Rep. Gillibrand to fund the war in Iraq for another year, and to approve the FISA Act, which is now before the Senate and postponed until July 8th.

DFA National also has an agenda item for contacting local democrats.

The Rockhill Bakehouse Cafe is on the corner of Exchange and Elm Streets and Hudson Avenue, one block west of the roundabout in downtown Glens Falls.


2. Brief Background Statistics

For a brief review of recent polls as background to these Congressional votes, Dick sends along this brief quote from dKos:

"These are poll numbers that make the GOP's blood boil: 66% of Americans support health coverage for all, even if it means raising taxes; 76% of Americans think global warming in "a proven fact"; only 16% of Americans think abortion should be completely outlawed; 77%of Americans believe we should meet with leaders who are hostile to the United States; 57% of Americans support either gay marriage or civil unions; and 85% of Americans say a candidate's position on Iraq is "extremely important" or "important" to their vote."

Obviously, as Dick notes, the last point on Iraq is the most important, and clearly reflects opinion here.

3. Keehn Not To Run

There is some additional news out today from Saratoga Springs. Val Keehn sent the following message out to her supporters:

"Dear Friends and Supporters,

"The events of the last 48 hours have caused a dramatic change in course for me. When I began setting things in motion to collect petition signatures and gather support for a run for the open 43rd Senate seat recently vacated by Senator Bruno, I was aware that Supervisor Joanne Yepson was also exploring a similar path. I intentionally held off making a formal announcement for this reason, as well as a few others.

"Friday morning, I was informed that Mike Russo, Director of Congresswoman Gillibrand's district office, was also in this race and that he had lined up a million dollars. Not wanting to participate in a primary with Saratoga Springs candidates and knowing that I could not possibly come close to raising that kind of money, I started talking to my core team about pulling out.

"Joanne and I meet twice yesterday with various individuals acutely involved in this situation in hopes of having one candidate rise above the others with unified support. At one point during a meeting with Mr. Russo, he stated that this senate race was not about him, but about finding the best candidate; and that if he was not that candidate among us, he would bow out and support one of us.

"Shortly after that, I made the decision to stop my petition effort and offer my full support to Joanne Yepson if she wanted to continue her pursuit of this seat. She did. A late night phone call to Mike resulted in him accepting my decision to support Joanne and acknowledging her desire to continue her organizational efforts with full force. He did not, however, agree to step aside.

"So, it is with some degree of disappointment, but with far more enthusiasm, that I ask you to accept and respect my decision not to pursue the senate seat, and to give your wholehearted support to our Saratoga Springs County Supervisor, Joanne Yepson. She has the drive, bi-partisan support, and the intellect to be a superb State Senator. It is also my sincere hope, that by supporting Joanne, the divides within the local Democratic community will start to narrow and we can work together to elect a popular local Democrat who will represent our interests in the 43rd Senate District.

"Thank you all for your friendship and encouragement for the past three years. My strength and positive outlook on my future endeavors have come largely from all of you. Good things are ahead for the Democrats in Saratoga Springs.

"Always,

"Valerie"

4. No Film At Rockhill Cafe

The Rockhill Bakehouse Cafe will be closed for the Fourth Of July, so there will be no Friday Night Progressive FIlm Festival this Friday.

Thanks everyone!

See you all Wednesday!

Larry

Labels: Democracy For America, Democracy For The Greater Glens Falls Area, DFA, Gillibrand, Glens Falls, Iraq War, Keehn, Rockhill Bakehouse Cafe, Val Keehn

- posted by Larry Dudley @ 8:50 PM 0 comments

 
Tricounty DFA Update: Keehn In, Vigil? Meetup Reminder, more
Hello Everyone;

In this extra update for June 26th, 2008:

1. Keehn Hat In Ring, Petitions Needed
2. Vigil? Saturday? Monthly? Let me know.
3. Meeting Reminder: July 2nd
4. Gas Gouging Enron Style
5. Friday Night Progressive Film Fest


1. Keehn Hat In Ring, Petitions Needed

Tuesday Night Sen. Joe Bruno announced his retirement after 32 years.

Today, former Saratoga Spring Mayor Valerie Keehn threw her hat in the ring for the 43rd Senate District seat. With Bruno's retirement, this seat is now in play, and could tip the New York State Legislature into Democratic hands for the first time in over 40 years, breaking the logjam that has prevented decades of reform. The era of "three men in a room" may be at an end, at last.

Keehn was twice endorsed by our DFA groups in Glens Falls and Saratoga Springs, and honored with a special, and rare, area appearance last year by DFA National Chairman Jim Dean. Keehn became something of a DFA star after leading the Saratoga Springs Democrats to a 6-0 sweep in 2005 after attending one of the first DFA Training weekends in Cazenovia, NY.

Val needs help right now, that is, this weekend: she is asking for people to circulate nominating petitions, which are required to get on the ballot. They must be completed and in before July 10th. She sent this message out for those who want to help:

"You can pick up my petitions, Democratic walk sheets and instructions at:
Ron Kim’s law office
36 Long Alley
(the alley just behind the Post Office on Broadway)"

"or on my enclosed front porch:
41 Benedict Street"

"If it will help, we can also drop off materials. Call or email. You can work Farmer’s Market and the upcoming July 4 events too. If you have contacts in Ballston Spa, Malta, Milton, Round Lake, Clifton Park, South Glens Falls, Stillwater, Hoosick Falls or in the Troy area, please consider enlisting them and getting us their info."

"Let us know that you're in! Conctact Brucie Rosch by email, brucie@brucierosch.com or phone, 583-2767."

"Thank you again for your support and friendship,

Valerie"


2. Vigil? Saturday? Monthly? Let me know.

I am still holding on a decision to call another vigil this weekend: I personally cannot be there, but a couple of you have responded, and a couple at last week's vigil wanted to continue.

Trudy made a very interesting suggestion to me yesterday: hold them monthly in the summer time. We can discuss it at next week's meeting, too.


3. Meeting Reminder: July 2nd

We will be having our next meeting of Democracy For The Greater Glens Falls Area next week, July 2nd, at the Rockhill Bakehouse Cafe in downtown Glens Falls at 7pm. The Cafe is on Elm and Exchange Streets and Hudson Avenue, one block west of the roundabout downtown.

I have heard from a number of you that you want to discuss Rep. Kirsten Gillibrand's controversial votes last week to fund the war in Iraq for another full year and also for the FISA bill, and we will.

I think we will also want to discuss the Bruno resignation/ Keehn announcement.


4. Gas Gouging Enron Style

I can't resist passing on a good "must read" and there is a terrific one on today's NY Times on how the current run up in gas prices is strikingly similar to Enron's ripping off electrical consumers in California. http://egan.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/06/25/the-petro-manipulators/index.html?ref=opinion

The whole gas crisis has been clearly manufactured by speculators, and enabled by government inaction.

5. Friday Night Progressive Film Fest

The Rockhill Bakehouse Cafe's Friday Night Progressive Film Festival continues with:

Fri Jun 27 7:30 pm Progressive Film Forum
I LIKE KILLING FLIES (2005) Matt Mahurin 79 min. RT Rating = 95 %
In his feature debut, noted artist illustrator and video-director Mahurin celebrates one of his favorite restaurants -- and ours -- Shopins, a Greenwich Village institution, much beloved by its loyal clientele for decades. With over 900 items on his menu, all conjured up in his Rube Goldberg-style kitchen the size of a walk-in closet, Kenny Shopsin is chef de cuisine and proprietor. When there is a lull in the cooking, he steps out from behind his Frankenstein stove and holds court, serving up morsels of wisdom and wit on life, death, sex, politics and even food. But, after 32 years in the same sheltered workshop, Kenny loses his lease and the family must now find a new location – a move vigorously supported both financially and logistically by customers who can’t bear the thought of life without Shopsins. Mahurin, himself one of the faithful, was asked to record the move for posterity, and what emerges is a hilarious and heartfelt hymn to individuality, independence, and idiosyncrasy – not just in the kitchen, but in life.


Thanks Everyone!

Larry

Labels: Democracy For America, Democracy For Saratoga Springs, Democracy For The Greater Glens Falls Area, DFA, Keehn, NY, Primaries, Rockhill Bakehouse Cafe, Val Keehn

- posted by Larry Dudley @ 9:46 PM 0 comments

 
Tricounty DFA Update: Multiple Appeals On FISA Emergency, more
Hello Everyone;

In this update for June 24, 2008:

1. Emergency Appeals On FISA Vote/Filibuster
2. What Is At Stake In FISA?
3. Last Week's Votes
4. Vigil Request-- Feedback
5. Bruno Retires
6. Friday Night Progressive Film Festival


1. Emergency Appeals On FISA Vote/Filibuster

The Senate is now in a filibuster to prevent the FISA Act from being voted out of the Senate. Senators Dodd, Feingold and others have taken to the floor calling for the Senate to refuse cloture and kill the FISA ACT.

There has been an amazing outpouring from practically every liberal and progressive group asking us to call our Senators and appeal to them to join the filibuster, or at least refuse to vote for cloture: DFA, PDA, True Majority, People For The American Way and more have all issued appeals.

Sen. Clinton has said she will vote against it and my counter part at DFNYC, Heather Woodfield, says Schumer is leaning no. Take nothing for granted, please call both offices if you can: These are the Albany numbers, and are easiest to get to: (518) 431-0120 & (518) 431-4070

If you can't get a line (the DC ones are jammed) you can email, but calling is far better. Please click here to report your call: http://www.democracyforamerica.com/activities/90-demand-our-senators-filibuster-telecom-immunity

Again, it's (518) 431-0120 & (518) 431-4070


2. What Is At Stake In FISA?

First, if FISA is passed, the many crimes of the Bush administration in spying on Americans will not only never be prosecuted, they will never even be exposed. We will never know what happened. It is basically a coverup.

A disastrous precedent will also be established: what's called the Nuremberg defense, from the Nuremberg war crimes trials at the end of WWII. That is, if someone in authority orders you to do something, it's okay, you were just following orders. We can see where that got Germany.

The FISA Act unravels 247 years of American history going all the way back to the famous Writs Of Assistance case in 1761, when James Otis argued the writs, basically blank search warrants, were a violation of rights. The protection against unreasonable search and seizure was one of the basic issues of the American Revolution. John Adams thought the Revolution really began with the Writs case.

Under FISA the government will be free to suck up and filter vast amounts of electronic information, among others, without a warrant. What will it do with this information?

Why this unseemly hurry to pass the FISA Act now? Why, exactly, will this not wait until the Obama Administration? Bush is crowing at his victory, as is the right wing. And it is a great victory, won against all odds. Does that not trouble anyone? Will we ever get our protections against unwarranted search and seizure back? Again, please call our Senators at (518) 431-0120 & (518) 431-4070


3. Last Week's Votes

In case you have not heard, last week the House passed not only the FISA bill, but also to give Bush $165 billion in funding to keep the Iraq War going into the Spring of 2009.

We will, then, be having a sixth anniversary vigil of the US invasion of Iraq.

Rep. Gillibrand voted for both. She was the only Democrat in New York State to vote with Bush on the war. It is a matter of simple reporting that there are large numbers of people who are very, very upset about this, and people are already talking about a primary challenge against her, along with the other so-called Blue Dogs.


4. Vigil Request-- Feedback

Since the war has now been funded well into next year, the question was raised at last Saturday's vigil as to whether or not we should keep them going. There was one group who felt it is now futile. Others wanted to continue, and turn it into a protest.

We agreed to poll everyone to see what we all wanted to do: If you want to keep the vigils going, and are also committed to coming, please let me know in a return email. We have to have a decent number of people to do it, otherwise it actually goes more harm than good. I understand how deeply discouraging and dispiriting all aspects of this are.


5. Bruno Retires

In other news, Senator Joe Bruno announced his retirement from the State Senate yesterday, which greatly improves the Democrat's chance of taking the State Senate for the first time in over 40 years. This means there will be a serious senate race in the 43rd SD, which will benefit Democratic Candidate Brian Premo. There's an interesting interview with Premo at: http://alloveralbany.com/archive/2008/06/12/brian-premoyou-know-the-guy-challenging-joe-bruno

6. Friday Night Progressive Film Festival

The Rockhill Bakehouse Cafe's Friday Night Progressive Film Festival continues with:

Fri Jun 27 7:30 pm Progressive Film Forum
I LIKE KILLING FLIES (2005) Matt Mahurin 79 min. RT Rating = 95 %
In his feature debut, noted artist illustrator and video-director Mahurin celebrates one of his favorite restaurants -- and ours -- Shopins, a Greenwich Village institution, much beloved by its loyal clientele for decades. With over 900 items on his menu, all conjured up in his Rube Goldberg-style kitchen the size of a walk-in closet, Kenny Shopsin is chef de cuisine and proprietor. When there is a lull in the cooking, he steps out from behind his Frankenstein stove and holds court, serving up morsels of wisdom and wit on life, death, sex, politics and even food. But, after 32 years in the same sheltered workshop, Kenny loses his lease and the family must now find a new location – a move vigorously supported both financially and logistically by customers who can’t bear the thought of life without Shopsins. Mahurin, himself one of the faithful, was asked to record the move for posterity, and what emerges is a hilarious and heartfelt hymn to individuality, independence, and idiosyncrasy – not just in the kitchen, but in life.


Thanks Everyone!

Larry

Labels: Democracy For America, Democracy For The Greater Glens Falls Area, DFA, Gillibrand, Iraq, Iraq War, Rockhill Bakehouse Cafe, vigil

- posted by Larry Dudley @ 11:54 PM 0 comments

 
Tricounty DFA Update: Peace & Unity Vigil Saturday 11am, McClatchy Series, FISA, War Vote Alarm
Hello Everyone;

In This Update:

1. Vigil & Unity Event Saturday
2. Kudos To Post Star On McClatchy Series
3. FISA, War Funding Votes Imminent
4. Robocalling
5. Friday Night Progressive Film Festival


1. Vigil & Unity Event Saturday

We will be holding another one hour vigil this Saturday, June 21st at 11am in front of the Civil War Monument at the corners of Bay, Glen and South Streets in downtown Glens Falls.

This will be a vigil for peace and to bring our troops home. But it will have an extra dimension this weekend. DFA National is urging us to hold unity events now that the primary process is over. Accordingly, now that Ron Paul has dropped out of the race, we would urge the community to come together and also show support for the only remaining candidate committed to ending the Iraq War and bringing our troops home, Barack Obama.

Please come at 11am and bring a sign (we have a few) and a friend.


2. Kudos To Post Star On McClatchy Series

The Post Star deserves a real salute for its recent decision to carry the McClatchy Newspapers syndicated series on the abuse and sometimes torture of prisoners in US military custody, which occurred at the order of top civilian lawyers in the administration, over the objection of military attorneys in the Judge Advocate Generals office.

McClatchy is the news service that got the facts on Iraq right, as opposed to the rest of the main stream media, and it is great to see the Post Star now carrying their distinguished coverage.

For those who missed them, here are some links to these "must read" stories:

Many at Guantanamo had no ties to terrorism.
Documents undercut Pentagon's denial of routine abuse.
Former detainees allege Quran abuse at Guantanamo.

Abuse of detainees routine at U.S. bases in Afghanistan.

Laws that led to detainee abuse hatched in secret
Guantanamo becoming recruiting ground



3. FISA, War Funding Votes Imminent

Votes in Congress are imminent on funding the war in Iraq for another year, and the FISA bill, which is basically a complete surrender that gives the Bush administration every it wants in terms of warrantless spying on Americans and letting telecom corporate criminals off the hook for helping spy illegally on Americans.

Why the Congress is even considering either measure is hard to comprehend-- for instance, these telecommunications companies have never exactly been friends of the Democratic Party, as all those messages we get from DFA Wireless/Credo Mobile like to point out. They give almost entirely to Republicans.

Democrats.com send this alert out today on the war funding bill, which betrays the commitment Democrats made to the American people before the 2006 election:

"Late Wednesday, House "Democratic" Leader Steny Hoyer announced a deal with George Bush to give him $165B more for Iraq without bringing a single soldier home. And Hoyer wants the Democratic Congress to pass the bill today (Thursday) - before the 68% of Americans who oppose the disastrous occupation get ourselves organized.

"So please pick up the phone right now and tell your House Representative to vote NO on wasting $165 billion more in Iraq.

"Call the Capitol switchboard at 202-224-3121 and ask for your House Representative (not Senators) by name, or find your House Representative's name and direct dial by entering your address on the right side:
http://usalone.com

If you do call, I would also suggest you bring up FISA, the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act. Glenn Greenwald, the constitutional law scholar and Salon columnist has been doing great work on this issue. Today he writes: "It's full-scale, unconditional amnesty with no inquiry into whether anyone broke the law. In the U.S. now, thanks to the Democratic Congress, we'll have a new law based on the premise that the President has the power to order private actors to break the law, and when he issues such an order, the private actors will be protected from liability of any kind on the ground that the Leader told them to do it -- the very theory that the Nuremberg Trial rejected." and
"Sen. Russ Feingold courteously answers the last question I just posed:

"The proposed FISA deal is not a compromise; it is a capitulation. . . . The House and Senate should not be taking up this bill, which effectively guarantees immunity for telecom companies alleged to have participated in the President's illegal program, and which fails to protect the privacy of law-abiding Americans at home. "

Dick sends along this earlier Greenwald observation:

"I'm trying to get some more details about this deal -- and am also trying to minimize the less rational aspects of my reaction -- before I write about it, which I'll do tomorrow at the latest. Suffice to say, the Democrats are about to reverse the only worthwhile act they've undertaken since being handed control of the Congress 18 months ago, and will endorse and authorize yet another aspect of the Bush lawbreaking regime. I ask this literally, not rhetorically: can someone identify even one meaningful event from the past 18 months that would have been different had the GOP retained control of both houses of Congress? Just one."

So if you call, please urge our members of Congress to vote no on war funding and no on FISA.



4. Robocalling

I have been asked to pass this along about robocalls coming into the district about Rep. Gillibrand, with a press release I will paste at the bottom, and so I will.
But I don't believe I am doing her any favors in doing so, because this completely concedes Republican energy policy frames, specifically that drilling can have any impact whatsoever on our energy status, or that there is any relationship between supply and price. There is none. Demand has dropped sharply but prices continue to rise.

I would also note it is common knowledge that just because a piece of federal land has been leased, does not mean it has oil or gas on it. All the good areas were drilled many years ago. What's left, if anything at all, are resources like tar sands or oil shale, which require massive capital investment or non-existent technology, or are heavy oils that require steam injection from non existent western water resources. These companies are famous for never thinking beyond the next quarter. If they had oil they sold it as fast as they could. That's why we're running out now.

"FYI: Tomorrow, Freedoms Watch, a 527 front group for the National Republican Party, will launch robo-dials into the district saying that the Congresswoman opposes drilling for oil during record high gas prices."

"In fact: The Congresswoman supports domestic drilling on lands (off and on-shore) already permitted to be tapped today, and she sponsored legislation to fine oil companies who continue to sit on their drilling permits and do nothing."

"If you can help let the Congresswoman’s constituents know the truth via any means -- letters to the editor, word of mouth and emails to your lists, that would be great. The following press release was sent out on Father’s Day and contains good information on this issue. I am also attaching the Congresswoman’s most current letter on energy. It discusses several of the steps she has taken since she took office to address gas prices and the energy crisis. "



5. Friday Night Progressive Film Festival

Fri Jun 20 7:30 pm Progressive Film Forum
GENGHIS BLUES (1999) Roiko & Adrian Belic 90 min. RT Rating = 73 %
In 1995, blind bluesman Paul Pena, who has played with Muddy Waters, B.B. King, John Lee Hooker, Jerry Garcia, and Merl Saunders and wrote the Steve Miller Band hit "Jet Airliner," traveled to Tuva, a small land in Northern Mongolia, with a small film crew and radio DJ Mario Casetta. Pena had become fascinated with the Tuvan practice of harmonic throat singing, in which singers are able to make incredible, almost magical sounds flow from deep in their throats. Pena's tour of the country leads him to the 1995 Throat singing Competition and Symposium, in which he competes in the kargyaa section, and the crowd is thrilled to see an American blues musician throat singing and talking to them in the Tuvan language. Brothers Adrian and Roko Belic document the trip, alternating between scenes of Pena's experiences with the people and shots of the beautiful Tuvan landscape and culture, from lush fields, stunning mountains, and hot deserts to dancing, a form of sumo-like wrestling, and a brutal sheep slaughtering ceremony. This majestic film won the Oscar for Best Documentary Feature at the 1999 Academy Awards as well as the Audience Award at the Sundance Film Festival. The music in the film is literally incredible and it has to be seen and heard to be believed.

Thanks everyone! See you all Saturday!

Larry


***************





Gillibrand Calls for Expanded Domestic Energy Production


Long-term Solutions Needed to Bring Relief to Upstate Residents

“It is time for American energy policy to be dictated by the consumers and not the oil and gas industry.” – Rep. Gillibrand



Saratoga Springs, NY – Today, local Congresswoman Kirsten Gillibrand called on oil companies to expand their domestic energy production on public lands already leased by the federal government. Oil and gas companies currently hold leases to 68 million acres of federal lands for energy production that are not being utilized. In testimony on Capitol Hill last month, oil executives asked Congress to open up new lands to oil production while they sit on permits for tens of millions of acres they are not using for production. The oil and gas companies have so far refused to begin production on 77% of their offshore oil leases and 73% of their onshore leases. When citing record gas prices economists have frequently cited the supply and demand equation as a driving reason for soaring prices. This bill will force the oil companies to increase supply on lands they are permitted to tap today. According to AAA Daily Fuel Gauge Report the average cost for a gallon of gas in the Capitol region is $4.19.

In reaction to their continued inaction, Congresswoman Gillibrand announced that she is an original sponsor of legislation that would impose fees on the oil companies for refusing to use the permits they asked for. The Responsible Ownership of Public Lands Act imposes a $5 per acre fee on oil companies for the first three years the companies have leases but are not using for production, and increase to $25 per acre for the fourth year, and $50 per acre for subsequent years. These fees would be used to invest in alternative energy research and development and to ensure funding for the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP).

“We can’t drill our way out of this problem, but for the oil and gas companies to continue to make record profits while Upstate families are struggling with record prices at the pump, and not to increase production from the leases they currently have, is unacceptable,” said Congresswoman Gillibrand, a Member of the House Armed Services Committee. “It is time for American energy policy to be dictated by the consumers and not the oil and gas industry.”

Congresswoman Gillibrand has been a leader in Congress, fighting for immediate relief for the American people and our nation’s long-term energy security. The Congresswoman led the effort to call for a temporary suspension of future purchases to the Strategic Petroleum Reserve in order to keep more oil in the market. On May 13, the Congresswoman voted in favor of legislation that made this proposal law.

“Our long-term energy security is tied to our ability to work toward achieving energy independence through investment and deployment of new renewable energy technologies. I want America, and specifically Upstate New York, to be the market leader in the development of these new technologies that will, not only bring us closer to achieving energy independence, but will create ‘green collar’ jobs and revitalize our agricultural and manufacturing bases. Our region is blessed with not just the natural resources that can create energy through solar, wind, hydroelectric, and geothermal power, but we also have the creativity and innovation to lead the region in the development of non-food based biofuels, fuel cell technology and energy efficient building and product manufacturing.”

Labels: Democracy For America, Democracy For The Greater Glens Falls Area, DFA, Iraq War, Obama, Rockhill Bakehouse Cafe, Supplemental Bill, vigil

- posted by Larry Dudley @ 7:00 PM 0 comments

 
Tricounty DFA Update: LARAC Instead of Vigil, Kucinich Leads, more
Hello Everyone;

In This Update:

1. Vigil Postponed Because of LARAC Festival
2. Kucinich Introduces 35 Articles of Impeachment
3. Obama Economic Choice Raises Eyebrows
4. Friday Night Progressive Film Festival


1. Vigil Postponed Because of LARAC Festival

Because of the annual LARAC arts festival, which sprawls around City Park, and also because quite a few people have told me they are going to be away for Father's Day weekend, we are going to have to postpone our weekly vigil for peace and to bring our troops home until the following weekend, June 21st.


2. Kucinich Introduces 35 Articles of Impeachment

If you caught C-SPAN on Monday night, you saw one of the greatest and most extraordinary performances in the very long and distinguished history of the United States House of Representatives. Rep. Dennis Kucinich spent most of Monday night, almost five hours, soberly, quietly and eloquently reading and introducing 35 Articles of Impeachment against George W. Bush. Each article ended with the following magisterial paragraph:

"In all of these actions and decisions, President George W. Bush has acted in a manner contrary to his
trust as President and Commander in Chief, and subversive of constitutional government, to the
prejudice of the cause of law and justice and to the manifest injury of the people of the United States.
Wherefore, President George W. Bush, by such conduct, is guilty of an impeachable offense warranting
removal from office."

The full transcript can be read here: http://chun.afterdowningstreet.org/amomentoftruth.pdf

The Articles of Impeachment have been referred to committee, but a growing number of members of Congress are pushing for real hearings, and Kucinich vows to introduce them again in 30 days.

Whatever happens, this is a great, and redeeming, moral victory. It is not always possible to win. But I am reminded of Camus' The Plague, in which the real achievement of those fighting the plague was not in defeating it, but in asserting human dignity and endurance.

In this one is reminded of the eerie similarities between the conference, recently reported on, in which torture techniques were casually bandied about and discussed by high administration officials, and the transcript of the Wansee Conference, wherein the Holocaust was calmly discussed and planned.

It is high patriotism and an assertion of moral dignity to say, not in my name, which is what Kucinich said Monday for all of us.

Democrats.com is calling for action, and we can join in, too, at the very least, as an assertion of our shared dignity as Americans:

"Kucinich's heroic efforts will be in vain unless we inundate Congress with emails and calls (202-224-3121) showing our full support for Rep. Kucinich's 35 Articles of Impeachment: http://www.democrats.com/35-articles-of-impeachment



3. Obama Economic Choice Raises Eyebrows


I think it is safe to say we are all Obama backers, now. But some recent choices of his are raising concerns, and we've got to find a way to let that campaign know that change means real change in the structure of economic power, not rearranging the deck chairs for corporate America. David Sirota sent this out today:

"Obama Economic Adviser Draws Fire

"ABC News, 6/12/08

"Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., underscored his affinity with Democratic centrists this week when he tapped Jason Furman, who worked closely with former Treasury Secretary Robert Rubin, to be his director of economic policy.

"But the selection is now drawing criticism from some on the left who are wondering if the presumptive Democratic nominee will challenge corporate power and make good on his promise to renegotiate the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA).

""When people see someone like Barack Obama promise change and then see that same person make their first move the hiring of a Wall Street economic team, that’s what sows disengagement and cynicism in the public,” said David Sirota"

There is more and it is worth reading:
http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalradar/2008/06/obama-economic.html



4. Friday Night Progressive Film Festival

The Rockhill Bakehouse Cafe's Friday Night Progressive Film Festival continues with:

Fri Jun 13 7:30 pm Progressive Film Forum
JONESTOWN: The Life and Death of The People's temple (2006) Stanley Nelson 90 min. RT Rating = 94 %
With previously unseen footage and interviews with former members of the Peoples Church, this documentary explores the events leading up to the Jonestown Massacre in 1978. A cult which developed a large following in the 1970s, the Peoples Church was led by Jim Jones, who brought his congregation to an idyllic community in Guyana before inciting them to mass suicide.

Thanks, everyone! See you all soon,

Larry

Labels: Democracy For America, Democracy For The Greater Glens Falls Area, DFA, Impeachment, Iraq War, Kucinich, Obama, Rockhill Bakehouse Cafe, vigil

- posted by Larry Dudley @ 11:57 PM 0 comments

 
Tricounty DFA Update: Vigil Reminder, Muller Endorsement, Dean To Stay At DNC!
Hello Everyone;

In this update for June 6th 2008:

1. Vigil Saturday Downtown Glens Falls, 11am
2. Meeting Endorses Bob Muller For Supreme Court
3. Obama Endorsed
4. Clinton To Endorse Obama
5. Obama Asks Dean To Stay At DNC: Victory For $100 Revolution & 50 State Strategy
6. End Of Globalization?


1. Vigil Saturday Downtown Glens Falls, 11am

Tomorrow, Saturday, June 7th we will have another vigil for peace and to bring our troops home at 11am downtown at the corner of Glen, Bay and South Streets, in front of the Civil War monument. Come and bring a friend and a sign, although we have a few signs. The vigil will last one hour, as usual.

2. Meeting Endorses Bob Muller For Supreme Court

At our meeting we listened to a presentation and then had a lengthly Q&A with attorney Bob Muller, Democratic candidate for State Supreme Court, 4th Judicial District. It was an impressive presentation, especially on the importance of these judicial races, which are often overlooked.

Bob noted:
*the need for judges who are politically independent and review cases on their merits,
*are not creatures of political machines
*his 30 years of local experience as an attorney
*his experience as a trial lawyer and former prosecutor

In support, Dick Dudley also spoke at length from his experience in office of how we often do not have politically independent judges, and the dangers that represents.

Bob also noted the 4th District, which sweeps north from southern Washington, Saratoga, Schenectady and Montgomery Counties all the way to Canada, is the biggest in New York State in area and holds about a million people.

He also noted that Supreme Court terms are 14 years long, and that he can and is committed to serving out his full 14 year term: other candidates presently running are much older and probably will not be able to complete their terms.

There are three open seats, with four candidates, but only one Democrat, Bob Muller. If every Democrat in the district (and there are many of them) voted for Muller alone, without diluting their votes by also voting for one of the Republicans, he would probably get the votes needed for election. (This is known as bullet voting.)

At the end the group unanimously endorsed Muller. Seven of the Democratic Committees in the 4th District have endorsed Muller for this office. Democracy For The Greater Glens Falls Area is the first DFA Network group to do so.

Anyone wishing to learn more about Bob Muller and his race can go to his website for more information: http://www.bobmuller2008.com/index.html


3. Obama Endorsed

After Muller's presentation, the group also discussed the completion of the presidential primary season, and then formally endorsed Barack Obama for President, which it had not done before.


4. Clinton To Endorse Obama

News comes tonight that Hillary Clinton will formally concede victory to Barack Obama tomorrow at a rally in Washington, D.C. and endorse him as well. Her speech will be carried live on the web for those wishing to see if, and if it is not on cable or S-Span: website tomorrow


5. Obama Asks Dean To Stay At DNC: Victory For $100 Revolution & 50 State Strategy

There were a pair of news stories out of Washington this week that in long term importance are as important as Obama cinching the nomination.

Dick sent this along from TPM:

Breaking: Howard Dean To Stay As Chair Of The DNC

"Senator Obama appreciates the hard work that Chairman Dean has done to grow our party at the grassroots level and looks forward to working with him as the chairman of the Democratic Party as we go forward."

"Historically, a DNC chair's tenure is uncertain once a nominee is chosen, since said nominee might want to install his own guy there, but as Ben Smith notes, Dean has a power base built up among state party chairs across the country who love his 50-state strategy of investing in them."

"The DNC earlier today confirmed that Obama had installed his man Paul Tewes to serve as his eyes and ears at the organization, a sign that Obama is moving quickly to re-shape the party in his own image. Obama's party, it turns out, will include Dean at the top of the DNC."

Then Governor Dean himself sent this out:

"As we move toward the general election, the Democratic Party has to be the Party of ordinary Americans, not Washington lobbyists and special interests. So, as of this morning, if you're a federal lobbyist, or if you control political action committee donations, we won't be accepting your contribution.

"This is an unprecedented move for a political party to make -- one that has sent shockwaves through Washington and has turned the debate on clean campaigns upside down. We've unilaterally agreed to shut lobbyists out of the process, and are we're relying on people just like you."

http://www.democrats.org/nonlobbyists "


Yes, Obama did win, but Howard Dean won, too: his 50 state strategy and the $100 Revolution he started five years ago are now the established policy of the Democratic Party, and are restoring our democracy. Together they constitute a revolution in political affairs: by getting big money out of politics, and continuing his grassroots efforts, the Great American Restoration Dean talked about four and five years ago will come to pass, transforming and ending a long, benighted period in our country's history.

Certainly, Barack Obama seems well suited to carry on, as his reappointment of Dean to remain DNC chair shows.

What the Dean movement started five years ago has now come to pass. It is a very historic moment, indeed, and one to savor!


6. End Of Globalization?

There's another story that's worth checking out too: it seems high energy prices means the end of the era of Globalization.
http://www.salon.com/tech/htww/2008/06/06/reverse_globalization/index.html

The idea of outsouring manufacturing from country to country, was premised on the idea of very cheap energy to move goods around the world. That was another one of the terrible ideas that came out of the 1980s and 1990s, along with the idea it made sense to drive a Hummer to the grocery for a quart of milk or building a 10,000 square foot "McMansion" miles from anywhere.

If it is now going to be too expensive to move things from China, we should see a revival of domestic manufacturing, and the jobs that went with it.

Thanks everyone! See you at the vigil (hopefully).

Larry

Labels: 4th Judicial District, Democracy For America, Democracy For The Greater Glens Falls Area, DFA, Globalization, Iraq War, New York Supreme Court, Robert Muller, Rockhill Bakehouse Cafe, vigil

- posted by Larry Dudley @ 11:14 PM 0 comments

 
Tricounty DFA Update: Meeting Wednesday Reminder, Trust, Vigils
Hello Everyone;

In this update for June 2nd, 2008:

1. Greater Glens Falls DFA Meeting Wednesday With Special Guest Robert Muller
2. Primaries Ending & Trust
3. Vigil Saturday
4. All Seeing Eye? By Naomi Klein
5. Water & Privatization
6. Friday Night Progressive Film Festival



1. Greater Glens Falls DFA Meeting Wednesday With Special Guest Robert Muller

We will be having our Democracy For The Greater Glens Falls Area Link-up or "meetup" Wednesday, June 4th, at 7pm, at the Rockhill Bakehouse Cafe in downtown Glens Falls. The Cafe is located on the corners of Exchange and Elm Streets and Hudson Avenue, just west of the Roundabout.

We will be hosting a special guest: Attorney Robert Muller, who is running as a Democrat for New York State Supreme Court, 4th Judicial District. Bob is presently Queensbury Town Justice, and has been a well known area attorney for nearly 30 years. He will be talking about his race and his extensive qualifications for the bench.


2. Primaries Ending & Trust

By the time we will be meeting, the primary season will be over (hopefully). We may know by then what prospect Democrats will have of retaking the White House in the Fall. I am sure many will want to discuss that as well, as well as whether or not Congress is going to fund the war for another entire year.

If the Clinton campaign is to continue, it can only do so by soliciting pledged delegates for Obama to switch to Clinton. Legally, they can do this. But to do so would be an unprecedented breach of faith with the people who elected those delegates.

That means the big issue now is trust. All political parties, campaigns and movements are, on a fundamental level, about trust. If the people in them violate each other's trust, then those parties, movements, campaigns will simply fly apart. Trust is the glue of politics, it makes political life possible.

Let's hope our political fabric is not further sundered by any candidate's rationale for the violation of trust, which is what asking a pledged delegate to vote for someone other than they are pledged to would do: shatter the trust that holds our party together.


3. Vigil Saturday

There will be another weekly vigil for peace and to bring our troops home this Saturday, June 7th at 11am at the corner of Glen, Bay and South Streets in downtown Glens Falls, in front of the Civil War Monument. The vigil will last one hour. Please come and bring a sign and a friend, although we have some signs if you can't get one.


4. All Seeing Eye? By Naomi Klein

Frank Grassia sends along this remarkable piece in Rolling Stone by one of the great writers of the hour, Naomi Klein of Shock Capitalism fame. U.S. high tech firms are helping create what's been called "police state 2.0" and Market Stalinism in China. Klein argues a new type of high-tech police state is being created there, and that the technology could be exported back to the United States and other democracies. This is a truly frightening "must read." http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/story/20797485/chinas_allseeing_eye


5. Water & Privatization

On a local level, water issues seem to be cropping up in our area with some regularity, of late in the City of Glens Falls. Wenonah Hauter writes in The American Prospect on how schemes, and that's they are, schemes to privatize water systems and resources around the world are not only a potential violation of basic human rights, but virtually always backfire in practical terms, never, ever delivering on their promises. For some reason it's a lesson that seems to need relearning again and again, but one we need to remember as the area confronts its complex water problems. http://www.prospect.org/cs/articles?article=the_perils_of_privatization


6. Friday Night Progressive Film Festival

The Rockhill Bakehouse Cafe continues its Friday Night Progressive Film Festival with:

Fri Jun 6 7:30 pm Progressive Film Forum
PROMISES (2001) Justine Shapiro & B.Z. Goldberg 106 min. RT Rating = 96 %
Rather than focusing on political events, the seven children featured in Promises offer a compelling human portrait of the Israeli & Palestinian conflict. The film draws viewers into the hearts and minds of Jerusalem’s children by giving voice to those captured by the region's hatreds as well as those able to transcend them. These seven children are between the ages of 9-13, an age group that rarely has the opportunity to speak for itself. They are less self-conscious and polite than teenagers and adults. They speak directly and without self-censorship and are both true mirrors of their cultures and spokespeople for future generations of Israelis and Palestinians.

Thanks, everyone! See you Wednesday (and Saturday)

Larry

Labels: 4th Judicial District, Democracy For America, Democracy For The Greater Glens Falls Area, DFA, Iraq War, Naomi Klein, New York Supreme Court, Robert Muller, Rockhill Bakehouse Cafe

- posted by Larry Dudley @ 11:24 PM 0 comments