Tricounty DFA Update: Vigil Saturday, FISA Debacle, Judges, More
Hello Everyone;

In This Update For Thursday, July 10m 2008:

1. Vigil Saturday, 11am Downtown Glens Falls
2. Congressional Debacle On FISA: ACLU Challenge
3. But Thank Clinton & Schumer
4. Iraq Leader Wants US Out
5. No More Bush Judges
6. Help Save Antioch
7. Friday Night Film Festival


1. Vigil Saturday, 11am Downtown Glens Falls

We will be holding another weekly vigil for peace and to bring our troops home this Saturday, July 12th, from 11am until Noon in front of the Civil War Monument at the corner of Bay, Glen and South Streets in downtown Glens Falls. Please come and bring a friend and a sign.


2. Congressional Debacle On FISA: ACLU Challenge

As you probably all know, the Senate caved in Wednesday and gave George Bush yet another great victory, and the destruction of the Fourth Amendment to the Constitution, so desired by the right wing. As has been the case, author and commentator Glenn Greenwald on Salon, has been a real national hero for his advocacy on this issue. His final take, entitled "Strength Through Bowing," is a must read: http://www.salon.com/opinion/greenwald/2008/07/10/democrats/index.html

On the bright side (if there is one) the ACLU is challenging this repudiation of right sAmericans have fought for since patriot pioneer James Otis challenged the Writs of Assistance in 1765, starting a legal quarrel that helped lead to the American Revolution. Greenwald on that: http://www.salon.com/opinion/greenwald/2008/07/10/aclu/


3. But Thank Clinton & Schumer

But is it important to give credit where credit is due, and great credit is due to our two Senators, Hillary Clinton and Chuck Schumer, who were among the 29 who stood up for what this country stands for. I suggest dropping them a note and thanking them:
clinton.senate.gov/contact
schumer.senate.gov/SchumerWebsite/contact/webform.cfm


4. Iraq Leader Wants US Out

Another extraordinary story, coming as it does on the Congress' cave-in to Bush on war funding, is that Iraqi leader Maliki now wants a timetable for the US to get out of Iraq. This is remarkable, coming from what is little more than a puppet government created by the administration to comply with its desire to occupy their country and control their oil, and it certainly puts Congress' recent vote to continue the war for another year in a different light: http://www.truthout.org/article/maliki-stunner-he-wants-us-pullout-timetable

5. No More Bush Judges

Drew sends this along this excellent idea from Credo Action-- Credo (formerly Working Assets ) is calling on the Senate to confirm no more Bush judges before President Obama is sworn in. Bush has done enough to pack the courts with right wing clones. Filling those seats can wait: http://act.credoaction.com/campaign/no_more_bush_judges/?rc=du

6. Help Save Antioch

Hilary sends this along: Antiioch College, which has been called the founding college of American progressivism, is in danger of extinction. You can sign a petition to help save it and learn more at: http://petition.antiochians.org/


7. Friday Night Film Festival


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

Fri Jul 11 7:30 pm SUMMER FAMILY FILM FEST (Oft-overlooked free family movies all summer long)
HAROLD AND MAUDE (1971) Hal Ashby 91 min. RT Rating = 86 %
In the days before home video, when access to anything but first-run Hollywood movies was limited to repertory houses and college film societies, Hal Ashby's HAROLD AND MAUDE achieved cult status and became a surprise hit. In a broad sense, the film is a simple love story about how opposites attract--only, this time around, he's 19 and she's 79. Harold, played with deadpan humor by Bud Cort (M*A*S*H), is under extreme pressure from his overbearing mother, Mrs. Chasen (Vivian Pickles, in a performance that is a sheer delight), to enter the dating world. Unfortunately, the shy and morose Harold would rather spend his time attending the funerals of complete strangers. It is at one of these where he meets Maude (Ruth Gordon), who has the spunk and energy of a teenager. Maude is convinced that Harold needs to come out of his shell and enjoy life, so she brings him into hers. The taboo relationship between Harold and Maude, created by screenwriter Colin Higgins, embodied the spirit of an experimental generation guided by the mantra "If it feels good, do it." The love affair between the film's two eccentrics remains one of Hollywood's most unexpected, but tender, romances. The soundtrack, with songs by Cat Stevens, provides an effective thematic bridge as Harold crosses from extended adolescence into manhood.


Thanks everyone! See you all soon,

Larry

Labels: Credo Action, Democracy For America, Democracy For The Greater Glens Falls Area, DFA, FISA, Iraq Timeline, Iraq War, Rockhill Bakehouse Cafe, Supplemental Bill, vigil, Writs Of Assistance

- posted by Larry Dudley @ 10:27 PM 0 comments

 
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 0 comments

 
Tricounty DFA Meetup Report & Reminder: SiCKO Showing Wednesday With Conference Call
Hello Everyone!

In This Update:


1. SiCKO Showing At The UU Reminder
2. GGF-DFA Meeting Report
3. Election Analysis
4. Former Congressman DWI
5. Paul Krugman To Be At Northshire
6. Torturous...
7. Friday Night FIlm Fest


1. SiCKO Showing At The UU Reminder

I would like to remind everyone that they are cordially invited to attend a screening of Michael Moore's acclaimed new film, SiCKO, at a House Party/Screening on Wednesday, November 14, 2007 at 7:15 PM! SiCKO will be followed by a live nationwide conference call with filmmaker Michael Moore himself and DFA Chairman Jim Dean.

SiCKO, which premiered in area theaters earlier this year, is a meditation on the state of healthcare in America, an expose of the failures of the American healthcare system and the brutalities it often inflicts on patients and families, a revelation on how other nations provide better quality care for their sick and injured both more humanely and at lower cost, and a challenge to a political and economic system whose goal is to keep people fearful, insecure and timid. It is also surprisingly warm, humane, and very funny, while clear in its anger at what America has come to tolerate.

There will be refreshments: Anyone who wants to help can please bring some cookies or other treats! There will be coffee courtesy of the UU and Host Harvey Noordsey.

Please RSVP now at: http://www.dfalink.com/event.php?id=24891

What: SiCKO House Parties
When: Wednesday, November 14, 2007, 7:15 PM
Where: UU Congregation of Glens Falls, 21 Weeks Road Queensbury NY 12804
Admission: Free!

SiCKO is not to be missed! So please attend and RSVP right away at: http://www.dfalink.com/event.php?id=24891


2. Meeting Report

We had a productive November meeting at the Rockhill Bakehouse Cafe last week. There were three main pieces of business we agreed on:

1. We agreed to put off any endorsement of a Presidential candidate by our local group until January.

2. We agreed to investigate becoming a nexus for environmental concerns in the local area, especially land use in Queensbury and around Lake George. This would involved information coordination and sharing, where we would bring other groups together on a coalition basis, connecting them up to become a more effective whole. Pat and Drew will be reporting back to us on this at our December meeting on the 5th.

3. We also agreed to discuss in December a training program of our own centered on the DNC's new Precinct Leader System (what we called the Neighborhood Network last year) and the spectacular Voter Activation Network of the DNC, where local precinct leaders can access the DNC's national voter file, use it, and update it.
We cannot and should not try replace the committees, but we can train others-- we have the experienced people who can perform that service, which would best leverage our human resources most effectively, rather than trying to fill holes ourselves.

I have already downloaded a video of Governor Dean where he talks about the Precinct Leader System and we will be watching it next month!

3. Election Analysis

On the whole, now that we have all had a bit to think about it, last week's election day was a mixed bag. The worse defeat was Val Keehn in Saratoga Springs, but Democrats took other bitter defeats in Stillwater and elsewhere. But Democrats won in South Glens Falls and Fort Edward and Ballston Spa. Ron Vanselow, who our group knows from the previous election when we endorsed him, won in Johnsburg.

Boor and Sanford lost on the Democratic line in Queensbury, after losing the Republican Primary. I think there is an inescapable message there that if you want to be a reformer, you have to be a Democrat. You cannot do local reform from inside the Republican Party. No one is going to try that again, after what was done to Boor and Sanford. That will clarify things in the future because people who want to clean things up will naturally gravitate to the Democratic Party.

Secondly, there is another lesson-- the people who won were the people who ran modern, 21st century voter contact programs. John Strough told me a few days before the election that he had knocked over 1,500 doors in his ward. That is amazing, but voter contact, either by the candidate or the team, is how you win now. The old 20th century idea of treating politics as a form of marketing is done for. The Republicans spent thousands of dollars to beat Strough and got nowhere.

This was a shake out year. In Saratoga Springs, DPW Commission Tommy McTygue was also defeated. From that defeat a new, reformed Democratic City Committee is already beginning to emerge. That will clean up the picture. I think we will see more effective parties in the future. And that will bring the real changes.

In many local areas Democrats are slowly building to a tipping point. I think that happened in Vermont years ago, too. People made slow gains, like we are here, but the base was building, then one day... boom. And everyone will say, where the heck did that come from? But we will know. The first areas that may change are Saratoga Springs, where the Republicans may have had their last hurrah, and Queensbury, where pent up frustration is still slowly building.

I would also agree Colin Neal, of Upstate Blue also cites Washington County as one of our brighter spots, where, as we know, Sheila Comar is doing a fantastic job. Colin has interesting numbers that are really worth reviewing: http://www.dailykos.com/story/2007/11/9/20425/4890


4. Former Congressman DWI

After the last election I swore in this posting that I would never mention John Sweeney again, but news too good to resist comes that not only was former Rep. John Sweeney caught driving drunk on the Northway, but that he had a 23 year old on his lap. Where will frat boy do his community service? Inquiring minds want to know... http://timesunion.com/AspStories/story.asp?storyID=638536&category=REGION&newsdate=11/13/2007


5. Paul Krugman To Be At Northshire

Legendary New York Times columnist Paul Krugman will appear at Northshire Bookstore, Saturday, December 1 at 7 pm, to discuss his new book, Conscience Of A Liberal. In his book, Krugman challenges America to reclaim the values that made it great. Admission is free.

Krugman is a national treasure, and his columns can now be viewed online, for free, including his blog, at: http://topics.nytimes.com/top/opinion/editorialsandoped/oped/columnists/paulkrugman/index.html

The Northshire Bookstore is at 4869 Main Street, Manchester Center, VT 05255 For more go to:
www.northshire.com


6. Torturous...

Last week brought what is indisputably the lowest point for the Democratic Party since Fugitive Slave Act, which helped bring on the Civil War. Democrats in the Senate, first of all Chuck Schumer, who voted for him, allowed the confirmation of Michael Mukasey as Attorney General after he refused under oath to repudiate the use of waterboarding. That act put both Senate Democrats and the Senate's stamp of approval on a form of torture the U.S. and its allies prosecuted 60 years ago as a major Axis war crime. George Bush would have gotten no less from a Republican Senate. The Times Editorial Sunday would have to be the
"must read" of the week, the title alone says it all: Abdicate and Capitulate. http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/11/opinion/11sun1.html?_r=1&ref=opinion&oref=slogin

That said, Drew sends along this great link to Naomi Klein, author of Shock Therapy, which explains how neoliberal economics has ruined this country's economy and much of the world. It's a bit long, but well worth it: http://www.commondreams.org/archive/2007/11/10/5138/

7. Friday Night FIlm Fest


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

Friday Nov 16 7:30 pm
LENNY BRUCE: Without Tears (1992) Fred Baker 75 min.
The outrageous, groundbreaking comic whose iconoclastic material in a conservative era got him into tragic trouble is here profiled by a close friend who prefers to remember the laughs Lenny Bruce's memory evokes instead of the tears. Appearances by: Lenny Bruce, Steve Allen, Paul Krassner, Mort

Thanks everyone! See you Wednesday night at the UU for SiCKO! Remember to please RVP: http://www.dfalink.com/event.php?id=24891


Larry Dudley

Labels: Democracy For America, Democracy For New York, Democracy For The Greater Glens Falls Area, DFNY, Glens Falls, Globalization, Iraq Timeline, Jim Dean, Keehn, Larry Dudley, Michael Moore, SiCKO

- posted by Larry Dudley @ 9:33 AM 0 comments

 
Tricounty DFA Special Update and Alert: Meeting,Veto Protest/Vigil, State Conference News
Hello Everyone;

In This Special Update:

1. Meeting/Veto Action Tomorrow, Wednesday May 2
2. Democracy For New York State Conference Saturday And Sunday!
3. SCDC Women's banquet May 11


1. Meeting/Veto Action

Given the fact Bush now seems posed to veto the Iraq War Supplemental Bill with it's timeline tomorrow, Wednesday, we are faced with a bit of a problem: this is also our monthly meeting day. We had originally assumed we would hold a rally at the intersection of Rt. Nine and Quaker Road. But basically we can't do both. Several of you have contacted me to say we should hold our meeting, so here is the solution:

We will hold a rally/vigil tomorrow, Wednesday May 2nd at 6pm at the Bandstand at City Park in downtown Glens Falls. Since the traffic is going up Maple Avenue instead of Glen Street, this will in fact get good exposure.

Please bring a sign, if you wish, or a candle, and, as always, a friend, relative, coworker or neighbor!

Then after an hour or so we will breakup and head over to the Rockhill Bakehouse Cafe for a somewhat abbreviated meeting, which should be fine.

2. Democracy For New York State Conference Saturday And Sunday!

Here is the full schedule for this weekend's Democracy For New York Conference. DFA people from all over New York State will be attending at the SEUI Hall at 155 Washington Street in downtown Albany, near the state capitol building and Lark Street. This conference is FREE and open to all DFA members in the State of New York.

Everyone who has attended these conferences will know they are worth the trip to Albany! This year's conference starts out with an address by DFA Chair Jim Dean. There will also be a special evening buffet banquet with Congressional DFA-List Candidate Eric Mazza at the Schuyler Inn followed by the film Taking The Hill. This is a great opportunity to grow your activism!

For additional info and to RSVP, which we are really asking people to do, go to: http://www.dfalink.com/event.php?id=17019

Schedule:

Arrival and Registration
10 - 10:15 John McBride and Andrew White Welcome, Why are we here? Introduction
of DFA Chair Jim Dean

10:15 - 10:45 Jim Dean, DFA Chair

10:45 -11:45 Jennifer Wisnewski, Citizen Action, John Nonna, NY Democratic Lawyers Council, Bo Lipari, New Yorkers for Verified Voting

These three speakers will discuss the current status of their efforts to bring electoral reform to the state of New York. That is Clean Money Clean Elections, Election Protection, and Precinct Based Paper Ballots with Optical Scan. They will discuss what we can do to help with these issues. There will be a 30 minute open floor discussion or Q&A .


11:45 - 12:45 Patrick West, Sierra Club Global Warming. Patrick has an Al Gore trained follow up on Gore's oscar winning film An Inconvenient Truth.

12:45-2 Lunch on your own

2-3 NY Sens Schneiderman and Breslin, Assembly Member Jim Brennan. The dysfunction of the NYS Senate andAssembly and what can be done.

3 -3:30 Brian Keeler Four areas for reform. Rules reform, Election reform, Ethics reform and Budget reform.

3:30-4:30 Breakout groups We will break out into groups of about 10 to brainstorm on strategies to bring real reform to the NY State Legislature. After
20 minutes we will return with what we came up with.
Reassemble open discussion

4:30 - 6 Leadership meeting

Saturday Evening a special buffet banquet at the Schuyler Inn, 575 Broadway, Menands. Just north of Albany. Cost, $15.
Speaker Eric Massa (Democratic Candidate for the NY-29 C.D.)
Followed by presentation of Taking the Hill, a film by Brent Renaud and Craig Renaud.
For the Banquet, please RSVP to Carol Olszewski at 330-0226

Sunday May 6
9-9:30 Reconvene

9:30-10:15 Amy Little, Campaign Manager - John Hall for Congress What does it take to win an impossible race?

10:15-11:45 Take 19 All the strategies for winning important elections against entrenched incumbents

11:45 -12:30 Lunch

12:30- 1:15 Break out groups Iraq War
Green Issues
Election Reform
State Government Reform
Presidential politics
Congressional Politics
Growing the Grassroots

1:15 Reconvene full group. What should DFNY be doing in 2007? Where are we going in 2008 and beyond? Create a plan for the structure of DFNY


3. SCDC Women's banquet

Pell sends this along about the upcoming Saratoga Democratic Women's Luncheon:

"AN ORDINARY WOMAN'S JOURNEY IN POLITICAL ACTIVISM"

Join Robyn Ringler of Malta NY as she discusses her journey in activism. She is a nurse, attorney and a writer and most recently, has joined the board of New Yorkers Against Gun Violence. She has published articles and has been heard on NPR's "The Health Show" &"51%" (Hear Her on "51%" - May 2).

SCDC Luncheon at Lillian's
Broadway - Saratoga Springs
Noon - Friday, May 11
$20

RSVP: Pat Friesen - 542-9157 or mcfriesen2@aol.com

Thanks everyone, see you tomorrow or Saturday!

Larry Dudley

Labels: Democracy For America, DFA, Glens Falls, Iraq Timeline, Iraq War, Larry Dudley, protest, Rally, Veto, vigil

- posted by Larry Dudley @ 11:45 AM 0 comments

 
Tricounty DFA Update: Bush Veto Alert, Meeting, DFA Conference, More
Hello Everyone!

In This Update:

1. Bush Veto Demo Alert
2. Meeting Wednesday
3. DFNY Conference Next Weekend
4. Keehn Announces
5. Saratoga DFA Meeting Monday, May 7
6. Friday Night Film Fest
7. On The Lighter Side


1. Bush Veto Demo Alert

One of the things we voted to do at our April Meeting was to hold a demonstration when Bush vetoed the Supplemental Bill with its timeline for ending the Iraq War. The Conference Committee finalized the bill and the House of Representatives passed it Tuesday. The Senate passed it Friday. Bush's veto is expected Tuesday or possibly Wednesday.

Accordingly, we agreed to rally for an hour at the intersection of Route Nine and Quaker Road in Queensbury. (This is because our usual rallying point in downtown Glens Falls is still torn up by the roundabout construction.) Since Tuesday is a work day, we agreed to gather at 5:30 on the veto day, whenever it occurs- again, presumably Tuesday or Wednesday. All I can say beyond that is stay tuned for further details. If the veto comes on Wednesday, we will not be able to hold the May DFA-Linkup meeting. We will just have to postpone until June. In effect, the rally/demonstration will be our meeting in that case.

2. Meeting Wednesday

If Bush's veto is not on Wednesday, then Wednesday, May 2nd, is our scheduled monthly DFA Linkup or Meetup at the Rockhill Bakehouse Cafe in downtown Glens Falls at 7pm. We'll see a return of something those of us who began with Dean For America will remember fondly: a new "Letters To Iowa" campaign. We should have the materials by then.

Only we won't be writing to Iowa, but rather the winners of the current DFA All Stars Poll ( If you haven't voted, or know what this is about, go to: http://www.democracyforamerica.com/allstars ). This is a vote to select a few early Congressional races Democrats are looking to take from the Republicans in 2008. The winners will be known later this week, and, just the way we wrote to people in Iowa asking them to support Governor Dean, we will write to Democrats in those districts asking them to support the winners of the DFA All Stars Poll. It will be fun.

3. DFNY Conference Next Weekend

I will have more information on this tomorrow night, but the third annual Democracy For New York Conference is on at the SEIU hall in Albany on Saturday and Sunday May 5th and 6th.

Included on the speakers list are Jim Dean, Chair of DFA, Eric Massa, Democratic Candidate for the NY-29th CD, Amy Little, Campaign Manager of the successful John Hall for Congress campaign and Brian Keeler, NYBri, candidate for the New York State Senate and founder of The Albany Project blog, and Bo Lipari, Director and Founder of New Yorkers for Verified Voting. Saturday evening will featuring a showing of the film "Taking the Hill" a documentary about five veterans who ran for Congress in 2006 along with a buffet at the Schuyler Inn in Albany.

If you are interested, RSVP, or get more details at: http://www.dfalink.com/event.php?id=17019

Again, I will have more details tomorrow and at the meeting.

4. Keehn Announces

I am sure many of us read in the papers about Mayor Valerie Keehn's announcement Monday that she would run for reelection in November. Our Saratoga DFA group endorsed Val two years ago and the clean sweep won by the Democrats in Saratoga Springs in the 2005 elections brought attention across the country. It should be an interesting year in Saratoga.

Watch for important postings on this race and others on our blog at http://townmeetingday.blogspot.com .

5. Saratoga DFA Meeting Monday, May 7

On the same note, I am pleased to announced that Saratoga Springs DFA will be holding meetings again starting Monday, May 7th at 7pm.

As many of us know, Pat Friesen started the Saratoga meetups during the Dean campaign and did a great job. But Pat is now working for Rep. Gillibrand, so Sally Kirouac has agreed to take them on.

There are major races for City council coming up this year.

Sally sends this along:

"Dear Friends,
Please attend Talk with Mayor Valerie Keehn on Monday, May 7, 2007 at
7:00 PM. You can RSVP at:
http://www.dfalink.com/event.php?id=19886
The DFA of Saratoga Springs endorsed Valerie Keehn for mayor in 2005.
She was elected and has served for 16 months. Now she is facing
another Democratic primary in September and election in November.
Mayor Keehn will talk about what she has accomplished during her time
in office and what she hopes to accomplish in a second term.

"Those present at this DFA meeting will decide whether to endorse Mayor
Keehn for reelection.

What: Talk with Mayor Valerie Keehn
When: Monday, May 7, 2007, 7:00 PM
Where: Home of Sally Kirouac
21 Horseshoe Drive
Saratoga Springs NY 12866"

Many thanks to Pat for all her very hard work in the past!

6. Friday Night Film Fest

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

Apr 27 THE ROAD TO GUANTANAMO (2006) Michael Winterbottom and Mat Whitecross 95 min.
The post-9/11 climate found the U.S. government resorting to many unorthodox methods to quash the perceived threat from further terrorist attacks. None was more controversial or more headline-grabbing than the detainment camp set up in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, which was constructed to imprison and interrogate Taliban and Al-Qaeda operatives captured by U.S. soldiers. Prolific British filmmaker Michael Winterbottom (9 SONGS) turns his cameras on the camp with this true story of three innocent British 20-something Muslims who were captured and held at Guantanamo for two years. Winterbottom cleverly marries extensive interview footage with the three men--Asif Iqbal, Ruhel Ahmed, and Shafiq Rasifknown, collectively known as the Tipton Three--with nerve-jarring reconstructive footage of what happened to them. After traveling to Pakistan for a wedding, the three men set out on an intrepid explora

7. On The Lighter Side

In times like these we do need some humor. Rik sends this along:

One night, George W. Bush is tossing restlessly in his White House bed. He awakens to see George Washington standing by him.
Bush asks him, "George, what's the best thing I can do to help the country?"
"Set an honest and honorable example, just as I did," Washington advises, and then fades away...
The next night, Bush is astir again, and sees the ghost of Thomas Jefferson moving through the darkened bedroom. Bush calls out,
"Tom, please! What is the best thing I can do to help the country?"
"Respect the Constitution, as I did," Jefferson advises, and dims from sight...
The third night sleep still does not come for Bush. He awakens to see the ghost of FDR hovering over his bed. Bush whispers,
"Franklin, What is the best thing I can do to help the country?"
"Help the less fortunate, just as I did," FDR replies and fades into the mist...
Bush isn't sleeping well the fourth night when he sees another figure moving in the shadows. It is the ghost of Abraham Lincoln.
Bush pleads, "Abe, what is the best thing I can do right now to help the country?"
Lincoln replies, "Go see a play."

Thanks everyone; watch for alerts on the veto protest!

Larry Dudley

Labels: Democracy For America, DFA, Glens Falls, Iraq Timeline, Iraq War, protest, Rally, Supplemental Bill

- posted by Larry Dudley @ 11:43 PM 0 comments