Progressive Calendar 11.01.06 | <– Date –> <– Thread –> |
From: David Shove (shove001![]() |
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Date: Wed, 1 Nov 2006 05:01:09 -0800 (PST) |
P R O G R E S S I V E C A L E N D A R 11.01.06 1. Papa John Kolstad 11.01 7pm 2. GP press/access 11.02 11am 3. Save mail service 11.02 11am 4. America/Islam 11.02 12noon 5. Eagan peace vigil 11.02 4:30pm 6. Northtown vigil 11.02 5pm 7. Small is beautiful 11.02 5pm 8. CO status 11.02 5:30pm 9. Inamagua/justice 11.02 6pm 10. Pentel/TV 11.02 6:30pm 11. Kip/health care 11.02 7pm 12. QuincyTroupe/poet 11.02 7pm 13. Oil/Arabs/war 11.02 7pm 14. Planned parent 11.02 7pm 15. Green yer digs 11.02 7pm 16. Venezuela/plan 11.02 7pm 17. Sharon Smith - Those damned Democrats 18. Sunsara Taylor - A no-win election for women 19. Stephen Pearcy - Dem candidate's wife: Sheehan, don't protest Iraq war 20. Joshua Frank - Party in a cage 21. Green Party - Let Greens debate! Greens excluded from debates! 22. ed - How to bear Bush (poem & flowchart) --------1 of 22-------- From: scot b <earthmannow [at] comcast.net> From: William Oldfather <bill_oldfather [at] yahoo.com> Subject: Papa John Kolstad 11.01 7pm Appearing in Stillwater in person! Attorney General Candidate Papa John Kolstad Very CLEAR candidate for PEACE Green Party endorsed Stillwater Public Library 223 3rd Street North in downtown Stillwater Wednesday, November 1, 7pm Get ready for a Green evening! Papa John will regale you with his incisive political wit, his rollicking old-time acoustic blues, and hope for the issues you care about: universal single payer health care, help for small business, strict enforcement of Minnesota's environmental laws, and bringing our Minnesota Guard home from Iraq NOW . Papa John Kolstad is a Minneapolis businessman and musician with the toughness and knowledge to bring real change to this statewide office. Prepared and paid for by the Papa John Kolstad for Attorney General Committee, P.O. Box 6045, Minneapolis, MN 55406 Check him out at www.PapaJohnKolstad.org. --------2 of 22-------- From: Krisrose02 [at] aol.com Subject: GP press/access 11.02 11am FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE -- PRESS CONFERANCE 11/2/06 Green Party of Minnesota Contact: Rhoda Gilman, Green Party of Minnesota Politics Chair, (651) 224-6383 GREEN PARTY CANDIDATES ASSEMBLE TO TELL MINNESOTA VOTERS "STOP WASTING YOUR VOTE." St Paul- Green Party candidates for Federal, State, and local office will gather on the Capitol steps on Thursday, November 2nd at 11am. They will speak to the public and the media about the sad condition of our democracy and will encourage voters to exercise their right to vote for candidates who share their values. Green Party candidates this year have been promoting universal single-payer health care, sustainable use of energy and agricultural resources, and electoral reforms such as instant runoff voting (IRV), and the need to get big money out of politics. "There seem to be implications in some political discussion that a vote for a Green candidate may be a wasted vote. There are situations regarding wasted votes, but voting for a third party candidate is not one, especially when that candidate represents your values." said Danene Provencher, Green Party candidate for Lieutenant Governor. "A wasted vote is one not cast. Also, if you vote for a candidate who does not represent your values, you are wasting your vote by not getting any representation for it. This is where voting for the lesser of two evils plays in to curtail progressive positions from being supported." Barriers to participation in debates and lack of coverage for third party and independent candidates are another problem that Greens are addressing this year. Access to all ballot-qualified candidates enables voters to make informed choices, and the Green Party candidates have been standing up for inclusion. "We really feel that everyone has a right to be heard," said Dave Berger, Green Party candidate for State Auditor. "We have 17,365 voters who signed petitions this year to put us on the ballot. At the same time, debate sponsors use arbitrary criteria to determine which candidates will appear. When we are not allowed to participate in debates, when we are not even mentioned as choices in political races, the media are not only excluding us from participating in our democracy, they are excluding the voters who think our issues are important. This is a real problem we need to face continuously. It's called discrimination." Ken Pentel, Green Party candidate for Governor, adds: "I have spent the past 16 years of my life knocking on doors all over the state, and I have found a common thread of disconnect between the people and their elected representatives. People no longer feel that their voice matters in the political process. As a result many just tune out." In addition to IRV, Green Party candidates are promoting such electoral reforms as proportional representation, public financing of elections, and inclusive media coverage and debates. "It is important that you exercise your right to vote this year," said Michael Cavlan, Green Party candidate for the US Senate. "But don't waste your vote on candidates who will not stand up for you and face the issues that are vital to a healthy democracy and world. Greens will stand and fight for your right to vote and your right to representation in your government." The Green Party is the only party that does not take PAC money or corporate contributions, and we self-impose contribution limits from individuals. This is because the Greens believe that every vote should be equal, and that the needs of citizens should outweigh the needs of the corporate interest. The Green Party is founded on the values of Grassroots Democracy, Non-Violence, Social and Economic Justice, and Ecological Wisdom. Ken Pentel for Governor, Danene Provencher for Lieutenant Governor Papa John Kolstad for MN Attorney General Dave Berger for MN State Auditor Michael Cavlan for US Senate Jay Pond for US House, 5th CD Julie Risser for MN Senate, Dist. 41 Jesse Mortenson for MN House, Dist. 64A Farheen Hakeem for Hennepin County Commissioner Leroy Schaeffer for St. Francis City Council For more information on the Green Party candidates, see: _www.mngreens.org/candidates_ (_http://www.mngreens.org/candidates_ (http://www.mngreens.org/candidates) ) For more information on the Green Party, see: _www.mngreens.org_ (_http://www.mngreens.org_ (http://www.mngreens.org) ) --------3 of 22-------- From: Minneapolis Central Labor Union Council <betsy [at] mplscluc.com> Subject: Save mail service 11.02 11am Please join the Minneapolis Central Labor Union Council at a rally to save our mail service! The event will highlight the impact of national cuts that could cause permanent disruption to mail service for as much as one week or longer. Thursday, November 2, 11am-1pm. Minneapolis Main Post Office, 100 South 1st Street Contact: Jerry Sirois, President, Minneapolis APWU or Peggy Whitney, Local Business Agent, Minneapolis APWU, 612-623-0677 --------4 of 22-------- From: Charles Underwood <charleyunderwood [at] hotmail.com> Subject: America/Islam 11.02 12noon Thursday, 11/2, noon (11:30 pre-forum concert), Westminster Town Forum presents NYTimes/Boston Globe/Washington Post/Nation author Reza Asla to talk about "America and the Islamic World," Westminster Presbyterian Church, Nicollet Mall at 12th St, Mpls. www.micglobe.org --------5 of 22-------- From: Greg and Sue Skog <skograce [at] mtn.org> Subject: Eagan peace vigil 11.02 4:30pm CANDLELIGHT PEACE VIGIL EVERY THURSDAY from 4:30-5:30pm on the Northwest corner of Pilot Knob Road and Yankee Doodle Road in Eagan. We have signs and candles. Say "NO to war!" The weekly vigil is sponsored by: Friends south of the river speaking out against war. --------6 of 22-------- From: EKalamboki [at] aol.com Subject: Northtown vigil 11.02 5pm NORTHTOWN Peace Vigil every Thursday 5-6pm, at the intersection of Co. Hwy 10 and University Ave NE (SE corner across from Denny's), in Blaine. Communities situated near the Northtown Mall include: Blaine, Mounds View, New Brighton, Roseville, Shoreview, Arden Hills, Spring Lake Park, Fridley, and Coon Rapids. We'll have extra signs. For more information people can contact Evangelos Kalambokidis by phone or email: (763)574-9615, ekalamboki [at] aol.com. --------7 of 22-------- From: Jesse Mortenson <jmortenson [at] Macalester.edu> Subject: Small is beautiful 11.02 5pm First and third Thursdays of the month 12.02 5pm Cahoots coffeehouse Selby 1/2 block east of Snelling in StPaul Limit bigboxes, chain stores, TIF, corporate welfare, billboards; promote small business and co-ops, local production & self-sufficiency. http://www.gpsp.org/goodbusiness --------8 of 22-------- From: Charles Underwood <charleyunderwood [at] hotmail.com> Subject: CO status 11.02 5:30pm Thursday, 11/2, 5:30 to 8 pm, Vets for Peace classes to prepare families for conscientious objector status, basement of St Stephens school building, 2123 Clinton Ave S, Mpls. $10/family. RSVP Kim at 612-721-6908. --------9 of 22-------- From: Maria Inamagua Campaign for Justice <justiceformaria [at] gmail.com> Subject: Inamagua/justice 11.02 6pm Maria Inamagua Campaign for Justice Planning Meeting Thursday - November 2, 2006 6PM 1304 East Lake Street - Room 203 Updates! Recent successes! Recent challenges! Next Steps! Justice for Maria! Justice for ALL! Enforce the Human Rights Treaties! --------10 of 22-------- From: PRO826 [at] aol.com Subject: Pentel/TV 11.02 6:30pm You may be interested in two programs I produced for Election '06 airing on MTN. First, is "An Interview with Ken Pentel," the Green Party candidate for Governor with host Mary Hanson. Nov. 2nd @ 6:30 PM. Second, is "Vote Green," a program of my political songs. It airs on Channel 17, Nov. 3rd @ 5:30 PM. Hope you'll tune in for the shows! --------11 of 22------- From: Kip Sullivan <kiprs [at] usinternet.com> Subject: Kip/health care 11.02 7pm November 2, 7:00 to 9:00 pm, Mayday Books, 301 Cedar Ave. Minneapolis. Kip Sullivan will discuss his book, The Health Care Mess (AuthorHouse). The book evaluates managed care, high deductible policies, and single-payer systems, and concludes that only a single-payer system can solve the US health care crisis. --------12 of 22-------- From: Chris Fischbach <fish [at] coffeehousepress.org> Subject: QuincyTroupe/poet 11.02 7pm Coffee House Press is pleased to announce a reading by Quincy Troupe Reading from his new collection of poems: The Architecture of Language THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 2, 7 P.M. RONDO COMMUNITY OUTREACH LIBRARY 461 N. Dale Street in St. Paul (651) 222-3242 Preceded by African drumming and a short reading by local author, Ibe¹. Presented by The Friends of the St. Paul Public Library with support from the Givens Foundation for African American Literature. ³What is it poetry seeks? How does it feel to organize against the war in Iraq? What is the architecture of language? These are questions raised by Quincy Troupe in his latest collection of poetry, which also contains poems dedicated to the creativity of famous professionals including Richard Pryor, Lucille Clifton, and Tiger Woods. This volume is a wonderful energetic poetic take-it-to-the-hoop in Guadeloupe Quincy Troupe moment.² -JAYNE CORTEZ --------13 of 22-------- From: wamm <wamm [at] mtn.org> Subject: Oil/Arabs/war 11.02 7pm "Oil, Arabs and War: Learn the Truth about U.S. Policy in the Middle East" Thursday, November 2, 7:00 p.m., Blegen Hall, Room 150, West Bank, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis. Ramla Bile, Jess Sundin of the Anti-War Committee, Marie Braun of Women Against Military Madness. Local experts explain how the conflicts in Iraq, Palestine, Lebanon and Iran relate to each other other, the U.S. involvement and plans for the region and what people at home and abroad are doing to resist U.S. imperialism. Free and open to the public. FFI: Call the Anti-War Committee 612-379-3899. --------14 of 22-------- From: erin [at] mnwomen.org Subject: Planned parent 11.02 7pm Thursday, November 2: Planned Parenthood Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota Celebrate Planned Parenthood. Keynote speaker: Former Vice President Al Gore. Minneapolis Hilton. 6 PM Reception and Silent Auction. 7 PM Dinner and program. More info: www.ppmns.org. --------15 of 22-------- From: Elizabeth Dickinson <eadickinson [at] mindspring.com> Subject: Green yer digs 11.02 7pm [ed head] If you're looking to get ideas on how to get 'greener' in your home environment, are considering remodeling, or looking to buy a home with green or energy efficient features, this is the evening for you! From: Ginamariev22 [at] aol.com Greening Your Residence 101 Nov 2 7-9pm Free: 5 Presenters will cover these topics: 1. Environmental Home Inspections/Remediation 2. Building materials from the Biosphere 3. House Hunting techniques with Energy Efficiency and Health in Mind 4. Smarter, Healthier Home Remodeling 5. The Latest Strategies to Finance the "Greening of Your Residence". Additional Home Health and Energy Efficiency Techniques will be covered. Free class will be held at Flannery Construction 1375 St. Anthony Ave, St. Paul Contact: Gina Vermilyea (651) 653-2493 or EcoAgentMN [at] aol.com to reserve your seat. --------16 of 22-------- From: Tim Jordan <jord0199 [at] tc.umn.edu> Subject: Venezuela/plan 11.02 7pm Our next meeting will be on Thursday, Nov. 2, at 7pm at Holy Trinity Lutheran Church, 28th Av. and 31st St., Mpls. We meet in the Mary Martha room, on the 2nd Floor. We are pulling together the final plans for the International Venezuela Solidarity Conference, to be held at Macalester College November 17, 18, and 19th. The Conference is almost here, and, as you now, Venezuela has its presidential election on December 3, 2006. The Venezuelan people have defeated, through mass mobilizations by workers and peasants, three attempts to overthrow the government of Hugo Chavez. They succeeded because of the greater space, since Chávez came to the presidency, to fight for land, jobs, and democratic rights. Yet, the intensifying campaign of the US government and the mainstream media to demonize the government of Venezuela as a "destabilizing force in Latin America", "authoritarian populism", and all sorts of name calling is a prelude to a future attempt for US intervention and "regime change" in Venezuela. Defenders of Venezuelan sovereignty are calling on all supporters of basic democratic rights to join us in building an International Venezuelan Solidarity Conference, as we say "No" to US intervention in Venezuela and "Yes" for all sovereign nations to be able to decide their own future. In solidarity we are asking for help with the following: Housing/ and Transportation of speakers Financila Support Translators (Spanish to English, English to Spanish) Security volunteers Volunteers FFI - http://venezuelasolidarityconference.org/. Invited speakers/performers include: - Angela Davis, Long-time African-American leader (tentative) - Elegguá - Afro-descendant Venezuelan Women's Music Group - Jorge Valero, Venezuelan Ambassador to the Organization of American States. - Martín Sánchez, Venezuelan Consul in Chicago and founder of Aporrea. - Sergio Sánchez, Director of Grupo Utopía and adviser to the vice-presidency of INCE. - Nicia Maldonado, Indigenous representative in the Venezuelan National Assembly. - Nora Castañeda, President - Women Development Bank. - José "Tito" Poyo, Indigenous Representative in the Venezuelan National Assembly. - Jesus "Chucho" Garcia, Founder of the Afro-Venezuelan Network and a leader in the struggle against racism. - Enrique Ramos, President -Youth National Institute. - Argenis Delgado, Afro-relations - Youth National Institute. - Manuel Urbina, Cimarrones Movement Afro-descendants for the Revolution. - Heisler Vaamonde, Director of the Gay Revolutionary Movement of Venezuela. - Adina Bastidas, Venezuelan Economist and former Venezuelan Vice-president. - Christian Zerpa, Professor of Political Science - Bolivarian University of Venezuela. --------17 of 22-------- Already Reaching Across the Aisle Those Damned Democrats By SHARON SMITH CounterPunch October 31, 2006 In the final countdown to the November 7 election, Democrats.com has already begun celebrating. Calling for candle light vigils outside polling stations across the nation on election night, the website's blue-clad supporters will bear moral witness against voting fraud during the historic moment when the Democrats are expected to retake Congress (well, at least the House of Representatives), with the Republican Revolution finally unraveling after 12 long years. "Let's imagine a Blue Revolution," the website's writers chirped, "every bit as joyous and historic as the Orange Revolution in Ukraine, the Cedar Revolution in Lebanon, the Velvet Revolution in Czechoslovakia, and the other democratic revolutions of recent years--right here in the United States of America." Meanwhile, the sometimes-antiwar liberal Todd Gitlin anticipated a post-election "rebirth of liberalism" on the Guardian website, predicting that the Republican Party's misfortunes will allow "American liberals" to "dare lift their heads and contemplate long-unimagined possibilities." A "revolution" without struggle? To be sure, the Democrats are likely to benefit from mass discontent against the Bush administration. But if the Democratic Party does finally manage to eke out a Congressional majority from the scandal-ridden Bush regime, Democrats should not congratulate themselves prematurely. The Republican Party is imploding due to its own outrageous "stupidity" and "arrogance", as senior U.S. diplomat Alberto Fernandez recently described in an interview with Al-Jazeera television. This election has been declared a referendum on the Iraq war. But no Democratic congressional leader has called for a fixed deadline for troop withdrawal. And the Democratic Party has refused to articulate a coherent alternative to the over-riding aims of the Bush administration, merely continuing its long-standing and calculated orientation to the swing-voting "center" - while disparaging its own antiwar voting base. This has resulted in continuing the rightward shift in mainstream U.S. politics rather than challenging it. James M. Lindsay, a former national security official in the Clinton administration, justified Democrats' reluctance to call for withdrawal. "The problem is you also have to win the general election," he argued. "You don't need to appeal to people who have made up their mind and had a bumper sticker on the back of their car for the last four years." The Democratic establishment rolled out its spin-doctors to lower expectations a week before the election, explaining in advance why they will accomplish little of significance even with a congressional majority. Bipartisanship is the watchword of the Democratic Party in this election. Liberal New York Rep. Charles Rangel told reporters, "God knows, the Democratic leadership will be reaching across the aisle [W]e will never have the margins--even if we did do it--to get anything done." New York Sen. Charles Schumer, leading the Democrats' election year strategy in the Senate, summarized the only principles at stake: "The days of Democrats' having to check 28 boxes before they run are over," Schumer says. "We want to win." As the San Francisco Chronicle noted on October 29, "The new Democratic majority, should it occur, will consist of a fresh crop of moderate and conservative members whose elections will have been won in part by distancing themselves from the party's progressive wing." These Democratic Party upstarts include a set of social conservatives opposed to abortion and gay marriage, hand-picked by party powerbrokers: Abortion opponent Bob Casey Jr., challenging Republican Rick Santorum for his Pennsylvania Senate seat; Indiana sheriff Brad Ellsworth, running for the House, who opposes abortion rights and same-sex marriage; Black evangelical Christian Harold Ford, running for a Tennessee Senate seat, who names Ronald Reagan as one of his heroes. Ann Coulter, in turn, called him "one of my favorite Democrats." White evangelical Christian Heath Shuler, who opposes abortion, running for House representative in North Carolina. [Shame on all of them. This is what lesser-evil voting gets us. -ed] Liberalism, then and now The only Democrats expressing a desire to "fight" are those galloping to the right. California Rep. Ellen O. Tauscher of California, co-chairwoman of the House's centrist New Democrat Coalition, made clear that the Democrats' current embrace of social conservatism is not meant to be temporary: "I think there's tremendous agreement and awareness that getting the majority and running over the left cliff is what our Republican opponents would dearly love," Tauscher said. This is something "we've got to fight," she added. As the New York Times reported on October 30, "Asked if he could envision a Democratic Party with, say, an anti-abortion platform, Mr. Shuler did not hesitate. 'I'm pro-life and I'm part of the Democratic Party, so I hope it's part of the platform,' he said. 'Someone needs to lead.'" Democratic Party liberals, in contrast, remain tied to chasing the coattails of a party that has long since abandoned them. The mid-1970s marks a crucial turning point, when Democrats joined Republicans in a bipartisan project to launch a sustained ideological attack on liberal principles in order to lower U.S. workers' living standards while re-building the might of U.S. imperialism after its defeat in Vietnam. Liberalism has been in decline ever since. Today's Democrats stand to the right of 1970s Republicans on key social issues. A case in point: George H.W. Bush, who was an ardent proponent of birth control clinics for women in the late 1960s-and committed to legal abortion- until he experienced an apparent "crisis of conscience" upon becoming Ronald Reagan's running mate in 1980. Bush Sr. could not have dreamed of launching the attack on gay marriage spearheaded by the Clinton administration's 1996 Defense of Marriage Act. Thus far, bipartisanship has achieved only Democrats' accommodation to the right, and liberalism has long since lost its way. Gitlin, a 1960s leader of the antiwar Students for a Democratic Society, now brandishes his pro-war credentials in the American Prospect online, declaring (along with co-author Bruce Ackerman), "We supported the use of American force, together with our allies, in Bosnia, Kosovo, and Afghanistan." Gitlin's American Prospect article was intended to rebut Tony Judt's recent London Review of Books article deriding U.S. liberals, entitled "Bush's Useful Idiots: the Strange Death of Liberal America." Judt states simply, "In today's America, neo-conservatives generate brutish policies for which liberals provide the ethical fig-leaf. There really is no other difference between them. But the United States now has an Israeli-style foreign policy and America's liberal intellectuals overwhelmingly support it." Gitlin's response merely illustrates Judt's point. In his Guardian article, Gitlin warns liberals with lofty expectations from a Democratic-controlled congress, "To accomplish the mission of expanding their power, liberals will require an iron discipline of the sort that the Republican right has found it easier to muster in recent years. Bush and the Republican leadership made the Christian right wait its turn while it was busy servicing the pro-business right. On the left, too, bitter pills will sometimes have to be swallowed." "On the other hand," he adds, "liberals will have to articulate and fight for principle" - as if these two goals do not stand in complete contradiction. [Gitlin has been a lost cause for many years. -ed] The prospects for real change Barely noticed by the mainstream media in this election season is the real story: massive voter discontent. How else to explain the eleventh hour surge of the Green Party's unknown Illinois gubernatorial candidate Rich Whitney, reaching 14 percent in an October 23 opinion poll by Survey USA. Among independent voters, Whitney is polling evenly (at 29 percent) with Republican Judy Baar Topinka (31 percent) and incumbent (and scandal-ridden) Democrat Rod Blagojevich (27 percent). A week ahead of the election, the Aurora Beacon-News headline read, "Neither of the above," based on a poll by the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and KMOV-TV. The poll indicated 58 percent of Illinois voters view Topinka unfavorably, matched by the 57 percent who disapprove of Gov. Rod Blagojevich. Antiwar activist Cindy Sheehan, who helped focus the sentiments of the antiwar majority more than a year ago, has shown the courage to endorse New York's antiwar Green candidate Howie Hawkins, running against prowar Hillary Clinton for the U.S. Senate. Mainstream liberals solely focused on the "blue revolution" from above could well be missing the real rebellion brewing below. Setbacks for the Republican Party do not automatically translate into gains for the political left-not without a fight. The world's future lies at stake. Sharon Smith is the author of Women and Socialism and Subterranean Fire: a History of Working-Class Radicalism in the United States. She can be reached at: sharon [at] internationalsocialist.org --------18 of 22-------- We Need a Real Alternative! A No-Win Elecion for Women By SUNSARA TAYLOR CounterPunch October 31, 2006 Last week George Bush, in a campaign season when many Republican candidates are choosing not to appear together with such an unpopular president, made a point of standing alongside Don Sherwood. The reason for Bush's special visit is that Sherwood, a Republican Congressman from Pennsylvania running for reelection, who is embroiled in a controversy over his five year affair with a woman. She recently filed a suit accusing him of having repeatedly violently struck her face, neck, chest and back with a closed fist and attempting to strangle her. In his remarks, Bush made a point of praising Sherwood's wife, Carol, for responding to this scandal by sending a letter to voters on Don's behalf. In other words, the woman who reported being assaulted wasn't mentioned, the wife who stood by her cheating, apparently abusive husband was praised, and the man accused was recommended to take part in shaping state policy. It's hard to imagine a less subtle statement from George Bush on the role and value of women. On the other hand, West Virginia's Democratic candidate comes pretty close. According to The New Yorker, after spending decades boasting of his military service in Vietnam and hurling macho insults at those who refused to fight in that immoral war, James Webb viewed the "prolonged investigation of the Navy Tailhook sexual-abuse scandal in the nineteen-nineties as a political witch hunt, driven by a radical-feminist agenda to undermine the masculine culture of the military." What "will of the people" determined that this year voters should have a "choice" between men who assault women and men who scorn women who report their assault? On November 8, the day after the midterm election, the Supreme Court will consider whether to uphold a ban that would, according to the ACLU, "prevent doctors from performing abortions as early as 13 weeks in pregnancy." This comes at a time when South Dakota and Louisiana have already banned abortion state-wide and when the Supreme Court has been remade in George Bush's ideological image. In this context, many Christian fascists consider the outlawing of abortion just a matter of time and have moved on. Doing just that, a month ago, Pro-Life Action held a conference called "Contraception is Not the Answer." It's hard to imagine a more surefire way to stunt and degrade the lives of women than to force them back to a time when they were enslaved to their reproduction. It's also hard to imagine a more surefire way to land us back in those not-that-historic days than to fall in line behind the Democratic Party's strategy of totally capitulating on this issue. The Democratic Senatorial Candidates Committee campaign mailings don't even bother to mention the words abortion or birth control. Meanwhile, all nine Democratic women senators came together under the banner "Progressive Pragmatic Women for Casey" to endorse and raise money for a candidate who is vehemently anti-choice, pro-war, and against stem cell research. And all too many progressive people and organizations have fallen victim to this logic - censuring the word abortion from their own vocabularies or speaking of it always as an unfortunate tragedy. What "will of the people" decided that voters should have the "choice" between theocrats who are moving relentlessly to criminalize and culturally demonize birth control and abortion and a Party whose strategy is to change the subject or join in? In recent decades, a biblically literalist and fascistically fundamentalist movement has effectively captured the Republican Party. Their rallying cry is interchangeably "traditional values" and "family values" and their program hardened in opposition to the social gains made by the Civil Rights, anti-war, and women's movements of the 1960s and '70s. Today, their cruel attacks on the fundamental rights of women - to remove reality-based sex education, to criminalize and even kill doctors who provide abortions, to dry up access to and social acceptance of birth control, and to reassert the shackles of traditional marriage including through legally and culturally attacking divorce - do indeed hearken back to the traditions of this country which regard women as the legal property of their husbands. Consider that it was only 13 years ago that the last state made it a crime for a husband to rape his wife and that the most dangerous place for women and girls is in their own homes, at the hands of their fathers and husbands. Rather than making the simple and much-needed truthful statement that women are human beings with the ability, and deserving the right, to participate fully and equally in every sphere of society, today the Democratic Party is characterized by their attempts to "out-family-values" the Republicans. Rather than standing up for women's rights to control their own destinies, including their right to choose not to have a child at any time for any reason, the dominant liberal logic today is to substitute the discussion of the rights of women with a discussion that they are the true defenders of American families and mothers. Consider the fact that leading Democrats like Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, and Ted Kennedy have teamed up to support MoveOn co-founder Joan Blades's new effort, Momsrising.org. Its mission is to champion "core motherhood and family issues in political, social, and economic spheres." The trailer to momsrising's Motherhood Manifesto movie challenges viewers to take up the campaign as the real way to fulfill the promise of "a pro-family culture, a pro-family state." And groups like the National Organization for Women, the National Women's Law Center, The Network of Spiritual Progressives and dozens of other progressive organizations have gotten on board with this effort. The reality is that traditional values mean the horrors of tradition's chains and patriarchy no matter who is professing them! Revealingly, the Momsrising website features a quote from George Bush that could be mistaken for their own words: "Today, two-thirds of all moms also work outside the homeand government must take your side." What "will of the people" decided that voters should get a "choice" between a Party that celebrates enslaving women to their reproduction and male authority and a Party that attempts to repackage these same traditions as somehow empowering to women? None of these choices were shaped by the will of the people. Instead, they were shaped by the needs of a system: capitalism. And the fact that people get to come in and "choose" between two programs, both of which in different ways reflect the need of this system to forcefully reassert male supremacy and the oppression of women at this time in its development, does not make this a "democracy for all." Rather, it reveals the reality of bourgeois dictatorship behind bourgeois democracy. This is a dictatorship of the capitalist-imperialist class that accumulates tremendous wealth in the hands of a relative few through the exploitation of the labor of millions across the globe and which has the oppression of women woven into the fabric of its culture and ideology and has the patriarchal family as the basic unit of its economic functioning. But over the past several decades, there has been a significant breakdown of the "traditional family" and the traditional role for women in the U.S. Most women have to work and are not full-time housewives, many households are headed by women, many marriages end in divorce, and so forth. These and other changes in the role of women and the family-along with other dramatic economic, social, cultural, and demographic changes related to heightened globalization - have given rise to sharp and volatile contradictions for the ruling class as a whole, which faces an acute need to resurrect and reinforce the traditional family and traditional roles for women. This is especially true as the U.S. has embarked on a very risky and unpopular war on the world. It's in this context that the Christian fascists and other reactionary movements are on a fanatical mission to drive women into obedient submission to the authority of men, and more generally the authority of patriarchal capitalist relations. Certainly the Republicans are more brazen in their insistence that women are fundamentally different from, and inferior to, men. But in their own way - sometimes dressed up in "enlightened" or pragmatic language (but often not) - the ruling class forces generally represented by the Democratic Party are responding to the same fundamental imperatives of global capitalism where the forceful reassertion of male supremacy is not up for debate. At least not if progressive people continue to allow the terms of the elections to stifle honest and urgent discussions of the dangers posed. If people remain confined within these worse-than-meaningless choices, women will be thrust backwards in the most cruel, brutal, and degrading ways. It is a time for resistance. It is a time for opening up new political space by advocating unapologetically and struggling fiercely for the full equality of women, rather than being confined to the ever-narrowing "electable" discourse. And it is a time for people to spread very widely a debate about the true nature of this system and of what it will take to bring about the full emancipation of women and of humanity as a whole. [No more lesser evil! Vote your heart! -ed] Sunsara Taylor writes for Revolution Newspaper and sits on the Advisory Board of The World Can't Wait Drive Out the Bush Regime. She can be reached at: sunsarasworld [at] yahoo.com This article originally appeared at revcom.us. -------19 of 22-------- A Mother-to-Mother Plea: Don't Hurt Charlie Brown! Democratic Candidate's Wife Asks Sheehan Not to Protest the Iraq War By STEPHEN S. PEARCY CounterPunch October 31, 2006 When America's leading anti-war activist, Cindy Sheehan, got a phone call last week from Jan Brown, wife of Democratic Congressional candidate, Charles D. ("Charlie") Brown, the last thing in the world Cindy expected was a plea from Ms. Brown, "mother-to-mother," that Cindy stay away from a Sacramento anti-war protest. But that's exactly what she got. Fortunately for the hundreds of peace activists who showed up at the protest at 16th & Broadway in Sacramento to meet with Cindy, she rejected Ms. Brown's request, and the event went wonderfully. But imagine how strange it must have sounded to Cindy to have someone whom she had previously considered an anti-war enthusiast, and friend, tell her that it could hurt Charlie's chances if Cindy attended the anti-war event. Nearly two weeks ago, for the 22nd time since summer 2005, my wife and I organized an anti-war protest at 16th & Broadway, in Sacramento. On this particular occasion, we picked the date (October 27th) because Cindy said that she could come if it were held that day. Once she agreed to attend, we prepared fliers, sent out email announcements, and posted advertisements online. We also passed out over 300 announcements to students in front of C.K. McClatchy High School, and we delivered them door-to-door to many homes in the Land Park neighborhood of Sacramento. We even paid a high school student $100 to deliver more fliers other places. All of the announcements stated that Cindy Sheehan would be there. The day before the event, I stood on the corner of 16th & Broadway for 2 hours with a 4-foot by 8-foot sign that said Cindy would be there the next day. I had no idea that Jan Brown was working behind the scenes attempting to frustrate our plans. When Cindy arrived at 16th & Broadway on Friday, there were already about 200 people there who were very excited to see her. The event was held in the midst of rush-hour traffic. Horns were honking, drivers were cheering as they passed, people gave thumbs-up, and there were lots of smiles and nods of approval in response to anti-war statements on the signs. Needless to say, I'm sure glad that I didn't have to stand there explaining to people why Cindy didn't show up After Cindy waded through the crowd a bit and met with several people, she walked over to the area where I was standing and we spoke. She told me that Jan Brown had called her earlier to try to talk her out of coming to the demonstration. At the time, I was so pleased to see Cindy at the event, and so happy to see all the positive reactions from those passing by, that what Cindy told me didn't sink in completely. Now it has. Later that evening, Cindy and I discussed Charlie Brown's recent attempts to disassociate himself from the anti-war movement and how cowardly that is. Recently, the race between Brown and Doolittle has become close. In fact, it has become so close that Doolittle even participated in a debate with Brown a few weeks ago, although Doolittle had previously rejected the idea thinking Brown had no chance. In the debate, Doolittle criticized Brown for attending an anti-war event that Cindy Sheehan also attended. But instead of proudly thanking Doolittle for mentioning something favorable about Brown's activities, Brown chose to respond by criticizing Doolittle for his own associations. Since that debate, Brown has been quoted as saying that he's neither associated with Cindy Sheehan nor has he ever taken any campaign contributions from her. But why would Brown want to boast about that? That is, wouldn't it be much better if he could say that Cindy is (or was) a good friend of his or that he's so committed to ending the U.S. occupation of Iraq that even Cindy Sheehan has contributed to his campaign? Instead, Brown is boasting about his non-association with Cindy. What gives? Sean Penn was a surprise guest at an anti-war rally that Brown and Cindy attended in Sacramento several months ago, but apparently Brown is now referring to Cindy as the "surprise guest" at that event. Actually, Cindy was booked 4 days before it was held, and that was widely publicized immediately after the booking. Until I heard about Brown's new strategy of disassociating himself with the anti-war crowd, I was rooting for him. I really thought that he was a new and different kind of Democrat: one with a spine. I also appreciated the fact that Brown came to my home wearing his full military uniform and stood outside with many anti-war folks to defend my free speech. Several right-wingers had gathered across the street after I placed a display on my home of a uniformed soldier with the sign, "Bush Lied, I Died." When Brown, his wife, and about two hundred others, including Cindy and Pat Sheehan, showed up to stand in solidarity with my wife and me, we really felt like there was hope for ending the criminally orchestrated U.S. invasion of Iraq. Today, however, it's no longer clear to us whether Brown supports an immediate end to the occupation. Ironically, now that most people are opposed to it, Brown seems more opposed to associating with the anti-war crowd. The kind of political transformation that Brown has recently exhibited is precisely what's gotten us into the mess in Iraq. From the perspective of someone who already lacks hope in the Democratic Party, Brown's new unwillingness to be identified with Cindy and the anti-war crowd only reaffirms my belief that we can't expect any meaningful change without a viable new party. It's really sad. Stephen S. Pearcy is an attorney and peace activist in Berkeley, California. You can email him at stephen.pearcy [at] sbcglobal.net --------20 of 22-------- Party in a Cage Snake Oil and the Midterm Elections By JOSHUA FRANK CounterPunch November 1, 2006 So we are in the trenches of another election season, and if you peer closely you can see the explosions on the horizon. I'm yet to be convinced the Democrats have the capacity to take back Congress, and to tell you the truth I don't really care if they do. Not only do they not have the ability to lead, they also do not possess the moral impetus to change the direction of this country if they are lucky enough to regain control. Indeed they are just as responsible for the ruin in Iraq and back home as the Bushites. [Here's where lesser-evilism has led us. Looks good or "mature" *this* election, but done over and over, failing every time, it is irrational, irresponsible, evil. In terms of reclaiming democracy, I can can think of nothing *more* evil than "lesser-evilism". Time to move on. -ed] The Democrats have assisted the Republicans at virtually every turn over the past six years. From the bloody invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq, to the passing of CAFTA, to the confirmations of Samuel Alito and John Roberts, to the support of the PATRIOT Act, to the dismantling of Habeas Corpus, to the championing of Bush's ravaging forest plan, to backing Israel's brutal assault on Lebanon-the Democratic Party has long played the role of enabler. And now they want your vote. Author Jeff Cohen at CommonDreams.org recently pled with progressives to elect Democrats to office this year. "A Democratic win in 2006 would be similar to 1998: a rejection of rightwing extremism and hypocrisy." I fail to see the rationale. If we usher the Democrats into office on November 7 we'll just be electing rightwing extremism under a substitute banner--it won't be called Republican but it'll still be wicked as all hell. Even Cohen admits that the Democratic leadership doesn't have a progressive agenda, but still feels that a lefty push inside the party could change that around. What Cohen and others have embraced is a blatant call for lesser-evilism: ignore alternatives and vote for what you don't believe in, because it's strategic. The whole plan: "take back Congress and then pull the Democrats left down the road". When has that ever worked? And why would the corporate Democrats give its progressive wing any credence? If the Democratic Party continues to receive progressive votes regardless of their rightwing positions, there is absolutely no reason for them to change. Sadly Cohen's position, like the Progressive Democrats of America (PDA) of which he serves on the Board, is analogous to The Nation magazine's foul electoral philosophy. Neither will "endorse" pro-war Democratic candidates, nor will they "oppose" them. Silence is complicity. I hold out no hope that the Democratic Party can ever be reformed, but let's say by some divine intervention they can. If so, the only way it will ever happen will be when its progressive constituents leave the party and challenge them from the outside. In fact, that is what The Nation seems to fear most. In the upcoming November 13 issue, on shelves this week, The Nation editors warn, "If Democrats fail to recapture at least a working share of Congressional power, they and their party will rightly be cast into disrepute, too, and distressed citizens may reasonably begin looking for other options." What would be so wrong with that? Progressives should have been looking for other options long ago. However, The Nation, like Cohen and the PDA, does not support independent politics or the emergence of a legitimate progressive third party. And that's why they have not lived up to their promise of truly opposing pro-war Democrats by endorsing any of their antiwar challengers. [The Nation always chickens out pre-election. -ed] Of the 23 candidates in tight races or running in open districts across the US, all but one was chosen by chair of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, Rep. Rahm Emanuel. Perhaps not surprisingly, 22 of his picks are ardently pro-war. The other is suspect. But The Nation and the PDA don't want you to know any of that. Instead they'd rather see left-leaning voters cramped inside the cage of the Democratic establishment. Nothing could be more damaging to social movements or our hope for real progressive change. [The PDA is just this season's facile front-group for keeping Dems on the reservation. There's one every election, and lots of progressives buy it over and over again - it's comfortable and familiar and doesn't piss off their Dem hack friends. -ed] Joshua Frank is the author of Left Out! How Liberals Helped Reelect George W. Bush and edits www.BrickBurner.org. --------21 of 22-------- Green Line - October 2006 Let Greens Debate! Greens excluded from Debates! This year, local- and state-level Green candidates are running notably stronger campaigns: many have years of experience as elected officials, are in touch with the values and needs of their constituents, and are willing and eager to do the grassroots organizing necessary to challenge the status quo. Yet in many major markets, they are notably absent from debates - because Democrat and Republican candidates are running scared. Maybe the two corporate parties see the writing on the wall when they read reports of recent polls, which show voters leaving both parties to register as independents? Perhaps they are afraid that when voters presented with Green solutions to today's problems the talking points of the two pro-war, corporate parties do not stack up with the values of regular (not corporate!) citizens. After arriving at Seattle's King-5 TV station with 75 campaign volunteers and supporters holding signs saying "Let Dixon Debate," police arrested Green Party Senate candidate Aaron Dixon for trying to enter the studio. Dixon had hoped to take part in what would later be described as the "Millionaire's Debate" - so called because co-sponsors KING-5 and the Seattle Times made raising $1 million a requirement for participation. While recent polls indicate that voters are six times more likely to support Dixon than Libertarian candidate Bruce Guthrie, Dixon was barred from participating because he failed to meet the $1 million campaign chest requirement. (Guthrie, on the other hand, met the 7-figure hurdle by taking out a mortgage on his house.) All this after operatives from Democrat incumbent Maria Cantwell tried, unsuccessfully, to bribe Dixon into withdrawing his candidacy. Illinois Radio Network invited top gubernatorial candidates to a televised debate scheduled on October 2, including Green candidate Rich Whitney. After learning he would have to debate Rich Whitney, the Democrat candidate Rod Blagojevich backed out, leading the station to cancel the debate. Despite being shut out of the debates, Rich Whitney's poll numbers are steadily rising. He is currently at 14% - more than any statewide candidate from a nationally organized third party has received in Illinois in over 100 years. In New York and Wisconsin, the League of Women Voters, an organization with a history of facilitating open and democratic debates, withdrew their sponsorship when Green Party candidates were shut out of the debates, citing their organization's commitment to nonpartisanship. In Connecticut, Green Governor Candidate Cliff Thornton purchased advertising time to air a campaign promotion during the very debate that he was denied entry to! Green Party candidates have won almost 40% of their elections this year. When given the opportunity, more and more voters are choosing to vote for a party that represents their values. Peter LaVenia, co-chair of the New York Green Party pointed out that "a growing number of voters find the artificial restriction of debates to Democratic and republican candidates a complete sham. When alternative candidates are included, both viewership and voter turnout increase. When Independent candidate Jesse Ventura was included in the Minnesota gubernatorial debates, he went from 10% in the polls to over 30% in just a few weeks. And then he became governor. That would never have happened had he been excluded from the debates. This is why major party candidates strive to keep the public from hearing alternative candidates." Tell the media that excluding Green Party candidates from debates is an attack on democracy and the public's right to make informed choices! Go to the Action Page here: http://www.gp.org/action/index.shtml Dems bring in big names to fight Greens in Maine Powerful Democrats are stumping in Maine, where Green candidates like Pat LaMarche http://www.pat2006.com for Governor and Benjamiin Meiklejohn http://www.benmeiklejohn.com for the house seat in District 120 are running very strong campaigns. Both qualified for "clean election" funds by securing $5 donations from supporters. Dem heavyweight Howard Dean engaged in a door-to-door photo opp in District 120 where Meiklejohn is gaining strength. His Democratic opponent is virtually missing in action, while Meiklejohn has been busy talking to his neighbors in district 120 and continues to canvas the area. In 2001, Meiklejohn became the first Green elected in Portland, where he currently serves on the school board. Dennis Kucinich and Bill Clinton have also shown up to bolster the Democratic Governor John Baldacci's chances for re-election. Pat LaMarche, Green Party Vice-Presidential candidate in 2004, is running against duopoly candidates. "The Democrats are trying to rally their base by using the War in Iraq and anti-Bush sentiment as a means to garner support for Democrats at all levels but the public is not fooled. Campaigns for State Representative have little to do with the War in Iraq, and that the Republican is not even running in my House district is very telling. They must have got a hold of some polling data that shows I am handily winning as a Green Independent over the Democrat, otherwise they would not be bringing in big guns like Howard Dean and Bill Clinton," Meiklejohn told the Portland Press Herald. "The truth is, they are very worried, and are using Democratic opposition to Republicans as a rallying cry to get support for a Democrat over a Green in a race where there isn't even a Republican running." "I've always heard, "Why are you Green? You can't win." Yet I do win. And I do succeed," Meiklejohn told Green Line. "Don't listen to the naysayers - if you put in the hard work, you've got a better chance than a Democrat or Republican riding their party's coattails." Cindy Sheehan supports Green Party Peace Slate Renowned peace activist Cindy Sheehan has thrown her support behind a number of Green Party candidates for the fall elections. In a recent interview she said "Malachy is a man of courage and integrity. The people of NY want peace. They are tired of politics as usual." endorsing the Green Party of NY gubernatorial candidate Malachy McCourt. During the same interview, she also endorsed Michael Berg, running as a Green for US Congress in Delaware. (To watch a video of Cindy Sheehan's endorsement of McCourt and Berg, go to www.gp.org) Sheehan also recently endorsed Todd Chrétien, CA, Kevin Zeese, MD and Howie Hawkins, NY all running for US Senate as Greens. Thanks for your support Cindy! Are you a blogger or webmaster? Add an anti-war banner ad to your page! The Green Party has a dynamic new WEB BANNER AD that can be placed on Green Party state/local websites, blogs, or personal homepages to point viewers to GP.org. The anti-war message and clean Green design appeals to a wide audience: "Americans know the war in Iraq was based on lies...Bring the troops home now! Only one U.S. political party calls for the end of military involvement in Iraq...Find out how you can get active with the nation's only true peace party." To place this banner ad on your website, please use the following code: <a href="http://www.gp.org/peaceslate.shtml"><img border="0" src="http://www.gp.org/images/p_slate_animated.gif" alt="Support the Green Party" width="468" height="60"></a> Green Party Earthflower Sweatshirt. Keep warm at the polls on election day with a Green Party Hooded Sweatshirt! The Earthflower sweatshirt is Oxford Gray, the Kelly Green Sweatshirt has white lettering. Union Made and Sweatshop free in 80% cotton/20% poly, front pocket. $37.50 including shipping. Green Party online shopping just got easier! To Order: https://secure.democracyinaction.org/dia/organizations/Greens/shop/shop.jsp?storefront_KEY=4 Green Line is the monthly e-newsletter of the Green Party of the United States PO Box 57065 Washington, DC 20037 866-41GREEN or 202-319-7191 --------22 of 22-------- How to bear Bush: take shot glass. Fill. Drink. Fill. Drink. Fill. Drink. Fill. Drink. Fill. Drink. --> Jan 21 2009? -> YES -> resume life | | | NO | | | fill | shot | glass | | | drink | | -----------< ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ - David Shove shove001 [at] tc.umn.edu rhymes with clove Progressive Calendar over 2225 subscribers as of 12.19.02 please send all messages in plain text no attachments To GO DIRECTLY to an item, eg --------8 of x-------- do a find on --8
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