Mn-prog-events Mailing List: Progressive Calendar 06.03.07

[David Shove (shove001]

           P R O G R E S S I V E   C A L E N D A R     06.03.07

1. Podcasting class    6.04 6:30pm
2. Non-V communication 6.04 7pm

3. Venezuela/CTV       6.05 8am
4. WorkingClass/KFAI   6.05 11am
5. Question media/CTV  6.05 5pm
6. Re Cindy Sheehan    6.05 6:30pm
7. uhcan-mn health     6.05 7pm

8. Joel Hirschhorn - The evils of lesser evil voting
9. Dave Lindorff   - Iraq (And Iran) Rag  (song)

--------1 of 9--------

From: Tim Erickson <tim [at] e-democracy.org>
Subject: Podcasting class 6.04 6:30pm

Upcoming workshops in the Electronic Classroom at Rondo Community Outreach
Library (University and Dale):

MONDAYS IN JUNE  6:30-8:30 pm
   June 4  - Podcasting
   June 11 - Blogs: How to set up and maintain your own blog
   June 18 - Wiki
   June 25 - Show and Tell:
             New Tools (Cool Tools) for Public Participation


--------2 of 9--------

From: Karen Engelsen <Karen [at] afors.org>
Subject: Non-V communication 6.04 7pm

Sustainability through Non-Violent Communications Consciousness Monday
June 4, 7-9pm: Brenda is a life coach, mediator, and social artist who
invites you to discover your personal means toward sustainability.  For
location and registration information:  <mailto:Info [at] afors.org>
Info [at] afors.org or call 612-331-1099


--------3 of 9--------

From: Eric Angell <eric-angell [at] riseup.net>
Subject: Venezuela/CTV 6.05 8am

Minneapolis Television Network (MTN 17) viewers:

"Our World In Depth" cablecasts weekly on MTN Channel 17.  Households with
basic cable can watch.  "Our World In Depth" is on Saturday at 9 pm and
the following Tuesday at 8 am (as well as other times).

6/2 and 6/5 "Venezuela and the Latin American Revolution" w/John Peterson
of Hands Off Venezuela.  Hosted by Karen Redleaf.


--------4 of 9--------

From: Lydia Howell <lhowell [at] visi.com>
Subject: WorkingClass/KFAI 6.05 11am

NOtE: Hear from Macalester labor history prof. PETER RACHLEFF talking
about the upcoming WORKING CLASS STUDIES CONF. on Tuesday JUNE 5, 11am
to CATALYST on KFAI RADIO 90.3fm mpls 106.7fm st paul, archived for 2
weeks after broadcat at http;//www.kfai.org

Working Class Studies Conference
June 14-17, 2007
Macalaster College, St. Paul, Minnesota

For more information, contact Peter Rachleff at
<mailto: rachleff [at] macalaster.edu
<mailto:rachleff%40macalaster.edu>>rachleff [at] macalaster.edu
<mailto:rachleff%40macalaster.edu>.


--------5 of 9--------

From: Eric Angell <eric-angell [at] riseup.net>
Subject: Question media/CTV 6.05 5pm

Dear St. Paul Neighborhood Network (SPNN 15) viewers:

"Our World In Depth" cablecasts at 5 pm and midnight each Tuesday and 10
am each Wednesday in St. Paul.  All households with basic cable can watch.

6/5 and 6/6 "Questioning the Media" w/Jeff Nygaard of Nygaard Notes and
Lydia Howell of The Pulse of the Twin Cities.  Hosted by Karen Redleaf.


--------6 of 9--------

From: patty <pattypax [at] earthlink.net>
Subject: Re CindySheehan 6.05 6:30pmk

Tuesday's Salon June 5 , will be open discussion.  If you read Cindy
Sheehan's letter resigning from the peace movement as she has known it
till now, we could discuss her leaving.  i have her discussion w/Amy
Goodman on Democracy Now and will bring it to play.

Pax Salons ( http://justcomm.org/pax-salon ) are held (unless otherwise
noted in advance): Tuesdays, 6:30 to 8:30 pm. Mad Hatter's Tea House, 943
W 7th, St Paul, MN

Salons are free but donations encouraged for program and treats. Call
651-227-3228 or 651-227-2511 for information.


--------7 of 9--------

From: joel michael albers <joel [at] uhcan-mn.org>
Subject: uhcan-mn health 6.05 7pm

UHCAN-MN meeting
Tuesday June 5, 2007, 7PM,
Walker Church basement, 3104 16th ave s (in Mpls, near Lake st. and
Bloomington ave).

Actions Planning:
1.Welcome, intros, background of UHCAN-MN
2.Updates:
 -United Health HMO demo analysis
 -Final Legislative Summary

3.Plan pickets outside courtroom of UHG criminal lawsuits

4.Plan flyering at theaters for Sicko Film release

5.Twin Cities Health Fund Co-op feasibility update

Pls contact me w/ other items you may have ?

Joel Albers Universal Health Care Action Network Minnesota 612-384-0973
joel [at] uhcan-mn. org www.uhcan-mn. org Health Care Economics Researcher,
Clinical Pharmacist


--------8 of 9--------

The Evils of Lesser Evil Voting
by Joel S. Hirschhorn
June 2nd, 2007

Condemn progressives for voting enthusiastically for Democrats and the
inevitable response is something like "just imagine how much worse voting
for Republicans would be". Similarly, many true conservatives and
Libertarians see voting for Republicans as a necessary evil. With many
progressives regretting giving Democrats a majority in Congress and many
conservatives regretting putting George W. Bush in the White House, it is
timely to refute lesser evil logic.

Inevitably, lesser evil voters face personal disappointment and some
shame. Politicians that receive lesser evil votes do not perform according
to the values and principles that the lesser evil voter holds dear. These
voters must accept responsibility for putting ineffective, dishonest and
corrupt politicians in office. Though they may be lesser evils, they
remain evils.

All too often lesser evil voters avoid shame and regret and prevent
painful cognitive dissonance by deluding themselves that the politician
they helped put in office is really not so bad after all. Corrosive lesser
evil voting erodes one's principles as pragmatism replaces idealism. This
makes the next cycle of lesser evil voting easier.

Lesser evil voting helps stabilize America's two-party duopoly that
greatly restricts true political competition. Third party and independent
candidates - and minor Democratic and Republican candidates in primaries -
are defeated by massive numbers of lesser evil voters. Despite
authentically having the political goals that mesh with many voters on the
left or right, these minor 'best' candidates fall victim to lesser evil
voting. Lesser evil voters are addicted to a self-fulfilling prophesy.
They think "If I vote for a minor candidate they will lose anyway". They
ensure this outcome though their lesser evil voting. The truly wasted vote
is the unprincipled lesser evil vote.

Effective representative democracy requires politically engaged citizens
that vote. Lesser-evil voters support the current two-party system with
its terribly low voter turnout and chronic dishonesty and corruption.
Lesser evil voters help put into office disappointing politicians, not the
best people that would restore American democracy and show more citizens
that voting is valuable. Lesser evil voters demonstrate the validity of
turned-off citizens' view that it really does not matter which major party
wins office.

Politicians knowingly market themselves to lesser evil voters by
constructing phony sales pitches, especially to certain audiences outside
of their more certain base constituents. Democrats make themselves look
more progressive than they really are, and Republicans make themselves
look more conservative than they really are. Lesser evil voters are phony,
and they produce a phony political system. Lesser evil voters contribute
mightily to the travesty of our political system that no sane person
respects and has confidence in.

Lesser evil voting demonstrates the worst aspects of political compromise.
This is the common cause of terrible laws. When citizens surrender so much
of what they truly believe in, they enable compromise politicians to
create bad public policy that, in the end, satisfies very few people and
puts band-aids on severe problems. Lesser evil voters concede victory to
the other side - the side they view as the worse alternative because the
people they vote for will not stand up for what is right and necessary.
Think Iraq war. Even when their lesser evil side wins, they do not have
the principled positions that would prevent awful compromises, often in
the name of bipartisanship that is a clever way to justify our corrupt
two-party mafia.

Lesser evil voters deride the alternatives of not voting or voting for
minor candidates. The outcome should the "other" side win is deemed
unacceptable. There is worse and there is worst. The core problem with
lesser evil voters is that they are short term thinkers. They fail to see
the repeated long term consequence of their style of voting - a system
over many election cycles that persists in delivering suboptimal results.
The "good" outcome in the current election (from their perspective) is the
enemy of the "better" solution in the longer term (from an objective
perspective). The better solution is major reform that will never happen
as long as lesser evil voting persists.

Understand this: Lesser evil voting is not courageous. It is cowardly
surrender to the disappointing two-party status quo. Lesser evil voters
should trade regret for pride by voting for candidates they really think
are the best. Voters in this presidential primary season have some
remarkable opportunities to transform fine minor candidates into
competitive major candidates - more honest and trustworthy people like Ron
Paul, Mike Gravel and Dennis Kucinich, for example.

Finally, the deadly decline of American democracy results in large measure
from lesser evil voters electing lesser evil politicians. When virtually
no elected public official is there because most voters have embraced his
clear principled, trustworthy positions we get a government that is easily
corrupted by corporate and other moneyed interests. We get what we have
now. And if you are dissatisfied with that, then reconsider the wisdom of
lesser evil voting. We will only get the best government by voting for the
best candidates. Otherwise, we get what we deserve and what the power
elites prefer.

Joel S. Hirschhorn has a new book, Delusional Democracy: Fixing the
Republic Without Overthrowing the Government, which supports
constitutional conventions and other peaceful ways to restore American
democracy. To join the pro-convention effort or discuss issues write the
author: articlev [at] gmail.com. Read other articles by Joel, or visit Joel's
website.

This article was posted on Saturday, June 2nd, 2007 at 5:01 am and is
filed under Elections, Democrats, Activism and "Third" Party. Send to a
friend.


--------9 of 9--------

Iraq (And Iran) Rag
By DAVE LINDORFF
(With apologies to Country Joe MacDonald)
CounterPunch
June 2 / 3, 2007

Key of G, (starts off on D chord)

1. Come on all you fine women and men
Uncle Sam needs your help again
Bush has put us in a big train wreck
Off in a place they call Iraq
So forget that job and pick up your gun
We're gonna have a whole lot of fun.

Chorus:

And it's one, two, three what are we fighting for?
Don't ask me I don't give a heck
Next stop is Iraq.
And it's five, six, seven open up the pearly gates
Ain't no time to wonder why. Whoopee! We're all bound to die!

2. Come on generals, let's move fast
Your big chance has come at last
The Cong licked your asses back in '74
But now you can show those Arabs what for
And maybe even earn you a medal or three
While sitting at your desks in D.C.

Chorus

3. Come on Wall Street, here's the deal:
Iraqi oil is yours to steal
American blood, Iraqis' too,
Is being spilled now just for you.
And you can charge us as much as you dare
'Cause Bush and Cheney don't care!

Chorus

4. Come on mothers, don't hold back
Send your sons off to Iraq
Come on fathers, don't feel bad.
Your daughters too can go to Baghdad.
If they die there they come home free
And nobody has to see.

Chorus

5. Bush and Cheney, you've done your best
You've made the Middle East into one big mess.
But that's okay. You've got a plan:
To divert attention, just bomb Iran!
If people start talking impeachment, though
Just pack 'em off to Guantanamo!

Chorus

Dave Lindorff lives in Philadelphia.


---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

   - 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