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Wednesday, February 24
Grassley Challenger Roxanne Conlin Talks to BFIA About Family, Farms, Food and More
by
Trish Nelson
on Wed 24 Feb 2010 05:00 AM CST
Grassley Challenger Roxanne Conlin Talks With BFIA About Family, Farms, Food and More
 Blog for Iowa spoke with candidate for U.S. Senate Roxanne Conlin on Monday. In today's BFIA exclusive interview, the candidate shares her values, her life experiences, and her views on the issues of the day that affect Iowans.
BFIA: What made you decide to run for U.S. Senate?
Conlin: I have observed that Senator Grassley has lost touch with the people of Iowa, which was most dramatically illustrated by his performance at the town hall meetings last summer - especially when he started talking about pulling the plug on grandma. In Washington, he is serving on a six-member select committee whose job it is to find a bipartisan solution to the health care crisis. Then he sends out a fund raising letter to his supporters here in Iowa, promising to vote against the very bill he's supposed to be working on.
I did not expect to run again for public office. I have always had a desire to serve the people of Iowa, but I felt I was doing so in my private practice. But the opportunity to go to Washington and really make a difference is very appealing to me. The bailout infuriated me, as it did most people, I think. The idea of giving 700 billion dollars - no strings attached - to the people who brought us to the brink of economic disaster, and then watching helplessly as they paid themselves multi-million dollar bonuses, is incredible to most people and to me, and is also something that makes me want to change my life and go to Washington and fight, because it's such a mess.
People have asked me to run before, but I never seriously considered it. But this time it appears to me as though there's a reasonable chance that I can succeed. and certainly I think, as Iowans and as Americans, we need someone in Washington whose only focus is the needs of the people of Iowa.
BFIA: As you know, BFIA is a progressive blog. Do you consider yourself a progressive Democrat?
Conlin: I do
BFIA: What does it means to you to be a progressive Democrat as opposed to say, a blue dog or a yellow dog – we don't hear much about yellow dogs these days...
Conlin: When I say progressive, what I mean in a general way, is that I will always put people over profit, and I believe that government has a role to play in keeping us safe, and making sure that we and our families are healthy. I think there are many roles that the government can play, so those are the two things that I think most define me as progressive. There are obviously individual positions on issues that I take that are progressive as well. But in general, that's my philosophy.
BFIA: As you know, Howard Dean brought the Democrats the 50 state strategy. I notice on your Twitter feeds that you seem to be employing a 99-county strategy, you've been travelling all around the state. Is that purposeful, and also, what will be your primary campaign message that you would like to get out to voters?
Conlin: It is absolutely purposeful. I know that I am not going to carry Lyons county, for example, but I want to be the Senator for all of Iowa, and I therefore think that I have a responsibility to go and listen to the concerns of all Iowans, wherever those particular folks may live, and that is why I'm out doing my 99-county real tour.
So, yes, we have purposely planned it so we are not showing up on Tuesday at 10:00 in the morning when many working people couldn't come. It is only on the weekends, Friday nights, Saturdays, Sundays after church, so that as many people as want to would have the opportunity to attend a meeting. I'm very curious about listening to the concerns of Iowans and that is why I'm spending every weekend doing that.
BFIA: What do you feel are the most pressing problems facing Iowa, and what do you feel would be your role as Senator in addressing those problems?
Conlin: Well, I can only say that from my trips and my conversations, there is no question that the economy and jobs are simply the most pressing problems. Very high unemployment for Iowa - the number of people that are under-employed or are working part-time when they want to be working full-time. Until we get people back to work, other problems like the debt and the deficits are intractable.
We want to get people back to work and it will take a number of things. I like the small business tax credit. I like the accelerated appreciation on manufacturing equipment. Green jobs. Rebuilding the infrastructure. I think the smart grid is terribly important, not only to provide jobs and energy, but also as a matter of national security. Our current system places us at huge risk to a terrorist attack on our means of power. So we've got to think about that and we've got to take care of it.
BFIA: You have a long list of accomplishments – you own your own law firm and you famously won a class action suit against Microsoft; you've been a U.S. Attorney for Iowa's southern district and you were the first woman president of the National Trial Lawyers Association. You ran for governor in 1982, and more. What else would you like to tell Blog for Iowa readers about why you feel you would be the best person to represent Iowa in the U.S. Senate?
Conlin: Well, I would like to tell them some about my background that is not so apparent. I am the oldest of six children in a family that was middle class, but when my dad lost his job we went directly to the bottom of the barrel - when there are six children and you don't have any savings.... So within a week we were struggling, and within a couple of weeks there wasn't enough food, so I've been hungry - and the utilities were turned off, and I've been cold. I had an ear infection, and there was no money for a doctor and no insurance, of course. And I have a permanent hearing loss as a result of that infection, that could have been cured with a couple of dollars worth of antibiotics. I got off lucky. That is a very minor thing, and it rarely bothers me at all, but it does make it possible for me to understand what Iowa families are going through today.
My circumstances have changed, but when you've been hungry and when you've been cold, you just never forget. That is so much a part of who I am and what makes me tick and what I care about, and I think that I can empathize with what so many people are struggling with.
I didn't talk about this for years and years and years. It doesn't come up in ordinary conversation. When I ran the first time, my parents were still alive and I would never have done anything to hurt them or embarrass them. I have discussed this with my five siblings and they're okay with my sharing this story because it is so much a part of all of us – and is far more common than we would like. You probably also know that there was violence in my home and it had an enormous impact on us.
BFIA: I really appreciate you sharing that. I think it also gives other people permission to talk about it.
Conlin: A lot of people do. I have found it very freeing for people because after I've told them my story at a meeting, very often people come up and say that theirs was similar and that they don't talk about it. I just have been amazed at the number of people who are willing to share with me after I share with them.
BFIA: There is a growing healthy food movement in Iowa and around the country and globally – people being more and more interested in locally grown, organic foods. We've seen fights in the legislature about CAFOs, local control, large hog confinement operations, concerns about pollution, water contamination from agriculture run-off, use of antibiotics in livestock operations. What should Iowa's senators do to help our state address some of these issues?
Conlin: I support family farms, sustainable farming. I know something, though not enough, about the local farming movement and I think it is great. I think it needs encouragement and outlets for the produce and I think local school districts and other public entities should look at local food. It has so much to recommend it, including reducing the carbon necessary to transport food for long distances. I don't think anyone would disagree that the fresher the food the more nutritious it is. Those are some of the things that I think are important.
In terms of policy directions to get from where we are to where we would like to be, that is a lot more complicated. It requires some serious commitment to things like reducing or eliminating subsidies to corporate farming operations. I'm not under any illusions that any of the things that we want to do will be easy. They will require backbone, persuasion, and a willingness to stand up and speak out, all of which I have.
BFIA: I'm sure you have seen a press release by one of your fellow Grassley challengers, Bob Krause, issued in December. He has raised an issue about someone who is helping your campaign who he says is a Monsanto lobbyist...are you familiar with the press release?
Conlin: Yes, I sure am, and I find it hysterical. Maybe he doesn't know that I am currently suing Monsanto in a huge class action on the same basis, and frankly, I think that our lawsuit is what triggered the Department of Justice investigation [Editor's note: Monsanto a Focus of US Antitrust Investigation] – so that's just a silly thing for him to say.
The person he is speaking of is my friend Jerry Crawford. I have known Jerry Crawford for more than fifty years. We are close and personal friends. He has never uttered the word Monsanto to me and I'm sure he never will. Our relationship is one of friendship – long, long, long friendship.
I'm sure that Bob is unaware of the lawsuit.... the name of the plaintiffs are Union Line Farms. It is a very serious and significant lawsuit and as I said, I think that we triggered the Dept. of Justice's investigation.
BFIA: The Republicans are trying to throw some stuff around too. On BFIA, we try to never repeat GOP talking points. We take our lessons from George Lakoff, so I won't repeat what they're saying but I'm sure you know what it is...
Conlin: Maybe not, I have to tell you, I just don't pay very much attention to it. Whatever I do, they're going to say what they're going to say, and I'm happy to answer whatever you have.
BFIA: In stories from the Iowa Independent and the Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier, some Republicans were trying to make an issue out of you having financial interest in some businesses of which you have been publicly critical, and they were trying to say that that is hypocritical, but it seems that they have it the opposite. Isn't that integrity when you are publicly critical of an entity in which you have an interest? And I seem to remember that they used this very same tactic against you in the 1982 gubernatorial race...
Conlin: I called for eliminating the tax cuts on the very wealthy and frankly, that's going to be raising my taxes. It is just such a ridiculous thing to say.
Some time ago when I put funds into a managed account, they bought some things for me, like tobacco stock. I didn't direct what they would be purchasing in the account, and when I got my first report, I saw that they had purchased Altria, as an example. I sold it immediately - I ordered it sold. We have in place a program - this is probably far more information than you need to know - but there's a program that is used by funds managers that assesses the social responsibility of corporations. And we have it set at the very highest level, so I don't understand their criticism. I own Wells Fargo stock in that account that is managed for me by others, and I also have a class action pending against Wells Fargo. I agree, I don't think that is hypocritical. I think it shows that I am willing to take public spirited actions even though they may result in some political disadvantage.
BFIA: Exactly. To me, it just shows that the GOP do not know the difference between being hypocritical and having integrity....
Media reform is a big issue that we post a lot about on BFIA – net neutrality, ownership rules, media monopolies, the fairness doctrine, are all things that are out there. One of our big concerns is that 90% of talk radio is conservative, and we think it is a huge problem in Iowa, because it puts misinformation out there in a very serious way. What are your views about that and what do you think is the role of government in assuring that media serves the public interest?
Conlin: The government has just told us that they think they don't have a any such role. The Supreme Court's decision on corporate first amendment rights is a pretty serious blow to all of us who think that unless you have a mouth, you can't have freedom of speech. I'm in favor of net neutrality as I understand it. These are not issues that I'm as familiar with as I will be at some point along the way, but I agree with you that the presence of the conservative - well, I don't call it conservative - the presence of the right-wing, radical blow-hards on the radio spewing hate, misinformation, and flat-out lies, seriously corrupts the civic dialogue.
BFIA: Even the Des Moines Register... They did a huge spread on the tea partyers last Sunday.
Conlin: Yes, whoever they may be...
BFIA: And it just seems to me that they were really feeding into that movement, I'm not even sure it is a movement – the media has defined it as a movement...
Conlin: ...And it was created by Freedomworks and Dick Armey and his corporate bosses. It has certainly tapped into the fear that lots of people have about what is going on in our country. One of the interesting things to me is many people who are a part of that group or groups, feel as you and I do on a large number of issues – such as, they hate the bail-out, as an example, so I'm just a little unclear about that. But I would welcome the tea party people to any of my meetings. We've had just one person who identified himself in that way, and it was an interesting exchange between him and other members of the audience.
BFIA: We noticed you have been posting on DailyKos and just wanted to ask, what are your favorite news sources, newspapers, blogs, etc.
Conlin: I read the Des Moines Register that I get in my hand every day. I read the Washington Post and the New York Times on my kindle. I like McClatchey. I like Huffingtonpost. I do look at DailyKos. That's about all I have time for because I am also studying briefing books on every issue in the entire world that you could possibly imagine. And I read a lot of books. I have read Too Big To Fail, by Sorkin; The Dark Side by Jane Mayer - and The Family. I read a lot of books. I actually read them. [laughter] And then I remember their names. And what was in them.....
BFIA: Final thoughts? Is there anything we haven't covered that you would like to get on the record.
Conlin: I would like to mention my family. I have a husband who I have been married to for 46 years. I have four adult children and I have five incredibly wonderful grandchildren. And I am plugged in therefore, to people of all ages, truly - my grandchildren are 9 on up to 22. Of course, my older grandchildren have been very helpful to me in learning how to use the new social media. My grandson in particular, my oldest grandson, who I'm extremely close to and is a student at the University of Iowa, has been very helpful in trying to get grandma up to speed here...
I want to reach out to and make use of all of the new media. We are struggling sometimes, but we are trying to remember to Tweet and keep in touch with people on a regular basis. I think it's very valuable to have access to that, and in fact, I think it may be the only realistically available antidote to the U.S. Supreme Court opinion that permits corporations to throw whatever money out of their treasury that they want to in political races.
BFIA: ...and really kind of ups the stakes as far as net neutrality is concerned....
Conlin: It certainly does. And I think that the net is the most important democratic-with-a-small-d device that we have available to reach one another....and we just have to keep it free.
Check out the campaign website, RoxanneforIowa.com or click on the link on the Blog for Iowa main page.
Monday, September 22
Round Up: Iowa Progressive Candidates
by
Linda Thieman
on Mon 22 Sep 2008 05:00 AM CDT
Round Up: Iowa Progressive Candidates
by Linda Thieman
 Iowa House District 84
Elesha Gayman, incumbent, is one of the original Deaniacs and a hard-working, dedicated progressive whose seat is being targeted by the right.
 Iowa’s 1st Congressional District
Bruce Braley, incumbent, won an open seat two years ago, and has since introduced legislation to help our veterans and troops returning from Iraq, fought to boost investment in renewable energy, and worked to provide more opportunity for Iowa small businesses.
 Iowa’s 2nd Congressional District
Dave Loebsack, incumbent, is one of the original Deaniacs whose stunning victory over Republican incumbent Jim Leach two years ago sent shock waves through the GOP and thrills through Iowa progressives. This was a grassroots effort at its finest. Since much of Loebsack's district was trashed by the flood this year, he could stand some help with contributions from Iowans who live outside his district.
 Iowa’s 4th Congressional District
Becky Greenwald is running against incumbent Tom Latham. With your support, Dems might actually take this seat this year. Greenwald intends to make a difference for those struggling to get by on minimum wage, for those who cannot afford access to quality healthcare, for those returning from Iraq and Afghanistan and facing life with an injury and the scars of war, and plans to fight to repeal the unfunded mandate known as No Child Left Behind.
Iowa City School Board
(3 seats)
Patti Fields, an incumbent, serves on the board's legislative and communication committees.
Michael Shaw worked as coordinator of the Family Resource Center at Grant Wood elementary school.
Read more about Fields and Shaw here.
And, of course, Senator Tom Harkin is up for re-election this year.
Thursday, July 17
Becky Greenwald Update
by
Sam Garchik
on Thu 17 Jul 2008 06:16 PM CDT
Becky Greenwald Update
By Erin Seidler
In an effort to keep our friends in the blogging community up to date,
the Becky Greenwald Campaign will be sending weekly updates about
progress in our race for Iowa¹s 4th District. We have made great
progress in our race to beat Tom Latham.
We have received some great coverage in both national and local blogs
after the Cook Report upgraded the race last week. The
encouraging national piece of recognition was a good post on the blog
MyDD. The post talks about how this race is one of five
congressional campaigns to watch nationally that have not been
receiving enough recognition and support.
10 Forgotten Candidates You Should Help MyDD
The other great posting was on Lynda Waddington¹s local blog.
Greenwald: More Important to Serve Iowa Than to Be First Woman
These types of posts help to keep buzz surrounding the campaign and continues to draw attention to Becky's race.
Buzz among Democratic activists, voters, and the press also continues
to grow. We were able to make a great announcement today that the
American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME)
Iowa Council 61 endorsed Becky for Congress. AFSCME is a great
friend to have in any campaign, and we are honored to have their
support against Tom Latham.
To read the release, click the link below: Greenwald Campaign: AFSCME Endorsement
Becky held an extremely successful event with Iowa¹s top Democratic
officials and fundraisers. Iowa Democratic Party Chair, Scott Brennan,
commented on the quality of the crowd saying, "Any Iowa Democratic
candidate would be thrilled to have an audience like this."
The support that the Chairman saw at the event did not go unnoticed by
Charlotte Eby, political reporter and columnist for Lee Newspapers.
Although not at the event, Charlotte wrote a column in Sunday¹s paper
about the excitement for Democrats this year in Iowa, particularly
Becky. In fact, Charlotte says this is the race to watch in Iowa this
year. The column appeared in the district¹s two biggest newspapers, the
Mason City Globe Gazette and the Ames Tribune.
For Charlotte's story, click the link below: Advantage, Democrats
It¹s this type of buzz in blogs, Iowa newspapers, labor endorsements
and with active Democrats that have people talking about Becky¹s race.
To top it all off, the Obama campaign is running an unprecedented
general election campaign in Iowa opening 15 offices this week,
compared with John McCain¹s one office opening. This type of support
from the top of the ticket ensures that we turnout a record number of
voters in the 4th District. Those voters will be voting for Becky and
Barack if we maintain this momentum.
Obama Field Offices (Click the headlines below):
Where Obama's Iowa field offices are
Obama leaps to early Iowa start; McCain slowly digs in
Please don¹t hesitate to contact me for more information about the race or to set up an interview with Becky.
Thanks,
Erin Seidler
Saturday, May 31
Vote on Tom Harkins Building Blue Contest
by
Sam Garchik
on Sat 31 May 2008 08:00 AM CDT
Vote on Tom Harkin's Building Blue Contest
By Carol and Dave Bradley
Please go to TomHarkin.com and vote the second round, we have until June 3rd to cast our vote for one house representative and and one senator candidates. If you don't have anyone running in your districts Please vote for Sharon Savage our district 4o senate race.
Please vote today, and defininately by Tuesdays closing.
Thanks for to all for their participation.
Tuesday, May 27
Candidate Forum for the Third Congressional District Democratic Primary
by
Sam Garchik
on Tue 27 May 2008 11:24 AM CDT
Candidate Forum for the Third Congressional District Democratic Primary
By PCCI
State Historical Society of Iowa
600 East Locust Street
Des Moines 50319-0290
Wednesday, May 28, 2008, at 7:00 p.m.
The two candidates for Iowa's Third District Congressional office, Representative Leonard Boswell and candidate Ed Fallon, have both been invited to appear together on stage for a Question and Answer forum.
About the Master of Ceremonies: Vern Naffier
Vern Naffier is the Chairman of PCCI and Adjunct Professor of Religion and Philosophy at
Grandview College.
About the Moderator: Mary Brubaker
Mary Brubaker has been one of Des Moinesʼ most recognizable television and radio personalities
over the past 40 years. She was KCCIʼs first female reporter and has hosted and produced
various programs on KCCI television a nd WOI radio over the span of her career. She is an
Alumna of Drake University and a community activist.
About Leonard Boswell
Leonard Boswell is running for his seventh term as Iowaʼs 3rd district U.S. Congressional
representative and is a former member of the Iowa Legislature.
About Ed Fallon
Ed Fallon has served seven terms as a State Representative in the Iowa Legislature and ran for
Governor in 2006.
Principal Sponsors:
The Progressive Coalition of Central Iowa (PCCI) and Central Iowa Operation Democracy (CIOD).
Co-Sponsors:
Women's International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF), Iowa Chapter of Physicians for
Social Responsibility (PSR), Iowa Chapter of Methodist Federation for Social Action (MFSA), and
Clarion Alliance.
Please note: Due to the importance of this special announcement, it will be repeated 2 more times over the holiday weekend.
Tuesday, May 13
Join Now - Help Send an Iowa Progressive to Congress!
by
Sam Garchik
on Tue 13 May 2008 07:06 PM CDT
Join Now - Help Send an Iowa Progressive to Congress!
By Mike Carberry
Take a look!
Kevin Miskell, who's running for Congress in Iowa's 4th district has
created a new DFA page. I'm asking that all Iowa progressives join the
site to show their support for Kevin's race.
Kevin is a fifth
generation family farmer who has 21 years grassroots experience
fighting to save family farms, promote sustainable agriculture and
protect the environment.
Please join to Voice Your Support now:
http://www.democrac yforamerica.com/campaigns/2824-kevin-miskell-for-congress
If you're interested in contributing to Kevin's campaign, please donate at ActBlue:
http://actblue.com/entity/fundraisers/19547
Thursday, January 3
We Must TAKE Our Country Back!
by
Caroline Vernon
on Thu 03 Jan 2008 03:12 PM CST
We Must TAKE Our Country Back!
By Caroline Vernon
Whether it’s health care,
the cost of education, our environment or global trade, Corporate America is holding
us all hostage to the almighty dollar. Greed continues to trump need as corporations
make record profits while more and more Americans fall into poverty every year.
Congress allows industry to write policy, and legislators don’t even read the
bills they enact. The average person would lose their job for gross negligence.
The pharmaceutical/insurance lobbies make billions on the grief of others, systematically
denying people essential treatment or drugs in order to save a buck. Half of
our taxpayer money goes to the Pentagon who “loses” over a trillion dollars and
“it’s nothing but a thing” yet we
have to beg to fund health care for our children. Agri-Business dominates at the
expense of our environment and health as 85% of our food is now genetically
modified, our meat is ridden with hormones and antibiotics, and pesticides have
permeated the water table. Global trade agreements allow corporations to
exploit for profit with no safeguards in place for workers or the environment.
It is our moral imperative
to stand up and say no more! John Edwards seems to be the only candidate that
understands that we have to make an aggressive push to take our country back –
the key word being “take”. While it is important to be able to bring everyone
to the table, we can’t continue to allow Corporate America to eat all the food.
Which comes down to,
follow the money…
Edwards and Obama are my
two top picks but there are some important distinctions to be made here. I think
Obama is awesome and I will support him whole
heartedly if he gets the Democratic nod, but as an activist, and more
importantly as a mother and your sister, there is way too much at stake in this election, not
only for our country but for the planet. Corporate America
will never give up their stranglehold on America or the rest of the world so
we must TAKE IT from them! There is no negotiating a moral standard… and frankly, that’s
what this election is about.
There are two main issues
that concern me about Obama; the fact that he voted for the Peru Trade
agreement (more of the same of what ails us), and more egregiously, the fact that he is promoting nuclear energy. Coincidentally,
Obama has accepted a lot of money from Exelon Nuclear and only stopped taking
corporate monies this past year once he decided to run for President. I commend
him for that recent decision but I am horrified that he is promoting nuclear power.
The current energy bill before Congress may have 10 billion dollars allocated
toward renewable energy, and that rocks, but if you look at the whole pie, it’s
too little too late! 25 billion is allocated for guaranteed loans to build new
nuclear sites and billions more for coal fired plants. I mean, this is what I
am talking about people… Corporate America writing OUR policy! Do ya’ll
remember all the hoopla about storing the nuclear waste at Yucca Mountain?
Do you want that in your backyard? Is it OK as long as it’s stored in someone
else’s backyard (out of sight, out of mind)? Do you really think our Earth Mother will be served by that? We need to save Her in order to save ourselves. Almost everything we do generates some
form of waste by-product. Instead of adding to it, especially nuclear waste, we need to use our
considerable ingenuity to invent our way out of this mess. It is our only true
hope. What we absolutely cannot afford
is more of the same… business as usual.
Corporate America has had the resources and the necessary information to create new technologies for decades. Rather than doing the right thing, and truly be leaders of innovation, much of their resources have been spent preventing said technologies from entering the marketplace because, God forbid, that could hurt their bottom line. If their shareholders weren't so blinded by their own greed, they would be able to recognize the incredible opportunity that is presenting itself NOW. Corporate America and our elected officials could simply CHOOSE to lead this necessary technological revolution, but it remains to be seen.... so it's up to us.
We must TAKE our
country back!
Tuesday, October 23
Controversial Rabbi Michael Lerner to Speak at Spiritual Progressives Conference Nov. 3rd in the Quad Cities
by
Caroline Vernon
on Tue 23 Oct 2007 05:23 PM CDT
Controversial
Rabbi Michael Lerner to Speak at Spiritual Progressives Conference Nov. 3rd in the Quad Cities
By James Lee
As
the Election Season closes in on the Quad Cities, people are looking at the
vast challenges facing our country and questioning how
individual citizens can make a difference. According to
national polling, over 70% of Americans feel that our nation is on the "wrong
track". Organizers of the
Spiritual Progressives Conference feel the answers to many
of our concerns and worries are rooted in our values, faith and spirituality.
Quad
Cities Progressive Action for the Common Good (PACG) in conjunction with Churches
United of the Quad Cities, Democracy for America–Quad Cities,
Davenport Unitarian Church,
Edwards Congregational-UCC, First Congregational-UCC, Network for Spiritual
Progressives, and a host of other supporters are
sponsoring a Spiritual Progressives Conference on November 3, 2007. The theme of the conference is: Living our Faith:
Integrating Values and Politics in the Heartland.
PURPOSE OF THE CONFERENCE
The purpose of this conference is to promote the voice of progressive
people into the national conversation on issues of values, faith and spirituality.
The conference is
designed to dig beneath the surface of controversial national issues &
public policy debates to get to the core of how we decide what makes our
society a healthy place to live.
It is our hope that the conference will help the public better
understand how to more effectively integrate progressive values with political
action that can create positive change in our nation.
Conference organizers assert that progressives have
been the social innovators who have initiated changes in our society that have
given us more freedom, liberty, and equality. Progressives believe in
continually improving our society in order to assist as many people as possible
to achieve a better life for themselves, their families and the community as a
whole. During this time of national
drift when confusion seems widespread over what America represents and truly
believes, progressive people must amplify their voices in the public conversation
on what we value as a nation.
We reject the tactic of using religion and spiritual traditions
to be a divisive force in our nation; pitting one group of Americans against
another group. We believe that ethics and morality cannot be claimed
as the property of a single religion or political group, but must be understood
in the context of furthering the well being of all humanity, present and
future. The conference will cover three main
areas:
1) Promoting a conversation on Progressive Values, Faith & and Spirituality
2) Organizing Progressives for political action
3) Creating healthy personal & inner lives for progressive people
The key-note speaker,
Rabbi Michael Lerner, will examine the question of how our values are translated
into political action. Rabbi Lerner is an internationally
renowned social theorist, theologian, editor of Tikkun magazine, and author of The Left Hand of God: Taking Back Our
Country from the Religious Right. He has a PhD from the University of California,
Berkeley and is
the founder of the Network for Spiritual Progressives.
Faith, values, and spirituality play an important role in responding to the many challenges we
face in our country today. The primary focus of
this conference will be to explore how our values, faith, and
spirituality can direct political action and transform our nation and our world. In so doing, this conference will be
addressing the most serious issues facing our
communities such as affordable, quality health care, the war, and global warming
to name a few.
Conference
workshops include topics such as "Challenging
the Misuse of God and Religion by the Religious Right", "Global Consciousness
and Ecological Sanity", "Our Common Values" and "Grounding Justice Work in
Spiritual Practice".
To learn more about other workshops which will be presented at this conference,
click here. To download the flyer to print (double-sided to conserve paper) go to our home page: www.qcprogressiveaction.org.
The Conference commences at 9:30am with a spiritual reflection on the state of
our world. Rabbi Michael Lerner will
speak at 10:15am. Workshops will continue throughout the day.
At 2:30pm Rabbi Lerner will be part of a panel discussion with local leaders on
the state of values and spirituality in our nation. Lunch will be served and
the conference will come to a close at 3:30pm.
This
event is open to the public; seating is limited. To Register, contact PACG at 563-676-7580 or go to our website for more information: www.qcprogressiveaction.org.
Event times and places
Interfaith
Service
The
conference begins with an Interfaith Service led by Rabbi Lerner on Friday evening,
November 2nd, 7pm at the Unitarian
Church, 3707 Eastern Avenue, Davenport, Iowa.
Spiritual
Progressives Conference
On
Saturday morning, November 3rd, the Spiritual Progressive Conference
will be held at the First Congregational Church-UCC, 2201 Seventh Avenue, Moline, IL 61265. Registration
starts at 9:30AM. Book Signing with Rabbi Lerner
Saturday evening, November 3rd, 5:30pm at Borders Bookstore, 4000 E 53rd St in Davenport.
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