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Sunday, July 31
Newsworthy Notes from the Blogosphere
by
Linda Thieman
on Sun 31 Jul 2005 04:00 AM CDT
 Newsworthy Notes from the Blogosphere
Hey, Look at This! Gordon Fischer has a Blog!
Gordon, you sly dog, why didn't you mention this when you wrote me the other day?
Gordon Fischer, former head of the Iowa Democratic Party, says of his new blog, Iowa True Blue:
 One of the principles guiding this Blog is the concept of personal responsibility.
For Iowa's public servants, that means being accountable for their
votes, the contributions they receive, and the leadership they choose.
On the topic of Congressman Tom Delay, Iowa Republicans appear to have
a great deal of explaining to do.
Couldn't agree more, Gordon. Without accountability, we've got NOTHING.
So, if
you're into Iowa politics (and why are you reading Blog for Iowa if you're not?), definitely check out Iowa True Blue.
It ought to be a good read. And I love that great graphic
depiction of Ol' Gordo! (pictured above on the right) Nice start, Gordon!
And speaking of accountability . . .
From Sirotablog, 7.28.05
by David Sirota
Pelosi Demands Accountability from the "CAFTA 15"
Roll
Call has a new report up about House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D)
holding an emergency meeting of the House Democratic Steering Committee
tonight to discuss formal sanctions against the 15 Democrats who sold
out their party and voted for the corporate-written Central American
Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA). Pelosi raised "the likelihood that
defectors' committee assignments would be reviewed at tonight’s meeting
of the Steering Committee." That's absolutely necessary - why should
Democrats who undermine their party be given plum committee assignments
over other, far more loyal and principled Democrats? Pelosi should be
commended for her courage - and now she needs to back up her words with
action.
The
story goes on to note that "Several Democratic sources said Pelosi and
other House leaders are particularly upset with New York Reps. Greg
Meeks and Ed Towns, members of exclusive committees with safe seats,
who voted for CAFTA."
Meeks
had the nerve to say that he "voted my conscience" on CAFTA, despite
his long history of selling off his votes on trade to the highest
corporate bidder.
From Yellow Dog Blog, 7.29.05
by Bob Geiger
And for MORE Democratic Straight Talk . . .
Democrat
Paul Hackett, an Iraq war veteran who is running for Congress in Ohio's
second district – the election is Tuesday – appeared on "Hardball" with
Chris Matthews last night. Hackett appears to be following some
of DNC Chairman Howard Dean's lead, giving straight answers and
refusing to back down from his criticism of [George W. Bush] and
calling Bush a "chicken hawk."
Here are excerpts:
MATTHEWS: What is a chicken hawk?
HACKETT:
Chicken hawk is somebody who is not willing to fight the fight of their
age, their generation, and speaks brashly and with unnecessary bravado
when they're sending other kids and other sons and daughters, other
folks' sons and daughters, off to war.
It is --
encompasses language like, bring it on. It encompasses language like,
you're with us or you're against us and we're going to take it to you.
And I think that's dangerous. And I've got to tell you, you know, when
we're over there fighting in Iraq, Marines and soldiers, and we hear
language like, bring it on coming from the Oval Office, that's a
danger. We don't need that. That's encouraging an...
MATTHEWS: Paul, why did you call [Bush] -- why did you call [Bush], whose office you respect, a chicken hawk?
HACKETT:
I respect the office of the president of the United States. I said
those words. I meant them. I stand by them. I would say them again.
Friday, July 8
DFQC: Targeting the Off-line Community
by
Caroline Vernon
on Fri 08 Jul 2005 02:01 PM CDT
 DFQC: Targeting the Offline Community
by Caroline Vernon
I
initially wrote this article for Blog for America a few months ago, but
since I didn't get to share it with ya'll, I felt it was worth
repeating, particularly since it embodies the invaluable contributions
of some of our senior activists.
Given all the emphasis we have placed on the Internet community, it is
also very important to continue outreach efforts within the offline
community.
As much as 20% of our local Meetup (Democracy For The Quad Cities)
attendance is comprised of individuals who are notified by telephone
and word of mouth. Many of these are senior citizens that already have
a long-standing history of grassroots activism and community
involvement. In fact, they are the very bedrock of our democracy; eager
to share their experiences and ready and willing to pass the torch to
the next generation of movers and shakers. And what a story they have
to tell... there is so much to learn from them.
DFQC is extremely fortunate to have benefited from the steadfast
participation of such seasoned political veterans as Lou and Joe
Waechter, and Betty and Cal Drumm. Our local group has been enriched by
the collective contributions and lifelong experiences of these two
couples.
Joe and Lou Waechter have been involved with the grassroots as far back
as 1963, when Bill Gluba and Art Small (recently local candidates for
the US House and Senate) recruited Lou as Precinct Committee Person
while canvassing from house to house in an effort to organize the
Democratic party. Over the years, the Waechters have continued to open
their home and their hearts in pursuit of promoting life, liberty and
happiness for the common good.
2005 Scott County Democrats Red, White and Blue Fundraiser -
Lou and Joe Waechter with Flat Howard
Betty and Cal Drumm are also longtime activists. Betty indicated there
were many times when she had set aside the money they would have used
to dine out, in order to be able to send money to the Democratic party.
She said, "It would be a win-win situation, such as, no calories, lose
pounds, no heartburn, and the Democratic party would gain a few more
dollars." Cal expressed the importance of taking care of business in
our own back yards first. During the Democratic primary Cal contacted
every registered person in their ward, urging them to vote in the
caucus, as well assisting Betty in her role as Caucus Captain.
Halloween 2004 -DFQC Members as Billionaires For Bush
Betty and Cal Drumm on either side of Flat Howard
The contributions of these couples reflect the value and the need of
developing a variety of tools for outreach to all aspects of our
communities. In addition to establishing contact by phone and word of
mouth, we are currently in the process of creating and distributing
flyers to promote upcoming Meetups and other events within the
progressive community. Senior centers and union halls are ideal
locations to post flyers. Contacting local newspapers and radio
stations are also very effective methods for promoting Meetup.
Both the Waechters and the Drumms were inspired and re-invigorated by
the call to action from our very own Chairman, Governor Howard Dean.
Cal speaks for all of us at DFQC, "We would like to thank Governor Dean
for what he brought to our table... we learned so much from him, and we
wish you the best Howard, as Chairman of the DNC. We know the best is
yet to come."
Sunday, July 3
Dems Join GOP in Ganging Up On Howard Dean (And The Party's Grassroots Funders)
by
Trish Nelson
on Sun 03 Jul 2005 08:30 AM CDT
 Dems Join GOP in Ganging Up On Howard Dean (And The Party's Grassroots Funders)
CityPages.com
by Steve Perry
Why are so many of the most powerful Democrats afraid of
Howard Dean? And can anyone so reviled by both D.C. party establishments be all
bad?
On June 2, Dean threw a bit of red meat to a gathering of
party activists. Concluding a comment about a shortage of voting stations in Ohio
last November, he jibed that Republicans might not understand the hardship of
missing work to stand in long voting lines because "a lot of them have
never made an honest living in their lives." Republicans the party of
privilege? Who but a hateful troll like Dean could even conceive such a mad
thought?
The media deserve a lot of credit for making a scandal of
it, readily eliding Dean's comment about GOP elites into a remark about
"many Republicans." Of the various remarks for which Dean has been
pilloried lately, Democrats were most vociferous in distancing themselves from
this one. The reason was simple: The sort of folk Dean held up to contempt are
the main funders of the Democratic Party, too.
David Cay Johnston,
in his book Perfectly Legal,
writes: “We know first of all that the
“political donor class” is very small and very rich - about one-tenth of 1
percent of Americans give 80 percent of the total moneys received by the two
major political parties. Many of the big donors, especially the corporate
bundlers, [play] both sides; many give
to one party or the other. But it all works out in the end, since they have far
more in common with each other than with the other 99-plus percent of the country.
Most of what you need to know about the futility and corruption of the
Democratic Party - the me-tooism, the abject fear of fighting spirit or
fighting words, the overarching role of money in all of the above - is summed
up in this little episode.
And this brings us to the material reason the Democrats
hate Howard Dean: He threatens to refigure the fundraising base of the party,
however modestly, and thus to shift the balance of power in the party
hierarchy.
The grassroots political activity of the citizenry and its
inseparable adjunct, the entry into public life of non-organization
politicians, is a constant threat to party organizations. It is the perpetual endeavor of party
organizations to discourage and even squash grassroots movements.
This is where the attacks on his public words come in, and at more than one level.
(click here to read the rest of this illuminating article)
You can help with media reform in Iowa - Join these groups!
 Click here to receive action alerts from Rapid Response -
Iowa
Contact: Iowans for Better Local TV (IBLTV)
Friday, July 1
Where DFA Meets the Anti-war Movement: Leave My Child Alone!
by
Linda Thieman
on Fri 01 Jul 2005 04:17 AM CDT
 Where DFA Meets the Anti-war Movement: Leave My Child Alone!
by Rebecca Romani, LeftTurn.org
What
happens when a warmongering government starts preying on its
children? The grassroots organize to stop it, that's what.
It
looked like any average parent meeting with a sprinkling of
twenty-somethings and senior citizens, complete with pizza, fries and
speakers. But for these people coming out to a pizza parlor on a
weeknight, the main attraction was not the food but an earnest
discussion of the presence of military recruiters on high school
campuses and a little known document called the “opt-out” form.
The
almost 100 people who turned out in the San Diego region, a heavily
militarized area home to a Marine base and Navy Seals, were part of a
nation-wide call to meet on the first day of June, put out by MMOB, The
Main Street Moms Operation Blue. MMOB,
a relatively new grassroots group, is taking a page out of the Howard
Dean playbook and rallying people though a well-orchestrated internet
campaign.
According
to Charlie Imes, chair of the local chapter of Democracy for America
(DFA), the MMOB contacted him and asked him to put the Military
Recruiter discussion at the top of the night’s agenda. “They asked and
I said great,” said Imes, who was enthusiastic about the night’s
turnout.
Twenty
miles north in Carlsbad, dozens of people turned out to hear speakers
and to fill out opt out forms, according to Jeeni Criscenzo, a member
of the North County Peace and Justice Coalition who coordinated the
event with MMOB.
The opt out form is provided for in section 9528, A, 1. of the No Child Left Behind Act, in part, because schools receiving federal funding are required to provide the following:
"1) ACCESS TO STUDENT RECRUITING INFORMATION-
Notwithstanding section 444(a)(5)(B) of the General Education
Provisions Act and except as provided in paragraph (2), each local
educational agency receiving assistance under this Act shall provide,
on a request made by military recruiters or an institution of higher
education, access to secondary school students names, addresses, and
telephone listings…” in addition to granting recruiters physical access
to the campus or lose much needed federal funds. (Source)
The opt out form makes the child’s information unavailable to military recruiters and puts the child on a do not call list.
Federal law requires school districts to inform parents about the opt
out form. While some school districts list the form on either the
school district website or the high school website, the San Diego
school district does not.
A brief glance at MMOB’s site (www.themmob.org),
showed at least 20 such meetings planned for June 1, from Bakersfield
to Boston.
(Click here to read the complete article.)
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