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*Email Iowa and national media, five at a time
Framing The Message
*UC Berkeley professor George Lakoff tells how conservatives use language to dominate politics
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*A step-by-step guide on how to frame progressive issues, by George Lakoff
DemSpeak
*Values Inventory, Message Identification and Development, Engagement & Rapport Strategies, Framing and Reframing Language, Strategic Development and Deployment of Frames, Mediaspace Injection Choreography, and Framing/Media Crossfire training of Capitol Hill Legislators, new TV spokespersons for progressives, Talk Radio callers, and Progressive Leaders
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Sam Garchik - Mon 02 Jun 2008 10:10 AM CDT
atomburke - Fri 23 May 2008 03:49 PM CDT
salman - Fri 23 May 2008 06:28 AM CDT
megelso - Sun 11 May 2008 09:10 AM CDT
no4gman - Tue 29 Apr 2008 01:07 AM CDT
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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!
Saturday, October 27
IOWA FARMERS UNION SPONSORING BIODIESEL HOMEBREWING WORKSHOP NOV. 16 NEAR IOWA CITY
by
Sam Garchik
on Sat 27 Oct 2007 09:20 AM CDT
IOWA FARMERS UNION SPONSORING BIODIESEL HOMEBREWING WORKSHOP NOV. 16 NEAR IOWA CITY
By the IFU
Anyone interested in brewing their own biodiesel for use on the farm or at home is invited to a Biodiesel Workshop on Friday, Nov. 16 at Green World Biofuels near Tiffin, just northwest of Iowa City.
The workshop will cover biodiesel production from start to finish including oil titration, washing and drying biodiesel, equipment needs, weather issues, quality control testing, implementation strategies and waste stream management. The workshop runs from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., is very hands-on, and is offered by Green World Biofuels owner Steve Fugate.
Our workshops are designed to educate people who are seriously interested in biodiesel production, says Fugate. You will leave very knowledgeable and excited about making and using your own biodiesel.
Sources of oil will be discussed as well, including collecting used fryer oil and the potential for pressing oil from a farmers own seed (soy, canola, etc.)
Workshop cost is $25 per person including lunch. Financial support has been provided by the Leighty Foundation. Register by November 13 by calling 800-775-5227.
The workshop is sponsored by the Iowa Farmers Union Education Foundation, formed in 1999 with a 501(c)3 status to help meet increased needs for education among farmers, rural residents, and consumers. Its mission statement is: To promote a viable system of sustainable agriculture and high quality of life in rural communities through education of farmers, rural residents, and urban consumers; cooperation among farmers; and community activism.
Iowa Farmers Union is a non-profit advocacy group representing family farmers across the state. IFU also collaborates on legislative work and educational programming with Women, Food and Agriculture Network, NFO-Iowa and the Iowa Renewable Energy Association. IFU is a chapter of National Farmers Union, a general farm organization representing a quarter of a million family farmers and ranchers nationwide. NFU serves its membership by providing educational opportunities, supporting farmer-owned cooperative development, and presenting the organization's policies to lawmakers at the local, state and national levels.
-30-
Iowa Farmers Union
PO Box 8988
528 Billy Sunday Rd
Ames, IA 50014
800-775-5227
iafu@isunet.net
www.iafu.org
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.
Thursday, October 11
WFAN Women's Fall Gathering Nov. 9
by
Sam Garchik
on Thu 11 Oct 2007 01:35 PM CDT
WFAN Women's Fall Gathering Nov. 9
By Denise OBrien
"We Are the Ones We've Been Waiting For" is the theme for this
year's Women, Food and Agriculture Network Women's Fall Gathering,
November 9-11 at the EWALU Stone Center near Strawberry Point, IA. The
event is open to the public; women with an interest in food and
agriculture are encouraged to attend.
Participants should plan
on arriving on Friday between 5 and 7 p.m. for social time. On
Saturday, Laura Krouse, farmer from Mt. Vernon, IA, will be the keynote
speaker. There will also be virtual farm tours and several workshops to
choose from. A highlight on Saturday will be having time set aside to
explore the 250 acres of rolling hills and woodlands. On Saturday night
there will be a soup supper with a film later in the evening.
WFAN would like to extend a special invitation to mothers who would
like to bring their daughters. We have done this in the past and have
enjoyed having several generations present.
The cost will be $99 which includes two nights' lodging. the rooms are double occupancy, hotel style,
and meals on Saturday morning and evening and Sunday morning. We are
planning a potluck for Saturday noon, so please bring your best potluck
dish along with the recipe for others to try.
Every year
there is a silent auction to help defray costs of the weekend and to
allow us to offer scholarships to participants. Please bring an item
from your area that you are willing to donate to the silent auction.
Some items in the past have included home crafted baskets, soaps,
stationery, popcorn, wine, food items and gift certificates for a bed
and breakfast stay whatever your willing to contribute.
Please contact Denise O'Brien at denise@wfan.org or 712-243-3264 for more information or to make your reservation. Watch for registration on our website www.wfan.org .
Denise O'Brien
Executive Director
Women, Food and Agriculture Network
712-243-3264
Iowa Farmers Union
PO Box 8988
528 Billy Sunday Rd
Ames, IA 50014
800-775-5227
iafu@isunet.net
www.iafu.org
Monday, October 8
"Bioneers" Conference Features Speakers, Arts, Community Events
by
Sam Garchik
on Mon 08 Oct 2007 08:42 AM CDT
"Bioneers" Conference Features Speakers, Arts, Community Events
By Rich Dana
On October 19, 20th and 21st, 2007, Grinnell will host its first "Beaming Bioneers" Conference. Grinnell is one of 20 sites across the US and Canada that will be linked by satellite to the main Bioneers conference in San Rafael, California. Visitors from across the Midwest will converge to attend presentations and talk about creative solutions to our world's most pressing environmental and cultural problems.
"Bioneers is not just for scientists and environmentalists," says Rich Dana of Imagine Grinnell, the events lead organizer. " Anyone who is interested in building a healthy society and a healthy environment will enjoy this conference. We will be hearing from internationally known speakers by satellite, and we will be joined by local and regional leaders here in Grinnell."
Plenary speakers presenting live by satellite will include Winona LaDuke from the White Earth reservation in Minnesota, Eve Ensler, an award-winning author of The Vagina Monologues, Paul T. Anastas, Ph.D., the founder of "green chemistry" and professor at Yale's School of Forestry and Environmental Studies, Judith F. Baca, a world-renowned painter and muralist, and Wallace J. Nichols, Ph.D., senior scientist at the Ocean Conservancy. Local speakers will include farm activist Denise O'Brien, Des Moines Register columnist Rekha Basu, environmental engineer Kamyar Enshayan and Iowa Poet Laureate Robert Dana.
Dubbed the "Tallgrass Bioneers Conference", the Grinnell event will include workshops on renewable energy, environmental and social issues and community building, as well as arts events, live music, outdoor activities and a banquet featuring locally grown and prepared food. "We have a sliding fee for registration, and we want to make sure anyone who wants to come can come," says Dana. In addition to paid registration, community volunteers are needed, and will receive a free weekend pass. For those who want to get a small taste of Bioneers, there are several free events scheduled throughout the weekend.
For a full schedule of events, to register or to volunteer for the Tallgrass Bioneers Conference, please contact Rich Dana at: rich@gotoplanb.net or 319.530.6051. For more information on the conference, please visit: www.gotoplanb.net/bioneersconference.
Sponsors include: Adbusters Media Foundation, Catnip Farm , Frontier Natural Products, Grinnell Area Arts Council, Grinnell College Center for Prairie Studies, Grinnell College's Peace Studies Program, Grinnell Tourism Group, iDEZiN Digital Workgroup , Imagine Grinnell, Iowa Foundation for Education, Environment and the Arts, Iowa Renewable Energy Association, Radish Magazine, Rosenfield Center and Wildwood Organics.
------------------------
Tallgrass Bioneers Local Events
Friday, October 19th
3:15 PM - Panel Discussion on "Diversifying the Heartland" with guest speakers Rekha Basu, Robert Dana, Kamyar Enshayan and Emily Guenther.
6:30 PM - Local Food Banquet, prepared by Kamal Hammouda of the Phoenix Cafe. Denise O'Brien, speaker.
Saturday, October 20th
Workshops on Renewable Energy, Immigration, Globalization, Local Foods, Green Businesses, Natural Building and Water Quality. Also a tour of restored prairie, LEED certified green building and 50kw wind turbine.
Evening - Arts Walk, live Music by "Escape the Floodwater Jug Band" at
Saint's Rest.
Sunday, October 21st
9:00 AM - Community bike ride, Historic walking tour, Canoe trip, workshops on water quality, renewable communities and faith-based environmental initiatives
***********************************************
please join us!
The Tallgrass Bioneers Conference
October 91-21, 2007
Grinnell, Iowa
for more information:
http://www.gotoplanb.net/bioneersconference/tallhome.html
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