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Sunday, September 26
Stop Outsourcing Our Future!
by
Linda Thieman
on Sun 26 Sep 2004 05:15 PM CDT
 Stop Outsourcing Our Future!
A Town Hall Meeting for people concerned about good jobs, the environment, and a healthy future for their community
Monday, Sept. 27
7:00-8:30 PM
Iowa Valley Community College
Continuing Education Center, Room 608
3702 S. Center St., Marshalltown
Join
your friends and neighbors to learn about global trade agreements now
being negotiated by the Bush administration, their implications for
good jobs, a clean environment, and healthy communities, and the choice
that voters have in the Presidential election on the issue of
outsourcing our future.
Other Town Hall Meetings in Iowa
Mason City, Sept. 29, Public Library, 7-8:30 pm
Keokuk, Sept. 30, Public Library, 6:30-8:00 pm
Muscatine, Oct. 2, Muscatine Commuity College, 10:30am-Noon
JUST ADDED!
Ottumwa, Oct. 11, Ottumwa Public Library, 7:00-8:30pm
Panelists
David Osterberg, Executive Director, Iowa Policy Project
Lana Ross, Iowa Conference United Methodist Church
Rich Leopold, Executive Director, Iowa Environmental Council
Reita Acord, United Auto Workers Local 893
Jim Jontz, President Emeritus, Americans for Democratic Action
Sponsors
Iowa Farmers Union
Iowa Conference United Methodist Church
League of Rural Voters
Iowa Fair Trade Campaign
National Catholic Rural Life Conference
Americans for Democratic Action
Sister Mary Hispanic Ministry
Iowa Citizen Action Network
SEIU Local 199
AFSCME Council 61
Iowa Sierra Club
Iowa Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO
Women, Food, and Agriculture Network
American Federation of Teachers Local 716
United Steel Workers of America District 11
Contact: Dave Leshtz, Iowa Fair Trade Campaign, 319-621-4205
For more information, click here.
Seniors for America Endorses 3 DFIA Candidates
by
Linda Thieman
on Sun 26 Sep 2004 01:07 PM CDT
 Seniors for America Endorses 3 DFIA Candidates
by Howard Vicini, Seniors for America
Seniors for America
began as Seniors for Dean in July, 2003, with the name transition after
Gov. Dean dropped out of the Presidential race. We continue to honor
his challenge to Take Back America through outreach projects designed
to keep Seniors and Elders engaged in the political process.
Our
primary mission is to empower Senior Outreach coordinators of all ages
who use the Internet with tools to reach across the digital divide to
non-digital Seniors and Elders in their communities. Currently our 605
outreach coordinators and letter-writers span the ages of 13 to 93.
Our
letter-writers, in cooperation with our friends at Kerry's Wes Wing,
the Rossmoor Dem Club and the Marin United Democratic Campaign, have
written more than 17,000 letters to Seniors in battleground States in
support of the Kerry-Edwards ticket since the Democratic Convention.
We
recently launched an online Activities Center for letter-writing,
phone-banking and canvassing in support of Kerry-Edwards, as well as a
slate of 29 Congressional, State, and Local candidates who we have
endorsed in 2004 races.
Seniors for America is proud to endorse:
Kevin Powell, County Auditor, Clayton County
Kevin Powell:
In selecting Kevin Powell for endorsement, our members noted his
commitment to upholding the highest standards of voting integrity in
the enforcement of HAVA. They also noted his commitment to fiscal
responsibility and timely reporting for the County.
We believe Kevin Powell's deep roots
in his community and his support from Iowa progressives are clear signs
of his readiness to serve the interests of his constituents.
Sally Vitamvas, Iowa House, District 98 (Southwest Iowa)
Sally Vitamvas:
In selecting Sally Vitamvas for endorsement, our members noted her
ability to recognize the needs of her community and her commitment to
get the job done. Her track record as a civic leader stands as a
testament to ability to tackle complex issues like improving health
care and increasing renewable energy alternatives.
We believe that Sally Vitamvas will keep her campaign promises and improve the quality of life of her constituents.
John Drury, Iowa State Senate, District 6 (North Iowa)
John Drury:
In selecting John Drury for endorsement, our members noted his
commitment to put the interests of public education over private
education. They also relied on his commitment to the environment,
including support for giving back control to Counties on the siting of
large scale hog confinements.
We believe John Drury's experience
as Mayor of Swaledale, IA, and his support from progressive leadership
groups and organized labor, are clear signs of his readiness to serve
the interests of his constituents.
The Seniors for America candidate endorsements are posted at:
http://www.seniorsforamerica.com/?q=node/view/3786
GOP Fesses Up To Anti-Gay Mailing
by
Linda Thieman
on Sun 26 Sep 2004 09:51 AM CDT
 GOP Fesses Up To Anti-Gay Mailing
by Doreen Brandt, 365Gay.com
(Washington)
- The Republican National Committee has finally admitted that it was
responsible for a mass mailing that claimed Democrats would permit gay
marriage and ban the Bible.
...The
literature shows a Bible with the word "BANNED" across it and a photo
of a man, on his knees, placing a ring on the hand of another man with
the word "ALLOWED." The mailing tells West Virginians to "vote
Republican to protect our families" and defeat the "liberal agenda."
The
mailing was aimed at evangelical Protestants, many of whom did not vote
in 2000. The RNC hopes it can attract the group to the polls this
November.
"At
least now the Republican party admits they are running a disgusting
campaign of bigotry for George W. Bush," Eric Stern, Director of GLBT
Outreach, DNC, told 365Gay.com. "Instead
of running on his failed record, Bush has launched a campaign of
distortion in an effort to divide the country at the expense of gay and
lesbian Americans."
(Click here to read the complete article.)
Michael Moore to Appear in Ames
by
Linda Thieman
on Sun 26 Sep 2004 05:16 AM CDT
 Michael Moore to Appear in Ames
by Michael Moore
A letter from Michael Moore, and hey, this one isn't all that condescending!
Iowa State - Michael Moore will present a free lecture at Hilton Coliseum on Sunday, Oct. 17
His appearance in Ames is open to the public. No tickets are required. Doors open at 6:30 p.m., and the lecture will begin at 7:30 p.m.
In
"An Evening with Michael Moore," the documentarian will discuss current
events, show film clips, answer audience questions and sign copies of
his books. The performance is expected to be part political commentary,
part stand-up comedy.
Dear Friends,
Today I
begin a little 20-state, 60-city tour to try and convince the fed-up,
the burned-out, and the Nader-impaired to leave the house for just a
half-hour on November 2nd and mark an "X" in a box (or punch a chad or
touch a screen) so that America and the world can be saved. (I don't
mean "saved" as in all workers will henceforth control the means of
production. That's, um, going to take a few more years.)
What I'm
asking is that our fellow Americans, as the collective landlord of a
public housing project at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave., take just a few
minutes to evict the tenant who is currently wrecking the place (not to
mention what he's doing to the rest of the neighborhood). After all,
isn't this one of the coolest things about a democracy, getting to give
some payback to those in power? "YOU'RE FIRED!" Oooh, that feels good -
especially if the recipient of the pink slip is someone who wants to
send your kid off to war.
So,
having nothing better to do for the next month (and eager to visit such
swinging states as Iowa!), I have decided to go to every battleground
state in the country and do whatever it takes to get out the vote. I
will do your laundry, I will clean your house, I will give you a year's
supply of beer nuts if you will commit to me to go to the polls on
Tuesday, November 2.
[Hey, Mike, it's a deal. I'll take the laundry and the house cleaning, but I'll skip the beer nuts. Thanks!]
I'm calling it "The Slacker Uprising Tour," a coast-to-coast effort to bring the non-voting majority out of hibernation and kick some political butt.
[So, what are you saying here, Mike? You'll only do my laundry if this is my first time voting? I knew it was too good to be true.]
My goal is to get as many of the 100 million non-voters in America as I
can to give voting a try - just this once. I want at least 56% of all
eligible voters to vote and thus set a modern-day turnout record.
I'm
putting out the red alert call to slackers everywhere to help me lead
this revolt. I want everyone in their teens and twenties who exist from
one packet of Ramen noodles to the next bag of Tostitos to take your
fully-justified cynicism and toss it right into the middle of this
election. As "non-voters" you have been written off. But if only a few
thousand of you vote, it could make all the difference. You literally
hold all the power in your hands. That's even cooler than holding a TV
remote.
I, the
original slacker - I, who have endured all sorts of attacks for my
slacker demeanor - yes, I am coming to an arena or stadium just outside
your dorm room (or that little space off the furnace room where your
parents still let you stay, rent-free). Why arenas and stadiums?
Because there are so many of us - AND they serve beer and chips. From
the Sun Dome to the Key Arena, from the Patriot Center to the Del Mar
Race Track, I will be there and I will bring prizes and presents and
clean underwear for all in need.
Before I
arrive, I have arranged for free screenings of "Fahrenheit 9/11" in
each city. When I get there, I will have with me dozens of voter
registrars who will register new (or recently transplanted) voters.
Iowa's DEADLINE to Register: Mailed By October 18th or Delivered by October 23rd. Click here to download an Iowa voter registration form.
Absentee ballot applications will also be available.
[Which is even BETTER than going to the polls on Election Day - see why here.]
And the good people of Move-On, ACT and other groups will be present at
each of my appearances to sign up volunteers to get out the vote on
election day.
Details
of where I will be appearing will be available in your local media.
Many venues, due to advance word already out there, have "sold out" (at
most stops, students get in for free and community people pay a nominal
fee - usually $5 - to cover costs). Again, check your local media to
find out the times and dates and how to get advance tickets.
Nearby cities I'll be visiting include Ames, Minneapolis, Milwaukee, Madison and Green Bay.
The
three campuses on the tour which register the most students to vote (or
who have the most non-voters committing to me to vote) will receive a
special scholarship from us at the end of the tour.
Thanks, in advance, to everyone out there who is working hard during this election. I know it will make a difference.
Let's leave no non-voter behind.
Yours,
Michael Moore
www.michaelmoore.com
P.S.
Good news! This weekend our distributor has added an astounding 600 new
theaters to the list of those still showing "Fahrenheit 9/11." This is
highly unusual for a film entering its fourth month of release, but the
demand has been strong to bring it back in many areas and our wonderful
distributors have responded. This is a perfect time to either see it
again on the big screen or take a friend who hasn't seen it, as it
won't be around in theaters for long. The DVD and home video come out
October 5!
Follow Moore's tour on his blog: click here.
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