PDA Conference Calls for May
Each month PDA schedules a series of conference calls to keep grassroots members up-to-date and directly involved in the development of PDA projects, programs and procedures.
Click Here for More Info and SCHEDULE of PDA May Conference Calls
PDSonoma County Endorsements for June 3 Primary Election
- State Senate District 3
- Sonoma County Supervisor, District 5, District 3, District 1
- Sonoma County Democratic Party Central Committee, District 2 and District 5
Posted on 7 May 2008, by Anna
Obama's Clarifying Win: The Fly on the Wall Is the Wall
By Norman Solomon
May 7, 2008
Barack Obama’s triumph on Tuesday night was a victory over a wall that pretends to be a fly on the wall.
For a long time, the nation’s body politic has been shoved up against that wall—known as the news media.
Despite all its cracks and gaps, what cements the wall is mostly a series of repetition compulsion disorders. Whether the media perseveration is on Pastor Wright, the words “bitter” and “cling,” or an absent flag lapel-pin, the wall’s surfaces are more rigid when they’re less relevant to common human needs and shared dreams.
“We’ve already seen it,” Obama said during his victory speech in North Carolina, “the same names and labels they always pin on everyone who doesn’t agree with all their ideas, the same efforts to distract us from the issues that affect our lives, by pouncing on every gaffe and association and fake controversy, in the hopes that the media will play along.”
And how, they’ve played along. From the front pages of “quality” dailies to the reportage of NPR’s drive-time news to the blather-driven handicapping on cable television, the ways that media structures have functioned in recent weeks tell us—yet again—how fleeting any media attention to substance can be.
News outlets spun out —“pouncing on every gaffe and association and fake controversy”—as media Obama-mania about a longshot candidate morphed into Obama-phobia toward the candidate most likely to become the Democratic presidential nominee. The man who could do little wrong became a man who could do little right. The lines of attack were spurious and protracted
enough to be jaw-dropping.
But how often can we be truly shocked by such media patterns? Perennial corporate structures are reinforcing the narrow boundaries.
If this sounds like an old complaint, it is. Institutional dynamics—fueled and steered by ownership, advertising, underwriting and undue government influence—repeat themselves with endless permutations. Dominant media routinely focus on counterfeit issues, often ignoring or trashing progressive options in the process.
Read More...Posted on 6 May 2008, by Anna
Give up the fight?
_________
______
Do we give in or dig in?
Will you take the next step…
PDA has been a consistent voice against war. We supported HR 4232, The End the War in Iraq Act, and HR 746, The Safe and Orderly Withdrawal Act. We have protested, lobbied, made phone calls and written letters. We’ve fought against the war since our birth in 2004, and we helped elect the Democratic Congress in 2006 to end the occupation of Iraq.
It still rages on. Do we continue the fight or do we give up?
In a game of political one-upmanship, the Democratic House will vote this Thursday to authorize more money to fund the violent occupation of Iraq.
Do we give up the fight, or do we dig in?
Democrats want to tarnish Republicans by forcing them to vote against veteran’s benefits and unemployment insurance extensions in an election year, a strategy developed by Democratic leadership. It appears they have given up on ending the occupation of Iraq now—for more violence, bloodshed, and lost treasure—so they can end it after the election!
Do we give up the fight, or do we dig in? I say we dig in, roll up our sleeves, and take it to the streets!
We elected this Congress to clean up this mess. Now, we’re going to clean up Congress by electing progressive candidates who support Healthcare NOT Warfare
On Saturday May 17 and May 24, PDAers will be joining with our endorsed candidates in the Healthcare NOT Warfare canvass. We’ll be helping out the campaigns by hitting high Democratic-propensity precincts, knocking on doors, and distributing flyers. To help out, contact Mike@pdamerica.org .
Read More...Posted on 6 May 2008, by Anna
Loser Take All: Election Fraud and the Subversion of Democracy, 2000-2008
By Joan Brunwasser
OpEdNews
May 5, 2008
Loser Take All: Election Fraud and the Subversion of Democracy, 2000-2008, edited by Mark Crispin Miller
Warning: This book will make you uncomfortable. Mark Crispin Miller pulls no punches. He’s happy to spread the blame around – politicians, the Religious Right, corporate interests, election officials, the corporate media, voting machine vendors, fanatics for whom victory is all that matters – all (and more) come in for legitimate criticism. The biggest villains of the piece are those in the GOP who seek nothing less than a permanent power grab and have a grand plan in place to pull it off. Miller described the plan in his previous book:
And right now, as we dawdle, Bush’s party and the movement that it serves are busily advancing measures to consolidate their “victory” by making fair elections more unlikely…The point of all such stealthy actions is to rein in, control and thus in essence terminate American democracy – a plan that we believers in American democracy can foil, but only if we acknowledge that that plan is in the works, and that it made great progress in 2004. (Fooled Again, The Real Case for Electoral Reform, p. xvii)
Miller has been diagnosing our electoral ills longer than almost anyone. Over the last few years, he has been continually fine-tuning his message – with Fooled Again, then its expanded and updated version, and now Loser Take All. Miller is meticulous; his analysis is clear, taking the time to connect the dots in a way that is hard to refute by weaving together the chapters of investigative journalists, election experts, and activists. Two highlights from a stellar group: David Moore’s “Because Jeb said so: What really happened on Election Night in Florida” starts the collection off with a bang. And in “Election 2004: The Urban Legend,” Michael Collins persuasively dismantles the traditional GOP explanation for all their gains. The book bristles with statistics, graphs, and charts, but is not too technical for the average, concerned citizen.
Read More...Posted on 5 May 2008, by Anna
Norman Solomon: Weathering the Clinton-Obama storm in Marin
by Norman Solomon
Marin IJ
May 4, 2008
IN THESE STORMY times for Democrats, some unpleasant gusts from national crosswinds are blowing through Marin. Most people in this largely progressive area remain eager to evict Republicans from the White House – while the extended battle between Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama is generating a cascade of worries.
This is Obama country. Marin’s primary voters went for him over Clinton by 56 percent to 38 percent – his widest margin of any county in the state. At the same time, many solid Democrats who strongly support Clinton can be found throughout the county.
As an elected Obama delegate to the Democratic National Convention from the 6th Congressional District, I’ve been unhappy about the deteriorating tenor of the campaign during April. In an editorial after the Pennsylvania primary, the New York Times wisely urged Clinton “to acknowledge that the negativity, for which she is mostly responsible, does nothing but harm to her, her opponent, her party and the 2008 election.”
The primary campaign trail ahead, winding from North Carolina to Oregon and perhaps beyond, may not become any more elevated. And maybe we can’t do much to affect the slant of the all-too-often Foxified media. But here at home, Democrats have an opportunity to focus on substance and move ahead with the tasks at hand for the next six months. ....
Read the Rest of the Story Here
Posted on 4 May 2008, by Anna
12 Step Program To Save U.S. Democracy
By Mark Crispin Miller
Certainly the outlook for democracy seems pretty bleak—and how could it be otherwise? The surest way to make a problem worse is to pretend it isn’t there, which is exactly what our press and politicians have been doing; and the rest is, unfortunately, history.
But history can be changed, as We the People have continually learned, from our refusal of colonial subjection, to our (partial) establishment as a democratic republic, to the abolition of slavery, to the enfranchisement of women, to the end of formal segregation and the passage of the Voting Rights Act.
After that, our progress seemed to stop, and it must now resume: for history can be changed, and for the better, but only through our own unbreakable commitment to, and action for, enlightened policies for the renewal of our democracy. Based squarely on America’s first principles, such policies would not be wholly new, however revolutionary they must sound in these bad, backward times. As it was certain policies that got us into this horrific situation, certain other policies can get us out.
The fact is that We the People are in lousy shape, and must get straight as soon as possible. For we are all addicted to the horse race—and we can’t win, because it’s fixed. And so, before we end up losing everything, we need to pull ourselves together, face the music, and then take all necessary steps to change the tune.
A 12-Step Program to Save US Democracy
1. Repeal the Help America Vote Act (HAVA)
This step will inevitably follow an in-depth investigation of how HAVA came to be.
2. Replace all electronic voting with hand-counted paper ballots (HCPB)
Although politicians and the press dismiss this idea as utopian, the people would support it just as overwhelmingly as national health care, strong environmental measures, US withdrawal from Iraq, and other sane ideas.
Read More...Posted on 4 May 2008, by Anna
NEW DATE - Petaluma hearing on CIR
NOTE: THIS IS A CHANGE FROM ORIGINAL DATE POSTED
Support the Proposed Community Impact Report for Retail Development in Petaluma
Save the Date: June 16th, 2008 7:00 PM
Petaluma City Council 11 English St., Petaluma
The Living Wage Coalition, Petaluma Neighborhood Association,
Petaluma Community Coalition, Petaluma Independent Business
Association, Sonoma County Conservation Action and Petaluma Tomorrow have introduced a proposed Community Impact Report (CIR) requirement for new large retail developments to the City of Petaluma. The City Council will consider our CIR ordinance and discuss a staff report at this meeting.
The CIR is an innovative policy tool that can help policy-makers and staff to make informed decisions about proposed large commercial retail. The CIR complements the Environmental Impact Report (EIR) by considering the potential impacts of proposed large retail projects on small businesses, public health and social services, job quality, and affordable housing. Our legislation is similar to CIR requirements adopted in other California cities such as San Diego and Los Angeles, and a recent state law passed in Maine, the Informed Growth Act. A CIR will encourage more sustainable and equitable development in the City of Petaluma, and can serve as a model for other cities in the county.
Please come to the City Council meeting on Monday, June 16th to
demonstrate your support for Community Impact Reports.
For more information on the CIR proposal and to view the language proposed, please go to: www.livingwagesonoma.org
Read More...Posted on 4 May 2008, by Anna
Aerial Pesticide Spraying - LBAM
From Will Shonbrun:
PLEASE watch some of these reports about the aerial pesticide spraying that occurred in Santa Cruz and Monterey. It’s vitally important that we prevent this from happening in Sonoma County, and that a moratorium on aerial spraying to eradicate the light brown apple moth be declared until and unless it can be proven by the state that it represents an imminent threat and an emergency situation, and that the pesticide, CheckMate-LBAM, will not do harm to human health or adversely affect the environment. No long-term testing of this product has been done, and no independent, impartial and outside (of government agencies) scientific studies have been conducted by the state to prove that it is safe to humans or the environment.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YxXFZkVd0To
The Sonoma City Council will hear a resolution on this matter next week, May 7. Meetings start at 6 PM.
Posted on 4 May 2008, by Anna
Aerial Pesticide Spraying: Not Safe, Not Effective, Not Necessary
by Will Shonbrun
A resolution opposing further aerial spraying is coming before the Sonoma City Council on Wednesday, May 7. The resolution joins 21 Bay Area (and beyond) cities and counties calling for a moratorium on aerial pesticide spraying until it’s determined by outside, independent scientific studies that there is no risk to human health and adverse effects/impacts to the environment. Please read this report, which points out that aerial spraying in Santa Cruz and Monterey counties done in late 2007 resulted in 643 health complaints from residents in the area. Last week (4/24) a Santa Cruz Superior Court judge ruled that aerial spraying to control the light brown apple moth (LBAM) could not continue in Santa Cruz county because the state had not provided sufficient evidence of an emergency and must complete an environmental impact report before spraying resumes.
The moth has been found in Sonoma County and the county is now under state quarantine regulations. Among the most vulnerable to pesticides populations are young children and the elderly.
If this situation is of concern to you please come to the City Council meeting on Wednesday, May 7, and voice your concerns.
=================================
Aerial Pesticide Spraying: Not Safe, Not Effective, Not Necessary
Will Shonbrun
Does being repeatedly sprayed with a toxic pesticide over the course of the next 5-10 years appeal to you? Consider that this pesticide has not been tested for its short or long-term effects on human health or its impacts on the environment. Then note that aerial spraying already began in late ’07 in Monterey and Santa Cruz counties resulting in over 600 health complaints, as well as reports of environmental damage.
The California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) claims that it must conduct a blanket and long-term program of aerial pesticide spraying to eradicate an infestation of the light brown apple moth (LBAM) because it may pose a threat to various crops, plants and trees. It has declared a state of emergency in order to do this without environmental review or public health testing.
Read More...Posted on 1 May 2008, by Anna
This just in: Thousands of dock workers stay home, West Coast ports shut down
All 29 ports on the West Coast, including the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, have been effectively shut down this morning as thousands of dockworkers stayed home to protest the Iraq war.
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2008/05/this-just-in-th.html
Posted on 1 May 2008, by Anna
MAY DAY! MAY DAY! MAY DAY!
http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/node/33123
Clarence Thomas, National Co-Chair of the Million Worker March Movement and Executive Board member of International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) Local 10, spoke on April 24th, 2008, at the Iraq Town Hall meeting, in the Grand Lake Theater, Oakland, CA. The ILWU has committed to blocking ports on May 1st in opposition to the occupation of Iraq.
*Click on the link above for video and MORE about May Day Actions.
Posted on 1 May 2008, by Anna
May Day!
International Workers’ Day
May 1st March and Rally in Santa Rosa
The May 1st Coalition is planning a march and rally in Santa Rosa to commemorate International Workers’ Day, a sequel to the previous two year’s marches for Immigrant Rights. This years’ focus will be Solidarity with All Workers, with emphasis on the ineffectiveness of NAFTA, calling for the stopping of immigration raids, and the campaign for a County of Refuge in Sonoma County.
The May 1st event begins at 12:00 noon in Roseland, at the Old Albertson’s lot, 665 Sebastopol Road. At 1:00 pm, the march will start its way to Juilliard Park on Santa Rosa Ave, near downtown Santa Rosa (about two miles). Speakers will address the theme of the event. There will be teach-ins and activities for all ages to engage in to inspire understanding and cooperation in the community.
Teach-ins/discussions will focus on concerns of workers and the immigrant community. Topics will include, “Free Trade” agreements, like the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) made between Canada, US and Mexico, which break down barriers for products, money, and industries, making it so that the functions of the government are put into the hands of private interests. On the one hand, industries in the US are moving to places where they find cheaper labor, creating unemployment here, and at the same time, because products from the North flood the markets in the South (i.e. Latin America), people cannot compete and end up immigrating north.
Awareness about immigration: Families are being torn apart, children being detained in border detention facilities, people living in fear whenever they step out the door. How can we do better as a society and as a community? The government must respect human rights and put an end to the raids.
Read More...Posted on 30 April 2008, by Anna
Tim Carpenter on Blogtalkradio - Thursday, May 1
http://pdamerica.org/articles/news/2008-04-30-16-53-19-news.php
Join Art and Tom as they welcome David Vest, CounterPunch contributor and former associate editor of Cursor, and Tim Carpenter, the executive director of Progressive Democrats of America in a discussion of third parties vs. the Democratic Party.
Remember to tune in Thursday, May 1 at 3:30 PM EDT.
Posted on 29 April 2008, by Anna
My Conversation with Murtha's Office
Murtha, Pelosi, Hoyer, and your lawmaker need to hear from you — call them at the Capitol Switchboard, 202-225-3121.
By Marcy Winograd, President PDLA
April 29, 2008
Last Friday morning I called Congressman Murtha’s office to communicate my outrage that Murtha, Pelosi, Hoyer and the rest of the House leadership planned to push through another $170-billion dollar Iraq War supplemental, some $70 billion more than Bush requested—all with no timelines or benchmarks or any semblance of accountability or restraint.
Murtha’s aide told me the Congressman, Chair of the Defense Subcommittee, hopes to get the supplemental approved by Memorial Day—but, darn, they’re getting a ton of calls from angry people and why don’t those people hound the Republicans. My response? The last time I checked it was the Democrats who were in the majority in the House and it was the Democrats who controlled whether or not a supplemental went to the floor for a vote. I told the aide that I needed to understand Murtha’s thinking because I was confused as to why a man who has a rep for being critical of the war now wants to give Bush a green light to extend the occupation. The aide told me Bush would take the money anyway, steal it from another budget—and with this latest proposal at least congress can get some money, tucked inside the supplemental, for veterans’ health care and other worthy causes.
I said, “If Bush and Cheney steal the money because you won’t give it to them, then so be it—you call them the robber barons they are, you make it a campaign issue, you talk about our children’s healthcare being forfeited to pay for the war—you don’t roll over and become complicit, you fight back with courage and conviction.”
For more on what Murtha and the rest of them are thinking—on their plans to pass this no-strings-attached Iraq funding bill, please read the outstanding article from Truthout, followed by a press statement from Military Families Speak Out.
Read More...Posted on 28 April 2008, by Anna
PDA - April Conference Call - Elections IOT
Clean, Fair, Transparent, & Accurate Elections Conference Call
Tuesday, April 29:
6:00 PM PST
Conference Call #: (712) 775-7100 Code: 936487#
Contact: diane@pdamerica.org / 301-209-1899 ×101 / (845) 661-3754
Focus on our house party initiative in collaboration with producers of dynamic new documentary, UNCOUNTED! State initiatives and pro-active strategies in anticipation of 2008 electoral challenges and shenanigans!
Get Involved! You are welcome to join this PDA Issue Organizing Team (IOT) call!
Posted on 25 April 2008, by Anna
BBV report: FINALLY: Someone is telling the U.S. Gov't where to put its e-voting
Black Box Voting was invited to submit comments into the record for the United States Election Assistance Commission’s Round Table, which featured and agenda entirely devoted to a what is basically a celebration of computerized vote-counting. We took this opportunity to tell it like it is.
Discuss this here: http://www.bbvforums.org/forums/messages/1954/73717.html
To our great surprise and joy, so did others, including Dr. Rebecca Mercuri and Brad Friedman. Portions of some of their testimony will follow. Here are the formal comments from Black Box Voting:
EAC VOTING ADVOCATES ROUND TABLE: April 24, 2008
I have accepted your invitation to submit the following comments to be entered into the record on behalf of Black Box Voting, by its founder, Bev Harris.
To members of the EAC and participants of the Round Table:
The entire premise of technology-based elections is based on support for the “verifiable voting” concept. But before designing technology for elections, we must first determine how it will empower citizen controls, enabling the counting of votes in public rather than counting them in secret. We do not consent to any form of secret vote counting, administered and controlled by government insiders and their vendors.
Any system that forces the citizenry to trust government insiders to count their votes represents a change in the original design of this nation. The United States of America was designed to uphold the right of citizen sovereignty over the government. In addition to hiding the counting of votes from public view, computer-counted elections hide the chain of custody of the vote data. Citizens are never allowed to view the original input in order to compare it to the output, and are relegated to trusting circumstantial evidence controlled by insiders. Such a system is, in fact, a transfer of power.
Read More...Posted on 24 April 2008, by Anna
California State Senate Candidates Forum -- TONIGHT
Thurs., April 24, 6:30-9 PM College of Marin, Kentfield Campus
Olney Hall
6:30 PM: Meet the candidates up close and personal
7:00 PM: Forum Begins
FREE
Assemblyman Mark Leno, Senator Carole Migden, and Former Assemblyman Joe Nation are participating in this forum in this hotly contested race. See who will be our next State Senator! Format includes an expanded & back by popular demand candidate-to-candidate question session and more audience questions
Co-sponsors:
California Clean Money Campaign
Committee to Stop the Spray, Marin
CD6 Students for Barack Obama
Democratic Central Committee of Marin
Democracy for America, Marin
Green Coalition
Health Care for All
National Women’s Progressive Caucus
Novato Democratic Club
Progressive Democrats of Marin
Progressive Democrats Sonoma County
Progressive Perspectives
Sonoma Valley Democratic Club
Posted on 24 April 2008, by Anna
We Want Healthcare NOT Warfare NOW!
______________
______
Under threats from George Bush that he will veto any war funding legislation that contains domestic spending and potential layoffs looming within the Defense Department if the legislation is not immediately passed, Congress is now considering appropriations for the Iraq occupation.
Apparently, that’s not their only consideration. House Democratic leaders are also considering the general election. In a patently political move, leadership is considering adding an additional $70 billion to the $102 billion outstanding from Bush’s FY2008 request in order to remove the funding issue from the electoral debate.
That’s crazy-thinking. To continue the war just to end it later is not a long-term winning political strategy, nor does it address our critical needs:
- An estimated 9000 Americans have died since the beginning of the Iraq war because they lack health insurance.
- Millions are losing their homes because of our economic crisis brought on in large part by war spending.
- Roads, bridges, and schools are crumbling.
- We’re losing far more jobs than we are creating as gasoline profits and prices soar.
Withdrawing our troops and mercenaries and addressing these pressing human needs is a long-term winning electoral strategy. The American people want our military involvement in Iraq to end and our resources directed to meeting our needs at home.
It is crazy-thinking to give this irresponsible and dangerous administration a blank check worth $70 billion to spend without a clear plan for a swift, safe, and orderly withdrawal of the military, accompanied by an economic recovery plan that works for all of us.
Take Action Today! Please call Speaker Pelosi at (202) 225-2847 and Rep. John Murtha, Chairman of the House Appropriations Defense Subcommittee at (202) 225-4965. Tell them:
Read More...Posted on 24 April 2008, by Anna
Reminder: Town Hall Forum, Oakland
CodePink presents:
Are Peace & Impeachment Possible?
TOWN HALL FORUM: End the war, prevent a war on Iran,
save our Constitution and the economy
Rare West Coast Appearance – Famed Activist
David Swanson afterdowningstreet.org
With Daniel Ellsberg; Medea Benjamin, CodePink, Cindy Sheehan, Candidate for Pelosi’s Seat; Elizabeth de la Vega, former U.S. Prosecutor, “US v. George W. Bush”; Norman Solomon, “War Made Easy”; Debra Sweet, World Can’t Wait-Drive Out the Bush Regime; Shirley Golub, Candidate for Pelosi’s seat in June Primary; Phil Burk, Impeachment Expert; Max Anderson, Berkeley City Council
Invited: Bay Area Congress members who support Cheney’s impeachment— Barbara Lee, Pete Stark, and Lynne Woolsey.
And those who don’t: Nancy Pelosi, Zoe Lofgren, George Miller, Jackie Speier, Mike Honda, Anna Eshoo, Jay McNerney, Ellen Tauscher
Panel Discussion, Film, Music, Hip Hop MC Shahid Buttar, Wil b, Prizes! Impeachment Heroes Honored! Arrival of Impeachment Torch !!
Thursday, April 24, 7-9pm
GRAND LAKE THEATER
3200 Grand Ave., Oakland
$10; $8 advance brownpapertickets.com/event/33722, Cody’s, Black Oak, Pendragon; reservations: cp4impeachment@yahoo.com
$5 students, unemployed, retired
Endorsers: CodePink, Progressive Democrats of America, Gold Star Families for Peace, Veterans for Peace, Hip Hop Caucus, The Nation, TrueMajority, Global Exchange, World Can’t Wait- Drive Out the Bush Regime, Silicon Valley Impeachment Coalition, East Bay Impeach Bush-Cheney, Beach Impeach/Brad Newsham, Northern California 9/11 Truth Alliance
Read More...
Visit our Notebook for previous articles.
