Pittsburgh this Saturday morning, along with Congressman John Conyers, Mary Nichols-Rhodes, PDA Ohio CD Organizer, member of SPAN Ohio State Council (Single Payer Action Network Ohio), and LPN, Pennsylvania State Senator Jim Ferlo, Western PA Coalition for Healthcare, and Donna Smith of the California Nurses Association and Co-Chair of Progressive Democrats of America Health Care Committee.
(For the record, Single Payer Action Network (SPAN Ohio) and Healthcare for All Pennsylvania, are both non-partisan organizations. They will be promoting the same amendment language in the run-up to the Republican National Convention in the Twin Cities. Both organizations know solving the health care crisis is a non-partisan issue since illness knows no party lines.)
The pro-Single Payer, national-state coalition press conference, cited above, will be held at the David Lawrence Convention Center, 1000 Fort Duquesne Blvd., downtown Pittsburgh, Saturday, August 9th at 10 am in Room 307, off the Main Ballroom, where the Platform meeting of the DNC congregates for a final meeting prior to the Democratic Party convention in Denver (August 24-28). Congressman John Conyers (HR 676, Chair of House Judiciary Cmte.), Senator Jim Ferlo (PA-SB 300), Donna Smith (California Nurses Assn, "SiCKO"), Dr. Scott Tyson (PUSH co-chair, HC4APA), HC4APA Executive Director Chuck Pennachio, PDA Organzier and LPN Mary Nichols-Rhodes, Western PA Coalition members, and labor, business, healthcare-provider representatives will address the economic, moral, and democratic underpinnings of the Single-Payer Solution -- "Guaranteed Healthcare for All" -- at the last Democratic Platform Committee meeting before the national Party convention in Denver.
As such, we are jointly advancing the following statement:
* Guarantee accessible health care for all.
* Create a single standard of high quality, comprehensive, and preventive
health care for all.
* Allow freedom of choice of physician, hospital, and other health care providers.
* Eliminate financial barriers that prevent families and individuals from
obtaining the medically necessary care they need.
* Allow physicians, nurses and other licensed health care providers to make
health care decisions based on what is best for the health of the patient.
The first 2008 Democratic National Convention delegate to become a signer of
this statement was Rep. John Conyers. 288 additional delegates have signed on as
of 5 p.m. this afternoon August 7th. We encourage all to call or write their delegates to the convention to ask them to also sign the statement. For more information on those working for “real” health care reform, see:http://pdamerica.org/leadership www.pdamerica.org
Questions? Call Ohio PDA State Coordinator Michael Carano at 330-715-2066 for more information.
Source:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=389&topic_id=3735725&mesg_id=3737989
Show Me, Missouri: Voter Arrested for Upholding the Law
"Look, you are breaking their rules. If you don't get out of here, we are going to arrest you!"
The question I had in response was, "Their rules? What rules? Those are employees of the Election Board, they are under the mandate of the Election Board, and then the SoS. Aren't you more concerned about the breaking of state laws?" As it turns out, apparently they were not. Read More »
The Community Financial Services Association's campaign to overturn House Bill 545 went live with a new website yesterday. Their website, Ohioans4financialfreedom, displays how out of touch they are with real Ohioans.
First, they say: "Protect 6,000 good-paying jobs that could be lost."
This is not accurate. House Bill 545 says absolutely nothing about closing any businesses or preventing the dispersion of payday loans. House Bill 545 simply caps interest rates and fees at 28% APR, protecting Ohio's consumers from predatory 391% APR interest. Payday lending stores have already started applying for licenses to continue operating under the new law from the Ohio Department of Commerce. If any stores close, it's because they choose to, not because they have to.
Second, they say: "Protect your financial freedom and private financial choices."
Payday lenders target low-income neighborhoods where it is easier for them to encourage people to walk through the door. Neon signs with "Get cash in minutes!" and "Easy cash quick," etc. Once a borrower is trapped in a cycle of payday loans, it becomes necessary for the consumer to keep taking out loans. This is not a choice! Usurious payday loans at 391% are bad for Ohioans and bad for the Ohio economy. Usury is not freedom!
Third, they say: "Protect your right to privacy about your personal finances."
This is a nice catch phrase that appeals to just about everyone! House Bill 545 includes a provision calling for the creation of a database that will let lenders know how many loans a person has taken out at a given time. This allows lenders to lend according to borrowers ability to repay - something neither predatory mortgage lenders nor payday lenders seem to care about.
And finally, once again, the industry uses their lame argument for why their referendum should be on the ballot: "Ohioans have a right to repeal bad laws."
Well, it bears repeating that House Bill 545 is one of the best consumer protection laws in the country and will help hundreds of thousands of Ohioans escape the debt trap. Ohioans do have a right to overturn bad laws, but this referendum effort is not being mounted by Ohioans, but by industry lobbyists and attorneys flown in on their corporate jets. Where are the citizens working on this referendum? Where are the consumers calling for 391% interest? They are nowhere to be found. Instead, the industry lobby CFSA is the sole donor to the effort to repeal House Bill 545. This is right in line with what they are doing in other states like Arizona where they've spent $8.7 million to overturn a consumer law and in Virginia where they succeeded in buying higher interest rates for a low, low price of $20 million.
The Ohio government should be PROTECTING consumers from predatory business practices that rely on borrowers getting trapped in a cycle of debt! Payday lending is bad for Ohio!
Jennifer Brunner has performed a really fine public service in plain sight - PLEASE read this carefully and consider distributing this to as many people as possible that need voter advocacy help:
http://www.sos.state.oh.us/SOS/publications/electVoterPubs/bringid/order_bringIDcards.aspx
Phone: (614)-466-3613
Toll Free: (877)-767-6446
Order Now: Bring ID Cards
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Note: Please use a street address instead of a P.O. Box in case your order is too large for regular mail.
If you are requesting a quantity greater than 50, please call our publication request line (614-466-3613) to make special arrangements. Thank you.
When he died, Entertainment Weekly called him the Berry Gordy of Columbus. It was August 2, 2005 when Columbus lost a hero. Bill Moss made his reputation in radio as the "Boss with the Red Hot Sauce." But he was much more than that: a loving husband and father, good friend, public servant, and Soldier of the Year. He was a man of the highest integrity whose principles couldn't be bought for thirty pieces of silver, who heard the voice of the Lord say unto him "Whom shall I send? Who will go for us?" and Bill answered, "Here am I, send me."
Moss, the Chief Plaintiff in the Moss v. Bush lawsuit that challenged the results of the 2004 election, spoke these words before agreeing to sue the President of the United States: "The only way an investigation is going to happen is if we the people take the responsibility." He felt the theft of the 2004 Ohio presidential election was deliberate. He believed that the American people had "rolled over" too easy after 2000 Florida debacle. After Bill and his wife Ruth witnessed the hours-long lines at the Franklin Middle School polling site, and noting that it had never taken them over 20 to minutes in the past, they decided that they would lead the charge to expose the corruption and reveal the crimes behind it.
It's hard to forget how deeply he cared and how hard he fought, and how lucky we were to have worked by his side. He kept the faith and so shall we. We vow to protect the 2008 election in his name.
During my years working for a major aerospace company, it was common for managers to drop off donation cards. The expectation was that employees would gladly pony up to the company's political action committee. Not donating could mean finding your name on the next list of lay-offs. No one ever came to me directly and said the words "donate or else" but the message was crystal clear.
Forcing employees to make a choice that may run counter to their ethics or economic benefit is a power that employers have used with relative impunity. Allegations of pressure by employers are hard - if not impossible- to prove. Workers feel powerless, especially in this time of economic uncertainty.
In the latest attempt at corporate coercion, Wal Mart is herding managers and supervisors into mandatory meetings. According to a Wall Street Journal report, the message at these meetings is clear - vote for Democrats in November and unionization is sure to follow.
The company claims that the meetings are not an attempt to sway the how managers vote. Some managers and supervisors are not buying that line. In the WSJ report, one Wal-Mart customer-service supervisor from Missouri knew better, saying "I am not a stupid person. They were telling me how to vote".
Let's hope that other Wal Mart managers - and workers in similar situations - see these tactics for what they are - intimidation on a grand scale.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB121755649066303381.html?mod=hpp_us_whats_news
Copyright 2008 Michael O'Brien All rights Reserved
Here is what Northern Ohio Live wrote about the book in their July Issue:
Advance Praise of "Please God Save Us" from the July 2008 of Northern Ohio Live Taken from Northern Ohio Live July 2008 Page 20
"Political Prose and Pics"
Bored with your summer reading list already? Derek Hess and Kent Smith can fix that. Their first book, Please God Save Us debuts July 4. The arguments begin shortly thereafter.
Hess, a Cleveland-based internationally known artist, contributes over 50 full color pieces of art in this magazine-sized soft-cover book. Smith, a Euclid School Board Member and former Free Times writer, provides written justification for Hess' angry images. (You may also remember Smith as the infamous doorman at Brillo Pad and Touch.)
Hess' well-known style remains; his works are oversized, angry, spiritual, funny and emotive. But the subject mater is not abstract; it is subjective and fresh from the evening news. The villain of the book is the menacing red elephant which seems to be killing soldiers and polar bears while polluting the sky.
Hess and Smith take on all the controversial topics including the Christian Right, the Iraq war, global warming, the oil industry, stem cell research, evolution, the media, rock and roll, and censorship. It's a safe bet that this is one way, George W. Bush does not want you to spend your economic stimulus check.
For information about the book please check out www.strhesspress.com
July 28,2008
Last week the Ella Baker Center of Oakland, California announced a major report.
After more than a year of anticipation, the Oakland Green Jobs Corps has cleared the last hurdle to begin operations this September.
On Tuesday, July 22, the City of Oakland green lighted $250,000 for an exciting partnership that unites some of the best education and training programs in Oakland. This partnership includes:
· Laney College -- one of the region's premier community colleges, providing green vocational education
· Cypress Mandela Construction Training Program -- a renowned pre-apprenticeship program that serves young adults with barriers to employment, and that has strong connections to the building trades unions
· Growth Sector -- a workforce intermediary that connects employers, government and community agencies
This is a powerful partnership that will provide disadvantaged Oakland residents with world-class training and education, and then connect them to quality jobs with solar companies and green construction contractors.
BACKGROUND
In June 2007, the Oakland Apollo Alliance, co-convened by our Green-Collar Jobs Campaign, convinced City Council to provide $250,000 in seed funding for the Oakland Green Jobs Corps. A model for the training program, based upon best practices in workforce development and the research of professor Raquel Pinderhughes at San Francisco State University.
The city held a competitive "Request for Proposals (RFP)" process to identify the most qualified partnership to run the program and carry out the model. Mayor Dellums appointed an expert and neutral RFP Selection Committee to review applications and pick a winner.
This lengthy and careful process is finally complete!
A BIT MORE ON THE PROGRAM
40 low-income Oakland residents will participate in an 8-month program that includes construction training; life skills; academic, environmental, and financial literacy; solar panel installation; energy efficiency; and 3 months on the job with green employers. After graduation, participants will be connected to opportunities in the solar industry and construction trades.
While Oakland officials understand Green Job Corps are the way of the future, we sit around the Mahoning Valley building "alternative" schools that are merely one step away from sending inner city youth to jail.
It's time we invest in Green Job Corp programs for our poor, working, and middle class.
As Write-In Green Party Candidate for Congress, This is my Goal!
Dennis Spisak
Campaign Site: Http://votespisak.opg/electspisak.tripod.com
Check out the Green For All Job Corp Program on our web site under programs and links
Another Waste-to Ethanol Plant going up, But not in Ohio
July 25, 2008
Reno, Nevada is the latest American city in the process of building a waste-to ethanol plant. The plant will be built by Fulcrum BioEnergy and is expected to begin operating in 2010.
Taking municipal sold waste and converting it to ethanol, the Sierra BioFuels plant will produce approximately 10.5 million gallons of biofuel per year, from 90,000 tons of material that otherwise would have been disposed of in landfills. The plant, located ten miles east of Reno, will cost $120 million to build, with construction starting later this year.
Touting the project, Fulcrum President and CEO E. James Macias said,
Converting garbage waste into a clean, renewable fuel for cars has profound social and environmental benefits. It will help mitigate our dependence on imported oil, lower the price of gasoline, reduce the amount of waste landfilled, lower greenhouse gases and create a new industry of jobs and economic growth. Unlike conventional ethanol technology, which uses corn and other agricultural feedstock, our plant will utilize processed municipal solid waste that will not affect the cost or availability of our nation's food supply.
As the Independent Green Party Write-In Candidate for Congress for Ohio's 6th District, I again ask Incumbent Congressman Charlie Wilson and myself why is this type of technology being built in the closed up factories along the Ohio River Valley?
When will Ohio join the 21st Century when it comes to Renewable Energy Sources and new blue-collar jobs for our valley's poor, working, and middle class?
Dennis Spisak- Campaign site: Http://votespisak.org/electspisak.tripod.com
Visit our links page to progressive Green Jobs Programs for the Ohio Valley
MomsRising.org concludes women -- especially moms and minorities -- are disproportionately underpaid:
Earlier this week the headline on the front page of the New York Times declared, "Women Are Now Equal as Victims of Poor Economy." "Equal"? Really?
While it's true that both men and women are suffering in this economic downturn, women still bear the lion's share of the burden. Women in the U.S. are still paid only 77 cents for every dollar earned by men -- mothers only 73 cents, and single mothers about 60 cents.
For women of color, the numbers are even worse -- African-American women earn 63 cents and Latina women earn 52 cents for every dollar paid to white men. With numbers like these, it's easy to see why protection from wage and other job discrimination is a critical component of economic security for women and families, especially in times of economic downturn.
Tell your Senators to support the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act now! http://www.momsrising.org/FairPay_Yes
This Act, which provides job discrimination protections, has already passed the U.S. House, nearly passed the U.S. Senate--but is currently stalled. Your voice is needed to get the bill moving forward again and to remind the Senate that the women of America are waiting for their vote on the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, and that this is the only bill that would fully restore women's civil rights.
Forward this email to your friends and family so they can contact their U.S. Senators too. The more people the Senators hear from, the more likely they are to pass this bill in the Senate.
More About the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act: Lilly Ledbetter, a manager at Goodyear Tires, endured pay discrimination (and thus the loss of significant wages) during her 19 years of employment--just for being a woman. She won a substantial settlement in a lower court and then the the Supreme Court ruled against Ledbetter, saying that pay discrimination claims must be made within 180 days after the pay is initially set. This effectively guts the ability to hold employers accountable when they pay women less than men--even if the discrimination continues for years.
Most people don't know how much their coworkers make, and so would have no way of discovering pay discrimination in time to meet this new requirement. The Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act would fix this Supreme Court decision and restore the right of women and minorities to recover lost wages due to discrimination, as originally protected by the Civil Rights Act.
Introduction by Michael Carano
It seems that our drive for single-payer is being diffused by those pushing to get voters out for the Democratic candidate, Obama. Now electing Obama is a good thing, so don’t get me wrong, but my fear is that the Dems will be using the health care card in 2008 as they did the Irag Occupation card in 2006 in order to get votes.
In the process, as you will see by the two articles I post, one from a Labor Party writer whom I know and respect, and the other from a woman in Florida who has insight into what is going on and how it will confuse voters about what is the best solution for real health care reform (single-payer, specifically Rep, John Conyers H.R. 676) and the fuzzy incremental approaches as put forth by Obama and the new coalition mentioned in the articles.
Let us not be confused as to what the new coalition is proposing, and let us be clear as to why we support single-payer over these wishy-washy plans proposed under the guise of “Universal Health Care” and their real shortcomings, they being bandaids to the real problem that a true universal, single-payer health care plan will cure.
Read More »
Congresswomen Betty Sutton of Ohio's 13th Congressional District joined several other Representatives and a Senator from across the nation in introducing legislation that would compensate troops and military families who have been exploited by the Pentagon's shameful practice of Stop Loss or commonly known as The Backdoor Draft.
Our military family is asking that readers on several Veterans and Military Family blogs and forums PLEASE contact your state Representatives and Senators in Congress to get behind and co-sponsor the Stop-Loss Compensation Act in the Senate and House (S. 3060 and H.R. 6205).
You will find our "Write Officials" link on the right hand side of the ProgressOhio Website, and to add extra bite we ask you to please also select "Write Your Paper" to do a brief Letter to the Editor decrying this abusive practice and asking voters to speak out.
This is not about being pro or anti-war, it is about QUESTIONING practices that harm our troops, hurt military readiness, negatively impact military recruitment, and could eventually lead our government to 'no choice' but conscription - THE DRAFT.
Bobby Hanafin
Major, U.S. Air Force-Retired
The Mustang Major
Military Families Speak Out - OHIO
Read More »July 19, 2008
washingtonpost.com -- The national youth jobless rate for June was at its highest in six decades, with 37 percent of teenagers ages 16 to 19 employed, compared with 51 percent in June 2000, according to Northeastern University's Center for Labor Market Studies. In the past, teenagers benefited from upturns in the labor market. Since 2000, teenagers have not benefited, according to the study's analysis of 60 years' worth of data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. That is because teenagers are now competing with older adults going back to work, adults working second jobs to make ends meet, illegal immigrants and young adults who cannot find work in line with their college degrees and are taking entry-level retail or manual-labor jobs instead.
As the Green Party Write-in Candidate for Congress- We need to bring Renewable Energy Jobs to the Ohio River VAlley in order to to put older adults into more blue-collar jobs building renewable enrgy manufacturing parts. I will be that Candidate to go to Washington to help bring federal assistance to bring such programs to our adult workers and reopen up traditional youth job makets to our young people.
Write-In Dennis Spisak for Congress-Ohio's 6th District
campaign site: http"//www.votespisak.org/electspisak.tripod.com
I, Dennis Spisak, approved of this posting.
This sounds like a dream, doesn't it? Well, it's not. We have a unique opportunity right now to send Karl Rove to jail, but only if we take immediate action.
All we have to do is pressure the 40 members of the House Judiciary Committee, make them hold Rove in contempt and send him to jail. We've never had such a direct opportunity to hold Rove accountable. No, this is not enough punishment for his years and years of crimes, but it's a huge start, and will send a very clear message to the entire Bush administration.
We put together this video to explain the issues surrounding Rove's failure to testify before Congress, and why Rove should be held in contempt and sent to jail. Check out Send Karl Rove to Jail, and sign our petition to ensure that the HJC holds Rove in contempt.
Watch the video and sign the petition.
Today at 1pm ET / 10am PT, the first episode of Meet the Bloggers will air live, and Karl Rove will be the big topic of discussion with bloggers Marcy Wheeler, Liliana Segura, Baratunde Thurston, and special guest Arianna Huffington. The video will be featured on the show, so sign the petition, forward it to friends, digg it and go to meetthebloggers.org to send in your own thoughts, and join the discussion at 1pm ET.
If you can't watch live, you can always see what was discussed on the show anytime you want at meetthebloggers.org.
Yours,Robert Greenwald
July 14, 2008
Lisbon, Ohio- Ohio Green Party Member Dennis Spisak filed as as write-in candidate for Congress today at the Columbiana County Board of Elections. Spisak will run as a write-in candidate for Ohio's 6th Congressional District.
" I am running for Congress because I believe we must send a Progressive Liberal to Congress since we already have two conservative candidates in the race, Democratic Incumbent Charlie Wilson and Republican Rich Stobbs. It's time we give the voters of the 6th district a choice between conservative values which have failed this country over the past eight years and Progressive Liberal Values that will bring back Renewable Energy Jobs to the Ohio River Valley, Single-Payer Health Care for All, and clean and fair elections back to Ohio, " said Spisak.
" I am running for Congress because we must send a representative to Washington who will address the issues facing regular citizens, not Lobbyists and Corportation PACS. My campaign will focus on economic justice and nothing less than a renewal of America's sense of community and promise of equal opportunities for the poor, working, and middle class."
Spisak was one of the first Green Party Candidates to be elected in Ohio back in 2005 when he was elected to the Board of Education for the Struthers City Schools system. As a Board Member, he was able to help take the district out of state fiscal control and debt and return the system to financial health in 2 years with the help of his fellow board members.
Dennis Spisak's Platform:
LIVING WAGE JOBS: Organize opposition to NAFTRA trade policy. Protect our workers and unions.
EDUCATION: Fund and protect public education. Make college and technical education affordable. Help provide support, advocacy, and support to Ohio parents and care givers of children and adults with developmental disabilities and autism.
A CLEAN ENVIRONMENT: Promote clean renewable energy and create new renewable energy manufacturers and companies up and down the Ohio River. Protect Ohio's air and water. Improve Mass Transit. With gas over 4 dollars a gallon, busses, vans, and trains are the way many people will get to work-and that number is expected to grow over 40% in the next 10 years. Dennis Spisak will work with Congress on green solutions and less costs to riders and taxpayers.
CLEAN ELECTIONS: Eliminate fraudulent computer ballot counts and use verifiable paper ballots. Assure all Ohioans have an equal opportunity to vote and run for office.
HEALTH CARE FOR ALL OHIOANS: Pass Single-Payer Health Care Acts that cover every American for any necessary procedure their doctor orders without exclusions for pre-exisiting conditions.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
For more information, contract Dennis Spisak at 330-755-0729 or 330-503-1407
I, Dennis Spisak, approve of the contents of this press release.
At the risk of confronting a self-flagellating albino hitman from Opus Dei at my front door, I've just got to say Pope Benedict XVI has been a bit disingenuous lately.
Pope in Australia will highlight climate change
DARWIN, Australia (AP) — Pope Benedict XVI began a pilgrimage in Australia Sunday, saying he wants to use his visit to raise awareness about global warming and to address the crisis of clergy sexual abuse.
Benedict's plane landed in the northern city of Darwin in the morning after a more than 20-hour flight from the Vatican. His plane was making a brief refueling stop before flying to Sydney, where he will lead celebrations at the World Youth Day festival.
Benedict, 81, will spend three days resting at a retreat in Sydney before taking part in the festival, including a vigil service with thousands of young people and an outdoor Mass....
Benedict said politicians and experts must be "capable of responding to the great ecological challenge and to be up to the task of this challenge."***
Is there any possible way to address environmental threats without also discussing human population growth?
No. As WOA! explains:
"Overpopulation is a serious problem getting worse every year: if we continue at the current rate, population will double to over 11 billion by 2035. Overpopulation is the root of most, if not all, environmental and many economic issues, timber overharvesting, loss of arable land, ocean depletion, food shortages, water shortages, air pollution, water pollution, flooding, plant and animal habitat loss, global warming and immigration."
As long as the Catholic Church prohibits birth control, it can't effectively respond to "the great ecological challenge." People cause pollution, and there's no getting around that.
It's our American tradition to allow people to practice their religion freely, as long as they don't affect nonbelievers adversely. I've merely been annoyed by Jehovah's Witnesses, but Catholic policies have caused me personal tragedy.
I don't think it's out of line to criticize the pope for choosing to overlook world overpopulation and the negative effects that it certainly will have on my children and grandchildren.
And, oh yeah, don't forget to apologize to those thousands of Australians who were molested by priests, XVI. I know you've got a lot on your 81-year-old celibate mind.
Central Presbyterian Church, Denver, COThe DNC Convention in Denver, taking place August 25-28 at the Pepsi Center, will be accompanied by a large progressive presence, and PDA will be in the center of the activities. The PDA national team and PDA CO, led by Evi Klett and Elise Hudson, have been meeting for the past six weeks to finalize our plans.
The center of our activities is located in the heart of Denver at the Central Presbyterian Church, 1660 Sherman St., Denver, CO 80203. The Nation Magazine will share this facility with us. It is a beautiful venue and a fitting location as this ministry has a long record of helping the under-privileged and under-served members of the Denver community.
During the convention we hope to create a progressive oasis where like-minded individuals can meet to network, share ideas, learn from the country’s foremost progressives, and help build the progressive movement. Four full days of volunteer opportunities and panel discussions have been planned.
The week starts off with a PDA “Progressive Welcome to Denver” event on the evening of Sunday August 24, hosted by Mimi Kennedy, author, actress, and PDA Advisory Board Chair. The welcome event features PDA advisory board member Rep. Barbara Lee (CA); Katrina Vanden Heuvel, editor of The Nation; Tom Hayden, author, activist and PDA Advisory Board member; and Jim Zogby, Arab American Institute founder and President and DNC member. Suggested donation is fifteen dollars.
From Monday August 25 through Thursday August 28, Progressive Central will be a hive of activity. The volunteer center will open at 7 a.m., and from there, PDA will dispatch our non-violent army of volunteers to the Denver-area hotels where the DNC delegates are housed. As the delegates go to breakfast, volunteers will distribute flyers with a detailed list of our activities and other items of interest. Volunteers will receive a Healthcare NOT Warfare t-shirt and will be served coffee and a light breakfast. We are also seeking helpers at the church. Contact DNCvolunteers@pdamerica.org to volunteer.
The doors will open to the public at 9:00 a.m. each day. They will find a host of organizations tabling inside, providing opportunities for involvement and education, opportunities for networking, and a space for impromptu meetings.
From 11:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. each day, The Nation will take the stage in the sanctuary to conduct conversations with prominent progressives on a range of topics: healthcare, AIDS, and Africa, Iraq withdrawal, immigration reform and economic justice, and restoring and maintaining our Constitutional rights. John Nichols will anchor the discussions, which are free and open to the public. His guests will include Rep. Barbara Lee, Co-chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus (CPC) and PDA Advisory Board member; Richard Kim, associate editor at The Nation; Rep. Lynn Woolsey (CA), Co-chair of the CPC and PDA Advisory Board member; Tom Hayden, PDA Advisory Board member; Rep. Jim McGovern (MA), PDA Advisory Board member, House Rules Committee; Bob Moser contributing writer to The Nation; Rep. Robert Wexler (FL), House Judiciary Committee member; and Victor Navasky, publisher emeritus of The Nation.
Read More »
"GasHole" movie at the Drexel Grandview
1247 Grandview Avenue
"INFURIATING...HARD HITTING...GAS HOLE STANDS TO RISE IN DIRECT
PROPORTION TO GAS COSTS." -- Rob Nelson, Variety
"CHILLING....I'D REQUIRE EVERY AMERICAN CITIZEN TO SEE IT." -- Joe
Williams, St. Louis Post-Dispatch
"GAS HOLE IS CLEARLY A MOVIE WHOSE TIME HAS COME." -- Duane Dudek,
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
"GasHole" narrated by Peter Gallagher coming to The Drexel Grandview
in Columbus on July17th for One Show Only!
This timely, hot-button film takes an intense look at oil prices and
the future of alternative fuels. The film has a special screening event
at The Drexel Grandview on Thursday, July 17th, at 7:30pm with a Q & A
session with the filmmakers to follow the screening. Tickets are $10.00
for general & $8.00 for Seniors/Students/Military.
To see the trailer, PR Photos, TV Appearances, Radio Interviews, etc.
visit www.gasholemovie.com
Location: Drexel Grandview, 1247 Grandview Ave.
Phone: 614) 486-6114
Website: GasHole Movie
If you thought government in the bedroom was bad, just wait until they start inspecting your toilet bowl. That could happen if right-to-life zealots in Colorado get their way. Washington Post:
LOS ANGELES -- A proposal to define a fertilized human egg as a person will land on Colorado's ballot this November, marking the first time that the question of when life begins will go before voters anywhere in the nation.
The Human Life Amendment, also known as the personhood amendment, says the words "person" or "persons" in the state constitution should "include any human being from the moment of fertilization." If voters agreed, legal experts say, it would give fertilized eggs the same legal rights and protections to which people are entitled.
The ballot initiative is funded by Colorado for Equal Rights, a grass-roots antiabortion organization. Its purpose, initiative sponsor Kristi Burton said, is to lay a legal and legislative basis for protecting the unborn. Its passage would also open the door to modifying other laws for the same purpose, she said.
As to what laws could then be modified, Burton would not elaborate. "We try not to focus on some of the issues that will be taken care of later on," she said, repeatedly saying that the amendment is not aimed at outlawing abortion....
"If we give fertilized eggs legal rights, abortion could be considered murder and a woman could be sent to jail for making the difficult life decision to terminate a pregnancy," said Crystal Clinkenbeard, spokeswoman for Protect Families, Protect Choice, a coalition of medical professionals, community groups and religious leaders who oppose the amendment.
The measure also could expand the reach of the law into other arenas, legal experts say. For instance, if a woman miscarries, she could be held responsible if it were found she caused it, even unintentionally. If she smoked or drank while pregnant, her behavior might be considered negligence. Damaged eggs might be eligible for monetary damages. The use of fertilized eggs at fertility clinics or in medical research labs would come into question because the disposal of unused eggs could be considered homicide.***
This Colorado ballot initiative is so absurd, it's bizarre. Putting something as deeply personal as family planning in the hands of voters is just dumb. Like John McCain says, people don't like government making decisions for them. This is like Big Brother watching you, except he's a control freak and misogynist.
As many as 40% of pregnancies end in miscarriage -- natural abortions. How is the government going to sort out which miscarriages are unintentional and which are induced abortions? Body Fluid Police?
That's only the beginning of the legal morass this legislation would cause if passed. If a pregnant woman is legally two people can she vote twice? Would Angelina Jolie get to vote three times?
Get a grip, Colorado.
21 Reasons R's should shut up about abortion
Help undo the mess left by abstinence-only education
During Vietnam it was IMPOSSIBLE for Military Families to Question the War! Part One of a Two Part Op/Ed and Book Review By Robert L. Hanafin, Major, U.S. Air Force – Retired AND Willard D. Gray, First Sergeant (E-8) U.S. Army-Retired
Home Front: Families at War – a Primer for what Military Families who question, not oppose, but only question the War on Terror can expect from their community if they had done the same during Vietnam. This is a must read if you are a member of Military Families Speak Out (MFSO) or can relate to our concerns.
http://www.amazon.com/Home-Front-Vietnam-Families-War/dp/1600020194
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