Progressive Democrat Issue 72: THOUGHTS

Francine Busby won, but faces a runoff. Many had hoped she would push above the 50% mark and win outright. Would have been great, but it was highly unlikely. San Diego has open elections and this tends to mean that a Democrat wins the first round against a field of Republicans, but then loses the runoff. That is what happened for San Diego mayor. So, please help win the runoff and thus win the first Congressional race of the year:

Contribute through Democracy for America.

And volunteer (you can even make phone calls if you live outside the district).


There is a great deal of other news…but I have been busy with work, childcare and a local Brooklyn political brouhaha so I haven’t been keeping as much as I should. And today’s weather is great, so I will spend less time on the newsletter and more enjoying the weather.

Progressive Democrat Issue 72: ENVIRONMENTAL ACTION: Prevent a step backwards on alternative energy

Even someone as ignorant and blind as George Bush has admitted that we are addicted to oil and our very survival depends on finding alternatives. I wrote a rather strongly worded article on the subject of global warming and alternative energy in an earlier issue.

But far from giving America the leadership we need to create the alternatives with all the jobs and local economic benefits it would entail, our Federal government remains locked in old thinking, and are even ready to stifle some of our best alternative energy projects.

From the Union of Concerned Scientists:

Attempt to Kill Cape Cod Wind Project Could Have Major Implications for Nation's Clean Energy Future

The Cape Wind project—a 130-turbine wind farm proposed for federal waters in Nantucket Sound—is under attack. If built, this source of clean, renewable energy would be the first of its kind in the United States. However, a last-minute provision inserted in the Coast Guard bill may put an end to this critical project. Cape Wind has already undergone five years of exhaustive reviews and has passed regulatory muster by state, regional, and federal authorities.

America needs clean energy sources that do not deplete our natural resources or destroy our environment. Please urge your senators and representative to oppose provisions in the Coast Guard bill that would stifle much needed development of clean, renewable offshore wind power.

Take action here.


I also want to reiterate that thanks to deregulation of the energy industry across the nation, in many areas YOU have alternative energy options for your home’s energy needs. You can opt for companies that generate energy by renewable means. With oil prices so high, these alternative options are not necessarily even more expensive. Anecdotally, some people have told me that their energy bills went DOWN when they switched.

For many states, you can find out more here.

For the NYC area, you can enroll here.

We all can take some responsibility for changing how America generates energy.

Progressive Democrat Issue 72: APRIL 29TH NATIONAL DNC ORGANIZING

As of today there are about 880 DNC outreach events organized by people like you and I for April 29th. That’s pretty good! Joy and I have 20 people signed up to help so far. Hopefully we can do a lot of outreach with a crew that size. This is our chance to form a connection between the Democratic Party and our neighborhoods. This is the epitome of Howard Dean's assurance that WE have the power. We have the power to connect with our neighborhoods and help define the political debate nationwide. Please, sign up for an event in your neighborhood.

If there are none near you, you can set one up yourself with little effort by going here.

Progressive Democrat Issue 72: IMMIGRANT RIGHTS: the women’s rights angle

Immigrant Rights vs. Border Security: it’s the new wedge issue. I have been hearing a great deal from both sides. Living in NYC I am surrounded by immigrants, and it gives us a rich, multinational, multi-cuisine, multi-lingual, etc. environment here. But the issue involves many angles: jobs, border security, human rights, ample labor for agriculture and construction, etc. I think this is an issue that will never go away and has been an issue for almost all empires throughout history. I think America won’t like the results if we ever do manage to keep out all immigrants. But here is an angle that few people have covered: the fact that when we talk of migrant workers, the majority of the people we are talking about are women whose main interest is supporting their families.

This comes from the Global Fund for Women:

Warm greetings from the Global Fund for Women! A debate has been raging about how the United States should respond to the large number of undocumented workers who come here in search of a more secure economic future. Absent from this discussion is the fact that women make up the vast majority (at least 70%) of migrant workers around the world.

It is women who bear the brunt of rising poverty and unemployment, and declining welfare services in their own countries. It is also women who are responsible for the wellbeing of their families. Each year, the increasing pressure of globalization forces thousands of women to make the extremely difficult choice to leave their children, communities and homelands behind as they seek wages that can sustain their families. We cannot hope to develop effective immigration policies if we fail to acknowledge that in most developing countries, women are unable to provide even the basic necessities of food, shelter, and education for their children.

The Global Fund for Women believes that migrant workers everywhere deserve the right to live free from fear and intimidation in their quest for economic justice, safety and dignity. We urge the international community to ensure the protection of migrant rights as we develop more equitable policies that can provide women and their families with greater security at home and in their host nations.

In solidarity,

Kavita N. Ramdas
President & CEO

The Global Fund for Women is one of the best groups out there working for women’s rights and women’s economic independence around the world. Here is a suggestion from Global Fund for Women that might interest some:

Fact: Every year of a mother's education corresponds to 5 to 10% lower mortality rates in children under the age of five. (UNFPA)

Take action! Honor the women in your life by hosting a house party or making a donation in celebration of Mother's Day (May 14). Build awareness about women's rights, raise money and make a difference for mothers and their children around the world.

With your support, the Global Fund is able to fund the initiatives of women's groups working to improve the lives of mothers, their families and their communities.

Donate in honor of your mother.

Host a Mother’s Day Party for Global Fund for Women.

Progressive Democrat Issue 72: INTERNATIONAL FOCUS

I will include every week an update on KIVA’s loan needs. Currently, there are about 4 loans to businesses in Cambodia that need filling. This is a new nation for KIVA to be involved in, so it is further expansion of this excellent model for grassroots international development. Remember, these are loans, so you will get the money back eventually. And you can start by loaning as little as $25. I keep getting updates on the loans I have made and I am amazed at how much a small loan can matter to these small businesses.

To loan, please go here.

But everyone knows that I think the KIVA effort will not work in isolation. We need to combine these wonderful and very effective loans with other actions that help preserve the environments within which these communities exist. One thing that really stuck with me after reading Jared Diamond’s collapse is that every society requires a healthy environment to exist within. Without a healthy environment, the society remains unstable economically. So, to help balance the KIVA loan and provide a strong environment, I urge people to donate to the Wildlife Conservation Society’s Cambodia program.

Supporting environmental health throughout the world helps our well being as well. So please loan through KIVA and donate to support the environments that surround and protect KIVA businesses.

Progressive Democrat Issue 72: NATIONAL ACTION: From the South Dakota Campaign for Healthy Families:

Almost immediately after Bush’s two Supreme Court nominees were approved, the final assault on a woman’s right to choice began. And South Dakota was where the right wing chose to start, though many other states are poised to follow. South Dakota is the front line in the battle for women’s rights right now. This is something that needs to be a major focus of our attention.

On March 6 of this year, South Dakota Governor Mike Rounds signed into law the most restrictive abortion ban in the nation – a total ban on abortions. Women will no longer be in control of their reproductive choices. The law is so extreme that even women who are victims of rape and incest will have no options available to them. Women whose health is in danger will no longer be able to make their own health care decisions. Doctors will go to jail. And South Dakota will spend millions in court battles for years to come.
The new South Dakota law is scheduled to take effect on July 1, 2006 unless nearly 17,000 signatures are gathered to refer it to the November ballot when voters would decide its’ fate.
As a result of the passage of this extreme new law, a coalition of leaders has formed the South Dakota Campaign for Healthy Families to refer it to voters in November and to campaign for the repeal of the abortion ban. A petition drive to refer the law began on March 24.
The Healthy Families Campaign is the umbrella group for the campaign. It is co-chaired by 16 prominent South Dakota leaders from all corners of the state, from both political parties, young and old, ministers, doctors, nurses, the leader of the largest Native American tribe and two students. Many groups have endorsed this effort and are working with the Healthy Families Campaign. They include Planned Parenthood, NARAL Pro-Choice America, Focus South Dakota, Democracy in Action, The Mainstream Coalition, the ACLU, Grassroots South Dakota, South Dakota Advocacy Network for Women, the National Women’s Political Caucus, Native American Women Health & Education Resource Center, Pastors for Moral Choices, Republican Majority for Choice and many other groups and individuals.
The South Dakota Campaign for Healthy Families is organized as a South Dakota Ballot Committee and is registered with the South Dakota Secretary of State and the IRS. The Ballot Committee can accept unlimited contributions from individuals, foundations, corporations or any source. Contributions are reported to the Secretary of State and the IRS.

Those of us who live in the rest of the US can help in the following ways:

What Can You Do? – Adopt our Cause: Create awareness and activism all over the country.

Step 1: Email everyone in your contact list.
· Direct them to our website, www.sdhealthyfamiles.org.
· Tell them about the extreme nature of the South Dakota law and how it will hurt women and tear apart families.
· Ask them to contact any friends or family members in South Dakota and express concerns about this law and to vote to repeal it in November.
· Ask them to make a small donation on the website.
· Ask them to contact everyone in their contact list to help raise awareness.

Step 2: Host a House Party to Benefit South Dakota Campaign for Healthy Families
· Invite your friends to attend a small house party to raise awareness, create activism and raise small contributions for the South Dakota effort. Small donations of $10 – or whatever size donation – are very helpful. This will be a very expensive campaign where we need to match/exceed our opposition who we expect to spend upwards of $10 million to keep their extreme law on the books.
· Let’s have house parties in every state, in big cities and small towns and build a list of national activists committed to taking back our country from the zealots on the far right.
· At the party, have our website live on your home computer and ask each person to sign up to support our campaign. They can contribute on-line or send us a check.

Step 3: Organize a Rally – Not a Boycott!
· Organize a rally in your community to show support for the women and families in South Dakota and to raise awareness and create activism locally. Work with other pro-choice activists in your area to build a crowd. Notify the press to get them to promote your rally in advance. Have a sign-making party to have lots of homemade signs with messages in support of the women and families of South Dakota. Invite prominent speakers who will help deliver our message in a clear, concise and responsible way.

· Don’t boycott South Dakota. Boycotts will only send a negative message to the people of South Dakota and allow our opponents to use it against us.

Step 4: Organize a Small Fundraising Drive
· Get 10 friends to make contributions by check or on our website.
· Ask to have an announcement made at pro-choice or other progressive gatherings and pass the hat to collect contributions.
· Get an important leader in your community to ask their contacts to give to our effort.
· Organize a bake sale.

I don’t necessarily agree with their dismissal of a boycott…but, I also feel that this battle will be won from WITHIN South Dakota, though with help from us.