Progressive Democrat Issue 99: THOUGHTS

Well, I am trying to get a more final format going here. I will be doing ongoing analasys of where my readers are, but for now the largest concentrations are New York, California (an area I never focused on before!), Virginia/DC area, and Midwest (combined Michigan, Iowa, Indiana and Wisconsin). So those are likely to be my areas of focus unless something else comes up. As will be clear below, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Missouri are areas I may try to expand my readership. Oddly, my New Jersey readership seems to have become inactive. Used to hear from them often. Not so much anymore. So I will probably not focus on New Jersey much anymore unless I start hearing from that area again. I will say, that it has been a great 2 years to focus on New Jersey!

In terms of how people come to this site, about equal numbers are subscribers, so get reminders from me, come from my diaries on Daily Kos, and come on their own via a search engine.

My coverage of local events will probably be reduced. My goal will be to have my normal national coverage, a handful of more local news/issues that will appeal to one or more of my target regions, and have more or less static "Groups and Events" sections for each area to give people a resource to find out how to get involved. When I can I will add specific updated events for each region, but it is not clear to me that too many people are using that part of the newsletter. If people send me events to post (please tell me specifically you want it in this newsletter since I also blog for other sites) I will include them. And, I will remind people, that I also will eagerly consider guest articles as often as you want to send them to me!

One suggestion I got over at We Democrats is that I should have more light hearted stuff to break up the serious stuff. I think I have only done that when I felt inspired...but as a more regular thing, I think it's a great idea. So, to start it off, how about Impeach Bush tatoos, for that REALLY dedicated Democrat you know: (thanks to Michael Boulding for this)







Please keep giving me feedback. I need to know what YOU find useful.

Finally, a word about the advertising. Some of it I include just because I want to publicize some really good organizations (like KIVA and Habitat for Humanity). Some actually pay me a little money, like the Google ads and search engine. So, don't hesitate to use the Google search bar at the top for your web searches, the Amazon link on the left side if you shop Amazon, or click on the Google Ads on the top or left side if they catch your eye, because I could use the tiny bit of extra income! It lends me just a tad extra incentive to keep doing this.


TABLE OF CONTENTS:

IT'S STILL THE ECONOMY STUPID! The Secret to Democratic Success

LOSING TO RELIGIOUS EXTREMISTS

GLOBAL WARMING AND ENERGY POLICY

VOTING REFORM

REPUBLICANS POISONING AMERICANS

UNION OF CONCERNED SCIENTISTS STATEMENT ON ENERGY POLICY

TERRORIST ATTACK IN IOWA

PROGRESSIVE GROUPS IN THE MIDWEST

PROGRESSIVE GROUPS AND EVENTS IN NYC

PROGRESSIVE GROUPS IN CALIFORNIA

PROGRESSIVE GROUPS IN VIRGINIA/DC AREA

PROGRESSIVE GROUPS IN NEW JERSEY

PREVIOUS ISSUE

Progressive Democrat Issue 99: IT'S STILL THE ECONOMY, STUPID!

It's STILL the Economy, Stupid!

That was the T-shirt I wore last week to a meeting of my local Democratic club, the Independent Neighborhood Democrats (IND). It proved to be a very appropriate shirt.

That night, IND had a guest speaker, Hank Sheinkopf, political consultant, formerly a member of President Clinton’s re-election media team, and panelist on a local TV station's roundtable discussion. Sheinkopf is the ultimate Democratic insider and he came to discuss the 2006 election victory with us.

Sheinkopf's initial message was that we did not win this year because of ourselves, but rather because the Republicans had crashed and burned. We won because the Republicans were so corrupt, had lied so much and had, in essence, lost the confidence of the voters. His warning was this: unless we return to the populist economic message that is the HEART of the Democratic Party, we will lose again.

Sheinkopf has his own agenda: he is pushing for Hillary Clinton for President. But, that and a few other disagreements aside, I agreed with him just about completely.

The core of his talk was that Democrats need to focus on just one message, and it was the message that ALWAYS works for Democrats since the 1920's: economic populism. Actually, I would use the term "progressivism" because that is how Theodore Roosevelt described it when it was Republicans who were the economic populists. But economic populism is a good term for it as well.

It's STILL the economy, stupid! That's the message.

Sheinkopf argues that it is the blue-collar vote that determines national elections. He narrowed it down to 500,000 white, male Catholics...but I suspect that you could use other groups as the key demographic as well. This group is often socially conservative, but when faced with bread and butter issues, they vote for economic populism. They will only buy into the wedge issues Republicans run on if they don't see the Democrats offering them economic populism.

Raise the minimum wage. Make education more affordable for working class Americans. Jobs. Fiscal responsibility. THOSE are the issues that Democrats MUST focus on to win. And I completely agree with Sheinkopf on this. Democrats have ALWAYS been better on economic issues, presiding over better job prospects, better stock performance and lower deficits than the Republicans. That is our strength and that is what we ignore at our peril.

The Iraq war is a major issue right now. Republican corruption is a major issue right now. But right now is not 2008. They may still be issues in 2008, but what we KNOW is that economic populism is ALWAYS a good strategy for Democrats.

Sheinkopf believes Hillary Clinton WILL be the Democratic nominee in 2008, believes that she WILL run on an economic populist message (and I bet he wants to be the one to craft that message), and believes that 2008, and most years, come down to four states: Missouri, Michigan, Ohio and Pennsylvania. He thinks Hillary has a very good shot at winning the presidency and points to her good performance in upstate as evidence since upstate has a similar demographics to the four states he considers key to a Democratic victory. He disagrees with Dean's 50-state strategy, and I think he is wrong about that. He feels the South is irrelevant to the Democrats below Missouri, and I think he is wrong about that, particularly given the strength of politicians from those states (Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton, Al Gore, John Edwards, Jim Webb, Mark Warner...). But I do think he is right that those four states are critical and that an economic populist/traditionally progressive message will play very well in those states. They have played well in Indiana and Montana recently, so let's expand that message and make it our Congressional agenda. Even if we want a 50-state rather than 4-state strategy, the same message will carry us.

Iraq
Minimum wage
Addressing income inequalities
Education

Those were the top four issues Sheinkopf advocates we focus on. I could add to that list...but it is a good starting point. And it agrees with many of the points I have made when I advocated a particular agenda for the Democratic Congress. I will expand upon my recommended agenda, inspired by Sheinkopf, in the future. For now it is simply remembering the message and starting with the four points above.

I had almost stopped wearing my "It's STILL the Economy, Stupid" t-shirt. But three things make it still relevant today. First, it is the liberal shirt I own that almost universally gets a positive reaction: a chuckle, a laugh or a shake of the head and a "you got THAT right." Second, as economists are warning of a new recession (did we ever really leave the LAST recession) as well as continuing threat of inflation, a combination we used to call "stagflation," it really IS the economy that is the #1 issue. And third, being reminded by Sheinkopf that this is the message that consistently wins elections for Democrats makes me prouder than ever of that t-shirt.

Start saying it now and keep saying it until 2008, every day: It's STILL the economy, stupid.


Click here to go back to THOUGHTS section and Table of Contents for this issue.

Progressive Democrat Issue 99: LOSING TO RELIGIOUS EXTREMISM: The Spread of the Caliphate

In Bush's "Forever War" crusade against Islam, one of the nations he has touted as a strong ally has be Bahrain, the oil-rich nation that has long balanced Shiite and Sunni Islam in relative stability. Bush's failed foreign policy has destabilized huge swaths of the Middle East, creating conditions that I have been predicting are ripe for a rising, religious extremist caliphate, a united, fundamentalist Islamic movement that will rise from the Republican failures to dominate the Middle East for decades to come.

Muslim extremists are rising in Iraq, a nation that before our invasion was predominantly secular and modern. The Taliban and al-Qaeda is resurgent in Afghanistan and Pakistan, becoming powerful enough that Republican Senate FORMER-Majority Leader Bill Frist is talking of cooperating with the Taliban to save our asses in Afghanistan. Somalia has now been taken over by a new, Somali Taliban.

Now, our ally Bahrain is slipping into the extremist camp. This, more than anything previous, is proof that we are losing badly to extremists...as our moderate Muslims world wide.

From, Salon.com:

Islamist candidates swept to victory in Bahrain's parliamentary election, splitting the vote between hardline Shiite and Sunni Muslims while female and liberal candidates fared poorly in the U.S.-allied kingdom, preliminary results showed Sunday.

With several races headed for runoffs, Saturday's vote appeared to reinforce the sectarian divide between the Persian Gulf island's governing Sunni minority and the underprivileged Shiites who make up two-thirds of its 700,000 people.

The results also underlined a deepening social and religious conservatism in Bahrain, which has been among the most liberal of Arab states in the region and is host to the U.S. Navy's Fifth Fleet.

Of 18 women running, only one won outright -- Latifa al-Gaoud, who was unopposed in her district. Another, Munira Fakhro, advanced to a runoff next Saturday but faces a tough race against Salah Ali of the pro-government Muslim Brotherhood, a hardline Sunni group.

No secular liberal candidates won seats outright. At least four were headed for tough second-round battles with Islamic hard-liners...

The religious sweep in Bahrain mirrored results of elections in Iraq, Egypt and Palestinian territories, where Muslim hard-liners have made inroads. The vote was watched closely by neighboring Arab countries planning similar steps toward democracy or dealing with their own Shiite populations clamoring for power.

"It looks like our parliament will be dominated by people who see themselves only as Sunnis or Shiites," said Fowad Shihab, a political science professor at Bahrain University. "These are the same Islamists that are gaining control across the Arab world."

Not only is Bahrain sweeping towards religious extremism, but it looks like religious strife may come of this as we.

This is REALLY scary, folks! Afghanistan, Somalia and Pakistan have always leaned towards extremism. But now add Iraq (formerly secular), Egypt, Palestine and now Bahrain. We are losing badly and the rising, extremist caliphate. And, ironically, it is rising through a democratic process! Is THIS what Bush means by spreading democracy?


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Progressive Democrat Issue 99: ENVIRONMENTAL FOCUS

The global warming "debate" is not what the right wing portrays it as. Long ago a solid, overwhelming consensus was reached among scientists that a.) global warming is happening, b.) that humans are contributing to warming, and c.) warming will seriously impact our civilization in the near future...maybe already is.

The debate among scientists has shifted to details. Will there be localized cooling in the North Atlantic? Where will there be droughts and where flooding? How rapidly and how bumpy will the changes be? But the main question for all of society is whether it is too late to do anything. THAT is the new global warming debate. I have two answers to this: we sure had BETTER be able to do something about it and YES, WE CAN!

I have been aware of global warming science for at least 25 years. The science goes back even further, to the 1960's when measuring carbon dioxide levels and the observation that carbon dioxide was increasing were first done by Roger Revelle. Way back then, Revelle noticed changes and predicted that temperatures would rise as a result. When I became aware of global warming some 25 years ago, many predictions were made: increased storminess, Northward migration of tropical diseases, increased variability of temperature extremes, etc. What has astonished me as I read about current global warming science is just how many of the predictions of 25 years ago are coming true. In science the value of a theory is in its predictive value. From what I can tell as an informed, though not professional, observer is that the predictive value of the global warming models has been good. Details may be inacurate, but the general predictions have come true.

I have been reading Al Gore's book, An Inconvenient Truth. I had already heard him give his slide show on the topic when he delivered it to MoveOn.org a couple of years ago. So I am familiar with most of what is presented in the book. But it has been updated to include more recent phenomena and observations. The most recent data is even more alarming than most people realize. Global warming is not in the future...it is now. It is already happening. It is already a crisis. The question is NOT should we deal with this crisis, but whether we will continue to ignore it and let it become a catastrophe. That is my first answer: we had BETTER be able to do something about it or we are screwed.

Combine our increasing numbers and our increasing industrialization and you have a HUGE impact on the environment. The world's population has essentially doubled during my lifetime. And it keeps increasing. The global human population is at unprecedented levels. Multiply those numbers by increasing energy use globally and you have a huge demand for energy. This has led to a huge usage of carbon-based fuels, leading to a huge increase in emissions. The result of humans cutting down trees for tens of centuries and burning fossil fuel for a couple of centuries has led to a sharp increase in atmospheric carbon dioxide. I said that the level of human population is at unprecedented levels. I will also say that atmospheric carbon dioxide is at levels unprecedented for the last 400 thousand years. Over that period it never reached above 300 ppm...it has now surpassed that point and shooting towards 400 ppm.

The correlation between atmospheric carbon dioxide and global temperature is EXTREMELY well established over the past 650 thousand years. Look at the graph I link to. The correlation is ASTONISHINGLY close. So, no scientist is surprised that at the time we are experiencing record atmospheric carbon dioxide (and, I should add, record levels of OTHER greenhouse gasses as well) we are also expriencing record temperatures. Something like 21 of the hottest years on record occurred within the last 25 years. That means only 4 years in the past 25 were even close to normal or colder than normal. We are at the warmest point in at least the last 2000 years and probably the warmest point in the last 100,000 years. For human civilization, the average global temperature is at unprecedented levels.

But there are other unprecedented things occurring with the same timing as the unprecedented levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide and unprecedented temperatures. Glaciers are receding GLOBALLY (with only small pockets of exceptions) to the smallest level ever recorded in human history. Arctic ice has been rapidly thinning since the 1970's, after remaining largely constant since at least the early 1900's when measurements began. For the first time in known history, a giant ice shelf in the Antarctic broke up. We are seeing record numbers of tropical storms. We are seeing an OBSERVABLE rise in the pH of the oceans, something that is affecting fisheries and coral reefs and algal blooms. Coral reefs are dying off at unprecedented rates. In 1998 alone, the second warmest year on record, 16% of the world's coral reefs died! And we are seeing species extinctions unprecedented since the last mass extinction. Most mass extinctions have major geological or astronomical events at their cause: comet strikes, supervolcanoes, major climate changes, etc. I am aware of only one previous case where living organisms radically changed the makeup of the earth's atmosphere, leading to huge changes in species survival and evolution: the emergence of blue-green bacteria which then produced most of the oxygen in our atmosphere. That event occurred about 3 billion years ago.

All of this is fact. The right wing tries to deny it, but denial in the face of an oncoming catastrophe is insane.

So we had BETTER be able to do something about it or the disasters following hurricane Katrina will look minor compared with what America and the world will experience. There is a whole litany of consequences that are predicted to occur and which are ALREADY occurring. Droughts, floods, super-storms, etc. are all happening. Fisheries are dying. Agricultural land is being lost. Tropical diseases are affecting temperate zones. It is all happening and we are STUPID if we don't act.

But what can we do, whines the right wing. What can we do? We can take a leadership role and DO SOMETHING. Bill Clinton pointed out in a recent speech I heard that every industrial nation that embraced the Kyoto protocols had had better economic growth than the US...Bush predicted the opposite. Embracind the Kyoto protocols as an opportunity would help our economy AND the environment. Human action DOES have an effect. Let me give you one example from Al Gore's book. Looking at Antarctic ice cores, you can visibly (as well as chemically) see the effects of rising global pollution. Some pollution from around the world settles in the ice and this is easily measured as well as seen with the naked eye. When the United States, one nation on earth, adopted the Clean Air Act in a bipartisan move, there was a VISIBLE reduction in the pollution deposited a world away in the Antarctic ice. One piece of legislation in the United States had that large of an effect.

George Bush and the Republican party has been telling us our nation and our economy is too weak to take action. He wants to repeal every piece of environmental legislation we have: Clean Air Act, Endangered Species Act, etc. He has done nothing to reduce pollution, carbon dioxide emissions or our dependence on foreign oil. Bush has done nothing and has told us we are too weak to act.

That is the stupid way to react. We now have a Democratic Congress. Now is our chance to see real action. Talk of wind power is now in the air. Talk of energy independence. New ideas are coming to Washington with these newly elected Congress Critters. But will it be enough to overcome the right wing media, President Bush's veto and the right wing extremists still holding on in Congress?

Write the media and write Congress. Let them know what you think.

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Progressive Democrat Issue 99: VOTING REFORM: Machines and Beyond

I am taking this partly from a diary by Michael Bouldin on Daily Gotham, and partly from my own stuff.

Our elections are the basis of our democracy. Since 2000 our faith in our elections have been shaken repeatedly until it has become almost accepted that we may never really know who won an election. It is time to restore our faith in our elections, and I call upon all Democrats to fight for election integrity. It isn't just about who wins, it is about having faith in our democratic system.

Salon.com has a good run down of the Republican's dirty tricks in 2006 alone. Some excerpts:

In some states, like deep-blue Maryland, being a Republican is a political liability. Still, it's not often that you see Maryland's top Republican candidates actually pretending to be Democrats -- but that's exactly what Gov. Bob Ehrlich and Lt. Gov. Michael Steele, who was running for the state's open Senate seat, did.

A flier distributed in majority black Prince George's County, and unsubtly hued red, black and green, featured three prominent black Democrats -- Kweisi Mfume, a former congressman and former head of the NAACP; Wayne K. Curry, the former county executive in Prince George's County; and Jack B. Johnson, the current Prince George's county executive -- stating that each endorsed Steele for the U.S. Senate and Ehrlich for governor. In reality, none of them had endorsed Ehrlich, and only Curry had endorsed Steele. On the back of the flier was a "Democratic Sample Ballot" that endorsed Ehrlich for governor and Steele for Senate...

It's not illegal to be registered to vote in two places, as long as you don't vote in both. But that's not what Timothy Daly, of Clarendon, Va., was told. Daly got a message on his answering machine that told him that the nonexistent "Virginia Elections Commission" had "determined you are registered in New York to vote."

"Therefore," the message said, "you will not be allowed to cast your vote." It ended by promising Daly, who has voted in Virginia since 1998, that if he did come to vote, he would "be charged criminally."

Daly wasn't the only Virginia resident to receive such a message; enough similar calls were made, in fact, that the FBI has opened an investigation into the allegations. It's not yet known who was behind the calls, but it seems likely they would have taken an organized effort, or at the very least no small investment of time -- whoever called Daly and the other victims of the scam would have had to comb through voter registration data to find voters registered in multiple states...

Voters in New York, New Mexico and Virginia were told by anonymous callers that their polling places were changed and they were given erroneous directions to new polling places that didn't exist. In New Mexico, at least one call giving incorrect information about a polling place was actually traced back to the local Republican Party. Republicans claimed it was a mistake, but in response the state's Democrats unsuccessfully petitioned a judge to enjoin the state GOP from calling any more Democrats at all...

[A group in Tucson, AZ], which was three strong, and allegedly composed of two anti-immigration activists, Russ Dove and Roy Warden, carried a camcorder, a clipboard -- on which, they said, was information about a proposed law to make English the state's official language -- and a gun. While one man would approach a voter, holding the clipboard, another would follow, pointing the video camera at them. The third would stand behind, holding his hand to the gun at his hip in what activists on the other side called classic voter intimidation tactics in a precinct one local paper had previously declared the bellwether of the area's Hispanic vote.

These are disgusting actions taken by the Greedy Oil Party. It is just one piece of Republican efforts to lie, steal and cheat their way to victory. As one reader puts it "...if you can only win with BS tactics, maybe your politics SUCK!" Well, Republicans suck on the issues, so they have to resort to BS tactics.

One main thrust of our fight to restore integrity to our elections has been voting machines, opposing unreliable electronic voting machines in particular. You have heard me discuss this at length. That is an ongoing fight. But as the above examples show, there is more to he fight than just voting machines.

From Michael Bouldin's diary:

...there should be little doubt that, in the interest of government transparency and to further confidence in the vote, private systems not open to public inspection, and lacking means of verification, should not be acceptable to the electorate. Those who believe that partisans insidiously manipulate every perceived means to skew results can point to examples of just that. But there is far more that is wrong with our democratic process.

Partisan election administrators: As we saw in Florida 2000 and Ohio 2004, election administration by partisans is inherently detrimental to the confidence of the public in the results. Elections need to be administered by non-partisan bodies that can engender trust in voters.

Non-partisan redistricting: In the same vein, the districts created in a majority of states over the last decade have taken the partisan protection of incumbents to new heights. The re-election rate in most jurisdictions across the country is in excess of 90%, and not, one could argue, because we are blessed with such a stellar cast of legislators, but because they have rigged their districts to their own advantage.

Reliable technology: No matter how one feels about the claims of the Dieboldistas, it is entirely clear that the technology underlying the voting process is fragile. In this recent election, problems were reported, just off the top of my head, in Ohio, Virginia, Georgia, Florida, Texas, and Colorado. By comparison, Microsoft strives for a 99.999% on rate for its computer servers; it should be possible to have a system in place that achieves the same rate of reliability or better, no matter what the underlying technology is...

Poll workers: God bless them, every single one of them. But please, train them. If that costs money, and it does, it should be considered an investment on the par with new highways, schools, and so on – because these poll workers are responsible for the integrity of our most important small-D democratic process.

No right to vote: Arguably underlying the problems with voter confidence in election results is the stark fact that you do not have a federal right to vote. That right is granted to you by the state in which you live, and is exercised through thousands of local bodies that all have their own standards of eligibility and execution. It's worth considering whether that right, and the resulting process, should be federalized, to at least ensure uniform standards and methods; however, that would require a constitutional amendment, and create a new federal administrative bureaucracy, not necessarily palatable options.

Campaign finance: An ongoing scandal, and the proximate root cause of public corruption, lobbying scandals, and so on. In New York state elections, for example, the "limits" are $50,100 for statewide races, there are no limits to giving to family members (Mark Green's brother wound up spending, I seem to recall, $600,000 on that campaign). Federally, the $2,100 primary/general limits seem reasonable; but PACs, for example, can give $5,000 to candidates, and the limits for so-called "independent expenditures" are a mockery. At the least, we should be striving for transparency in reporting requirements.

Voter intimidation: It happens all the time and everywhere. Nor, frankly, is it only a republican problem, as primary voters in, say, Brooklyn can attest. There need to be effective criminal, not just civil, penalties for this; and these penalties should be applied not just to whatever hired thugs do the work, but to the candidates for which they do it.

Outright fraud: Again, something that happens in every cycle. This year, we saw deceptive robocalls depressing the Democratic vote; we saw equally deceptive flyers that falsely called Michael Steele a Democrat; and every two years, regularly as clockwork, printed materials show up in minority neighborhoods advertising false election dates, threatening criminal penalties for voters, and the like. In 2004, republicans shut down the New Hampshire Democratic phone lines. Again, these activities, broadly defined as electoral fraud, need to be prosecuted as felonies.

This is a good program for reform outlined here. I agree with most of what Michael wrote here. Partisan election boards are another thing I have been advocating against for some time. In 2004, the Carter Center, which has been respected the world over for election monitoring, refused to monitor Florida because Florida was found to not meet the Center's minimum standards for a fair election. Partisan election boards was the main issue. Election boards should, at a minimum, be bipartisan...I'd even accept multipartisan. Non-partisan is often a sham, so I'd be wary of that unless I could be really sure it was non-partisan. But having a single party, any single party, decide the validity of elections is un-democratic in the extreme.

As a bare minimum, I have been pushing for people who battle DRE machines to also focus on Secretaries of State. This doesn't solve problems per se, but it puts our people in a position to do something about problems that arise. One organization I HIGHLY recommend we all get behind the Secretary of State Project. They helped in several Sec. of State races around the nation in 2006 and I just talked with them and they plan on forging ahead for future elections.

I urge everyone to consider these reforms, then write your opinion on voting machines and election reform to the media, and to your state and Federal reps, urging them to take action. Now that we have swept state and National legislatures, the Democrats need to take the lead in this.


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Progressive Democrat Issue 99: THE ONGOING POISONING OF AMERICA

Some believe that one contributing factor to the decline of the Roman Empire was the fact that they used lead pipes for drinking water. Chronic lead poisoning, it is argued, sapped the Romans of their health and intelligence, contributing to their decline.

I personally think this is an unlikely scenario...but, in an Empire known for its extensive public water system, it is possible. But one thing is indeed clear, poisons like lead and arsenic in drinking water are a major health hazard. And this health hazard is one part of the Republican poisoning of America.

This is another one of my pet issues: the ongoing poisoning of American by Republican policies. This is not an accidental thing. It is a byproduct of intentional deregulation, intentionally ignoring clear warning signs of health problems, and allowing companies and utilities to circumvent environmental regulations. Sometimes it is very specific: Bush ordering the EPA to lie about the toxicity of the World Trade Center smoke plume, thus poisoning thousands of New Yorkers, particularly first responders, leading to a syndrome known as "Ground Zero Cough" which has struck New York's rescue workers or Conrad Burns (A Montana Republican now happily ousted from the Senate by Jon Tester, a populist organic farmer) advocating testing pesticides on humans. Other times it is a more general increase in dangerous pollutants thanks to Republican blind faith in deregulation. But there is now a clear pattern of Republican policies threatening the health of Americans through our air, drinking water and soil.

The latest threat is lead in our drinking water. There has been a noticable increase in lead contamination in America, leading to a real health risk. Yet the EPA under Bush is ignoring the problem despite having a good idea that it is happening and why. From Salon.com:

In the spring of 2003, home inspectors from the District of Columbia's Department of Health came to Andy and Shelli Bressler's century-old house in Washington's Capitol Hill neighborhood, looking for lead. Like 300,000 young children in the U.S. each year, the Bresslers' 2-year-old twins had elevated lead in their blood, which their doctor picked up during a routine checkup. Lead affects neurological development in children, and twins Adam and Casey had taken a long time to reach milestones such as walking and talking...

Then, in January 2003, Bressler read in the Washington Post that thousands of homes in D.C. had high lead in their drinking water. The problem constituted one of the worst episodes of water contamination in U.S. history and signaled a potential crisis in metropolitan areas across the country. In Washington, tens of thousands of people unwittingly drank tap water contaminated with lead for several years; in a few cases, the tap water contained enough lead to be classified as a hazardous waste. When tests confirmed that their tap water contained high lead levels, Bressler says, "we immediately stopped drinking and cooking with tap water. Finally, the boys' lead levels came down."

To this day, officials involved in the D.C. crisis contend that no one was significantly harmed by D.C.'s lead problem. But Salon has recently learned that one of the most compelling pieces of evidence for the "no harm" conclusion has been falsely represented. During the crisis, the city's Water and Sewer Authority and Health Department sent inspectors to the homes of children with elevated blood lead to look for the source. At a 2004 congressional hearing investigating the causes of the exposure, D.C. water authority general manager Jerry Johnson testified that in every case the assessments showed that water was not the source of the child's lead exposure.

But a recent examination of the assessment reports reveals that water is the sole source of the blood poisoning in some homes and that assessors found high levels of lead in tap water in many other homes. The reports were obtained through Freedom of Information Act requests by Virginia Tech environmental engineer Marc Edwards, a leading authority on water corrosion, who first called attention to D.C.'s lead problem. Since then, Edwards has been conducting his own investigation of the crisis and has established a clear connection between lead-contaminated water and elevated blood lead levels in some D.C. children. "The assertion that no one was harmed in D.C. contradicts decades of scientific research on dangers of lead in drinking water," he says...

[In] Greenville, N.C...John Morrow, director of public health in Pitt County, which encompasses Greenville, wanted to find the source of lead in a blood-poisoned infant, 1-year-old Conner Jackson. Inspectors had looked all over Jackson's house but failed to find a source. As the child's blood lead climbed higher, Morrow, who had heard about the D.C. lead crisis, started to wonder if water could be the source of Conner's blood poisoning...

Morrow turned for advice to experts in Washington. He found materials on the Web from Tee Guidotti, director of occupational medicine and toxicology at George Washington University and the Washington water utility's paid advisor on lead. Information from Guidotti downplayed the role of water. "These all indicated to me that drinking water lead and blood lead are not related," says Morrow.

It wasn't until 11 months later, in February 2005, when Conner's mom, Laura Jackson, showed Morrow a letter from the Greenville water company saying that her lead levels were high, that water was even considered as a possible source. When inspectors did sample the water, they found it contained an unsafe amount of lead. Ironically, Conner's blood lead stayed high after he stopped drinking the water.

It now appears that food cooked in the water had become laced with minute particles of lead solder. Tests conducted on pasta cooked in the water revealed that a single serving had more lead than a dime-size chip of lead paint. Over a year after Connor's problem was identified, the Jacksons finally stopped using the contaminated tap water for cooking and Connor's blood lead finally started to come down.

Just as it did in D.C., the lead from solder got into the Jacksons' tap water because the local water utility switched water treatment to comply with the EPA's Disinfection Byproducts Rule. This caused the water to attack solder in the Jacksons' home. Greenville water treatment plant manager Barrett Lasater says that although the EPA's new rule had indirectly caused the lead problem, he had to solve it on his own. "We made these changes to reduce disinfection byproducts. We had no idea they would affect lead," he says...

Following the Greenville experience, North Carolina now requires health inspectors to sample tap water when they look for lead. Thanks to this common-sense change, public health officials in Durham linked a child's lead poisoning to drinking water just a month after his problem was identified. An inspection of the child's house found unsafe levels in tap water and no other source in his mother's apartment, according to Durham County health officer Marc Meyer. Further testing found elevated lead in dozens of Durham homes. Drinking fountains at eight schools were disconnected when sampling found high lead there...

Edwards says that public health officials will continue to ignore the risk of lead in water, and that the CDC and the EPA will downplay the risk. But as the case in Washington, D.C., proved, the misinformation can no longer be ignored. "Now that we know the agencies were wrong and the science was right, we can stop debating whether lead in water is a real public health concern, and start determining how to better detect and mitigate the hazard," he says.

A change in EPA regulations (in this case to avoid problems with chlorination) has led to this unexpected rise in lead in our drinking water. But the EPA is ignoring the problem, acting like a tobacco company that denies its product kills people despite clear evidence to the contrary. I know people in the EPA. This is not mere sloppiness on the part of your average EPA employee. They are dedicated people. This is a policy from the top, right up there with advocating teaching Creationism and its bastard child, unIntelligent Design, and denying global warming science. Coincidentally, this comes out right when we took our son for his most recent lead test. I now await the results with more concern because I do not have faith in our nation's government under Bush. We have to complain about this and get our government, now run by the more responsible Democrats, to act on this issue. Please write the media and your Congress Critters to tell them what you think about the Republican poisoning of America.


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Progressive Democrat Issue 99: A STATEMENT ON ENERGY POLICY: from the Union of Concerned Scientists

Recently I have written about energy policy at some length and how clean alternative energy has many benefits for America: reducing pollution and carbon dioxide, creation of local, American jobs, and energy independence. One of my articles was seen by people at the Union of Concerned Scientists and they wrote me to agree with me and send me their statement on the issue. So here is a statement from the Union of Concerned Scientists regarding American energy policy with some links to useful resources:

More States Tackle Global Warming with New and Improved Renewable Standards; Odds of Federal Action Increase

Overshadowed in last week's election was news that the state of Washington became the 21st state plus the District of Columbia to adopt a renewable electricity standard, and the second state to do so via a ballot initiative. Under the provisions of I-937 (known as the "Clean Energy Initiative"), the state's largest utilities will be required to furnish 15 percent of their electricity generation from renewable sources by 2015. In addition, the initiative requires Washington utilities to pursue low-cost energy conservation opportunities with their customers.

Washington voters have created a long-term market for clean energy technologies in their state, a significant step forward in reducing power plant production of heat-trapping gases responsible for global warming. According to a study of the initiative by the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS), I-937 would result in cutting 4.6 million metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions annually by 2025 - equivalent to taking 750,000 cars off the road.

One week earlier in Arizona, the Arizona Corporate Commission (ACC) voted 4-1 to boost the state's previous modest renewable standard from 1.1 percent by 2007 to a more robust standard of 15 percent by 2025. Arizona joins nine other states that have increased or strengthened their renewable electricity standard, demonstrating the continued popularity of this effective policy.

As in Washington, Arizona's increased standard creates new renewable energy opportunities and advances the fight against global warming. UCS projects that the new rule will result in an increase of more than 3,000 megawatts of new renewable energy capacity compared with the old rule, and will reduce annual carbon dioxide emissions by about 7.6 million metric tons by 2025 - roughly equivalent to taking 1.1 million cars off the road.

Action on renewable energy in Washington and Arizona echoes a new sense of support for a federal renewable electricity standard. At least four new Democratic Senate members and over 15 of the new members in the US of Representatives have indicated their support for measures that would encourage the use of more renewable energy. The new chairman of the Senate Energy Committee, Senator Jeff Bingaman (D-NM), has championed a federal renewable electricity standard that has passed the Senate three times. He has vowed to bring the measure before that body early in the new legislative session.

If the federal government adopted a 10 percent by 2020 national standard-just two-thirds of the level required by Arizona and Washington-America would increase its total homegrown renewable power capacity fivefold over present levels. This level of development would reduce annual power plant carbon dioxide emissions by as much as 215 million metric tons nationally by 2020 - the equivalent of taking 24 millions cars, or nearly one tenth of the total U.S. auto fleet, off the road.

The Union of Concerned Scientists played an integral role in both the Washington and Arizona victories. Moving forward, UCS can assist your reporting by putting renewable energy issues in both a local and national context, while shedding light on how the growth of renewables will affect consumers, businesses and the environment. To speak to any of our energy analysts, please contact me at ahuertas@ucsusa.org or 202-331-5458.

Additional UCS resources available online:


Renewable Energy-Mitigating Global Warming

Renewable Electricity Standards at Work in the States

The Washington Clean Energy Initiative: Effects of I-937 on Consumers, Jobs and the Economy

Renewing America's Economy: U.S. Senate 10 Percent National Renewable Electricity Standard Will Save Consumers Money, and Create Jobs

Keep fighting for clean energy and American jobs. Help the Union of Concerned Scientists lobby for energy independence.

Progressive Democrat Issue 99: TERRORIST ATTACK IN IOWA IGNORED BY MEDIA AND GOVERNMENT

And speaking of religious extremism, a terrorist attack occurred on 9/11/2006 in Davenport, Iowa, on the 5th year anniversary of the terrorist attack on the city where I live. And I heard nothing about it. And Homeland Security seems to have ignored it. Why?

Simple: the attack was done by a right wing white guy targeting a woman's health clinic.

From the Quad Cities Times:

A Michigan man described as a bookworm by relatives has wandered the Midwest since August, looking for a medical clinic to attack with his 2004 Saturn compact car, authorities said.

It was dawn Monday when David Robert McMenemy approached Edgerton Women’s Health Center in Davenport, which he mistakenly believed provided abortions.

He entered the center’s driveway off East Rusholme Street and then took a few moments to turn and configure the car to face straight into the lobby, Davenport Fire Marshal Mike Hayman said.

The 45-year-old crashed the Saturn into the central lobby, coming to rest at the counter. When the car did not immediately burst into flames as he may have expected, police said he took gasoline that he had poured into a Gatorade bottle and spread it over the interior. “I lit it,” McMenemy told investigators, and he exited the structure to surrender himself to startled Davenport firefighters....

He faces a charge of second-degree arson because first-degree arson requires that the building be occupied. There are no additional charges that are appropriate, including terrorism, Davis said, but he noted the case could be taken up by federal authorities.

No further charges. The case COULD be taken up by federal authorities.

What if he'd been Muslim? Can you imagine how fast he'd be swept away to Guantanamo with no due process? But he's white, Christian and he attacked a woman's clinic. So all it is is second degree arson. This is disgusting! But Homeland Security is doing nothing and I bet few of you out there heard about it at all!

From the Boston Phoenix:

On September 11, 2006, the fifth anniversary of the terror attacks that devastated our nation, a man crashed his car into a building in Davenport, Iowa, hoping to blow it up and kill himself in the fire.

No national newspaper, magazine, or network newscast reported this attempted suicide bombing, though an AP wire story was available. Cable news (save for MSNBC’s Keith Olbermann) was silent about this latest act of terrorism in America.

Had the criminal, David McMenemy, been Arab or Muslim, this would have been headline news for weeks. But since his target was the Edgerton Women’s Health Center, rather than, say, a bank or a police station, media have not called this terrorism — even after three decades of extreme violence by anti-abortion fanatics, mostly fundamentalist Christians who believe they’re fighting a holy war.

Since 1977, casualties from this war include seven murders, 17 attempted murders, three kidnappings, 152 assaults, 305 completed or attempted bombings and arsons, 375 invasions, 482 stalking incidents, 380 death threats, 618 bomb threats, 100 acid attacks, and 1,254 acts of vandalism, according to the National Abortion Federation.

Abortion providers and activists received 77 letters threatening anthrax attacks before 9/11, yet the media never considered anthrax threats as terrorism until after 9/11, when such letters were delivered to journalists and members of Congress.

Contact the media and ask them why they and the federal government are ignoring terrorist attacks right in the American heartland? And if you live in Iowa, write your Congress Critters to demand that they confront Bush and Homeland Security and demand that these right wing, Chirstian extremist terrorists be brought to justice.


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Progressive Democrat Issue 99: MIDWEST PROGRESSIVE GROUPS (IA, IN, WI, MI)

I apologize for lumping such diverse states together under "Midwest," but to date I don't have enough readers in any one Midwestern state to give any of them their own attention the way I do with Virginia, NYC and California. Get me more readers in YOUR state and I will happily put more effort into writing about that state. Until then, these are the four Midwestern region states that I get some readership from regularly.

IOWA GROUPS:

First I naturally will highlight Iowa's local Democracy for America group, Blog for Iowa. Joining this blog will help you connect with fellow progressives in Iowa and help establish a progressive infrastructure in Iowa.


Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement: ICCI has helped ordinary Iowans get to work on a variety of social, economic and environmental justice issues they care deeply about. Whether the issue is factory farms, housing or improving neighborhoods, ICCI is there organizing people to make a difference. Find out what you can do for Iowa here. For a calendar of events, go here. This organization is all about COMMUNITY.


Drinking Liberally in Iowa: Promoting democracy one pint at a time! Drinking liberally is a social organization with chapters nationwide. There are four Iowa Drinking Liberally groups (see below). If there isn't one near you, you can set one up at the Drinking Liberally website. If you don't like bars, I have always thought non-drinkers could set up their own drinking liberally groups in coffee houses. Here are the current Iowa groups:

Davenport:
* Meets second and fourth Friday of each month, 6:00 pm onward
* Pat McQuire's Bar & Grill, 3333 N Harrison St (Set back form Harrison - Next door to the Citgo on the corner of 32nd and Harrison)
* We will also drink liberally in the AM on the 1st Saturday at 9:30am at Mojo's (corner of Main and 2nd St - downtown Davenport)
* Hosted by Alta Price and Caroline Vernon, quadcities (at) drinkingliberally.org

Ames:
* Every Friday, 5:00 pm onward
* Legends American Grill, 200 Stanton Ave, 7th Floor (in Campustown) (map)
* The group will meet in the large accessible party room left of the elevators unless it is booked by a larger group. We will then be in the Sky Box. Ask a waiter for our location.
* Hosted by Jan Bauer and Brent Wynja, ames (at) drinkingliberally.org

Des Moines:
* Every Thursday, 8:00 p.m. onward
* The Lift, 222 4th St (between Court Ave and Walnut) (map)
* Hosted by Amanda Mittlestadt, Tricia Kell, Dan Chibnall, Cassie Samspon and Matt Jesson, desmoines (at) drinkingliberally.org

Iowa City:
* Every Thursday, 8:00 pm onward
* The Mill Restaurant, 120 E Burlington St (map)
* Hosted by Nicholas Bergin, iowacity (at) drinkingliberally.org


WISCONSIN GROUPS:

First I naturally will highlight Winsconsin's local Democracy for America group, Democracy for Wisconsin. Democracy for Wisconsin grew from the seeds planted by Howard Dean's presidential campaign. We believe that strong values and grassroots participation are the key to successfully promoting progressive policies and rebuilding the Democratic Party. Please help us take our country back! Local chapters are listed on their website.


WISCONSIN FAIR TRADE COALITION: The Wisconsin Fair Trade Coalition is a statewide collaboration of labor, environmental, consumer, family farm and interfaith groups founded in 1994 during the fight over the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). They are united in a common belief that international trade and investment are not ends unto themselves, but instead must be viewed as a means for achieving other societal goals including economic justice, human rights, healthy communities and a sound environment. The economy exists to help people, not the other way around.

WFTC is the leading state advocacy vehicle to fight for trade policy that is not tilted in favor of multinational corporations and against the interests of Wisconsin ’s -- and the world's -- working people. If you want to join the coalition, sign up for the newsletter or find out more, contact them at 608.237.1659; Fax 608.442.1439;
Postal Address: 3129 Hermina Street , Madison WI 53714.


Drinking Liberally in Wisconsin: Promoting democracy one pint at a time! Drinking liberally is a social organization with chapters nationwide. There are surprisingly few Wisconsin drinking liberally groups! There are currently only two Wisconsin Drinking Liberally groups (see below). If there isn't one near you, you can set one up at the Drinking Liberally website. If you don't like bars, I have always thought non-drinkers could set up their own drinking liberally groups in coffee houses. Here are the current Wisconsin groups:

Madison, Wisconsin
* First and third Tuesday of each month (next meeting October 3), 7:00 pm onward
* Genna's, 105 W Main St
* Hosted by Brian Cadwell, madison (at) drinkingliberally.org

Milwaukee, Wisconsin
* Second and fourth Wednesday of each month (next meeting October 11), 7:00 pm onward
* Club Garibaldi, 2501 S Superior St
* Hosted by Stacie Rosenzweig, Scott Feldstein and Jason Haas, milwaukee (at) drinkingliberally.org


INDIANA GROUPS:

First, I will highlight the very, VERY important Indiana Progressives PAC. Indiana Progressives believe to win nationally we must first win locally. Their message is positive, practical and progressive! And hopefully will be popular as well! Be a part of Indiana Progressives by registering with their site today. This is exactly the kind of organization we need in Indiana to deliver a populist progressive message right to the voters.


Evolution Education Institute (EEI) is a national professional development program that had it's origins in the Michigan Scientific Evolution Education Initiative (MSEEI). The MSEEI was administered by the Michigan Science Teacher's Association and was funded by an Eisenhower Higher Education Competitive Grant through the Michigan Department of Education (MDOE) from 1999-2002. The mission of the MSEEI was to provide Michigan teachers and pre-service teacher education students with the necessary content, pedagogy and support system to effectively teach scientific evolution. The Evolution Education Institute expands upon the MSEEI model and brings it to a national audience. he mission of the Evolution Education Institute (EEI) is to promote the understanding of evolution and natural selection theory within the educational community and society at-large and to advocate for its inclusion in science curricula in a manner commensurate with its importance to modern scientific thought. This issue is particularly important to me (I'm a biologist myself!). So please, help out EEI.


Drinking Liberally in Indiana: Promoting democracy one pint at a time! Drinking liberally is a social organization with chapters nationwide. There are six Indiana Drinking Liberally groups (see below). I should note that means Indiana has more than some much larger states like Virginia. Makes Indiana sound like fun! If there isn't one near you, you can set one up at the Drinking Liberally website. If you don't like bars, I have always thought non-drinkers could set up their own drinking liberally groups in coffee houses. Here are the current Indiana groups:

Bloomington
* Every Tuesday, 7:00 pm onward
* Upland Brewery, 350 W 11th St (map)
* Hosted by Eric Foster and Chris Herlihy, bloomington (at) drinkingliberally.org

Indianapolis
* Every Thursday, 7:00-10:00 pm
* Spencer's Stadium Tavern, 802 S West St (SW corner of West & McCarty streets)
* map: http://tinyurl.com/ann6t
* Hosted by Jason Borneman, indianapolis (at) drinkingliberally.org

Noblesville
* Every Thursday, 7:00 pm onward
* Ram Brewery, 12750 Parkside Dr (near the corner of 126th St and Hwy 37)
* Hosted by Keith Clock and Molly Martin, noblesville (at) drinkingliberally.org

Lafayette
* Every Thursday, 7:00 pm onward
* Lafayette Brewing Company - UPSTAIRS, 622 Main St
* Hosted by Amy Clinton-Corbett, Mary Nauman, Curtis Parker, Jon Neal, Susan Schechter and Gavin Steiger, lafayette (at) drinkingliberally.org

New Albany:
* Every Thursday, 7:00 pm onward
* "The Red Room" of Rich-O's Public House, 3312 Plaza Dr (Near the Kroger on Grant Line Rd; and next to Sportstime Pizza)
* Rich-Os is 21+ and "The Red Room" is in the smoking section, though we are able to meet in alternative areas of the Rich-O's/Sportstime Pizza complex to accomodate under-age attendants and those who are sensitive to cigarette smoke.
* We will now be meeting on THURSDAYS instead of Wednesdays to accomodate the academic work week.
* Hosted by Lacy Davis, newalbany (at) drinkingliberally.org

South Bend
* First and third Thursday of each month (next meeting October 5), 7:00 pm onward
* Oaken Bucket, 1212 S Ironwood Dr (map)
* Hosted by Chris Wilson, Thomas Winegar and Ben Runkle, southbend (at) drinkingliberally.org


MICHIGAN GROUPS:

First I naturally will highlight Michigan's local Democracy for America group, Democracy for Michigan. Joining this blog will help you connect with fellow progressives in Iowa and help establish a progressive infrastructure in Michigan.

Drinking Liberally in Michigan: Promoting democracy one pint at a time! Drinking liberally is a social organization with chapters nationwide. There are three Michigan Drinking Liberally groups (see below). If there isn't one near you, you can set one up at the Drinking Liberally website. If you don't like bars, I have always thought non-drinkers could set up their own drinking liberally groups in coffee houses. Here are the current Michigan groups:

Ann Arbor, Michigan
* First and third Thursday of each month 8pm
* Leopold Bros., 523 S Main St
* Hosted by John Redmond and Jenay Karlson, annarbor (at) drinkingliberally.org

Detroit, Michigan
* Every Tuesday, 7:00 pm onward
* Honest? John's, 488 Selden St (at 2nd (lighted, secure parking))
* Hosted by Pete Coseo, detroit (at) drinkingliberally.org

Oakland County, Michigan
* Every other Thursday 7:00 pm onward
* Bo's Brewery & Bistro, 51 N Saginaw St, Pontiac (Corner of Huron and Saginaw inside the Woodward Loop)
* We need co-hosts in Oakland County south, east and west for our Road Trips, please contact me for details.
* Hosted by Ron Wasczenski, oaklandcounty (at) drinkingliberally.org


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Progressive Democrat Issue 99: NYC GROUPS AND EVENTS

Local involvement is really what wins elections. Please get involved. I have made friends, met many of my elected officials who now (sometimes!) actually listen to me, and have really felt like I am making a difference. From time to time I will also post events going on, but mostly this is a list of organizations in your area. If I have missed any, please let me know.

BROOKLYN GROUPS AND EVENTS:

Brooklyn Critical Mass:
Critical Mass is a monthly celebration of bicycles and other nonpolluting means of transportation, exercising our right to the road. Critical Mass is a movement, not an organization; no two riders participate for exactly the same reason. Brooklyn Critical Mass started rolling in 2004.

Brooklyn rides are the Second Friday of every month, 7:00 p.m., meeting at Grand Army Plaza. Come out and join Critical Mass in Brooklyn. Celebrate cycling, and assert your right to the road -- Brooklyn style!

For more events and bike workshops, check out their calendar.


Central Brooklyn Independent Democrats (CBID) (mostly covers Park Slope, Windsor Terrace, and Kensington). http://www.cbidems.org/ My wife, Joy, is now on the executive board of this club. This club is very grassroots and worked very hard for progressive candidates in the recent primary. They need more people if we want to strengthen the grassroots. If you are not yet a member, please come to the next meeting and join. Membership is cheap! Meetings are usually held on the third Thursday of every month at 7 PM at the Park Slope United Methodist Church, 6th Ave. & 8th Street in the basement (enter through the garden gate on 6th Ave).


Independent Neighborhood Democrats (IND): I usually work with this club. They cover the 52nd Assembly district, covering Park Slope, Brooklyn Heights, Carroll Gardens and Cobble Hill. Meetings are usually held on the third Thursday of every month at 7 PM (yes...same time as CBID above because they are sort of rival groups!) at their clubhouse 489 Court St. in Carroll Gardens.


New Democratic Majority in Brooklyn: Originally an outgrowth of the Dean campaign, NDM is one of the more active progressive organizations around. This is the Brooklyn branch of that organization and we are still building our membership. I will be a co-host of this meeting. We meet the 4th Thursday of every month at the 5th Ave. Ozzie’s in Park Slope, 249 5th Ave (intersection of 5th and Garfield) at 7 PM. You can contact me (mole333@gmail.com) for more info.


Democracy for America Meetings: Another outgrowth of the Dean Campaign, this is another excellent local progressive organization. Usually meets the first Wed. of every month at various locations. CLICK HERE to find your closest monthly meeting.

Park Slope/Brooklyn, Ozzie's, 249 5th Ave, with host Josh Skaller

Williamsburg/Greenpoint, Brooklyn, Boulevard Tavern, 579 Meeker Ave. (btwn. N. Henry and Monitor St.) There will be no official DFNYC Linkup host here this month, but Harold at Boulevard is a DFNYC member and encourages everyone to stop in. Harold will have DFNYC info about the upcoming elections.

Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn, Wycoff-Bennette Homestead, 1669 East 22nd. St. (between Quentin & Kings Highway), with hosts Annette Mott a& Estelle Glasser


Lambda Independent Democrats (Brooklyn’s gay and lesbian organization) for meeting info contact LID@LIDBrooklyn.org.

DRINKING LIBERALLY: An informal, inclusive weekly Democratic drinking club. Raise your spirits while you raise your glass, and share ideas while you share a pitcher. Drinking Liberally gives like-minded, left-leaning individuals a place to talk politics. You don't need to be a policy expert and this isn't a book club - just come and learn from peers, trade jokes, vent frustration and hang out in an environment where it's not taboo to talk politics. Here are our local Brooklyn groups:

Park Slope: First Wednesday of each month, 7:00 pm onward, Commonwealth, 497 5th Ave (at 12th Street). Hosted by Emily Farris and Peter Wohlsen, parkslope (at) drinkingliberally.org

Williamsburg: Every other Tuesday, 8:00 pm onward the Levee, 212 Berry St. (corner of N. 3rd). Hosted by Elana Levin and Michael Freedman-Schnapp, williamsburg (at) drinkingliberally.org


To find your nearest Brooklyn Democratic club, please CLICK HERE.


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MANHATTAN GROUPS AND EVENTS:


NYC Critical Mass The last Friday of the month, every month, 7:00 p.m., starting at Union Square Park North. Come along for the ride! Critical Mass is a monthly celebration of bicycles and other nonpolluting means of transportation, exercising our right to the road. Critical Mass is a movement, not an organization; no two riders participate for exactly the same reason. New York City's first Critical Mass was in 1993.


Democracy for America Meetings: Another outgrowth of the Dean Campaign, this is another excellent local progressive organization. Usually meets the first Wed. of every month at various locations. CLICK HERE to find your closest monthly meeting.

Upper West Side, Cosi (downstairs) 2160 Broadway @76th Street, with host Merle McEldowney

Upper East Side, location TBD, with hosts Lewis Cohen & David Kogelman

West Village, Kettle of Fish, 59 Christopher St. (near 7th Ave.), with hosts Dana Northcraft & Judith Ren-Lay

East Village, Cinema Classics/Rafiffi, 332 East 11th Street (btwn. 1st & 2nd), with host Heather Woodfield


DRINKING LIBERALLY: An informal, inclusive weekly Democratic drinking club. Raise your spirits while you raise your glass, and share ideas while you share a pitcher. Drinking Liberally gives like-minded, left-leaning individuals a place to talk politics. You don't need to be a policy expert and this isn't a book club - just come and learn from peers, trade jokes, vent frustration and hang out in an environment where it's not taboo to talk politics. Here are our local Manhattan groups:

Upper East Side Last Tuesday of each month, 6:30 pm onward, Doc Watson's, 1490 2nd Avenue (at 77th). In the backyard, weather permitting. Hosted by Matthew Bachiochi, ues (at) drinkingliberally.org

In Manhattan: Thursday, 7:30 pm onward, Rudy's, 627 9th Avenue (between 44th & 45th Streets). Hosted by Justin Krebs and Matthew O'Neill, nyc (at) drinkingliberally.org

Bar Hopping Manhattan: Second Tuesday of each month, 6:00-9:00 pm
A monthly Democratic drinking club at different gay bars around Manhattan. Join the mailing list to receive updates of future venues. Hosted by Dirk McCall, outnyc (at) drinkingliberally.org

East Village: Last Wednesday of each month, 8:00 pm onward, Grassroots Tavern, 20 Saint Mark's Place (between 2nd and 3rd). Hosted by Quinn Raymond, Elena Morin and Abby Cook-Mack, eastvillage (at) drinkingliberally.org


To find your nearest Manhattan Democratic club, please CLICK HERE.


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QUEENS GROUPS AND EVENTS:

Democracy for America Meetings: Another outgrowth of the Dean Campaign, this is another excellent local progressive organization. Usually meets the first Wed. of every month at various locations. CLICK HERE to find your closest monthly meeting.

Sunnyside, Queens, The Grind, 39-24 Queens Blvd., with host Dan Jacoby

Bayside, Queens, The First Edition, 41-08 Bell Blvd, right near the LIRR stop, with host Steve Behar of Democrats for New Politics


Queens Jefferson Democratic Club: Our meetings are normally held the first Thursday of every month, @ 8:00 p.m. (the doors open @ 7:30 P.M.) except for July, August, and months in which a holiday falls on the First Thursday. Meetings are held at the Auburndale American Legion Hall, 198-09 33rd Ave Flushing, New York 11358 (just off Francis Lewis Blvd. near 33rd Avenue).

Queens County Young Democrats: for information CLICK HERE.

DRINKING LIBERALLY: An informal, inclusive weekly Democratic drinking club. Raise your spirits while you raise your glass, and share ideas while you share a pitcher. Drinking Liberally gives like-minded, left-leaning individuals a place to talk politics. You don't need to be a policy expert and this isn't a book club - just come and learn from peers, trade jokes, vent frustration and hang out in an environment where it's not taboo to talk politics. Here are our local Queens groups:

ASTORIA: Last Wednesday of each month, 7:30 pm onward. Bohemian Hall and Beer Garden, 29-19 24th Avenue, Astoria, NY 11102. Hosted by Donald Graff, queens (at) drinkingliberally.org

To find your nearest Queens Democratic club, please CLICK HERE.


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STATEN ISLAND GROUPS AND EVENTS:

THERE ARE CURRENTLY NO STATEN ISLAND DEMOCRACY FOR NYC CHAPTERS! You can start one by emailing linkup -at- dfnyc.org (replace -at- with @). These groups are great for keeping in touch and for candiates to introduce themselves and beg you for support.

Young Democrats of Staten Island: The future of the Democratic Party in Staten Island!

Staten Island African American Political Association: For more information, contact deb2badd –at- aol.com (replace –at- with @)

THERE ARE NO DRINKING LIBERALLY GROUPS IN STATEN ISLAND!!! You can start one by clicking here. It is a fun, social way to grow the grassroots and patronize a local watering hole as well.

For more Democratic Clubs in Staten Island, CLICK HERE.

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BRONX GROUPS AND EVENTS:

THERE ARE CURRENTLY NO BRONX DEMOCRACY FOR NYC CHAPTERS! You can start one by emailing linkup -at- dfnyc.org (replace -at- with @). These groups are great for keeping in touch and for candiates to introduce themselves and beg you for support.


WEST BRONX DRINKING LIBERALLY: An informal, inclusive weekly Democratic drinking club. Raise your spirits while you raise your glass, and share ideas while you share a pitcher. Drinking Liberally gives like-minded, left-leaning individuals a place to talk politics. You don't need to be a policy expert and this isn't a book club - just come and learn from peers, trade jokes, vent frustration and hang out in an environment where it's not taboo to talk politics. There is currently only one Bronx Drinking Liberally group:

West Bronx: First and third Friday of each month, 7:30 pm onward at An Beal Bocht, 445 W 238th St (between Waldo and Greystone). Hosted by Jamin Sewell and Scott Kennedy, westbronx (at) drinkingliberally.org


Find your closest Bronx Democratic Club by CLICKING HERE.


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Progressive Democrat Issue 99: CALIFORNIA GROUPS AND EVENTS

Next to New York, California has become where I have the most readers. So, I need to start focusing a little bit more on California to accomodate all of you! Of course California is pretty big, so mostly what I will do is list the resources you can use to find out what's going on in your area. If you know of a group, send me info!

California for Democracy: This is the California branch of Howard Dean's Democracy for America movement. There are local meetings all over the state (listed on the left hand side of the state website). I participate in my local group and this is one of the ways I get to meet lots of interesting politicians, all of whom are trying to get our support. If you only do one kind of political activism, it should be this! If you join, tell them I sent you...it can't hurt for them to know I'm helping them out! There are also events listed as well as blogs for discussion. This is the ultimate in progressive grassroots! If there isn't a group near you, start one by emailing: steering (at) californiafordemocracy.com


California Democratic Party: To find your local Democratic Party organization, GO HERE. For a Calendar of events GO HERE. To get active in the California Democratic Party by volunteering GO HERE.


DRINKING LIBERALLY: An informal, inclusive progressive social group. Raise your spirits while you raise your glass, and share ideas while you share a pitcher. Drinking Liberally gives like-minded, left-leaning individuals a place to talk politics. You don't need to be a policy expert and this isn't a book club - just come and learn from peers, trade jokes, vent frustration and hang out in an environment where it's not taboo to talk politics. This is one of the more fun ways to be involved as a liberal. There are MANY groups in California. If there isn't one in your area, get a few friends together and START ONE! Don't drink alcohol? Then start one in a coffee house, tea lounge or juice bar! The format is flexible. Here's a list of them as of Dec. 2006.


Hollywood
* Second Wednesday of each month 7:00-11:00 PM
* Molly Malone's Irish Pub, 575 South Fairfax Avenue, Los Angeles 90036 (near corner of 6th avenue)
* Hosted by Vincent Jones, Cecilia Cabello, Christine Frogozo, Jim Kennedy and Joe Zefran, la (at) drinkingliberally.org

Pasadena
* Every Tuesday, 7:30-10:00 pm
* Madeleine's Wine Bistro, 1030 E Green St (between Wilson and Catalina)
* We try to meet on the patio when no other event is scheduled there. Otherwise, look for us in the wine bar.
* Hosted by Asa Hopkins, pasadena (at) drinkingliberally.org

Monterey
* First Thursday of each month 7:00 pm onward
* Peter B's Brewery, 2 Portola Plz
* Hosted by Annie Ho and Helen Davis, monterey (at) drinkingliberally.org

Orange County
* Every Thursday, 8:30 pm onward
* Memphis Bar, 201 N Broadway, Santa Ana (Artists Village)
* Hosted by Mike Lawson, orangecounty (at) drinkingliberally.org

Sacramento
* First Thursday of each month 7:00 pm onward
* Streets of London Pub, 1804 J St (Midtown)
* Hosted by Leslie Simmons, sacramento (at) drinkingliberally.org

San Diego
* Every other Tuesday 7:30 pm onward
* Nunu's Cocktail Lounge, 3537 5th Ave (Between Brookes and Ivy Ln)
* Hosted by Jesse Rubin and Jason Miller, sandiego (at) drinkingliberally.org

San Francisco
* Every Monday, 7:00-9:00 pm
* Doc's Clock, 2575 Mission St (between 21st and 22nd) (Look for our red, white and blue striped bottle!)
* Hosted by Susan Harrison, sf (at) drinkingliberally.org

Oakland
* Second and fourth Wednesday of each month 6:00 - 8:00 PM
* Luka's Taproom & Lounge, 2221 Broadway
* Hosted by Cyril Allen and Philip Combs, oakland (at) drinkingliberally.org

Palo Alto
* Second Thursday of each month 7:00 pm onward
* Antonio's Nut House, 321 S California Ave (At the corner of Birch and California)
* Hosted by Tom Allen, Leilani Iwaishi and Esther Hardwick, paloalto (at) drinkingliberally.org

San Jose
* Every other Thursday 6:30 pm onward
* Trials Pub, 265 N 1st St
* We're usually in the wingbacks by the front door. The bartenders know who we are.
* Hosted by Andy Oliveria and Adam Gulkis, sanjose (at) drinkingliberally.org


Santa Barbara
* Every Wednesday, 8 pm - 10 pm
* Elsie's Bar, 117 W de la Guerra St (behind Paseo Nuveo Mall)
* Elsie's is 21+ and cash only
* Hosted by Daryl Chrisman and Bart Woolery, santabarbara (at) drinkingliberally.org

Stockton
* Third Friday of each month 7:00 pm onward
* Micheal's New York Pizza, 2300 W Alpine Ave #A
* Hosted by Teresa Frison, stockton (at) drinkingliberally.org



SOME REGIONAL ORGANIZATIONS: These are more specific to particular reagions

LOS ANGELES AREA:

Progressive Los Angeles Network (PLAN): The Progressive Los Angeles Network (PLAN) was formally launched in December 1999. PLAN was founded and built on the success of the 1998 Progressive L.A. Conference which was co-sponsored by a number of local and national institutions and organizations including Occidental College, The Nation Institute, Liberty Hill Foundation, LA Weekly and the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor. The Progressive LA Conference was an overwhelming success and gave participants a sense that the growth of a wide variety of progressive social movements had reached an important threshold. As a result, attendees and others within the progressive movement in Los Angeles expressed a desire to participate in further discussion about how to develop a common agenda that is community based, inclusive and brings together the wealth of experience and knowledge of organizers, activists, and researchers. To get involved, GO HERE.


ORANGE COUNTY AREA:

Orange County Peace Coalition: An organization that advocates the peaceful resolution of international conflicts and that this ideal become a cornerstone of U.S. foreign policy. To see a calendar of events, CLICK HERE. To get involved, CLICK HERE.


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Progressive Democrat Issue 99: VIRGINIA/DC GROUPS AND EVENTS

Democracy for America: One of the best ways to get active! If you only do one thing that is political, join your local DFA group! FIND YOUR LOCAL DFA MEETUP AND GET INVOLVED! The statewide site seems to not be active, but it has MANY great links on the left hand side, including links to some local Virginia DFA groups. And for Washington, DC, your local DFA group can be found here.


Virginia Organizing Project:
The Virginia Organizing Project (VOP) is a statewide grassroots organization dedicated to challenging injustice by empowering people in local communities to address issues that affect the quality of their lives. VOP especially encourages the participation of those who have traditionally had little or no voice in our society. By building relationships with individuals and groups throughout the state, VOP strives to get them to work together, democratically and non-violently, for change. Here's a calendar of events.


The Democratic Party: Here are links to some of your local Dem clubs. This is another very important way to be active. You can also find a calendar of events for Democratic Party activities in Virginia here.

Washington DC Democratic Party

Albemarle County Democratic Committee, Albemarle County, VA

Arlington County Democrats, Arlington VA. Contact Name: Elizabeth Weitzman mewsician1@msn.com (703) 528-8588

Arlington Young Democrats, Arlington VA. Contact Name: Jaime Mulligan publicity@arlingtonyoungdems.org 571-334-7626

Democratic Party of Fluvanna County, Virginia, Bremo Bluff, Virginia VA

Hanover Democrats, Ashland VA

Loudoun County Democratic Committee, Leesburg, VA. Contact Name: Steve Deak chairman@lcdems.com

Norfolk Democratic Party Meetup, Norfolk VA. Contact Name: Alma D. Kesling akesling@yahoo.com 757 333-8694

Rappahannock County Democrats, Rappahannock VA.

Stafford County Democrats, Fredericksburg VA:

Virginia Beach Democrats, VA

Virginia Young Democrats, Richmond, VA. Contact Name: Justin Wilson justin@justin.net


Drinking Liberally: An informal, inclusive weekly Democratic drinking club. Raise your spirits while you raise your glass, and share ideas while you share a pitcher. Drinking Liberally gives like-minded, left-leaning individuals a place to talk politics. You don't need to be a policy expert and this isn't a book club - just come and learn from peers, trade jokes, vent frustration and hang out in an environment where it's not taboo to talk politics. Find your local drinking liberally group or start your own with a few buddies. If there isn't one near you, it is easy to start your own!

Alexandria, Virginia
* Every Thursday, 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm
* Shenandoah Brewing Company, 652 S Pickett St (Look for us upstairs)
* "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world" - Margaret Mead
* Hosted by David Swim and Quinn Jones, alexandria (at) drinkingliberally.org

Danville, Virginia
* Every other Wednesday, 7:00 pm onward
* The Purple Onion, 215 Main St
* Hosted by Meryl Ibis, danville (at) drinkingliberally.org

Charlottesville, Virginia
* Every Tuesday, 8:30 pm onward
* Biltmore Grill, 16 Elliewood Ave
* Hosted by Michael Snook, Justin Villegas, TJ Bateman and Bridget Moriarty, charlottesville (at) drinkingliberally.org

Norfolk, Virginia
* Third Thursday of each month 5:00-7:00 pm
* The New Belmont, 2117 Colonial Ave (upstairs at the bar)
* Hosted by Megan Feeley and Steve Earnhart, norfolk (at) drinkingliberally.org

Virginia Beach, Virginia
* Second Tuesday of each month 6:00 pm onward
* Jewish Mother, 3108 Pacific Ave
* Hosted by Chris Jaramillo and Eileen Levandoski, vabeach (at) drinkingliberally.org

And two Washington, DC groups:

Capitol Hill
* Every Wednesday, 7:00-9:00 pm
* The 18th Amendment, 613 Pennsylvania Ave SE (~2 Blocks NW of Eastern Market Metro Stop)
* Hosted by Micha Rieser, dcwed (at) drinkingliberally.org


Dupont Circle
* Every Thursday, 6:30-8:30 pm
* Timberlake's, 1726 Connecticut Ave NW
* Metro: Dupont Circle (red line)
* Hosted by Kim Davis and Keith Ivey, dcthu (at) drinkingliberally.org


Click here to go back to THOUGHTS section and Table of Contents for this issue.

Progressive Democrat Issue 99: NEW JERSEY GROUPS AND EVENTS

Here is how you can find your local Dem clubs. Go to HERE and click on your county. You can also click on their Calendar to find out Democratic Party events throughout the state.


New Jersey for Democracy: Possibly even more important than finding your local Democratic club, I strongly urge you to find your closest Democracy for America group. This organization, started by Howard Dean, is the future of the progressive grassroots in America. If there isn't a group near you, start one. It is a great way to get started in the political process. Here in NYC we get to meet all sorts of politicians who want our endorsement.


Drinking Liberally: An informal, inclusive weekly Democratic drinking club. Raise your spirits while you raise your glass, and share ideas while you share a pitcher. Drinking Liberally gives like-minded, left-leaning individuals a place to talk politics. You don't need to be a policy expert and this isn't a book club - just come and learn from peers, trade jokes, vent frustration and hang out in an environment where it's not taboo to talk politics. Find your local drinking liberally group or start your own with a few buddies.

New Brunswick, 2nd and 4th Wednesdays of every month, 7:00 PM @ Doll's Place, 101 Paterson St. New Brunswick, NJ

Hoboken, New Jersey, Fourth Wednesday of each month, 8:00-10:00 pm, Mulligan's, 159 1st Street (between Bloomfield and Garden), Hosted by Leigh Wolinsky, David Alpert and Morgan Baden, hoboken (at) drinkingliberally.org

Princeton, Princeton, First Thursday Each Month 7:00 PM @ Sotto Ristorante and Lounge (formerly the Annex) 128 1/2 Nassau St, Princeton, NJ. princeton@drinkingliberally.org or http://princeton.drinkingliberally.org/

Montclair Every other Wednesday, 6:30 pm onward, Egan & Sons, 118 Walnut St. Hosted by Jon Hershberg, montclair (at) drinkingliberally.org

Morristown, Third Thursday of each month (next meeting April 20), 7:00 pm onward; The Famished Frog, 18 Washington St. Hosted by Jim Long, Tracy Kurland, Rob Gregory and Dave Cochran, morristown (at) drinkingliberally.org

Toms River, New Jersey
* First Tuesday of each month (next meeting October 3), 8:00 pm onward
* Joshua Huddy Brew Pub, 1250 Hooper Ave (across from Ocean County Mall) (map)
* Hosted by Robin Kinlin and Ian Valentine, tomsriver (at) drinkingliberally.org


Click here to go back to THOUGHTS section and Table of Contents for this issue.