Progressive Democrat Issue 198

It's been a good week. Obama has already begun reversing the horrible policies of the Bush Administration. Obama has set in motion the process of closing Guantanamo. Obama has reversed the Global Gag rule. And he has rejected torture. Not bad for his first few days in office.

There is one song that more than any represents the people's America, the America of the working class and middle class. The unofficial anthem of the United States has echoed through the decades. On Sunday, January 18th, 2009, that song was sung in Washington, DC, to usher in a new era. This Land is Your Land:

This Land Is Your Land

This land is your land This land is my land
From California to the New York island;
From the red wood forest to the Gulf Stream waters
This land was made for you and Me.

As I was walking that ribbon of highway,
I saw above me that endless skyway:
I saw below me that golden valley:
This land was made for you and me.

I've roamed and rambled and I followed my footsteps
To the sparkling sands of her diamond deserts;
And all around me a voice was sounding:
This land was made for you and me.

When the sun came shining, and I was strolling,
And the wheat fields waving and the dust clouds rolling,
As the fog was lifting a voice was chanting:
This land was made for you and me.

As I went walking I saw a sign there
And on the sign it said "No Trespassing."
But on the other side it didn't say nothing,
That side was made for you and me.

In the shadow of the steeple I saw my people,
By the relief office I seen my people;
As they stood there hungry, I stood there asking
Is this land made for you and me?

Nobody living can ever stop me,
As I go walking that freedom highway;
Nobody living can ever make me turn back
This land was made for you and me.

As I have done before back when Obama was heading for victory in the election, I want to present this anthem of the American Dream through the decades.

Woody Guthrie (original):



Bruce Springsteen (my generation):



Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings: (this generation)



Here is this week's newsletter:

TABLE OF CONTENTS:

Once Again, Nuclear is NOT the Solution

Ending the Global Gag Rule

American Conservatives and Japanese Ultra-Nationalists: A Tangled Web of Corruption

Change NYC

NEW YORK

Orange County, CA Focus

San Diego, CA focus

CALIFORNIA

Veterans for Peace, Atlanta, GA

GEORGIA

NEW JERSEY

Virginia Organizing Project

VIRGINIA

TEXAS

FLORIDA

Black Mesa, AZ Focus

ARIZONA

PENNSYLVANIA

COLORADO

WASHINGTON STATE

NORTH CAROLINA

ILLINOIS

IOWA

WISCONSIN

NEVADA

Once Again, Nuclear is NOT the Solution

Sometime back I wrote a piece on the reasons why nuclear energy is not a very good solution to our energy woes, though I do include the fact that keeping existing nuke plants going makes some sense.

Oil and coal industries are doing their best to deny global warming altogether. The nuke inudstry is taking another approach. They are embracing global warming completely...and claiming that ONLY nuclear power can save us. I was open to this, but skeptical, particularly since their claims tended to be way overblown. And, as I outlined in the article linked to above, nuke plants cannot even begin to be part of the solution, beyond what we already have, for another 5-10 or MORE years because that is how long it takes to build a new plant. We need faster solutions.

But now a new report has come out that shows that nuclear energy is just plain too expensive to be a vaible option. Again, existing plants are probably needed, but new plants just aren't worth it. I suggested that in the article above, and was slammed for it. But seems I was indeed right:

Generation costs/kWh for new nuclear (including fuel & O&M but not distribution to customers) are likely to be from 25 - 30 cents/kWh. This high cost may destroy the very demand the plant was built to serve. High electric rates may seriously impact utility customers and make nuclear utilities' service areas noncompetitive with other regions of the U.S. which are developing lower-cost electricity.

By comparison, here are estimates on other energy options:


Energy Efficiency:

This is the number one way we can lower our carbon footprints in a very affordable way.

Energy efficiency is the cheapest alternative. California has cut annual peak demand by 12 gw -- and total demand by about 40,000 gwh -- through a variety of energy efficiency programs over the past three decades. Over their lifetime, the cost of efficiency programs has averaged 2-3 cents per kw. If every American had the per capita electricity of California, we'd cut electricity use some 40 percent.

WIND:

Power purchase agreements for wind power are currently averaging 4.5 to 7.5 cents a kilowatt hour, including the federal wind tax credit, which is a fair comparison in the near term to new nuclear, which itself gets huge subsidies, loan guarantees, and liability protection (this does not include transmission costs). Even unsubsidized, and with the recent price rise that most power sources have seen, wind power is delivering power at 7.5 to 10. The country has thousands of gigawatts that could be delivered for under ten cents unsubsidized. Just 300 gw by 2030 would provide 20 percent of U.S. electricity. The world added 20 gw last year alone, with over 5 gw in this country.

Concentrated Solar Power:

Utilities in the Southwest are already contracting for power at 14 to 15 cents/kwh. The modeling for the CPUC puts California solar thermal at 12.7 to 13.6 cents/kwh (including six hours of storage capacity) -- and at similar or lower costs in the rest of the West.

Not sure why biofuels (methane generation from waste, biodiesel, etc.) aren't included in that list, buy in areas where waste is a big problem (e.g. large landfills, agricultural areas with large dairy or pig farms...those who have read Al Franken's disturbing description of pig shit geysers knows what I am talking about) converting the waste into useable methane is a good energy option with a smaller carbon footprint than oil and coal. And it helps with the waste problem.

Added together, efficiency, wind, solar, biofuels, geothermal and limited nuke plants are likely the way to go. Of them all, it seems nuke plants are among the most expensive.

I am sure the nuclear industry will claim the study isn't good, but what I am hearing is that it is a very good study. And it is just the latest in a whole list of problems with nuclear energy...and they still dismiss the waste issue as inconsequential, yet I recently heard a report that we are running out of safe space for nuclear waste (and I mean from nuke plants) so they are being stored in TEMPORARY, above ground tanks. I am sure those tanks are safe in the short term. But the fact that we have to use them indicates to me waste is and will continue to be a problem. Cost...large need for relying on taxpayer money (similar to if not more than wind and solar, mind you, if you include waste issues)...waste...security dangers...long time to completion of a plant...all add up to something that might be a PART of the solution, but sure looks like a piss poor thing to rely on for all our energy needs.

End the Global Gag Rule!

I was going to publicize an effort by Engender Health to lobby Obama to overturn the global gag rule. But before I could do so, Obama overturned the global gag rule. So I am just going to take this opportunity to say: isn't it great to have a President who actually gets things done? And here is a note from Planned Parenthood thanking Obama:

I had no doubt it was going to happen, but I'm going to celebrate anyway. As one of his first official acts in office, President Obama has overturned the global gag rule. Join me in sending him our thanks today.

By overturning the global gag rule, President Obama has taken a tremendous first step toward promoting women's health around the world. Overseas health care providers will now be able to offer counseling, referrals, and services for the full range of reproductive health options to women without fear that the U.S. government will strip them of their funding.

I'm sending our new president a message of thanks on behalf of these providers, the women they serve, and those of us here in the U.S. who have been protesting the global gag rule since the day President Ronald Reagan first implemented it. Click here to add your name to our thank-you note.

I'm so glad President Obama made overturning the global gag rule a priority — and it's not just because Planned Parenthood and dedicated supporters like you have done so much to speak out against it. The fact is, the global gag rule was a threat to the health of millions of women.

Clinics have closed, contraceptive supplies have dwindled, and women were left without basic and critical health care services. As a result, there were more unwanted pregnancies and more unsafe abortions. Today, one woman dies every minute of every day due to pregnancy related causes, including unsafe abortion, and over 200 million women in developing countries who wish to delay or end childbearing lack access to modern contraceptives. Those are the women President Obama stood up for today.

It's been a long eight years, and we have a lot more work to do to roll back President Bush's awful legacy on women's health. The fight for access to reproductive health care and rights is an uphill one, and there is serious work to be done to rectify nearly a decade of bad policies, not just in the U.S. but around the world. In the short term, we can keep moving in the right direction by restoring funding for UNFPA, the United Nations Population Fund; removing abstinence-only requirements in HIV/AIDS funding; and increasing foreign assistance for reproductive health, including $1 billion for family planning.

Trust me, we're not going to let up, we're not going to stop working to protect and promote women's health. For almost four decades Planned Parenthood has been working to expand access to health care for women in developing countries worldwide. Part of that work is being vocal in our support for policies that expand access to comprehensive reproductive health care. So today, let's take a moment to recognize this first, important step forward.

Thank you, as always, and keep an eye out for upcoming actions you can take to help us win these battles for women around the world.

Obama hit the ground running and I am already liking what he is doing.

American Republicans and Japan's Ultra-Nationalists: Tangled Web of Corruption

I have always been a fan of Japan. I have been there four times, including on my honeymoon. I even had the pleasure of living for a year in Kyoto working at Kyoto University. It is, in many ways, a wonderful place and I do hope to go back when time and money permit. I even am teaching my son what little Japanese language I still remember.

But there are always strange undercurrents in Japan. Korean and Chinese friends of mine cannot understand why I ever would visit Japan. They have an anger towards Japan that Americans have a hard time understanding. The presence of the yakuza (Japanese mafia) in Japan is omnipresent, once you are aware of it, which seems strange for an otherwise so law abiding nation. When World War II comes up in conversation, many Japanese still think Japan was justified in its imperialism and that America should apologize for the nuclear bombings and for the occupation. It is a constant source of scandal that Japanese leaders frequently downplay and misrepresent Japanese imperialism in Asia. I was amazed at how unresolved WW II seems in Japan and in Asia.

I just finished a book called Yamato Dynasty, by Sterling and Peggy Seagrave, that clarifies these strange undercurrents and actually makes one wonder if, despite America's military victory, Japan actually won the war in the long term. A collaboration of Japanese ultra-nationalists, many of whom were actual war criminals, and America's right wing Republicans, led by Herbert Hoover and Douglas MacArthur, pretty much conspired to allow Japan to avoid the kind of defeat that Germany suffered where apologies, reparations and structural changes within the German society were required. Japan was let off the hook, allowing war criminals and war loot to dominate Japanese politics and economics from the end of the war to the present, in exchange for sweet business deals for American big business and banks.

In Yamato Dynasty the Seagraves outline a unique kind of society that developed from the earliest period of Japanese history wherein the Imperial throne was a powerless pawn while wealthy families, from the Soga and Fujiwara, through the Shogunates, to modern Japan run by ultra-nationalists, called all the shots and pretty much looted the country for their own benefit. Or perhaps this system is not so unique because I can find parallels in Chinese history, Roman history, Russian history, and, for that matter, in our current Bush-led America where the government became nothing but a thin veil for looting the American and Iraqi economy by companies like Exxon/Mobil,Halliburton, etc.

Japan's history is a sordid structure behind a beautiful and very deliberate facade. Yamato Dynasty traces this history from the so-called Meji Restoration (which the book shows to be little more than a change from one set of strongmen, the Tokugawa Shogunate, to a new set, the rival Choshu and Satsuma strongmen) through the period of Japanese imperialism, led by ultra-nationalists and corrupt underworld figures, to the present day. During the rise of Japanese imperialism, and even on the verge of Pearl Harbor, Japanese militarism was funded by American conservative businessmen, particularly the Morgan banking family. After the war, while victims of Japanese brutality got little or no compensation, Morgan bank and other American companies got their pre-war loans (which paid for Japanese aggression) back largely in full.

Morgan bank began their loans in collaboration with Herbert Hoover, when he was Secretary of Commerce. Hoover and Morgan bank saw Japan as free of corruption, yet this was a complete misunderstanding of Japanese society. In fact, the Japanese elite basically fooled them. It is put this way by a Dutch born expert on Japanese politics:

"Corruption in Japan," says Karel van Wolferen, "is legitimized by its systematic perpetuation. It is so highly organized and has become so much a part of the extra-lefal ways of the Japanese system that most citizens or foreign residents do not recognize it for what it is, but accept it as 'a part of the system.'"

Interestingly, much of the partnership between American conservatives and business interests and imperialist Japan's oligarchs and business interests occurred during a time when Japan was already preparing for war with the West, America and Britain included. Notes from aides to Hirohito reveal as early as 1931 a belief that their aggression would lead to war with the West and Japan was preparing for this future war...with funding from the Morgan bank and unwitting help from American conservatives. What is perhaps even more shocking, is that even as late as 1937, as Nazi Germany and Imperialist Japan were in full swing, Herbert Hoover and conservaitve Republicans, planning a MacArthur/Lindbergh ticket for President, favored an alliance with Nazi Germany and Imperialist Japan. Another member of this conservative, pro-fascist coalition, was British Conservative politician Neville Chamberlain. Meanwhile FDR was in favor of economic sanctions against the fascist regime of Japan after it started its China War, but he was blocked by the Morgan bank, the pro-Japan Wall Street lobby, and their allies in Congress. Remember, this was on the eve of the Rape of Nanking in December 1937. This world would be a lot different if the pro-fascist Republicans, in alliance with Neville Chamberlain, had brought Britain and America into the Japan/Germany Axis. Thankfully, the FDR Democrats prevailed and we joined more reasonable Brits in opposing Nazi Germany and Imperial Japan.

Networks of kinship, bribes and backroom deals linked (and still link) Japan's politicians, imperial family, bureaucracy, business elite, and yakuza. This sordid system continued after World War II with little genuine reform, merely some careful repainting of the facade. While Democrats in Truman's government sought genuine change in Japan after the war, Herbert Hoover, Douglas MacArthur, and other Republicans sought to shield war criminals, hide war loot and allow Japan to keep its sordid system with minimal structural changes. The result is that while Germany has moved on from World War II and is no longer hated by the neighbors it vicitimized, in Asia the ghosts of WW II are still very fresh and Japan remains despised by the nations it victimized. The Seagraves put it this way:

Liberal Washington policy makers, particularly New Deal Democrats, wanted to alter the post war power structure of Japan permanently to make it more democratic. MacArthur was a reactionary conservative...He and his inner circle of advisors, including Herbert Hoover, concluded that his success in occupied Japan would depend upon manipulating Hirohito...he would induce Hirohito to give them inside knowledge of Japan's financial cliques and other vital power relationships, so that key people could be put under pressure, deals could be made and Japan's postwar power structures could be rearranged to suit MacArthur's conservative political backers rather than American liberals.

...we will unfold new evidence of the massive fraud that ensued, who was involved, and how major witnesses including General Tojo himself were suborned by MacArthur's staff and forced to falsify their testimony and perjure themselves before the international war crimes tribunal. At least one general was hanged for a crime at which he was not even present, forced to take the fall to protect Hirohit's uncle Prince Asaka, the butcher of Nanking, who escaped punishment of any kind...

This led first to the exoneration of the whole imperial family, then to that of the entire financial and industrial elite of Japan (a group that had been the Allies' explicit target for purge and prosecution)...While Germany paid some [30 billion pounds] in compensation and reparations over the years, Japan paid only [2 billion pounds]. Even today, Germany continues this program of compensation and reparations, but Japan dug in its heels and said it was all settled in 1951.

Does this sound like the behavior of a defeated foe? MacArthur, out of some combination of incompetance, conservative ideology, and greed, pretty much let Japan dictate its own postwar fate while Germany was forced, rightly I'd say, to reform significantly, accept full responsibility for its actions, punish all those who participated in atrocities, and pay extensive reparations. Douglas MacArthur and the conservative Republicans allowed Japan to evade reform even to the present time, allowed many war criminals to escape punishment or even responsibility, and paid only token reparations while even keeping most of the war loot it stole from Asia. Beyond this, MacArthur actively abetted the cover up of the wealth of the Imperial family and ruling elite, allowing them to hide money while feigning poverty. This directly affected the decision to let Japan get away with paying almost no reparations. Japan escaped not only with limited reparations, but kept the loot they stole.

That loot amounted to many billions of dollars worth of gold and other precious materials looted from all over Asia and hidden in a project, codenamed "Golden Lily," which was actively supervised by the Imperial family itself. Golden Lily hid treasure in the Philipines as a stopping point on the way to Japan. Some of the loot made it to Japan, some remained in the Phillipines by the time Japan surrendered. Ships and hidden tunnels containing some of this loot have been discovered. One discovery was made by Phillipines Dictator Ferdinand Marcos, whose greed led him to almost kill an American mining engineer, Robert Curtis, to silence him. Curtis only escaped by hiding the maps to other war loot sites, thus making it necessary for Marcos to keep him alive. Remember that Marcos was another ally of American conservatives until the Phillipine people themselves rejected his brutal corruption.

The Seagraves consider the loot that did make it to Japan as the real reason for the amazing recovery of the Japanese economy after WW II. Simply put, their economy and infrastructure may have been in a shambles, but gold and money looted from all over Asia during the war paid for Japan's recovery afterwards. More bluntly put, the victims of Japan's aggression paid for Japan to recover full prosperity. This is in sharp contrast to how Germany was treated:

Although there have been many investigations of Nazi war loot, there has never been a formal investigation of the looting of Asia by the Japanese, nor has Japan ever been forced to account for the plunder. The amounts involved dwarf the Nazi looting many times over.

More recently, in the 1970's, the John Birch Society (part of the right wing extremist end of the Republican Party) lent nearly half a million dollars to an American treasure-hunter to recover and lauder Japanese war loot hidden in the Phillipines. As the Seagraves put it:

The [John Birch] society seemed to believe that it was perfectly correct to break Americans laws regarding the illegal laundering of money...

Greed, on the part of the Japanese army and politicians, of Ferdinand Marcos, and of the John Birch society, has surrounded this war loot. But in the end it must be remembered this was looted from real people, victims of Japanese aggression in nations all over Asia whose economies suffered because of this aggression and looting. America did nothing to try and restore this loot to its rightful owners. I suspect that the poverty and social disruption caused by Japanese aggression and looting are part of the reason that communism spread so widely in Asia. American conservatives unwittingly helped the very communists they claimed to oppose by basically sacrificing the economies of most of Asia for the benefit of Japanese recovery. Could the Korean and Vietnam wars been avoided if Asia as a whole had bene rebuilt with the loot Japan had stolen?

Beyond allowing Japan to keep its war loot, the American conservatives conspired to allow many Japanese war criminals off the hook. Perhaps most disgusting was the conspiracy to let Imperial Prince Asaka off the hook for the Rape of Nanking. Prince Asaka, with the words "We will teach our Chinese brothers a lesson they will never forget," and with the orders, "Kill all captives," was directly responsible for the atrocities in Nanking. Yet in the trials after Japan's military defeat, Prince Asaka was absolved of all responsibility. Instead, General Matsui, who had done all he could to restrain the Japanese forces before Prince Asaka took control, was coerceed into claiming responsibility and was hanged. Prince Asaka, who ordered the atrocities, got off with no consequences. General Matsui, who had tried to prevent the atrocities, was hanged. THIS was the kind of injustice that Douglas MacArthur perpetrated in order to preserve the Imperial family and the ultra-nationalist Japanese politicians. Similarly, atrocities committed by Japan's bioweapons unit, Unit 731, tied to Imperial Princes like Takeda and Higashikuni, were covered up by direct order from MacArthur and no one was ever prosecuted for this biological weapons program. MacArthur even went so far as to force many American POWs, who had witnessed many of Japan's atrocities, to sign documents that forbade them from speaking of these atrocities. General Bonner Fellers, a close ally of Hoover and MacArthur's and on MacArthur's staff, ordered Japanese Admiral Yonai to tamper with Tojo as a witness so as to absolve Hirohito from all responsibility for the war. Herbert Hoover himself lobbied defense attorneys to prevent their clients from implicating Hirohoto. Only seven Japanese war criminals were hanged. Sixteen were sentenced to life imprisonment, though were then paroled in 1955, only 10 years after the end of the war. The vast majority were let off. Imagine if we had let Nazi Germany off so lightly and allowed most of the the Nazi party big wigs to return to power after only brief imprisonment.

These accusations are not unique to the Seagraves, though they bring new information and a detailed historical context to the accusations. Other sources for this can be found here.

It should also be noted that not all Republicans were part of this. Eisenhower detested MacArthur and MacArthur found it necessary even to lie to Genearl Eisenhower in 1946 in order to carry out his aid to Japanese war criminals.

Even today the ultra-nationalists hold power through threats, bribes and intimidation. When I lived there, my Japanese friends told me about how Japanese journalists would always tread carefully when discussing the imperial family, the yakuza or WW II because right wing thugs would take revenge on any coverage they disliked. A particularly brutal example of the ultra-nationalist power by violence was the assassination of the Nagasaki mayor, Motoshima Hitoshi, in 1990 because he had the audacity to say (truthfully!) that Emperor Hirohito bore some responsibility for WW II. This atmosphere is a direct result of the failure of MacArthur and his conservative allies to reform Japan's system the way Germany's system was reformed:

The emphasis was not on reform but on continuity. During seven years of occupation, 1945-1952, the same Japanese ruling elite that had run the country since the Meiji Restoration was expected to purge itself, slap itself on the wrist and democratize itself...Before the ashes of Hiroshima and Nagasaki were cold, men opposed to reform of any kind regained control in Tokyo and resumed their former monopoly if wealth and power.

This can be seen in who became the leaders and financial backers of Japan's notoriously corrupt and reactionary Liberal Democratic Party (the LDP, which, as is frequently commented upon, is not liberal, not democratic and not really a party) in post-occupation Japan. Among the leaders of the LDP was Hatoyama Ichiro, who was Education Minister in 1928, advocated beheading opposition, opposed trial by jury, and was one of the organizers of the official deification of the Emperor that helped the dictatorship take hold. Then there was Kodama Yoshio, one of the most infamous yakuza thugs, who worked during WW II with the Japanese army to transport war loot from all over Asia. And Kishi Nobusuke was a member of the Choshu elite that had led the imperialist era, and he led the corrupt alliance between oligarchs and the military and made huge profits from the Japanese occupation of Manchuria and the looting of Asia. He was also a close friend of Tojo, whose success he helped fund. Fascist Hatoyama teamed up with yakuza godfather Kodama and war looter and Tojo backer Kishi to found the LDP. And the LDP, despite frequent sacandals, still dominates Japanese politics. Another link in this chain is the Tsutsumi family and the Seibu Corporation they run. Also war profiteers during the war, they helped hide the wealth of the Imperial family after the war and went on to be among the richest people in the world. They are also among the biggest financial donors to the LDP. The Tsutsumi family was caught up in a financial scandal in 2005, but it is likely that they will weather this in the same way Japanese politicians and businessmen weather all such scandals. If you have ever watched Japanese television you see it all the time. The tearful confession before the media, the slap on the wrist in the form of small fines and brief, often suspended, prison terms, and either a return to power or a comfortable retirement.

The lack of reform in Japanese history has another side, though: economic instability. The Japanese economy is seen as one of the stronger ones, but its underlying corruption is a drain that has repeatedly caused the collapse of a bubble economy. The following description of a Japanese bubble economy in the 1920's could be describing the Japanese bubble economy of the 1980's...or now (and, by the way, has some resemblance to the Bush economy in America in my opinion):

Two years before the Wall Street Crash in 1929, panic hit Tokyo. The Japanese banking crisis of 1927, just like the Japanese banking crisis of the late 1990's, had everything to do with systematic corruption and sweetheart deals. Vast sums of money were lent by Japan's biggest banks to business concerns run by the same men or their relatives and friends. Other powerful families did the same thing, creating a false impression of prosperity. The banks did not secure these loans, because in sweetheart deals it would be embarrassing to insist on security. The banks then failed to audit their own conduct. With so much easy money and no supervision, businesses expanded recklessly. As years passed without any payment of interest on the loans, the banks suffered a liquidity crisis and began to hemorrhage. To stop the collapse of the banks in 1927, the government forked over 2 billion yen in emergency loans, but only to ease the pain of the privileged people who had caused the problem...(Seventy years later, Japan's banking fundamentals remain largely unchanged).

What strikes me about this corrupt system is that far from resembling healthy economies, Japan's traditionally corrupt system more resembles the economy of a third world nation. It manages to take this third world style system to occasional levels of great success. Yet that success is often unstable because the underlying system remains basically unsound, thus cycles of bubbles and collapse have plagued Japan since it began its rapid industrial and economic development in the early 1900's. I have invested in Japanese stocks in the past because of the apparent strength of their economy. But I have since stopped investing in Japan because I recognize that as long as they maintain this kind of underlying third world style corruption, they will not have a stable economy but rather one wherein prosperity will always be something of a bubble waiting to collapse. Investors should not view Japan's economy as equivalent to a developed economy despite the superficial resemblance. They are subject to the more wild swings of a developing economy rather than the usually more reliable steady growth of a developed economy. Investment in Japan is inherantly risky because of their sordid political system that invariably protects corrupt oligarchs.

I still love Japanese culture, at least at its best. I even feel some respect for institution (at least in theory) of the Japanese emperor. I feel that cultural identity in the era of globalization can bee considerably boosted by institutions like the British monarchy and the Japanese Emperor. I even feel that Nepal, despite their consderable need for reform, may have made a mistake in completely abolishing their monarchy. In doing so it risks losing something of its unique identity. Similarly I don't believe it is in the best interests of Japan to completely abolish their Emperor. He remains a powerful part of their identity. But as I finished Yamato Dynasty I was reminded of a very striking scene when I was traveling in Japan. I was in Hiroshima, reading a brief history of Japan while sitting right below the famous "A-bomb dome." I was reading about the rise of Japanese imperialism with brutal militarists running the government and victimizing conquered nations. While I was reading this beneath the symbol of the nuclear destruction that ended WW II, I noticed a bus with political slogans on it circling the area blaring a political speech. It was a right wing political party and their slogans and stands aren't really different from those militarists that brought Japan into WW II, victimized Asia, and bombed Pearl Harbor. I knew even then that in some ways nothing had changed in Japan despite defeat and nuclear attack. Reading Yamato Dynasty I understand why. Japan has a concept of "winning by losing." It seems in many ways they won WW II despite our military victory. I will end with one more quote from the book regarding what Japan got away with:

A Japanese scholar put it in the form of a zen parable, or koan: "If a robbe steals $100 billion and successfully hides the money before he is captured and jailed, and then is released after seven years for 'good behavior,' did he fail or did he succeed?

Change NYC

I want to highlight this effort for awhile. From ChangeNYC.org:

ChangeNYC.Org is an organization unifying our City’s Democratic Party by welcoming all New Yorkers back into the political process. We are a coalition of real, everyday New Yorkers – young voters, progressives, neighborhood leaders, community bloggers, good government groups, and even conservatives – who believe that in cooperation we can bring the change to our City that together we have begun to bring to our nation.

In the spirit of the Obama campaign, we are revitalizing democracy from the grassroots on up in all five boroughs. Led by your voice and your priorities, and funded exclusively by your financial support, we are connecting, organizing, educating, and empowering ordinary citizens to create the Democratic Party our members think will best stand for their principles.

You can check out their Plan to Change NYC here (PDF)

They have a round up of news stories of interest to reform minded New Yorkers here.

They also have a slate of candidates which overlaps with my own list, but not 100%. We agree on the following:

Yetta Kurland: 3rd Council District (Manhattan)

Daniel Dromm: 25th Council District (Queens) (also being considered by WFP??)

Marquez Claxton: 31st Council District (Queens) (also being considered by WFP??)

Jo Anne Simon: 33rd Council District (Brooklyn)

And, interestingly, they are considering 2 candidates that I am looking into, but haven't decided on:

Saquan Jones: 36th Council District (Brooklyn)

Terry Hinds: 45th Council District (Brooklyn)

(for the 45th I am also considering Rodrick Daley, who also seems to be under consideration by WFP)

NEW YORK FOCUS: Blogs, Progressive Candidates, Peace Vigils, Groups and Events

DARWIN DAY 2009 EVENTS: Feb. 12, 2009 (not all events on the same day)

Darwin's 200th birthday, to be celebrated by the GLOBAL community as a toast to the common good of all humanity. We will all want to develop events to Celebrate Darwin, Science and Humanity and come together as one human family in appreciation of verifiable knowledge that has been acquired solely through human curiosity and ingenuity. Scientific knowledge has been of great value to all of us.

150 Years Since Darwin: What Next?
Date and Time: 2009-11-05 15:00:00
Address:
Stony Brook University
Stony Brook/NY 11776, UNITED STATES

Event Website: http://life.bio.sunysb.edu/ee/

Activities:
One day of outreach at the American Museum of Natural History, three days of technical talks and discussion at Stony Brook University.

Sponsor: Department of Ecology & Evolution, SBU

Contact: Massimo Pigliucci
Email: massimo.pigliucci_at_gmail.com
Phone: 631-632-1097

Darwin Day at Stony Brook University

Date and Time: 2009-02-13 10:00:00
Address:
Students Activities Center
Stony Brook University West Campus
Stony Brook/NY 11794, UNITED STATES

Event Website: http://www.darwinsbu.org/

Activities:
Exhibits, videos, discussions and a keynote address by Yale University's Steve Stearns.

Sponsor: Department of Ecology & Evolution

Contact: Massimo Pigliucci
Email: massimo.pigliucci@stonybrook.edu
Phone: 631-632-1097

Darwin's Reach: Celebrating Darwin's Legacy Across Disciplines
Date and Time: 2009-03-12 20:30:00
Address:
Hofstra University
Hempstead/NY , UNITED STATES

Activities:
Interdisciplinary conference on the life and legacy of Chas. Darwin. Topics to include: Darwin as a Scientist; Reception of Darwinian Evolution in the 19th Century; Darwinian Evolution in the 21st Century; Evolution in the Courts; Evolution and Religion; Evolution and Morality; Evolution and Sex/Gender; Evolution and Medicine; Evolution and Language; Evolution and Global Climate Change
Also special sessions on evolution education (for K-12 teachers), cultural events (music, theater), keynote speakers.

Sponsor: Hofstra University

Contact: Daniel Rubey
Email: Daniel.R.Rubey_at_hofstra.edu

Darwin Day Family Festival NY Metro Area Ethical Culture Societies
Date and Time: 2009-02-07 14:00:00
Address:
New York Metro Area Ethical Culture Societies
2 West 64th Street

Event Website: http://aeu.org

Activities:
speakers, intergenerational activities and FOOD!!

Sponsor: New York Metro Area Ethical Culture Societies

Contact: Sharon Stanley
Email: lihumanist_at_gmail.com
New York/NY, UNITED STATES

Darwin's Birthday Celebration
Date and Time: 2009-01-25 11:00:00
Address:
38 Old Country Road
Garden City/NY 11530, UNITED STATES

Activities:
The Ethical Humanist Society of Long Island is hosting an intergenerational event in honor of Darwin's 200th birthday. There will be refreshments and activities for adults and children of all ages.

Sponsor: The Ethical Humanist Society of Long Island

Contact: Sharon Stanley
Email: lihumanist_at_gmail.com
Phone: 516-741-7304

A Day for Darwin
Date and Time: 2009-02-13 09:00:00
Address:
Lefrak Concert Hall
65-30 Kissena Blvd.
Flushing /NY 11367, UNITED STATES

Event Website: http://dennehylab.bio.qc.cuny.edu/dd.html

Activities:
Celebrating the 150th Anniversary of the Origin of Species and the 200th Birthday of the Man with a Dangerous Idea

Symposium and Panel Discussion
at the Lefrak Concert Hall
Queens College

Confirmed Speakers
Susan Foster (Clark University)
Jeffrey Schwartz (University of Pittsburgh)
Paul Turner (Yale University)
Patricia Wittkopp (University of Michigan)

Dedication of Colgate's "Darwin Thinking Path"
Date and Time: 2009-02-12 16:00:00
Address:
Colgate University
13 Oak Drive
Hamilton/NY 13346, UNITED STATES

Activities:
Colgate University in Hamilton, NY, will be dedicating one of its cross-country running & ski trails as a "Darwin Thinking Path" - similar to the sand-walk Darwin strolled daily - so that students, faculty, and the general public can contemplate many exciting or imponderable problems.

Sponsor: Department of Geology

Contact: Dr. Constance M. Soja
Email: csoja_at_mail.colgate.edu
Phone: 315.228.7200

State University of New York at New Paltz Darwin Week
Date and Time: 2009-02-09 17:30:00
Address:
State University of New York at New Paltz
CSB Auditorium

Event Website: http://www.newpaltz.edu/evos

Activities:
Public lecture by Gordon Gallup (University of Albany)

"The Science of Sex Appeal: An Evolutionary Perspective"

Sponsor: Evolutionary Studies Program

Contact: Glenn Geher
Email: geherg_at_newpaltz.edu
New Paltz/NY 12561, UNITED STATES


Here are some articles worth reading:

NYC Crime: Up or Down?

Long time Republican State Senator Joseph L. Bruno indicted for corruption! This has been brewing for SO LONG! Republican corruption continues to come to light. More here.

Senator Gillibrand...which may lead to a tough race to hold Gillibrand's Congressional seat! I think we can hold it and I think Paterson has thought about this. But we shall see!

The Miracle On The Hudson Was Brought To You By America's Unions

Brennan Center Memo to Senate Dems

Another reason to pass "Clean Elections" in NYC

Bloggers Get to be Treated Like Journalists

Christine Quinn: Pettiness Personified

Thoughts on NYC City Council Races for 2009

"45 x 2015" - NY State's Renewables Push

The Latest Poll Results On The Term Limits Extension Issue Is Now Available

City Island fire prompts protest of planned FDNY ladder closing: Why does Bloomberg hate New York firefighters?...and on a related issue: Norm Siegel Opposes Closing of Firehouses at Staten Island Rally

From True News from ChangeNYC: Preview of Three Special Elections:

Borough Voters SI - District 49 (McMahon elected to the U. S. Congress) North Shore City Council Race Special Update

City Hall News - District 21 (Monserrate elected to the State Senate) Two Young Latino Activists Already Trading Barbs

Queens Chronicle - 32 District (Addabbo elected to the State Senate) Three Local Leaders Prepare for Coming Special Election

NEW YORK BLOGGING:

The Albany Project gives excellent coverage of New York State politics.

The Daily Gotham covers both New York City (with a slight emphasis on Brooklyn) and New York State politics.

Reform NY is the blog of the Brennan Center for Justice at NYU School of Law

No Land Grab: News from the point of view of Brooklyn opposition to overdevelopment

On NY Turf is run by someone I know. Long overdue that I add his blog here. Contains political info, good map resources for NYC and discussions of development issues.

True News from ChangeNYC.Org: ChangeNYC.Org is an organization unifying our City’s Democratic Party by welcoming all New Yorkers back into the political process. We are a coalition of real, everyday New Yorkers – young voters, progressives, neighborhood leaders, community bloggers, good government groups, and even conservatives – who believe that in cooperation we can bring the change to our City that together we have begun to bring to our nation.


Let me highlight some excellent candidates running in New York in 2009:

Norm Siegel for Public Advocate
For those of you who live in NYC, let me introduce you to Norman Siegel, one of America's top Civil Rights Lawyers, is running for New York Public Advocate.

Here's a link to Norm Siegel on NY1.

And here is Youtube footage of Norm Siegel and the NYC Coalition To Preserve Term Limits Press Conference:




Josh Skaller for City Council. Josh is a good friend of ours, a solid progressive, and about as honest as you can get. Here is Josh's statement on his campaign website:

I love Brooklyn—our neighborhoods and our people, the incredible warmth I feel walking around our vibrant and diverse communities. Like you, I know that Brooklyn is a terrific place to live and raise our families. But everywhere we look these days, the things that make our borough great are under assault. Developers and out of touch politicians seem determined to transform our community into an endless series of high-rise condos and strip malls. I believe that unchecked development threatens the beauty and integrity of our neighborhoods, overtaxes public services, and places an incalculable burden on our fragile ecology. I’m willing to stand up to the developers, and I hope you’ll stand with me.

As President of Central Brooklyn Independent Democrats (CBID) for the past two years, and as an executive member of Democracy for New York City, I've had the honor and pleasure of working with fellow concerned citizens to help change Brooklyn for the better: Local government that doesn't fear its constituents, but embraces them. A political ecosystem that nourishes and amplifies our core values rather than suppresses them. Transparency, honesty, community empowerment, and more than just lip service for the progressive values our neighborhoods share. I will continue to work on behalf of schools and teachers for our children, an environmental policy brave enough to protect the planet for future generations, and I will stand strong and defend our neighborhoods from the out of control, out of context development that seems to be everywhere, and advocate for smart growth and community based planning.

I look forward to bringing the enthusiasm I've shared with so many of you to city council.

Marquez Claxton for City Council: A former NYC Police Officer and co-founder of 100 Blacks in Law Enforcement Who Care, Marq Claxton is running for the City Council District 31 seat in Queens. He is currently the chair of the Public Safety Committee for Community Board 13. He has been endorsed by Eric Adams (who I know and respect) and is being considered by the Working Families Party as a candidate. Here is Eric Adam's endorsement statement:



Here is Marq Claxton opposing Bloomberg's term limits coup:




Daniel Dromm for City Council: a public school teacher running for the City Council District 25 seat in Queens. He was a founder of the Lesbian and Gay Democratic Club of Queens and chapter leader of United Federation of Teachers, PS 199Q. He has been endorsed by the United Federation of Teachers, Mark Green, and others. WFP seem to be considering him as well. Dromm received the "Community Service Impact Award" from the Times Ledger Newspapers (2006), the "Outstanding Teacher of the Year" PS 199Q Principal's Award (2006), and the "Citation of Honor" from the Queens Borough President (1995). Seems like exactly the experience we need on the City Council.


More Races: Here is a Facebook Site highlighting some good primary challenges against those City Council members who voted themselves a pay raise then voted themselves a third term in the council over the vote and objections of the voters. In the future I will be highlighting some of these challengers, though for now electing Norm Siegel and Josh Skaller are my main efforts. I am particularly watching the following people to see if they are running for City Council. If they run, I am likely to support them:

David Galarza, Council District 38 (I hear he IS indeed running!)

Rocky Chin, Council District 1
Rodrick Daley, Council District 45


Here are a handful of Organizations worth checking out:

The Environmental Business Association is the not-for-profit trade association dedicated to supporting the growth of the environmental industry in New York State. Specifically, we help to promote and serve serving the industry sectors of Climate Change, Greening Communities, Energy and WALCE (Water-Agriculture-Land Use-Conservation-Environmental). News here. Events list here (not recently updated).

NY Citizens for Clean Elections: We are committed to passage of Clean Money Clean Election legislation in NYS that provides a non-partisan approach for full public funding of campaigns for all qualified candidates who refuse private money and abide by spending limits. We want to ensure that all Americans, regardless of wealth, have an equal voice in the political system and that qualified candidates are not discouraged from running because they do not have access to the money needed for a competitive campaign.

The Central Brooklyn Independent Democrats is a community-based Democratic club. CBID has fought for reform and progressive causes since 1968. As a Brooklyn-based Club, we have been instrumental in the election of many candidates for public office. Much of this success was a result of our question-and-answer forums with prospective candidates as well as our extensive on-the-street contact with our constituents.

Staunchly opposed to political corruption, we are proud of our independence and our commitment to progressive reform in city, state and national politics. We are a vehicle for citizen empowerment and making government more accountable to our neighborhoods.

We meet monthly, usually the fourth Thursday evening of the month in the basement of the Park Slope United Methodist Church, on the corner of 6th ave and 8th street, at 7:30pm. All are welcome.

New Kings Democrats (”NKD”) is a new, grassroots organization in Kings County (Brooklyn), New York whose primary mission is to recruit and prepare individuals to run for Kings County Democratic Committee. NKD hopes to achieve the goal of an inclusionary and participatory democracy by making it easy for individuals to run for local, elected office. NKD will serve as a training ground for individuals seeking higher office, and hopes to build and nurture a new group of Brooklyn Democratic leaders.

Stonewall Democrats of Western New York is the GLBT Democratic voice in WNY. Our mission is to advocate for the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender (GLBT) community within the Democratic Party and to encourage GLBT participation within the Democratic Party. Our membership includes representatives from State, County, and City government, and several Democratic committee members amongst the various County Committees in WNY.

Drop the Rock: Enacted in 1973, the Rockefeller Drug Laws require lengthy prison terms for the possession or sale of a relatively small amount of drugs. There are over 13,000 people in New York’s prisons incarcerated under the drug laws, most of them minor offenders with no history of violent behavior. It costs New York $500 million a year to imprison drug offenders. 90% of the people locked up in New York for drug offenses are African American or Latino, despite research showing that the majority of people who use and sell drugs are white. Research shows that drug treatment is less expensive than imprisonment and more successful in reducing drug-related crime. Repealing the Rockefeller Drug Laws would save the fiscally strapped state over $220 million per year. Get involved here.


DEMOCRACY FOR AMERICA MEETINGS IN NY STATE:

Capital District of NY/GenDFA

Democracy for the Hudson-Mohawk Region

Democracy for the Hudson Valley

Mid-Hudson Progressive Alliance

dfaROCHESTER

Democracy For Westchester

Democracy for Long Island

Democracy For The Greater Glens Falls Area

North Country Democracy for America

Central New York DFA

Eastern Long Island Democracy for America

Democracy For Saratoga Springs

Kingston Democracy for America

Democracy For The Southern Adirondack/Tricounty Area

Democracy for Otsego and Delaware Counties

Philipstown for Democracy

DFA: Greene County

Livingston County for Democracy


DEMOCRACY FOR NYC MEETINGS:
First Wednesday of every month

Staten Island, Muddy Cup, 388 Van Duzer Street with hosts Al Dykes and Tracey Denton at 7pm

Upper West Side, The Parlour, 250 West 86th(btwn Broadway & West End), with host Merle McEldowney,7pm

West Village, Kettle of Fish, 59 Christopher St. (near 7thAve.) with host Abhishek Mistry, 7pm

Astoria, Queens, at Sanford Diner, 30-13 Broadway, with hosts Costa Constantinides and Jeremiah Frei-Pearson. Note: this Linkup will begin at 7:30.

Sunnyside, Queens, at The Grind, 39-24 Queens Blvd. in the back room, with host Dan Jacoby. Note: this Linkup will begin at 7:30.

Bayside, Queens, The First Edition, 41-08 Bell Blvd, right near the LIRR stop, with host Steve Behar of Democrats for New Politics, 7pm

Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn, Wycoff Bennett Homestead, 1669East 22nd Street, 7pm with host Annette Mont


DRINKING LIBERALLY MEETINGS IN NY STATE:

Clifton Park, New York
* First Wednesday of each month, 7:00 pm onward
* Old Dublin Inn, 130 Meyer Rd (Google maps is wrong, please contact me for directions.)
* Hosted by Chris Selkirk, cliftonpark (at) drinkingliberally.org

Ithaca, New York
* Every Wednesday, 6:30 pm onward
* Felicia's Atomic Lounge, 508 W State St
* Hosted by Joseph Cannon Murtagh, ithaca (at) drinkingliberally.org


New York City, New York:

The Original Drinking Liberally
* Every Thursday, 7:30 pm onward
* Rudy's, 627 9th Ave (between 44th and 45th)
* In the backyard, weather permitting
* Hosted by Justin Krebs, Matthew O'Neill and Katrina Baker, nyc (at) drinkingliberally.org

Drinking Liberally Steps Out
* Third Tuesday of each month, 7:00-9:00 pm
* XES Lounge, 157 W 24th St (@ 7th Avenue)
* In conjunction with the Stonewall Democrats of New York City www.sdnyc.org.
* Hosted by Matthew Carlin and Greg Rae, outnyc (at) drinkingliberally.org

Harlem
* Second Wednesday of each month), 6:30 pm onward
* Soundz Lounge, 3155 Broadway (between 123rd and 124th)
* Hosted by Yolanda (Shoshi) Shoshana, harlem (at) drinkingliberally.org

Park Slope
* Second Wednesday of each month, 7:30-10:00 pm
* Commonwealth, 497 5th Ave (at 12th Street)
* Hosted by Anthony Accurso, Emilie Harkin and Emily Farris, parkslope (at) drinkingliberally.org

Queens
* Fourth Wednesday of each month, 7:30 pm onward
* Bohemian Hall and Beer Garden, 29-19 24th Avenue, Astoria, NY 11102 (group of young liberals taking up one lane)
* Hosted by Donald Graff, queens (at) drinkingliberally.org

Upper East Side
* Last Tuesday of each month, 7:30 pm onward
* Doc Watson's, 1490 2nd Ave (at 77th)
* Hosted by Matthew Bachiochi, ues (at) drinkingliberally.org

West Bronx
* First and third Friday of each month, 7:30 pm onward
* An Beal Bocht, 445 W 238th St (between Waldo and Greystone)
* 1 to 238th, turn left, straight on 238th, just past the top of the stairs
* Hosted by Jamin Sewell and Scott Kennedy, westbronx (at) drinkingliberally.org

Rochester, New York
* Every Thursday, 8:00-10:00 pm
* Monty's Korner, 355 East Ave
* Hosted by Tom Tucker and Tracy Logan, rochester (at) drinkingliberally.org

And then we have: Shooting Liberally
Tuesday, Feb 19
From your friends at Drinking Liberally comes the debut of SHOOTING LIBERALLY...

For the First Amendment enthusiast ready to move on to the Second. A social evening at the gun range including training & weapon rental.

For more info and to reserve your spot, contact: Stanley Sherman - maskarts (at) worldnet.att.net

Orange County, CA Events

I found this amazing round up of events in Orange County, California, thanks to Orange County Democracy for America:

Jan 29 Thursday 3:30pm, Irvine: Race and Equality in America Troy Duster, professor of sociology at New York University and former president of the American Sociological Association. University Club, UC Irvine chancellor.uci.edu/cdfs.shtml

Jan 29 Thursday 3:30-5pm, Irvine: The International Studies Public Forum (ISPF) presents Primed to Hate? Local Political Milieux & Jewish Persecution in Occupied Poland with Jeffrey Kopstein, University of Toronto Social Science Plaza A, Room 1100 www.socsci.uci.edu/newsevents/event.php?eid=1055

Jan 29 (last Thursday) 7:30pm, Irvine: Amnesty International Group 178/Living Ubuntu host a combined meeting featuring Daily Pilot photographer, Photographer Kent Treptow He recently visited Mongolia and photographed Mongolian street children who take cover down under manholes to survive the extreme cold. Come join us as Kent tells us the stories of these children, both haunting and inspiring at the same time. livingubuntu.org/events/2009/city-of-lost-children.php dailypilot.com/special_reports/mongolia
Irvine United Congregational Church (Plumer Hall) , 4915 Alton Parkway, Irvine, California 92604 map here aiusaoc.org/irvine/group_info/meeting.html

Jan 28 Wednesday 6:30pm, Fountain Valley: Democratic Cub of West Orange County presents Dr. Andy Winnick, President of The American Institute for Progressive Democracy. Dr. Winnick will be discussing how to secure universal health coverage for all Californians. Fountain Valley Senior Center?2nd Floor, 17967 Bushard. For additional information: dcwoc.org

Jan 31 Saturday 9:30am-noon, Orange: "Teach-In" on the Housing Crisis in Orange County Gathering and Refreshments: 9:30 a.m. Program: 10:00 a.m. - 12:00 noon
Learn about the issues Receive resource information Get tips about refinancing Learn how renters can avoid displacement Find out the extent of the crisis in Orange County Get insights on the outlook for the future
Diocese of Orange Marywood Center, Dining Hall, 3811 East Villa Real Drive, Orange, CA 92867,
For more information, contact Roxanna Payton at 714-282-3105 rpayton@rcbo.org

Jan 31 Saturday 6;30-9:30pm, Orange: THANKS Vet Dinner 1.8 Million American Veterans? No Health Insurance! Orange County Healthcare for All! And Catholic Worker Present: UNTIL WE ARE ONE... Our first annual THANKS Vet! Dinner, Banquet, and Ceremony with Special Guests of Honor and Keynote Invocation
Orange County Central Labor Council Hall, 2020 W Chapman Ave, Orange, CA 92868

Feb 2 (1st Monday) 7pm, Santa Ana: OC Recruitment Awareness Project (OC-RAP) General meeting at El Centro Cultural de Mexico 310 W 5th Street, Santa Ana, CA 92701 At the corner of Broadway and 5th Street (above El Curtido Restaurant) Questions? oc-rap@hotmail.com or (714) 649-0501 oc-rap.org

Feb 6 (1st Friday) 6:30-9pm, Orange: Friday Night Film Series - Shackled Women: Abuses of a Patriarchal World With dowries reaching fifty percent of a family's income, a second daughter is often called "the girl born for the burial pit." This program assesses second- and third-world abuses of women's rights by the male establishment-and examines how female collaboration sometimes contributes to their perpetuation. Feminist Taslima Nasreen; the author of Brides Are Not for Burning; and others speak out on topics such as dowry deaths, female circumcision, the Islamic zina law, the rigors of hijab, and child prostitution.
The Sisters of St. Joseph of Orange present films that raise awareness and encourage conversation about the dynamic, ever-changing, systemic and critical needs of our world. Through a variety of titles and topics, attendees explore what it means to live a life in relationship with each other, our neighbors and the whole community of life. The evening includes refreshments, dialogue and possible opportunities for action.
6:30 - 7:00 Gathering and Refreshments 7:00 - 8:00 Film Showing 8:00 - 9:00 Discussion
Mother Louis Room 480 S. Batavia St., Orange, CA 92868-3998 714-633-8121x7716 Justice@csjorange.org sistersofstjosephorange.org/calendar.php?ID=82

Feb 8 Sunday 1-5pm, Rancho Santa Margarita: Morasha School's Third Annual Environmental Awareness Festival Leave Only Footprints FREE Admission *Soles4Souls* *The Bicycle Tree* *Surfrider Foundation* *Dana Point Ocean Institute* *Donna O?Neill Land Conservancy* *Josh Lake, nature educator and guide* *Rabbi Mike Comins, environmentalist and author* *workshops for kids and adults * green vendors * organic foods * alternative fuel cars * shoe drive with Soles4Souls*free how-to bike maintenance tips from The Bicycle Tree*
Morasha School, 30482 Avenida de Las Banderas, Rancho Santa Margarita 949-459-6330 morasha.org

Feb 8 Sunday 5-7:30pm, Irvine: Awaiting Judgment: Dietrich Bonhoeffer & MLK Jr. Irvine United Congregational Church and University Synagogue PRESENT: THE PLAY AWAITING JUDGMENT Cost $12 (Pre-sale) $15 (at the door) $10 for Students with I.D. (includes light meal)
This play imagines a conversation between Dietrich Bonhoeffer and Martin Luther King Jr. in which the two 20th century theological scholars and activists examine one another?s actions and explore the decisions that led to their martyrdom. The issues raised in the play present ethical and faith challenges that each man faced in his lifetime and are relevant for discussion in today?s times as well.
The superb cast of Anthony Drummond as King, Craig Huisenga as Bonhoeffer, and Phys Green as Narrator, will provide an exciting and stimulating performance. The playwright, Rev. Art Cribbs, will lead a discussion about the play afterwards. Rev. Dr. Paul Tellström & Rabbi Arnie Rachlis will host this event and participate in the discussion as well. A light meal and reception will follow. Childcare will be provided.
Hosted by: Irvine United Congregational Church 4915 Alton Parkway, Irvine, CA 92604 949-733-220 iucc.org TICKETS ON SALE NOW!

Feb 8 Sunday 5:30pm, Orange: The Orange County Interfaith Committee to Aid Farm Workers next fund raiser will be held Sunday afternoon, February 8, at the Carpenters' Hall, 1918 W. Chapman, in Orange. The social hour/silent auction will begin at 4:30pm (note new time), followed by dinner at 5:30 pm, and the program at 6:30pm. Erik Nicholson, VP of the United Farm Workers, will be the speaker. He is extremely knowledgeable and experienced in farm labor issues in particular and worldwide labor trends in general. He is a terrific speaker and we are excited to have him. Reservations are requested with Suzanne Darweesh, 2104 Hilltop Ct, Fullerton, 92831, 714-738-1785 or sdarweesh@aol.com. A donation of $20 prepaid or $25 at the door is requested. Checks should be made out to the UFW, the beneficiary of this event.

Feb 9 Monday 7pm, Irvine: The Science and Politics of Air Pollution Robert F. Sawyer is Class of 1935 Professor of Energy Emeritus and Professor of the Graduate School at the University of California, Berkeley and former chair of the California Air Resources Board. Crystal Cove Auditorium, UCI Student Center chancellor.uci.edu/cdfs.shtml

Feb 10 Tuesday Noon-1pm, Irvine: The UCI School of Law presents Is Proposition 8 Legal? A Forum on Marriage Equality UCI Student Center, Pacific Ballroom C
Dean Erwin Chemerinsky and other experts will discuss the legal issues involved in the upcoming California Supreme Court case on Proposition 8, which eliminated the right of same-sex couples to marry in the State of California.
Sponsored by The UCI School of Law and Outlaw (Chapman University School of Law) Free to all. No reservations required For more information contact: Professor James S. Nowick 949-824-6091, jsnowick@uci.edu chem.ps.uci.edu/~jsnowick/jsn/forum.html

Feb 10 (2nd Tuesday) 7pm, San Juan Capistrano: Robin Everett, Conservation Organizer, Sierra Club Friends of the Foothills at South Orange County Democratic Club socdc.org Come learn the latest on the 241 toll road extension
New Location: Marie Callender's, 31791 Del Obispo Street

Feb 11 Wednesday 6:30-8:30pm, Irvine: OC NOW General Meeting Irvine Ranch Water District Offices - 15600 Sand Canyon Ave. in Irvine
A professional fundraiser will discuss how nonprofits are dealing with the current state of the US economy and how fundraising has been affected. nowoc.org/e107_plugins/calendar_menu/event.php?1234398600.event.34

Feb 12 Thursday 7pm, Santa Ana: Orange County Young Democrats meeting. We invite you to attend our next Orange County Young Democrats meeting on Thursday, February 12th at 7:00 PM at Bistro 400 located at 400 W. 4th Street, Santa Ana CA, 92701. Our meeting will be followed by Drinking Liberally at Memphis. For more information visit us online at OCYD.net

Feb 13 Friday 6:30-9:30, San Juan Capistrano: The Environmental Outreach at The Center for Spiritual Living OC Invites you to an Organic Dinner and Eco-Presentation Be The Change An evening filled with Visioning, Connection and Inspired Action Join Deanna Moore and Michelle Spieker, co-founders of the Environmental Outreach OC for a powerful evening designed to inspire each of us to take individual and collective action to create a better world.
You'll be part of * A discussion of what the future holds. * A visioning for what's possible * Concrete ways we can prepare for a sustainable future
The evening will begin with an organic meal made with local fruits and vegetables prepared by Deanna Moore and friends.
n Cost: $20 Please bring utensils, plates, and a beverage. Babysitter provided at $10 per child
Location : Center for Spiritual Living OC, 27121 Calle Arroyo (Suite 2200) San Juan Capistrano, CA 92675 centerforspirituallivingoc.org The Environmental Outreach heals the Earth and Humanity through Awareness, Education and Inspired action.

Feb 15 Sunday 1:30pm, Irvine: Humanist Association of Orange County Carole Copp will present a talk on the "Evolution of Evolution" for our Darwin Day program. More details will be given later.
Irvine Ranch Water District building located at 15600 Sand Canyon Ave. Irvine, CA 92618 ochumanists.org

Feb 19-21 Thursday-Saturday 7-9pm, Irvine: The Vagina Monologues UCI - PSLH 100
As part of the 2009 V-Day College Campaign, the students of UCI are proud to present a benefit production of The Vagina Monologues to raise awareness and funds for local organizations working to end violence against women and girls.
V-Day College Campaign events are independently organized by students and listings on V-Day's web-site do not imply the endorsement or official sanction of any institution.
Cost of the performance is $10 For more information, call Stephen Marley at 909.319.4326

new Feb 25 Wednesday 11:30am, Irvine: Women For: Orange County "Legal and Ethical Issues of Health Care" Irvine Ranch Water District's Duck Club 5 Riparian View, Irvine (at the San Joaquin Preserve) The Duck Club is located at the end of Riparian View. Riparian View intersects Michelson Dr. between Culver Dr. & Jamboree Rd. Turn onto Riparian View toward the open space. Follow the signs for one mile to the San Joaquin Wildlife Sanctuary. Free and open to the public ~ Men are cordially invited Refreshments at 2:00 p.m. For recorded information: 714.590.7804 womenforoc.org womenforoc@aol.com

Feb 27 (4th Friday) 7pm, Newport Beach: A Traveling Conscientious Projector: "Power of Forgiveness"
St.Mark Presbyterian Church, 2200 San Juaquin Hills Road, Newport Beach, CA 92660
Fourth Friday Film Festival 6:30 Gathering 7:00 Film Showing 8:15 Discussion Issues of Social Justice: To Educate, Communicate & Reflect in Community.
For more information, contact Erin Weller at eweller@pcu-la.org or (714) 721-6554.

Feb 28 Saturday 1pm, Irvine: Orange County Equality Coalition OCEquality.org CONTINUE THE FIGHT FOR EQUALITY!! Be a part of the largest growing movement for equal rights in Orange County!
The mission of the Orange County Equality Coalition is to develop and sustain an infrastructure that enables the attainment of equality for all through education, dialogue, and advocacy.
Irvine United Congregational Church, 4915 Alton Pkwy, Irvine facebook.com/group.php?gid=92930760636 ocequality@gmail.com

San Diego, CA Events

And here is a great calendar of events for San Deigo, California, thanks to the San Diego County Democrats:

Progressive Grandmothers for Political Action meeting. Tuesday, January 27th, 1:00 pm. Dr. Phillip Gay, retired chairman of the sociology department at San Diego State University will discuss "How President elect Obama's election has affected race relations". At the Remington Club, 16916 Hierba, Rancho Bernardo. All are welcome regardless of age or gender. Info: Vi Mooberry 760 233-7833

Register newly naturalized citizens In the Plaza near the Civic Theatre (at the corner of 3rd and B Streets). Wednesday, January 28th from 10:00 am to noon. It is recommended that you take the trolley, or park at Horton Plaza (2 Blocks away). RSVP to Greg Bolan at sdvoter@yahoo.com. Note: To receive the San Diego Democratic Party's Voter Registration Team emails go to http://groups.yahoo.com/group/sdvoter/ and click on "Join This Group."

Coronado Democratic Club meeting. Saturday, January 31st, 11:00 am - 12:30 pm. Assemblywoman Mary Salas will bring club members up to date on happenings in Sacramento. In addition, Mary’s husband, Sal Salas, who has been a mortgage banker for 30 years, will discuss the mortgage crisis, why it occurred and what we can do about it. Refreshments will be served. In the Winn Room of the Coronado Public Library, 640 Orange Avenue. Info: Jean Seager 619 435-8130.

North County Forum's Letters to the Editor Awards Night plus a celebration of the Inauguration of a new president, and the end of an error. Saturday, January 31st. In Vista. RSVP required. Info: http://www.northcountyforum.org/

Rabbi Michael Lerner: The Spiritual Challenge of the Next Four Years in U. S. and Global Survival." Thursday, February 12th, 7:00 to 9:00 pm. Rabbi Michael Lerner, an internationally recognized theologian and psychologist, the author of the 2006 best seller, "the Left Hand Of God," and one of the co-founders of the Network of Spiritual Progressives. At First Unitarian Universalist Church, 4190 Front St., San Diego 92102 Suggested Donation of $5 to $10. Info: Bob Northcutt at 858.592.0217

North County Unity Leadership Coalition Brunch. Saturday, February 14th, registration is at 8:45 am, brunch and program 9:00-11:00 am. County Party Chair Jess Durfee will give a State of the County address, Phil Hanneman, California State Democratic Party Director, will explain how the we interact with the State Party, Xavier Martinez, Chair of North County Unity, will discuss the purpose and funding process of the NC Unity political action committee, and Francine Busby will discuss the goals and plans for North County. $20 contribution includes a breakfast buffet. At the Rancho Santa Fe Golf Club, 5827 Via de la Cumbre, Rancho Santa Fe 92067. Click HERE to download the invitation and RSVP form.

Lake San Marcos Democratic Club meeting. Saturday, February 14th, social 12:30, meeting 1:00 pm. Agenda: Discussions about club activities for 2009 and beyond. At the Lake San Marcos Lakeside Pavilion. Info: Betty Ball (760) 752-1035.

Progressive Grandmothers for Political Action meeting. Tuesday, February 24th, 1:00 pm. Drew Reiff, producer of the "Save KLSD /Media Consolidation" movie will discuss the movie and national pattern it represents. At the Remington Club, 16916 Hierba, Rancho Bernardo. All are welcome regardless of age or gender. Info: Vi Mooberry 760 233-7833

CALIFORNIA FOCUS: Darwin Day, Blogs, Alternative Energy, Groups and Events

DARWIN DAY 2009 EVENTS: Feb. 12, 2009 (not all events on the same day)

Darwin's 200th birthday, to be celebrated by the GLOBAL community as a toast to the common good of all humanity. We will all want to develop events to Celebrate Darwin, Science and Humanity and come together as one human family in appreciation of verifiable knowledge that has been acquired solely through human curiosity and ingenuity. Scientific knowledge has been of great value to all of us.

Colloquium "In the Light of Evolution: Two Centuries of Darwin"
Date and Time: 2009-01-16 08:00:00
Address:
Beckman Center
100 Academy Way (University Research Park)
Irvine/CA 92617, UNITED STATES

Event Website: http://www.nasonline.org/Sackler_Darwin

Activities:
Sackler Colloquium is organized by John Avise and Francisco J. Ayala, University of California, Irvine. Two-day meeting of leading researchers, open to public, registration fee.

Address:
Beckman Center
100 Academy Way (University Research Park)
Irvine/CA 92617 UNITED STATES

Sponsor: National Academy of Sciences

Contact: Susan Marty
Email: smarty_at_nas.edu
Phone: 949-721-2213

150 Years of Evolution - Darwin's Impact on the Humanities
Date and Time: 2009-11-22 19:30:00
Address:
San Diego State University, Department of Philosophy
San Diego/California 92, UNITED STATES

Event Website: http://cal.sdsu.edu/darwin/callpapers.htm

Activities: An academic symposium

Contact: Mark Wheeler
Email: mark.wheeler_at_sdsu.edu
Phone: (619) 594-6706

Celebrating science and Darwin bicentenary
Date and Time: 2009-02-15 14:00:00
Address:
San Diego Public Library (probably)
San Diego/California 92101, UNITED STATES

Event Website: http://www.HFSD.info

Activities:
Education and entertainment will be harmonized in a D-200 event to be organized by the Humanist Fellowship of San Diego. We will seek the participation of local scientific departments and freethought organizations. Details will be posted here and on our website www.HFSD.info as they develop.

Sponsor: The Humanist Fellowship of San Diego

Contact: Susi Reed
Email: Humanists_at_gmail.com
Phone: 619-670-4159

Darwin Birthday Concert at UCSD School of Medicine
Date and Time: 2009-02-07 19:30:00
Address:
UCSD School of Medicine, Basic Science Bldg., Liebow Auditorium
Gilman Drive off La Jolla Village Drive
La Jolla/CA 92067, UNITED STATES

Event Website: http://www.scientificgospel.com

Activities:
Galapagos Mountain Boys in concert, performing evolutionary songs dedicated to the 200th anniversary of Charles Darwin's birth. Songs are from their newest CD.

Sponsor: UCSD Faculty Club and Scientific Gospel Productions, LLC.

Contact: Carol Baird
Email: carol_at_scientificgospel.com
Phone: 858-481-0765

Darwin's 200th Birthday Celebration at UCSD Faculty Club
Date and Time: 2009-02-12 19:30:00
Address:
UC San Diego Faculty Club
9500 Gilman Drive
La Jolla/CA 92093, UNITED STATES

Event Website: http://www.scientificgospel.com

Activities:
Gourmet Darwin dinner with Evolution wine, primordial ooze soup, finch with Barbara McClintock's jumping gene corn stuffing, Mendel's peas and lava pie for dessert. Concert following dinner by The Galapagos Mountain Boys, performing evolutionary songs from their newest CD in tribute to this night:

Sponsor: UCSD Faculty Club and Dept. of Biology

Contact: Thomas Mignano
Email: tmignano_at_ucsd.edu
Phone: 858-534-5719

2009 Dean's Symposium: Evolutionary Biology: Molecules to Man
Date and Time: 2009-04-03 20:00:00
Address:
UC San Diego
9500 Gilman Drive
La Jolla/CA , UNITED STATES

Event Website: http://2009deansymposium.ucsd.edu

Activities:
April 2, 2009: undergraduate student competition on the expression of evolution through essay, dance, music, etc.
April 2, 2009: Dr. Michael Shermer on Darwin and Evolution: 7 pm.
April 3: Dean's Symposium on Evolutionary Biology

Sponsor: UC San Diego

Contact: Patricia Walsh
Email: pwalsh_at_ucsd.edu
Phone: 858-534-3112

Evolution, Science and Religion: Humanist Fellowship San Diego
Date and Time: 2009-02-15 14:00:00
Address:
820 E St
San Diego/CA 92101, UNITED STATES

Event Website: http://www.hfsd.info

Activities:
Phillip De Barros will present "Evolution, Science and Religion" based on his television series by that name. Cornell Jaray will present a powerpoint show on the life and work of Charles Darwin.

Address:
820 E St
San Diego/CA 92101 UNITED STATES

Sponsor: The Humanist Fellowship of San Diego

Contact: Susi Reed
Email: Humanists_at_gmail.com
Phone: 619-670-4159


Darwin Comes to Santa Barbara
Date and Time: 2009-02-08 19:30:00
Address:
Santa Barbara Musem of Natural History
Santa Barbara/CA , UNITED STATES

Event Website: http://www.santabarbarahumanists.org/Calendar/Darwin09.htm

Activities:
Speeches, panels, impersonations, etc. See web site for more details.

Sponsor: Humanist Society of Santa Barbara and Museum of Natural History

Contact: Roger Schlueter
Email: President_at_SantaBarbaraHumanists.org
Phone: 805/962-6316

Evolve 2009 Launch at NightLife
Date and Time: 2009-02-12 18:00:00
Address:
55 Music Conourse Drive
Golden Gate Park
San Francisco/CA 94118, UNITED STATES

Event Website: http://www.calacademy.org

Activities:
Music, drinks and science in the spectacular new California Academy of Sciences with an informal talk @ 7 pm by Professor Emeritus Keith Thomson, "Who Was Charles Darwin?" TICKETED EVENT--$10

Sponsor: California Academy of Sciences

Contact: Jean Farrington
Email: jfarrington@calacademy.org

Evolutionpalooza! Darwin Day 2009
Date and Time: 2009-02-08 14:30:00
Address:
San Francisco Main Branch Public Library
100 Larkin Street
San Francisco/CA 94102-4733, UNITED STATES

Event Website: http://www.sfatheists.com/darwinday2009.htm

Activities:
Free Admission! Speakers! The annual Darwin Scholarship ceremony!

Sponsor: San Francisco Atheists

Contact: Dave Fitzgerald
Email: fitz_at_sfatheists.com

Sacramento's 12th annual Darwin Day
Date and Time: 2009-02-08 14:30:00
Address:
John Smith Hall, La Sierra Community Center
5325 Engle Road
Carmichael/CA 95608, UNITED STATES

Activities:
A festive community celebration complete with birthday cake, featuring an educational program, entertainment, literature and merchandise tables. This year's major presentation is by MICHAEL SHERMER, author of numerous books, founder of the Skeptics Society and columnist for Scientific American. [ Please note: Doors open at 2 PM. Program itself begins at 2:30 PM ]

Sponsor: Cooperating Community Organizations including College Depts

Contact: Mynga Futrell
Email: ckprofessional_at_aol.com
Phone: 916-737-5158

Darwin's Birthday Party
Date and Time: 2009-02-12 10:00:00
Address:
Bell Memorial Union, CSU Chico
400 West 1st St.
Chico/CA 95929, UNITED STATES

Event Website: http://myweb.csuchico.edu/~ctivey/dday.html

Activities:
K12 kids & families welcome. Games, educational displays, prizes, birthday cake, fossils, & information will be available.

Sponsor: Darwin Day group

Contact: Chris Ivey
Email: ctivey_at_csuchico.edu


BLOGGING CALIFORNIA: Here are some blogs covering California Politics

Calitics is an open source news organization for California.

The California Progress Report is published by Frank D. Russo, a longtime observer of and participant in California politics.

The Liberal OC covers politics in Orange County.

LeftyBlogs California is the place to find out what's happening in the progressive blogosphere across California.


Some articles of note:

UC has plan to subsidize tuition for low-income students

Congresswoman Doris Matsui Statement on the closing of Guantanamo Bay

The Destruction of Public Education in California...I remember a time when California education went from the BEST in the nation to among the worst. Don't do it again!!!

California Young Democrats ask: What happened to the Master Plan?

When Lies Spiral Out of Control, the Bill Postmus Story

Sempra solar energy project makes advances in costs

Find H8Ters In Your Neighborhood! Your tool to boycott Prop. 8 supporters

It's YOUR High Speed Rail Project

Biodiesel from Coffee Grounds!


STONEWALL DEMOCRATS and related organizations in California:

Stonewall Democrats of Los Angeles

Central Valley Stonewall Democratic Club
Stockton, CA

Desert Stonewall Democrats
Cathedral City, CA

Eleanor Roosevelt Stonewall Democrats of Orange County
Santa Anna, CA

Fresno Stonewall Democrats
Fresno, CA

Sacramento Stonewall Democrats
Sacramento, CA

San Diego Democratic Club
San Diego, CA

Stonewall Democratic Club of Greater Sacramento
Sacramento, CA

Stonewall Democrats of Ventura County
Ventura, CA

Stonewall Alliance of Chico: The Stonewall Alliance Center offers a range of services to help connect people to their community. Volunteers staffing the Center provide information on activities and events and offer referrals for services. Our Education & Outreach give community members access to the Harlan Adams Memorial Library, Out Education classes, we deliver speaker’s panels to local colleges and presenters to area organizations and groups.


Alternative Energy in California:

Here are some Biodiesel Cooperatives in California. If you have a diesel truck or car, joining one of these co-ops can help you drive more green.

The Berkeley Biodiesel Collecctive
Berkeley, CA
email: berkeleybiodiesel_at_yahoo.com. Or check out their website.

The Biofuels Research Cooperative
Sebastopol, CA
email: veggieoilcoop_at_yahoo.com.

I also want to highlight Conserv Fuels in Los Angeles, which offers a selection of alternative fuels (biodiesel and ethanol included) as well as pretty cheap regular gasoline. Joy and I buy our fuel (whatever we need) when we are in Los Angeles.

And Propel Fuels have several stations around California that offer biodiesel (and, according to a reader, they also offer E85 ethanol blend): (I discovered them when I saw they did carbon offsets)

* Rocklin
6700 Five Star Blvd
Sacramento, California 95677

* Citrus Heights
7741 Auburn Blvd
Citrus Heights, California 95610

* Sacramento, Folsom Blvd.
8090 Folsom Blvd.
Sacramento, California 95826

* Sacramento, Norwood Ave.
4200 Norwood Ave
Sacramento, California 95838

* Sacramento, Florin Road
8062 Florin Road
Sacramento, California 95828

* Elk Grove
9190 E Stockton Blvd
Elk Grove, California 95624

* Roseville
999 Sunrise Ave
Roseville, California 95661

* Placerville
151 Main St
Placerville, California 95667


Here are other alternative energy resources for Califorina:

Alternative Energy Resources in California: a short summary of alternative energy resources for California. For more information on each technology, visit the State Energy Alternatives Technology Options page.

San Francisco Community Power pilots innovative programs that improve our neighborhoods' environmental and economic conditions. We help small businesses and low-income families lower their expenses and reduce their ecological footprint. Our work provides policy makers with demonstrative ways to solve complex resource allocation issues.


California for Democracy:
Here are some local Democracy for America groups (click on the link for more info)

DFA Marin

Dean Democratic Club of Silicon Valley

Democratic Club of Coarsegold

DFA - Central Coast

DFA-CFD of Fresno & Madera Counties

DFA-CFD of Mariposa and Tuolumne Counties

Democracy for Monterey County

DFA-Orange County

East Bay for Democracy

Sacramento for Democracy

San Diego for Democracy

(San Fernando) Valley Grassroots for Democracy

San Francisco for Democracy

San Mateo County Democracy for America

Santa Barbara Progressive Coalition

Sonoma County DFA


Here are some local political meetings in California:

San Fernando Valley Young Democrats: San Fernando Valley Young Democrats shall endeavor to stimulate in young people an active interest in governmental affairs, increase the efficiency of our government, maintain the viability of our free institutions, and contribute to the growth and influence of the ideals and philosophy of the Democratic Party. Check their calendar of events here.

Pasadena Young Democrats:
PYD welcomes students and young adults from throughout the region to join us. The mission of PYD is to encourage young people to participate in the political process, support progressive ideals and Democratic candidates and have a lot fun in the process!

If you are actively looking to find out about the local scene, get involved with a campaign, or even if you are just looking for some fun progressive people aged 14-35 to hang out with, we encourage you to join PYD and attend one of our meetings or events. Check out their calendar here.

Orange County Young Democrats: We are young workers, young families, college and high school students--ages 14-35--who are commited to the Democratic values that make America strong and provide opportunity for all. As the official voice for young people in the Democratic Party of Orange County, OCYD is a network of Young Democrat activists around the county that are helping to provide a Democratic presence around Orange County and around college and high school campuses. Check out their calendar here.

San Ramon Valley Democrats Meetings
We are a group of dedicated Democrats living in the San Ramon Valley who have come together to support and promote the progressive social and political principles that always have been fundamental to the Democratic Party. The San Ramon Valley is comprised of Alamo, Blackhawk, Diablo, Danville, San Ramon, and southern Walnut Creek, and members of our club come from each of those communities. We meet once a month for an educational program at Mudd's Restaurant in San Ramon, alternating between lunch on the second Tuesday, and appetizers (no-host bar) on the evening of the fourth Thursday (6:30 PM). We register people to vote, walk precincts to arouse voters, raise money for candidates, and enjoy the opportunity to socialize with people of common interests. Go here for more info.

Our meetings are lively and our programs are focused on issues of concern to Democrats, locally, statewide, and nationally. Our speakers are chosen for their astute insight into the problems before us as citizens and as voters. We socialize before and after the formal meetings, and enter into animated discussions about the topic of the day. In the process we become fast friends.

Mudds Restaurant
$22 per person (meal included)

Democrats of North Orange County
Bill Daly, President
714-990-6767
Bruce Sandercock, Vice-President
714-871-5244
P. O. Box 6597
Fullerton, CA 92834
Monthly meeting: First Thursday, Sizzler Restaurant,
1401 N. Harbor, Fullerton; 6 p.m. dinner, 7 p.m. meeting

Santa Clara County (San Jose) Democratic Party Meetup
We meet at 7:30pm on the second Tuesday of each month at the Dem Party Office, 2102 Almaden Road, Suite 114, San Jose, 95125. Feel free to bring snacks to share.

Brought to you by the Santa Clara County Democratic Party (http://www.sccdp.org).... Please join us to learn ways to help elect Democrats in Santa Clara County and beyond.

~~Together, America Can Do Better!~~

On Almaden ROAD (not Expwy), between Curtner and Canoas Garden. It's OK to park in the big lot, despite posted warnings.

Internet directions usually suggest taking Almaden Expressway, which is sometimes backed up. A lower stress route is to take Bird Avenue west from 280 and follow it all the way until it dead-ends at Malone. Left on Malone, Right on Almaden Road and 2102 is on the first corner on your left.

We meet in Suite 114, first door on your left as you enter the glass doors marked Main Entrance.


Drinking Liberally:

For those who like a more social, and beer focused, environment, there's Drinking Liberally. Here are the Drinking Liberally groups in California:

San Jose
* Second Thursday of each month, 6:30 and on
* Trials Pub in downtown San Jose, 265 N 1st St (main cross streets: W St James and W Julian)
* September is our first meeting with our new host! I'm looking for a co-host, so let me know if you are interested
* Hosted by Mia White, sanjose (at) drinkingliberally.org

Downtown Los Angeles
* Third Wednesday of each month, 6:00-8:00 pm
* The Edison, 108 West 2nd St
* We'll be in the area past the bar, known as the "Generator Lounge" (the entrance to the bar is through the alley off of 2nd street)
* Hosted by Vincent Jones, Cecilia Cabello, Becca Doten, Roxi Reeves and Jim Kennedy, downtownla (at) drinkingliberally.org

Hollywood
* Second Wednesday of each month, 7:00-9:00 PM
* Molly Malone's Irish Pub, 575 South Fairfax Avenue, Los Angeles 90036 (near corner of 6th avenue)
* http://www.mollymalonesla.com/
* Hosted by Vincent Jones, Jim Kennedy and Mary Jack, 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'll start out in the wine bar, then move out to the front patio.
* Hosted by Asa Hopkins, pasadena (at) drinkingliberally.org

San Fernando Valley
* First and third Thursday of each month, 7:00 pm onward
* The White Harte Pub, 22456 Ventura Blvd, Woodland Hills (Two blocks west of Shoup Ave.)
* Hosted by Andy Beaton and Jon Hytowitz, sfv (at) drinkingliberally.org

Westside
* Fourth Wednesday of each month, 7:00-9:00 pm
* Cock and Bull Pub, 2947 Lincoln Blvd, Santa Monica
* Hosted by Vincent Jones, Mary Jack, Robert Coyner, Gisele Perez, Jeremy Bloom, Tami Reiss, Marc Saltzberg and Jim Kennedy, westsidela (at) drinkingliberally.org

Monterey, California
* First Wednesday of each month, 6:30 pm onward
* Ol' Factory Cafe, 1725 Contra Costa St (In Sand City, off of Del Monte Blvd)
* http://www.olfactorycafe.com/
* Please note that The Ol' Factory Cafe currently only takes cash and local checks.
* Hosted by Annie Ho, monterey (at) drinkingliberally.org

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

Rancho Santa Margarita
* Every Thursday, 7:00 pm onward
* Canyon Fireside Grille, 22312 El Paseo
* Hosted by Gary Kephart, rsm (at) drinkingliberally.org

Huntington Beach
* First and third Thursday of each month, 7:00 pm onward
* Oggi's Pizza & Brewing Co. - Out Back On The Patio, 19461 Main St
* Next Meeting will be on Thursday November 15th
* Hosted by Scott McKown and Louise Stewardson, huntingtonbeach (at) drinkingliberally.org

Sacramento, California
* Second Thursday of each month, 7:00 pm onward
* BJs Restaurant and Brewery, 3531 N Freeway Blvd (Natomas)
* Come check out our new venue and meet some new people!
* Hosted by Leslie Simmons, sacramento (at) drinkingliberally.org

San Diego, California
* Every other Tuesday, 7:30 pm onward
* Nunu's Cocktail Lounge, 3537 5th Ave (Between Brookes and Ivy Ln)
* We will also be meeting periodically at Firehouse in Pacific Beach for special editions of Drinking Liberally. 722 Grand Avenue Pacific Beach, CA 92109
* Hosted by Jesse Rubin and Jason Miller, sandiego (at) drinkingliberally.org

San Francisco
* Every Monday, 7:00-9:00 pm
* Nickie's, 466 Haight Street (between Fillmore & Webster) (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 - 9:00 PM
* Luka's Taproom & Lounge, 2221 Broadway
* Join us for the Eating Liberally Oakland Brunch at Luka's
* Hosted by Cyril Allen and Philip Combs, oakland (at) drinkingliberally.org

Napa
* First and third Monday of each month, 5:00-6:30 pm
* Compadre's, 505 Lincoln Ave
* Hosted by Mick Winter and Lauren Coodley, napa (at) drinkingliberally.org


San Luis Obispo, California
* First and third Wednesday of each month, 7:00 pm onward
* The Graduate, 990 Industrial Way
* Hosted by Lorrie Toles and Sergio Monge, slo (at) drinkingliberally.org

Santa Barbara, California
* 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

Santa Clarita, California
* Second Wednesday of each month, 7:00 pm onward
* Mulligans, 25848 Tournament Rd (Near Cal Arts)
* Hosted by Michael Cruz, Bill Bailey and Minerva Williams, santaclarita (at) drinkingliberally.org

Santa Cruz, California
* First Tuesday of each month, 8:00 pm onward
* Cafe Pergolesi, 418 Cedar St (In the orange room to the right and back)
* Hosted by Brandon Smith and Natalie Rojas, santacruz (at) drinkingliberally.org

Stockton, California
* Third Friday of each month, 7:00 pm onward
* Stockton Grand Hotel, 2323 Grand Canal Blvd (Front of Bar)
* Grand Hotel tel. 209-957-9090
* Joel's Cell: 209-351-3397
* Hosted by Joel Carignan, stockton (at) drinkingliberally.org

Ventura, California
* Second and fourth Wednesday of each month, 8:00 pm
* JJ Brewsky's, now and forever, 2344 Ventura Blvd, Camarillo (in the heart of Old Town Camarillo)
* Join us every second and fourth Wednesdays at 8:00 PM for a pint and some politics!
* Heather, Marie, Mark and Brian
* Hosted by Heather Schmidt, Marie Davis, Mark Eggertsen and Brian Mack, ventura (at) drinkingliberally.org