activism

What to do if you get push-polled- Two days before the June 3 Democratic primary in Iowa, I received an automated push-poll, followed the next day by a second robocall containing "important information" for me. Both calls were hit jobs on Jerry Sullivan, the leading Democratic candidate in Iowa House district 59. Many of us will receive similar calls between now and November. We need to be prepared to help the Democrats who will be targeted in this way. My number one piece of advice is do not hang up the phone. Do not hang up the moment you hear an automated voice on the other end. Do not hang up the moment you are asked to participate in a brief survey. Do not hang up the moment you realize that this is not a legitimate opinion poll. Stay on the line and grab a pen and paper for taking notes. Follow me after the jump for further instructions.
Pete Seeger on the 4th of July: The Truest American Hero- My wife and I saw "Pete Seeger: The Power of Song" last night. Part of PBS's superb American Masters series, "The Power of Song" may well win an Emmy this year, and it would be eminently deserved. One of the best portraits of a singer - someone far more than a singer - I've ever seen.
Upclose Activism- The Center for Community Change's Sally Kohn has a piece today about the passionate Millennial activism that is taking place online and the extent to which it happens off line.
The Foolish Old Man of Sangzao-
Principal Ye Zhiping (Shiho Fukada for The New York Times)

My days writing a blog seem filled with catastrophe, war, and outrage at those who do not stand up for what is right. But when the history of last month’s cataclysmic earthquake in China is written, the story of Ye Zhiping will be remembered. Hopefully, it will not only be remembered in China.
For Memorial Day, have you helped a soldier?- Crossposted from Left Toon Lane, Bilerico Project & My Left Wing
click to enlarge
"May Day! May Day! May Day!"- MAKE MAYDAY A "NO PEACE, NO WORK HOLIDAY"!
The following was written by Jack Heyman a longshoreman who works on the Oakland docks
Longshoremen to close ports on West Coast to protest war
This cartoon is not funny.- Crossposted from Left Toon Lane, Bilerico Project & My Left Wing
click to enlarge
Sitting On the Fence Is Creasing My Activist Butt- The topic below was originally posted in my blog, the Intrepid Liberal Journal, as well as the Independent Bloggers Alliance, the Peace Tree, Wild Wild Left and Worldwide Sawdust. Warning, this is a long post. It’s long because supporting a presidential candidate for me is deeply personal. It’s not simply deciding which candidate I will pull the lever for in the privacy of a voting booth. Rather I approach the decision as an activist and ask myself: after weighing all the virtues and flaws of the declared candidates on whose behalf am I willing to devote my free time? In my darker moments I’ll ask myself, “Do any of these lying corporatist whores deserve my support? Why bother with any of them?” The ship has long sailed on my days of being a "true believer." Ultimately, in spite of my disenchantment, I believe in the power of the vote. Even with the sordid history of stolen elections and broken promises, I remain convinced the best way to change the system is through participation in the political process. And the best vehicle for progressive reform is by leveraging the Democratic Party – flawed as it is. Which means I have to finally stop creasing my butt, get off the fence and choose a candidate. Picking a candidate this primary season has been especially agonizing. My top choices were former Vice President Al Gore and Wisconsin Senator Russ Feingold. I would’ve volunteered for either in a heartbeat. When both opted not to run I was left cold and preferred to wait until the race sorted itself out.
The Washington Bus Takes Off- The Washington Bus has just left the station. According to an email announcing the launch of their website, the recipient of the west coast Go Grant, has taken to stirring up trouble by getting young people involved in politics. Modeled off of their sister to the south's org the Oregon Bus Project, the WA Bus is offering similar programs including Trick or Vote, Rebooting Democracy, and enacting young people powered politics.
It's Time To Fire Washington- The credit for this post goes to Debbie Lewis at http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=7242 It’s Time to Fire Washington! by Debbie Lewis Global Research, November 2, 2007
Why I'm in Iowa- I've been in Iowa for a week, doing whatever it takes to win Iowa and the Democratic Nomination for Senator Joe Biden. I'm beyond talking about Chuck Grassley and Tom Carper's Bankruptcy Bill, or the Clarence Thomas hearings that were cut short by Anita Hill's team. I'm beyond pedantic enucleations of back-door bureaucratic negotiations. I'm way beyond Hillary bashing. I'm not even asking for money. Instead, I'm going to tell you a story that in some ways goes back to a young college student in his small town's only diner, and in other ways goes back to a young man growing up in Delaware. Hopefully, you will indulge me as I go back in to my past, our past, and Joe Biden's past with some of my recollections and a few quotes that help tell the story. To those enamored with brevity, I apologize for the commodious topics covered in this diary. I think it's a rewarding read, but it's not for the faint of heart. Perhaps it will tell you more about a great Democratic Senator and a little about ourselves. And so it begins ...
I'm Proud To Be An American Again- As you will read below, last night I was on Timothy Gatto's LiberalPro on Blogspot Radio. (Links below) The discussion was primarily centered around S 1959, The Violent Radicalization and Homegrown Terrorism Prevention Act of 2007. It's a hard bill to give a definitive explanation thereof because its language is so vague and ambiguous that it can be used in any context the Bush administration sees fit.
Today Is Critical, And We Must Join-in To Kill S 1959- To state that today is critical would be a gross understatement; the Internet is buzzing about the upcoming passage of the Violent Radicalization and Homegrown Terrorism Prevention Act of 2007, yet through all of the talk and articles, we still haven't joined-in with enough numbers to stop this Bill dead in its tracks - and if we don't, as all of the author's seem to agree, Free Speech in American could effectively become a memory, and those who have constantly fought for our freedom(s) will likely be muzzled and may be hauled-off to internment camps, which we now know exist and when S 1959 is passed into law, it's inevitable that they will soon be used. LINK Yes, they are real, and were built by FEMA and KBR, a Halliburton subsidiary. Do your own Internet search and you will find pictures and documentation of these camps, yet the Mainstream New Media hasn't uttered a word to the public about these camps, which demonstrates the MSM has been totally compromised as a reliable news source. Positive Universe Abstracts has an entire page devoted to the plethora of Op-Eds and articles on this subject you can find at this LINK. Two more informative and frightening articles were published last night or this morning, and both offer the reality we may face if this Bill, the worst assault on the Constitution in this nations history, is allowed to pass: Senate Bill 1959 to Criminalize Patriotism Urgent call to Action: Facts about S1959, Action Alerts
Analogy That Explains Your Role In American Politics- Look at this picture. This is how you see yourself, relative to the Democratic Party. No, that's not the end of this article, dummy, keep reading:
How To Make A Grassroots Movement Successful- Early this morning, a comment was posted on Op-Ed News asking me how others can contribute and make a Grassroots effort by the people really become successful and actually be a decisive force in stopping the Senate from passing the the insidious “Thought Crime Prevention Bill", otherwise known as the Violent Radicalization and Homegrown Terrorism Prevention Act of 2007. I originally started writing on this subject with the purpose of laying-out the basis for the movement, and thought it was necessary to receive endorsements by other more well-known activists; I have since changed my mind, especially when I noted early this morning that three (3) other sites had joined-in and were reproducing this series and/or linking to my site. This is such a heinous assault against our Constitution that once people actually read what it entails, without endorsements from anyone, they are joining-in and making it happen themselves - and now, I believe it's time to turn up the heat! Also, I found an excellent analysis of said bill that far surpasses anything I've read, and a link to that Op-Ed will be posted at the end of the brief article.
A True Patriot Speaks-Out For America, Is Anyone Listening?- On this date, Thanksgiving, I give my thanks to Mayor Rocky Anderson and all of those who support his words of patriotism that ALL of America should read and act upon immediately, especially a Congress that appears to be complicit with the Bush administration: Address by Mayor Ross C. "Rocky"- Anderson on October 27, 2007 By Rocky Anderson Salt Lake City, Utah -- Today, as we come together once again in this great city, we raise our voices in unison to say to President Bush, to Vice President Cheney, to other members of the Bush Administration (past and present), to a majority of Congress, including Utah’s entire congressional delegation, and to much of the mainstream media: “You have failed us miserably and we won’t take it any more.” “While we had every reason to expect far more of you, you have been pompous, greedy, cruel, and incompetent as you have led this great nation to a moral, military, and national security abyss.”

Join Us Leading Up To Dec. 8th- Starting on this Thanksgiving Day 2007! It's long past time for Us Adults to Finally become the Responsible Beings we are supposed to be, for the Coming Generations on a whole host of issues! We aren't here for Our Personal Benefit, Wealth, or Power, we're here to build better Futures for those who follow, that's our Main Responsibility and Always Has Been!

The Sutras of Abu Ghraib: An Interview With Conscientious Objector Aidan Delgado-

Saturday at the gates of Fort Benning- I received the update on Saturdays action at Benning, in Georgia, yesterday afternoon. Sadly I couldn't make the event but wanted to share what they have going on with others who also couldn't or are not a subscriber to the School of the Americas Watch Newsletter.

Culture Crashing-
"Culture Crashing" - (C) Brad Michael Moore 1996-2007

Panties for Peace: Action For Burma - cross posted at daily Kos and The Dream Antilles Remembering Myanmar. Remembering Aung San Suu Kyi. Remembering the monks who demonstrated. Remembering the people of Burma, killed, beaten, jailed, tortured, disappeared, threatened, relocated. Remembering their struggle for freedom. Remembering the military government's unchecked repression.

No Time Left To Compromise with Evil-
Crossposted from Docudharma.

Some people believe we shouldn’t complain too loudly, protest too vigorously or argue too passionately – the theory being that if we appear too leftist, too radical or too seriously committed to our beliefs that people who don’t share those beliefs will be offended and therefore unlikely to become seriously committed radical leftists themselves one day. Well I have big news; those dim bulbs are not likely to ever shine – certainly not in response to our stifling ourselves. For once, let’s let the smart people have their say.

africans care about activism too- Many times I hear that I am fighting a losing battle here in the US trying to get people to care about providing access to basic healthcare in Africa because 'Africans' don't care. I am told that the African people who I am trying to help are not at all trying to help themselves, so why do I bother? Now you see this claim could not be more bogus. Just looking back at the history of African action in the news media it is easy to see that 'Africans' care. Recently I came across a WireTap article on African Activism which provides numerous examples of people in Africa working towards progress.

Youth Haters at the NYTimes- Since when did it become the thing to do to hate on young people? This week the NYTimes has posted three articles the first saying we are meaningless non-voters the second Criticizing us for "delaying" things like marriage and permanent employment... And finally today's saying we're doing our civic duty but we're doing it all wrong because its too quite. Generation FU needs to get off our backs.

Why I Am a Radical-
(crossposted from Docudharma)

It’s simple really. Radical problems require radical solutions.

Radical

of or going to the root or origin; fundamental: a radical difference.

thoroughgoing or extreme, esp. as regards change from accepted or traditional forms: a radical change in the policy of a company.

favoring drastic political, economic, or social reforms: radical ideas; radical and anarchistic ideologues.

Dictionary.com

Adventures in Activism: Episode 4, Now What?- Hello again everyone. Sorry this one is running late. Although, given the events this past week the timing works out better. There has been a lot of talk around here lately about "radicals" and taking some action. All the effort everyone put into the 2006 election and since have been ignored, marginalized and apparently officially condemned by the Senate. What the hell happened?

Kozol in Denver-

Last night I realized one of my dreams, to see and hear Jonathan Kozol. It was a warm fall evening in the historic LoDo district of Denver. As the last light of day fell on the old brick warehouses, across from Union Station upwards of 200 people gathered at the Tattered Cover Bookstore to listen to the man who is perhaps America's best known advocate for the educational rights of children. Kozol, despite being visibly gaunt from his partial fast, did not disappoint. It was an evening to remember and hopefully a touchstone for greater awareness and activism on the part of Colorado teachers. [Crossposted at www.educatorroundtable.org and dailykos.]

Hope Floats-
HOPE FLOATS

The Christopher and Dana Reeve Paralysis Act will be five years old on September 25th. Unfortunately, no one is celebrating because it is five years still in the making and not five years providing vital programs enhancing treatments and cures. I know. My family lives the life.

Adventures in Activism: Episode 3, Civil Disobedience- Welcome back everyone! In case you missed part one and two, this is a continuation of my experiences last weekend at my first protest. So far I've covered traveling and the march itself. This diary will cover the civil disobedience that took place at the Capitol Building.

Adventures in Activism: Episode 2, Taking to the Streets- Hello again everyone! In case you missed the first one, this is a continuation of my experience at the protest this past Saturday in DC. It was my first taste of activism and I wanted to give people who have never been to something like this an idea of what to expect.

Adventures in Activism: Episode 1, On the Road- I just got home a few hours ago from the protest in DC this past Saturday. I smell, I'm tired, sunburnt, sore and happier than I've been in months. I've never participated in any political action besides voting and posting here, until this weekend. I dipped my foot in the water, dove in headfirst and loved every minute of it.

What Hurts Us Today... A Dying Earth, and GWBush the Anti-Leader, etc...- (Partially excerpted from a recent blog at AbsolutArts.com)

The Next Step- Great issues raised in the last post and I do think these warrant more discussion. So I will ask more question and spout less statistics this time. Wikipedia

Big Darkness Soon Come-

9/15 and ANSWER: Why you should be there anyway.- On September 15, the International ANSWER coalition is leading an anti-war demo in DC. I've heard a number of people say that they're reluctant to attend because of ANSWER itself, their leadership style, and the politics of other potential attendees. Frankly I don't care for ANSWER -- (I had a Trotskyist phase about 3 years ago and it's done now.) But there is no excuse, moral or practical, to skip out on these events. And here's why:

Is The State Of The Nation Making Us Fanatics?- This morning, Doug Thompson at Capitol Hill Blue published a long overdue article on what's happening at CHB, and throughout the Internet on other sites as well:
When politics gets personal, everyone loses September 3, 2007 - 4:06am. We need to replace hate with reason By DOUG THOMPSON

America-
In the realm of political thought there has never been a more powerful idea than America. For the first time in history a nation was formed expressly to protect the liberty of its citizens, who were conceived as equals, from the predations of tyrants. The founders knew tyranny first hand and were determined to design a system that would preclude it from ever taking hold in the United States of America.

Posse Powered Politics- This has been a difficult past week for me as my department at work got cut and I am now sadly unemployed. So – before I start my blog I want to give a huge shout out to the folks who have really stepped up to help me find work in the political youth outreach world. It’s true that you never really know who your peeps are until you need them and the people that have offered their contacts or passed around my resume have been overwhelmingly thoughtful for which I am exponentially grateful. So, let me kick off my first day of unemployment by addressing an important and too often ignored political topic: Volunteers.

Freep this poll! (Soldiers & Body Armor)- Crossposted from Left Toon Lane, Bilerico Project & My Left Wing
click to enlarge You go to war with the body armor you have or don't have - as the case may be. Usually, it is a definite LACK of body armor that is the problem. It is a sad state of affairs when families and support groups need to be the ones buying and supplying body armor to the troops in need instead of the Pentagon. Thousands of soldiers dead and ten's of thousands wounded - many of which die to a lack of sufficient armor. If you are a frequent reader, you know I founded BooksForSoldiers.com four years ago. Most of what we ship are books, DVDs, CDs, snacks, video games and magazines. Frequently we get requests for other items like tube socks, boots and even once got a request for IV pump batteries. It really strikes our heart when we get a request for body armor. More after the flip...

No One Told You When to Run- It’s incredibly hard to wake the working class, not because they are heavy sleepers or because they are lazy. But because they go to sleep tired and worried, about their kids and their jobs and their future. They are too preoccupied with the day to day struggle for life to hold intellectual arguments on class warfare.

Dean's YK07 Speech- Friday Night at the YearlyKos convention beloved DNC Chairman Howard Dean met a crowd made up of former Deaniacs or now supporters who welcomed him to a rousing ovation.

Civil Disobedience 1: An Eye For an Eye Makes the Whole World Blind-
Crossposted from Daily Kos

::

Civil disobedience becomes a sacred duty when the State becomes lawless or, which is the same thing, corrupt. -- Mahatma Gandhi

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Everybody Knows-

Chicago, 8/1968 - Chicago, 8/2007-
I remember what happened in Chicago in August 1968. Do you?

It was a watershed event. We had a draft during Vietnam, so the American people were engaged. If you weren't alive during those dark days, you have no idea what an engaged citizenry is all about.

I Dreamed I Saw Joe Hill Last Night-

The Shape Of Things To Come- (Updated below) Plus ça change, plus c'est pareil. The more things change, the more they stay the same. We all know this old (french) saying. But what does it really mean?

If Not Now........- Every once in a while something pops up on YouTube that reminds me what a great tool for promoting activism it can be. This is Melissa Etheridge's performance last Saturday in two parts. Enjoy!!

They Are Winning Again - And Here's Why-
While progressives continue their petty, self-indulging, cacophonic, disorganized rants and raves within their favorite echo chambers, the neocons, the right-wingers and the G.O.P. continue doing what they've always done: stay on unified, but disinformative, messages. Why should they do anything differently? Especially since that what worked before is apparently working still for them ...

Another World is Possible - The USSF in Atlanta-
Part I

The US Social Forum is still going on right here in my neck of the woods. I spent all day there yesterday at the invitation of my new best friend, Dennis O’Neil of the Iraq Moratorium Committee, and all night last night partying with activists from S.E.I.U. (Service Employees International Union) and USLAW (US Labor Against the War).

God Guns and Gays- I'm not usually a big pusher of merch - but every once in a while something comes along that is so remarkable to me that I feel compelled to tell everyone I know about it.

A Cancer On The Body Democratic-
(Updated below) (Update II)

Alternative title: The Root Of All Our Problems - In Real Life And In The Blogosphere.

The Permanent Protest II: The People's Siege of Corporate America.- Crossposted from Daily Kos I want to ask a question: What would life in America be like if us commoners had exactly the same "power" the Corporation has?
"The Constitution is a delusion and a snare if the weakest and humblest man in the land cannot be defended in his right to speak and his right to think as much as the strongest in the land." Clarence Darrow
And now a few words from a concerned citzen who has hijacked London's Emergency Broadcast System in order to have 5 minutes' worth of honest chat with his countryman: Make the jump.

Diatribune

activism