Wednesday, September 29, 2010

Monday, September 27, 2010

[PDI] October 6: US Boat to Gaza benefit, Unblockade the Aid! Stop FBI raids!

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Friday, September 24, 2010

A Very Different View Of China - Superpower Hoax?

http://www.alternet.org/world/148284/the_china_superpower_hoax/

This has a lot to do with the environmental outcome of China's rise on the global scene. In the 'big picture', China has a lot to look forward to - and many pitfalls to avoid.

Dan

Thursday, September 23, 2010

[PDI] Fwd: Fw: [MCM] O'Donnell LOST in Delaware

Finally and explanation that makes sense, from a friend:
-------- Original Message --------
FYI . . . .
On *Tue, 9/21/10, Mark Crispin Miller /<markcrispinmiller@gmail.com>/*
wrote:
Apparently, Christine O'Donnell's "stunning upset victory" in Delaware
was yet
another stroke of electronic magic--just like Scott Brown's "stunning upset
victory" in Massachusetts in February.
There, as the Election Defense Alliance has reported, it turns out that
Martha Coakley
/won/ the hand-counted paper ballot vote by 2.8%, while Brown "won" his
5-point
"victory"/ only/ where the "votes" were "counted" electronically (with
no spot-checks
of that "count," no systematic audit and no exit polls).
[The EDA's report, and my summary, are at
http://markcrispinmiller.com/2010/09/did-scott-brown-really-win-in-massachusetts-must-read/.]
And now it turns out that Christine O'Donnell's "win" in Delaware was
just as iffy; or
even iffier, since she "beat" Mike Castle--/electronically/, which is to
say,/ unverifiably/
/--/by 6+ points, while Mike Castle actually beat/ her/, according to
the/ paper-based/
/absentee ballots,/ by over 10 points. (Brad Friedman goes into the
details below.)
It's all quite weird, of course. But what's far weirder is the total
silence on such matters
by both parties and the media. Somehow the doubtfulness of Brown's
"win," and now
O'Donnell's, hasn't raised the faintest question as to whether the
Tea-Baggers/ really/
represent electoral majorities. And so the Standard Narrative we all
keep hearing now
--the Tea-Party's booming, the GOP is badly split, the Democrats are in big
trouble, blah blah blah--is just about as useful as the horoscope in
this morning's
/New York Post./
/
/
I'd like to know what it would take to get the press to pay attention to
these wild
anomalies--not just the two I've noted here, but also Alvin Greene's
preposterous
"win" in South Carolina, and all the many others of this campaign
season/ and/ the
last ten years.
It's starting to appear as if there's/ nothing/ that will make the penny
drop inside the
heads of all those jounalists and pundits, who couldn't any longer
blather on about
the game of "politics" (as they imagine it) if they allowed themselves
to look into the
by-now-overwhelming evidence that this whole game is rigged--and will/ stay/
rigged until we, as a nation, finally stop ignoring all the signs of
fraud, and start
discussing what to do about it.
MCM
p.s. Publicly, Karl Rove's been lobbing many spitballs at O'Donnell,
thereby creating
yet another tasty "story" for the press, about the "rift" between the
GOP's "insiders"
and the "insurgent" Tea-Baggers, etc., etc.
I'd say we all should be a wee bit skeptical about Rove's noisy putdowns
of his party's
nominee. For one thing, we can generally tell that Karl Rove's lying
when his lips are
moving; and, secondly, it's not so easy to believe that Rove would have
much problem
with a candidate who, however "nutty" he may claim to find her, has the
same good
shot at "victory" on Election Day that she enjoyed last week., since
Team Rove will
no doubt themselves be running the election apparatus.
Perhaps I'm being too cynical. So let's just say that, if Rove is/
genuinely/ put off by
O'Donnell's victory over Mike Castle, he should stand up, right now, and
demand
a thorough probe of her election. (Certainly no Democrat will do it.)
*CASTLE DEFEATS O'DONNELL IN DELAWARE*
by Brad Friedman
http://www.bradblog.com/?p=8073
Last Tuesday's hotly contested race for the GOP's U.S. Senate nomination
in Delaware ended in victory for
the state's moderate, much-beloved former Governor and nine-term U.S.
Congressman Mike Castle --- at least according to the tabulation of
ballots cast in the race which can actually be verified by anybody as having
been recorded accurately as per the voters' intent.
From the State of Delaware's Elections website with 100% reporting:
/Verifiable Paper-Based Absentee Results/:
*CASTLE: 54.7%* - O'DONNELL: 45.3%
_/Unverifiable Election Day E-Voting Machine Results/_:
CASTLE: 46.7% -* O'DONNELL: 53.3%*
Nonetheless, the Tea-Party/Palin/DeMint-endorsed Christine O'Donnell,
who was getting trounced by the popular Castle in pre-election polls
until only recently after losing twice before in her quest for a U.S.
Senate seat, was declared the "winner" of yesterday's race and --- as
The BRAD BLOG detailed yesterday
--- nobody can prove whether the voters of Delaware actually selected
her or not.
Appropriately enough for the far Rightwinger, the "victory" was 100%
faith-based, since it's strictly impossible to know if/ even one/
citizen's vote cast yesterday on the 100% unverifiable e-voting machines
Delware forces voters to use on Election Day was recorded accurately...
That said, while we've seen examples of similar disparities between
paper-based absentee results and electronically cast results before (the
unknown Alvin Greene's "victory" over Judge Vic Rawl in South Carolina's
recent Democratic U.S. Senate primary comes to mind) there are
logical-ish reasons --- as there always are, in every election --- to
justify O'Donnell's computer-reported "victory" yesterday.
As we noted in response to a reader in comments on yesterday's Delaware
item, O'Donnell received a late endorsement from Sarah Palin on
September 9th, just 5 days before the election. That brought with it a
surge of last-minute support from the "Tea Party" and others.
Moreover, the number of absentee ballots cast as a percentage of the
total votes was quite small (1,499 absentee ballots, versus 56,083 cast
on Election Day), so one should be careful of reading too much into
those numbers as the bulk of absentee ballots were likely cast prior to
O'Donnell's endorsements surge.
Those factors, and certainly others,/ could/ certainly explain the
nearly-reversed percentages as reportedly cast on Election Day on the
e-voting systems, versus those seen on the paper-based, human-countable,
absentee ballots.
But the point here is: Who knows? Absolutely nobody does. I don't. You
don't. O'Donnell doesn't. Castle doesn't. The State of Delaware doesn't.
Even the manufacturer of the e-voting system, Danaher/Guardian, would be
unable to prove who/ actually/ won or lost the race one way or another.
As we've spent years detailing, this continues to be no way to run a
representative democracy based on/ self-governance/. But we continue to
do it anyway despite years of documented, scientific evidence proving
beyond a shadow of a doubt that it's both insane and antithetical to the
representative democracy and self-governance we pretend to have. It's
also a disgrace and a horrible example for the rest of the world, which
used to look to this nation as a beacon of democracy.
While the Republican establishment is beside itself after last night's
reported results (Castle, whom they'd supported, was thought to be an
easy win over Democratic nominee Chris Coons, while polls currently show
O'Donnell getting trounced by him), the same 100% unverifiable e-voting
systems will be used again in Delaware (and 20% of the rest of the
nation) on Election Day on November 2nd this year. If O'Donnell loses
the general election --- or wins --- there will be no way to prove that
she did --- or didn't.
"Tea Partiers" who support O'Donnell, and who claim to give a damn about
representative democracy and self-governance, would be wise to finally
start taking notice of the/ real/ threats to our supposedly inalienable
right of self-rule. HINT: The threat ain't ACORN.
--
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Wednesday, September 22, 2010

Tuesday, September 21, 2010

[PDI] 10/6: Un-blockade the aid! A benefit for the U.S. Boat to Gaza

Un-blockade the aid! Send a U.S. ship to Gaza! Help break the siege of
Gaza!
A benefit for the U.S. Boat to Gaza

Wednesday, October 6
Grace United Methodist Church of Logan Square
(between Kimball Ave & Spaulding Ave)
3325 W Wrightwood Ave, Chicago
Doors Open at 6 PM
Program starts at 7:00 PM and ends at 9:00 PM
$10.00 admission*
GET ON BOARD THE U.S. TO GAZA CAMPAIGN
Colonel Ann Wright
Gaza Freedom Flotilla Participant Tells Her Story
Colonel Ann Wright is a former United States Army colonel and retired
official of the U.S. State Department, known for her outspoken opposition to
the Iraq War. She is most noted for having been one of three State Department
officials to publicly resign in protest of the March 2003 invasion of
Iraq.
She was a passenger on the Challenger 1, which, with the Mavi Marmara, was
part of the Gaza Freedom Flotilla that was attacked in international
waters while trying to break the blockade and take humanitarian aid to Gaza.

Ali Abunimah, The Electronic Intifada (invited and working on his schedule
to make it possible)
Author of the book One Country: A Bold Proposal to End the
Israeli-Palestinian Conflict, which proposes to revive the idea of one state shared by two
peoples.

Kevin Coval ( poet and spoken word artist)

Michael Levin Group (playing jazz and Latin jazz)

Linda Boyle or Awesome Folk Band

In the aftermath of the Gaza Freedom Flotilla massacre and world-wide
scrutiny of Israel's attack on and continued siege of Gaza, Israel has mounted a
public relations campaign to whitewash the facts. Yet Gaza is still under
siege, an open-air prison for 1.5 million Palestinians, backed by the U.S.
government.
This fall, joining a flotilla of ships from around the world, Americans
are launching a U.S. boat to Gaza "The Audacity of Hope" to join Gaza Freedom
Flotilla II
_http://ustogaza.org/_ (http://ustogaza.org/)
Please, those of you that are on Facebook, forward this to your friends
and repost on FB group pages....

_http://www.facebook.com/?sk=2361831622#!/event.php?eid=119805428073317&ref=
mf_
(http://www.facebook.com/?sk=2361831622#!/event.php?eid=119805428073317&ref=mf)
For more information please contact us at: 773-267-5198 or
FGMinChicago@aol.com

*Nobody will be turned away due to a lack of funds.

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Truthout: Exclusive Interview With Rep. Dennis Kucinich

http://www.truth-out.org/exclusive-interview-with-rep-dennis-kucinich63376

Daily - Colbert Dueling Rally Announcements for 10/30/10 At The National Mall, D.C.

The Daily Show With Jon StewartMon - Thurs 11p / 10c
Rally to Restore Sanity
www.thedailyshow.com
Daily Show Full EpisodesPolitical HumorTea Party





The Colbert ReportMon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c
March to Keep Fear Alive Announcement
www.colbertnation.com
Colbert Report Full Episodes2010 ElectionFox News

Monday, September 20, 2010

[PDI] Jobs for Working Families NOW, NOT TAX CUTS FOR THE RICH!!!

Rep Melissa Bean well known "blue dog" is leading the charge on keeping the tax cuts for the wealthiest people in our state and country. LEADING THE WAY, writing with 3 other Congress people a letter that now has gained dozens more signatures from Democrats, to KEEP THE TAX CUTS for the wealthiest among us. For guidance, review some talking points below. Most critically--PLEASE make a phone call, today, to Rep. Bean. Tell her JOBS and BENEFITS now, not tax cuts for the wealthy. And send this on.

Rep. Bean needs to know Illinois voters care, we're watching. For goddsakes a few days ago 300 people gathered at the IL GOP HQ to highlight MARK KIRK's support of tax cuts and vote against jobs.
Who's side is she on anyway??!!

Date: Mon, 20 Sep 2010 10:56:08 -0500
Subject: Rep. Bean Talks about Tax Cuts
From: john@citizenaction-il.org
To: john@citizenaction-il.org
CC: lynda@citizenaction-il.org; jsampson@usaction.org; jonathan@citizenaction-il.org; illinoisara@gmail.com; mcnary@citizenaction-il.org
This weekend, Representatives Bean and Gutierrez appeared on FOX Chicago to debate the expiration of the Bush Tax Cuts. During the debate, Representative Bean stated that the top 2% of Americans create 25% of all consumer spending, so it is too risky to end the Bush Tax Cuts. She goes on to say we should continue the Bush tax cuts another year or more to ensure our economy doesn't tank
Representative Bean and Gutierrez debate Bush Tax Cuts.
http://www.myfoxchicago.com/dpp/news/bush-tax-cuts-melissa-bean-luis-gutierrez-20100914
Let's review the logic. As with health care, Representative Bean continues to state the small business need to be protected from big government.
"Does she really think that the wealthiest small business owner is going to
be changed by removing an extra $30 from every $1000 STARTING
WITH $251,000th?" Stated Illinois Main Street Alliance small business owner Dan Sherry, "We talking about 3% of
all small business owners, about 180,000 of 6 million small businesses!"
That's right, this whole debate comes down to $30 for every $1,000 OVER $250,000 that 1.12 million Americans and 180,000 small businesses will have to pay.

One has to ask "Ms. Bean, what about creating jobs?" HR4812 is the local jobs bill that spends $37.5 Billion a year to create 750,000 jobs, creating 162 jobs in Palatine, 184 jobs in Arlington Heights, 183 jobs in Schaumburg, and bringing 1,215 to Lake County. Is Representative Bean pushing this legislation with the same gusto she is using to extend the Bush tax cuts? No. In fact, she is not event a co-sponsor of the legislation.
HR4812 jobs bill: Cost is $37.5 Billion a year. Creates 750,000 jobs, 33,000 in Illinois
Bush Tax Cut for top 2%: Cost is $70 Billion a year. Creates no jobs, but has potential to create jobs.
Representative Bean must explain how removing $4 Trillion from our budget and handing a major chunk over to the wealthiest Americans creates jobs. We know that creating jobs is the best way to stimulate the economy and trickle down economics is the worst. Unfortunately, Representative Bean does not see the whole picture.
Will you call her to clarify the situation?
DC Office 202-225-3711
District 847-517-2927
John Gaudette
Citizen Action/IL

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[PDI] If you are dedicated to Peace and Prosperity for ALL, PLEASE join the crusade

YOU are needed!
Monetary reform is the single most important issue facing us and all of
mankind for all time. Our 1000's year-old monetary system is yet again
demonstrating its destructive nature through failing economies and
dissolved and/or rigged governments around the world. Hidden behind
smoke screens are the untold misery and strife that goes hand-in-hand
with such destruction. Taxes, fees and all manner of regulations will
continue to explode, as will privatization of public resources - all in
a futile attempt to keep this inherently unstable system in place.
This can be fixed - provided we the people demand Constitutional money,
properly created and regulated for the benefit of all. As the world's
largest economy, reform MUST begin in the United States.
The idea has been a long time coming, and it thankfully is garnering
support in some political circles. For example, the U.S. Green Party has
included a Monetary Reform Plank in their 2010 Platform which, for the
first time ever, incorporates all 3 of the essential elements of real
reform of our monetary system. Dennis Kucinich, nominally a Democrat,
will be introducing the Monetary Reform Act drafted by the American
Monetary Institute, and Ron Paul, nominally a Republican, has inspired
followers to study monetary reform.
*This is a start, but ONLY a start. PLEASE consider attending the AMI
conference taking place from Sept. 30 through October 3 of this month at
Roosevelt University in downtown Chicago. *At this conference learn how
our monetary system and wars are related - and why we don't need
regulatory reform so much as we need monetary reform. Learn the three
essentials of reform and gather ideas on how to create interest and
recruit real "monetary reformers", plus more.
If you can't attend the conference consider making a small donation,
and/or lending your support in getting its message out. For more info:
http://www.monetary.org/2010schedule.html
thank you,
Geraldine Perry

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Thursday, September 16, 2010

Sunday, September 12, 2010

[PDI] Iraq; Petition to support American Muslims, Suburban vote important; Michael Moore's new blog; DuPage Forum; Borrow your shirt?

Petition:
http://action.fcnl.org/petitions/e_only/we_stand_with_american_muslims/<http://action.fcnl.org/petitions/e_only/we_stand_with_american_muslims/>
Daily Herald | Suburban voters will play a major role in balance of power
http://www.dailyherald.com/story/?id=405961<http://www.dailyherald.com/story/?id=405961>
OpenMike -- My New Blog -- Blasts Off on MichaelMoore.com
Hey Everybody,
Though I'm in the middle of my next project, I, like you, can feel the ill wind blowing across the country as the crazy Right is already suited up and ready to ride into town in November. I don't have any magic tricks to show Mr. Obama, so I've decided instead to start a brand new unstoppable, unapproved, uncompromising, and utterly unruly daily blog on my site (MichaelMoore.com<http://www.michaelmoore.com/>).
I'm calling it OpenMike, and I'd love for you to make a habit of checking it out every day -- and posting your own comments<http://www.michaelmoore.com/visitor/register> for the President and the voting public to see. Very soon we'll have some live chats and some other new additions to my site (like an uncensored "Ask Me ANYTHING FAQ," and some little daily subversive missions I'll send you on). Foreign visitors who are scared sh*tless that the bad old days are coming back are also welcome to join in.
Here are the first two days of my new blog (from Monday<http://mmflint.me/9th7AI> and Wednesday<http://mmflint.me/9dCcf2>). I've reprinted Wednesday's below in full. Monday's has language I, um, never use, but I got inspired by Rahm Emanuel and I wanted him to read it (so I had to speak in his tongue). Some teens (and younger) may have parents who won't want them to read it, so kids, check with mom and dad as you always do.
I am so sincerely disappointed at how Obama and the Dems have blown much of the first 20 months of holding absolute power. (This is not to say they haven't done a lot of good, but stop any five people on the street and ask them to name the "great accomplishments" of Obama's first term and watch what happens.) The administration's bend-over-backwards, can't-we-all-get-along attitude may win them points at a 4-H Club fair, but their opponents are ruthless cutthroats and have rammed our good country right down the toilet -- and they want to be back in power so they can continue the final flush of everything we used to have and stood for. This likely debacle is less than 8 weeks away.
But it doesn't have to happen. Obama's speech Wednesday -- click here<http://mmflint.me/9IEE0m> -- was awesome and showed the balls we've been waiting to see since January 2009. Do the Democrats deserve what they're about to get? Absolutely. But we don't. We'll be the ones who will have to suffer; they'll all have cushy lobbying jobs. So do we now have to save them from themselves? How much longer will we have to play this stupid charade? Or do we just let them crash and burn and then start something new out of their wreckage?
I believe our first African-American president deserves a couple more years to try to get it right. After all, he didn't create the disasters he inherited. I think someone's just got to light a fire under him. So I'll strike my match every day on this new blog. And I invite you to join me and do the same.
Anyways, enjoy my blogs, enjoy the site (it carries a lot of the buried news you may miss from the mainstream media every day, and it has some other cool things). Thanks to millions of you on my email list<http://www.michaelmoore.com/mikesmailinglist/index.php>, to my 300,000 friends on Facebook<http://www.facebook.com/mmflint> and the nearly 700,000 of you who follow me on Twitter<http://twitter.com/mmflint> where I tweet and tweet and never sleep.
Thanks!
Michael
'A Week of Proclamations<http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/mike-friends-blog/week-proclamations>'
By Michael Moore
Wednesday, September 8th, 2010 2:45 PM
Last week, President Obama addressed the nation, declaring the war in Iraq to be over and that combat troops were all home. Yesterday, two American soldiers were killed in Iraq -- by an Iraqi government soldier. This followed an attack on Sunday on a U.S. base in Baghdad. It all seemed a bit confusing to me because I always thought that when a President declares something, it's supposed to happen. Now I'm worried about the other proclamations Mr. Obama made this past week:
Tuesday, August 31:
"Today, I am announcing that combat operations have ceased in Iraq. There will be no more combat. Combat is over. Done. Finished."
Wednesday, September 1:
"I am here today to declare an end to global warming. Don't ask me how I did it. And there's no reason to look at thermometers or the polar ice caps anymore, because I just told you everything's great. Just send me another Nobel Peace Prize."
Thursday, September 2:
"Today I am announcing there is no more unemployment in America. Everyone else just got a big raise and fantastic health coverage. And all 37 million outsourced jobs are back. (Don't ask your bosses about the raise tomorrow, they'll just be embarrassed.)"
Friday, September 3:
"Today I am announcing that mosquitoes and all insects smaller than a centimeter will heretofore go away and stop biting hard working Americans."
Saturday, September 4:
"After today's victory over UConn, the Michigan Wolverines will cease playing effective football for the rest of the college season."
Sunday, September 5:
"From this day forward, I hereby declare an end to Formica and all other prefabricated counter toppings. Not for me to judge, but: Nobel Peace Prize?"
Monday, September 6:
"As your President, I hereby declare an end to Delaware."
Tuesday, September 7:
"Democratic Party combat operations have ended. Actually, they never started. We've refused to stand up to the Republicans for the past 20 months -- uh, sorry, make that 20 years -- I mean 30 years -- and we see no reason to start now. Republicans will organize a government after November and I'm just hoping they'll give me a few months to pack before they impeach me for being a Muslim atheist."
Wednesday, September 8:
"Today I am declaring an end to the slogans 'Yes We Can!,' 'Change We Can Believe In,' and 'Hope.' The truth is this: No we can't, there's not much change you can believe in, and my only hope is to find a way to turn the clock back to January of 2009 so I can start over and fight like the champ the American people thought they were electing. That is all. I will have no further proclamations."
(Click here for Monday's blog<http://mmflint.me/9th7AI>)

You tube links to DuPage Work Group Legislative Forum: about 15 minutes each

DuPage Workgroup Naperville Disability Legislative Forum 9 2 10<about:blank>
Pay Provider Timely Fashion? Adequately Fund Human Services? Bellock, Brownfield, Connelly

DuPage Workgroup Naperville Disability Legislative Forum 9 2 10<about:blank>
Pay Providers Timely Fashion? Adequately Fund Human Services? DeSart, Fortner, Green

DuPage Workgroup Naperville Disability Legislative Forum 9 2 10<about:blank>
Pay Providers Timely Fashion? Adequately Fund Human Services? Muelller, Owens, Pihos

DuPage Workgroup Naperville Disability Legislative Forum 9 2 10<about:blank>
Pay Providers Timely Fashion? Adequately Fund Human Services? Senger, Speta

DuPage Workgroup Naperville Disability Legislative Forum 9 2 10<about:blank>
Pay Providers Timely Fashion? Adequately Fund Human Services? Vlahos
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Thursday, September 09, 2010

[PDI] Fw: Fall Kick-Off, Candidate Forums, Mock Elections - Fun Jam PackedFall!

------Original Message------
From: League of Women Voters of Glen Ellyn
To: engageinactivism@ymail.com
ReplyTo: info@lwvge.org
Subject: Fall Kick-Off, Candidate Forums, Mock Elections - Fun Jam PackedFall!
Sent: Sep 9, 2010 19:25
Having trouble viewing this email? Click here September 9, 2010 Read below about: Sept 16 Kick-Off Unit Meeting October 5,6,7 Mock Elections October 20,21 Candidate Forum Do you want to meet new people?           See long-time friends?                    Be informed on issues?   Then don't miss our:  Fall Kick-Off   Thursday, September 16 7:30 p.m. Glen Ellyn Civic Center 530 Duane Street Glen Ellyn   This is your opportunity to find out about the League's program for 2010-11, ask questions, pick up your new membership book, and become involved. We will have a short business meeting, then an open-house style mingling and mixing until 9pm. Stop by the many booths and learn first hand from Leaguers who are eager to share! See you there!! you will be the best informed person on your block after you attend the LWVGE Fall Kick-Off! Mock Elections Coming:  October 5th, 6th, & 7th YOUR Help is Needed for one 2-hour shift
The Glen Ellyn League is conducting Mock Elections at three high schools--Glenbard South(10/5), Glenbard West(10/6), and Lake Park West High School(10/7).
You can volunteer in any 1 of the following ways:
· Clicking on the mailing list sign-up form above right
· or go to LWVGE.org and sign up for our email updates at top right hand of the page
Note: For both options above, select
the Mock Election volunteer list
· or email: (didihoke@yahoo.com)
· or contact one of our Voter Services co-chairs, Diana Hoke or Midge Anderson thru your membership book. · or call 630-835-6959 and leave a message THANK YOU! LWV Candidate Forums
The LWV of Glen Ellyn is hosting a two-night candidate forum in cooperation with the LWV of Wheaton and the Wheaton Chamber of Commerce & Industry. Two-Night Candidate Forum Wednesday, October 20 and Thursday, October 21 6:30pm Social/Meet & Greet 7:00-9:00pm Candidate Forum Wheaton Park District Community Center 1777 South Blanchard Rd Wheaton Races Featured: Wednesday October 20 · DuPage County Board Chair · DuPage County Board Members, District 4 and District 6 · Illinois General Assembly Districts 48 & 95 Thursday October 21 · DuPage County Forest Preserve Board President · DuPage County Forest Preserve Board Members,   - District 4 and District 6 · Illinois General Assembly Districts 42 & 45 This is YOUR opportunity to hear the positions of these candidates. The forum will be videotaped for local cable TV and  streamed live on the web at the LWV-Glen Ellyn web channel on ustream.com (This Link) Note: visit the LWVGE website the evening of the event and a link to the web-based broadcast will be posted.   Right Column: Sept 23 | Great Decisions Sept 18 | Book Club Observer Corp Great Decisions   Subject: China Led by Leslie Foster 9/23 7:30pm Nichols     Book Club     Challenging the Culture of Corruption in Illinois by Patrick Ryan   Saturday, 9/18  9am Michelle Peterson's Would you like information about what happens at local governmental meetings? You can read the reports by our Observer Corps at LWVGE.org National Alzheimer's Awareness Month   The Memory Loss Tapes Saturday, September 18 9 - 11 a.m.   Grandpa, do you know who I am? With Maria Shriver & Caregivers Saturday Saturday, September 25 9-11 a.m.    Parish Center St. Petronille Church Glen Ellyn   RSVP 630-260-5300 or megan.schaaf@ brightstarcare.com   League of Women Voters of Glen Ellyn P.O. Box 2391 Glen Ellyn, Illinois 60138 www.lwvge.org Forward email This email was sent to engageinactivism@ymail.com by info@lwvge.org. Update Profile/Email Address | Instant removal with SafeUnsubscribe™ | Privacy Policy. Email Marketing by League of Women Voters of Glen Ellyn | P.O. Box 2391 | Glen Ellyn | IL | 60138
--
Kat Doyle

Public Google Calendar:
<http://www.google.com/calendar/embed?src=engageinactivism%40gmail.com&ctz=America/Chicago>
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[PDI] FW: What if AAA were green? ... A special offer from the Better World Club

-----Original Message-----
From: Green America <coopamericanews@coopamerica.org>
Sent: September 09, 2010 12:59 AM
To: Daniel A Stafford <aquarianm@gmail.com>
Subject: What if AAA were green? ... A special offer from the Better World Club
Dear Daniel A Stafford,

You all know AAA.
But did you know that AAA is part of the Highway Lobby? AAA works against a host of environmental issues, actively opposing: regulating greenhouse gas emissions from automobiles, increasing royalties for oil drilling, and funding alternative fuel development in California.
AAA even fights the creation of bike paths!
The good news is there's an alternative: how many of you know Better World Club, the greener, cooler auto club, and member of Green America's Green Business Network™? Better World Club not only provides the services you want — like 24/7 nationwide roadside assistance, maps, and travel discounts — but, also supports your environmental agenda!
But that's just the start. Not only do they provide 24/7 nationwide emergency roadside assistance, auto insurance in 40 states and DC, and travel services, but Better World Club:
Is America's first and only Auto Club to provide nationwide 24/7 roadside assistance for bicycles!
Was the first travel company offering carbon offsets
Includes a free carbon offset when you purchase auto insurance
Offers similar hotel and rental car discounts to other auto clubs, but unique green travel discounts
If you want the security of roadside assistance, break up with AAA and join Better World Club. Or give a membership as the perfect gift. Better World Club offers peace of mind, both for roadside help and joining an Auto Club that shares your values.
Better World Club even discounts membership fees for owners of hybrids and other alternative-fuel vehicles — even mass transit pass holders.
You receive a discount just for being a member or friend of Green America. Order your card today, and you'll get 10% off the regular membership fee. Just enter the code "GRNC2121" when you sign up. (This offer expires January 31, 2011). Just click here. Then you can select the date when you want your BWC membership to start.

Alisa Gravitz,
Executive Director,
Green America
P.S. Check out their eNewsletter, Kicking Asphalt—called "The Onion" of corporate newsletters by EcoTalk Radio.


Green America, 1612 K St NW Ste 600, Washington DC 20006 - (800) 58 GREEN - www.greenamericatoday.org
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Wednesday, September 08, 2010

[PDI] FW: Answering Your Questions About the Economy

I'm looking forward to hearing what he proposes. My question is whether it'll go far enough or be enacted?
Dan

-----Original Message-----
From: Austan Goolsbee, The White House <info@messages.whitehouse.gov>
Sent: September 08, 2010 9:43 AM
Subject: Answering Your Questions About the Economy



Good morning,
Millions of our friends and neighbors around the country are looking for work, wondering how they will pay this month's rent or put food on the table for their families.  At a speech in Wisconsin on Monday, the President made clear that turning our economy around is his top priority:
I am going to keep fighting every single day, every single hour, every single minute, to turn this economy around and put people back to work and renew the American Dream, not just for your family, not just for all our families, but for future generations.
At 2:10 p.m. EDT today, President Obama will announce a set of targeted proposals to help our economy continue on a path to recovery during a speech in Cleveland, Ohio.  I know many of you have questions about what this Administration is doing to support working families and small businesses who are struggling to get by.  So immediately following the President's remarks, I'll be hosting a live chat to answer your questions about what we're doing to help Americans find jobs and to rebuild our economy for the long term.
I'm looking forward to talking with you later today.
Sincerely, Austan Goolsbee
Council of Economic Advisers
P.S. In case you missed it, you can check out the video of the President's speech in Wisconsin on Monday where he laid out his plan to put Americans back to work renewing and rebuilding America's roads, rails and runways:
http://www.whitehouse.gov/labor-day


Sign-Up For Updates from the White House
Please do not reply to this email. Contact the White House
The White House • 1600 Pennsylvania Ave NW • Washington, DC 20500 • 202-456-1111

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Tuesday, September 07, 2010

Re: [PDI] PDI Monthly Meeting

Thanks Dan for the summary. We're not being aggressive to solve the
one-car issue and it's handicapping us. We're not even getting over to help
Scott much either. Look at the pizza we're missing . . .

Good luck and thanks for the sweat to carry out the IT support and online
outreach strategy for the County.


Art and Melinda
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[PDI] FW: Who's the Fairest?

-----Original Message-----
From: Green America <coopamericanews@coopamerica.org>
Sent: September 07, 2010 12:38 PM
To: Daniel A Stafford
Subject: Who's the Fairest?
Can't see this email? Links don't work?
Click here to view it online.

Dear Daniel A Stafford,
It's been a decade since Fair Trade coffee made its first appearance in the US marketplace. At the time, it was the only fairly traded product available in this country, and as many of us remember, it was hard to find.
Big thanks to the Green Americans who have consistently asked for more Fair Trade products, driving demand for Fair Trade such that today, shoppers can easily find a wide range of Fair Trade products – chocolate, tea, rice, sugar, and more – on supermarket shelves, with more to come.
Globally, Fair Trade sales hit the $5 billion mark last year, helping more than one million producers and their families lift themselves out of poverty. This is a huge achievement (from $0 to $5 billion in ten years!) that we're acknowledging here at Green America in several ways:
First, our editors used this milestone as a jumping-off point for the first issue of our newly redesigned Green American magazine – which makes its debut online as a downloadable PDF this week. In the 1990s, the organic market skyrocketed. Our editors tackle the question of whether Fair Trade is poised for the same level of growth in this decade.
Second, because we know that consumer demand has been a driving force behind the growth of Fair Trade in the first decade of the 21 st-century, we're keeping the momentum moving for the next decade with our Fair Trade Your Supermarket campaign. We provide you with the tools to help get more Fair Trade products into more and more stores. Help us reach our goal of consumers requesting Fair Trade products in all 50 states!
Finally, we've got many more ways for you to take action on Fair Trade coming up this fall, including our annual Reverse Trick-or-Treat project and home screenings of the film the Dark Side of Chocolate. Get your free trick-or-treating kit now, while supplies last.
See below for more on these action opportunities – and for this month's Faces of the Green Pages interview with Fair Trade leader Rishi Tea.
Thanks for all you do for people and the planet,

Alisa Gravitz,
Executive Director,
Green America
P.S. September is Green Giveaway month at Green America. Support Green America's programs, and get your choice of a great green thank-you gift from one of our Green Business Network™ members – including Fair Trade gifts like beaded bracelets from Rainforest Native, Fair Trade coffee from Velasquez Maximo, and more. Check out Green Giveaway Month »
P.P.S. Stay tuned to your e-newsletter … we and our allies are launching a major campaign within the next two weeks to convince a huge conventional chocolate company to clean up its supply chain. We want you to help us. Don't miss it.
Reverse Trick-or-Treating & The Dark Side of Chocolate (Get your free trick-or-treat kit while supplies last.)
Again this year, Green America is teaming up with our allies at Global Exchange for reverse trick-or-treating, the Halloween tradition of children handing Fair Trade chocolate back to their neighbors – and we want you to join us!
It works like this: The chocolate is attached to a card detailing the social and environmental justice issues in the cocoa industry and how Fair Trade chocolate helps cocoa farmers across the world.
You can order the free (plus shipping costs) Fair Trade chocolate kits from the "reverse trick-or-treating" Web site. Please note that you were referred by Green America. Individuals can begin ordering kits immediately (deadline October 8), and be sure to order soon, because kits always run out long before deadline - be sure to use the coupon code GREENAMERICA! (While supplies last, businesses and institutions may take part by purchasing their kits.)
Order your Reverse Trick-or-Treat kit here »
Also for Halloween, consider hosting a screening of the Dark Side of Chocolate. The national screening week for this film by Miki Mistrati and U. Robin Romano is scheduled for October 23 – 31. Green Americans across the country can host events to share the news of the sad state of the conventional cocoa supply chain.
Filmmakers Mistrati and Romano traveled to cocoa farms in the Ivory Coast, and found that numerous labor rights abuses continue, years after major chocolate companies committed to ending exploitation. With 70 percent of the world's chocolate grown in West Africa, the conditions the filmmakers found on their journeys represent serious concerns for those trying to avoid chocolate tainted by abusive child labor, forced labor, and human trafficking.
Sign up to host a screening »
Meet Joshua Kaiser of Rishi Tea
For more than 1,000 years, tea has been the most consumed beverage next to water. Rishi Tea has a commitment to both. Since 2008, Rishi Tea has partnered with Clean Water Fund donating more than $10,000 to their efforts of cleaning and restoring North America's waters through the sales of their Organic Cinnamon Plum seasonal blend.
That's on top of their commitment to Fair Trade and direct sourcing, and their status as a winner of eleven First Place Awards for Best Tea at the 2009 World Tea Championship. We asked Rishi Tea founder Joshua Kaiser to tell us more about his commitment to Fair Trade tea, clean water, and -- bonus -- a third beverage, his favorite organic soy milk, for blending the perfect chai. Read our interview with Joshua »
Our new Green American debuts online
With the online debut of our July/August Green American, find articles about the current boom in Fair Trade activism, and resources for how you can get involved in raising consumer consciousness, making your town a Fair Trade town, and taking action with your local supermarket (see our Fair Trade Your Supermarket campaign for more).
In her feature article "It's Only Fair," our editor Tracy Fernandez Rysavy tells the story of Florence, orphaned by the Rwandan genocidal war in 1994, who turned her life around by joining Cards from Africa, a Kigali-based Fair Trade company and member of our Green Business Network™.
Our September/October Green American is in the mail, in which we tackle the Number One question our members ask us to take on: When it comes to food, if you have to choose, should you go local or organic? And we're hard at work on November/December, in which we update the most strategic ways to address the climate crisis, and how you can reduce your energy use (and bills) by 50 percent in five years.
Read "It's Only Fair" »


September 7, 2010
Action
· Reverse Trick-or-Treating and The Dark Side of Chocolate
News
· Meet Joshua Kaiser of Rishi Tea
Resources
· Our new Green American debuts online
(All advertisements are from approved Green America Business Network™ members.)

20% off on green back-to-school ... Use code GREENGIFT »

Help us lower a charity's energy costs forever. Click here to see how you can make clean energy a reality for a deserving organization in your community »
Your choice of gift from our Green Business Network when you donate to Green America in September »
Green America receives a 20% donation from subscriptions to recycled-paper magazines that are endorsed by our Better Paper Project...
Further news from our Better Paper Project: During Sept. all Books-a-Million stores and 240 of the largest Barnes & Nobles are promoting magazines identified by our Better Paper Project that use recycled paper. Please support these magazines and tell the manager how you appreciate this environmental promotion. (We'd love to collect photos of our Better Paper exhibits from coast to coast. If you see one in a store near you, please send a photo to Better Paper director Frank Locantore.)

Help us show Congress that Americans everywhere want to invest in cleaner energy ...
Get resources for taking action for Fair Trade in your local community »
Sept. 10-12, Quincy, MA
The Fair Trade Futures Conference schedule has been announced.
Register Today »
Green America executive director Alisa Gravitz will be speaking at the Mother Earth News Fair, Sept. 25 - 26, in Seven Springs Mtn., PA. Two-day tickets, $25; single-day, $15 »
Get your networks involved.

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Monday, September 06, 2010

[PDI] Good News For Illinois Renewable Energy

Good News For Illinois Renewable Energy
<http://dupagedems.blogspot.com/2010/09/good-news-for-illinois-renewable-energy.html>

From the Interstate Renewable Energy Council:
*ILLINOIS -- New Solar Carve-Out Provisions Evoke Industry Drool*
<http://www.dsireusa.org/incentives/incentive.cfm?Incentive_Code=IL04R&RE=1&EE=1>
Illinois has enacted legislation (H.B. 6202) that accelerates the solar
carve-out within the state's RPS, which requires 25% renewables by 2025,
for Ameren and ComEd. As a result, for these two utilities, solar must
account for 0.5% of the RPS by 2012, 1.5% by 2013, 3% by 2014 and 6% by
2015 (and subsequent years). The previous carve-out required that solar
account for 6% of the RPS by 2015 without any ramp-up period.
*ILLINOIS -- Residential Right to Bear Solar Established*
<http://www.dsireusa.org/incentives/incentive.cfm?Incentive_Code=IL18R&RE=1&EE=1%20%20M>
Illinois also enacted legislation (H.B. 5429) that prohibits homeowners'
associations, common interest community associations and condominium
unit owners' associations from preventing homeowners from using or
installing solar energy systems. These associations may not deny
homeowners permission to install solar energy systems, but they may
specify the location of the solar energy system, provided such
specifications do not "impair the effective operation" of the system.
Thank you for reading,
Dan Stafford
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[PDI] YOU'RE INVITED!! PLEASE COME, PLEASE FORWARD WIDELY

*PLEASE COME and PLEASE FORWARD WIDELY*
*WHAT:* 6th Annual Monetary Reform Conference, American Monetary Institute
*WHERE:* Roosevelt University, downtown Chicago
*WHEN:* September 30 - October 3
*Registration/Donation*: $395, or special $175 Admission for qualified
students and activists dedicated to monetary reform. Reduced room rate
until Sept 16 at select hotels, details at link below.
*WHY*: Anyone interested in a future of peace and prosperity for all
*MUST* join the growing grass roots movement for U.S. monetary reform,
which is a prerequisite for world reform. At this conference learn how
our monetary system and wars are related - and why we don't need
regulatory reform so much as we need monetary reform. Learn the three
essentials of reform and gather ideas on how to create interest and
recruit real "monetary reformers", plus more. */Note that the U.S. Green
Party has included a Monetary Reform Plank in their 2010 Platform
/*which incorporates all 3 of the essential elements of real reform of
our monetary system. This is the first time that a political party has
ever proposed all 3 elements at once. The Greens responsible for this
will be at the conference by video. They are in their 80s and don't
travel much!
*Other "WHOs*": A broad spectrum of over two dozen presenters and
panelists from all over the world including;
*** Carol Broulliet - Long time monetary reform advocate and creator of
the now-infamous "Deception Dollars"
*** Michele St. Pierre - Political activist and leader of the successful
Ron Paul movement in North Washington State
*** Mark Pash - Certified Financial Planner with a Bachelors and Masters
Degree in Business Administration
*** Professor Kaoru Yamaguchi - head of the Systems Dynamics Group of
the Doshisha Business School as Doshisha University in Kyoto, Japan
*** Steve Keene - top Australian monetary economist, and associate
professor, School of Economics & Finance, University of Western Sydney
Plus two presentations relating monetary reform to agriculture . . .
.And LOTS, LOTS more including yours truly as a panelist.
*
More info and contact/registration*:
http://www.monetary.org/2010schedule.html --- *PLEASE FORWARD WIDELY*
My contact info: Geri at 708-460-5683
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Saturday, September 04, 2010

[PDI] DAWN Voter Advocates registering voters, Glen Beck Mark Fiore Cartoon, Vanity Fair Palin piece

DAWN Voter Advocates registering voters
Press Release
for Immediate Release

DAWN Voter Advocates , a subgroup of DAWN Community Advocates,
has begun its volunteer effort of registering voters around and about the DuPage County area.
Registration has begun at College of DuPage, and at some events at local Farmer's Markets and special events.
DAWN Community Advocates, formerly DuPage Against War Now, first began in 2002 as a grassroots group united in opposition to the Iraq war. In the Autumn of 2003 a subgroup, DAWN Voter Advocates formed with the goal of registering voters. By November, 2004, the group had registered thousand of new voters, becoming the largest voter registration organization in DuPage County.
DAWN also helped to spearhead Illinois legislation to change Illinois election law, working with the League of Woman Voters Illinois. Senate Bill SBO299, signed into law August 17th, 2007, is the pollwatching bill which permits non-partisan groups to pollwatch and act as extra eyes and ears at the polling places. Formerly pollwatching was limited to partisan interests.

DAWN Voter Advocates went on to garner awards from Citizen Advocacy Center ( CAC ) and IVI-IPO ( Independent Voters of Illinois Precinct Organization) for its efforts to further democracy .
DAWN in 2010 will continue to oppose the war in Iraq, and participate in selected demonstrations and vigils which allow those who wish to express their desire for peace in the Middle East.
Those who wish to express their desire to bring troops home from Afghanistan also can expect to be informed of protests in DuPage County as well.
In addition to advocating peace and registering voters, DAWN will continue with the local advocacy on selected issues of local importance, including freedom of speech issues, ballot questions, and some local environmental issues. Follow some of DAWN's announcements on Facebook.
For more information, check out the website www.d-a-w-n.org<about:blank> .
##########################
Mark Fiore's take on Glen Beck
http://www.markfiore.com/<http://www.markfiore.com/>
Vanity Fair Palin Piece
http://www.vanityfair.com/politics/features/2010/10/sarah-palin-201010<http://www.vanityfair.com/politics/features/2010/10/sarah-palin-201010>
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Philadelphia Trying To Require Bloggers To Get A License To Blog - Bad News For Independent News


Google search the key words 'Philadelphia License Bloggers.' The results should make your hair stand on end straghter than close proximity to a Tesla coil.

I wonder if this is how it started with small, independent newspapers and radio and TV stations in the last century? The creeping rise in licensing fees and taxes that drove paper and station owners to sell to larger companies in the beginning. The black hole of the corporate maw is waiting to suck in and crush this new free media. They do not want information to be freely available to the rest of us on the planet, of that you can rest assured.

This is one battle we dare not let them win.

Dan Stafford

The madness continues; published in Glen Ellyn News, Daily Herald & Chicago Tribune





-----Original Message-----
From: Robert Peickert
Sent: September 04, 2010 7:27 AM
Subject: The madness continues; published in Glen Ellyn News, Daily Herald & Chicago Tribune
Date: Sat, 4 Sep 2010 12:12:56 +0000

As a lifelong free speech progressive, I had no problem with the Glenn Beck political revival of mostly white, anti-Obama tea partyers at the Lincoln Memorial on the 47th anniversary of Rev. Martin Luther King's "I have a dream" speech. Heck, compared with my 1978 support of the right of neo Nazis to march in Holocaust survivor populated Skokie, IL, the Beck rally was just a talk in the park.

I was taken aback, however, by tea party favorite Sarah Palin invoking Dr. King's legacy for endless support of our military, and by implication, our senseless and self destructive wars in the Middle East. She extolled her role as mother of an Iraq war vet and in supporting our military, told the crowd, "you have the same still spine and moral courage of ... Martin Luther King."

Had he dodged the assassin's bullet, what might an 81-year-old Dr. King have told the Beck-Palin patriots about our failed trillion-dollar exercises in empire. A year to the day before he blocked the bullet instead, King's second most famous speech, "Beyond Vietnam" at New York's Riverside Church, gives us a clue:

"Somehow this madness must cease ... I speak for those whose land is being laid to waste, whose homes are being destroyed, whose culture is being subverted. I speak for the poor of America who are paying the double price of smashed hopes at home, and death and corruption in ... I speak as a citizen of the world, for the world as it stands aghast at the path we have taken. The great initiative in this war is ours. The initiative to stop it must be ours."

After a speech like that, I suspect Beck and Palin would withdraw their invitation for King to speak at the next patriot parlay.

Friday, September 03, 2010

FW: PDA: Progressive Events in September





-----Original Message-----
Sent: September 03, 2010 6:11 PM
Subject: PDA: Progressive Events in September

On 9/3/2010 3:01 PM, PDA wrote:




Dear Daniel,
Progressive Events in September
1.  Fighting Bob Fest, an annual Chautauqua featuring progressive speakers,
     networking opportunities, and entertainment.  Sept. 11, Baraboo, WI.
     PDA Chicago members will be attending.  Join us at Bob Fest. 
2.  Federal Coal Ash Hearings to be held Sept 16th, Hilton
    Chicago, 720 Michigan Ave, Chicago, IL, 60605
    Coal ash, the nasty stuff left over after coal is burned, is chock full of
    poisonous carcinogens.  These public hearings will help the government
    decide what regulations are needed to keep this stuff out of our
    drinking water. 
    You're invited to attend and testify, on behalf of your organization,
    at the USEPA Coal Ash hearing in Chicago on September 16th.
    To sign up to testify, click Here
3.  National Day of Action for Jobs: September 15, 4:00 P.M.
     Wells & Randolph, Chicago, IL
     Join the National Jobs with Justice Network for a National Day of Action
     for Jobs-right here in Chicago!  Demand a federal jobs program paid for
     by a tax on Wall Street speculation.  Click Here!
4.  One Nation Working Together Oct. 2nd March on Washington D. C.
     150 organizations coming together to demand living wage jobs, quality
     education, equal access to quality health care, redirect war spending
     to domestic needs, and equality for all.
     Information on transportation from Chicago will be coming soon.
5.  Action Alert.  Protect Social Security and Medicare.  Obama's "Misguided
     Deficit Commission is poised to cut popular social programs, in effect
     making the people pay for the debt caused by the wealthy.
     Call Senator Dick Durbin and Rep. Jan Schakowsky, both Commission
     members, and urge them to protect both programs from ill-advised cuts.
Please share any comments or information about these events with us.
Regards:
Bill Bianchi and Lorin Klugman
PDA-Illinois
773/935-3346
__________

New! Update Your Profile Here. New!Progressive Democrats of America is a grassroots PAC that works both inside the Democratic Party and outside in movements for peace and justice. PDA's advisory board includes seven members of Congress and activist leaders such as Tom Hayden, Medea Benjamin, Thom Hartmann, Jim Hightower, and Lila Garrett