[PDI] FW: Happy Independence Day, America!

Because I believe its the right sentiment for the day...
Dan
-----Original Message-----
From: Coffee Party USA <info@coffeepartyusa.org>
Sent: July 04, 2010 12:24 PM
To: aquarianm@gmail.com
Subject: Happy Independence Day, America!

Dear Coffee Partiers,
As we celebrate Independence Day, let's reflect on what makes us UNITED in a meaningful way in these divided times.
This is the Coffee Party vision for uniting America.
Reason and civility in public affairs; A government of public servants accountable to the People; A People committed to the Common Good & Civic Virtue.
This vision may seem too idealistic to some. Too difficult. Naive. Impossible. To us, that's tantamount to saying let's give up on America. And to give up on America is to give up on the most important experiment in modern history: Democracy.
Most of us are aware of the ways in which lobbyists and special interest are corrupting Congress. We often talk about how our politicians are failing us. Or the media. Or the lack of transparency and accountability in government. All these concerns are valid and reform in these areas are critical to improving our democracy. We intend to work hard to address these concerns.
However, we also believe that in an important way we are failing ourselves and our democracy.
Our participation level during elections and in the ongoing democratic process is so low -- especially at the local and state levels -- that our governments become more vulnerable to the influence of organized extremists and big-pocketed special interest.
The extremists and special interest skew the wants and needs of the majority of Americans. In short, they thwart the will of the People.
It's time for the common sense of the majority of Americans to be at the center of our politics.
For the upcoming election, the Coffee Party goal is to increase participation across the board and call on all Americans to participate. We need the majority to make the kind of systemic changes we need to make in our political process.
To get money out of politics, we can't do it as a few individual advocates or even a coalition of many good organizations. We need the will of the People, the majority of Americans.
In general, the Coffee Party mission is to create an informed and involved citizenry. We aspire to create a community of people who care about facts, solutions, the sanctity of our democracy and one another. We continue to cultivate our values -- civility, respect, personal responsibility and compassion -- and integrate them into our actions, the Coffee Party methodology for social change.
I hope that you join us by committing to this project. It's hard work and it will be a long journey. We cannot make these cultural and institutional changes overnight.
The journey begins now.
See you at a local Coffee Party meeting and our National Convention in Louisville, KY September 24-26!
--Annabel, Pam, Eric B, Eric Y, Scott, Chris, Bruce and the Coffee Party National Team
To organize a local event, check out Local Organizers' Toolkit.
Check out our Democracy Toolkit.Come check out our new videos on our YouTube channel.
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