|
|
|
VOLUME 1 | ISSUE 5 | JUNE 1, 2004 If May was about momentum, June is about mobilization. This issue of TAKING ROOT is filled with news of important action being taken by the grassroots. This will not be a lazy summer! First we have breaking news about a change of venue for DemocracyFest and a message from chief organizer Jessica Falker. Also, the Elect Dean movement has been rekindled and is taking off like wildfire with the Draft Dean for VP petition drive. Tonight is the DFA Meetup. The agenda includes planning for summer projects including a candidates forum at next month’s Meetup. Speaking of candidates, we have info on the latest “Dean Dozen” crop. We feature some very inspiring new groups in this issue. True American Voices will let real Americans talk to the Arab world about prisoner abuse and the Iraq war. Learn about the DemDocs, physicians fighting for a democratic majority and healthcare for all Americans. You can also read about Generation Dean’s Amanda Michel who is now leading an effort to ensure honest media coverage of the presidential campaign. If you want to take back the media read about training and a town hall in Portland where the grassroots will talk back to two FCC Commissioners! We have more ways to get involved with another National Day of Action from ACT as reported by Zephyr Teachout. Learn about the Juneteenth Freedom Celebrations…one of the oldest and most successful annual grassroots efforts. We have an usual amount of inspiring material this week, but of
particular note is a the first person tale of how one man turned his
brother’s death in the World Trade Center attack on 9/11/2001 into
progressive grassroots action. His name is Andrew Rice. Read about his
journey in Inspiration
Point. You’ll also find a prescient word from Caesar – Yep… that CAESAR! As always, subscriptions
to Taking Root are not
only spam-free but come free to your email box. --Kimberly Krautter, Grassroots for America |
Glimpse What’s Inside!Click on a title to jump to the story below. |
news from the roots
|
Grassroots Supporters Launch “Draft Dean For VP” Petition DriveBy Becca Doten and Michael MeurerNational Co-Chairs, Draft Dean for VP Committee Howard Dean’s
quest for the Presidency may be over, but he may still end up in the White
House next year if the National Draft Dean for VP Committee
gathers 200,000 signatures to draft Governor Dean as the Democratic Vice
Presidential candidate. The new website (http://www.draftdeanforvp.org/),
recently featured on CNN’s “Crossfire,” launched May 25 promotes a Kerry/Dean
ticket as the most promising way to take back our country. Signatures
obtained at Draft Dean for VP are being sent to both the Kerry campaign
and Democracy for America. A sustained nationwide PR blitz has
been launched and will continue until Kerry announces his decision in July.
Organizers set a goal of 200,000 petition sign ups by early July. Everyone
who signs the petition becomes an honorary member of the Draft Dean for VP
Committee which is officially registered with Guinness World Records
for recognition as the "World's Largest Committee". Comment on the Roots Blog. Return to the Top
LATE BREAKING NEWS: DemocracyFest Location Changed – Event will NOT be held in Northampton, MassachusettsJessica
Falker of My Vote Is My Voice announced that organizers have hit a
speed bump on the road to DemocracyFest. The location announced last month, the
historic Northampton, Mass Airport is no longer viable. The festival is being
relocated, and Falker says the new venue will be announced within the next
couple of weeks. If you have further questions please visit the My
Vote Is My Voice website. If you have already made
travel reservations, Falker asks that you contact her directly at jjem1999-at-yahoo.com. Take Back the Media: Portland Grassroots to Challenge the FCCThis month, Oregon's Money in Politics Research Action Project will host
two seminal events pushing for media reform. The “Our Media, Our Airwaves Conference” (slated for
Saturday June 19, from 1 to 5 p.m., at Portland State University) will bring
together a cross section of pioneering local media reform activists to share
concerns and information on this growing movement. Participants
can take what they learn at the conference to the “Future of Media Town
Hall Meeting”, featuring FCC commissioners Michael Copps and Jonathan
Adelstein on Thursday, June 24, from 5:30 to 9:30 p.m, at the Oregon Convention
Center. Both events are free and open to the public. The
conference and town hall combination are seen as an important way to engage
citizen voices in the policy debate over the upcoming 2005 Telecommunications
Act. Questions to be covered include: Ø
Want
the media to do a better job of covering issues you care about? Ø
Want
more information on the nightly news about elections and candidates? Ø
Wondering
whether the FCC and media giants are looking out for the public interest? The
“Our Media, Our Airwaves Conference” will educate attendees and
enable them to explore the vast connections between media and the local
community. The subsequent “Future of Media Town Hall” will allow
ordinary citizens a rare chance to talkback to the FCC, share their visions of
media reform, and testify on how local media area serving the public
interest, local needs, and providing diverse voices. To learn more about both events, go to www.oregonfollowthemoney.org. For information about what you can do to ensure greater media accountability in your state, check out www.freepress.net. To get more information about money in politics and campaign finance reform efforts where you live, go to www.followthemoney.org (which is featured in the Site Seeing section of this issue). Comment
on the Roots Blog. Return to the Top
|
CandidatesThe “Dean Dozen”: The 2nd CropGrassroots For America is proud to support all “Dean
Dozen” candidates. As each list is announced through Democracy For America, Taking Root will publish the list, provide website
links and profile candidates. Kalyn Free for United States Congress from Oklahoma. Free is a member of the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma and is being supported by EMILY’s List. www.freeforcongress.com Tom Potter for Mayor of Portland, Oregon. Tom came in first in his recent 21-way primary with 43% of the vote - after being outspent nearly 12-to-1. www.tomformayor.org Alisha Thomas Morgan for Georgia General Assembly. Running for re-election, 25-year old Representative Morgan is the first African-American to serve in the General Assembly from Cobb County (home of former Congressmen Newt Gingrich and Bob Barr.) www.alishathomas.com Samara "Sam" Barand for United States Congress from New York. The 29th Congressional District is an open race this year. Barrand has united the DFA grassroots and a victory will mean economic development for New York's Southern Tier. www.samaraforcongress.com Peter Corroon for Salt Lake County, Utah Mayor. Encouraged by his cousin - Howard Dean - Peter is running for county mayor. As a fiscally responsible Democrat he is campaigning against an incumbent who runs the county like a "mini-Enron." www.votecorroon.com Vicki Walker for Missouri State House. A 100% record on pro-union, pro-education, environmental and women's issues, Vicki is the kind of leader Howard Dean respects. www.electvickiwalker.com David Van Os for Texas Supreme Court. The Texas Supreme Court is 100% Republican and it's time to take it back - one seat at a time. www.vanosforsupremecourt.com Patrick McCormick for DeKalb County (Indiana) County Council. Inspired by the grassroots of the Dean for America campaign, Patrick has answered Howard Dean's call and is running for local office. www.mccormickfordekalb.com Jonathan Bing for New York Assembly. Manhattan needs representatives like Jonathan Bing in Albany. www.bing2004.com Christine Cegelis for United States Congress from Illinois. Are you tired of Henry Hyde? Christine Cegelis is and she and the DFA grassroots are taking him on in the Illinois 6th. www.cegelisforcongress.com Don McDaniel for Georgia General Assembly. McDaniel is running a grassroots campaign in Ralph Reed's home district. Don is a first time candidate, inspired by Howard Dean to make a difference in his community. www.electdonmcdaniel.com Nelson Thompson for Cumberland County (New Jersey) Freeholder. IUPAT District Council 711's own Nelson Thompson seeks the county seat to represent the working men and women of New Jersey. nelsonthompson-at-msn.com to learn more and get involved. |
new groups take rootINTERVIEW: True American Voices Seeks to Restore America’s Reputation as a Beacon of Civility and LibertyLike all great grassroots ideas, True American Voices has taken off like wildfire. The idea is simple: Let the American people speak to the world and voice their thoughts on what it means to be an American and how the abuse of prisoners at Abu Ghraib was not by, for and of the American people. Susan Meehan of Virginia conceived the idea of posting video taped statements from real people on a website that will allow Arabs and the rest of the world hear from true Americans. The following is excerpted from a first person interview with Meehan. TAKING ROOT: What was your inspiration? SUSAN MEEHAN: I’m a very active devout Quaker, and I have to say I’m also the daughter of a WW1 vet and the wife of a Vietnam veteran so I have to look very carefully at issues involving war and peace. I was so ashamed at what I had heard and seen on television [about prisoner abuse at Abu Ghraib]. It was so much at dissonance with my vision of what our country stands for. Quakers would say I felt a “leading”, that we had to take responsibility as individuals because the government statements are neither believable nor believed by persons in the Arab world and indeed in much of the rest of the world at this point. I felt we needed to let the families of persons who suffered mistreatment in the prison system -- regardless of the reason they were there -- to let them know that is just not acceptable behavior, it is not what we want Americans to do even in times as dangerous as we’re living in today The reason why people came to this country unless they were brought here there is an idea of what America ought to be and until recently it has spoken to the rest of the world. People have fought to come to this country I think after seeing some of those photographs and video I think there is disgust where once there has been appreciation. TAKING ROOT: Why a website with amateur video? SUSAN MEEHAN: Seeing the face of real Americans and seeing them talk briefly of why they think this is repugnant and give them a space to express their condolences and indignation or whatever they want to get off their chest, it’s not only good for the rest of the world to see, but I think therapeutic to people who want to speak. Everyone I have spoken to says that to me… it gives them something very personal they can do that’s powerful. EDITORIAL NOTE: Grassroots For America supports people like Susan Meehan and her True American Voices project and TAKING ROOT will continue to report on its progress.Physicians for a Democratic MajorityPhysicians for a Democratic Majority campaigns for the election of Democratic candidates who favor increased access to healthcare as a top domestic priority. Doctors, medical students, other healthcare professionals, and everyone else who shares our goals are welcome. FIRST PERSON: Generation Dean’s Amanda Michel Launches “Media Corps”SPECIAL NOTE: Rapid Response Network would like to help introduce a
Dean campaign grassroots-inspired letter writing effort within the Kerry
campaign - Media Corps, powered by Generation Dean's own Amanda Michel and,
we hope, by you. We think this is
a great opportunity for the grassroots to flex their muscle and show the
Democratic party that we're out here and powerful. According to
Amanda, it's all about honoring the grassroots. Check out an
interview with Amanda and
other Dean supporters in Seven Days, Vermont's
alternative newspaper. We asked Amanda
to share some basics about this project with Taking Root. ---
Liz Herbert, Editorial Director, National Rapid Response I recently joined
John Kerry’s web team after working 13 months on Dean’s campaign as National
Director of Generation Dean. My new project is John Kerry’s Media Corps. The goals of Media Corps is to bring home
John Kerry’s message to local media markets, to spell out the truth about the
Bush administration to the American public, and to support the
grassroots. Media Corps supports the grassroots by servicing the
grassroots by, for example, providing local networks with research materials
about important local issues. I’m currently developing online features that
will allow supporters to connect with one another – to share ideas and work
on projects, to publicize grassroots successes, to profile supporters and
their work, and more. Here’s how it works. Members of Media Corps commit to take at least one media action per week – for example, a letter to the editor or a call in to a radio show. Each week I put together a weekly or semi-weekly national assignments alert. Since launching Media Corps nearly a month ago, the response has been tremendous. Letters have been published in lots of national newspapers, as well as many local papers. Grassroots supporters have begun to connect with one another – to develop teams, share materials and ideas, and to energize one another for what stands to be the most important election of our lifetime. I hope you will join me in this project. Your Dean know-how, energy, and experience are invaluable. You can check out our current assignment by going to http://www.johnkerry.com/onlinehq/mediacorps/ To join Media Corps, go to http://www.johnkerry.com/signup/mediacorps.php If you have any questions, please email me at mediacorps-at-johnkerry.com. ---
Amanda Michel, Internet Team, John Kerry for President Comment on the Roots Blog. Return to the Top |
the power of Meetups
|
TONIGHT! June 2: June DFA Meetup Flexes Grassroots MuscleTonight, Wednesday, June 2 at 7 PM grassroots supporters of Democracy For America will get together to plan for grassroots action. Find a DFA Meetup near you at: http://dfa.meetup.com/ The following action items will be discussed: 1. VERIFIABLE VOTINGØ How to gather more signatures on the Count Every Vote petition Ø How to publicize the delivery If you haven't signed the petition, join the call for verifiable voting now: http://www.democracyforamerica.com/verify 2. HEALTHCARE FOR ALL AMERICANS Meetup attendees will also be working on events in your area for June 19 – part of a national call to action to bridge the gaps in our healthcare system: http://www.democracyforamerica.com/june19 DFA believes that Americans have a moral obligation to ensure that every one of us has access to affordable health care, and we are committed to making sure that the over 40 million uninsured have a voice in this election. 3. CANDIDATE FORUMS Finally, DFA Meetup attendees will also plan for candidate forums next month to help engage the grassroots, and the public in the upcoming local as well as national elections. |
get involved
|
National Day of Action Part Deux: Success builds SuccessBy Zephyr TeachoutOn June 12th, tens of thousands of volunteers
will take part in the second “National Day of Action” with ACT and its
America Votes partners – registering and mobilizing voters in every state,
with big operations in the swing states. You can set up your own event here (www.acthere.com)
and keep an eye on the ACT site for more details.
On the last Election Action day, volunteers converged on ACT offices in the swing states and over 37 volunteer set up their own canvassing and tabling events across the rest of the country. This time, we’d like to have over 100 self-organized events. Every month from now until November we’ll be doing this – and in September and October, at least twice a month. Juneteenth Freedom CelebrationsJuneteenth is the oldest known celebration of the ending of slavery. From its Galveston, Texas origin in 1865, the observance of June 19th as the African American Emancipation Day has spread across the United States and beyond. Today Juneteenth commemorates African American freedom and emphasizes education and achievement. It is a day, a week, and in some areas a month marked with celebrations, guest speakers, picnics and family gatherings. It is a time for reflection and rejoicing. It is a time for assessment, self-improvement and for planning the future. Its growing popularity signifies a level of maturity and dignity in America long over due. In cities across the country, people of all races, nationalities and religions are joining hands to truthfully acknowledge a period in our history that shaped and continues to influence our society today. Sensitized to the conditions and experiences of others, only then can we make significant and lasting improvements in our society. Show your solidarity. Click on your state to find Juneteenth activities in your community at this web page: http://www.juneteenth.com/worldwide.htm |
inspiration point
|
Hail Caesar!“Beware the leader who bangs the drums of war in order to whip the citizenry into a patriotic fervor, for patriotism is indeed a double-edged sword. It both emboldens the blood, just as it narrows the mind. And when the drums of war have reached a fever pitch and the blood boils with hate and the mind has closed, the leader will have no need in seizing the rights of the citizenry. Rather, the citizenry infused with fear and blinded by patriotism, will offer up all of their rights unto the leader and gladly so. How do I know? For this is what I have done and I am Caesar.”–Caius Julius Caesar (100-44 BCE) Roman General and Statesman FIRST PERSON: Andrew Rice of Progressive Alliance Foundation shares his path from personal loss to grassroots organizingAndrew Rice, the Executive Director of the Oklahoma City-based
Progressive Alliance Foundation and board member of the Nobel Peace Prize
nominated group Sept. 11th Families for Peaceful Tomorrows lost his older
brother in the attack on the World Trade Center. David Rice was 31 years old. Andrew found empowerment through
his pain. He shares his inspiring story with us. My Journey to
grassroots organizing and education came out of my personal loss, but it
should not have taken that to motivate me. Although I had an intellectual
interest, and even passion, for progressive causes before 9/11, I was rarely
active and enjoyed the laziness of complaining about political problems
without feeling the responsibility of having to take action to help
ameliorate them. Personal tragedy can prompt someone to rationalize hatred
and calls for retribution, in essence-- to be
a "victim"; or it can cause you to trudge toward justice
and a solution to the tragedy that affected you. When I found the
original half-dozen members of 9/11 Families for Peaceful Tomorrows in March
2002, I was relieved to have a progressive outlet where I
could funnel all of my grief and anger, with the hope of helping
our country avoid the same tragic, reactionary cycles of violence and
demonization that has been endemic to many other societies plagued with war
and terrorism. I worked as a full-time volunteer with Peaceful
Tomorrows for over a year by traveling the country from August 2002
to Sept 2003 talking to groups about 9/11, the futility of war, and the
dynamics of confronting the "root causes" of terrorism. After
getting married and needing to settle down somewhere, I decided to move back
to my hometown of Oklahoma City. I wanted to go home and try and help
progressive causes counter the influence of the twin behemoths of religious
fundamentalism and rampant, simplified conservatism that have taken over
most states in the great plains and the deep south. Oklahoma in particular
has a strong progressive and populist history that has been steamrolled by
the intoxicating worldviews of the Southern Baptist Convention and the
politicians who speak their language. My work with Peaceful Tomorrows in
trying to better educate misinformed communities about the dangers of the
Iraq War, and the counterproductive nature of the "Bush Doctrine",
compelled me to go back to the community of my upbringing and lend my voice
to the chorus of dissenting citizens who were standing up for
authentic democracy and rational foreign policy. I helped
establish the Progressive Alliance Foundation in order to provide multiple
platforms across Oklahoma where our state's great citizens could come to get
the information they need to make informed decisions in a democracy. We
launched the Red River Democracy Project to accomplish this through
Chautauqua-like "Democracy Festivals". These events provide
entertainment and progressive education to the general public in order to try
and make-up for the failure of our state's mainstream media outlets to
provide our people with accurate and adequate information that affects our
lives: the unnecessary war in Iraq, the radical tax-cuts, and many others. The most important single issue for myself that has come out of 9/11 is the tremendous responsibility we have as a nation to fully understand the complexities of the conflict we find ourselves in so that we can have the best chance of confronting it successfully and lawfully. Every time I hear Condi Rice or George Bush talk about Al-Qaeda killing my brother because they hated "our freedoms", I can't help but wince and shake my head at the hopeless and destructive path such rhetoric leads us down. It was on a recent trip to South Africa that I became overwhelmed with other people's struggles with truth and justice, and ultimately non-violent resolution. It humbled me to realize the danger we are in as a country with a majority in denial. This is not to say that our situation with Islamic terrorism is not unique from the South African context, it obviously is. However, the lessons of places like Northern Ireland and South Africa are crucial for us as we wrestle with the ugly and complex factors that led up to the terrorist attacks 2 ½ years ago-- the same dynamics that are now unfortunately stronger than ever, and cannot be geographically isolated. Out of the many lessons I learned from my trip, perhaps the most powerful and unexpected was how important it is for a nation to face the truth of its conflict. This is crucial not only for the prospect of justice, but also for a real security and peace to be attained. A society in denial is one that also remains at risk and insecure. Refusing to look at the accurate truth of why America finds itself at risk also disables us from finding the proper solution. The nihilistic view that there is nothing we can do-- short of violence-- to stem the flow of angry Arab men into terrorist groups has no logical argument, and sidesteps an important dialogue needed in this country about how our country can innovatively support the moderate forms of Islam that our “friends” in the Arab world continue to suppress. It may be unsettling for many Americans to hear, but Saudi Arabia has done more harm to our efforts to curtail the hateful fringe groups of Islam than Saddam Hussein ever did. My point is not a pacifistic one. What we need is real
courage in this country-- courage to understand that terrorist groups can be
made less attractive communities for wayward young men, and courage to
challenge ourselves to come up with creative ways of making this happen.
Otherwise, to just rely on the blunt-- and unfortunately, historically
unsuccessful instrument of conventional warfare to protect us from terrorism
is a hopeless and uncourageous existence to endure-- and it greatly
underestimates our nation’s ability to be daringly inventive. ---
Andrew Rice http://palfound.net/andrew.htm |
Site seeing
|
|
RETURN
TO MEDIA ACCURACY & FAIRNESS: FollowTheMoney.Org is a special
project of the Money in Politics Research Action Project. Learn about
new public interest standards for political news coverage, cable regulation,
and protecting consumer and worker rights, dwindling opportunities for local
musicians and more. The contact person is Sara Wetherson, MiPRAP Research and Outreach
Associate. Her email is swetherson-at-oregonfollowthemoney.org CAMPAIGN FOR AMERICA’S FUTURE: Over 100 Prominent Americans — citizen activists and policy experts concerned about our country and our planet — joined together to launch and build the Campaign for America's Future. We are challenging the big money corporate agenda by encouraging Americans to speak up — to discuss and debate a new vision of an economy and a future that works for all of us. America's Future insists that the question of falling
wages and rising insecurity be placed at the center of our national debate.
We challenge those who suggest that nothing can be done and expose the
conservative agenda that has made things worse. America's Future works to
revitalize a progressive agenda, and fights to make this economy work for
working people once again. We engage citizens, activists and political
leaders in a renewed debate about the kind of country — and the kind of world
— we want to build for the generations yet to come. http://www.ourfuture.org/aboutus/ MORE JOBS! LESS FOREIGN OIL! Americans have always pulled together during tough times to
accomplish great missions. We can do it again. This time to create three
million good jobs, free ourselves from imported oil, and clean up the
environment. A New Apollo Project will tap our ingenuity, our collective
spirit, and our competitive drive. It will rebuild cities and create good
manufacturing jobs. Last year the Apollo Project for Good
Jobs and Energy Independence launched at the Take Back America
Conference in Washington, DC. Read more and take action! www.apolloalliance.org
|
the tool shed
|
Grassroots CalendarJune 2 Meetup for Democracy (for America) June 4 – 6 Field Organizer Training in DC by 21st Century Democrats June 18 – 21 Field Organizer Training in Portland, OR by 21st Century Democrats June 19 Healthcare National Day of Action June 19 or 20 Maryland Campaign 101 High School Training by 21st Century Democrats June 24 Future of Media Town Hall Meeting, Oregon Convention Center June 25 – 27 Minnesota Campaign 101 High School Training by 21st Century Democrats July 7 Meetup for Democracy (for America) July 9 – 11 Virginia Campaign 101 High School Training by 21st Century Democrats July 16 – 18 Michigan Campaign 101 High School Training by 21st Century Democrats July 17 Florida Campaign 101 High School Training by 21st Century Democrats July 24 – 25 DemocracyFest, New Location to be Announced Soon July 26 – 27 Democratic National Convention in Boston, MA |
about our newsletter
|
|
Send letters to the editor to: editor-at-grassrootsforamerica.US Send content submissions to: news-at-grassrootsforamerica.US Subscribe
to TAKING ROOT, a semi-monthly newsletter by Grassroots For
America. (You will only receive the newsletter email through this
list.) |
visit our website
|
|
Grassroots For America is a resource for progressive grassroots organization across the nation providing services, infrastructure and consulting to: Energize their ideas and bring them to life Connect with like-minded teams across the country Mobilize bodies of voters for active citizen engagement Publicize their efforts utilizing a professional PR and Media team Grassroots For America(sm) is a not-for-profit corporation operating as an IRS chapter 501(c)4 organization. Your contribution will help us help the progressive grassroots grow. Special Thanks to BRAINCHILD
MEDIA GROUP for their
design work and consulting. |
