Register now for AfD's National Convention!

The Alliance for Democracy
Alert--September 21, 2007

Dear Alliance members and friends,
We are writing to you today because we don't want you to miss the Alliance Convention being held November 1-4 in Tucson, Arizona.

REGISTER TODAY TO GET THE "EARLY BIRD SPECIAL"
Register by September 30 and save $30
To download the registration form and brochure go to http://www.thealliancefordemocracy.org/
Contact the national office with questions or homestay inquiries

We know it takes a commitment of time and resources to attend….but the times demand no less. Corporations in their drive for profit and power are driving the planet to a meltdown and our democracy into a fascist state.

That’s why our theme this year is

“Shifting Power from Corporate Rights to the Rights of People and Nature”

AfD’s strength is in our chapters and you our members. This convention is focused on what we can do working together locally to build a movement that will have the national strength to take back our Constitution from the corporate imposters.

To do this, we must confront corporate power head on in our communities and this convention is about how that can be done. In plenaries, we will learn about how communities are confronting corporations and in workshops we will share tools for effective organizing and for rethinking how to work on our core issues in ways that assert the rights of people and nature over the rights of corporations.

Here are the program highlights. Go to the AfD website for more details.

Thursday, Nov. 1:
Registration begins 4:00 p.m. This is a time to connect and reconnect with Alliance colleagues during dinner, with time afterwards for informal gatherings. Be ready to start Friday morning bright and early!

Friday, Nov. 2:
Plenary: Tapestry of the Commons—presentation of this outstanding organizing tool by artist/activist/Alliance member Jan Edwards

Building the Alliance Workshops: Alliance members from across the country will share their skills and experiences in hands-on workshops geared to getting our message out effectively and strengthening our chapters and regions.
Workshops include:

• How to present the Tapestry of the Commons in your community
• How to produce radio and TV interviews and get them on the air
• How to work effectively with local media
• How to start a new chapter and keep members involved

Evening Plenary. Thomas Linzey of Community Environmental Legal Defense Fund: “How Rural America is Taking on Settled Law and Asserting Local Authority over Corporations”

Saturday Nov. 3:
Power Shifting: Looking at Our Campaigns Through a New Lens and Planning for Work Ahead
We will focus on “reframing” our work to shift from focusing on regulating corporations or holding them “accountable” to enacting laws that protect the rights of people, communities and nature. Communities have the right to say “absolutely no” to corporations to preserve the welfare of their community and the right to deny corporations their purported Constitutional rights.
Can we do it? Si se puede!

There will be two workshop sessions on looking at what this means in specific areas of concern to the Alliance, such as:

• Elections
• Water
• Trade
• Health care
• Immigration

Evening Plenary: How Corporations Use Trade, Immigration, and the SPP (Super NAFTA) to Destroy Communities in the U.S. and Mexico

Sunday Nov. 4: "Another U.S. is Possible"
Lou and Pat Hammann will present an illustrated show of Hundredfold Farm, the sustainable community they have helped to design and create in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. Yes, there are alternatives to corporations controlling our lives and ruling our communities!

We look forward to seeing you in Tucson!
In Alliance,
Nancy Price and Lou Hammann, Co-chairs

p.s. AfD member Mary White is organizing a Monday, Nov. 5 trip to Kitt Peak National Observatory for their evening star-gazing program. Program cost is $39/$34 for seniors, students, or under 18, plus a share of the rental car cost based on the number of participants. Make your reservation by calling Kitt Peak at least 4 weeks in advance. at 520-318-8726, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. mountain time. For more info, email Mary at mary.white100@verizon.net

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