E-Newsletter, October 11, 2007

The Alliance for Democracy
E-Newsletter, October 11, 2007

National News

The Alliance joins International Blue October Month

Tucson visit builds connections and convention momentum

New Justice Rising online and in the mail

Chapter News

Indiana AfD’s Clean Elections conference a success

Two projects from South Puget Sound AfD: “Full Power Community Radio” and second season of “Reclaiming Democracy”

Portland AfD celebrates Sweatfree victory and co-sponsors David Cobb in Portland

Freedom from Fear calls for media integrity

Calendar

Thursday, October 18: “Run Granny Run”

Monday, October 22: No War No Warming

Saturday, October 27: Regional Anti-War Demonstrations

Allied Actions

HR 2169 and Mountaintop Removal Mining

Protect democracy from NAFTA/CAFTA expansion

National News
The Alliance Joins International Blue October Month
Blue October is an international month of action to challenge corporate control of water, to declare that access to safe, affordable and sufficient water is a human right, and to protect water as a shared natural resource available to all. Blue October celebrates October 31, 2004, the day when the people of Uruguay voted to amend their constitution to recognize this fundamental right. The Constitution now guarantees that piped water and sanitation be available to all Uruguayans, and it bans for-profit corporations from supplying this public good. Blue October celebrates this historic move by challenging corporate control of water through global action!

For events world-wide see http://www.blueoctobercampaign.org

Sign the “Think Outside the Bottle” Pledge at AfD’s website www.thealliancefordemocracy.org Groups and individuals across the country are pledging to choose tap over bottled water and we need your help! Please sign now and ask your friends to sign as well.

Tucson visit builds connections and convention momentum
The last week of September, CJ Jones of AfD’s National Council, and his partner Spike Peterson, most generously hosted Nancy Price in Tucson to introduce AfD to the progressive community and create interest in the convention. On Friday the 28th more than 20 people representing a number of different progressive groups attended a delicious “no-host” Mexican dinner. Each person introduced themselves and their group’s work; Nancy and CJ spoke about AfD’s founding, mission and campaigns. On Saturday the local Democracy Organizing Group hosted an evening panel discussion - “Our Water –Corporate Profits or Human Right: Water Democracy - How can Tucson make collective and democratic decisions about water use?” Four panelists spoke about local water issues. Additionally, Nancy was interviewed on local community cable t.v. and introduced the Tapestry of the Commons. On all these occasions, CJ and Nancy spoke about the convention. We also met with the speakers to plan for the Saturday evening panel on Trade, Immigration and the Security and Prosperity Partnership of North America (SPP).

Coincidently, says Nancy, the chair of the CANAMEX Task Force for the NAFTA-Super Highway Corridor from Mexico, through Arizona, Nevada to Michigan and the Canadian border was announced when she was there. A long article about AfD and the convention was in the monthly Peace Calendar and also the Food Coop October newsletter. CJ and Nancy are now putting on the last publicity push: articles in many church bulletins and local newspapers.

New “Justice Rising” online and in the mail
The Justice Rising Fall 2007 issue titled “Moving from Corporate Extraction to the Grassroots Restoration Economy” is out. Jim Tarbell has done it again…with interviews, articles, book reviews and resources for deepening your understanding of solidarity economics and rights for nature. Corporatist assumptions about nature, resources, labor, consumption and human psychology are driving our current economic model and the planet to the brink of ecological collapse. But, there are alternatives, and people world-wide are organizing to implement them. Please use individual articles from any issue to further your own organizing. You can download at http://www.thealliancefordemocracy.org/newsletters.html

Justice Rising is mailed free to AfD members. Order extra copies at $1.00 (includes shipping and handling) to give to your friends and invite them to become AfD members. Contact Barbara Clancy at 781-894-1179 or afd@thealliancefordemocracy.org . (Any contribution you care to make specifically to support publication of Justice Rising would be most welcome!)

Chapter News
Indiana AfD’s Clean Elections conference a success
The Indiana Alliance for Democracy was the lead organizer of a one-day event that featured panels, films and workshops exploring campaign funding problems and solutions on the University of Indianapolis campus. "Every time we buy a gallon of gas, pay our light bill, or buy a pill from a drug company, large corporations donate a portion of that money to political campaigns in order to influence lawmakers. To the extent that corporate contributions are given greater voice than coalitions of constituents, our democracy is compromised,” said Indiana AfD president Jack Miller.

Democracy NOT for Sale: The Citizens’ Summit to Change Campaign Funding featured the 97-year-old campaign finance reform activist Doris “Granny D” Haddock who says, “The balance in your bank account should not be the measure of your value to your community.” A panel of representatives from advocacy groups including the NAACP, Citizens Action Coalition, and AFSCME related how our current system affects them. And Maine and Arizona advocates explained the benefits of the successful voluntary publicly financed systems in their states where legislators are free to vote in the public interest, rather than in the interest of their campaign funders.

Indiana AfD and other participants hope to use the Citizens’ Summit to ignite a coalition for action and begin the work of establishing a true democracy in Indiana. The next coalition meeting is October 18th at 7pm at the University of Indianapolis. For more information see www.indianacleanelections.org

Two projects from South Puget Sound AfD: “Full Power Community Radio” and second season of “Reclaiming Democracy”
You can support community education on corporate rule and democracy at home and on the air through two initiatives of the South Puget Sound Alliance for Democracy.

The chapter is currently fundraising to establish a community radio station, which will feature diverse programming designed to build community and provide an accessible space for civil discourse on democracy, race, class, economics, the environment, and other vital topics. The group’s FCC engineer and attorney are working on a license application, and the group is scouting a tower location, drawing up a budget, and working on bylaws. The window to submit licenses begins today—if you'd like to fund this project the group can use non-binding letters committing construction and operating funds in the event a license is granted, or immediate help paying engineering fees. To donate, visit www.sounddemocracy.org , or send letters and checks to AfD Radio Project, PO Box 7422, Olympia, WA 98507.

And you can create a consensus for change in your own town by sponsoring The Reclaiming Democracy TV Show, Season Two, on your local public access TV station. Season Two features 17 thirty-minute interviews by Jacqui Brown Miller, President of South Puget Sound AfD, with national and regional figures on topics such as corporate civil rights, media democracy, the military industrial complex, global trade regimes, money in campaigns, and black box voting.

The show explores ways of addressing the underlying systemic and structural causes of our upside-down power structure. It also examines methods to meaningfully restore the pillars of democracy. It is intended to act as a part of community organizing efforts and is designed to provoke discussion and mobilize community participation in the advancement of policy reforms.
Jacqui created The Reclaiming Democracy TV show in 2005 and generally produces episodes at a rate of one or two a month. The shows air on public access TV in Thurston County, Washington (and now on local radio).

For a full list of titles and descriptions, e-mail jacquiafd@comcast.net . Shows are posted on their website http://www.sounddemocracy.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=78&Itemid=60 .

The Season Two set contains is available for $130 ($7 per dvd, plus $11 shipping). General donations are welcome too—they’re used to purchase DVD sets for groups who are eager to show Reclaiming Democracy but don't have funds. If your group promises to air the show, but your budget is tight, please contact Jacqui Brown Miller at jacquiAfD@comcast.net or 230.236.9684. Order on-line at the Sound Democracy website, and e-mail Jacqui with order and mailing address, or mail order, mailing address and payment to Alliance for Democracy, South Puget Sound Chapter, PO Box 7422, Olympia, WA 98507-7422.

Portland AfD celebrates SweatFree victory and co-sponsors David Cobb in Portland
Recently, the Portland City Council passed a SweatFree resolution by a 3-0 vote, thanks to a two-year campaign by a coalition of groups, including the Portland Alliance for Democracy. The resolution commits Portland to not buy sweat-shop produced clothing, specifically uniforms. Portland now joins more than 130 other cities and states in saying that sweatshop labor is not welcome in the garments they purchase.

Especially exciting was that the city council agreed to budget $20,000 annually for a non-corporate sweatshop monitoring agency, yet to be established. They further committed to enacting an ordinance with specific language defining sweatshops and the process whereby sweatshops can be identified in 2008. The goal of the resolution, according to Portland city commissioner Sam Adams, “is to act on our community’s values and improve conditions for sweatshop workers.” David Delk, AfD Portland Co-chair, said: “This resolution represents a practical way in which to put a bottom on the race-to-the bottom on labor standards and to say, ‘we will not race to the bottom’.” David urges other cities to join Portland in this effort. More information is available at http://www.sweatfree.org .

Also, the Democracy Action Group (formerly the End Corporate Personhood Action Group) and the Alliance for Democracy are bringing David Cobb to Portland for two events. Cobb is the 2004 Green Party presidential candidate who, along with Libertarian candidate Michael Badnarik, fought for a recount of the Ohio vote. He’s also a principal organizer behind the passage of Measure T in Humboldt County (CA) a campaign finance measure which prevents out-of-county corporate funding of county elections, and a fellow of the Liberty Tree Foundation for the Democratic Revolution.

On Friday, October 12, David will speak on “Creating Deep Democracy, Shifting Power from Corporate Rights to People’s Rights” with a focus on the origins and consequences of corporate domination, and how we can move from begging for regulatory redress on individual issues to organizing for rights. On Saturday, October 13, Cobb will facilitate a workshop presenting new ways to focus our activities for change from constant negotiation with corporations before regulatory agencies to a broader assertion of the primacy of people’s rights over the “personhood rights” that corporations have usurped and used to further their own agenda.

If you wish to attend the Saturday workshop, please pre-register by calling David Delk at 503-232-5495 or emailing davidafd@msn.com . Cost is $35, which includes lunch, and registration is limited! The workshop takes place from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the First Unitarian Church.

Freedom from Fear calls for media integrity
Rebecca Wolfe, AfD Seattle writes,
After nine weeks of meetings and planning sessions, about 500 people from the Greater Seattle region staged a solemn funeral, the “Freedom from Fear” Procession, honoring those who have died on and since 9-11, 2001. This action was also a protest against the complicity of mainstream media in our loss of civil liberties, our free press, openness in government, and respect by other nations. At the head of the procession, marchers carried tombstones bearing these messages; marchers at the end of the procession carried two caskets to complete this symbolic event. Alliance for Democracy members provided leadership for this solemn protest, accompanied by bagpipe and funeral drum, that stopped at ABC, CBS, and the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, to read the following letter:

“We, the People” of the “Freedom From Fear” campaign have gathered here today to express our distress over the failure of the media, whether intentional or through negligence, to fulfill your duty to provide accurate, complete, and objective information to your viewers and readers.

Since September 11, 2001, the Bush Administration has taken incremental steps to suspend entire portions of the Bill of Rights and to turn our system of representative democracy on its head. The legal foundation for dictatorship is now in place:
The Defense Authorization Act of 2006 empowers the President to impose martial law in the event of any incident deemed by the President to be an act of terrorism.

The National Defense Authorization Act of 2007 permits the President to command National Guard troops without the consent of state governors.

The National Security and Homeland Security Presidential Directive gives the President dictatorial powers in the event of a “catastrophic incident,” as defined by the president and his staff

The Military Commissions Act suspends the writ of habeus corpus.

Those who oppose the invasion and occupation of Iraq may now have their assets seized.

Presidential signing statements have nullified laws passed by Congress over 1,000 times.

The response of the media to this alarming erosion of democracy and civil liberties has largely been silence. By ignoring or marginalizing these issues, the media have violated the public trust which sanctifies the best journalism and guarantees the health of our democracy. The media have a very real, very urgent stake in insisting that our rights as Americans are preserved, no matter what external threat we face.

“We, the People” want information, not “info-tainment” that mesmerizes us and increases the apathy and ignorance of our citizens.

The First Amendment of the US Constitution guarantees to the citizens of the United States “freedom of religion, speech, assembly, and the press.” When you withhold information from the public you are violating the Constitution. When you distort information you are no longer upholding your journalistic code of ethics.

“We, the People” are frustrated, angry, and distraught by the corporate media who have been working to support an illegitimate, increasingly fascist administration. Your allegiance to corporate profits far outweighs your allegiance to the truth.

“We, the People” demand an end to the complicity of the broadcast media in the endless wars for profit that those in power seem determined to sustain. Your role in helping the current Congress and Administration hide the truth from us is unforgivable. You must change course in how you present the news and issues that concern our nation. You must stop and consider what you are doing to unravel our democratic system of government. You must refuse to support the agenda of any political party and just tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.

We must preserve the pillars of democracy and no longer tolerate abuses of power by the investor-owned government that now uses the media to achieve their political goals. We insist that you stop remaking our FREE PRESS into your FREE MARKET.

The “Freedom from Fear” Campaign, Greater Seattle Area, September 11, 2007

Calendar:
Thursday, October 18, 2007: “Run Granny Run”
In 2004, when the expected Democratic nominee dropped out of New Hampshire’s Senate race, Doris “Granny D” Haddock jumped in. Filmmaker Marlo Poras followed her and a dedicated group of volunteers through the election, and the result, “Run Granny Run,” will air on HBO at 9 p.m. on Thursday, October 18. The film won the audience award at the South by Southwest film festival in Austin, Texas. The film captures both the upside and downside of outsiders running a grassroots campaign against a powerfully entrenched incumbent. You can read a review on Common Dreams at http://www.commondreams.org/archive/2007/10/10/4443/

Granny D continues to advocate for public funding for campaigns, speaking at conferences (including Indiana AfD’s campaign finance reform conference last month) and lobbying her state legislators in New Hampshire. You can find out more about the film at the director’s website, http://www.marloporas.com/pages/credits.html

Monday, October 22: No War No Warming
Ted Glick, who has been on an open-ended climate fast to draw attention to climate change and government policies that obfuscate the issue, writes, “for months a movement has been developing that consciously and intentionally links the war in Iraq and the heating up of the earth that is disrupting the world's climate. On Monday morning, October 22, in Washington, DC, on Capitol Hill and elsewhere around the country, that movement will become visible as large numbers of people engage in nonviolent direct action to disrupt business as usual.”

This event, “No War No Warming,” calls for an end to the oil war and a start to strong actions to reverse global warming, two issues connected by corporate greed and cronyism in the face of peak oil. The alternatives to an oil war are international cooperation and sustainable technology, both grounded in popular democracy. These alternatives won't enrich the same old stockholders, but may put us on the path to saving the planet. For more information or to support this movement, see www.nowarnowarming.org and www.climateemergency.org

Saturday, October 27: Regional Anti-War Demonstrations
Events are planned in 11 cities. See www.oct27.org to find the demonstration nearest you--see how you and your group can inform, mobilize and turn people out for this event. You can also submit a national endorsement. The site is interactive with groups able to contribute to content by registering, more than 200 already have!

Allied Actions
HR 2169 and Mountaintop Removal Mining
In mountaintop removal mining, coal companies blast apart the tops of mountains to reach thin seams of coal buried below. To minimize waste disposal costs and maximize profits they then dump millions of tons of the waste rock into the valleys below, burying streams, destroying habitat, and polluting watersheds that provide drinking water to millions of Americans.
Representatives Frank Pallone (D-NY) and Christopher Shays (R-CT) have introduced H.R. 2169, the Clean Water Protection Act, a bill to end mountaintop removal mining by preventing companies from dumping their waste into rivers and streams. Has your representative signed on? Call now, to be sure he or she does so.

CAFTA passes in Costa Rica
On Sunday, October 7, the people of Costa Rica went to the polls to vote on the Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA) – the only country to have a national popular vote and only country that had not ratified CAFTA. With threats and intimidation from Bush and multi-national corporations, the vote was a narrow victory in favor 52-48%. Articles on this important CAFTA vote are posted on AfD’s homepage under “Headlines.”

Say “NO” to the Bilateral Free Trade Agreement with Peru
David Delk, Portland AfD, writes:
Recently, the “Change to Win” international organizations (SEIU, UNITE HERE, UFCW, IBT, UBC, LIUNA and UFW) sent a strong letter of opposition to the expansion of NAFTA/CAFTA to South America, specifically via the Bilateral Free Trade Agreement with Peru.

The first two pages lay out the familiar concerns with so-called “free trade agreements.” For those concerned with the unending expansion of corporate rights and power, page 3 starts to address the Foreign Investor Protection Provisions, Chapter 11 of NAFTA, that undermines the ability of governments to legislate or regulate in their citizens interests. Rules and laws which might negatively impact corporate profits are subject to challenge by corporations in secret tribunals whose only standard of judgment is the impact of the laws/regulations on trade. Negative impacts can be overturned or the government made to pay the corporation the amount of the profit lost.

Here is the link to the letter: http://www.citizenstrade.org/pdf/ctw_PeruRepresentative.pdf It takes a while to download; please be patient. Please use it as the basis for a “Letter to the Editor” or phone calls to your US representatives and senators to oppose the Peru FTA. Remember that you can call your representative or senator toll-free at 800-828-0498.

Thursday, October 11, 2007