It's not a bribe, it's a contribution!

by Rachel Slajda. Posted on Talking Points Memo, November 24

A casino owner indicted on charges of bribery and honest services fraud is trying to get 11 of his 33 counts thrown out, arguing that campaign contributions don't count as bribery.

Federal prosecutors say that Milton McGregor, a businessman with controlling stakes in two Alabama casinos, hired lobbyists to bribe state politicians into supporting electronic gambling legislation. A fellow businessman, the lobbyists and four state legislators were also indicted in the sweep.

Prosecutors say McGregor and his alleged co-conspirators promised $100,000 in campaign contributions to one state senator and $2 million to another.

So McGregor filed a motion to dismiss 11 charges of defrauding voters of honest services, arguing that "'Honest Services' bribery does not include campaign contributions." He also argues that direct personal payments don't constitute bribes unless tied to a specific action.

His lawyers argued that their point is proved by the recent Skilling Supreme Court case, which dramatically narrowed the definition of honest services fraud and has the potential to reverse convictions in countless corruption cases. Defendants had for years complained that the definition of such fraud, "to deprive another of the intangible right of honest services," was too vague.

In Skilling, a case brought by former Enron president Jeffrey Skilling, the court ruled that prosecutors must prove that a defendant has committed "bribery or kickbacks," the so-called "core" of honest services. In other words, they had to prove a quid pro quo.

Prosecutors in the McGregor case disagreed with his lawyers, writing a scathing brief this week calling them flat-out "wrong" about Skilling, arguing that McGregor's alleged promises of campaign cash for certain votes falls well within the honest services core.

The case is being tried in federal district court in Alabama. A judge has not yet ruled on McGregor's motion.

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The Story of Bottled Water

"The Story of Bottled Water" is being released on March 22, World Water Day. In just seven minutes the video tells the history of how corporations built a PR campaign to discredit public drinking water and the once-common water fountain in favor of individual consumers purchasing individual servings of water in plastic bottles.

Watch the trailer here and then be sure to check out the video on March 22. And e-mail all your friends to watch too! If everyone checks it out, the video could be one of the top hits on Google videos and go viral around the country.

The Alliance for Democracy is a partner in its release along with Corporate Accountability Internationa1, Environmental Working Group, Food and Water Watch, Pacific Institute and Polaris Institute.

"The Story of Bottled Water" is produced by Annie Leonard and Free Range Studios who produced "The Story of Stuff" viewed by millions around the world and being used in classrooms to teach how the corporate-driven economy depends on the consumption of goods.

To find out more about the Alliance's Defending Water for Life campaigns, see our local campaign sites for Maine, Oregon, and California.

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What is corporate personhood?

What is corporate personhood and why is it so important whether institutions have personhood rights? Here's an excerpt from "The Santa Clara Blues: Corporate Personhood versus Democracy" by William Meyers, that lays out the history and the issues at stake. Follow the link to read the complete article.

In the United States of America all natural persons (actual human beings) are recognized as having inalienable rights. These rights are recognized, among other places, in the Bill of Rights and the 14th Amendment.

Corporate personhood is the idea (legal fiction, currently with force of law) that corporations have inalienable rights (sometimes called constitutional rights) just like real, natural, human persons.

That this idea has the force of law both resulted from the power and wealth of the class of people who owned corporations, and resulted in their even greater power and wealth. Corporate constitutional rights effectively invert the relationship between the government and the corporations. Recognized as persons, corporations lose much of their status as subjects of the government. Although artificial creations of their owners and the governments, as legal persons they have a degree of immunity to government supervision. Endowed with the court-recognized right to influence both elections and the law-making process, corporations now dominate not just the U. S. economy, but the government itself.

Read the entire article here.

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Marking the 10th anniversary of the "Battle of Seattle"

Join local Alliance for Democracy chapters and members in Oregon, Washington, and California at events marking the 10th anniversary of protests that shut down the World Trade Organization ministerial in Seattle. At stake was our jobs, wages, the environment and our health--under global attack by a neoliberal elite out to establish unfettered greed, or as they put it, "free trade", as the highest possible good.

Teamsters and turtles are not as close now as they were ten years ago, but the corporate CEOs are still at it, and on November 30--ten years to the day of the Seattle protest and march--trade ministers will be meeting in Geneva to expand the WTO agenda.

If you're close to any of these events, come and show which side you're on. If not, why not organize your own? Public Citizen's Trade Turnaround Week of Action has suggestions for films and resources for letter-writers. Or you could organize a district visit on behalf of the HR 3012, the TRADE Act--see our "how to" guide here.

On Saturday, December 5, the Sonoma County Alliance Chapter and the Sonoma County Peace and Justice Center host a forum commemorating the 10th anniversary of the “protest of the century” – Seattle ’99 against the World Trade Organization.

Speakers include Norman Solomon on what has happened in the ten years since “teamsters and turtles” joined forces in the Seattle streets, Ted Nace on new models for fighting corporate power, Richard Heinberg on the collapse of globalization, and Newman Strawbridge on the working poor. Cal Simons, chapter organizer, will model a classic AfD yellow poncho to be raffled off for fundraising. This event is from 1-5 pm at Veterans Memorial Building, 282 High Street, Sebastopol. For more information, contact the SEATTLE+10 Committee at 707-527-7191.

Also on December 5, join the Portland, Oregon Chapter of Alliance for Democracy for D5: Mobilization Against the 2009 WTO Ministerial when people from throughout Oregon will converge in downtown Portland for a mass march, indoor rally and concert to voice opposition against the new World Trade Organization ministerial meeting in Geneva - and also celebrate the10-year anniversary of the successful Seattle WTO protests which closed the 1999 ministerial down.

Meet at 12 noon in Tom McCal Waterfront Park under the Hawthorne Bridge for the 1 p.m. march to World Trade Center, Federal Building and Wells Fargo Building, and the 2 p.m. Indoor Rally and Concert at PSU. See you in the streets because another world is possible, another economy is necessary! Visit the website for additional details: www.december5.org

Meanwhile, in Seattle, also on December 5, AfDers will be joining with other organizations in a Kitchen Table Democracy event with Riki Ott. The event is scheduled atTrinity Lutheran Church, 1200 10th Ave E., Seattle, time TBA. For information, email Rebecca.

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Almost free stuff!

We are moving from one office to another down the hall, and we're looking to clean out some cabinets and shelves. We have spare copies of the following books, so if you would like one, please email us at afd@thealliancefordemocracy.org.

All we ask is that you refund us the cost of mailing your book to you. We're sending the books media mail; they usually arrive in a week.

Please put "book request" in the subject line of your email. One book per person, please, except as noted below:

We have:
Imperial Overstretch: George W. Bush and the Hubris of Empire, by Roger Burbach and Jim Tarbell. Zed Books, 2004. The politics and attitudes that drew this country into two seemingly endless wars, and a good review as a new administration commits itself to some of the faults of the old. "Essential reading for those wishing to understand the rise of the neo-cons," says Medea Benjamin. Some copies have faded covers.

The Populist Moment: A Short History of the Agrarian Revolt in America, by Lawrence Goodwyn. Oxford University Press, 1978. The condensed version of Goodwyn's definitive history of American populism's rise, ebb, weaknesses, and strengths. Goodwyn's focus on what was new about the Populists' thinking, speech, and organizing makes this still-relevant reading for activists today. A classic.

The People's Business: Controlling Corporations and Restoring Democracy, by Lee Drutman and Charlie Cray. Berrett-Koehler Publishers, 2004. The report of the Citizen Works Corporate Reform Commission. An outline of corporist practice and its social failings, this book considers a range of options for controlling corporate power. With a foreword by Ralph Nader. Some copies signed by Charlie Cray. Some have scuffed covers.

The Great Limbaugh Con, and Other Right-Wing Assaults on Common Sense, by Charles M. Kelly. Fithian Press, 1994. Rush Limbaugh has been around for a long time, and he's spawned imitators who run the gamut from pseudo-intellectual to outright delusional. Give a copy of this book to anyone who describes himself as a populist but insists Limbaugh's free speech rights were abrogated when he wasn't allowed to be part-owner of the Rams.

Addicted to War: Why the US Can't Kick Militarism. An illustrated exposé by Joel Andreas. An accessible guide to the social harms caused by bloated defense budgets and disdain for diplomacy. Great for middle and high schoolers who like alternative history and/or who are considering enlisting. We have a few dozen copies on hand, so if you would like a few extra, please contact the office and we can negotiate an appropriate donation.

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Stop the Chamber: Online action calls for investigation, limits on US Chamber of Commerce

from www.StopTheChamber.com, a VelvetRevolution.us Campaign

The Chamber of Commerce, under the leadership of Tom Donahue, has gone from a well respected trade organization to an extremist political organization dedicated to corrupting American democracy by elevating the profits of big corporations over the well being of the citizens they serve. The most recent example of this corrupt behavior is the Chamber's announcement that it is spending more than $100 million to defeat initiatives to protect the environment and provide affordable health care to everyone.

The Chamber is the biggest lobbying operation in the United States, spending billions of dollars on behalf of big business over the past decade to corrupt the political system. Polluters like Big Coal, Big Asbestos, and Big Oil only need call the Chamber to stop any accountability for their toxic destruction. Wall Street banks and CEOs need only make sure that they have paid their Chamber dues to ensure that they can continue to rip off the taxpayers. And killers like Big Tobacco need only form a partnership with the Chamber to ensure that they will be given immunity from lawsuits that seek accountability for the death and sickness of millions of Americans.

Click here to sign on.

Tom Donahue has turned the once respected and even-handed Chamber into an extremist organization, bragging that the Chamber gutted the Clinton tobacco settlement, killed the Clinton health care plan, and scuttled previous oversight of Wall Street and the banking system. Now the Chamber is spending tens of millions on ads and lobbyists to stop health care for all, protect polluters from accountability, and shield the financial industry from government regulation.

Not only is the Chamber lobbying and advertising against the interests of Americans, it is also committing fraud and violating campaign finance laws by creating fake astroturfing front groups, with patriotic names like Citizens for a Strong Ohio, and then illegally funneling millions of anonymous dollars into those groups to attack candidates and judges who won't do their bidding. While this corrupts the electoral system, the Chamber persists, even when it is caught, fined and required to disclose its "anonymous" donors.

We have had enough and it is time to Stop The Chamber. Therefore, we demand the following:

1. Fire Tom Donohue. Mr. Donohue is the Chamber's corrupter in chief who single handedly turned the Chamber "into a pay-to-play vehicle for right-wing causes and corporate dishonesty. As Eliot Spitzer put it, "Tom Donohue has never once found a crime that he couldn't justify, as long as it was committed by one of his dues-paying members."

2. Drop Corporate Support for the Chamber. Over the past month, several large companies have abandoned the Chamber because of its anti-science stance on global warming. These include, Apple, Exelon Energy, Pacific Gas & Electric, Nike, and Public Service Company of New Mexico. As Nike put it, "We fundamentally disagree with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce on the issue of climate change, and their recent action challenging the E.P.A. is inconsistent with our view that climate change is an issue in need of urgent action." We will target companies with exposure and boycotts if they remain with the Chamber.

3. Launch A Criminal Investigation Against The Chamber For Fraud, False Tax Filings And Campaign Finance Violations. Former Alliance for Democracy co-chair Cliff Arnebeck led the charge against the Chamber in Ohio, where it was found to have committed fraud and campaign finance violations by creating a front group called Citizens for a Strong Ohio and funneling millions of dollars through it to defeat Supreme Court Justice Alice Resnick. This Chamber practice is widespread and was also used against Karl Rove-targeted Mississippi Justice Oliver Diaz, and in Indiana, Pennsylvania, Alabama, Texas, Louisiana, Michigan, West Virginia, and Arkansas. We are asking the Department of Justice to investigate these illegal practices under RICO and to review whether the Chamber is actually a political action committee rather than a trade association. See our letter to DOJ here.

4. Ask Congress To Investigate The Chamber. In addition to a criminal investigation, we want Congress to investigate the activities of the Chamber to include astroturfing and election manipulation as outlined by Public Citizen. Read U.S. Chamber of Commerce Failed to Report Electioneering Spending and Grants, Public Citizen Asks IRS to Investigate. Send a letter to Congress here.

5. Reorganize The Chamber. The Board of the Chamber should shut down the Chamber's lobbying arm and legal reform arm, and return to being a respected trade organization rather than a partisan PAC.

6. Speak Out Against The Chamber. We ask companies, politicians and others that do not agree with the flat earth, anti science, partisan, anti people approach of the Chamber to speak out publicly against the Chamber.

Click here to Send A Letter Asking Congress To Investigate The Chamber.

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Battle in full swing in Mendocino County, CA: Corporate developer vs. local community

by Steve Scalmanini, Ukiah Valley Chapter

In June I reported on the campaign underway in Mendocino County, California, between one of the nation’s largest real estate investment trusts, Developers Diversified Realty ("DDR"), and the local community over an initiative on the November 3rd ballot. If passed, the measure would rezone a closed industrial plant site that DDR bought a few years ago, just outside the City of Ukiah, from industrial to commercial zoning so it could build the County’s first large shopping mall.

The developer and its local front groups, "Mendocino County Tomorrow" and "Yes on Measure A, Citizens to bring jobs, tax dollars and local shopping to Mendocino County—A coalition being led by Mendocino County Tomorrow with major funding by DDR DB Mendocino LP" (honest – that’s their full name; see if you can say it three times quickly!) have spent $297K through June on campaign activities to reach a total of 49,000 voters in the County. And all of that funding has come from DDR; not a penny has come from any county resident. The community opposition, Save Our Local Economy ("SOLE"), has spent a whole $654 through June, all from small local donations. Both campaigns have spent more since June but we won’t know how much until next month.

Each side is campaigning with a fundamentally different method. The developer is funding telephone calls (from outside the State) to voters. Their first mailer went to voters in August and touted the same allegations they’ve been saying for years – keep sales tax revenue local, create jobs, and shop locally. In recent weeks they’ve been paying some of the local unemployed to go door-to-door to deliver another flier.

On the other hand, volunteers for SOLE have been soliciting the public for endorsements and more volunteers one-on-one at public events and stores over the summer. Their number of volunteers is now in the hundreds and endorsers are several time that. Funding is still slim so they’re busy these days hand assembling their first mailer to reach voters. The developer’s sponsored web sites are www.VoteYesOnMeasureA.com, www.mendocinocountytomorrow.com and www.mendocinocrossings.com. SOLE’s site has changed since the June article to www.NoOnA.com.

The result of the election will determine the future of the retail economy and general character of the rural Ukiah Valley in Mendocino County, two hours drive north of San Francisco. Will the local retail economy, characterized by one quaint downtown and several strip malls scattered throughout the City and just outside its borders, be decimated by a new mega-mall a half mile outside of town? I’ll have the answer in November.

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Astroturfing...not just for health care!

Commentary from The San Francisco Chronicle's "Thin Green Line" blog on a story in the New York Times on astroturfing in the energy industry.

After bruising revelations that companies, notably ExxonMobil, had funded contrarian "science" on climate change, the industry claimed to get religion but actually only reduced its funding.

Then, as it appeared inevitable that carbon regulations would happen eventually, a group of corporations, including a handful of energy giants, formed the U.S. Climate Action Partnership, asking for clear regulation soon. (The devil you know is better than the devil you don't know.)

Yet, several of the companies in this partnership have hired a PR firm to coordinate an astroturf (or faux grassroots) campaign to protest the Waxman-Markey bill that, on paper, they support.

Greenpeace recently obtained a memo coordinating an effort, funded by the American Petroleum Institute, for energy companies to bus their employees to political events disguised as everyday Americans opposed to "Waxman-Markey-like" legislation (a generalization that I find somehow creepy). It appears that USCAP was at least aware of the campaign, if not an active participant.

Other bait-and-switch efforts include the coal lobby's recent forged letters of opposition to the bill, sent by yet another PR firm, to members of Congress, and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce's continued efforts to deny climate change, although most of its (paying) members acknowledge it and many support carbon regulation.

What is wrong with out political system that these bought-and-paid-for lies are allowed to dominate our public discourse, much like they have on health care? Well, one clear problem is that lobbying disclosure requirements are not expansive enough to include astroturf campaigns, so a company can spend $10 officially lobbying for a politically popular position—most Americans support climate regulations—and spend $10,000 working against that position in ways they don't have to disclose.

According to Greenpeace, $82 million have been spent by the fossil fuels industry openly opposing climate regulation.

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GANE online--your analysis is welcome!

GANE--the General Agreement on a New Economy--is a document outlining a new model for economic development and analysis that emphasizes full employment, sustainable development, economic equity and community federalism. GANE, a project of the Alliance, has been organized by Ruth Caplan, coordinator of AfD's program on Corporate Globalization and Positive Alternatives.

Community federalism is a systemic approach to development that centers on the local community and builds outward to regional and national levels. Such an approach has become more and more necessary as we face a host of interrelated problems--climate change, off-shoring of jobs, fallout from speculative busts, degradation of the natural and social commons--from pure water to public education.

GANE was developed by the Economics Working Group, while a project of the Tides Foundation. It is the result of a robust discussion among forward thinking economists and policy advocates taking place over several years. And it is a work-in-progress, that depends on its readers to share their ideas.

If it bothers you that in this economic crisis Wall Street is getting bailed out while families and communities are left to fend for themselves, or if you question the veracity of current economic indices as a real reflection of our collective welfare, or if you feel that local communities are getting ignored in economic decision-making, check GANE out. You are asking some of the same questions we are and you may like some of our ideas.

The project website is here: www.greenecon.org. You can read a summary or a the full document, and share your ideas as well. Answers to our economic problems should come out of a broad public dialogue. Join in!

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Resources for studying sustainable economics

Re-Imagining Economics is a group of educators and activists seeking to expand popular understanding of how economies actually operate and how to foster more sustainable and socialized economic models. The project includes members of the Alliance's Columbus, OH, group.

Why "re-imagining?" The group's position is that the current definition of economics has collapsed in the face of growing global economic instability and crisis, and environmental degradation. Consequently, they write, "the prevailing model of economics needs to be replaced, not merely fine tuned."

To make that replacement a grassroots project, they've developed a series of single sheet flyers on a range of topics related to the history of money and banking, cooperatives, corporatism, and related topics, which can be read online or downloaded from this section of their website. They're also interested in working with organizations which have similar or related interests. Contact them at economics@arawakcity.org.

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Mass Coalition for Healthy Communities: Speak out now on Waxman-Markey

Hat tip to Mass Coalition for Healthy Communities for this alert on the Waxman-Markey climate change bill. Read an op-ed in the Metrowest (Massachusetts) Daily News by organizers Jill Stein and Maggie Zhou here.

Would you flip a coin to determine whether hundreds of millions of people are forced into migration and conflict over desperate food and water shortages? Or how about whether half the species of our planet live or die?

Congress is poised to do 20 times worse than that as it prepares to vote on the American Clean Energy and Security Act (ACESA, also known as Waxman-Markey). This legislation aims for a greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reduction target that is at best 20 times weaker than a 50/50 shot for avoiding catastrophic global warming, while permitting polluters to use "offsets" to increase their pollution for many years to come. And to top it off, this bill shamefully repeals existing EPA power to regulate global warming pollution.

The vote could come to the House floor as soon as this Friday, June 26. Click here to see a sample letter to send to Congress.

Please tell your Congressional representative that ACESA/Waxman-Markey is a fake climate bill and must be withdrawn or voted down. Ask your representative to come up with a real climate solution that:

1. Cuts greenhouse gas pollution quickly to return to a safe level in the atmosphere - below 350 parts-per-million. (More here)
   
2. Includes a switch to 100% renewable electricity in 10 years.
   
3. Preserves the ability of the EPA to regulate greenhouse gas pollution.
   
4. Does not allow unreliable, fraud-prone "offsets" in place of real emission reductions
   
5. Phases out coal, and prohibits the use/extraction of tar sand and oil shale -- all the worst culprits of global warming.
   

This will produce millions of jobs as we create sustainable, healthy, vibrant, local and resilient low-carbon economies!

After you contact your representative, please call your favorite environmental organizations and ask them to join us in this action. And help spread the word by sharing this alert on blogs, Facebook, Twitter, etc.

FAQ links:

• Why is ACESA / Waxman-Markey un-salvageable? 
  
• Isn't it better to make this first step now, and then try to strengthen it with further legislation?
  
• Background on the safe level of atmospheric greenhouse gases - 350 ppm
  
• Detailed analysis on ACESA / Waxman-Markey
  

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Five actions for single payer

The Alliance mission is to "end corporate rule." Together AfD members, friends and allies are building a 1-million-or-more national movement to break the corporate for-profit health industry stranglehold on Congress.

Take action now. We can win!
A majority of the American people and a majority of doctors, nurses, health professionals and labor want single-payer.

Make you voice heard. Please circulate this message widely to your family, friends and email list.

Not one pro-single payer speaker was invited to speak before the Senate Finance Committee's recent roundtables on health care. But the committee heard from representatives of the Business Roundtable, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Blue Cross/Blue Shield, the AARP, the Heritage Foundation, the drug industry (The Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association), and the high tech medical equipment industry (Advanced Medical Technology Association), among others.

The only voices for the single payer majority so far have been protesters, including the Baucus 8--advocates and doctors who stood up for us at the May 5 roundtable and were arrested by Capitol police (see the video here.) And this morning, as Senate Finance Committee chair Max Baucus opened today's roundtable on health care financing, about 25 nurses in hospital scrubs stood in silent protest, before filing out to applause from several attendees. Five more protestors stood during the roundtable to speak for single payer, and were taken away by police.

Tomorrow, Wednesday , May 13, is a National Lobby Day for Single-Payer, with a rally from 12:00 - 2:00 pm in Upper Senate Park, near the Union Metro Stop, Washington, D.C. But wherever you are, we must keep up the pressure for single payer!

Here are five actions you can take to make sure "everybody's in, nobody's out" of our healthcare system:

1. H.R. 676, Rep. Conyer's Single-Payer bill now has 75 cosponsors, but we need 218 votes in the House to pass H.R. 676. (see a list of cosponsors here). If your Representative is not a cosponsor call his/her office at 202-224-3121.
2. Send a fax supporting single payer to the President and top Congress and Committee members at www.1payer.net/campaigns/fax.html
3. Leave your comment to show strong support of single-payer reform bills HR 676 and S 703 at the comments page of www.healthreform.gov.
4. Write/call/email your Governor, state and Congressional representatives. Find contacts at www.usa.gov/Contact/Elected.shtml
5. PLAN NOW: May 30 is a National Day of Action to show solidarity with demonstrations at the AHIP-American Health Insurance Plans National Convention in SanDiego, CA.

May 30 National Day of Action
Check this site to see if your town/city has an event planned. If not, plan one and post it to the calendar by emailing info@healthcare-now.org. Call your local press - let them know the "what, when and where." Videotape events, post them online, and don't forget to tell us about your action at afd@thealliancefordemocracy.org.

Your event can be large or small with local allies and friends. Contact the AfD office at 781-894-1179 or afd@thealliancefordemocracy.org for copies of "Truths and Myths about Single Payer", or download here. Have sign-up sheets and forward names to your Congress members.

Some ideas:

* Table at a Farmer's Market in support of HR 676 and Senate Bill 703
* Hold a vigil at a district office of your member of the state legislature or of Congress. Dress in black to honor the 22,000 who die every year from lack of health insurance.
* Hold a rally - create political theater to "Put Healthcare on the Table." Get attention! - wear a hospital gown and "foam butt" (to see what we mean, here's some photos) and hold signs saying "I Demand Full Coverage." Order "foam butt" here.
* Hold a Single-Payer Truth Hearing.

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Nestlé is moving fast--southern Mainers need your help!

A message from Emily Posner, Maine organizer for the Defending Water for Life Campaign:

Dear Water Warriors and Allies of the cause to keep Maine's water out of corporate hands:

The water justice movement is growing fast in Maine thanks to the tireless efforts of dedicated citizens in places like Shapleigh and Newfield, Maine. Shapleigh and Newfield are small rural communities, nestled in the foothills of the Presidential mountain range. Combined, the towns' population is less then 4,000 residents.

These two small Maine towns share an abundant sand and gravel aquifer that is protected by the 4,000 acre Vernon Walker Game Management Area. Vernon Walker is publicly owned state land that is managed by the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife. In 2006, without any public oversight, Nestlé sunk up to 16 bore wells in this public land to determine the viability of industrial water extraction. When the state offered a price/gallon too high for the Fortune 500 company, they started bargaining with Shapleigh town officials in an effort to instead begin operating on town land adjacent to Vernon Walker.

Meanwhile, concerned citizens from around the area have united to oppose Nestlé's intrusion into their rural community. They have formed POWWR -- Protecting Our Water and Wildlife Resources. POWWR is committed to protecting their community's natural resources for today and into the future. Please visit www.defendingwaterinmaine.org/POWWR to learn about POWWR's history and local organizing effort.

On September 20, 2008, Shapleigh citizens sent a clear message to Nestlé when the town voted overwhelmingly for a 180-day moratorium to protect their groundwater. They also voted NO to drilling and testing by Nestlé on the town-owned parcel of land.

In the Boston Globe, Nestlé's lead geologist was quoted as saying, "we might need to force our hand" in regards to the resistance of Shapleigh and Newfield residents. And since the vote in September, the company has not stopped in its efforts to get the precious water from this area, and the Town's elected officials are attempting to push forward an ordinance that will open the door to large scale industrial water extraction.

Meanwhile, POWWR continues to organize and are working on an ordinance that will protect their community's right to self-government and say no to commercial water extraction. Read about it here.

POWWR needs support in their inspiring grassroots effort to protect their community's water resources, ecosystems and town's right to determine its future. We are trying to raise $500 to support this tremendous effort. Please consider making a small tax deductible donation. If just 50 people made a $10 donation, the goal would be reached. You can make a donation on-line here or send a check directly to POWWR, 185 Hooper Road, Shapleigh, ME 04076 (POWWR@live.com).

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Who does the regulatory system work for? More on protecting local commons

Here's part two of Martha Spiess's video of the SaveOurWater conference, featuring Mari Margill of the Community Environmental Legal Defense Fund talking about the shortcomings of the regulatory system and how communities can step outside it to better protect communities from environmental harm.

Part one of the video series is posted on our blog below. More of Martha's work is here.

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Can communities protect their local commons?

SaveOurWater sponsored this talk by environmental attorney Thomas Linzey of the Community Environmental Legal Defense Fund on how communities in Southern Maine can protect water from corporate predation. Thanks to videographer Martha Spiess of Maine for taping this event. More of her work is here.

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More on Measure T

Follow this link to our headlines blog to read an article by Ted Nace, published yesterday on Grist, about the defeat of Measure T and its impact on community-based environmental protection.

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Ukiah Valley chapter organizers host "Corporations and Democracy"

On October 3rd Steve Scalmanini and his wife Annie Esposito of the Ukiah Valley Chapter began hosting the first of the two monthly "Corporations and Democracy" radio programs on KZYX that covers Mendocino County, CA (100 miles north of San Francisco.)

Their first broadcast addressed what has been done in swing states to try to steal the 2008 presidential election, explained live by Bob Fitrakis and Harvey Wasserman of Columbus, Ohio, who are still involved with exposing the fraud in the 2004 election there.

Steve and Annie's program will be on 1st Fridays from 1-2 pm pacific time. On 3rd Fridays the hosts will continue to be Tom Wodetzki and Toni Rizzo of the Mendocino Coast Chapter, who for 10 years have been hosting both monthly shows with a few other members from the coast chapter. (Their guest on October 17th will be Naomi Klein, author of The Shock Doctrine.) Webcasts of the programs can be heard live at www.kzyx.org or locally at 90.7, 91.5, or 88.1 FM depending on where you are in the County.

Steve has been active in the Ukiah Valley Chapter (previously known as the Russian River Chapter) since 2003, helping host many speakers and video showings in the area, being semiretired after a career in the electronics business in Silicon Valley from 1973 to 2001. Annie retired in December after ten years as news director at radio station KZYX.

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Online Petition: Erroneous act of the Supreme Court in Exxon Shipping Co. v. Baker

We recently received an email from Kellie Kvasnikoff, a commercial fisherman forced into a career change by the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill, who is now Chief Information Technology Officer for the Snoqualmie Indian Tribe. In 2006 Kvasnikoff published Exxon Valdez 18 Years and Counting detailing the fight to get justice from Exxon after the economic, environmental and cultural disaster that the oil spill brought to Prince William Sound.

Now, following up on the Supreme Court decision to let the oil giant wriggle off the hook on punitive damages, an on-line petition asks that Congress open an investigation into Exxon and the court's decision. You can read and sign here.

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E-Newsletter, June 18, 2007

The Alliance for Democracy
E-Newsletter, June 18, 2007

In this issue:

National news:

• Countdown to the US Social Forum
• Plan now to declare "Independence from Corporate Rule"

Chapter news:
AfD West:

• South Puget Sound: confronting corporate power and building coalitions
• Greater Seattle chapter co-sponsors impeachment event

AfD East:

• New York AfD supports clean money elections
• North Bridge Alliance starts dialog on localization
• Boston-area chapters host Justice Rising editor Jim Tarbell

AfD Mid-west: AfD member works on water resolution

Calendar: Before July 15: Tell Congress to keep postal rates friendly to small journals

Allied Actions:

• Web resource: Impact of "free" trade on public health
• SiCKO sneak preview at US Social Forum

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National and chapter news:

Countdown to the US Social Forum
The US Social Forum begins next week, and we're happy to report that all seven workshops proposed by AfD activists were approved. We look forward to sharing AfD's work and our perspective at the Forum and building the people's movement under the banner, "Another World is Possible--Another U.S. is Necessary!" For a complete list of workshops and descriptions, see http://www.thealliancefordemocracy.org/html/eng/2463-AA.shtml

In addition, we've created a "Petition to Elected State Officials's on the Security & Prosperity Partnership of North America (SPP)" to be signed by visitors at our tables in the Democracy and Water Tents. It requests that the U.S. withdraw immediately from any further participation in the SPP and that all agreements, regulatory changes, and other actions already underway must be immediately voided and further action cease. View a PowerPoint on the SPP at http://www.sierraclub.org/committees/cac/water/WaterThreatsNAFTASPPAtlantica.pdf

Thanks to all the members who have given to our Spring appeal. We can still use your help to support all that we are doing at the US Social Forum--such as shared costs for the Democracy and Water Tents, table displays, materials and banners. So if your appeal letter is still sitting on your desk, please mail it today. Or contribute online at www.thealliancefordemocracy.org/join.html (not a member yet? Support our work by joining today!)

Plan now to declare "Independence from Corporate Rule"
This July 4th marks the 10th anniversary of the "Declaration of Independence from Corporate Rule," written by AfD founder Ronnie Dugger and former council member Al Krebs and read in front of the Liberty Bell in Philadelphia.

For this Independence Day get together with other AfD members or other groups and write your own short "Declaration." Read it in front of City Hall. A simple action might be to declare independence from specific corporations. Write their names on large cardboard and rip-up as you call out their names. Call the press, let them know what you plan to do--where and when. For inspiration read: About AfD at http://www.thealliancefordemocracy.org/about.html and Ronnie's "A Call to Citizens: Real Populists Please Stand Up!" http://www.thealliancefordemocracy.org/html/eng/1270-AA.shtml

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AfD West

South Puget Sound: Confronting corporate power and building coalitions
Susan Bee, South Puget Sound (Olympia, WA) chapter president, will be attending the US Social Forum as a member of the Sierra Club's Confronting Corporate Power Task Force for a workshop on corporate power and democracy, and working in the Democracy Tent. Chapter member Rus Geh is also planning to attend to film more episodes of the Reclaiming Democracy T.V. with Susan. For information on how you can support the show or get DVDs of past programs, see http://www.sounddemocracy.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=32&Itemid=34

This chapter is also starting a ten-session study group on challenging corporate power and creating authentic democracy in June, led by chapter member Monica Hoover, assisted by Terry Macinata, and featuring materials by the Women's International League for Peace and Freedom. (see http://www.sounddemocracy.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=blogsection&id=6&Itemid=55)

In August, the chapter is planning a progressive picnic with the Thurston County Progressive Network to celebrate, provide a time and space for other groups to have an annual meeting, and to focus on what groups could do locally to work together on the underlying common problems that all single issue groups share. The chapter is also planning a local elections candidate forum, and support the current campaign for publicly financed campaigns in Washington state.

Greater Seattle chapter co-sponsors impeachment event
The Greater Seattle AfD chapter is co-sponsoring a forum and workshop on impeachment later this month, featuring author and former Prosecuting Attorney, Elizabeth de la Vega, journalist David Lindorff, and constitutional scholar Phil Burk. Local activists in the "Washington for Impeachment" movement will also be featured. The event takes place Sunday, June 24, in Pigott Auditorium at Seattle University, and will feature a "train the trainer" workshop on impeachment and a take-home "constitution kit" for participants, for outreach after the event. For info, contact Rebecca Wolfe at rr.wolfe@comcast.net.

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AfD East

New York AfD supports clean money elections
Ethel Silverberg, of the Capital District (NY) chapter writes:
Progress is being made in Albany. With the support of Governor Spitzer whose platform included clean money initiatives, New Yorkers can expect a clean money bill before session ends this month.

Citizen Action has lead a statewide campaign to pressure the NY State Assembly to support full publicly financed elections with the cooperation of numerous not-for-profits. The Alliance for Democracy has been at the forefront with continual lobbying and asking legislators to sign a "Dear Colleague" letter which asks them to indicate their backing for these campaign reforms. In addition, Citizen Action is holding Town Hall meetings all over the state with each local district's legislators attending.

My guess (writes Ethel) is that there will be a bill, but loopholes may need to be plugged in other years. Resistance has come from Joe Bruno the State senate leader who said voters don't "give a hoot" about campaign finance. At present he is under scrutiny for some shady dealings but still was re-elected to head the Senate. Sheldon Silver, a very powerful leader of the Assembly, has for some years promoted a bill featuring partial public financing. This has been implemented in New York City for certain offices and was quite progressive for the time. However, those "partial" contributions will still come from special interests. We'll see what comes of this major push but the press--or lack thereof--doesn't help.

North Bridge Alliance starts dialog on localization
The North Bridge Alliance for Democracy chapter's film series presented an encore screening of "The Power of Community: How Cuba Survived Peak Oil" with the Concord Unitarian Universalist Green Sanctuary Committee. Discussion after the film focused on protecting and promoting local agriculture, with material on hand from the Massachusetts chapter of the Northeast Organic Farming Association. Many participants learned about the event through Concord's agricultural commission. Plans are being made to continue meeting through the summer to discuss promoting a local economy.

Boston-area chapters host Justice Rising editor Jim Tarbell
North Bridge and Boston-Cambridge chapters took the occasion of a visit to our area by Jim Tarbell, editor of the Alliance's quarterly newsletter Justice Rising, and his wife, Judy, to throw a potluck in his honor. Former AfD council member Mary White's home in Concord was full of lively conversation over appetizers and dinner for several hours on a beautiful evening. Afterwards members met with Jim who started the discussion with a history of how he had become involved with the issue of corporatization of the world economy. Then he called for comments on the newsletter. All seemed to be pleased with the current format. Several suggestions were made for topics to be covered in future editions including democracy and energy. Then there was a lively discussion of how to get the message out to those "beyond the choir". One suggestion was to send out a two page email to an extended list such as Tom Wodetzki's in Mendocino. Another was to write a letter to the editor that could be sent to such a list so that others could submit the letter to their local newspapers. Jim said he already had ideas of groups to whom he would like to send copies of Justice Rising. Members were delighted to have the opportunity to meet Jim and Judy.

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AfD Mid-West

AfD member works on water resolution
June Rusten, of Ann Arbor, Michigan, renewed her membership recently with a note about organizing on behalf of a local resolution to ban bottled water at city council meetings and promote the use of municipal water. The resolution, entitled "Drinking Tap Water is Thinking Green" was introduced to the City Council by the Panthers for Social Justice of Washtenaw (MI, the county of Ann Arbor). It passed unanimously in early June.

June wrote, "Your letter of May 10 encouraged me to let you know of our efforts to counteract the efforts of Nestle to continue to make huge profits from taking Michigan water for bottled water. We hope that you can let conferees at the June Social Forum in Atlanta--especially in the water tent, know of our Resolution to Drink Tap Water and Think Green! We hope our resolution catches on throughout the US. Please share it."

If your community has a municipal water system, consider passing a resolution promoting your local water. Convincing people to "tap into" this local resource is an important part of protecting both natural water resources and local public water infrastructure from commercial exploitation. For information on the Ann Arbor resolution, email June at junear5575@sbcglobal.net

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Calendar:

Before July 15: Tell Congress to keep postal rates friendly to small journals
New postage rates could gut the budgets of small-press magazines across the nation and the political spectrum, thanks to government adoption of postal regulations written, in part, by media giant Time Warner. But there's still time to protest.

No one argues that the US Postal Service has to cover costs. But rate hikes shouldn't be determined by big publishers. Most magazines, which knew a rate hike was coming, budgeted for a 10 to 12 percent increase. But the Time-Warner plan calls for big hikes for small publishers and discounts for big ones. Now small publishers find they may face postage costs going up by as much as 30 percent.

Many small-press and progressive magazine publishers are spreading the word about this hike. Read more at the Democracy Now! Website at http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=07/04/24/1446244 , and respond to Congress from several magazine and media websites, including The Nation, at http://www.thenation.com/doc/20070604/moyers1 , and FreePress.net, at http://action.freepress.net/freepress/postal_explanation.html.

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Allied Actions

The impact of "free" trade on public health
If you are concerned about the threat that international trade agreements pose to public health, check out http://www.cpath.org/id29.html , the news and update page for the Center for Policy Analysis on Trade and Health. You can read reports on attempts to improve provisions to protect health, labor and the environment in proposed trade agreements with Peru, Columbia, Panama, Malaysia, and South Korea. With a national movement building to repeal "fast-track" authority for trade agreements now is a good time to pick up talking points on the impact these agreements have had on everything from tobacco use to drug prices to regulations covering safe drinking water.

"Sicko" sneak preview at US Social Forum
The Healthcare-NOW Coalition will host a special preview showing of Michael Moore’s new film “SiCKO” June 28 at the US Social Forum, to support their work bringing a simple, comprehensive, non-bureaucratic single payer health care system to Americans. This is, after all, the insurance system that most Americans say they want, and the one they believe would deliver the best care to the greatest number of people, but it would mean an end to the for-profit healthcare and health insurance industry, and an end to the cash they pump into election campaigns.

SiCKO was screened in Sacramento earlier this month in support of single-payer health care. The film opens nationwide on June 29. For more information on Healthcare-NOW’s programs, visit www.healthcare-now.org.

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