Lone Star Democracy Builders Association

Last night I did an 8pm-12am voter registration shift at the Fiesta Mart on 38-1/2 and I-35. Considering that it was a rainy day in a non-presidential-election year, the turnout was good. While the noon-time and 4pm-8pm shifts seemed to be the busy ones, we got a good stream ourselves and beat our registration target. We registered our last voter at 11:52pm.

The other volunteer for the shift was Terry from DFT. I'm sorry I left the last meetup before the "Iraq for Sale" movie (it was my night to cook). Apparently the turnout was great and the movie got a lot of folks stirred up. Glen Maxey was there to move the anger into action at the end. After the continuous stream of bad news (Iraq, Katrina non-response, condoning torture, removing habeas corpus, NoKo nukes) I've been feeling burned out instead of motivated politically. I could have used the shot in the arm from the movie.

But I'm really glad I did the voter registration. The "midnight deadline" signs worked to pull folks in. It was great when people in a rush stopped what they were doing to register when they realized that last night was the deadline (or at least caught us on the way out). A few folks came up with voter registration forms already filled out, but which they hadn't mailed yet, and we were able to give them registration receipts. But the highlight for me was when folks actually identified themselves as available to work as election workers, just to see what being a poll worker would be like. One lady would have to reschedule her current two jobs just to do it. While democracy may be hurting, it's not dead yet.

Posted by GlennM at 8:31 AM in Action & Austin & Elections and Voting | Permalink | Comments (1)

I'm so appalled by the frickin' Flag Desecration Amendment, it's unreal. Of all the totally useless election-year posturing so far, this might be thing I hate the most. You know we're at a totally bizarre political moment when I find myself agreeing with the otherwise odious Sen. Mitch McConnell. It's hard for me to type anything about this issue without sputtering and seething, so I'll leave this one up to Frederick Douglass:

Those who profess to favor freedom, and yet depreciate agitation, are men who want rain without thunder and lightning. They want the ocean without the roar of its many waters.

Y'all go smack some sense into your Senators, willya? Thanks.

Posted by Carrie at 4:05 PM in Action | Permalink

One of the biggest ways that political campaigns can show strength is their fundraising. About half the times you've heard someone say, "I just don't think that guy can win," what they mean is, "That candidate isn't raising enough money to pay for a decent campaign." When you hear people talk trash about Chris Bell and whether he can win the governor's race, part of what they criticize is how far he tends to lag behind the more glamorous candidates in fundraising. That might seem petty, but you know what? Money is the lifeblood of a campaign. It pays for the office, the campaign manager, the TV and radio spots, the field staff who mobilize volunteers, bumper stickers, yard signs... It's not only what makes a campaign look professional and capable; it's what allows a campaign to hire the professionals who can pull out a win and pay to get the message out for a candidate who's not well-known.

The press, as well as the people who write big checks, judge fundraising ability on the basis of periodic reports that candidates are required to file with the Texas Ethics Commission. The next deadline is June 30 - coming up fast, y'all.

So. If you've got a soft spot for a great candidate, now's the time to show your support.

Here's who's getting some cash from me:

• Valinda Bolton, running for state rep in southwest Travis County
• Katy Hubener, running for state rep in the Dallas area
• David Van Os, our fabulous firebreathing candidate for state Attorney General
• Hank Gilbert, another great speaker, running for Ag Commissioner
• Glenn Melancon, an amazingly smart and well-spoken history professor running for Congress up in north Texas (this man is the closest thing to Jed Bartlet I've ever seen in real life)
• Chris Bell, our man for Gov, who just keeps getting better and better
• and, of course, my man Mark Strama, seeking re-election to his state rep seat in north Austin

Posted by Carrie at 11:02 AM in Action | Permalink | TrackBacks (1)

Activism Blog has posted about a group called Alaska Action that is collecting donations to explain the costs and benefits of drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge:

The most money that drilling the Arctic Refuge would ever save American consumers is one penny per gallon, and that would be almost 20 years from now when oil production out of the Refuge would peak.

The average American would save almost six whole dollars in that year! Wouldn’t that be wonderful? And at the low low cost of one of America’s last pristine places. So…lets start drilling!

Call us crazy, but we think that sounds ridiculous. We’re collecting pennies from every person who wants to tell congress that the Refuge is worth more to America in it’s current state.

On the day before the final vote, we’re gonna give those pennies to congress (even if it takes 200 people to carry them all) and send the clear message that we would rather pay our penny now than see oil rigs in the Refuge.

Click on over to their page on The Penny and PayPal them some love.

Posted by Skye at 8:41 AM in Action | Permalink | Comments (1)

I have a list of 50 or so people for whom I regularly buy or make holiday gifts. I know some people who have their doubts about the practice of giving objects to people, and I respect that. There are an awful lot of useless pieces of crap in this world whose short life cycles will end in garage sales, attics, and eventually landfills. That sucks. But I am a believer in symbols, and giving someone I care about a well-chosen gift, even if it's small, is a way of re-affirming my connection to and affection for them. I think that's worth doing on a yearly basis.

So in my ongoing quest to suck less, I've been thinking about how to do this in an ethical way, with minimal environmental impact and maximum social impact. You could knit everyone scarves out of recycled cotton grown without pesticides and then embroider "Pro-Family, Pro-Child, Pro-Choice" or "Count Every Vote" on them, but you probably don't have that kind of time, much less that kind of wrist stamina. I sure as hell don't. I do bake stuff for some people, but I realize that even that is usually a lot to ask of people during the busy holiday season.

So instead of NaNoWriMo'ing my brains out today, I've spent a few hours putting together some information I hope at least some of you will find helpful.

Continue reading "How to have a fun lefty holiday season without glue guns" »

Posted by Carrie at 4:36 PM in Action | Permalink

I've just signed up do to a screening of the new Wal-Mart documentary at my house in north Austin on Sunday, November 13th at 6PM. You can RSVP for the screening at this website, or you can look for other screenings in Austin or around the country at this page.

I got to meet some of the filmmakers at Democracy Fest back in June. They are the ones who did Outfoxed back in 2004, an expose of the bias at the Fox News Channel. They've got a smart campaign to release this film, with different themes for each day of the release week. The effort to both make the film and get it publicity has been huge and widespread; they've been talking to customers, employees, suppliers, management, politicians, health care workers, and churches to get stories about how Wal-Mart affects the communities in which it's located. I have high hopes that the final product will be thought provoking and a useful contribution to the debates on issues like living wages, universal health care, and globalization.

Posted by Ben at 3:27 PM in Action & Economy | Permalink

My new Kodak DX7440 wouldn't focus on the cell phone screen to save my life (note to self: read user manual), but the trusty Palm Zire 71 did its best:

Ben got his reps into his phone, and I have some of mine done. Good job, team!

Posted by Skye at 9:01 PM in Action | Permalink

Hey kids, tomorrow would be a REALLY good time to make a few phone calls. Says CPPP:

One month ago, as part of a national effort, we asked you to urge your senators and congressional representative not to cut federal spending on critical health and human services such as Medicaid and Food Stamps. Because of your efforts, Congress delayed taking action, but congressional committees are again moving ahead with plans to mark up cuts during the week of October 17, with the Budget Committees slated to package the cuts around October 26, and Congress to consider bills making the cuts shortly thereafter.

Leadership in both chambers is now pushing to make even deeper cuts than the originally proposed $35 billion. For example, the Finance Committee is apparently considering cuts of as much as $12 to billion in Medicaid, even though the original target was $10 billion.

Make three calls, one to each senator and one to your representative. When their office answers the phone, say something like: "My name is [name] and I live in [your town/city]. I would like [name] to oppose $35 billion in cuts to Medicaid, Food Stamps, and other vital services, and to oppose $70 billion in more tax cuts. We need help for low-income Texans, not more tax cuts for those with plenty."

For those of you who live near me:

• Senator Kay Hutchison, Phone: 202-224-5922
• Senator John Cornyn, Phone: 202-224-2934
• Congressman Michael McCaul, Phone: 202-225-2401

If you live elsewhere, look up your national reps at Project Vote Smart. Look on the left side. If you don't know your 9-digit zip, they have a handy link to the U.S. Postal Service website so you can look that up.

I promise, calls to these offices are really easy. No one is going to attack you, argue with you, or raise your blood pressure in any way.

And here's a thought: put the reps' numbers in your cell phone. That way, you won't have to look it up next time.

Posted by Skye at 8:50 PM in Action | Permalink | Comments (1)

It was hot. There were protesters and counter-protesters. A bus got stuck and we un-stuck it. A local spouted off.

UPDATE: Pics are here, and made some minor edits.

Continue reading "Report from Camp Casey" »

Posted by GlennM at 10:32 PM in Action | Permalink | Comments (2)

On April 14th, Democracy for America and True Majority had a National Day of Action opposing Social Security privatization. I heard about it at the Democracy for Texas meeting a week beforehand and decided to go on a Congressional office visit to Rep. Michael McCaul of District 10.

Continue reading "Social Security Congress Visit Report" »

Posted by Skye at 4:18 PM in Action | Permalink

Personal Democracy Forum has a couple of big posts this week about the role of online groups in the democratic process. The lead post, America Offline, strongly advocates offline organizations, like our own little group, and wants to see the online activism of groups like Democracy for America use to encourage people to meet together and get involved in the organizations behind political power. The response, The Citizen and His Browser, Volunteering Alone, points to the online space as a replacement for inefficient real-life meetings and activities, and says that people want to be active, and that online groups allow that without taking up as much time as previous, face-to-face methods of organization.

I'm more sympathetic to the first posting, but I think both should be read. I really like the summary at the end of the first post:

...if we start to think of the internet as an organizing tool first -- a database of places as well as ideas, a database of calendars as well as pictures, we can also build a completely new social structure. It won't look like the voluntary associations of the 1950s, but it might get us past the isolation of the aughts.

Posted by Ben at 6:00 PM in Action | Permalink | Comments (1)