News from the North Texas Progressive December 13 2010

 

North Texas Progressive Newsletter
...bringing North Texas news and discussion since 2004


November 13, 2010

Dear nancy,

Good Morning!

Great holiday events are going on and you are invited to attend.
If you are looking for gifts please consider buying from our Amazon store ( your purchase supports THIS newsletter ! GO HERE: http://astore.amazon.com/northtexasprogressive-20

Congrats to all the raffle winners. As many of you know who have participated in the past, your chances of receiving a prize are REALLY high in our raffles. I've had some amazing prizes already donated for our big annual fundraiser which we will have Spring 2011. Thanks --Thanks to you all!

Thanks,
Nancy Cunningham

Email /Webpage /Facebook /Twitter /Newsletetter archive

 

In This Issue

18th Annual Winter SolstiCelebration: Imagine Peace.

Democracy Now

Loving Your Neighbor in a Shrinking World.

North Texas Progressive Book Suggestion

North Texas Democrats : Notes and News

Texas Democracy Foundation Next Generation Leader..

Mid Cities Democrats Launches "Have You Heard" Bulletin.

Drinking Liberally Addison...New Year's Eve..

Block Those Metaphors...By Paul Krugman NYT.

 

18th Annual Winter SolstiCelebration: Imagine Peace

The 18th annual Winter SolstiCelebration is a celebration of the life and vision of John Lennon. The Solstice Service showcases music, dance, poetry, ceremony, song, circus acts, storytelling, magic and participatory movement to convey the concepts that John Lennon and the Beatles championed such as peace, love, transcendence, creativity and understanding.

 

Bring donations of canned meat, fish and saltine crackers, plus winterwear items for the Cathedral of Hope assistance programs. $12, $10 in advance, $8 children & seniors. Go to www.Earthrythms.org or call 214-261-5599.

 

Presented by Earth Rhythms in cooperation with the Center for Spiritual Living, and made possible through the generosity of the Cathedral of Hope.

When: Friday, December 17, 7:00-9:00 p.m.

Where: Cathedral of Hope, 5910 Cedar Springs Rd., Dallas

 

Democracy Now

Glenn Greenwald on the Arrest of Julian Assange and the U.S. "War on WikiLeaks"

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has been arrested in London on an international warrant to face sex crime allegations in Sweden. We speak with Glenn Greenwald, constitutional attorney and blogger at Salon.com. Watch/Listen/Read

 

Loving Your Neighbor in a Shrinking World

Loving our neighbor in a shrinking world: Interfaith response and action on migration

 

The movement of people from one place to another has been a constant in human history, but today migrants truly tell the story of globalization.

 

In this presentation we will explore what scripture, theology, mission experience and church teachings have to say about right relationships and how people of faith are to address today's immigration realities. Join us for a panel discussion with:

·     Kathy McNeely, Maryknoll Office for Global Concerns, Washington, D.C.

·     Rev. Alejandro de la Torre, United Church Of Christ Cathedral of Hope 

·     Imam Zia Shaikh, Irving Islamic Center

Opportunities for action will be provided

 

Co-sponsored by Maryknoll Mission Education and Pax Christi Dallas

For more information call: 214-821-4501 or 214-351-1044.

 

When: Tuesday, December 14, 7:00 p.m.

Where: Interfaith Peace Chapel, 5916 Cedar Springs Rd., Dallas

 

North Texas Progressive Book Suggestion

The Daily Show with Jon Stewart Presents Earth (The Book): A Visitor's Guide to the Human Race

List Price:

$27.99

Price:

$14.00 & eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25. Details

BUY HERE

The eagerly awaited new book from the Emmy-winning, Oscar-hosting, Daily Show-anchoring Jon Stewart--the man behind the megaseller America (The Book).

Where do we come from? Who created us? Why are we here? These questions have puzzled us since the dawn of time, but when it became apparent to Jon Stewart and the writers of The Daily Show that the world was about to end, they embarked on a massive mission to write a book that summed up the human race: What we looked like; what we accomplished; our achievements in society, government, religion, science and culture -- all in a tome of approximately 256 pages with lots of color photos, graphs and charts.

 

North Texas Democrats : Notes and News

Rockwall County Democratic Party and the Rockwall County Young Democrats Holiday Party

Join the Rockwall County Democratic Party and the Rockwall County Young Democrats as we celebrate the Holidays with our Democratic Family!

When: Monday, December 20, 2010 - 6:30 - 9:00 PM

Where: Community Center, Harry Myers Park - 816 E Washington, Rockwall, TX The event is a potluck dinner.  Please bring your favorite family Holiday recipe to share with your Democratic family.  It will be an evening of celebration as we look back over the year and look ahead to 2011!  Email Terri StClair, chair@RockwallDems.com if you plan to bring a dish.

 

Grassroots Democratic Coalition Monthly Meetup

When Thursday, December 23, 2010 7:30 PM

Black Eyed Pea Restaurant /7979 Belt LIne Rd at Coit Rd - Next to Shell Service Station

Dallas TX 75287

 

Arlington Area Progressive Liberal Meetup Group Monthly Meetup

 When Sunday, December 26, 2010 1:00 PM
 Where Starbucks /4340 Little Rd /Arlington TX 76016

Metrocrest Democrats' Holiday Party!

Monday, December 13, 2010 at 7:00 P.M.

The Club will provide hors d'oeuvres and Dinner will be on you!

Siena Pasta & Pizza

780 S. MacArthur Blvd, suite 100 /Northeast corner of Belt Line & MacArthur /Coppell, TX 75019

 

Texas Democracy Foundation Next Generation Leader

The Texas Democracy Foundation (TDF), publisher of The Texas Observer, today announced its intention to foster the next generation of statewide progressive leadership.  The goal is to build partnerships with individuals and organizations in support of independent investigative journalism and progressive community in Texas. The TDF has revamped its web site, launched new media initiatives and written stories that have won awards and garnered national attention. Today they are launching outreach to the next generation of progressive leaders in Texas.

 

How to become a Texas Democracy Foundation Next Generation Leader

Anyone under the age of 40 who is interested in working for progressive ideals of equality and social justice in Texas is encouraged to apply online at www.texasobserver.org/tdf-next-generation or by mail to The Texas Observer, 307 W 7th Street, Austin, TX 78701. Call (512) 477-0746 and we will mail the application to you. There is a $100 annual membership fee with sponsorships available for those who qualify due to low income.

 

Mid Cities Democrats Launches "Have You Heard" Bulletin

We are pleased to present to you our "Have You Heard" feature. These bulletins will detail legislative activities, soundbytes, and musings about the GOP Extreme Machine at the local, state, and national levels. 

 

But more important then those features is how YOU can take ACTION! As we present this information to you we will also suggest ACTION that YOU can take to make a difference and have your voice be heard! 

 

Feel free to provide feedback on this new feature at info@midcitiesdemocrats.com .  What do you like?  What don't you like?  How can this bulletin be better?  Expect to see information frequently because, as you know, the GOP Extreme Machine will give us plenty to talk about in the coming weeks and months.   

 

 

Drinking Liberally Addison New Year's Eve

Drinking Liberally Addison will not be meeting at The Quarter this month. Instead we have been invited to spend New Year's Eve at Patty & Danny LaPorta's home on December 31 7:30pm onward.

They will be providing some food and the potent vodka punch. Otherwise, BYOB and bring some snacks to share (what you might bring can be listed in the comments on the Facebook page)

If you can not drive home, you are welcome to crash at the house. Drink liberally, but be safe!

I also ask that you RSVP on Facebook

Block Those Metaphors 

By PAUL KRUGMAN NYT

Like it or not - and I don't - the Obama-McConnell tax-cut deal, with its mixture of very bad stuff and sort-of-kind-of good stuff, is likely to pass Congress. Then what?

 

The deal will, without question, give the economy a short-term boost. The prevailing view, as far as I can tell - and that includes within the Obama administration - is that this short-term boost is all we need. The deal, we're told, will jump-start the economy; it will give a fragile recovery time to strengthen.

I say, block those metaphors. America's economy isn't a stalled car, nor is it an invalid who will soon return to health if he gets a bit more rest. Our problems are longer-term than either metaphor implies.

And bad metaphors make for bad policy. The idea that the economic engine is going to catch or the patient rise from his sickbed any day now encourages policy makers to settle for sloppy, short-term measures when the economy really needs well-designed, sustained support.

 

Read on

 

 

North Texas Progressive Newsletter

Nancy Cunningham
Editor
Contact: Nancy

 

This newsletter is a project of the North Texas Progressive , which is an umbrella organization for the Dallas Air America group, which was founded in 2004 to promote and support progressive talk radio and independent media in North Texas.

 

Visit the North Texas Progressive  web pages to get more information.

Newsletter archive

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Dr. Errington Thompson's "Where's the outrage? " blog



Dallas native Dr. Errington Thompson, former host on Revolution 880 from Asheville, NC now blogs at

erringtonthompsonmd.com

 

Did you have a bad experience voting ? Let the TX Secretary of State know ..

This was from Collin County Democrats but I'm sure it applies to everyone in North Texas !

Dear Collin County Voter:

On Election Day November 2nd, did you have a bad experience trying to vote at a Collin County polling location because of the "Vote Centers" experiment?  Long wait times?  Insufficient number of voting machines, or inadequate facilities or parking?  Found yourself trying to vote at an overwhelmed polling location?

 

Make your complaints or concerns known to the Texas Secretary of State!

The Elections Division of the Texas Secretary of State's Office is submitting a report on the countywide voting experiment to the Texas Legislature later this month.

 

Texas law requires your complaints and concerns to be included in the Secretary of State's report to State Representatives and State Senators, but get them in soon! 

In deciding whether to implement the countywide voting scheme more widely, the Texas Legislature will be considering the experiences of Collin County voters in this November's voting experiment.

 

You can email the Elections Division of the Texas SOS at "elections@sos.state.tx.us".  Please reference that you are writing about your experiences with countywide voting in Collin County on Election Day, November 2nd.  (If you choose, please also copy your email to "voterprotection@collindems.us").


 

Thom Hartmann | An Informed and Educated Electorate

 Today we present the next chapter in our series of installments of Thom Hartmann's book, "Rebooting the American Dream: 11 Ways to Rebuild Our Country." Hartmann recalls: "After Reagan blew up the Fairness Doctrine in 1987, two very interesting things happened. The first was the rise of rightwing hate-speech talk radio, starting with Rush Limbaugh that very year. The second, which really stepped up fast after President Clinton signed the Telecommunications Act of 1996, which further deregulated the broadcast industry, was that the money losing news divisions of the Big Three TV networks were taken under the wings of their entertainment divisions - and wrung dry. Foreign bureaus were closed. Reporters were fired. Stories that promoted the wonders of advertisers or other companies (like movie production houses) owned by the same mega-corporations that owned the networks began to appear. And investigative journalism that cast a bright light on corporate malfeasance vanished."

Read the Article.


 

Texas lawmakers look to limit federal government

 

Gov. Rick Perry apparently isn't the only one fed up with Washington. More than a half-dozen state lawmakers have filed measures to try to limit the federal government's ability to dictate what happens in Texas

read on


 

John Lennon

"You may say I'm a dreamer, but I'm not the only one. I hope someday you'll join us. And the world will live as one."
- John Lennon


 

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News from the North Texas Progressive December 6th 2010

 

 

North Texas Progressive Newsletter
...bringing North Texas news and discussion since 2004


November 7, 2010

Dear nancy,

Good Morning!

 

Thanks so much to everyone who entered the mini-fundraiser, the funds raised helped us during the campaign season waive advertising for some campaign events. We will have our regular annual fundraiser in April and WOW do we have prizes!!

 

There are many more progressive / Democratic holiday events happening across the Metroplex and you are invited !


Thanks,
Nancy Cunningham

Email /Webpage /Facebook /Twitter /Newsletetter archive

 

In This Issue

Holiday Parties and YOU are invited !.

Commentary: Tom DeLay's political system wasn't above the law...

Democracy Now

Southern Poverty Law Center Live webcast Hate Groups Tuesday, Dec. 7.

North Texas Progressive Book Suggestion

North Texas Democrats : Notes and News

Atheist ads turn up on buses in Fort Worth, Texas.

Fox News Joke on 'The Simpsons' Pulled from Web Replays On Hulu, Fox.com

Majority Report returns ! Listen daily to Sam Seder via computer and smart phone

All the President's Captors...By FRANK RICH NYT.

 

Holiday Parties and YOU are invited !

DCYD Holiday Party
December 10, 2010 8:00 PM - 11:00 PM
The Home of the Fitzgeralds Dallas, TX 75226
Join DCYD as we celebrate 2010. Light bites and libations will be served.
For our community service project for the holiday season, we are hosting a canned food drive for Methodism's Breadbasket. Please bring canned food items or a cash donation to the event and help brighten another person's holiday.
For more information and to RSVP, please contact Jordan McCarter at jordanmccarter@aol.com.

Dallas County Democratic Party

Party With Us Monday Dec. 13 At Our EC Meeting 

This year the Dallas County Democratic Party will hold its Executive Committee Meeting in conjunction with a Holiday Party. The County Chair and Secretary and all of the Precinct Chairs are members of the Executive Committee. All good Democrats are welcome at the party. The joint event will be at the usual place, the Communication Workers of America Hall, at 1408 N. Washington at Bryan, Dallas, and is scheduled from 6:30 to 8:30 PM on Monday, December 13. See you there.

 

Dallas Stonewall Democrats

Stonewall Democrats Annual Holiday PartyMonday, December 6 7 - 9 PM, Round Up Saloon, Round Up Saloon, 3912 Cedar Springs Rd, Dallas

Democratic Women of Denton County

Democratic Women of Denton County Holiday Party Please bring a personal care item (shampoo, body wash, toothbrush, toothpaste) to donate for the 2011 Epiphany Party for the Poor. Sunday, December 12 4 - 8 PM, 2519 Sir Percival Lane, Lewisville

 

Commentary: Tom DeLay's political system wasn't above the law

"This is an abuse of power," Tom DeLay said Wednesday after an Austin jury found him guilty of politically inspired money laundering and conspiracy to commit money laundering. "It's a miscarriage of justice. I still maintain my innocence. The criminalization of politics undermines our very system."

It's odd that he would put it that way, given that criminalization of politics is exactly what the jury said he did.

 

read on

 

Who Nailed the Hammer?

 

In 2005, a series of shocking investigative stories by The Texas Observer brought House Majority Leader Tom DeLay's GOP money-laundering scheme to national notice.

 On the day before Thanksgiving, DeLay was convicted on the charges first reported by the Observer. (Read the original series here  on the money laundering charges, and former editor Lou Dubose's coverage of the DeLay trial here .)

 

Democracy Now

Is WikiLeaks' Julian Assange a Hero? Glenn Greenwald Debates Steven Aftergood of Secrecy News

We host a debate between Steven Aftergood, a transparency advocate who has become a leading critic of WikiLeaks, and Glenn Greenwald, a constitutional law attorney and legal blogger for Salon.com. Watch/Listen/Read

Jeremy Scahill: WikiLeaks Cables Confirm Secret U.S. War Ops in Pakistan

Despite sustained denials by the Pentagon, the leaked cables from WikiLeaks confirm that U.S. military special operations forces have been secretly working with the Pakistani military to conduct offensive operations and coordinate drone strikes in the areas near the Afghan border. The cables confirm aspects of a story about the covert U.S. war in Pakistan published in The Nation magazine last year by investigative journalist and Democracy Now! correspondent Jeremy Scahill. Watch/Listen/Read..

As GOP Appears to Win Extension of Bush-Era Tax Cuts for Wealthy, Rev. Jesse Jackson Calls for "War on Poverty"

The Senate has failed to advance a bill that would have extended the deadline to file for federal unemployment insurance through next year. This leaves some two million unemployed Americans without jobless benefits after this month. The White House, meanwhile, has signaled it's willing to compromise on Republican demands to preserve the Bush-era tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans. We speak to the Reverend Jesse Jackson. Watch/Listen/Read

Noam Chomsky: WikiLeaks Cables Reveal "Profound Hatred for Democracy on the Part of Our Political Leadership" 

 In a national broadcast exclusive interview, we speak with world-renowned political dissident and linguist Noam Chomsky about the release of more than 250,000 secret U.S. State Department cables by WikiLeaks. In 1971, Chomsky helped government whistleblower Daniel Ellsberg release the Pentagon Papers, a top-secret internal U.S. account of the Vietnam War. Commenting on the revelations that several Arab leaders are urging the United States to attack Iran, Chomsky says, "latest polls show] Arab opinion holds that the major threat in the region is Israel, that's 80 percent; the second threat is the United States, that's 77 percent. Iran is listed as a threat by 10 percent," Chomsky says. "This may not be reported in the newspapers, but it's certainly familiar to the Israeli and U.S. governments and the ambassadors. What this reveals is the profound hatred for democracy on the part of our political leadership." Listen/Watch/Read

 

Southern Poverty Law Center Live webcast Hate Groups Tuesday, Dec. 7

SPLC President Richard Cohen and SPLC's Intelligence Project Director Mark Potok invite you to join them for a live webcast-a 30-minute audio chat-December 7 at 2:00pm EST, to discuss the addition of anti-gay organizations, including the Family Research Council, to SPLC's hate group list.
Live webcast Date: Tuesday, Dec. 7, 2010 /Time: 2 p.m. Eastern
How to participate:
Register here and you will receive a confirmation email with a link to sign into the webcast.Richard and Mark will accept questions before and during the 30-minute audio webcast.

 

North Texas Progressive Book Suggestion

Secrecy: The American Experience
By The Honorable Daniel Patrick Moynihan

Price:

$19.50 & eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25.

BUY HERE

Product Description Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan here presents a fascinating account of the development of secrecy as a mode of regulation in American government since World War I-how it was born, how world events shaped it, how it has adversely affected momentous political decisions and events, and how it has eluded efforts to curtail or end it.


Published in 1999 but a very timely read!!!

 

North Texas Democrats : Notes and News

Denton County Democratic Party

Executive Committee Meeting

Thursday, December 9 /7:30 - 9:00 p.m.

Lewisville Visual Art League /701 South Stemmons Freeway, #115

In the Lewisville West Shopping Center (NW corner of Fox Ave. & I-35)

Lewisville, Texas 75067-4518

 

At this meeting we will discuss the importance of precinct chairs in the coming election cycle, and would like to vote on requirements for fulfilling and keeping precinct chair positions.  We would also like to introduce you to the new Precinct Development Chair, John Burke, who has some great plans for precinct chair support.

 

As we plan for 2011, and the 2012 election cycle, we welcome your ideas on a variety of topics from future EC meeting speaker suggestions, to fundraising and implementing election strategies.All Democrats are welcome to attend.  If you have any questions, please contact us by reply email, or call headquarters at 940-566-1165.

Atheist ads turn up on buses in Fort Worth, Texas

Starting today, the sides of four Fort Worth city buses will bear this message: "Millions of Americans are Good Without God." Their sponsor, the Dallas-Fort Worth Coalition of Reason, says it's only coincidence that the atheist-themed ads will debut during Christmas season. They are not exactly apologizing.

 

read more

 

Fox News Joke on 'The Simpsons' Pulled from Web Replays On Hulu, Fox.com

For the second week in a row, "The Simpsons" mocked its corporate cousins at Fox News Channel. This time there is an added wrinkle, however, as the joke in question was apparently cut from the online version of the show on Hulu and Fox.com.


read on

 

Majority Report returns ! Listen daily to Sam Seder via computer and smart phone

 

Sam Seder says " You wanted it. You got it. (you still want it, right?) THE MAJORITY REPORT   Streams live everyday at 11:30AM-1PM  PODCAST available at MAJORITY.FM and via RSS and ITUNES

or listen via stitcher on your iPhone- it's super easy! http://majority.fm/

All the President's Captors

By FRANK RICH NYT



 

THOSE desperate to decipher the baffling Obama presidency could do worse than consult an article titled "Understanding Stockholm Syndrome" in the online archive of The F.B.I. Law Enforcement Bulletin. It explains that hostage takers are most successful at winning a victim's loyalty if they temper their brutality with a bogus show of kindness. Soon enough, the hostage will start concentrating on his captors' "good side" and develop psychological characteristics to please them - "dependency; lack of initiative; and an inability to act, decide or think."

This dynamic was acted out - yet again - in President Obama's latest and perhaps most humiliating attempt to placate his Republican captors in Washington. No sooner did he invite the G.O.P.'s Congressional leaders to a post-election White House summit meeting than they countered his hospitality with a slap - postponing the date for two weeks because of "scheduling conflicts." But they were kind enough to reschedule, and that was enough to get Obama to concentrate once more on his captors' "good side."


read on

 

 

North Texas Progressive Newsletter

Nancy Cunningham
Editor
Contact: Nancy

 

This newsletter is a project of the North Texas Progressive , which is an umbrella organization for the Dallas Air America group, which was founded in 2004 to promote and support progressive talk radio and independent media in North Texas.

 

Visit the North Texas Progressive  web pages to get more information.

Newsletter archive

Sponsor the newsletter here !

 

 

We need you to be a sponsor!

banner-new
Sponsor an edition today


 

Dr. Errington Thompson's "Where's the outrage? " blog




Dallas native Dr. Errington Thompson, former host on Revolution 880 from Asheville, NC now blogs at

erringtonthompsonmd.com


 

Donate today to the North Texas Progressive using PayPal




Please sponsor a newsletter today!

To send a check, email me.
northtexasprogressive@gmail.com

 

Dallas Drilling public Hearing December 15th


As noted by DallasDrilling.com, a public hearing will be held on
Wednesday, December 15th at 6:30 p.m. before the Town of Flower Mound
Oil and Gas Board of Appeals. Keystone has requested numerous
variances from current regulations, including its proximity to Lake
Grapevine and its location in a FEMA floodplain.


 

Thom Hartmann | Stop Them From Eating My Town

In Chapter 3 of Thom Hartmann's "Rebooting the American Dream" (serialized exclusively on Truthout), the author looks at how chain stores run by "corporate Godzillas" are crowding out local businesses and endangering communities. He offers proven recommendations - from elsewhere in the world and from this country's past - to encourage entrepreneurship, keep small businesses healthy and stop giant corporations from "eating your town next"!

Read the Article



 

Rep. Henry Cuellar and his iPad

We've reported on a number of iPad toting politicians in Washington and now there's another one to add to the list, Rep. Henry Cuellar, a Democratic congressman from Texas.  According to a report from POLITICO, Cuellar loves gadgets and is an admitted techie.  He even had his iPad accompanying him at the speaker's podium in the House of Representatives for all to see on C-SPAN Tuesday.

"I've always considered myself a techie," Cuellar told POLITICO. "I'm always looking for the newest technology out there and I've done that for many, many years. The iPad is just one of those fabulous pieces of equipment that's available out there. First thing I do in the morning is get my cup of coffee and start reading the papers. ... And at night, before I go to bed, I check my last e-mails and check to see if there's any new stories online."

Cuellar checks several different publications daily using his iPad, to include POLITICO, Politics Daily, The Hill, Washington Post, USA Today, New York Times and the Associated Press.  He also uses the "Congress in Your Pocket" app to keep tabs on his colleagues and a teleprompter app for delivering speeches.  You won't find any Angry Birds on his iPad though, it appears Cuellar is all business when it come to this device.

The iPad has definitely gained popularity among politicians.  From Presidential Staffer David Axelrod to Former President George Bush, they're certainly enjoying the iPad's capabilities.




 

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North Texas Progressive | http://www.northtexasprogressive.org/ | Dallas | TX | 75201

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