News from the North Texas Progressive Fenruary 20 2012

 

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



February 20, 2012

Dear nancy,

Good Morning!

Happy President's Day - you can enjoy it tonight by phone banking  with Organizing for America.  Also make sure you plan on attending "Surveillance, Detention and the New Normal The Deteriorating State of the Bill of Rights A Talk by Shahid Buttar on Saturday. ( see more below)

Finally,  I need you to please buy a raffle ticket today to support this great newsletter and win great prizes.

Wow look below at these prizes. [see all prizes below] This is how we fund our great newsletter, you get to help and win great prizes. We have have prizes from Marc Maron, Sam Seder, Thom Hartman, Michael Moore and Cenk Uygur !

 You can donate here using Paypal

Email me if you want more info or to mail a check : northtexasprogressive@gmail.comno

For every $20.00 you donate your name will be placed in a raffle for FANTASTIC gifts, you can use PayPal http://www.northtexasprogressive.org/ (click on paypal link on the page and you can safely use your credit card or debit card)

You can also mail me a check just send me an email at northtexasprogressive@gmail.com I'll send you the mailing address. Thank you very much, Nancy Cunningham    

Thanks, Nancy Cunningham

Email /Webpage /Facebook /Twitter / Donate /Newsletter archive

 

 

In This Issue

Organizing for America's President's Day Phone Bank-tonight...

Surveillance, Detention and the New Normal

Texas Democratic Women of Collin County- Save Texas Schools

Democracy Now

Article Headline

Paul Quinn College turns a football field into a farm to end a food desert.

North Texas Democrats : Notes and News

ADBUSTERS TACTICAL BRIEFING #25 May 1st Chicago...

Al Franken: You Can Call Me Senator :

Keystone XL protests in Texas included a mix of tea party supporters, independents, Democrats

Pain Without Gain...By PAUL KRUGMAN NYTimes

 

Organizing for America's President's Day Phone Bank-tonight

Organizing for America - North Texas is going to be having a phone bank on President's Day, February 20th, from 6:00-9:00 pm! This will be an opportunity for you to connect with community organizers and volunteers in Dallas who are working hard to give President Obama the second term he deserves.

We hope you can make it, as we're also going to discuss some of the exciting events OFA - NTX has coming up! It's important to us, just as it is to our President, to give everyone a voice and to organize with them and for them for progressive change.

Bring your friends, bring your neighbors, and bring your cell phones! We're going to be calling to encourage straight-ticket Democratic voting, votes for President Obama, and volunteerism in North Texas.

Dallas County Democratic Party4209 Parry Ave., Dallas, TX 75223

 

 Surveillance, Detention and the New Normal The Deteriorating State of the

Bill of Rights A Talk by  Shahid Buttar

Threats to the Bill of Rights have never been more dire. Government secrecy, domestic spying, arbitrary detention, and profiling according to racial, religious, and political stereotypes undermine our Constitution and national security.

Whether in the White House or on Capitol Hill, our nation's leaders-Democrats and Republicans alike-have repeatedly disregarded the Constitution. But while our constitutional rights hang by a thread, We the People have the power to restore them.

 

Join us to learn about the issues, connect with neighbors who share your concerns, and discuss what we can do to restore our rights.

 

Saturday, February 25 at 2 pm

Central Market Community Room (2nd Floor)

5750 E. Lovers Lane, Dallas (SE corner of Greenville Ave. and Lovers Lane)

Map here 

 

Sponsors: Bill of Rights Defense Committee, Council on American-Islamic Relations-DFW, Dallas Peace Center, ACLU of Texas, Muslim Legal Fund of America, and Amnesty International Dallas Chapter

 Flyer here Flyer  

 

Contacts: Anne Shuttee 214-237-2922  /Hadi Jawad   214-392-2939

 

About Shahid Buttar:

Shahid Buttar serves as Executive Director of the Bill of Rights Defense Committee, a national network mobillizing grassroots action to resist and roll back the national security state. Since graduating from Stanford Law School in 2003, he served on the senior staff of the American Constitution Society for Law & Policy, as well as Muslim Advocates, after a public interest litigation career. Shahid's comments have been featured by news outlets including The Washington Post, The New York Times, USA Today, CNN, al-Jazeera, FOX News, Agence-France Presse, Huffington Post, Truthout, Democracy Now!, and many others, including dozens of radio stations around the country. In addition to his work as a civil rights lawyer and community organizer leading BORDC, Shahid serves on the advisory bodies of several national organizations and coalitions, and also supports populist constitutionalism as an independent columnist and hip-hop & electronica MC. 

 

Texas Democratic Women of Collin County- Save Texas Schools

Save Texas Schools - State of Public Education in Texas is the topic for the next General Meeting of Texas Democratic Women of Collin County. Join us February 27, 2012 at 6:45pm at the Preston Ridge Campus of Collin College, 9700 Wade Blvd Frisco, Texas, Founders Hall, Shawnee Room F148. As always there will be refreshments and time to socialize.

Speakers: Michael Messer and Leesa Monroe will discuss the 2011 public education budget cuts. They will focus on the history of the cuts, the effects on the disctricts, and what we can do in the future.

Mr. Messer is a graduate of University of North Texas, and currently works as an accountant. Since March 2011, he has been an organizer for Save Texas Schools, and serves on the 2011 Mensa Elections Committee. Mr. Messer is very involved with the issues surrounding the educational system.
Leesa Monroe has worked as a Texas public school employee since 1987, and is currently the Assistant Principle of Nichols Junior High in Arlington. She serves on the steering committee of Save Texas Schools and is an active member of numerous organizations including Texas Association of Secondary School Administrators, Texas Council for Exceptional School Children, and the Nichols PTA 

 

Democracy Now

"Where Are the Women?": Lawmakers Walk Out on Contraception Rule Hearing After Female Witness Barred

In a dramatic scene on Capitol Hill, several Democrats walked out of a congressional hearing on the Obama administration's rule that would require health insurance plans, including those provided by Catholic-affiliated hospitals and universities, to offer free contraceptives for health-related issues and birth control. The lawmakers took action after the committee chair blocked testimony from a female witness who supports the mandate. We're joined by D.C. Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton, who walked out of the hearing, and the witness who was barred from testifying, Georgetown University law student Sandra Fluke. Georgetown is a Catholic university whose health plan does not cover contraception. Watch/Listen/Read

Army Whistleblower Lt. Col. Daniel Davis Says Pentagon Deceiving Public on Afghan War

"Senior ranking U.S. military leaders have so distorted the truth when communicating with the U.S. Congress and American people in regards to conditions on the ground in Afghanistan that the truth has become unrecognizable." That's the assessment of a damning new report by Army Lt. Col. Daniel Davis, who returned in October from his second year-long deployment in Afghanistan and says military officials have misled the American public about how poorly the decade-long war is going. He argues that local Afghan governments are unable to provide the basic needs of the people and that insurgents control virtually all parts of Afghanistan beyond eyeshot of a U.S. base. We speak with Michael Hastings of Rolling Stone, who obtained a copy of the full report and published it last week. Watch/Listen/Read  

 

Paul Quinn College turns a football field into a farm to end a food desert.

The football games ended years ago at Paul Quinn College. The Tigers' purple jerseys were packed away, marking the conclusion of a tradition that dated back almost a century. In 2006, the football program was canceled to save money as enrollment declined and financial troubles mounted at the private, Christian, historically black college in Dallas.

 

Then, in 2010, Michael Sorrell, president of Paul Quinn, had an idea for transforming the struggling college and, at the same time, helping the surrounding community of Highland Hills: Convert the idle football field into an organic farm. The goal was to provide healthy food to a low-income community that has no supermarket. Today Paul Quinn sells produce from the farm to restaurants and to Cowboys Stadium, and offers fresh produce to residents of its South Dallas neighborhood. In the process,  

 

read on

 

It's Official: Money Now Governs America

by Jim Hightower

  

The rich are different from you and me, but the really, really, really rich are also different from the merely rich.Sheldon Adelson, the moneybags who's pumped $11 million so far into Newt Gingrich's right-wing run, made $3.3 million dollars per hour last year. (File).

For example, the rich can buy caviar and Champagne, but the Triple-R Rich can buy entire presidential campaigns.

Take Sheldon Adelson, the moneybags who's pumped $11 million so far into Newt Gingrich's right-wing run. He has single-handedly kept Gingrich's White House ambitions alive. Without this one guy's money, The Newt would've been long gone. Thanks a lot, Sheldon.

 

read on  

 

North Texas Democrats : Notes and News

Denton County Democratic Party

New Volunteer 101: On February 25, we will host a meeting for new volunteers:

Landmark Grill in Lewisville, 1297 FM 407 Suite #310 12:00 p.m. (noon)

Come prepared to work, because a number of committee chairs and party officials will have projects to work on.

 

North Texas Asian Democrats

Monday, February 20 7:30 PM, Hunan Dynasty, 8150 N Macarthur Blvd., Irving

 

Stonewall Democrats of Dallas

Tuesday, February 21 6:30 PM, Ojeda's Restaurant, 4617 Maple Ave., Dallas

 

Irving Democratic Club Candidate forum 

For candidates in the eventual Democratic primary. Tuesday, February 21 7 PM, 228 Chamberlain [Senter Park East Building], Irving


Mid-Cities Democrats Monthly Meeting

Thursday, February 23rd - 7:00PM

@ Los Jimadores Tequila Factory /3314 Harwood Road, Bedford TX 76021 (map)

Our Guest Speaker is Gilbert Hinojosa, candidate for Texas Democratic Party Chairperson. Mr. Hinojosa will speak on his vision for the future of the Texas Democratic Party. Come early to eat; the meeting starts at 7PM.  

 

Grassroots Democratic Coalition

Thursday, February 23, 2012 7:30 PM

Black Eyed Pea Restaurant /7979 Belt LIne Rd at Coit Rd - Next to Shell Service Station Dallas, TX 75287

Price: $2.00 per person

 

Rowlett Democratic Clubs  

February Meeting, Reverend Peter Johnson, will be the featured speaker at the Rowlett Democratic Clubs February Meeting, in honor of Black History Month. Reverend Johnson, Civil Rights Leader, and Community Organizer, was a member of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference founded by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and became the youngest man on Dr. King's original staff. He will speak to his experiences in the Civil Rights movement and working for nonviolent change.Plan on attending this meeting on Saturday, February 25, 3:30-5:30 PM at Dos Charros Mexican Cantina, 5203 Rowlett Rd., Rowlett 75088. (Please share this post).

 

ADBUSTERS TACTICAL BRIEFING #25 May 1st Chicago

Hey you redeemers, rebels and radicals out there,

Against the backdrop of a global uprising that is simmering in dozens of countries and thousands of cities and towns, the G8 and NATO will hold a rare simultaneous summit in Chicago this May. The world's military and political elites, heads of state, 7,500 officials from 80 nations, and more than 2,500 journalists will be there. And so will we.

On May 1, 50,000 people from all over the world will flock to Chicago, set up tents, kitchens, peaceful barricades and #OCCUPYCHICAGO for a month. With a bit of luck, we'll pull off the biggest multinational occupation of a summit meeting the world has ever seen.

And this time around we're not going to put up with the kind of police repression that happened during the Democratic National Convention protests in Chicago, 1968 ... nor will we abide by any phony restrictions the City of Chicago may want to impose on our first amendment rights. We'll go there with our heads held high and assemble for a month-long people's summit ... we'll march and chant and sing and shout and exercise our right to tell our elected representatives what we want ... the constitution will be our guide.

And when the G8 and NATO meet behind closed doors on May 19, we'll be ready with our demands: a Robin Hood Tax ... a ban on high frequency 'flash' trading ... a binding climate change accord ... a three strikes and you're out law for corporate criminals ... an all out initiative for a nuclear-free Middle East ... whatever we decide in our general assemblies and in our global internet brainstorm - we the people will set the agenda for the next few years and demand our leaders carry it out.

http://www.adbusters.org/

 

 

Al Franken: You Can Call Me Senator : The satirist and comedian has a new role: statesman

Paul Wellstone didn't mind taking unpopular positions. In 1990, his first year as junior U.S. senator from Minnesota, he voted against the Gulf War. President George H.W. Bush's reaction: "Who is that chickenshit?" An equal-opportunity offender, Wellstone was the only Democrat to vote against President Bill Clinton's welfare-reform bill. And when the second Bush administration was rounding up votes for an invasion of Iraq, Wellstone said he heard from Vice President Dick Cheney: "If you vote against the war in Iraq, the Bush administration will do whatever is necessary to get you. There will be severe ramifications for you and the state of Minnesota."
read on

 

 Keystone XL protests in Texas included a mix of tea party supporters, independents, Democrats, Republicans and even Occupy Dallas protesters.

As Congressional Republicans and Big Oil allies allies in Washington try to resuscitate the massive Keystone XL tar sands pipeline, people on the frontlines have opened a new campaign to stop the massive $7 billion project. In Texas, landowners are locking arms to fight would-be pipeline builder TransCanada over eminent domain cases that may determine where the 1700-mile project will be built

 

 read on 

 

Another great article here at LA Times

 

Pain Without Gain

By PAUL KRUGMAN NYTimes

Last week the European Commission confirmed what everyone suspected: the economies it surveys are shrinking, not growing. It's not an official recession yet, but the only real question is how deep the downturn will be.

And this downturn is hitting nations that have never recovered from the last recession. For all America's troubles, its gross domestic product has finally surpassed its pre-crisis peak; Europe's has not. And some nations are suffering Great Depression-level pain: Greece and Ireland have had double-digit declines in output, Spain has 23 percent unemployment, Britain's slump has now gone on longer than its slump in the 1930s.


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!


Sponsor an edition today


 

Majority Report with Sam Seder Daily show 10:30am


Listen daily and call in to the show M-F 10:30am CST: 646-257-3920
Daily show , podcast with the


SammyCamm
Become a Member

Choose a level of memberships start as low as $10 a month. That's only 50 cents per show!
Great new web page
http://majority.fm/


 

Donate today to the North Texas Progressive using PayPal




Pleasesponsor a newsletter today!

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

 

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

rockwall

Dallas native Dr. Errington Thompson, former host on

Revolution 880

from Asheville, NC now blogs at   

erringtonthompsonmd.com  


 

The Republican and Democratic Conventions Dates and sites

The Republican and Democratic Conventions

After all of the primaries are completed, the major parties gather in a convention to formally nominate their candidates and to establish their party platform. When the primary system was created in the 19th century and well into the 20th century, no one knew for sure which candidate would gain the party's nomination until the convention was completed. In recent times, however, the nominees have been clearly established well before the convention and the conventions have served as opportunities for the parties to present their nominees to the American people. For an introduction to the Republican and Democratic conventions, visit:

 

*NEW* 2012 GOP Convention

http://gopconvention2012.com/ 

 

Official site of the Republican National Convention (Tampa Bay, FL, August 27-31, 2012).

 

*NEW* 2012 Democratic National Convention

Democratic Convention site 

 

Official site of the Democratic National Convention (Charlotte, NC, Sept. 3-7, 2012).

 



 

2012 Speaker Series

"Faith Voices on Justice"

Co-sponsored by Northaven United Methodist Church and the Dallas Area Christian Progressive Alliance

"Let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream." Amos 5:24

 

Thursday, February 23,

7:00 - 8:45 pm

Northaven UMC Sanctuary

11211 Preston Rd, Dallas 75230

 

Each evening includes

presentation, Q&A and small-group

networking to share ideas

and encourage action

Interactive Peace and Justice:

Compatibility and Conflict

 

Kelli Obazee

Executive Director, Dallas Peace Center

.

John Fullinwider

Educator and Social Activist

  

   Rev. Ryan Koch

Sr. Pastor, Peace Mennonite Church

 

When strong stands on justice are taken, it can result in alienating those with whom peace and reconciliation are sought. stice leaders experience these issues in the Dallas area, and what specific recommendations do they have for us?

How do you make peace AND work for justice?

For more information,

franbillmc@sbcglobal.net or Matthew-25@earthlink.net


 

The Interrupters on Frontline


An intimate journey across the violent landscape of our cities through the eyes of those fighting to sow peace and security.

watch online here PBS

 

Urban Sustainable Ecosystem (USE) workshop - at Coppell Comm. Garden

Saturday & Sunday, February 25 & 26, 2012

Urban Sustainable Ecosystem (USE) workshop - at Coppell Comm. Garden

Transform your property into a sustainable, food producing and eco-friendly habitat! Our workshops feature some of the best and brightest eco-minded enthusiasts in the DFW area. By the end of an Urban Sustainable Ecosystem workshop, students should be able to apply what they have learned on their own homestead. Our students' successful application of these principles will enable a healthy individual, family, community and planet.


Location - Coppell Community Garden

Classes, Information and how to register

-

http://www.coppellcommunitygarden.org  


 

Sam Seder on Current TV

Sam Seder denounces state legislators for advancing 'Don't Say Gay' and 'Saggy Pants' bills

Sam Seder denounces state legislators for advancing 'Don't Say Gay' and 'Saggy Pants' bills




Raffle Prizes North Texas Progressive February 2012

 

Wow look at these prizes. This is how we fund our great newsletter, you get to help and win great prizes. We have have prizes from Marc Maron, Sam Seder, Thom Hartman, Michael Moore and Cenk Uygur !

  Donate here using Paypal

Email me if you want more info or to mail a check : northtexasprogressive@gmail.comno

For every $20.00 you donate your name will be placed in a raffle for FANTASTIC gifts, you can use PayPal http://www.northtexasprogressive.org/ (click on paypal link on the page and you can safely use your credit card or debit card)

You can also mail me a check just send me an email at northtexasprogressive@gmail.com I'll send you the mailing address. Thank you very much, Nancy Cunningham  

     ~~~~~~~~~~~~~  

Autographed Books

1 autographed While America Sleeps: A Wake-up Call for the Post-9/11 Era by Russ Feingold (being published 2/21)

1 autographed Pity the Billionaire: The Hard-Times Swindle and the Unlikely Comeback of the Right by Thomas C. Frank

1 autographed Republic, Lost: How Money Corrupts Congress--and a Plan to Stop It by Lawrence Lessig

1 autographed Here Comes Trouble: Stories from My Life by Michael Moore

1 autographed Toxic Talk: How the Radical Right Has Poisoned America's Airwaves by Bill Press

1 autographed Last hour of ancient sunlight by Thomas Hartmann

1 autographed Air America: The Playbook: What a Bunch of Left Wing Media Types have to Teach you about a World Gone Right by hosts of AAR (chapter written and signed by Sam Seder)

1 autographed The Jerusalem Syndrome: My Life as a Reluctant Messiah by Marc Maron (collector's item)  

 

Unsigned books

1 non-autographed Republic, Lost: How Money Corrupts Congress--and a Plan to Stop It by Lawrence Lessig

1 non-autographed Herding Donkeys: The Fight to Rebuild the Democratic Party and Reshape American Politics by Ari Berman

1 non-autographed 50 Simple things you can do to fight the right! (the old Air America group is featured in one of the chapters I'll sign it if you'd like ;-) )  

 

T-shirts and stuff

1 Dallas Air America Collector's grab bag (t-shirts & stickers etc.)

1 Democratic National Convention 2008 grab bag (nice canvass bag and stickers)

1 Dogs against Romney $14.99 t-shirt (you choose color and size)

2 Obama 2012 grab bags (include Obama bumper sticker/button and/or key chain and/or Bo Obama (dogs for Obama) button  

 

Mousepads

1 Cenk Uygur autographed Young Turks mouse pad

1 MSNBC mouse pad

  

Misc

1 year free membership to the Majority Report podcast http://majority.fm/ (Thanks to Sam Seder for donation)

    

 

This email was sent to cunningb@flash.net by northtexasprogressive@gmail.com |  

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

About Me

My photo
Subscribe to our great, free, weekly newsletter where you will find all the Progressive news and Democratic happenings in North Texas gathered by and North Texas Progressive. (formerly Dallas Air America )

subscribe

subscribe to newsletter here
http://www.northtexasprogressive.org/











Join Our Mailing List





Email:













For Email Newsletters you can trust


Blog Archive