| Greetings! Good Morning
I know many of you have heard the news about Air America ceasing to broadcast and filing for bankruptcy. It's a sad day, but luckily most of your favorite progressive radio folks and their stations are not connected to nor syndicated by Air America, so you will not hear any difference. I have collected a few articles from the MSM and articles written by progressive hosts that I think you might be interested in reading.
If you didn't get to watch the Hope for Haiti Now event or if you'd still like to support the effort you can now downloaded it from iTunes and profits go to the fund.
Check out the State of the Union watching parties and make sure you buy your tickets for Dallas Peace Center sponsored Evening with Rev. James Lawson" at The Black Academy of Arts & Letters"
** We need you to help with our annual fundraiser/raffle, we have great prizes and you can see them all here and donate at least $20 by PayPal of email me and you can mail a check. PLEASE help so we can get our annual bills paid.
Thanks, Nancy Cunningham
Email: northtexasprogressive@gmail.com | | RIP ( Rest in Peace ) Air America Radio | |  As many of you know AAR ceased operations and went into bankruptcy last Friday, we are sad but know that Progressive Talk Radio is still going strong. You won't see any changes to your favorite Progressive Radio station or favorite talker as they are NOT syndicated or dependent on AAR.
Farewell old friend and thanks. This is what Sam Seder posted to his blog and I think it's a great sentiment. "I'll probably have more to say on this in the future, but for now I feel like Air America was successful in many ways- it opened up and created a new format on commercial radio, it launched the national careers of virtually all national lib talkers (Miller and Schultz would have had no success without AAR turning 50 to 100 affiliates across the country into progressive outlets), it also amplified the voices of the netroots at a time when it was just emerging as force in politics.
Contrary to the conventional wisdom Air America failed not because there was no market for liberal talk (all the big lib talkers still on air Miller, Schultz, Hartmann, Malloy and Rhodes are profitable or close to it)- it was because Air America owners- there were 5 in 6 years- listened to so-called radio consultants who were nearly hostile to the format but more relevantly stuck in the paradigm of a dying industry. Thats how you hire Lionel or Montel and fail to monetize your podcasts and online content.
RIP Air America- thanks for Senator Franken, The Rachel Maddow Show, Liberal talk radio in general, Morning Sedition, a chance to work with Janeane, for an incredibly rewarding new career and for hooking me up with a sea of progressives hoping and working to make America a better place. " Here are a few articles you might want to read: Air America, the long-suffering progressive talk radio network, abruptly shut down on Thursday, bowing to what it called a "very difficult economic environment." The network, which began six years ago and has 100 affiliated stations, cycled through a number of owners and never found its financial footing. FishbowlLA: Memo from Air America Media Chair Charlie Kireker. It hurts to lose Ted Kennedy's Senate seat, healthcare reform and a progressive media voice all in the same.. Los Angeles Times One thing supporters and foes of the liberal network can agree on is that its problems went far beyond politics. Coming only two days after the Republicans' upset U.S. Senate victory in Massachusetts, the sudden demise of the Air America radio network By BRIAN STELTER New York Times The hosts of several progressive talk shows hastened to remind fans on Friday that although the brand-name network Air America had abruptly folded, their shows were still on the air. by Bill Press for Huffington Post After years of keeping it alive on life-support, investors have finally pulled the plug on Air America. What difference will that make on progressive talk radio nationwide? Zero.
The truth is that Air America, which launched on March 31, 2004, died at least twice before. First, when it declared for bankruptcy in 2006. The second time, when Al Franken left the network to run for U.S. Senate. And it's moribund ever since. | | State of the Union Watch Parties | | 
State of the Union Watch Party
Wednesday, January 27th 8:00PM Central Time. Cornejo'sis the new mexican food restaurant at 3314 Harwood Road in Bedford. This is the same location as The Tequila Factory, in the Tom Thumb shopping center just west of Hwy. 121. Click here for map. The owner has reserved the party room with big screen TV for us that night. Here's the deal: All food and drinks are dutch treat. Everyone is responsible for their own bill. An 18% tip will be added to the bill, since this will be a very large group to serve. You can order from the complete dinner menu, and Cornejo's has a full service bar for alcoholic beverages. RSVPs are required!! We must have a minimum of forty people attend to justify reserving the party room. IF we do not have forty RSVPs by Tuesday, we will cancel the room and notify those folks who did RSVP. Email your RSVP to info@midcitiesdemocrats.com giving your name and number of guests, if any.
Democratic Party of Collin County We hope you can join us to watch President Obama's first State of the Union speech. We'll have the room from 6:30PM on, so come early to eat and visit; the speech is scheduled to start at 8:00PM Central time.
Email your RSVP to info@midcitiesdemocrats.comThe Democratic Party of Collin County will be hosting a watch party for President Obama's State of the Union Address this coming Wednesday, January 27th. Folks will start arriving at the Irish Rover Pub & Restaurant at 8250 Gaylord Parkway in Frisco around 7:00 p.m. to allow time for dinner before the President begins his address at 8:00 p.m.
To allow us to give the restaurant the best idea possible of how many of us will be there, please RSVP to "office@collindems.us" by noon on Wednesday, however if you don't do so or some friends want to come at the last minute, please don't hesitate to come and join us. | | Democracy Now | |  In Landmark Campaign Finance Ruling, Supreme Court Removes Limits on Corporate Campaign Spending
In a landmark decision, the Supreme Court rules corporations can spend unlimited amounts of money to elect and defeat candidates. One lawmaker describes it as the worst Supreme Court decision since the Dred Scott case justifying slavery. We speak with constitutional law professor, Jamin Raskin.
Listen/Watch/Read
"She Had a Desire to Live I Have Never Seen" - Rescue Worker Describes Pulling Woman Out of Rubble 7 Days After Haiti Quake
We speak with French search and rescue worker Jean-Philippe Oustalet, of the group Rescuers Without Borders. He talks about rescuing a twenty-five-year-old Haitian woman who was buried under rubble in Port-au-Prince for seven days.
Listen/Watch/Read | | United Nations Holocaust and Genocide Remembrance Day Film Screening: "The Reckoning" | |  Wednesday January 27th, 2010, 6:30 pm - 8:30 pm
United Nations Holocaust and Genocide Remembrance Day Film Screening: "The Reckoning"
DDD is hosting a movie night at the Dallas Holocaust Museum featuring POV's "The Reckoning," a documentary about the International Criminal Court. SMU Assistant Professor Dr. Anthony J. Colangelo will give a brief introduction and lead a discussion after the film.
http://defenddarfurdallastx.community.officelive.com/default.aspx
| | North Texas Progressive Book Suggestion | |  Unequal Protection: The Rise of Corporate Dominance and the Theft of Human Rights
By Thom Hartmann
List Price: $19.95
Price: $13.57 & eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25. Was the Boston Tea Party the first WTO-style protest against transnational corporations? Did Supreme Court sell out America's citizens in the nineteenth century, with consequences lasting to this day? Is there a way for American citizens to recover democracy of, by, and for the people?
Thom Hartmann takes on these most difficult questions and tells a startling story that will forever change your understanding of American history. Amongst a deep historical context, Hartmann the describes the history of the Fourteenth Amendment--created at the end of the Civil War to grant basic rights to freed slaves--and how it has been used by lawyers representing corporate interests to extend additional rights to businesses far more frequently than to freed slaves. Prior to 1886, corporations were referred to in U.S. law as "artificial persons." But in 1886, after a series of cases brought by lawyers representing the expanding railroad interests, the Supreme Court ruled that corporations were "persons" and entitled to the same rights granted to people under the Bill of Rights. Since this ruling, America has lost the legal structures that allowed for people to control corporate behavior. | | North Texas Democrats : Notes and News | |  January 25, 2010 Texas Democratic Women Collin County
The first meeting of the new year will be on Monday, January 25, 2010 at Collin College in Frisco, Founders Hall, F148. The agenda will include TDWCC's Top Ten List, Membership Renewal, elections for Board of Directors and planning for 2010. Tuesday, January 26:Inauguration Anniversary Celebration Wine & Cheese Celebration of Democratic Government in the US hosted by Democratic Women of Denton County. All Progressives & Democrats, both Men & Women, are invited! Cost: FREE!!! Please RSVP (so we'll know how much vino to stock up on) by email to president AT democraticwomenofdentoncounty.org. (6:30 - 9 PM, Castle Hills Community Center, 2501 Queen Margaret Drive, Lewisville [actually, north Carrollton]) Tuesday, January 26th, 7:00 p.m. -- DPCC County Executive Committee Meeting -- Collin College Spring Creek Campus, Plano. Room to be announced. All Democrats are welcome, but members of the County Executive Committee will have first priority on seating, as this will be a working meeting Wednesday, January 27 Dallas County East Democrats Speaker will be Dallas D.A. Craig Watkins. (6 PM, Martinez Restaurant, 901 Gross Rd., Mesquite) Thursday, Jan. 28th MCD Mid-Cities Democrats Meeting 7:00PM
The regular monthly meeting of the Mid-Cities Democrats will be Thursday, January 28th at the Sheetmetal Workers Union Hall, 1020 S. Industrial (Hwy 157), Euless 76040.
We are contacting local Democratic candidates for State Rep, County Commissioner, and Judicial races to invite them to speak at our meeting. Please come to see what you can do to help your favorite local candidate.
We'll be offering a small meal (pizza and soft drinks) for a small donation for those folks who come directly from work. Please come at 6:30PM to eat; the meeting starts at 7:00PM. Saturday, January 30 Dallas County Judge Debate With all three candidates: Jim Foster, Larry Duncan, and Clay Jenkins. Sponsored by the Dallas County Democratic Clubs Council. Moderator: Judge Rob Canas. This event is free. Park in the parking garage at SMU Boulevard and Airline. If you are using DART, take the train to Mockingbird Station, then take the bus to the SMU campus. (2 - 4 PM, The Forum in the SMU Hughes Trigg Student Center, 3140 Dyer Street, University Park) Sunday, January 31:Democratic Primary Forum
Sponsored by Far North Dallas Democrats and North Dallas Texas Democratic Women. (2 - 4 PM, Fretz Park Recreation Center, 6950 Belt Line Road, Dallas) | | KERA's Economy Project: a web site to help you | |  With unemployment continuing to rise in North Texas and home foreclosures at near-record highs, KERA is launching a year-long,multimedia project called The Economy that aims to provide hope and bring help to the thousands of North Texans who are facing the mortgage crisis.
Visit this site often for information on resources available in the community, news on the economy in North Texas and across the nation, and special programming by KERA.
| | Rebuttal to the Rogue with Malia Litman Legacy Books | |  Jan 26th Tuesday [at] 700pm at Legacy bookstore in Plano book signing
Rebuttal to the Rogue with Malia Litman
Expect a lively presentation when Malia Litman of Dallas introduces her piercing look at all things Palin: 160 incendiary pages, 19 of which cite sources and statistics. (Palin's doesn't even have an index, the author notes.) Proceeds from the sale will be donated to Planned Parenthood. Legacy Books, The Shops at Legacy North, 7300 Dallas Parkway, Plano | | Interactive Quiz: How Progressive Are You? | | An interactive poll shows how your ideological leanings compare to those of your fellow Americans. Take the interactive poll below to see how your own ideological leanings stack up against those of your fellow Americans. | | Hope for Haiti Now | |  The tragic events in Haiti have brought together international superstars of music and film for one of the biggest events in broadcast history. Hope for Haiti Now: A Global Benefit for Earthquake Relief took place on Friday, January 22. The main events took place in New York, Los Angeles, and London with performances from Wyclef Jean, Bruce Springsteen, Mary J. Blige, Shakira, Sting, Alicia Keys, Christina Aguilera, Dave Matthews, John Legend, Justin Timberlake, Stevie Wonder, Taylor Swift, Jay-Z, Bono, The Edge, Rihanna, and more.
Now you can download the Hope for Haiti Now live performance album - which contains the studio collaboration, "Stranded (Haiti Mon Amour) - Version 1.0," featuring Jay-Z, Bono, The Edge, and Rihanna - as well as the video of the entire two-hour telethon so you can relive all of the top-notch performances. 100% of proceeds from the sale of the album
Hope for Haiti Now, any of its individual live performance tracks, and the TV special will go to the Clinton Bush Haiti Fund, Oxfam America, Partners In Health, Red Cross, UNICEF, United Nations World Food Programme, and Yéle Haiti Foundation. 100% of proceeds from the sale of the individual studio track, "Stranded (Haiti Mon Amour) - Version 1.0," featuring Jay-Z, Bono, The Edge, and Rihanna, will benefit Partners In Health. | | | | | | | 
| Tragic events continuing out of Haiti make all the bad news for progressives this week wither in comparison. Nonetheless, over these last few days, for liberals in particular, there has been no joy in Mudville - aka American politics.
Just for starters: Thursday's Supreme Court decision opening the floodgates for corporate dollars dominating campaign advertising; the election of Republican Scott Brown to the Senate, ending the Democrats so-called supermajority of 60 votes; and the subsequent collapse of health care reform as Democratic members of Congress scurried for the fire exits. | | Donate today to the North Texas Progressive using PayPal | |
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| | 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! | | 
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| | Support the Dallas Peace Center Join or renew today! | | 
Dallas Peace Center needs YOU! | An Evening with Rev. James Lawson and more ... | | 
Fifty years ago, on February 1, 1960, four black men walked into the Woolworth's lunch counter on Greensboro, N.C.
They asked to be served and were refused.
When they were asked to leave, they stayed in their seats. This simple act of passive resistance began a youth-led movement throughout the south to challenge racism, and established the sit-in as a popular and peaceful method of demonstrating opposition.
At the same time, in Nashville, Tenn., Rev. James Lawson was working with the Fellowship of Reconciliation and Southern Christian Leadership Conference. In that capacity he mentored young black students who eventually became leaders of the civil rights movement, such as Diane Nash and John Lewis. Martin Luther King Jr. called him "the leading nonviolence theorist in the world."
Lawson will be in Dallas to help celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Greensboro sit-ins at several public and private events throughout the weekend of January 30-February 1.
Public events:
Saturday, January 30: 2:00-4:00 p.m. Community Reception for Rev. Lawson at the African-American Museum, 3536 Grand Ave. in Fair Park. The event is free, but an RSVP is required for admittance. RSVP to the African American Museum at 214-565-9026, extension 315.
Sunday, January 31: 8:00 and 11:00 a.m. Rev. Lawson will preach at both services at St. Luke "Community" United Methodist Church, 5710 East R L Thornton Freeway.
Monday, February 1: 7:00 p.m. "An Evening with Rev. James Lawson" at The Black Academy of Arts & Letters, at the corner of Akard & Canton Streets. The evening will feature a keynote speech by Rev. Lawson, include performances by the students of St. Phillips Academy, and highlight music and
dramatic readings of words and authentic voices from the 60's by local artists. Admission to this event is: single ticket in advance -- $10; single ticket at the door -- $15; and groups of 10 or more in advance -- $7.50 each. Single tickets can be reserved through PayPal at www.dallaspeacecenter.org/greensboro. | | So Long, Democracy, It's Been Good to Know You From Texas Observer | | 
So Long, Democracy, It's Been Good to Know From Texas Observer
Thursday was not merely a 9/11 for American democracy - it was worse.
The Supreme Court's appalling and unconscionable 5-4 ruling in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission means, essentially, one thing: Corporations will not just dominate, but rule, American politics for the foreseeable future.
On Paul Burka's Texas Monthly blog, UT law professor David Anderson summed it up chillingly: "This is the end of politics as we know it, the end of democracy as we know it."
It is almost impossible to comprehend the immensity of what has happened. As The New York Times wrote in an appropriately apocalyptic editorial, "With a single, disastrous 5-to-4 ruling, the Supreme Court has thrust politics back to the robber-baron era of the 19th century. Disingenuously waving the flag of the First Amendment, the court's conservative majority has paved the way for corporations to use their vast treasuries to overwhelm elections and intimidate elected officials into doing their bidding.
Read on
Doris "Granny D" Haddock | Response to the Supreme Court
Doris "Granny D" Haddock, t r u t h o u t
January 21, 2010, a statement from Doris "Granny D" Haddock in response to the Supreme Court's decision Thursday to kill campaign finance reform.
Ten years ago, I walked from California to Washington, DC, to help gather support for campaign finance reform.
I used the novelty of my age (I was 90), to garner attention to the fact that our democracy, for which so many people have given their lives, was being subverted to the needs of wealthy interests, and that we must do something about it. I talked to thousands of people and gave hundreds of speeches and interviews, and, in every section of the nation, I was deeply moved by how heartsick Americans were by the current state of our politics.
read on | |
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