Dear nancy, Good Morning! Wow, this is an amazing Holiday newsletter. Great holiday parties, ethical dining, local charity drives and so much more ! Enjoy and consider sponsoring this newsletter for $20! Contact me if you or your org would like to sponsor an edition. Thanks,
Nancy Cunningham
Email /Webpage /Facebook /Twitter / Donate /Newsletter archive / Occupy Dallas Blog |
Holiday festivities ..and you are invited! | 
Stonewall Democrats of Dallas Holiday Party SDD 15th Anniversary Holiday Party - Free Event When 7:00pm until 10:00pm Today Monday, December 5 at 7:00pm SPONSORSHIPS AVAILABLE - What better gift to yourself or in honor of someone else this holiday season than with a generous donation to Stonewall Democrats of Dallas to help prepare us for the 2012 election cycle. All funds will be used for GOTV (get out the vote) efforts! SDD is going to do it bigger and better than ever as we work to KEEP CHANGE in Dallas County in 2012! Honorary Guest & Speaker Hon. Gilberto Hinojosa TDP Chair Candidate * Honorary Guest Daniel Graney TSDC President. We are also looking for gift baskets for the silent auction. Limit is 15. and there are 7 slots available. Please contact Omar@stonewalldemocratsofdallas with your sponsorship pledge or donate directly at DONATE and reference "Holiday Party" in the comments section. Drinking Liberally of McKinney
Holiday Gathering We will meet for its monthly social gathering on December 8 at 6:30 at The Pub, 204 W. Virginia. Instead of a Holiday gift exchange, we are asking for items to donate to McKinney's homeless shelter, The Samaritan Inn. Their wish list can be found at: www.thesamaritaninn.org/SupportUs/WaystoDonate/NeedsList.aspx Join McKinney's e-mail list at www.livingliberally.org out or 'like' Drinking Liberally McKinney Chapter on Facebook. Mid-Cities Democrats Holiday Party
December 10th We hope to see all our MCD friends and their guests at the Mid-Cities Democrats Holiday Party on December 10th from 6:30PM to 10:00PM at the home of Rick and Vickey Ward, 477 Shade Tree Circle, Hurst TX 76054 (map). MCD will provide turkeys and ham. Please bring your favorite side dish or dessert. Not a MCD Member? No problem. Membership is $20.00. You can join that night; we can even take credit card payments at the party. Or, you can download the 2012 Membership Form (just click JOIN above) and mail your check to Mid-Cities Democrats, P O Box 271, Bedford TX 76095-0271. Or, you can pay online (just click on DONATE above). We want to take this opportunity to wish all people of good will a very Merry Christmas and a wonderful Holiday Season. We're looking forward to having YOU onboard for a very exciting 2012 Election year Metrocrest Democrats' Holiday Party Monday, December 12, 2011, 7:00 P.M. The Club will provide hors d'oeuvres, and Dinner & Drinks will be "on you" Siena Pasta & Pizza 780 S. MacArthur Blvd, suite 100 /Northeast corner of Belt Line & MacArthur Coppell, TX 75019 As this is the season of giving, please bring canned goods or a monetary donation for Metrocrest Social Services. Please RSVP to marsha4obama@tx.rr.com by December 7. DCDP Holiday and Filing Night Party Dallas County Democratic Party We never thought we'd have to do this, but sign our petition and tell Republicans in Congress that pizza is not a vegetable. Seriously. When Thursday, December 15, 2011 Time 6:30pm until 9:30pm Where The Brazos Room at Gilley's Dallas, 1135 South Lamar St., Dallas, TX Description You're invited to join us for our combination Holiday and Filing Night party. We'll be celebrating 2011, and looking forward to 2012. It's been a great year, please stop by and help us celebrate. Complimentary Lite Bites / Cash Bar We will be collecting items for Mosaic Family Services beginning Saturday, December 10th at DCDP HQ and ending the evening of Thursday, December 15th at our Holiday Party. Please check http://www.mosaicservices.org/donate/needed.php for a complete list of items needed. For more information, please contact DCDP at 214-821-8331 or renee@dallasdemocrats.org . Democratic Party of Collin County 2011 Holiday Potluck Party Friday, December 16th, 6:30 - 8:30 p.m. Conference Center @ Collin College Spring Creek Campus , 2800 E. Spring Creek Parkway, Plano Gather With Your Fellow Collin County Democrats At the Annual DPCC Holiday Party! No Admission Charged-Toys for Tots Donations Accepted New This Year -- Silent Auction to Benefit the DPCC · Pot luck - Last Name A-M please bring side dish; Last Name N-Z please bring dessert · Turkey & Ham will be provided · Water, Tea, Coffee & Soda will be provided · This will be a family event and children are welcome · We will also be collecting Toys for Tots from those able to donate a toy (please bring the toy ) · Monetary donations are welcomed and will be appreciated to help defray our costs, but no admission will be charged. As was done a number of years ago, this year we will again have a silent auction as a part of the festivities to help raise money for the party. Silent auction items are needed! Please email Dorie Cranshaw, silent auction organizer, if you can help provide or solicit silent auction items, at silentauction@collindems.us All Democratic Precinct Chairs, Candidates and Party & Candidate Volunteers (past, present & future) are welcome to attend. To help us plan accordingly for the Holiday Party attendance, please RSVP to the social committee at social@collindems.us Volunteers are also needed to help put the event together. Please let the social committee know if you can help as well as attend. www.collindems.us |
Young Turks Premiers tonight on Current TV ! | 
Cenk Uygur, host of The Young Turks and former MSNBC host, returns to TV tomorrow night, on Current TV. And he has invited me to be a guest on his first show. Cenk virtually invented Internet TV news, and completely dominates that medium. Cenk's Young Turks YouTube channel has almost 300,000 subscribers, enjoys 1,000,000 views a day, and has accrued more than 600 million views since it started. Cenk also was a substitute host on MSNBC last year, and he hosted the 6 p.m. hour on MSNBC from January through June this year. His show rated first among cable news shows with the audience aged 18-34. His on-the-air signature is a quite simple one: like Rachel Maddow, Ed Schultz, Keith Olbermann and Dylan Ratigan, Cenk Uygur is a hard-hitting, unapologetic progressive. He tells it like it is. He doesn't say what you want to hear; he says what you need to hear. Now, Cenk has decided to take his talents to Current TV. He'll be on weekdays, at 7 pm. Current TV is channel 358 on DirecTV, and channel 215 on the Dish Network. If you have cable TV, you can go to current.com and put in your zip code in the upper right corner, to find out which channel Current TV is for you. http://current.com/shows/the-young-turks |
Some say the American Legislative Exchange Council influences legislation too much in Texas and U.S. | 
It may be the most powerful force in Texas politics you've never heard of. The American Legislative Exchange Council has helped enact hundreds of pieces of legislation in states nationwide. The conservative, pro-business nonprofit counts over 1,000 state lawmakers and some of the world's largest companies as members. And one of ALEC's best success stories is Texas. Not only have dozens of bills drafted at the organization's events shaped bills passed in Austin, but taxpayers have also helped underwrite the group's efforts to influence the Legislature
Read more: http://www.star-telegram.com/2011/12/03/3568769/some-say-the-american-legislative.html#ixzz1fgEnvTbW
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A Zagat-Style Guide for Ethical Diners | 
Diners, foodies, and hungry folk across America: there's a new, handy guide to restaurants for you to peruse. Except, this isn't your typical set of reviews. The Restaurant Opportunities Center United's report from last week scores 186 US eateries based on wages (for both tipped and non-tipped jobs), paid sick days, and opportunities for advancement. After surveying the 150 highest revenue-grossing restaurants in the US as well as 4,300 workers, the ROC found a rather sobering picture of the labor and sanitation practices in the industry, which the group says employs more than 10 million people and is one of of the largest and fastest growing in the country:
Read on |
Democracy Now | 
In "We Meant Well: How I Helped Lose the Battle for the Hearts and Minds of the Iraqi People," State Department official Peter Van Buren provides a first-hand account of the faltering and often misguided attempts at reconstruction in Iraq undertaken by the U.S. government. Van Buren published the book after rebuffing heavy State Department pressure to redact a number of passages. Van Buren joins us to discuss the failed efforts he witnessed in Iraq and his struggle to tell his story to the world. Watch/Listen/Read We speak with Kamran Loghman, the expert who developed weapons-grade pepper-spray, who says he was shocked at how police have used the chemical agent on non-violent Occupy Wall Street protesters nationwide - including students at University of California, Davis, female protesters in New York City, and an 84-year old activist in Seattle. "I feel it is my civic duty to explain to the public that this is not what pepper spray was developed for." says Loghman.Watch/Listen/Read Over the weekend, WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange accepted the award for Most Outstanding Contribution to Journalism at the 2011 Walkley Award in Australia, an honor akin to the Pulitzer Prize in the United States. We play an excerpt from Assange's acceptance speech and get reaction from constitutional law attorney and Salon.com blogger Glenn Greenwald. In related news, the U.S. Army recently scheduled a Dec. 16 pretrial hearing for Army Private Bradley Manning, the soldier accused of providing the cables to WikiLeaks. Watch/Listen/Read |
U.S. Post Office : Operation Santa needs you ! | 
Crystal Skipwith knew her mom didn't have the money to buy her a coat or toys for Christmas. So when the giant bag of gifts arrived on her Washington, D.C., doorstep, the 8-year-old knew only that she had written to Santa, and Santa delivered. "Everything I requested in that letter was in that bag," Skipwith recalls. "I believed in Santa for a very long time." Skipwith knows the truth now. The letter she addressed to Santa Claus 20 years ago went to the U.S. Postal Service's Operation Santa, which matches letters from needy children with donors in the community willing to fulfill their holiday wishes. read on Find more info here:http://operationsanta.com/ Local participating office: Arlington Main PO / 817-543-8454 /300 E. South Street /Arlington, TX 6004 |
More North Texas Charity | 
Warm Blankets for the Holidays - Denton County Democratic Party Most of us have a warm home and a place to rest our head - but many do not. So, this season, a group of us are collecting warm blankets and coats for the homeless in our area. You can help by donating a blanket or coat, new or used, to be distributed this month. Drop off your donations at Denton County Democratic Party headquarters at 1421 N. Elm Street in Denton, or at the Century 21 Judge Fite real estate office at 1172 Bent Oaks Dr. in Denton. Better yet, bring your donation to the Executive Committee Meeting this Thursday evening at the Landmark Grill in Lewisville at 7 p.m. Thank you in advance for helping with this effort to bring a small measure of comfort to those less fortunate than ourselves. May you be blessed in this holiday season and throughout the New Year. Denton County Democratic Chair - (940) 390-6950 |
The Women's Chorus of Dallas presents their 23rd concert season A World of Song Peace on Earth | 
Sunday, December 18, 2011 7:00 pm AT&T Performing Arts Center's Dee & Charles Wyly Theater Peace on Earth...see that wish come to life on stage as you experience beauty, joy, and peace through the music that makes the season special. Featured artist Anton Shaw brings that extra spark to get your holiday rockin', and the voices of our guest children's choir are sure remind you of the true spirit of the season. Let The Women's Chorus of Dallas at the Wyly Theater become part of YOUR December tradition!Tickets to Peace on Earth are available at www.ATTPAC.org or by calling the ATTPAC box office at 214-880-0202. |
| Progress Texas ..we win some in 2011 ! | 
Let's start with the biggest news: Texans are getting fair state house and congressional districts that actually reflect the community instead of districts designed to build a political power base for one political party. The tactics of Tom DeLay and Jack Abramoff failed last decade and a federal court has rejected similar maps drawn by conservatives in power now. Now the road to changing Washington runs directly through Texas. 7 or 8 Congressional seats could be in "play" going into 2012, and the question we ask is will that road have a progressive voice who listens to the people, or a conservative special interest candidate who files legislation from ALEC and does whatever Grover Norquist and the Koch Brothers say? We have our preference and we suspect you do too. We in the Dallas Area Christian Progressive Alliance believe that this season for Christians should be about something much more profound than forcing a greeting that pertains only to them. In that spirit, we're inviting you to contribute to a new "nice" list based on the values demonstrated in Jesus' ministry. What initiatives and organizations do you suggest be listed for their work for justice? Feeding the hungry, caring for the sick? Welcoming the stranger, visiting the prisoner (and ensuring that she/he is treated humanely)? visit, jooin and donate here http://www.progresstexas.org/ |
Progressive Book suggestion - ebook selection! [Save trees] | 
A Tea People's History
By Alex Pareene
$4.99 Amazon ebook
BUY HERE A Tea People's History is the real story of America, as told by a person who wasn't there but who has watched a lot of Glenn Beck. From the betrayal of our Christian Founders by ACORN agent Aaron Burr to our nation's salvation at the hands of Saint Reagan, this rigorously opinion-checked history is an ideal guide for any home-schooled student turned off by the liberal bias of traditional textbooks.
40 DAYS THAT SHOOK THE WORLD: From Occupy Wall Street to Occupy Everywhere $2.99 Amazon e-book
BUY HERE
It started with a single e-mail blast, then a Twitter hash tag, but now it is the leading political and social movement in the United States: Occupy Wall Street. Occupy camps have now formed at hundreds of sites - from Portland, Oregon to Portland, Maine-and around the world. Now, in the acclaimed first book about the movement, Greg Mitchell charts "40 Days That Shook the World: From Occupy Wall Street to Occupy Everywhere."
**You can read these on your computer/laptop/ Kindle or iPad.
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Pipelines Trump Private Property Rights in Texas 'Fracking' Boom | 
In Texas, private property rights rank up there with high school football and BBQ as sacrosanct elements of the state's national identity. Or at least in theory. In reality, private property rights are chucked aside all the time in the service of big business. Consider, for example, the emerging conflict between landowners and pipeline companies in North Texas' frack-happy Barnett Shale and South Texas' booming Eagle Ford Shale. State law basically allows operators to condemn property and build pipelines wherever they want - next to homes, businesses, schools, churches, etc - with very few exceptions. Eminent domain is generally thought to be an instrument of government but where gas pipelines are concerned, for-profit entities can wield the power to take property all on their own. That's nothing new. Until recently, the issue just kinda bubbled beneath the surface as new pipelines have typically been located in rural areas. Now that's changing. read on |
Dallas Area Christian Progressive Alliance: A "Rethinking" of "Naughty" and "Nice" | 
Last year, Rev. Robert Jeffress of First Baptist Church established a "naughty" and "nice" list for businesses which did ("nice") or did not ("naughty") limit their greetings of patrons to "Merry Christmas." Other national groups also spend a great deal of time and effort pressuring businesses to avoid saying "Happy Holidays." We in the Dallas Area Christian Progressive Alliance believe that this season for Christians should be about something much more profound than forcing a greeting that pertains only to them. In that spirit, we're inviting you to contribute to a new "nice" list based on the values demonstrated in Jesus' ministry. What initiatives and organizations do you suggest be listed for their work for justice? Feeding the hungry, caring for the sick? Welcoming the stranger, visiting the prisoner (and ensuring that she/he is treated humanely)? We started a short list, reflecting both the pastoral and the prophetic: * All of those peacefully bearing witness publicly against greed and income inequality * A Circle of Protection, an initiative of Christian who join others to form a circle around programs that meet the essential needs of hungry and poor people at home and abroad. * CitySquare * The Stewpot * The Wilkinson Center Who would you add to the list? Email us at Matthew-25@earthlink.net or "Like" and post to our Facebook page. http://www.facebook.com/DallasChristians For the "naughty" list, we'll only say generally what concerns us: all efforts to suppress wages, destroy creation, and serve wealth over the common good. And we'll invite reflection on who fits in that category, with hope for repentance ("going a new way") and conversion. |
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| Send in the Clueless By Paul Krugman NYTimes | 
There are two crucial things you need to understand about the current state of American politics. First, given the still dire economic situation, 2012 should be a year of Republican triumph. Second, the G.O.P. may nonetheless snatch defeat from the jaws of victory - because Herman Cain was not an accident. Think about what it takes to be a viable Republican candidate today. You have to denounce Big Government and high taxes without alienating the older voters who were the key to G.O.P. victories last year - and who, even as they declare their hatred of government, will balk at any hint of cuts to Social Security and Medicare (death panels!).. 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 ! |
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Majority Report with Sam Seder Daily show 10:30am | 
Call in to the show M-F 10:30am CST: 646-257-3920
Daily show , podcast and SammyCam
Become a Member and choose a level of membership. Memberships start as low as $10 a month. That's only 50 cents per show!
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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
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Progressive Gift ideas | 
With a Global Exchange Gift Membership package you're doing something good for people and the planet! With 6 packages to choose from, you can feel good about your holiday gift giving knowing that you're making friends and family happy and supporting Global Exchange to do our important work. Global Exchange Gift Membership Packages include: - One-Year Membership to Global Exchange
- Certificate of appreciation from Global Exchange;
- A 12oz. bag of Equal Exchange Fair Trade Coffee;
- I AM 99% Stickers;
- Fair Trade Tote Bag; plus...
- $150 coupon toward any 2012 Reality Tour
When your friends and family unwrap their Global Exchange Gift Membership, they will join a compassionate community of dedicated activists working for peace, justice and human rights. http://www.globalexchange.org/giftmembership
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Sam Seder's Majority Report new merch shop
here
Organic family farms fruit
http://www.fruitshare.com/
Ornaments, tshirts and more from Obama store !
Here
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Perry gets voting age and Election Day wrong. | 
| "Rick Perry" A BLR Soundbite |
GOP presidential candidate Texas Gov. Rick Perry managed to get the voting age and Election Day wrong in the same sentence during a New Hampshire appearance Tuesday. "Those who are going to be over 21 on November 12th, I ask for your support," Perry said, prompting some laughs from the college crowd at St. Anselm's College, according to the Washington Post. "Those who won't be, just work hard. Because you're... counting on us." Perry was speaking at a town hall meeting at the Institute of Politics at the college. The U.S.voting age is 18 and the 2012 elections are scheduled for Nov. 6, 2012 with the first-in-the-nation New Hampshire primary coming up on Jan. 10.
Read more:
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Winter Survival Kit app from Texas AgriLife Extension Service | 
Free phone 'app' for stranded winter motorists added to Texas disaster, emergency website COLLEGE STATION - A new free phone application for Texans and others stranded on the road during snow and ice storms has been added to the Texas Extension Disaster Education Network, or Texas EDEN website, said Texas AgriLife Extension Service experts. The Winter Survival Kit app is now one of many disaster- and emergency-related materials available through the Texas EDEN website, http://texashelp.tamu.edu. It is a smartphone application provided by the North Dakota State University Extension Service and is available at no cost for use with iPhone and Android, according to its developers. The app was developed as a means of helping motorists stuck in winter weather. "With the amount of snow and ice during winter in the Panhandle and North Texas, plus the possibility of unusual cold weather occurrences elsewhere in the state, we felt it would be helpful to many Texans to make this app accessible through the website," said Dr. Joyce Cavanagh, Texas AgriLife Extension Service specialist in family economics and resource management and a member of the national Extension Disaster Education Network. The app also alerts the user every 30 minutes as a reminder to turn off the vehicle's engine and check the exhaust pipe for snow buildup, which is critical to avoiding potentially deadly carbon monoxide poisoning. Additionally, it provides information on putting together a physical winter survival kit, preparing a vehicle for winter driving and staying safe when stranded in an ice storm or stuck in snow. To access the application through the Texas Eden website, click on the Hot Topics tab at http://texashelp.tamu.edu . For other website materials relating to winter weather, click the Disaster Information tab on the home page and go to Winter Storm Resources.
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Dallas Sustainable Living & Organic Gardening | Dinner For Sustainable East--A Transition Initiative Bioregion
Dallas Sustainable Living & Organic Gardening
Dinner For Sustainable East--A Transition Initiative Bioregionwill happen on Tuesday, December 6, 2011
When: Where: RSVP:
Tuesday, December 6, 20117:00 PM Koung Thai Restaurant2006 S Goliad St, Ste 218Rockwall, TX 75087
Join here
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Christmas at the White House | 
Shine, Give, ShareOur theme for this 2011 holiday season is "Shine, Give, Share," which offers an opportunity to pay tribute to our troops, veterans, and their families throughout the White House. This year, the official tour features 37 Christmas trees, 30 are natural trees and 7 are made from paper, felt or aluminum; a gingerbread model of the White House made of 400 pounds of gingerbread, white chocolate and marzipan plus 5 different representations of First Dog Bo Obama. Volunteers from 36 states plus the District of Columbia worked for days to get everything ready. Videos , recipes etc etc http://www.whitehouse.gov/holidays
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