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Group Evolution
On the first really cold, snowy evening in Washington, sitting here reading through the blog, I find myself thinking about how groups like the users of this blog come to create communities that endure.
Looking at the frost, I think about my experience in a small village in England where I spent a week doing research several years ago. Every day at 5:00 pm, the local pub opens. People stream in for a pint and some snacks. Mill workers, professors, handymen, farmers, glass blowers, and even the village idiot show up like clockwork. There is much greeting, even though it has been less than 24 hours since they saw each other last. But the evening pub opening is a ritual, and to miss it is to miss a touchstone.
One evening I talked with the village idiot. He is a friendly fellow, and he told me the story of how he fell off a ladder while working on a window, hit his head, and became the village idiot. He no longer climbs ladders, or fixes windows, but he is still Bill, and he is always greeted warmly by everyone.
I think of that village often, as the Democracy Cell Project evolves. I think about Bill, and the professor, and the woman gardener who keeps the public paths colorful. Each one knows that he/she serves a purpose, and has a role to play in the story of that village. It’s a story that the village tells itself every day, beginning at 5 pm. The village is a model, in my mind, for the highest evolution of a group.
According to group theorists like Irvin Yalom, groups go through several stages. The first stage is a group love affair. It is characterized by warm feelings for everyone and a certain sense of shared purpose. The belief is that “this is the BEST group of people ever.” One has found a base.
The second stage is where the power struggles tend to arise. Who will lead? Who will follow? What role is mine? Am I on the inside or the outside? At this point in the group development, people often threaten to quit, leave, return, renegotiate, accommodate. Eventually, a kind of stasis is achieved, or else the group folds.
The third stage is the beginning of the work of the group. Institutions and traditions are constructed, new roles assigned, structures defined, rules made. The group machine is humming. Individual voices are heard and appreciated for the unique, brilliant, insane perspectives they are.
But it is the fourth stage, the stage of daily ritual, cyclical rhythms, and ongoing trust where real change can happen. A group can accomplish a great deal in the third stage. A group can take over an entire realm in the fourth stage.
And when it takes over, it becomes both model and incubator for new ideas and innovations. A highly functioning group can tolerate a range of individual differences, even aberrant behaviors, and remain intact and true to its ultimate purposes. At this level, it can add new members and say goodbye to old members without a sense of pending dissolution.
This blog is a great example of a group or cell moving along this path, starting with its origin on John Kerry's blog as the moderators who managed to make the Kerry blog a powerful tool for recruiting and training new on- and off-line campaign volunteers (note: I was fortunate to be one of those moderators). We accomplished this task on a blog that was receiving tens of thousands of visitors a day who were leaving several thousand comments every day. And despite operating in the midst of one of the most negative Republican campaigns in history, we kept the conversation on the blog civil and informative.
We came together after the campaign to find a new purpose, and set out to share and extend what we had learned by creating the Democracy Cell Project. We're moving as fast as we can through Stage Two, and already beginning to take on the challenges of Stage 3.
As we finish negotiating all the roles and purposes, which will happen in several new channels coming your way soon, we will be on our way to constructing the body of knowledge and strategies that will be the model for other democracy cells. We can draw on what others have tested and learned. We can generate new models.
And every day, at 5pm, we will all be able, moderators and users, to show up at this virtual pub, and touch base with our extended family; our own village.
So to all of you: CHEERS, and it’s another bloody mess today, ain’t it now?
This is nice - good to have a vision & a clear & colorful reminder.
I'm very hopeful about the concept, and after meeting some of you, all the more encouraged and convinced of this project. My Brooklyn is one kind of differences among neighborhoods, and they exist. Another to set out on the hopscotching expeditions across that Urban Archipelago posted by DiAnne, and ever more useful. In fact, I see this project as critically essential, and I tend not to be visionary. This feels very timely and appropriate.
Karen,
I look forward to the day that I can say, "Our cell has accomplished all the goals that we set for ourselves and we have created a new set of challenges." Today I received several calls from people who are genuinely interested in making this concept work. This is a wonderful time for all of us. The future is ours.
I took the first step towards creating a cell. Normally, I'm a quiet person, and don't like to make noice.
But I walked up to some of the houses here in town and asked them to join my cell.
My next step will be a reminder in the mail. But for now, I have reached out to make a personal contact with people locally.
Oncall--also showed us the way in how to take babysteps to make it happen!
It's easy to blog, and unfortunately blogging can help us procrastinate in making the personal contacts.
But we have become a community here, but it's so very important that we build communities at home too.
Karen,
I just started reading Covey's The 8th Habit--which is so apropos for this thread and for this Cell--
"Finding your Voice and Helping Others Find Theirs"
And as I was reading today, I did think of this blog and how we have a created a place where we can find our voices and help others find theirs--and when we go out to our repsective "spheres of influence" we speak with a strong voice and we we speak with one voice and we have a resounding echo that will be heard all over.
Thanks to you and Dick for your leadership in this effort--you are both truly inspirational.
Karen,
I want to amend my last sentence: The future is America's.
Karen - :-)
You're a real treasure.... and your story is an inspiration! I didn't have labels for it, but I have noticed the diverse amount of input from people from all walks of life, and I'm always learning something new from the other bloggers, even as I exchange views and opinions with other people, and see the exchanges going on between others. There has been a real bonding of people, which, as you say, started on the K/E blog, and that's to everyone's advantage as we proceed forth in the next four years. We are, after all, trying to rescue our own country from those who are trying to do her harm from within....
What you are talking about reminds me of the times in rural America when in the middle of harvest a farmer or his wife might be sick or injured and in the hospital. The entire neighborhood comes from miles around to pitch in so the harvesting is done. From the toddlers who can barely carry a milk carton to the table, to older kids who might set the table for a whole crew or babysit the little ones, to women and older girls and boys who pitch in to make huge amounts of food and wash dishes and clean up afterwards, to men and women out in the fields driving trucks or combines, each in his or her own way contributes to making things just a bit easier for their neighbors. Those are not fables; I've seen it happen.
It happens on a national scale, too. Hurricanes or tornadoes or floods can devastate an area, and suddenly huge amounts of people show up to pitch in to help make things better for their neighbors who live the next state away, or half a continent away. Each does what best suits their abilities to make things easier for their fellow citizens.
Those are the values I grew up with and still treasure. That's the America I want back..... I sense that by and large, the other bloggers feel pretty much the same....
It's nice to be a part of this blog family.... :-)
P.S. I'm not unmindful of the fact that the entire world rushed to help us after 9/11, so I know all decent and compassionate people share the same values as we do everwhere in the world, not just here... nor have I forgotten how ungrateful shrubbie and his minions were afterwards by invading a country that had nothing to do with 9/11, and how ashamed their actions have made me feel.... I'm not sure that's something I can get over at this point. I am comforted in knowing that the rest of the world knows at least half of this nation shares their compassion and decency and respect for their fellow human beings, and they know that we do not approve of what the current administration is doing to other people and to the citizens of this nation....
I am comforting people tonight. I'm getting more reports about the unfortunate Ohio election & there is despair about our own race for Governor here in Washington. There is frustration with the Democratic party & there are many who feel powerless. They know they're not alone but they're still getting real data - about votes that weren't counted, about unfairness. I think of email groups as cells, of a sort. It's gotten to the point where everything I read or receive I evaluate in terms of who might be able to use it or would know someone who could, & others do the same. I'm noticing that relationships that formed locally around this election are continuing via email. On election night & shortly thereafter, there were people I didn't know well but we'd fall into each other's arms in tears, wordless. I know there are nights like this when it doesn't seem to have gotten much better, but at least most people know they're not alone. For some reason, this week has been especially hard - maybe because it's Christmas & people are dying? There is so much talk about the troops and I find myself thinking about civilians in Afghanistan, Iraq, Darfur & other places & those unfairly confined & unreasonably charged. I think about the wholesale lawbreaking by the state, the masterplan to control, and the smear campaigns to destroy the reputation of heroes like my district's Congressman who has done so much over the years for so many (AIDs patients in Africa, vets with depleted uranium exposure, etc.) It's good to form alliances with other people for support and for action. I am interested now in cooperative efforts across minority groups, including sexual minorities, across this country and across international boundaries. I don't think that's too broad of a goal.
A little pick-me-up from Benson..
http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/opinions/benson/
Democrats Eye Softer Image on Abortion
http://www.commondreams.org/headlines04/1219-03.htm
See this is why people I know are threatening to leave the Democratic party. Maybe this is what has to happen to win - but the question is - have we really gone this far to the right? If so, do we lose if we sell out? Do we lose if we refuse to sell out? I really don't know what to say to this. (I was just sent this)
The second stage is where the power struggles tend to arise. Who will lead? Who will follow? What role is mine? Am I on the inside or the outside? At this point in the group development, people often threaten to quit, leave, return, renegotiate, accommodate. Eventually, a kind of stasis is achieved, or else the group folds.
Posted by Karen Bradley on December 19, 2004 at 11:15 PM | Permalink
Quite frankly, I think the second stage is critical and one that shouldn't be rushed through, particularly in a grassroots effort. For instance, decisions in a grassroots organization should be made from the bottom up - not from the top down - and hopefully consensus will be reached.
As we all become involved in the development of democracy cells, we need to keep in mind that when people are investing time and resources (particularly when they are not getting paid for their efforts), they want to know that the organization or goal they are working for is built on a solid foundation, and that they have the facts and information they need to make the appropriate decisions. It is the nature of volunteer organizations that if you don't agree with the goals or direction - you have the option of "opting out."
I have found that one of the reasons I despise the Bush Administration so much is that they want us to be quiet little children. They make their decisions (often in the dead of night, or when Congress is in recess), and then tell us the decision is right (regardless of the truth) and for our own good.
I think anyone participating in a democracy cell will have to strive for transparency - and make sure that the members are not dictated to - but that their own needs, concerns and personal rhythms are taken into consideration. In essence, I think this is what defines a grassroots effort compared to other types of advocacy organizations.
Democracy is messy - but I think we are all here because we believe in democracy - warts and all.
The model fits for small groups but people also seem to be challenging our regular political parties & not knowing where they fit into them.
I suppose the dynamics change after an election, especially when the outcome sucks.
When I get this letter from my Congressman (McDermott) I can tell him that I feel his pain & the only other thing I can think of to do is send him money & pass the word to a worried friend:
"I am worried.
I am worried about our country and what the Administration is doing to it.
I am also worried about the Democratic party.
The hunger to win national elections may lead some Democrats to a shortsighted reassessment of our party's values - and to a compromise of our core Democratic principles.
It is time to re-commit ourselves to our core Democratic heritage reflected in the courage of President FDR or the vision of President JFK."
-- Of course I got out my checkbook again & sent a year-end contribution. & I try to encourage my friend to stay with the Democratic party or at least join the Greens & vote with the Dems at the last minute.
DiAnne,
I know what you mean. Last night was to be a Christmas Party with members of our local Lion’s Club. We canceled it because a member’s son was leaving for Iraq that evening and none of us felt like partying without them. So, we moved the party to a restaurant in the airport where we gave him a great send off. He was not the only soldier leaving, so we invited all soldiers and their families to join us. Watching these kids leave and fearing some of them will be returning in coffins really makes me angry and heartsick. This was also about the same time I shipped out in 1967. Everybody cried and a lot of people died. Then we get to read about Bush being awarded the Time MOTY from one of his buddies. Then we learn about the death of April’s daughter. And now, we get to watch the Dem party dance to the right. And we get to watch the daily evil-doing by our own leaders and their cheering fans.
I said screw it…. I am taking the rest of the year off. As Habitat for Humanity is behind on some builds, I’ll work off my anger and frustration by driving nails. Christmas Eve, we will be serving dinner at our local kitchen for homeless people. They really suffer during the holidays from loneliness and feelings of a lack of self worth.
Our food banks are really struggling this year. Often when a delivery is made, the merchandise is almost distributed off the back of the trucks. Thanks to BushCo, demand is outstripping supply.
I guess we just do what we can do to make the world a better place.
good night everybody..
Some Kerry news for those who are still having withdrawls...
Kerry Speaks on BCCI: "Financial transparency is more important than ever"
19 December 2004
John Kerry spoke out today about the BCCI affair calling "for regulators on both sides of the Atlantic to tighten their anti-money laundering procedures." Kerry led the Senate investigation of BCCI in the early 1990's.
http://www.lightupthedarkness.org/blog/default.asp?view=plink&id=151
Also on LUTD Blog, some Iraq War views...
A Tragic Exercise In Official Incompetence
19 December 2004
In his N.Y. Times column today, Bob Herbert suggests that, the Iraq War is "a tragic exercise in official incompetence.” Titled "War on the Cheap,” Herbert says, "The people who were so anxious to launch the war in Iraq are a lot less enthusiastic about properly supporting the troops who are actually fighting, suffering, and dying in it."
http://www.lightupthedarkness.org/blog/default.asp?view=plink&id=150
I see DiAnne must get the same e-newlsetter I do and has posted a link with her comments above. (Thank you, DiAnne - you're so right, and I agree with you.) I'm going to repost (with all apologies) with the written rant that I couldn't help typing when I saw the proposal to "soften" the Democratic stance on a woman's right to choose.... If the Democrats want to keep their women voters, I'd strongly urge they leave well enough alone - or better yet, toughen their stance on a woman's right to reproductive freedom!!! If the Democratic party goes too far right on this "issue," women will stay home from voting in droves because they'll have nothing but a Republican and a "Lite Republican" with a Democrat label to choose from in the polling booth.... Some choice - better to stay home and take care of the kids, order a pizza, and watch a movie when the election results are shown on all TV channels.... Voting for a Republican or a Lite Republican won't change her life in any way if she's given no choice either way. It's all about choices and options, and if a woman doesn't feel anyone can adequately represent her or stand up for what's right, she'll stay home and not vote. The men controlling the Democratic party might want to re-think what they're proposing. Compromise for the sake of getting a few fundamentalist votes (which they won't get anyway) and giving more power to the kool-aid christians would NOT be a wise decision on the part of Democratic leaders or senators or representatives. Don't forget, women comprise 51% of the population of this country....
Democrats Eye Softer Image on Abortion
http://www.commondreams.org/headlines04/1219-03.htm
How about this for a softer stance on abortion: If you don't need an abortion because a fetus has died inside you at the beginning of the third trimester because of pre-eclampsia, and you aren't expelling it naturally, and the dead body is decomposing inside you and will cause your own death if it's not taken out, or if you don't have any other life-threatening condition that requires an abortion, or if you don't want an abortion early in the pregnancy because you want to carry your baby to term, then don't have an abortion!!! The solution to that artificially and intentionally divisive "issue" is solved by freedom of choice: letting the person who can get pregnant be responsible for her own decisions regarding her body and her fetus. If you don't need or want an abortion, don't have it!!! It's just that simple!!! Duh!!! "Softening" the stance on a woman's right to choose is NOT a good "justification" for the Democratic party or representatives or senators to change the stance on women's reproductive rights.
If a woman does not want to become a mother - ever - she might choose tubal ligation to avoid pregnancy entirely. If a woman wants to delay her entry into motherhood, there are all kinds of birth control choices and options (including also making sure her partner is using condoms even if she is on the pill to help prevent STDs). If a man does not want to become a father - ever - he can choose a vasectomy. There are options and choices that no one ever discusses!!!
The only people who are virulently anti-choice are the brainwashed religious fundamentalists who are mostly men with control-freak issues whose masculinity is somehow threatened at the notion a woman can responsibly decide what's best for her own body, and they are trying to not only keep women from knowledge about birth control from early school days forward (abstinence is an unrealistic dictum!!!), but those same men (and some control-freak women who want other women to suffer because they suffered somehow at the hands of a man who controls her life) want to force teenage girls and women to have babies they can't or won't be able to take care of once the babies are born.
And what if a teenage girl or a woman becomes pregnant as a result of rape or incest??? The laws in some states mandate a teenage girl's parents have to be notified if she wants to have an abortion.... purely unrealistic if her father or her brother or her uncle or her cousin or her grandfather is the biological father - why should she have to notify anyone before choosing abortion, especially when the one who potentially got her pregnant while committing incest and child-rape might be the very parent whom (mostly male) legislators who wrote that piece of drivel called a law want notified!?!?!?
I'd recommend that if the anti-choice people are so "pro-life" really want to help, they should adopt any number of children who are legally able to be adopted..., but I think the control-freaks who are virulently opposed to women having the right to choose would probably be really lousy parents. There's no "pro-life" without compassion, and the anti-choice people certainly talk and act like they have no compassion. This is a real life "issue" that some real teenage girls and some real women face, and the legislators and supreme court justices have no business whatsoever regulating women's bodies like they would their prize brood mares, their property they have control over. A full repeal of all abortion laws, rules, and regulations needs to be done; let women make their own choices, and treat women like the responsible adults they are!!!
Women did just fine making decisions about their own bodies before the late 19th century when abortion laws were first put in place, thank you very much! Women are not, after all, children, and do not need not be told what to do with their own bodies! I do wish men who's masculinity is somehow threatened by a woman making mature decisions and controlling her own body would go away, grow up, and get some common sense perspective about abortion. If you can't get pregnant, don't dictate (by law or otherwise) what a woman can or cannot do with her body, or what she can or cannot do with the fetus she may or may not have in her womb!!!
Yes... that means if you can't get pregnant, shut up already, and take your stupid laws with you that make women into nothing more than slaves and brood mares, as you see fit.... (This sentence is for the anti-choice repukes who have no clue....)
I have found that one of the reasons I despise the Bush Administration so much is that they want us to be quiet little children. They make their decisions (often in the dead of night, or when Congress is in recess), and then tell us the decision is right (regardless of the truth) and for our own good.
Democracy is messy - but I think we are all here because we believe in democracy - warts and all.
Posted by: resolute | December 20, 2004 01:16 AM
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes...!!! Enough with the secrecy and being treated like a child already.... I'm an old woman and left my childhood a very long time ago... I've SO had it with the current administration.... I was a patient and "good little girl" for four years waiting for the last election day.... by election day 2008 I'll be frothing at the mouth in agony and frustration... it's gonna be a l-o-o-n-n-g four more years!!! Ugh....
Bible Is 'Lies and Spin,' Says Channel Four
http://www.truthout.org/docs_04/122004J.shtml
The Los Angeles Times | Disgraced by Silence
http://www.truthout.org/docs_04/122004L.shtml
U.S. Waters Down Global Commitment to Curb Greenhouse Gases
http://www.truthout.org/docs_04/122004W.shtml
Liza Featherstone | Down and Out in Discount America
http://www.commondreams.org/views04/1218-05.htm
Matthew Rothschild | Bush's BS on SS
http://www.commondreams.org/views04/1218-06.htm
[This proposal to give the investment bankers their cut of the proposed Social Security investments is one of the most insane things I've ever heard... not to mention the proposed borrowing that would have to be done if this "transition" is put in place... Totally crazy, crazy, crazy to put this nation further in debt on top of shrubbie's war and all that's costing now and will cost in the future when the US rebuilds Iraq.....]
We could do what we need to do and go after OHIO like we're supposed to do and really shorten the next four years ! My mom called from Cuyahoga County Ohio tonight and said they proved Jk handily won that county by 120,000 votes. If he won by county bythat large a margin I know Bush didn't carry the state. Be sure and listen to Air America Monday Am when Conyers will be on the Al Fraken show. Jessie Jackson continues to make a lot of noise there,but not a whisper from JK. Even Amy Goodman on Democracy Now is frustrated! I just hate what we as dems have become and allowed the hijacking of our democracy to occur. We should be lining the streets like the Ukranians for god's sake!
The Battle For America
This is a poem by Max Skolnik a newly elected city commissioner in DC who wrote the poem to his family and friends.
Please watch the video and read the inspiring words...this is the shit folks!
The Battle For America
Hello friends, family, comrades, rebels, insurgents, refugees, exiles, expatriates people in hiding and all the ships at sea…
I debated whether or not I should say this…I wondered if it would do any good.
I have profound fears for the future…deep anger and sadness for my country…our country…our country that has been stolen away from us, captured by those that traffic in fear and hatred and bigotry and poison…I feel like we are lost in the forest right now…we're down the rabbit hole and there is no end in sight.
I know you all feel the same sentiments…the rage against the unanswerable abyss, the terror of what lies ahead…the confusion of what this Nation has become. I will not attempt to glide over the monumental disaster that was this election…there is no silver lining. There is no redemption. The illusion of hope in this last year has been mercilessly stripped away…the monster we face is now unleashed and free to reek havoc and spill the blood of innocents.
We are in a dark place…perhaps the darkest place…unable to even conceive of the idea of light, but we have been in such midnight moments before…
We have been in the pits of Viet Nam and the hanging trees of Jim Crow…we have despaired on the cotton fields of Mississippi and the bread lines of the Depression. We have been beaten down by crooked cops, pushed around by factory bosses, terrorized by the Klan and the fascists and the Nazis and know-nothings and the fat cats and the robber-barons and the corrupt politicians and wicked masters, but we have never surrendered.
We have never weakened or wavered.
Did we surrender at Kent State? Jackson State? No! Did we surrender at Selma, Alabama? No! Did we surrender at Hay Market? No! On the lettuce fields of California? In the textile mills of Massachusetts? In the coal mines of Colorado? In the meat packing plants of Chicago? At the Stonewall riots? At the pro-choice rallies? At the equal rights for women marches? At the anti-war demonstrations? At the strikes and the walk-outs? At the bus boycotts? No, no, no!!!
Remember, we have history on our side. We have the march of progress…the struggle for what is right and good and pure and free and equal and just and beautiful. We have the raised fist of EVERY FIGHTER! We have the righteous scale of anyone who has ever been wronged by the system anywhere at any time. We have the power of the powerless…we have the moral clarity of the dispossessed …we are the heart and soul of the struggle of the battle that never ends!
Look to our heroes...
We are the inheritors of a proud past populated by giants, heroes, artists, revolutionaries, thinkers, believers in mankind, defenders of the oppressed.
We have the pen of Walt Whitman and Hemingway…the determination of Cesar Chavez, Margaret Sanger and Sojourner Truth…the faith of Martin and Malcolm…the beauty of Billy Holliday and Duke Ellington…the strength of Roosevelt and Kennedy…the joy of Mark Twain.
The history of America has been written by us…it does not belong to demagogues, the fear mongers, the war profiteers, the rich, the greedy, theocrats and the moulongs. They twist the Constitution but WE make it straight. They wrap themselves in the flag, but WE fight for the freedoms…not the fabric. They shout out their pledges of allegiance but WE do the dirty work of democracy! They claim to represent the real America but WE are the keepers of the Tree of Liberty!
It ain't over yet folks…not by a long shot! So cry a few tears, bang against the walls, scream into the wind…then...collect yourself and get back to work…its time to punch the clock…the Battle for America has begun.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
http://www.thebattleforamerica.com
The Battle For America has begun! Good...
When are you disembarking upon the streets?
With blue sarves, blue bonnets, blue coats, blue swede shoes... whatever, get out of the dark and show up with family, children, relatives, pets, but make your street blue!
I know, I'm gonna be told this is not in the American mores. This is a new era and the rules have changed, change yours.
Are you going to follow King George's coronation without a move?
You were all so admirative of the Ukrainians, who were seen and heard by millions across the world, and didn't give up.
John lennon said it perfectly:
Power to the People.
John lennon said it perfectly:
Power to the People.
Posted by: Andrée-France | December 20, 2004 08:17 AM
Andree
I was at the first Bush Inaugural protest - and unfortunately it made no difference what so ever. In fact, no one knew about it until Fahrenheit 9/11 came out (even though I'd been talking about my experience to my friends, they really didn't get it until they saw the movie. (Apparently actions really do speak better than words.))
There were hundreds of thousands of us - we basically took over D.C. We definitely had an impact on his Inaugural Parade - Bush was unable to strut his stuff down Pennsylvania Avenue. However, he had his riot police there - blocking off streets, surrounding the protesters, not letting them move down the preapproved route - regardless of whether or not they had a permit (I was with my brother-in-law and we were able to duck out of an alley way and get close to the parade site). And the media had zero coverage of the massive and emotional protest - the American people and the world had no idea. (Except the New York Times - which did show pictures of the massive protest filling Connecticut Avenue.)
I'm afraid there will be more vicious and physical strongarm tactics used at Bush's 2nd Inaugural event. He was humiliated last time and I'm certain he will make sure he is not humiliated again. This is not someone who supports freedom of speech or dissention.) I predict that there will be many protesters hurt and jailed at this upcoming event.
I have heard that there will be a silent protest instead of an overt protest. People will be there "passing" for Bush supporters - and at the appropriate time they will turn their backs. This may be just as effective, if not more so, than thousands of people in the street with signage - I don't know. I'm debating whether or not to participate.
Andree - it's a sad day for America when Americans are more frightened about actions of the state (e.g. riot police, getting hurt, getting thrown in jail, losing jobs, etc.) than people in the Ukraine. But look at what happened to people who tried to go to a Bush speech, who were wearing anti-war or pro-Kerry t-shirts. We're not exaggerating when we say we are living in unchecked fascism right now.
~~Yes! We must all make a statement, in our own neighborhoods...this is one that I choose to support... "display the blue"
http://www.troopsribbon.com/pictures.html
(I have no direct connection to this effort, except to help spread the word. I display my blue ribbon, because I think we can all make a difference, even in this small way)
~~Peace on Earth~~
Resolute,
I know what is going on, and didn't think of large official protests.
But local, even silent, gatherings can have strong impact on a community.
Too many people are seeking for a little blue light flickering in the night.
Resolute,
Sorry, I forgot to say, that we saw the pictures of protest on first inauguration, the very day it happened, as we saw ALL the protests in New-York during the RNC.
George W. Bush sends thousands of young Americans into violent guerrilla warfare with unprotected unarmored humvees. Perhaps his inaugural vehicle should be an unarmored humvee, in the streets of Washington DC.
George W. Bush=Hypocrisy on display!
Tightest Security Ever for Inauguration
Sun Dec 19,12:32 PM ET White House - AP
By CURT ANDERSON, Associated Press Writer
WASHINGTON - President Bush will be sworn in next month for a second term amid the tightest security in inaugural history, with police planning to search every one of the tens of thousands of people expected to line the parade route.
Behind the scenes, thousands of specialized law enforcement and military personnel will stand ready to respond to any emergency.
snip~
To the millions watching the inauguration on television worldwide, the ceremony and parade will look much as it has in the past. But each person attending the swearing-in and parade will be subjected to a search by metal detectors, security personnel or both. And there will be more Washington streets closed and more security fencing than ever to create a large buffer zone.
http://tinyurl.com/5vqo8
as we saw ALL the protests in New-York during the RNC.
Posted by: Andrée-France | December 20, 2004 09:12 AM
Yes - wasn't that wonderful? I had been at the ProChoice rally the previous day (30,000 people protested instead of the estimated 10,000). We walked over the Brooklyn Bridge and back. So I just didn't have it in me to go back into NYC the next day for the big protest. (So I watched the whole thing on C-span.)
The police let the massive protest happen with little interference - primarily because the world media was in New York to cover the convention. Later in the week, when cameras were focused elsewhere, the strongarm tactics were used often. My sister was involved in the media protest (protesters were to go from CNN to Fox to NBC, etc.) and they were blocked and harrassed by the police at every turn. The evening got very ugly very quickly (and no one really heard anything about it).
So, the world's press has a large role to play in getting the world out about any kind of protest - we're depending on them since the U.S. media is now working hand in glove with the administration.
Visit www.congress.org/congressorg/newmembers.xc and learn more about your newly elected officials!
Do you have a Web site or are part of an organization? Place this link in a prominent location on your site so your users can take advantage of this great educational tool, too.
Punishing the Press (New York Times 20 Dec 2004)
Recent court developments have been grim for those who cherish a free press.
On Dec. 9, a television reporter in Providence, R.I., Jim Taricani, was sentenced to six months of house arrest for refusing to reveal who gave him an F.B.I. videotape showing a local official taking a bribe. Mr. Taricani did nothing illegal. Yet the Rhode Island federal judge who sentenced him pointedly said that only health problems spared him a prison term.
The worry now is that a three-judge federal appellate panel in Washington will take an equally cramped view of reporters' rights and affirm sentences of up to 18 months in prison that a lower court imposed in October on Judith Miller of The New York Times and Matthew Cooper of Time magazine. At issue is the pair's principled refusal to disclose their sources in connection with the investigation that the United States attorney and special prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald is leading into the leaking of the name of a covert C.I.A. officer, Valerie Plame, to the columnist Robert Novak.
Among the strange wrinkles in this case is that Mr. Novak, who first published Ms. Plame's name, seems to be in no jeopardy, while Mr. Cooper faces jail time stemming from an article he wrote exposing the administration's seamy motive of retaliating against Ms. Plame's husband for criticizing Iraq policy. Stranger still is Mr. Fitzgerald's decision to entangle Ms. Miller, since she never wrote a single article about the Plame controversy.
The appellate panel expressed palpable hostility to the notion that the First Amendment provides any protection for journalists subpoenaed to reveal their confidential sources to a grand jury. We hope that this is a case where the tenor of an oral argument does not foretell the content of a court's ruling. That same appellate hearing also explored another legal avenue the court could take to stop the two journalists from becoming the only people punished for the Bush administration's abuse of power in leaking the name of a covert C.I.A. operative.
In a series of questions, one of the three judges, David Tatel, sketched a promising alternative that would accord some legal protection in the grand jury setting, on grounds other than the First Amendment, involving a broad balancing of the equities. Ample basis for such a resolution can be found in a 1996 Supreme Court case that recognized legal protection of patients' statements to their psychotherapists. It can also be found in the reality that 49 states and the District of Columbia now offer journalists some degree of protection - a near consensus that easily supports at least a qualified common law privilege protecting a reporter's vital work.
Even without what we continue to believe are strong First Amendment claims, it would take no great legal stretch for Judge Tatel and his colleagues to overturn the lower court ruling regarding Ms. Miller and Mr. Cooper. All it would require is a healthy regard for robust journalism, government accountability and an informed citizenry. (received w/o link)
More Aggressive Congress Could Hinder Bush's Plans
1 hour, 50 minutes ago Top Stories - washingtonpost.com
By Jim VandeHei and Charles Babington, Washington Post Staff Writers
Bush certainly has powerful allies on the Hill. [Maj. Leader Bill] Frist in many ways owes his leadership job to the president and Rove, who helped orchestrate the Tennessee physician's rise to power. Some Republicans say Frist would like Rove to run his 2008 White House bid, which would provide the party leader even more incentive to please the White House in the 109th Congress.
http://tinyurl.com/6qo7v
Resolute,
So, the world's press has a large role to play in getting the world out about any kind of protest
You got it!
Except you have not to play the game they are expecting you to play, at the place they expect you to play it.
What if the blue archipelago just went blue from coast to coast that night by putting blue bulbs.
We have to see you through the dark you are kept in, in order to pass the message and raise foreign concsiences.
Ads Banned in 2004:
http://money.cnn.com/pf/features/popups/yir04_banned_ads/frameset.2.exclude.html
(Some were pulled due to public pressure)
What to know what Bush didn't say at his economic pep rally?
Economic Weekly
This Week:
Did the Bush economic summit accurately portray the economy?
The Bush Economic Summit: What the Cheerleaders Won't Tell You
While the economic conference last week was little more than an exercise in cheerleading for some of the president's initiatives, we thought we would remind President Bush that not everyone agrees with his assessments of our economic situation or what the solutions are to our nation's challenges. To that end, the Center for American Progress compiled a series of documents that explore the topics Bush did not cover at his summit: the shift of taxes onto work and the middle class, a weak labor market, and how the slipping dollar could spell economic crisis, among others.
For more information about these and other important economic issues, please visit the Center for American Progress' Economic Policy webpage.
Subscribe to additional American Progress newsletters and cartoons.
Maybe this is why we lose?
http://www.alternet.org/election04/20781/
Even a small protest can be placed by any person onto a website anywhere in the world by going to http://www.indymedia.org. Then go to the left (of course!) & see the list of states of US & the counties who have their own IndyMedia. Follow directions to post & it will be seen by people all over the world. Granted, they may be mostly left-leaning political activists, but it give encouragement & they can refer to it & repost it.
Why not also send stories & photos to foreign reporters? They all have emails same as the ones here. I can not tell you how many times I've emailed reporters at http://www.theguardian.co.uk.
55,000 turned out to protest the war in Seattle on 2/15/03. 150,000 plus on 1/26/03 in San Francisco. I know because I was there. The press reported as low as 15,000 & 40,000 for these two rallies, respectively, but independent helicopter crowd shots proved differently as did police reports (they need to know numbers to staff these). 11 million got out, worldwide on 2/15/03. I have these dates memorized. We didn't stop the war but the momentum was picked up in the elections & we were able to compete with the Republicans though not prevail.
When there is such a demonstration, it is the tip of the iceberg. You do not see the rightwing get out on the streets. First of all, they do not believe in questioning authority - they want to be follow behind the status quo loyally. Individual people can be enticed to vote Republican by promising them tax cuts if they are greedy or promising them a return to a simpler time if they are afraid of change. It's the corporations who really put the bastards into office though, so they can pollute, sell weapons, peddle drugs etc. without obstacle.
The mainstream press will always underestimate the power of the people because they are the slaves of the corporations who control the government. Some people would change around the position of any of these words (people - corporations - government), depending on who they believe has more power, but this is my take. I believe that multinational corporations control the whole world, you see.
So .. we have to work at every level at once. Pester your Congress and Senate people incessantly - pester those of the other party too. Know that some (like Congressman McDermott) fear the move by the Dems to the right will alienate people like us, as happened in 1994 with Clinton. Know that some (& offenders I have heard of in the last 24 hours are Cantwell, Richardson, Pelosi, Clinton) will start to move to the middle in preparation for 2006. They don't feel they have a choice, with Republican plans for limiting filibuster & for redistricting. Remember the DLC & welfare reform & move toward free trade? All that? Someone think Kerry wasn't liberal enough? Anyone wonder why Dems aren't speaking up?
I talked to my son for a long time last night (only 23 but almost has degree now in Economics/American History/Communication/Political Science combination) & he really believes the Dems are forced to go in this direction, pragmatically.
Scary.
That brings me to the issue of letting those across the planet know where we stand. We can work on issues. We don't have to work directly with a party til we want to (other than pestering our reps day & night & having good relationships with fellow voters). I know plenty of good environmentalists & champions of women & so on. NARAL workers aren't going to be happy about women Dems solicitiing participation of pro-life candidates who can win moderate voters.
There is no one solution. I wish people could get that through their heads. I wish it were that simple.
Here is another approach: SECEDE FROM THE UNION
- this won't happen but notice this guy is getting web traffic & media attention. It makes a point.
__________________________________________________
First, the response to Move On California has been
amazing. Over 15,000 unique visitors to the website in less than a month! Interview and media requests reach me daily and two production companies have contacted me about doing a documentary on California secession.
We want to move this forward. I am planning to
have Northern California and Southern California
organizational meetings shortly after the first of the year. If you would like to be involved, please let me know.
(then the appeal for funding, committees etc.)
http://www.moveoncalifornia.org
BattleBob
I think everyone should subscribe to the Center for American Progress daily report. NonnyO posts alot of links from orgs that turn out links to good articles frequently. I can think of AlterNet, Democrats.Org, TruthOut, CommonGround & there are more.
I like to Google "News" & read the versions of various stories. At the bottom you can also hit links to Australia, Canada, New Zealand, UK or even France. ;) I think it's better to try to hook up with the wire services: Reuters, AP, Knight Ridder, Rev. Moon's UPI etc. & read the full stories before they appear on-line & later in papers and are cut to shreds & given misleading titles. As many of you know, I have absolutely no time for or interest in any sector of American television (unless my arm is twisted very hard), even to study. That's someone else's niche.
I have asked local Congressmen when I have met them where they get their news & I asked people who were running. They were, without exception, reading foreign press as much as they could. That alone is enough to make me want to continue to support them.
BattleBob
I think everyone should subscribe to the Center for American Progress daily report. NonnyO posts alot of links from orgs that turn out links to good articles frequently. I can think of AlterNet, Democrats.Org, TruthOut, CommonGround & there are more.
I like to Google "News" & read the versions of various stories. At the bottom you can also hit links to Australia, Canada, New Zealand, UK or even France. ;) I think it's better to try to hook up with the wire services: Reuters, AP, Knight Ridder, Rev. Moon's UPI etc. & read the full stories before they appear on-line & later in papers and are cut to shreds & given misleading titles. As many of you know, I have absolutely no time for or interest in any sector of American television (unless my arm is twisted very hard), even to study. That's someone else's niche.
I have asked local Congressmen when I have met them where they get their news & I asked people who were running. They were, without exception, reading foreign press as much as they could. That alone is enough to make me want to continue to support them.
Someone please stop me before I post more!
DiAnne,
My views may be a bit different.
I go along with what Huffington and others have said.
The Dem party only thinks in economic terms. We come out with a solution that ends up on the shelf when the next problem is discussed. To win, we have to relate issues to the social problems they cause and the moral dilemmas they leave behind. As I said a couple of days ago, for starters we should relate how everything affects the war. We need a moral slant on want we want to do and how the Repugs policies are immoral and negatively impact people.
Then pick another issue such as the environment and show how the Repug plans will damage children’s health. How moral is that? We need to hammer the true cost of destructive environmental policies not so much in dollars but why little Johnny can’t breath
We must show the Repug abortion position is pro-birth and not pro-life. After the birth, they could care less about the life of the child and the mother. That the Dem position is abortions should be safe, rare and legal.
I never heard anybody on any talk show demand how Bush was going to balance the budget or even give a hint of what the exit strategy was in Iraq. We never showed the public the true cost of deficit spending. Not in dollars but how your future will be affected. Retire? Forget about it … you’ll be working until you drop.
I think the Dem party is choosing the totally opposite path by showing lifeless spreadsheets that describe Bush’s problems perfectly. But they motivate no one and will never get Joe Sixpack into the fold. I believe Reid and Toemers are the wrong choices. We need leaders who get in BushCo face and stay there hammering our social and economic populist messages.
A little Rumsfeld music this morning..
Rumsfeld Dishonors Fallen Soldiers
December 20, 2004
Already facing heightened scrutiny for his disastrous management of post-war Iraq, Defense Secretary Rumsfeld must now explain to military families why he has been unable to personally sign condolence letters for deceased U.S. troops. Reports emerged over the weekend that Rumsfeld has been using an “auto-pen” to sign letters due to his busy schedule, including regular games of squash. Sen. Chuck Hagel (R-NE) called revelations about the letters "very reflective of how out of touch this crowd is," and said that personally signing the letters was "the least we could expect of the secretary of defense."
Rumsfeld’s callous behavior is an insult to U.S. troops. Army Spc. Ivan Medina, whose brother Irving was killed in Iraq called Rumsfeld's conduct "an insult, not only as someone who lost a loved one but also as someone who served in Iraq." With outrage at Rumsfeld’s conduct reaching the breaking point, the Defense Secretary has now said he will find time to personally sign future condolence letters, perhaps pushing off the squash games for an hour or two.
This latest slight is part and parcel of the Bush administration’s complete lack of concern for the well-being of our soldiers. The signature scandal comes just days after Rumsfeld told a soldier concerned about the lack of armor for vehicles in combat zones that "you go to war with the Army you have ...not the Army you might want to wish to have at a later time." Rumsfeld then attempted to diminish the importance of the question, saying "if you think about it, you can have all the armor in the world on a tank and a tank can still be blown up.”
Despite his disastrous management of the war in Iraq and his gross disregard for the troops he leads, the White House wants Americans to trust Rumsfeld. Even with leading GOP senators such as John McCain and Chuck Hagel challenging Rumsfeld’s moral authority and leadership of the Pentagon, the White House has offered its unqualified support for the Defense Secretary. White House Chief of Staff Andrew Card said Rumsfeld is doing "a spectacular job, and the president has great confidence in him." This statement speaks volumes about the White House’s entire approach to Iraq.
Daily Talking Points is a product of the American Progress Action Fund.
http://www.moveoncalifornia.org
Posted by: DiAnne | December 20, 2004 10:20 AM
Thank you for the link. As California becomes more Democratic while the rest of the nation becomes more Republican, talk of secession or joining Canada doesn't sound that far-fetched at all.
The question is, what do we do with the conservative counties of inland California and suburban Los Angeles? They will probably split off to re-join the Union.
Read how Bush's assault on SS is the same stratey used to go into Iraq...
http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/editorials/la-ed-summit20dec20,1,1282382,print.story?coll=la-news-comment-editorials
Democrats Eye Softer Image on Abortion
Posted by: DiAnne | December 20, 2004 01:01 AM
The Democratic Party has always been flexible on abortion in principle. The platform recognizes a woman's right to choose, yet at the same time it also recognizes the party members' right to disagree for personal reasons.
The real problem is that the new immigrants we have taken on are socially conservative, coming from countries where abortion and homosexuality are criminal offenses. And we have blindly expected them to follow our liberal agenda.
I have a feeling that we will need to tackle these immigrants on economic and other issues important to them. If we try to sell ourselves purely as a party of abortion and gay rights, we will lose again and again.
Speaking of the environment...
BushCO is killing us..
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/12/18/politics/18epa.html?oref=login&ex=1261112400&
Bob:
"To win, we have to relate issues to the social problems they cause and the moral dilemmas they leave behind. "
"We need leaders who get in BushCo face and stay there hammering our social and economic populist messages."
100% agree. And hopefully such a way of framing the messages might appeal to many who THINK they agree with what the others are saying. Even going back to the abortion issue, stress the immmorality of having unwanted kids that are not well cared for, instead of just saying you support abortions (and try to avoid the "pro-choice" label, it has been associated with its so-called opposite "pro-life" for too long, and the connotations are not good). And in general, keep things simple and "in your gut". I hate to advocate simplifying the message, which in a way is an implicit criticism of JK, I love the guy! And wish that everybody out there were able to understand how a truly intelligent mind thinks and expresses itself. But whether we like it or not, there are too many people in this country that are uneducated and too busy to educate themselves (or too uneducated to even realize that they need to know more). It sounds elitist, I know, I do not mean it this way, but I think it is a fact that we have to accept and live with, at least in the short run. Yes, education in all meanings of the word, from primary schools all through raising the awareness of grown-ups is terribly important, but it's a slow process, and we cannot afford the luxury of waiting. Right after the election, one of my first thoughts was about education (maybe because I have been an educator for so ling), what on earth can be done not to have to wonder again about "how can 51 million be so dumb?" But I know realize that we cannot wait for so long.
Irina,
David Brooks whom I usually despise said one thing I agree with: People tend to listen to views that reinforce their own positions. If we want the public to accept our views then we must nail them at the gut level. This is almost like shock therapy. It may not be pretty and people may become uncomfortable but IMHO that is the only way we will force the public to look at Dem positions.
I think confrontation showing the social and moral shortcomings of Repub positions, not conciliation is how we win! If we are Repub lite, the public will choose Repubs.
Chuck in Baku for Irina:
You posted a bit back about whether this blog or things like it are of any use -- I had formulated a suggestion in my head but never got it down. The theme of this thread seems to address that. My situation is a bit peculiar as I am cut off from direct contact from friends and families because I've been working overseas (mostly in the former USSR) for some fifteen years now. SO, for me, the ability to post (and read posts) is the ability to test ideas out for myself and to let me and those that might agree with me know that we are not isolated but rather part of a large and powerful community, which I guess is the sense of this thread topic. Now we need to work on defining those ideas, or rather refining the values and principles behind them, so we have a common vocabulary and stragtegy, I think.
Chuck in Baku
Battlebob
I agree with what you say. It wll still be the people v the corporations. The Dems raised slightly more money than the Reps this time & that is unprecedented. We led for small donors. I want to know how to get around corporate power & influence. Education will possibly make people think about the choices they make but these machines are feeding the Republican party.
Everyone is talking about a palatable, absorbable message but I'm wondering what is the medium. It doesn't seem to be the media itself.
I am hearing again & again (on internet & off) that people want more representation. "Where are the leaders? Why isn't anyone speaking out? Why doesn't Soros (or name of other rich person) start their own media channel?" I try to ask whether maybe they are too busy fighting the uphill battle against lobbyists & redistricting & also where is the money going to come from?
Ideals plus practice.
Battlebob
I agree with what you say. It wll still be the people v the corporations. The Dems raised slightly more money than the Reps this time & that is unprecedented. We led for small donors. I want to know how to get around corporate power & influence. Education will possibly make people think about the choices they make but these machines are feeding the Republican party.
Everyone is talking about a palatable, absorbable message but I'm wondering what is the medium. It doesn't seem to be the media itself.
I am hearing again & again (on internet & off) that people want more representation. "Where are the leaders? Why isn't anyone speaking out? Why doesn't Soros (or name of other rich person) start their own media channel?" I try to ask whether maybe they are too busy fighting the uphill battle against lobbyists & redistricting & also where is the money going to come from?
Ideals plus practice.
Chuck in Baku for Battlebob:
I agree with the gist of what you said with one caveat -- if we take them head-on in the arena of their choosing (e.g, the mass media and a electoral process corrupted by access to the same) it will be easy for them to bait and ambush us. We would be playing to their strengths.
I think we have a great opportunity now to really define what we stand for -- first principles -- and start arguing from there, first in our "group" and then take it to Broadway -- under the radar and through communications media that go around the mainstream conglomerates.
Our opponents, I beleive, are so poisoned by goup-think and hubris that they are too busy congradulating themselves to notice that we are doing what they did some forty years ago (the same, I mean, except that they dealt in the currency of fear and hatred and ignorance while our coin is hope and tolerance and enlightenment).
Then, when we go for the gut, and I hope I am still around to see it, we won't have go for the shock value of directly confronting people's prejudices (the ground of GOP's choosing), but rather go for a sort of "gee, I never thought of it that way" value of slowly, methodically and righteously bringing voters over to the side of light, one voter at a time.
Of course, neither approach excludes the other. But if we are going to start pounding right away I for one would feel more comfortable if we had a sort of cohesive plan to fall back on if one or another pounding-front collapses.
Hope that made sense,
Chuck in Baku
DiAnne,
I have been almost shrill in my desire to hear something from the Dem leadership. The Dem radio message was about as inspirational as a grass seed commercial. If we are only going to get one clear shot a week, we can't miss it. It was essentially a spread sheet discussion on SS. There was no heat, no passion. There was no alternative solution (unless I slept through it).
I hear the money question. I may be wrong, but our big dollar donors come out of the similar pool of Repug donors and they want something for their money. Our incumbents are under attack from Repugs and they need dollars to survive. They also need a populist social and moral message that separates their message from the Repugs.
I think our solution is flawed. If we do not run a fifty-state campaign, we will eventually disappear as all the battles are on our turf. We can only lose, we can never win new seats. That is the only reason I wanted Dean as DNC head; he has been doing great work building Progressive candidates at local levels everywhere.
I thought I heard Kerry say that Dems should not move left, right or center; we should have a message that articulates our beliefs and will make the public want to join us. If this is true, then IMHO he has figured out what we must do to get back into the game.
last paragraph esp. good - not writing much b/c afraid it'll post twice! Whatever it takes!
Bob:
I agree with Brooks, whoever he is. Nobody likes to be told to his face that he’s all wrong and an idiot for not realizing it. The problem is to find the right way to reinforce existing views while at the same time altering them!
Chuck:
What a memory . Paradoxically, I am in a similar situation, though I live in the US. I moved only recently, I now live in a rural area, with the closest neighbor a mile or so away, and hardly know anybody here. And on top of that, I have always been a loner, and just cannot see myself starting to knock on people’s doors all by myself. On the other hand, I DO feel the need to do something, it gnaws me that all I do is spend time on the Internet, and sign the occasional email petition, I find the current situation unbearable, scary, revolting, outrageous, and the list can go on & on. If anybody out there can find a use for a reasonably smart, reasonably computer literate “stray cat” to virtually adopt and put to some good use, please let me know. Or if somebody out there lives relatively close to me (I do agree with locals working with locals being potentially more effective), please let me know also. Have car, am willing to drive. I live in southern IL, relatively close to St. Louis.
DiAnne:
About the media thing. Yes, I agree, things are pretty bad out there. But not ALL bad. I am not sure that more radio stations or TV channels are necessarily the solution. How many times do you watch Fox, except for some uncanny desire to puke? It goes back to the same idea that Bob mentioned before, we listen, watch, pay attention to what reinforces what we already believe in. Rather than begging Soros to start an anti-Fox (which most likely will be bypassed by the ones we try to reach we way we ignore Fox), wouldn’t it be better to find ways to support what already exists and is good, or at least palatable? By the way, I wish I could listen sometime to Radio America (hope I have the name right), but the last time I checked it was not available around here.
Hope that made sense,
Posted by: Chazman | December 20, 2004 12:16 PM
Chuck,
It makes a lot of sense too me. The Repubs as usual are long on grabbing all they can for themselves and short on disclosing what the real costs are.
We need to confront them and change the debate to from an economic tax and deficit message to the real cost of their reckless policies. People will listen if they find out that their kids will die from polluted air; that they will have to work the rest of their lives. These are issues that will resonate with the public.
We should have one or two press conferences per week discussing how the Bush policies will hurt the public.
I think a lot of media outlets are waiting for Dem responses because confrontation sells.
Our part is to constantly bang all the media outlets and their advertisers we can with a message outlining the social and moral costs of Repug policies.
I keep on falling back to the definition of insanity is to keep doing the same thing over and over again expecting different results. We need to change our practices if we want a different outcome.
I have to run...
Today is dental appt day and time for a crown or two.
Mt dentist who is a long time personel friend has to do his Christmas shopping also (Grin).
"We should have one or two press conferences per week discussing how the Bush policies will hurt the public."
Great idea! Who .. and How?
"We should have one or two press conferences per week discussing how the Bush policies will hurt the public."
Great idea! Who .. and How?
Battlebob/DiAnne:
One idea I'd like to throw out is this. Few of us, I'd venture to say, are big shot leaders. For myself, I don't much believe in leaders. From what I've seen in my own lfe, a lot of leaders are just people with really good antennas for determining what will sell, and good organizational, or people, skills that allow them to build a team to amplify that signal. Really, they are not leaders, they are amplifiers of prejudice. I know of some exceptions in my business endeavors. In big politics, the only (successful -- which is a necessary condition if not sufficient) ones that come to mind are Lincoln, FDR, Ghandi, and Mandela. And Lincoln's the only one I am more or less sure of. So I don't worry about leaders. As for organizations (group writ large), the Democratic Party is about the only political institution in America today that I can more or less get behind. The alternative is a runaway GOP. What I can affect is my principles and values. That's what I am working on, and that's where I want to find improvement and consensus. If we had that, we could move an organization in the right direction. Once you have clearly enunciated principles and an organization, you will find a leader (or hire one from central casting).
Respectfully yours,
Chuck in Baku
test - post once please
test - post once please
DiAnne:
You cited Battlebob:
"We should have one or two press conferences per week discussing how the Bush policies will hurt the public."
and added:
"Great idea! Who .. and How?"
I guess what I am trying to say is that we ought to also be figuring out what we would stress if we had that thirty-second slot, then how if would be phrased, then how to promulgate (propogate?) it.
I agree with you guys that there seems to be a bit of a void out there in media land -- no voice seems to be pushing my buttons the right way (lots of buttons being pushed that make my ears pointey).
At the same time, are we sure we agree on the exact buttons or have we thought through the consequences of pushing certain buttons? And if we disagree on some buttons or on the likely consequences of pushing some, is there a common agenda/approach that would maximize our leverage?
As for my self, I don't have any answers yet. I am just trying to get to the right questions. On the bright side, we have until election season 2006 to get our act together regionally and until 2008 nationally.
Chuck in Baku
PS: Pounding away on free, fair, simple and transparent election procedures (regardless of outcomes) seems like a common-denominator no-brainer to me. Plus, reform of campaign finance and the inevitable discussion of media control follow on quite directly from that.
DiAnne:
Test post twice! Loose the mac! Sleep with the PC pod! Lakeview or Overlake or whatever whooped the Sunnyvale garage. Either that or it's the keyboard sticking -- this has been plaguing you for some time hasn't it?
(hope that came across as good-naturedly as it sounded when I typed it)
Chuck in Baku
Dear all:
Time to sign off from beautiful downtown Baku!
Thanks,
Chuck in Baku
Chuck in Baku still here as Symantec in it's ultimate wisdom decided that now is the best time for a big pus. Anyway, I left Martin Luther King of my tried and true leaders list. He's right up there with Lincoln for me.
Chuck in Baku -- stuck on an endless download of NAV definition updates that cruel experience here in Baku has taught that it's best to let them run their bandwidth-hogging course.
Oops! pus = "push." Sorry! Bad keyboard! (Or sticky fingers.)
Chuck in Baku
10,000 KB out of 27,000 downloaded and counting. Oh, Brother Peter (Norton), where would we be without your relatively inexpensive care! Bummer on dial up though.
Chuck in Baku.
PS: What the heck is a URL update anyway? What is Brother Peter in his infinite wisdom and compassion doing to my machine?
Oh well,, seeing as I am stuck here in download purgatory, condemned to peruse my prior posts, I might as well address another egregious typo. I posted:
"I left Martin Luther King of my tried and true leaders list."
I meant " I left Martin Luther King OFF my tried and true leaders list." Which is to say I do considered him to be that rare leader and somehow left him off my original list.
Pedantically yours,
Chuck in Baku
PS: 14,000KB out of 27,000 downloaded.
Media Follies 2004
http://www.workingforchange.com/article.cfm?itemid=18264
that won't make you go insane....
Andree,
Thanks for posting my homeboy, Geov Parrish!
That's so ironic - I was just reading about Paul Smith Christmas trees in le Pompidou!
Anyway, here's Ted Kennedy:
Here are the latest clips from Senator Kennedy and the Committee for a Democratic Majority. This will be the last Inside Scoop of 2004. Thanks for staying engaged and see you next year!
* If you're ready to do more, tell five friends about The Inside Scoop.
"Slain Soldier's Father Keeps Promise on Push for Armor in Iraq," Bloomberg.com, 12/20/04.
Seven days before he was shot to death in an unarmored Humvee in Iraq, Private First Class John Hart, 20, of the 173rd Airborne Brigade called his father to ask him to help get more protective equipment to U.S. troops.
"Can Americans Trust Their Medicine," USA TODAY, 12/20/04.
For Susan Ferris, the drug Celebrex has been "a godsend." The 48-year-old South Florida woman has been taking it for her arthritis pain since 2001. She can't tolerate older remedies, such as aspirin or ibuprofen. Since Friday's announcement that Celebrex might be linked to heart attacks and strokes, though, she's not sure what to think.
"Pfizer Defends Painkiller Despite Federal Warning," The Los Angeles Times, 12/20/04.
The head of the pharmaceutical company that produces the controversial arthritis painkiller Celebrex argued Sunday that the drug still had an important role to play in medical treatment despite a federal warning that its use could promote heart attacks.
"White House Defends FDA as Drug Safety Debate Looms," The Washington Post, 12/20/04.
The Bush administration and some of its critics squared off yesterday over whether the Food and Drug Administration is doing an adequate job overseeing drug safety, and whether the agency needs major reforms.
Chuck in Baku
What are you smoking over there? LOL
Mac forever! I am trying to push "preview," then "post" then take a deep breath, close my eyes & hope it doesn't post twice!
Great idea! Who .. and How?
Posted by: DiAnne | December 20, 2004 12:45 PM
The first three that come to mind are Pelosi, Reid and Toemers.
A policy speech by Dems will draw attention at first and if they are really good (state a position contrary to Repubs) will be repeated.
But the actual best ones are Dean, Gore and Kerry as they can articulate the necessary direction and will get the airtime they deserve.
Our job is too relentlessly pound the media to force air time.
BTW... good news in Phoenix...
Moyers had Charles Goyette on his show this last week..
His station is KXXT (1010 am) and is the Phoenix link for AirAmerica.
Franken was on the show via satellite link from Iraq and he has some choice words for Rumsfeld from the troops.
DiAnne,
Your last post was a single entry
Chuck in Baku for Andree-France:
As per my above, still downloading. Just wanted to say my wife and daughter and I went to Paris on vacation this summer. We loved it. It is a very well run city. The subway is excellent. The play structure at Gardin de Louxembourg (sp?) is the best I've ever seen. I like the pyramid at the Louvre -- I don't think it jars at all. We came in on the bullet train from Koln via Franfurt -- great system -- with the bonus of getting to see the cathedral at Koln during the layover. Beautiful. And the plaque on the wall for the the gefallen in WWI in the cathedral, which I saw by chance, not design. Then at Carre Nord (sp?) the big plaque on the street for the fallen from that region (arondissement or something?) in WWI, which likewise I caught out of the corner of my eye. Chilling symmetry. On they way back we went to Luxembourg City. I rented a car and drove through Bastogne (my mom's cousin was in the 10th Armored there about this time fifty years ago).
Oh well -- Liberte, Egalite, Fraternite! (Sp?). Have patience with us. You all are on your fifth (if memory serves) republic; we're on our first. Stubbornness may be our greatest virtue and vice.
Happy Holidays!
Chuck in Baku
DiAnne:
It's not so much the smoking as the drinking.... But, never koolaid! Well, my NAV update looks to have finally abut finished so I'll probably head out to the balcony for a smke (nicotine) an hit the hay. By the way, on the leadership thing, I didn't mean to slight leaders. They have drive and armor that I don't and therefore, as long as their hearts are in the right place, I don't criticize them much. What I meant was that I don't believe that charistmatic leadership is what we are lacking. A cohesive organization built around a cohesive message built around cohesive principles based on good values is what we are lacking. And I don't even think they are lacking -- they just need to be brought out and honed. It wouldn't hurt to have a leader, but we can't just sit around waiting for a man (or Jean d'Arc) to ride up on a white horse.
My two bits anyhow.
Chuck in Baku, re-booting as per Brother Peter's imperative.
Chuck,
Not bad about names and places. I understood it all.
Yes, we are with our fifth Republic because we decided it had to keep the pace of time, otherwise we would still be voting as if in the 18th century, or early 19th.
That's the time we stopped making revolutions (speaking our minds!). De Gaulle turned us once and for good in modernity, after being the only voice of the underground army in the dark for years.... through a single channel : London BBC....
Aren't you freezing over there?
Good heavens .. new headline in the Guardian
Bush Defends Rumsfeld As 'A Caring Fellow'
(I'll spare you the rest)
-------------
Chuck in Baku
I think I'm spending New Year's Eve in Portland.
I hope I am not making you homesick.
------------=
BattleBob
"Our job is to relentlessly pound the media to force air time."
Bravo! It worked (to some extent) with Sinclair. Now I have something to work on. I'm interested on three fronts:
1) media reform (difficult - get rid of Powell,
decrease power of the FCC, decrease size/
monopoly/corporate control
2) media pressure - as consumers, let them know
we don't all buy into the Bush agenda. We
need a fast & efficient channel for getting
people to do this.
3) media alternatives - this is the area where
I personally am going to be focussing. I am
researching grassroots things citizens are
doing & will organize this more as I go along
but I am looking for credible, reputable
projects with potential that are solid both
theoretically & functionally.
Thanks for helping me focus! Many are developing messages. I think we need to think about 3 M's - media, message & motivation.
Media - how to get access
Message - how to be clear
Motivation - how to get active/get action
Motivation:
The following occurs to me - US policy has been hurting others (& in some cases helping, yes) across the globe for a long time. Finally it has began to affect us here more at home (blowback, ducks coming back to roost, outsourcing, budget cuts due to wars, rich getting richer due to wars, deficit spending due to wars & bad trade policy).
Now that people are feeling it here at home - in their policies & maybe even in their hearts, they may help. Too few did it before when things were good here (but not necessarily elsewhere), out of pure conscience.
Chuck,
I used to work for a French computer company and spend eight years banging around France and Italy. Most of my time was spent in the Loire Valley (Tours and Orleans). I was actually going to retire in Orleans. Both my parents come from huge families and were very active in all WWII fronts. Two were in the 101st and were in Bastogne during the Bulge. I escorted both of them and their families during the 1984 and 1994 festivities. Both are gone now so we didn’t go this year. We had business all over France, which allowed me to enjoy the whole country. On my longer trips, the locals insisted that I not only bring my wife, they would pay her expenses as if she were an employee. Even though I left the company years ago, we still communicate with a lot of former coworkers and still friends. I get a lot of crap about the rude French. It never happened on my watch. I just tell them that Europeans being a much more mature society have extremely accurate a**hole sensors. That generally shuts them up. I never had a bad day there.
What is interesting is many initially supported Bush’s position to invade Iraq. The news came out about the bogus WMD reports long before here and they all switched to being anti-Bush. They are embarrassed about France’s role in the oil-for-food program and want the guilty punished. They also want the guilty in this country punished. Fat chance of that happening. Does anybody think Bush is going to bust his oil buddies?
I meant to say "feeling it in their pocketbooks" not "policies"
I meant to say "feeling it in their pocketbooks" not "policies"
Organizing from the ground up means just that, from the ground up. Top down, shrouded organization isn't transparent, isn't innovative, isn't inclusive and it isn't grassroots. An organization created in secrecy makes all of its members Village Idiots.
"We must be the change we want to see in the world."
~~Mahatma Gandhi
kj,
Top down is the Roveian model and it worked for them. Their idea is someone has to ultimately be in charge of money, message and people. They needed to squelsh debate to be sucessful. I never understood how the people on the ground are enthusiastic if they have no input into the process?
Battlebob,
We had the opportunity to watch some neocons invited on programs during the elections and getting screwed up in the most delicate but murderous way.
They are not used to it, and loose their composure instantly.
It looks like a poionous sentence by Napoleon firing Prince de Talleyrand (Minister of Police and Justice)
"Monsieur, vous êtes de la merde dans un bas de soie"
(Sir, you are just sh*t in a silk sock)
Is Rove something else?
Diane and others,
Any message must be personalized. When Kerry and Gore did that, they were very good. When the discussion moved into bill something or other, the message died.
We must relate everything to social, moral and economic results. People will buy into the idea if they are shown how they and their kids are affected. Also, show how the Repugs hurt people and their families.
We seize the moral message from the Repugs and smack them with it every chance we get. We can do that with every subject.
Al Franken said he opens his act in Iraq wearing a metal garbage can lid with the punch line being this is the protection Rumsfeld said he would have. The troops eat it up. Rumsfeld is vulnerable and we must bang him like a drum.
The seam between rich and poor Repugs must be exploited. The poorer Repugs are hurt by the Rich Repubs as they have little in common.