June 21 Moveon Bake Sale
May 28 Moveon Bush-McCain Challenge
May 2nd Campus Progress True Cost of War rally
May 1st True Majority Responsible Plan delivery
April 24th Moveon Iraq and Recession report release
Thursday, May 8, 2008
True Cost of War Rally
By: Harry Waisbren
Campus Progress's first True Cost of War event went very well, with about 50 or so participants joining in despite the weather being horrid until a few hours before the event. Here's our flickr page with all of the pictures from the event, but I'll go through some of the highlights below:
Here is Mitra and myself with State Rep. Mark Pocan right before he made his speech discussing the difficulties state governments are having providing desperately needed services due to the war---
Here is the front of our march emphasizing how much Madison has already spent on the war. Deeper in we had signs discussing how Madison may have spent our share of the Iraq war funding on education, health care, and the environment---
Campus Progress's first True Cost of War event went very well, with about 50 or so participants joining in despite the weather being horrid until a few hours before the event. Here's our flickr page with all of the pictures from the event, but I'll go through some of the highlights below:
Here is Mitra and myself with State Rep. Mark Pocan right before he made his speech discussing the difficulties state governments are having providing desperately needed services due to the war---
Here is the front of our march emphasizing how much Madison has already spent on the war. Deeper in we had signs discussing how Madison may have spent our share of the Iraq war funding on education, health care, and the environment---
When we finished the march at the state capitol we met up with the man who most controls the allocation of our resources...you could almost call him the Decider---
Shortly thereafter, some of President Bush's best friends came to join the party. We had Vice President Cheney, Republican Presidential nominee McCain, and a bevy of corporate executives come thank him for his values over how he is spending our tax money...and then they stole more---
I really thought this event went well, especially since we looked at it as a test run for larger events we wish to have in the future. It was relieving to know that we have a functioning coalition able to pull this off, and the response we had from how we framed the issues couldn't have been better. People need to understand how devastating the war has been to our day to day lives, and we hope our dramatic interpretations over this dynamic will help solidify this in the minds of our fellow citizens.
Thursday, May 1, 2008
Responsible Plan delivery
by: Harry Waisbren
Below is a picture of me delivering a copy of the Responsible Plan to End the War in Iraq to Rep. Tammy Baldwin's (D-WI) office as part of a campaign by True Majority. Sadly, I was unable to speak to her as she was in Washington, but I was able to give a copy to her District Director, Curt Finkelmeyer.
Finkelmeyer seemed genuinely interested in the plan and noted that Baldwin has already endorsed plan supporter Jared Polis. He promised to relay a copy to the congresswoman, and I certainly hope he can as it'd be great to have another true progressive like her on board.
Advocating this plan is one of the two goals for the Madison chapter of Campus Progress that I am helping to establish, and I plan on using Mad Progress to discuss it extensively in the future. Hopefully my writing will do this truly remarkable plan justice, and I plan on focusing much more of my attention on it following our True Cost of War kickoff event tomorrow.
Below is a picture of me delivering a copy of the Responsible Plan to End the War in Iraq to Rep. Tammy Baldwin's (D-WI) office as part of a campaign by True Majority. Sadly, I was unable to speak to her as she was in Washington, but I was able to give a copy to her District Director, Curt Finkelmeyer.
Finkelmeyer seemed genuinely interested in the plan and noted that Baldwin has already endorsed plan supporter Jared Polis. He promised to relay a copy to the congresswoman, and I certainly hope he can as it'd be great to have another true progressive like her on board.Advocating this plan is one of the two goals for the Madison chapter of Campus Progress that I am helping to establish, and I plan on using Mad Progress to discuss it extensively in the future. Hopefully my writing will do this truly remarkable plan justice, and I plan on focusing much more of my attention on it following our True Cost of War kickoff event tomorrow.
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
True Cost of War: May 2nd Rally
by: Harry Waisbren
As part of the Iraq/Recession Campaign, Madison's chapter of Campus Progress is presenting our True Cost of War Event this Friday, May 2nd. We will be addressing how the true cost of war can not be seen only in its cost, but it must be assessed in terms of the essential services our government is choosing not to provide us with our own tax dollars.
The event will be starting at UW Library Mall at 4:00 with live music by Adam Isaac and the People (2008 Madison Area Music Award nominee for Artist of the Year – Pop Band category)
From 4:30 – 5:00 State Rep. Mark Pocan will be speaking about how college students have been affected by the disparity of funding towards the war in Iraq and college scholarships, creating jobs at home, and providing the affordable health care so badly needed by young professionals and veterans alike.
From 5:00 – 5:30 we will parade to Capitol Square, State & Mifflin at Veterans Museum
From 5:30 – 6:00 Watch the show and see where your money goes with guest hosts Lee Rayburn & John Quinlan
Madison local taxpayers have paid $309.6 MILLION for the Iraq War and Wisconsin $8.3 BILLION state-wide since 2003. How do you think our government should have spent YOUR $309.6 million in taxes?
How would you vote?
238,255 Children receive Healthcare
199,601 Adults receive Healthcare
46,624 Children in Head Start Education
5,400 Elementary teachers added
46,028 College scholarships given
377,581 Homes with renewable electricity
6,930 Police/Firemen for Public Safety
Bring or pick up a Bush Buck at the Square and drop your ballot into the box where you would like to see your money go. Watch the show and see what our government is spending it on instead!
As part of the Iraq/Recession Campaign, Madison's chapter of Campus Progress is presenting our True Cost of War Event this Friday, May 2nd. We will be addressing how the true cost of war can not be seen only in its cost, but it must be assessed in terms of the essential services our government is choosing not to provide us with our own tax dollars.
The event will be starting at UW Library Mall at 4:00 with live music by Adam Isaac and the People (2008 Madison Area Music Award nominee for Artist of the Year – Pop Band category)
From 4:30 – 5:00 State Rep. Mark Pocan will be speaking about how college students have been affected by the disparity of funding towards the war in Iraq and college scholarships, creating jobs at home, and providing the affordable health care so badly needed by young professionals and veterans alike.
From 5:00 – 5:30 we will parade to Capitol Square, State & Mifflin at Veterans Museum
From 5:30 – 6:00 Watch the show and see where your money goes with guest hosts Lee Rayburn & John Quinlan
Madison local taxpayers have paid $309.6 MILLION for the Iraq War and Wisconsin $8.3 BILLION state-wide since 2003. How do you think our government should have spent YOUR $309.6 million in taxes?
How would you vote?
238,255 Children receive Healthcare
199,601 Adults receive Healthcare
46,624 Children in Head Start Education
5,400 Elementary teachers added
46,028 College scholarships given
377,581 Homes with renewable electricity
6,930 Police/Firemen for Public Safety
Bring or pick up a Bush Buck at the Square and drop your ballot into the box where you would like to see your money go. Watch the show and see what our government is spending it on instead!
Friday, April 25, 2008
MOVEON'S IRAQ & RECESSION REPORT RELEASE
by: Barbara Wright
This Thursday, April 24, 5pm, about 16 people from the MoveOn Operation Democracy council came out in the pouring rain to release a report by MoveOn on the War and the Recession outside Sen. Kohl’s Office.
Speaking of pouring, this report shows how the billions of dollars we are pouring into the Iraq war could better be used at home for our critical domestic issues like healthcare, childcare, education and college grants and low interest loans. The report shows that all over the country voters understand that the current recession is directly related to the spending on the Iraq war.
Just this week two of the biggest manufacturing companies in the Madison area, Sub-zero and Stoughten Trailer have announced massive lay-offs. The housing crisis and gas prices are factors but the out of control spending of our taxpayer dollars in Iraq, money that could be used here at home to provide healthcare and Headstart and low income loans to ease the strain companies and their employees feel, is gone to pay for this illegal war.
As seen in the report, the message of the people polled is clear: End the war and then end the recession. Let's have some real homeland security, secure jobs, secure communities and true economic security. Oh, no press showed up but homeland security watched us from across the street. We all waved like the friendly folks we are.
This Thursday, April 24, 5pm, about 16 people from the MoveOn Operation Democracy council came out in the pouring rain to release a report by MoveOn on the War and the Recession outside Sen. Kohl’s Office.
Speaking of pouring, this report shows how the billions of dollars we are pouring into the Iraq war could better be used at home for our critical domestic issues like healthcare, childcare, education and college grants and low interest loans. The report shows that all over the country voters understand that the current recession is directly related to the spending on the Iraq war.
Just this week two of the biggest manufacturing companies in the Madison area, Sub-zero and Stoughten Trailer have announced massive lay-offs. The housing crisis and gas prices are factors but the out of control spending of our taxpayer dollars in Iraq, money that could be used here at home to provide healthcare and Headstart and low income loans to ease the strain companies and their employees feel, is gone to pay for this illegal war.
As seen in the report, the message of the people polled is clear: End the war and then end the recession. Let's have some real homeland security, secure jobs, secure communities and true economic security. Oh, no press showed up but homeland security watched us from across the street. We all waved like the friendly folks we are.
April 27th Installment of Forward Forum
This week's primary focus is on issues of educational equity, and we'll be telling the inspiring tale of a Chicago inner city school where fifth grade students showed enormous creativity in improving educational conditions at their elementary school. Education programs based less on arbitrary testing requirements--and more on cultivating the full potential of our young people--on this week's Forward Forum.
We'll also be previewing this week's "True Cost of the Iraq War" event, upcoming on Friday, May 2nd, beginning at 4 pm on the UW-Madison's Library Mall. $ 309.6 MILLION is what Madison taxpayers have spent on the Iraq War since 2003, while Wisconsin taxpayers statewide have paid $ 8.3 BILLION. That money could have provided healthcare for 238,255 Children; added 5,400 Elementary teachers, provided 46,028 College scholarships; or added 6,930 City Police/Firemen. Among the principal organizers of this event is Forward Forum co-host Harry Waisbren; host John Quinlan will also be serving as an MC. For more info, go to our new blog at madprogress.blogspot.com , and click on "True Cost of War Iraq Events," and "What is the Iraq/Recession Campaign?" under "Blog Archive," at lower left.
Our guest at 7pm is Chicago-based educator, Brian Schultz, author of "Spectacular Things Happen Along the Way: Lessons from an Urban Classroom." (See http://store.tcpress.com/0807748579.shtml.) It's a moving tribute to what determined teachers can do to provide their students with real opportunities to use their innate creativity to improve the climate and other basic conditions of their educational environment. During the course of a remarkable year, Schultz's class of predominantly African-American fifth graders set off on a mission to repair and remedy the decay of their school, Carr Community Academy, which lies in the shadows of Chicago's distressed public housing complex, Cabrini Green. In the process, they successfully engaged with public officials at all levels of government, and made front page news in a series of articles originally appearing in the Chicago Tribune, and later, in various newsmedia nationwide.
While Schultz offered a framework for hope and creative action, the inspiring part of this story is how a remarkable group of pre-teenage young people stepped forward to meet these challenges, in a way that defies every negative stereotype out there about our nation's poor and minority youth. These young people were creative, resilient, strategic, and committed in ways that would put most adults to shame--constantly surprising their teacher and a growing group of supporters at every turn. Although their ultimate dream of building a new school was never realized, the sum total of small victories achieved along the way, and the life lessons each child took deep within them, had a value beyond measure.
Also joining us throughout the two hours is Forward Forum contributing editor Todd Price, who is a professor at National-Louis University in Chicago, and a graduate of the UW-Madison's doctoral program in curriculum and instruction. As he has periodically throughout the last two years, Todd will update us on recent developments in the fight to turn back the detrimental effects of the ironically-named "No Child Left Behind" legislation. Price and Schultz are colleagues.
Consumer Advocate Ralph Nader, one of many national and local figures the students contacted who later joined in collaboration with the students at Carr Academy, says it well: "Carr Community Academy is a crumbling elementary school in Chicago next to one of the larges and most perilous public housing projects--Cabrini Green. It also is the location of one of the most spectacular fifth-grade classes in the country."
Educational Equity Expert Jeannie Oakes of UCLA writes: "An amazing tale of incredible fifth-grade citizen activists that reveals what education in America's inner cities could and should be."
Author Jonathan Kozol writes: "Once I began reading, I couldn't put it down. The power here is in the details. It's a marvelous, important book and is badly needed at a moment when the values it upholds are under an unrelenting assault from forces of reactionary ignorance."
We are also still actively assembling a panel of educators, and are hoping to provide an update on the Madison-based African-American Pedagogy project, which has a goal of increasing achievement here for minority youth--in a city, county, and state that rank near the bottom in national rankings of graduation rates for minority students. We also hope to be joined by phone by Dr. Charles Waisbren, who will report on efforts to support an increase in minority student achievement in the Milwaukee schools. (Look for an update on this panel, later in the weekend, and on the Forward Forum website at www.forwardforum.net on the day of the show.)
Moving beyond testing--on a playing field that is far from level for all too many, identifying creative methods of making education accessible to all students, on this week's Forward Forum.
Please join in our conversation by calling 321-1670, *123 tollfree for US Cellular users, and 1-877-867-1670 toll free from outside the Madison area. Our show streams live online at www.wtdy.com . You can provide your feedback about this week's show on our new blog at madprogress.blogspot.com. Or contact John Quinlan with your ideas for future shows at 608-213-8409 or by writing to forwardforum@aol.com Show website: www.forwardforum.net .
We'll also be previewing this week's "True Cost of the Iraq War" event, upcoming on Friday, May 2nd, beginning at 4 pm on the UW-Madison's Library Mall. $ 309.6 MILLION is what Madison taxpayers have spent on the Iraq War since 2003, while Wisconsin taxpayers statewide have paid $ 8.3 BILLION. That money could have provided healthcare for 238,255 Children; added 5,400 Elementary teachers, provided 46,028 College scholarships; or added 6,930 City Police/Firemen. Among the principal organizers of this event is Forward Forum co-host Harry Waisbren; host John Quinlan will also be serving as an MC. For more info, go to our new blog at madprogress.blogspot.com , and click on "True Cost of War Iraq Events," and "What is the Iraq/Recession Campaign?" under "Blog Archive," at lower left.
Our guest at 7pm is Chicago-based educator, Brian Schultz, author of "Spectacular Things Happen Along the Way: Lessons from an Urban Classroom." (See http://store.tcpress.com/0807748579.shtml.) It's a moving tribute to what determined teachers can do to provide their students with real opportunities to use their innate creativity to improve the climate and other basic conditions of their educational environment. During the course of a remarkable year, Schultz's class of predominantly African-American fifth graders set off on a mission to repair and remedy the decay of their school, Carr Community Academy, which lies in the shadows of Chicago's distressed public housing complex, Cabrini Green. In the process, they successfully engaged with public officials at all levels of government, and made front page news in a series of articles originally appearing in the Chicago Tribune, and later, in various newsmedia nationwide.
While Schultz offered a framework for hope and creative action, the inspiring part of this story is how a remarkable group of pre-teenage young people stepped forward to meet these challenges, in a way that defies every negative stereotype out there about our nation's poor and minority youth. These young people were creative, resilient, strategic, and committed in ways that would put most adults to shame--constantly surprising their teacher and a growing group of supporters at every turn. Although their ultimate dream of building a new school was never realized, the sum total of small victories achieved along the way, and the life lessons each child took deep within them, had a value beyond measure.
Also joining us throughout the two hours is Forward Forum contributing editor Todd Price, who is a professor at National-Louis University in Chicago, and a graduate of the UW-Madison's doctoral program in curriculum and instruction. As he has periodically throughout the last two years, Todd will update us on recent developments in the fight to turn back the detrimental effects of the ironically-named "No Child Left Behind" legislation. Price and Schultz are colleagues.
Consumer Advocate Ralph Nader, one of many national and local figures the students contacted who later joined in collaboration with the students at Carr Academy, says it well: "Carr Community Academy is a crumbling elementary school in Chicago next to one of the larges and most perilous public housing projects--Cabrini Green. It also is the location of one of the most spectacular fifth-grade classes in the country."
Educational Equity Expert Jeannie Oakes of UCLA writes: "An amazing tale of incredible fifth-grade citizen activists that reveals what education in America's inner cities could and should be."
Author Jonathan Kozol writes: "Once I began reading, I couldn't put it down. The power here is in the details. It's a marvelous, important book and is badly needed at a moment when the values it upholds are under an unrelenting assault from forces of reactionary ignorance."
We are also still actively assembling a panel of educators, and are hoping to provide an update on the Madison-based African-American Pedagogy project, which has a goal of increasing achievement here for minority youth--in a city, county, and state that rank near the bottom in national rankings of graduation rates for minority students. We also hope to be joined by phone by Dr. Charles Waisbren, who will report on efforts to support an increase in minority student achievement in the Milwaukee schools. (Look for an update on this panel, later in the weekend, and on the Forward Forum website at www.forwardforum.net on the day of the show.)
Moving beyond testing--on a playing field that is far from level for all too many, identifying creative methods of making education accessible to all students, on this week's Forward Forum.
Please join in our conversation by calling 321-1670, *123 tollfree for US Cellular users, and 1-877-867-1670 toll free from outside the Madison area. Our show streams live online at www.wtdy.com . You can provide your feedback about this week's show on our new blog at madprogress.blogspot.com. Or contact John Quinlan with your ideas for future shows at 608-213-8409 or by writing to forwardforum@aol.com Show website: www.forwardforum.net .
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
What is the Iraq/Recession Campaign?
by: Harry Waisbren
From the beginning, my inspiration to work to establish a strong Campus Progress chapter at UW stemmed from my excitement over the Iraq/Recession campaign (the Responsible Plan to End the War in Iraq only came out afterwards). This campaign is a $15 million nationwide effort to end the war and refocus our priorities here at home, and it is designed to raise awareness of the domestic costs that have been neglected due to Bush and John McCain’s singular focus on Iraq. I am especially excited as I believe our Campus Progress chapter can make a major impact by helping spread this message into our mainstream political discourse.
The campaign is supported by both John and Elizabeth Edwards, who are joined by quite the impressive coalition. This includes progressive organizations like MoveOn, the Center for American Progress Action Fund , US Action, SEIU, VoteVets, and Americans United for Change.
Campus Progress is the student arm of the Center for American Progress, but we plan on helping out with as many Iraq/Recession initiatives as we can. This issue is just too important, as our media is currently ignoring the reality that many of the essential reforms our country desperately needs can not be embarked upon while we remain bogged down in Iraq. With a McCain administration or with a continuing occupation of Iraq, this will remain the case.
This is the true cost of war, and it has certainly had a major impact on the lives of college students. This is money that could be spent on such priorities as additional college scholarships, aiding students with student loans, providing affordable health care, and creating new jobs by seriously addressing climate change. Furthermore, far too many members of our generation have had their lives lost or ruined due to the gross negligence of this administration, betraying any reasonable definition for what "supporting the troops" could possibly entail. Supporting the troops means a lot more than refusing to deny them people to shoot at, and I believe Kurt Vonnegut summed it up best when he said:
71 percent of Americans already believe that the “U.S. spending in Iraq is a reason for the nation’s poor economy.” Americans are fed up with this country's direction, and it must be emphasized that John McCain will mean another Bush term. It means we will continue to waste blood and treasure with no return, and if it is explained to Americans in this fashion, we will find out that they already agree that they want their money better spent.
This country needs a change of priorities. Our values must return to a place where the suffering of American citizens takes precedence over Haliburton raking in Billions despite a recession, or Exxon Mobile ranking as the most profitable company for a fifth year straight. And while the national unemployment rate increases by 13.6 percent (in seasonally adjusted terms from 4.4 to 5.0 percent), the only jobs being created are for the administration’s defense contractor allies. This can be seen in Bush’s most recent budget, which is a windfall for contractors. This isn't a new development either, as between 2000 and 2005 procurement was the “fastest growing component of federal discretionary spending.” (Halliburton has been the biggest beneficiary of the administration’s generosity.)
College students do not need jobs as mercenaries---we need our friends in the military to come home. And they need to come home for themselves, as they will be facing the same economic realities as we are upon their return. We have a moral obligation to our soldiers, to our fellow citizens, and to ourselves to work to ensure that our country addresses this interconnected issue of misplaced priorities. We must address the causes of the war in Iraq, the causes for these misplaced priorities, and the causes of this immoral direction our country has taken all at once by empoying a Responsible Plan to End the War in Iraq.
From the beginning, my inspiration to work to establish a strong Campus Progress chapter at UW stemmed from my excitement over the Iraq/Recession campaign (the Responsible Plan to End the War in Iraq only came out afterwards). This campaign is a $15 million nationwide effort to end the war and refocus our priorities here at home, and it is designed to raise awareness of the domestic costs that have been neglected due to Bush and John McCain’s singular focus on Iraq. I am especially excited as I believe our Campus Progress chapter can make a major impact by helping spread this message into our mainstream political discourse.
The campaign is supported by both John and Elizabeth Edwards, who are joined by quite the impressive coalition. This includes progressive organizations like MoveOn, the Center for American Progress Action Fund , US Action, SEIU, VoteVets, and Americans United for Change.
Campus Progress is the student arm of the Center for American Progress, but we plan on helping out with as many Iraq/Recession initiatives as we can. This issue is just too important, as our media is currently ignoring the reality that many of the essential reforms our country desperately needs can not be embarked upon while we remain bogged down in Iraq. With a McCain administration or with a continuing occupation of Iraq, this will remain the case.
This is the true cost of war, and it has certainly had a major impact on the lives of college students. This is money that could be spent on such priorities as additional college scholarships, aiding students with student loans, providing affordable health care, and creating new jobs by seriously addressing climate change. Furthermore, far too many members of our generation have had their lives lost or ruined due to the gross negligence of this administration, betraying any reasonable definition for what "supporting the troops" could possibly entail. Supporting the troops means a lot more than refusing to deny them people to shoot at, and I believe Kurt Vonnegut summed it up best when he said:
By saying that our leaders are power drunk chimpanzees, am I in danger of wrecking the morale of our soldiers fighting and dying in the Middle East? Their morale, like so many lifeless bodies, is already shot to pieces. They are being treated as I never was, like toys a rich kid got for Christmas.This is an argument that needs to be taken to John McCain and all other Iraq war supporters as they will continue to waste our money and our soldiers' sacrifices indiscriminately if we do not. Our main target for this message is the media as, quite fortuantely, Americans are already on board.
71 percent of Americans already believe that the “U.S. spending in Iraq is a reason for the nation’s poor economy.” Americans are fed up with this country's direction, and it must be emphasized that John McCain will mean another Bush term. It means we will continue to waste blood and treasure with no return, and if it is explained to Americans in this fashion, we will find out that they already agree that they want their money better spent.
This country needs a change of priorities. Our values must return to a place where the suffering of American citizens takes precedence over Haliburton raking in Billions despite a recession, or Exxon Mobile ranking as the most profitable company for a fifth year straight. And while the national unemployment rate increases by 13.6 percent (in seasonally adjusted terms from 4.4 to 5.0 percent), the only jobs being created are for the administration’s defense contractor allies. This can be seen in Bush’s most recent budget, which is a windfall for contractors. This isn't a new development either, as between 2000 and 2005 procurement was the “fastest growing component of federal discretionary spending.” (Halliburton has been the biggest beneficiary of the administration’s generosity.)
College students do not need jobs as mercenaries---we need our friends in the military to come home. And they need to come home for themselves, as they will be facing the same economic realities as we are upon their return. We have a moral obligation to our soldiers, to our fellow citizens, and to ourselves to work to ensure that our country addresses this interconnected issue of misplaced priorities. We must address the causes of the war in Iraq, the causes for these misplaced priorities, and the causes of this immoral direction our country has taken all at once by empoying a Responsible Plan to End the War in Iraq.
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