By: Harry Waisbren
This last week I attended three conferences sponsored by Campus Progress at their national headquarters in Washington DC. This included a grassroots training day, the Campus Progress National conference, and the National Youth Journalism conference cosponsored with the Nation. I will be providing added analysis to all three in posts of their own soon enough, but despite how phenomenal I found all the conferences to have been, I believe that I benefited even more from the networking ability these conferences provided me.
Specifically, I was able to present my proposal for integrating Mad Progress dramatically more with a variety of projects from the Center for American Progress. Campus Progress is one such project, as it is the student arm of CAP, and I have been so impressed by the work that they do that it not only inspired me to start my own chapter of Campus Progress but also to take a semester off school to intern for them (which turned out to be one of the best decisions of my life).
We will be discussing my plans to work increasingly more with Campus Progress and CAP alike on the latest editition of Forward Forum coming tonight, and below I am pasting excerpts from the proposal I presented to a variety of colleagues regarding this project:
Project Description
Mad Progress is a blog that is designed to act as the virtual headquarters for campus activists. The blog will provide both an analysis of pressing political issues as well as the ways activists can take part in the campaigns designed to solve them. This will be accomplished by utilizing a variety of mediums (including print, radio, and film) to properly cover and create this work, all of which will be centralized on the Mad Progress blog. This process will enable progressive academics to directly strategize with activists in regards to what sort of activism would be most appropriate. Furthermore, media produced in this project will be designed to be of the greatest possible use to the progressive blogosphere, as many of these blogs provide a wide enough viewer base to achieve a vastly increased audience and general effect for the activism. Madison’s chapter of Campus Progress is dedicated to crafting such newsworthy and educational media for the blogosphere and is currently in the process of creating a sustainable infrastructure to produce video, audio, and print content for this project.
Call for Collaboration
The Center for American Progress has many ties to the blogosphere which, if utilized for this project, could enable campus activists to directly strategize with prominent bloggers regarding the content that would be most beneficial to be produced. Furthermore, there is any number of CAP employees who could provide great assistance in crafting and creating such content by being guests in any of the mediums at Madison’s chapter of Campus Progress’ disposal. This would also entail the added benefit of further publicizing their work to a progressive niche audience as well. Collaboration regarding how such material can best be created and spread would not only be appreciated, but mutually beneficial as well.
Sunday, July 13, 2008
July 13th Edition of Forward Forum
By: John Quinlan
Please join me, my co-host Harry Waisbren and producer Stephanie Woods for this week's Forward Forum, 7 pm Sunday on WTDY 1670 AM and streaming live and podcasting at www.wtdy.com.
On the Sunday evening, July 13th Forward Forum:
* A Dynamic Panel of Riders from the ACT 6 Wisconsin AIDS Ride (see http://www.actride.org/ for information on how you can lend your support). From Aug. 7-10, hundreds of dedicated volunteers will be riding and providing crew support to raise hundreds of thousands of dollars to support prevention and treatment programs locally. It takes months of training--and the motivation for riding is often intensely personal--as you'll hear tonight from an group of this year's riders. Please be generous in your support of those who ride--and be there to cheer them on as each crosses the finish line during the highly inspiring closing ceremonies on Saturday, August, the 10th.
* Co-host Harry Waisbren continues his reports on the fusion between national movements for social change and UW-Madison activism. Harry is just back from a week in Washington, DC, where he attended the "Campus Progress" conference, and he's got some incredible stories to tell about the student-led aspect of the larger movement for change sweeping through our country.
* As always, a potpourri of upcoming local events, and thought-provoking discussions drawn from the week's headlines, including your chance to tell us about the events and issues that matter to you.
"Forward Forum" airs Sunday evenings from 7-9 pm on WTDY, 1670 AM, and streams live and podcasts at www.wtdy.com. Join in the pre and post-show dialogue on our blog at http://madprogress.com/. Show website: www.forwardforum.net . Please join in our discussion by calling 321-1670, or toll free *123 for US Cellular users, and 1-877-867-1670 toll free, if calling from further afield.
Please join me, my co-host Harry Waisbren and producer Stephanie Woods for this week's Forward Forum, 7 pm Sunday on WTDY 1670 AM and streaming live and podcasting at www.wtdy.com.
On the Sunday evening, July 13th Forward Forum:
* A Dynamic Panel of Riders from the ACT 6 Wisconsin AIDS Ride (see http://www.actride.org/ for information on how you can lend your support). From Aug. 7-10, hundreds of dedicated volunteers will be riding and providing crew support to raise hundreds of thousands of dollars to support prevention and treatment programs locally. It takes months of training--and the motivation for riding is often intensely personal--as you'll hear tonight from an group of this year's riders. Please be generous in your support of those who ride--and be there to cheer them on as each crosses the finish line during the highly inspiring closing ceremonies on Saturday, August, the 10th.
* Co-host Harry Waisbren continues his reports on the fusion between national movements for social change and UW-Madison activism. Harry is just back from a week in Washington, DC, where he attended the "Campus Progress" conference, and he's got some incredible stories to tell about the student-led aspect of the larger movement for change sweeping through our country.
* As always, a potpourri of upcoming local events, and thought-provoking discussions drawn from the week's headlines, including your chance to tell us about the events and issues that matter to you.
"Forward Forum" airs Sunday evenings from 7-9 pm on WTDY, 1670 AM, and streams live and podcasts at www.wtdy.com. Join in the pre and post-show dialogue on our blog at http://madprogress.com/. Show website: www.forwardforum.net . Please join in our discussion by calling 321-1670, or toll free *123 for US Cellular users, and 1-877-867-1670 toll free, if calling from further afield.
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
Campaign Alert: Health Care for America Now!
By: Harry Waisbren
I am happy to announce that Mad Progress will be participating in the newly launched Health Care for American Now! campaign. This is a national grassroots effort aiming to organize millions of Americans to win a guarantee of quality, affordable health care for all.
We're offering a bold new solution that gives you real choice and a guarantee of quality coverage you can afford: keep your current private insurance plan, pick a new private insurance plan, or join a public health insurance plan.
We're also calling for regulation on health insurance companies. We need to set and enforce rules that quash health insurance companies' greed once and for all.There is a huge divide between our plan and the insurance companies' plan for healthcare reform. We want to make sure you have the quality coverage you need at the price you can afford. They want to leave you alone to fend for yourself in the unregulated, bureaucratic health insurance market.
Our plan is affordable for people and business. Their plan is profitable for them. With no regulation, health insurance companies can and will charge whatever they want, set high deductibles, and continue to drop coverage when you get sick.
They have put together a very impressive coalition including over one hundred organizations. This includes the Center for American Progress, the parent organization of Campus Progress. If it was not encouraging enough for me to see my favorite think tank's involvement, Mike Lux put it over the top by reporting that this campaign will have a very netroots centered strategy:
HCAN's strategy will put the netroots at the center of its strategy, turning to us for feedback, fresh ideas and involvement. The netroots will be integral in promoting ideas and also opening up comment threads for discussions related to the health care debate.
Mad Progress will be helping out this campaign as much as we can, and we hope all of you can pitch in as well! Click this link to to alert the campaign that you are on the side of affordable health care, and check out their new advertisement below:
Sunday, July 6, 2008
Obama Fisa Conversation Continues
By: Harry Waisbren
Help Obama Get FISA Right
This last Thursday, I blogged about the open letter sent to Obama from the 15,000+ person my.BarackObama.com group"Senator Obama – Please Vote NO on Telecom Immunity – Get FISA Right", and that group has now swelled to over 20,000. Since then, Barack Obama has responded directly to this letter, however, his argument regarding his rationale for not doing more to stop this atrocity to the rule of law was quite underwhelming.
Due to this state of affairs, the Get Fisa Right effort has crafted another open letter to the Democratic nominee for president, which I am reposting below:
An Open Letter to Senator Obama
From the 20,000+ members of the my.BarackObama.com group
"Senator Obama – Please Vote NO on Telecom Immunity – Get FISA Right"
Dear Senator Obama,
Thank you for taking the time to respond to us with your post “My Position On FISA” dated July 3rd, 2008. In your response, you pledged to "listen to [our] concerns, take them seriously, and seek to earn [our] ongoing support," and in that spirit, we would like to continue this conversation. We ask that you help transfer our passion and political activism into getting the FISA bill right -- now.
Senator, as a legal scholar who has done extensive study of our country's constitution you know that the FISA re-authorization bill currently before the Senate (HR 6304) threatens the rights guaranteed to American citizens in the Constitution, especially the Fourth Amendment.
One of the most troubling parts of this bill is its provision to provide retroactive immunity from civil lawsuits for telecommunications companies that may have assisted the Bush administration in violating the civil rights of Americans. You wrote in your statement that you “support striking Title II," which provides this immunity, "from the bill, and will work with Chris Dodd, Jeff Bingaman and others in an effort to remove this provision in the Senate.”
We ask that you back up your words with action by addressing your constituents on the floor of the Senate with the same oratorical power you used in Philadelphia to lay out your vision of a 'More Perfect Union.' The American people have just as much right to know of the dangerous precedent this Congress would be setting by granting retroactive immunity to those who "may have violated the law" and allowing spying on law-abiding citizens as we did to relearn of segregation and Jim Crow. The arm of government oppression reaches far and wide, Senator, and we must beat it back on whatever front we find it.
We ask you to reconsider your current position on the bill as a whole and strongly oppose a bill about which you said, "I know that the FISA bill that passed the House is far from perfect. I wouldn't have drafted the legislation like this, and it does not resolve all of the concerns that we have about President Bush's abuse of executive power." In your statement you also wrote, “In a dangerous world, government must have the authority to collect the intelligence we need to protect the American people. But in a free society, that authority cannot be unlimited." We agree. Our nation just spent the holiday weekend in celebration of our independence from unlimited government authority. America in 1776 wished to be strong and free. Much has changed in 232 years but Americans will never consciously abandon freedom.
Senator, while you wrote that not passing this bill would result in the government “losing important surveillance tools," these important surveillance tools are in fact blanket surveillance programs already underway solely due to the passage of the Protect America Act, which you rightly opposed and voted against. This is only one example of how, even without the provisions for retroactive immunity, this bill is still dangerous to the civil liberties of American citizens.
As we understand it Senator, your oath to uphold the Constitution requires you and others in the Congress to vote against HR 6304.
We appreciate your willingness to continue the discussion. We represent a large and vocal part of the movement you have nurtured and that has nurtured you during this campaign season, and include many of your most active and ardent supporters. As you have said time and again Senator, "we are the ones we have been waiting for," and we are here, working to bring about real change in Washington. We have grown to over 20,000 strong in the space of just a few days. We are lobbying our representatives, and working to get our friends, relatives and neighbors to do the same. We are organizing support for removing the immunity provisions for telecommunications companies and building opposition to this dangerous bill in its entirety.
Working together, we have a better chance to assist Senators Dodd and Bingaman, and can achieve what your commitment to us, your supporters, has been before your recent change in position. Together, we can protect our civil rights and continue to keep America safe. Please join us and let's work together to Get FISA Right.
______________________
This post ends with a call to join this effort, and if you so desire, please call your Senator, join the group on myBO and Facebook, and help get the word out. Remember: citizenship is something you do!
Help Obama Get FISA Right
This last Thursday, I blogged about the open letter sent to Obama from the 15,000+ person my.BarackObama.com group"Senator Obama – Please Vote NO on Telecom Immunity – Get FISA Right", and that group has now swelled to over 20,000. Since then, Barack Obama has responded directly to this letter, however, his argument regarding his rationale for not doing more to stop this atrocity to the rule of law was quite underwhelming.
Due to this state of affairs, the Get Fisa Right effort has crafted another open letter to the Democratic nominee for president, which I am reposting below:
An Open Letter to Senator Obama
From the 20,000+ members of the my.BarackObama.com group
"Senator Obama – Please Vote NO on Telecom Immunity – Get FISA Right"
Dear Senator Obama,
Thank you for taking the time to respond to us with your post “My Position On FISA” dated July 3rd, 2008. In your response, you pledged to "listen to [our] concerns, take them seriously, and seek to earn [our] ongoing support," and in that spirit, we would like to continue this conversation. We ask that you help transfer our passion and political activism into getting the FISA bill right -- now.
Senator, as a legal scholar who has done extensive study of our country's constitution you know that the FISA re-authorization bill currently before the Senate (HR 6304) threatens the rights guaranteed to American citizens in the Constitution, especially the Fourth Amendment.
One of the most troubling parts of this bill is its provision to provide retroactive immunity from civil lawsuits for telecommunications companies that may have assisted the Bush administration in violating the civil rights of Americans. You wrote in your statement that you “support striking Title II," which provides this immunity, "from the bill, and will work with Chris Dodd, Jeff Bingaman and others in an effort to remove this provision in the Senate.”
We ask that you back up your words with action by addressing your constituents on the floor of the Senate with the same oratorical power you used in Philadelphia to lay out your vision of a 'More Perfect Union.' The American people have just as much right to know of the dangerous precedent this Congress would be setting by granting retroactive immunity to those who "may have violated the law" and allowing spying on law-abiding citizens as we did to relearn of segregation and Jim Crow. The arm of government oppression reaches far and wide, Senator, and we must beat it back on whatever front we find it.
We ask you to reconsider your current position on the bill as a whole and strongly oppose a bill about which you said, "I know that the FISA bill that passed the House is far from perfect. I wouldn't have drafted the legislation like this, and it does not resolve all of the concerns that we have about President Bush's abuse of executive power." In your statement you also wrote, “In a dangerous world, government must have the authority to collect the intelligence we need to protect the American people. But in a free society, that authority cannot be unlimited." We agree. Our nation just spent the holiday weekend in celebration of our independence from unlimited government authority. America in 1776 wished to be strong and free. Much has changed in 232 years but Americans will never consciously abandon freedom.
Senator, while you wrote that not passing this bill would result in the government “losing important surveillance tools," these important surveillance tools are in fact blanket surveillance programs already underway solely due to the passage of the Protect America Act, which you rightly opposed and voted against. This is only one example of how, even without the provisions for retroactive immunity, this bill is still dangerous to the civil liberties of American citizens.
As we understand it Senator, your oath to uphold the Constitution requires you and others in the Congress to vote against HR 6304.
We appreciate your willingness to continue the discussion. We represent a large and vocal part of the movement you have nurtured and that has nurtured you during this campaign season, and include many of your most active and ardent supporters. As you have said time and again Senator, "we are the ones we have been waiting for," and we are here, working to bring about real change in Washington. We have grown to over 20,000 strong in the space of just a few days. We are lobbying our representatives, and working to get our friends, relatives and neighbors to do the same. We are organizing support for removing the immunity provisions for telecommunications companies and building opposition to this dangerous bill in its entirety.
Working together, we have a better chance to assist Senators Dodd and Bingaman, and can achieve what your commitment to us, your supporters, has been before your recent change in position. Together, we can protect our civil rights and continue to keep America safe. Please join us and let's work together to Get FISA Right.
______________________
This post ends with a call to join this effort, and if you so desire, please call your Senator, join the group on myBO and Facebook, and help get the word out. Remember: citizenship is something you do!
Moveon Rally for an Oil Free President
By: Barbara Wright
Our July Action Event is set: On Wednesday, July 9, from 5-6pm we will hold a “Rally for an Oil Free President” with other MoveOn members. The location is to be 735 E Washington Ave. We will meet at the designated location during the rush hour, 5pm. We will be waiving signs with the high prices at the gas station as our backdrop. We will also have educational flyers to hand out to pedestrians and passing cars. Hundreds of MoveOn chapters across the country will hold similar rallies. We are not targeting the gas stations or their owners themselves, but our location at gas stations will highlight the problem, and hopefully draw attention with great visuals. That’s where You come in! Please come and help us get this important word out.
McCain has ties to Big Oil, and the American people know it. We want to communicate our displeasure with the Failed Energy policies of the past that John McCain keeps rolling out and show our support for Barack Obama and his view of an Energy independent America that emphasizes renewable resources. MoveOn members held similar rallies in the summer of 2006 for an ‘Oil-Free Congress,’ and they went great. So we can feel confident that this event will be one that both members and those driving by will respond to. Register for this event at: http://political.moveon.org/event/oilfreepresident/48239
Why are we doing this? For the last 8 years we've had an oil-funded president. Gas prices have risen to all-time highs, little is being done to curb global warming, and the Oil Industry is making record profits. Now Big Oil has a new candidate for president: their friend John McCain. McCain has taken over $1 million from the oil and gas industry. He has 20 former oil lobbyists running his campaign -- and now he's returning the favor by pushing for coastal oil drilling that will line the pockets of Big Oil and do nothing to help us with high gas prices. We simply can't count on McCain to fix our energy crisis, and we can’t count on the mainstream media to get the message across. So on July 9th, we'll tell the local and national media: the American people need an Oil-Free President -- and that is NOT John McCain. Can you spend an hour next Wednesday educating Madison commuters about the differences between the McCain and Obama energy policies?
For more information call Barbara at 256-8804. We hope to see you there!!!
Our July Action Event is set: On Wednesday, July 9, from 5-6pm we will hold a “Rally for an Oil Free President” with other MoveOn members. The location is to be 735 E Washington Ave. We will meet at the designated location during the rush hour, 5pm. We will be waiving signs with the high prices at the gas station as our backdrop. We will also have educational flyers to hand out to pedestrians and passing cars. Hundreds of MoveOn chapters across the country will hold similar rallies. We are not targeting the gas stations or their owners themselves, but our location at gas stations will highlight the problem, and hopefully draw attention with great visuals. That’s where You come in! Please come and help us get this important word out.
McCain has ties to Big Oil, and the American people know it. We want to communicate our displeasure with the Failed Energy policies of the past that John McCain keeps rolling out and show our support for Barack Obama and his view of an Energy independent America that emphasizes renewable resources. MoveOn members held similar rallies in the summer of 2006 for an ‘Oil-Free Congress,’ and they went great. So we can feel confident that this event will be one that both members and those driving by will respond to. Register for this event at: http://political.moveon.org/event/oilfreepresident/48239
Why are we doing this? For the last 8 years we've had an oil-funded president. Gas prices have risen to all-time highs, little is being done to curb global warming, and the Oil Industry is making record profits. Now Big Oil has a new candidate for president: their friend John McCain. McCain has taken over $1 million from the oil and gas industry. He has 20 former oil lobbyists running his campaign -- and now he's returning the favor by pushing for coastal oil drilling that will line the pockets of Big Oil and do nothing to help us with high gas prices. We simply can't count on McCain to fix our energy crisis, and we can’t count on the mainstream media to get the message across. So on July 9th, we'll tell the local and national media: the American people need an Oil-Free President -- and that is NOT John McCain. Can you spend an hour next Wednesday educating Madison commuters about the differences between the McCain and Obama energy policies?
For more information call Barbara at 256-8804. We hope to see you there!!!
Thursday, July 3, 2008
Open Letter to Obama on FISA
By: Harry Waisbren
Below is an open letter to Senator Obama from the 15,000+ (and rapidly growing) members of the my.BarackObama.com group"Senator Obama – Please Vote NO on Telecom Immunity – Get FISA Right"
They have asked for anyone to see this to REPOST WIDELY with the recommended tags being fisa, Obama, myBO, getfisaright. Once you do, they are asking us to add the link to the open letter repostings page. This campaign has already achieved a remarkable amount of press attention, and its potential impact should not be understated.
Dear Senator Obama,
On October 24, 2007, your campaign spokesman said, "To be clear: Barack will support a filibuster of any bill that includes retroactive immunity for telecommunications companies."
On June 20, 2008 you said, of retroactive immunity, "I will work in the Senate to remove this provision so that we can seek full accountability for past offenses."
As the largest grass-roots group on your campaign website, my.BarackObama.com, and in the spirit of your open/responsive government campaign pledges, we wish to share our ideas for how we may work together to further the goal of eliminating retroactive immunity from the FISA legislation scheduled for debate in the Senate next week. Although this is only one of the problems we see with legislation allows the government to wiretap the communications of its citizenry without a warrant, it's the area we think we can help you the most.
First, Senator Obama, we ask that you make the same tools that we used to call undecided voters in Iowa and New Hampshire available for us to call our fellow citizens in West Virginia, Nebraska, Delaware, Florida and other states that have Senators committed to voting against the amendment that would strip telecom immunity. You have the tools and we have the people power. Together, we are confident we can bring Change; we can make the government listen to the people instead of the telecom lobbyists.
Second, Senator Obama, we ask that you attend the Senate debate and schedule floor time to speak about the violence done to the rule of law when Congress retroactively immunizes the illegal conduct of a special interest. We know you understand that justice should not be sold to the highest special interest bidder; we also know that you can persuade other Senators that are not so clear on the issue. Of course, if you do this, our committed members will surely capture the video of your inspiring oratory, load it to YouTube and spread your words to our friends and family far and wide. We trust in your ability to bring a new way of doing business to Washington and look forward to helping you make that Change a reality.
Senator Obama, the my.BarackObama.com caption reads, "I'm asking you to believe. Not just in my ability to bring about real change in Washington… I'm asking you to believe in yours." We're ready to put these words into practice.
Thank you.
The 15,000+ (and rapidly growing) members of"Senator Obama – Please Vote NO on Telecom Immunity – Get FISA Right"
This whole campaign defies precedent, and I plan on doing whatever I can to help out. If you want to help you out as well, you can utilize this phenomenal tool from Blue America. Click here if you want to find out more about this tool and the larger campaign as well.
Remember everyone: citizenship is something you do!
Below is an open letter to Senator Obama from the 15,000+ (and rapidly growing) members of the my.BarackObama.com group"Senator Obama – Please Vote NO on Telecom Immunity – Get FISA Right"
They have asked for anyone to see this to REPOST WIDELY with the recommended tags being fisa, Obama, myBO, getfisaright. Once you do, they are asking us to add the link to the open letter repostings page. This campaign has already achieved a remarkable amount of press attention, and its potential impact should not be understated.
Dear Senator Obama,
On October 24, 2007, your campaign spokesman said, "To be clear: Barack will support a filibuster of any bill that includes retroactive immunity for telecommunications companies."
On June 20, 2008 you said, of retroactive immunity, "I will work in the Senate to remove this provision so that we can seek full accountability for past offenses."
As the largest grass-roots group on your campaign website, my.BarackObama.com, and in the spirit of your open/responsive government campaign pledges, we wish to share our ideas for how we may work together to further the goal of eliminating retroactive immunity from the FISA legislation scheduled for debate in the Senate next week. Although this is only one of the problems we see with legislation allows the government to wiretap the communications of its citizenry without a warrant, it's the area we think we can help you the most.
First, Senator Obama, we ask that you make the same tools that we used to call undecided voters in Iowa and New Hampshire available for us to call our fellow citizens in West Virginia, Nebraska, Delaware, Florida and other states that have Senators committed to voting against the amendment that would strip telecom immunity. You have the tools and we have the people power. Together, we are confident we can bring Change; we can make the government listen to the people instead of the telecom lobbyists.
Second, Senator Obama, we ask that you attend the Senate debate and schedule floor time to speak about the violence done to the rule of law when Congress retroactively immunizes the illegal conduct of a special interest. We know you understand that justice should not be sold to the highest special interest bidder; we also know that you can persuade other Senators that are not so clear on the issue. Of course, if you do this, our committed members will surely capture the video of your inspiring oratory, load it to YouTube and spread your words to our friends and family far and wide. We trust in your ability to bring a new way of doing business to Washington and look forward to helping you make that Change a reality.
Senator Obama, the my.BarackObama.com caption reads, "I'm asking you to believe. Not just in my ability to bring about real change in Washington… I'm asking you to believe in yours." We're ready to put these words into practice.
Thank you.
The 15,000+ (and rapidly growing) members of"Senator Obama – Please Vote NO on Telecom Immunity – Get FISA Right"
This whole campaign defies precedent, and I plan on doing whatever I can to help out. If you want to help you out as well, you can utilize this phenomenal tool from Blue America. Click here if you want to find out more about this tool and the larger campaign as well.
Remember everyone: citizenship is something you do!
Wednesday, July 2, 2008
Blue America Innovates
By: Harry Waisbren
Blue America has come out with a new tool to help community organizing. This is especially timely given the national effort ongoing to prevent the Democratic party's capitulation on FISA (and by extension, the rule of law). Christy Hardin Smith explains how it works:
The 4th of July is coming up, and I can't think of a better way to celebrate our independence than by working to prevent the government from giving away our freedoms. If you are planning to attend a rally, consider joining the effort and ensure that our representatives know that our rights are not merely fodder to be given away for political points. Ben Masel is organizing a Wisconsin effort for this campaign, which you can check out here.
Blue America has come out with a new tool to help community organizing. This is especially timely given the national effort ongoing to prevent the Democratic party's capitulation on FISA (and by extension, the rule of law). Christy Hardin Smith explains how it works:
You can use it to coordinate a meeting with a Senator or Representative, and then publish a notice so that other folks can also get involved. Or track public appearances of elected officials in local venues. Or put together a planning meet-up to come up with ideas to educate the public on FISA-- like leafletting or showing up at parades with signs
...
We wanted to make it easier for everyone to take action in their own neighborhood. Especially since elected officials seem to want to avoid us doing just that. If you know of a public appearance you can tell others about or want to plan an action in your area, you just need to log into the Blue America tool, input the information and...voila! Along with the whip call tool we launched this morning, we hope this will make it easier for everyone to take immediate action on FISA -- and beyond.
The 4th of July is coming up, and I can't think of a better way to celebrate our independence than by working to prevent the government from giving away our freedoms. If you are planning to attend a rally, consider joining the effort and ensure that our representatives know that our rights are not merely fodder to be given away for political points. Ben Masel is organizing a Wisconsin effort for this campaign, which you can check out here.
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