Group email: 9/17/2007

Greetings!

Just a few things that have popped into my mailbox in the last week or so:

(1) From Dena Gould:

The Burbank Peace and Justice group is having a free screening of "In Debt We Trust" on Sunday, Sept 23 @ 1:30pm at McCambridge Park (Rec center room #4), 1515 N. Glenoaks Blvd, Burbank. Map/directions.

Emmy-winning journalist Danny Schechter (ABC News, CNN) investigates America's mounting debt crisis in this his latest hard-hitting expose. The film reveals the unknown cabal of credit card companies, lobbyists, media conglomerates and the Bush administration itself who have colluded to deregulate the lending industry ­ ensuring that a culture of credit dependency can flourish.

Film trailer here. For more info, contact Anamay at 818-842-5055 or email burbankpeace@sbcglobal.net

(2) From William Mitchell:

"... For me it's coming down to taking personhood away from corporations. Any suggestions?"

From my reply to William:

Well, this is something that I don't know much about. However, it is one of Thom Hartmann's (Air America host) pet issues. He frequently discusses it on the air and writes about it in his latest book Screwed, which I just finished reading and which I would recommend. Here's one of his earlier essays that touch on the topic: http://www.commondreams.org/views03/0101-07.htm

While laws regarding corporations are typically assigned at the state level, "personhood" rights were affirmed in this country through a series of U.S. Supreme Court decisions starting in the late 1800's. Here are some additional articles that deal with this specifically: http://www.pbs.org/now/politics/corprightsdebate.html http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juristic_person (Try a Google on: corporate rights supreme court for others.)

Obviously, aside from "personhood" rights, per se, which is not likely to be even considered by a relatively corporate/conservative federal court system for the forseeable future -- once the Supreme Court has spoken, it would literally take another Supreme Court decision to reverse -- there are plenty of opportunities to oppose rising corporate power at the local, state and federal levels.
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A follow-up today connecting goings-on at the DOJ and corporate shenanigans. http://thenexthurrah.typepad.com/.....

If you're interested in this and want to follow up with William, connect with him at "williammitc AT gmail.com" BTW, did you know that William is an actor, with multiple TV and screen credits? His personal promotion video is here: http://www.reels4artists.com/html/williamcmitchell.html

Anything else going on? Connect via email, 818-990-7685, or post a comment on this blog.

R

Group email: 9/5/2007

Greetings!

I hope everybody's doing well and cooling off some. Looks like we may actually stay at or below normal temperature over the next 7-10 days -- we shall see.

I'm not sure where all the time has gone -- though not fast enough for me when it was 107 in the shade -- but it's certainly time to follow up again with you.

First things first: Val announced at our original get-together her plan to start a Nonviolence Book Club. The club's first meeting is this coming Tueday, September 11th (that's appropriate), 7:00-9:00pm, at Val's house in Sherman Oaks (where we had the party), 4613 Norwich @Moorpark. Map. Val requests an RSVP if you're thinking about coming: 818-667-3240 or ilustre@sbcglobal.net. To download a flyer, click here.

From my previous email I didn't get more than a small handful of comments, but I shouldn't try to read too much into that. I'm sure we're all still doing our thing. If we can further leverage our contact into educating and motivating each other regarding our own pet projects and ideas, then we'll collectively have made that much more of a difference. This may come about by working in small groups or large groups, but through our contact we have that capability to go beyond the self.

What I want to do here is recap project ideas that were already suggested and also fill in some additional info.

Logistics: I've set up a blog where I've posted our group emails and also provided links to a range of supporting information, such as related documents, organizations, etc. The beauty of having this all on a blog (or web site) is that all the info is neatly stored in one central location, so that you don't have to go searching for those "lost" emails. On the blog, you also can add comments, which then automatically become part of that central information base.

Here's an idea: Finish this email by reading the version that's posted on the blog. Click here. (Go ahead, be daring.) The address for the blog is http://91403.blogspot.com/. (I named it "91403" as a nod to the zip code where our group first met..... that and the fact that the other obvious names were already taken.)

Projects: We already have a few on the table. (Click here to display the original meeting notes.) As you come up with others -- be them new projects or events or other organizations or other things that you want to publicize to the group, etc. then pass them along to me via email or as a comment on the blog. Bottom line is that for any of our great ideas to get any traction, someone or two will need to take the lead. (Please note that "taking the lead" doesn't mean that you're suddenly responsible for doing all the thinking and doing all the work.) For now, I'm taking the lead on setting up a communications structure. Let me know what you want to take a stab at and the group will hear about it. And if there's something there, then others will hear about it too -- you can bet on that.

As anthropologist Margaret Mead said, "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has."

Here's our current list:

- Contact the presidential candidates to raise the global warming issues
- Contact our representatives on same
- Sending letters to the editor
- Outreach to young people's groups
- Speaker's bureau
- Volunteering trip to TreePeople
- Pick-up trash walks
- Institute recycling programs with Westfield and Galleria.

Miscellaneous: Follow-up on organizations and other things.

- Los Angeles National Impeachment Center (LANIC): http://www.bcimpeach.com/
- CA Clean Money (new ideas on campaign financing): http://caclean.org/
- CA Courage Campaign (activist group on Calif issues):
http://www.couragecampaign.org/
- L.A. City recycling. Here's the flyer (pdf) that was sent out recently regarding what the city now accepts. (There's a conflict between this document and the city web site regarding whether #6 styrofoam is being accepted.)
- The movie "The 11th Hour" is out. Have you seen it? http://11thhouraction.com/
- Local & national support groups for Democratic presidential candidates: http://www.valleygrassrootsfordemocracy.com/2008candidates

Political blogs: I was asked to pass on a sample of my favorite political blogs, which I admitted was the source of much of my trusted information these days. On the 91403 blog page, the right column has links to my expanded reading list. Here are some that I particularly recommend, and/or those that place emphasis on certain issues.

- Glenn Greenwald (at Salon). Constitutional and legal issues, Iraq/Iran http://www.salon.com/opinion/greenwald/
- Firedoglake. Progressive activism, strategy http://www.firedoglake.com/
- Crooks & Liars. Lots of political video clips. http://www.crooksandliars.com/
- Talking Points Memo. Investigative journalism. http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/
- Huffington Post. News, opinion. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/
- Eschaton (a.k.a. Atrios). General-purpose. http://atrios.blogspot.com/
- Carpetbagger Report. General-purpose. http://www.thecarpetbaggerreport.com/
- Open Left. Progressive activism, strategy. http://openleft.com
- Digby (a.k.a. Hullabaloo). General-purpose. http://digbysblog.blogspot.com/
- Brad Blog. Election integrity. http://www.bradblog.com/
- Media Matters. Media watchdog. http://www.mediamatters.org/
- Center for American Progress. Progressive think tank, daily/weekly newsletters. http://www.americanprogress.org/
- Calitics. California issues. http://www.calitics.com/
- Ezra Klein. Health care. http://ezraklein.typepad.com/
- Jesus' General. Satire. http://patriotboy.blogspot.com/
- Once Upon a Time. Anti-war. http://powerofnarrative.blogspot.com/
- Talk Left. Legal issues. http://www.talkleft.com/
- Orcinus. Authoritarianism, religion. http://dneiwert.blogspot.com/

(Boy, do I follow a lot of blogs! Well, as long as I'm publicizing all these others, I feel justified in mentioning my own blog, The Deciderer's Last 1,000 Days http://last1000days.blogspot.com)

If you have other issues that you're particularly interested in, I might likely have recommendations for you regarding blogs, web sites and organizations to look into.

For now,
Randy

LIveEarth followup

Mea culpa, mea culpa.

I sincerely apologize for taking so long to get back to all of you who expressed interest in sticking together as a group, sharing information and ideas, making plans and getting things done, be it on combatting global warming or on other issues of common interest. (And I wouldn't necessarily rule out socializing either.) I guess I got caught up in trying to lay out too much, too quickly here... which was something that I warned against when we got together. Alas, I shouldlisten more to the little voice in my head.

We had a very successful gathering at Val's house -- Val Halla?? -- in conjunction with LiveEarth to bring attention to the potential catastrophe of global warming. Val and I lost count at something over 40 participants. (Click here for photos from our party. Thanx, Howard.) And then an amazing thing also happened beyond the schmoozing and eating and video/concert watching and 1-on-1 discussions: 17 of us got together for a good 45-60 minutes to talk about the next step, i.e. what are we going to do about these problems that we face. (I don't think any of these problems have been solved in the last 19 days, so we're all still on board, right?) Most, if not all of us are already active to some degree with issues and organizations, but we know that there's strength in numbers. Ideas usually percolate on an individual level, but getting something done almost always requires group action. So here we are.

The group of 17 discussed not just global warming and environment, but many other issues ranging from impeachment to election funding to media to corporatism and blogging... and of course actions we can take to address them. Val took notes, which you can display by clicking here for a web page version, or here for a Word document version.

Lots of good ideas, but what we decided to tackle first was a letter from the group addressed to each of the presidential candidates imploring them to elevate combatting global warming as a major theme in their campaigns and their presidency. Something that cannot and must not be ignored. And from there, this is something that we can take to other groups to sign onto as well. Jordon offered to draft the letter. (If you're wondering whether the last Democratic presidential debate addressed these issues.... yes, but barely. You can watch the video here. The questions on global warming/energy are in the Part 3 video, starting at about 11:45 into the segment.)

Before continuing, a little logistical housekeeping: for the time being, our communications will continue via email. Note that I blind-carboned everybody on our list, except for Val and myself. Your contact info is safe, unless you explicitly want to make it known to the group, and it will not be shared with anybody else or any group either. (If you signed up for other mailings as well, then your privacy will be maintained by these other groups too.) So.... if you want to get ideas out to the group, then for now pass them on to me and Val. I'll tinker with setting up a web page or a blog where we can all get in and post our comments and ideas, and communicate with each other more directly. This'll be a work in progress.

If you know of others who would like to hook into our group, then send me their contact info or have them contact me directly. And, of course, forward this email to any and all. (And if you want out of the distributions, then just let me know. :-( )

OK, back to the environmental issues. (I will follow up shortly with another email with info on other issues that we talked about, and also on other items you send to me in the interim.)

One of the handouts at the meeting listed actions we can take as individuals -- and encourage in others -- to lessen the impact of global warming and address other environmental dangers. Here's that list again:

LiveEarth

Home page www.liveearth.org/
Calculate your Live Impact, i.e. carbon footprint:
www.earthlab.com/carbonProfile/LiveEarth.htm?ver=13
Tools and News, dozens of ways that you can lessen your impact:
www.earthlab.com/carbonProfile/LiveEarth.htm?ver=13

Al Gore's "An Inconvenient Truth" site www.climatecrisis.net

Cool Mayors, what cities around the country are doing, including Los Angeles www.coolmayors.com

L.A. Department of Water and Power GREEN L.A. program: www.greenla.com

L.A. recycling and hazardous waste disposal -- the city is now accepting many more things in the blue recycle bin, such as all types of plastic, including styrofoam (#6): www.lacity.org/san. (I've been told that the City of Santa Monica accepts walk-ins at its recycling center near Cloverfield @ S.M. Fwy.)

And a little more.....

MoveOn posted a guide for LiveEarth party hosts that provided additional info that you might find worthwhile. You may not have seen any of this except for the LiveEarth pledge. Poke around the site: http://pol.moveon.org/townhall/climate/guide.html. The materials page has a guide for contacting the media, which is always useful: http://pol.moveon.org/townhall/climate/materials.html And here's the LiveEarth pledge, if you haven't already taken it: http://liveearthpledge.org/answer_the_call.php

One more thing here, since it's highly relevant to anything we do as a group or as individuals, on just about any topic of national import. How do I contact my representatives in Washington? (I'll follow uplater with contacting state and local reps.)

Congressmember: www.house.gov (follow the directions in the top left corner to find your rep and contact info)

U.S. Senate: www.senate.gov (top right)

Note that phone calls (to Washington, D.C. and/or local offices) are generally more effective than letters and faxes, which are in turn more effective than emails and petitions. But any of these are far more effective than doing nothing if you really care about something! Also note.... don't send postal letters to D.C. since they still take weeks to reach the rep's office due to anthrax screening. Not so, letters to field offices.

OK, that's more than enough for now. We'll be in touch.

Best,
Randy

P.S. If you should read this in time, here's something happening tonight (Thursday) that relates to the environment: Chris Wolfe, the president of Americans for Energy Independence (web site), will be speaking briefly at tonight's Valley Grassroots meeting -- that's the local Democratic Club that I mentioned at the gathering. Meeting starts at 7pm, in Van Nuys. More info here.