So, do me a huge favor this week. Pass the Alert on to one other person who should be getting it. I see a few signups a week and the list is holding steady at about 500 people. I bet there are more budding activists out there.

While you are at it invite them to DFL Links next Tuesday (see below). Asking for door knock or phone bank help is a lot easier when you know people. With few active campaigns, this is a time to build community. Swill a beer, chomp some za's and bond with newbies. Bring 'em on in and get to know them. And call those election day volunteers!

SD46 BBQ and Garage Sale Tonight!

Wednesday night -The Blue Knights Auxilliary of our Ladies of the Blessed Liberals (are these guys fun or what?!) will BBQ for you in advance of the SD46 Garage Sale Thurs and Fri. Bring some nice garage sale stuff to donate if you like. Leftover sale items will be donated to ARC. Leftover food will be eaten by hard core BBQrs.

Log On, Shoot an Iraqi!

No, not really. Well kinda, sorta. See for yourself.

DFL Links Next Tuesday

OK, Uncle Geo, get harping on your favorite subject. OK I will!

Invite new people to the Links meetings! All the details you'll need are on the DFL Links page.

Sit On Your Butt and Make a Difference!

Here's a great task for someone who has a computer and wants to have their own little project. We see so many requests to call congress people and sign petitions on one issue or another -it would be great if someone would digest these and stick 'em on the site as they find 'em.



It's easier than you might think and you don't need to be particularly web savvy to do it.-anyone game?

Aurora/Camp Wellstone Scholarship

Andy Freeman will be going to Duluth for Camp Wellstone! Andy is a young man in SD32 who is becoming active in Autism issues. He is passionate about it and we thought he'd make an excellent candidate for the best grass roots training around. Andy will take the activist track.

FYI, there are still spots available. Duluth is nice this time of year -no bugs, cool breezes -you oughtta go now, ya know.

Purple Donut Workshop -This Saturday

And what the heck is the Purple Donut? It's the ring of suburbs around the metro that are almost evenly mixed between the GOP voters and rational human beings. The Coalition aims to create ongoing training for Senate Districts in how to be effective in turning SDs Democratic. Best practices, beginners info, coordinated efforts and more will be discussed.



Shame this has to come from outside the party. So far though it looks like over 100 will attend. Kudos to Clint Faust and his crew for thinking this up and making it happen.

Jon Stewart Meets Growth and Justice

No, It's not a science fiction movie -it's for real! From G&J:

Just Released -GREAT seats for Jon Stewart Show and Reception! Growth & Justice has the only great seats remaining for a virtually sold out John Stewart show at the Orpheum this Friday, May 1 These great seats, plus great food and wine at the pre-show reception at Solera, plus a tax deductible contribution to a great cause — are yours for only $125 each. Tickets are $125 for both the reception and the show! Available on a first come, first served basis.

Call us at 651-917-6037 to order yours today!

Friday, May 18

5:30 – 6:45 p.m. Reception at Solera Restaurant

900 Hennepin Ave.

Show at the Orpheum at 7 p.m.

Business Democrats Ready4K Background Info

I reported BD's endorsement of Ready4K last week, but I thought it might be interesting to see some background on the incredible value of early childhood education for business return on investment. This Q&A with Art Rolnick, director of research and public affairs at the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis and a Republican shows why subsidies to lure business from other states simply shift the location of jobs but does nothing to create new ones or increase productivity -Early childhood education however pays off big for buisinesses in states who invest in it.

CD3 Float Your Vote Cruise

La, la La, Hmmm Hmm, Hmmm, A three hour cruise, A three hour cruise... From Marge Hoffa:



Special guests Senate Candidates Al Franken, Mike Cerisi and Bob Olson

FLOAT YOUR VOTE - A SUMMER SOLSTICE CRUISE ON  BEAUTIFUL LAKE MINNETONKA

Hors d'oeuvres, soft drinks, and cash bar



Have a lovely evening and help CD3 and your senate district at the same time.



Cost:  $75 - For tickets, info: contact Mike Fink, 612-801-3381 or

Ramstad and Other GOPrs Confront President

...a little too little -and a little too late! Sorry, I appreciate our CD3 Rep speaking up, but one must conclude that this has more to do with reelection jitters than change of heart. I've said it before; Jim Ramstad seems like a nice guy and we do appreciate it when he's with us on some very important issues -but each and every Republican lawmaker and official must shoulder the blame for what Bush has done to our country. They enabled and encouraged this administration -Rep Ranstad included- and it's time to hold every one of them as accountable as Republicans like to hold everyone else. Sorry Jim, you hang around with pigs and some of the mud rubs off on you.

Growth and Justice Sponsors Discussion on Framing

From G&J:

Please join Growth & Justice and like-minded advocates for a provocative discussion about how we can more effectively frame issues and influence public debate.



Changing the Conversation, Changing Minnesota's Future

A discussion with Jeffrey Feldman

Thursday, May 24th, 6:30-8:00 pm

Open Book, Target Performance Hall

1011 Washington Avenue S.

Minneapolis, MN

 

Drinking Liberally Publishes Liberal Mixology

From Drinking Liberally National Bar:

If you're going to be drinking liberally you need to have the perfect liberal drink. We are proud to announce LIBERAL MIXOLOGY" the first publication of Drinking Liberally (no, we weren't drinking while we edited it).

This professional gift book features 300 drinks, submitted by DL members around the country, produced by our friends at DL Des Moines, and now available to you for only $15.

Liberals embrace diversity, and the range of recipes respect all your lifestyle & liquor choices. And be sure these drinks — just like our politics --are not for people who suffer from low tolerance. Order now and pep up your political party with a litany of lively, lovely liberal libations. Raise your glass to a little bottoms-up democracy...

- Justin, Katrina, Matt, and David

The Drinking Liberally National Team

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"How do I keep people coming to our events?"

A familiar refrain. There is even an ongoing discussion on the DFL Links Listserve about this. Movie nights, interesting speakers, food -these things help. I have only half jokingly suggested beer; half jokingly because the well attended events always seem to involve food and drinks. Think about it; food and drink are what people do when they get together with friends and family. And what do people do when they get together? They gab. Gabbing about issues they care about gets people especially animated. They are more relaxed, more likely to interact. This is a bonding ritual going back to the the earliest cave dwellers!



When building a consistent base of volunteers it is really your goal to build relationships. Do this and everything else will follow. Simply asking someone to come doorknock is not going to build a base. In this lull between election seasons, this is actually the very best time to build your volunteer base. Plan events that get people together to have a good time and, most importantly, to become friends. Play to your volunteer's strengths and interests. Call all those folks who showed up Election Day and haven't been heard from since (and that's because you have not called them and invited them now isn't it!). Also get people to meet candidates who have plenty of time now to visit Senate Districts and Links meetings.



Doing this will build a community of people with shared values. I've seen the power of this approach with my own eyes. The Northern Lights group that spawned the Aurora Alert started in just this way -none of us knew each other before the summer of 04. Now we're the best of friends; some lead Links meetings, some work for campaigns, some have even run for office -all of this is much easier with the support of friends. Solidify your group of people now and, come election time, you'll find them much more willing to join their friends with boots on the ground work.

Business Democrats Tomorrow

From Carol Woehrer:

BUSINESS DEMOCRATS LUNCHEON



Thursday, May 10, 11:30 a.m. - 1 p.m.

Santorini Taverna and Grill

9920 Wayzata Blvd, St. Louis Park

(near the intersection of 169 and I-394)



SPEAKER: BHARAT PAREKH, UN ASSOCIATION OF MINNESOTA



UNITED NATIONS MILLENNIUM GOALS

THE MINNESOTA MILLENNIUM INITIATIVE



At its summit meeting in 2000, the United Nations agreed on a vision for the future: a world with greatly reduced poverty, hunger and disease, greater survival prospects for mothers and babies, better education for children, equal opportunities for women, and a healthy environment. Developed and developing nations would be partners in working for the betterment of all with specific targets set for the year 2015. At this point halfway to the target date, Dr. Parekh will explain what progress has been made so far, where progress has fallen behind, and what the U.S. and Minnesota can contribute to reaching the goals.



Dr. Parekh has been a Professor of Physics at North Dakota State University and a research scientist for the North Dakaota State Water Institute. He is currently a consultant on technology and trade for U.S. and Indian Companies and Non-Governmental? Organizations and a board member of the United Nations Association of Minnesota.



Business Democrats are a community of business oriented Democrats who believe that a just society and a sound business environment are integral to each other.



Directions to Santorini's: Take Highway 394 to Hopkins Crossroads (exit after Highway 169). Turn right and take an immediate right again onto the frontage road, Wayzata Blvd. Go about 1/2 mile. Santorini's will be on your left before the frontage road curves to the left.



Cost: $15 for members, $20 for others, including lunch. No need to be a tycoon -everyone is always welcome!



Please RSVP to Sheryl Frieman at Sherylf@arrayinsurance.com. If you prefer a vegetarian entree, please state that when you reply to Sheryl.�

Sit on your butt and make a difference!

Here's a great task for someone who has a computer and wants to have their own little project. We see so many requests to call congress people and sign petitions on one issue or another -it would be great if someone would digest these and stick 'em on the site as they find 'em.



It's easier than you might think and you don't need to be particularly web savvy to do it.-anyone game?



Aurora/Camp Wellstone Scholarship

Andy Freeman will be going to Duluth

Al's Grateful Volunteers

Who says volunteering can't be fun?! Here are six new people now tickled pink to be doing something to help a candidate.



Anyway, this gig for Al's St. Cloud State rally was too much fun. The band is a conglomeration of accomplished local musicians from The Spaceheaters, The Jones Gang and Three Sheets to the Wind. Al liked it so much he came up and sang a song! Look for more rocking at other Franken Events.











Send me pics of your events -I'd be happy to include them in the Alert!

"I Am Only A Child"

Compelling video (six min) sent from Margie Hoyt.

Apple i-Rack

Another innovative product from Apple. Gina Modec passes this on:



http://youtube.com/watch?v=AGHty_S0TU0

Don't Pump Gas May 15th

I got this from a number of people. Of course everyone will just fill up anyway when their tanks run out -but for message sending power- I'm all for it!

Aurora/Wellstone Scholarship

We weren't going to do one for Duluth but Andy Freeman is itching to go and willing to go to Duluth so up he goes. Thanks to long time activist Sharon Bahensky and local powerhouse Katie Rodriquez for contributing (we could use one more 50 buck donation). Anyone else interested in contributing to send promising young activists to Camp Wellstone let me know! The scholarship is open to young people 18-25. I know, from previous attendees, that even the student rate of 50 bucks has caused young people to put off going. We register them at the $100 rate because even that hundred does not cover the cost of attending; Camp Wellstone is highly subsidized by donations.



FYI: Camp Wellstone-Duluth? is not full! This is rare for a Camp Wellstone. If you want to sign up call contact Carla Kaiser:� carla@wellstone.org�or�651-645-3939. Not a single person I have ever spoken to has said Camp Wellstone is anything other than just spectacular.

Knights of the Blessed Liberals Garage Sale

Keep your calendar open for May 16-18 for the DFL Senate District 46 Knight's Auxilliary of Our Ladies of the Blessed Liberals as they barbecue their way into your hearts! BBQ Wednesday and a garage sale full of high quality pre-owned items Thurs and Fri. Details in the Calendar below.

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Anyone in business is acquainted with the not-invented-here syndrome; "If we didn't invent it, it's no good. Very experienced business people also know the reverse syndrome is just as prevalent -"Nobody we have can do work that good".

I can tell you that right here in our local area we have people who have as good a take on national and local issues as any of the talking heads on TV. Credentials shmedentials; common sense is spread widely in America -our Founders depended on it- and we have a healthy number of good writers and thinkers right here. You likely know them personally. Please take a look at the website's Home page which features interesting and informative writing from our own pundits. Carol Woehrer has a fabulous piece on health care. Anthony Signorelli's posts are clear and chock full of clear logic and convincing arguments. And there's more.

I also encourage good writers to contact me about being an official poster to the shared blog.

One more thing; I want to encourage organizers to post events on the calender themselves. It's easier than ever and I'm standing by to help. Carol and I spend a good deal of time updating the site for calendar items, speaker forums, DFL Links info and blog posts. It would help us immensely if you were to enter your SD meetings and candididate and organization's events yourself.

DFL Links -Tonight!

Bring a friend!

Maple Grove and the Brooklyns will combine to form one pretty large hungry critter tonight at the Lookout. 7PM meeting, 6PM if'n you wanna chow. Roxanne Abbas will speak on peace activism and later, after mesmerizing the Plymouth Links meeting Al Franken will join the notoriously wild bunch at the Lookout. North enders -this is one you'll not want to miss!

Lots of other Links meetings around town! -Details

AL Franken Rally at St Cloud State -Thursday!

Al will be joined by the official campaign band The Al Tones, in their debut performance at Ritsche auditorium at St. Cloud State University this Thursday at 7PM. Rent a bus, bring everyone you know.

Google Map

Campus Map

Bill Moyers Journal -Buying the War- Wednesday 8PM tpt

I am a huge fan of Bill Moyers. His clear, intelligent take on current events, especially the failures of today's media, is unparalleled. There is no stronger voice for progressive change and no better revealer of truths than Bill Moyers. I'd vote for him in a heartbeat if he ran for President!

Buying the War explores why the media bought, hook line and sinker, the White House's con job on the war. The mainstream "News" media now has less to do with news and more to do with profits and cost savings. If you know Moyer's work I know you'll be watching. If not, I guarantee this will knock your socks off, and I haven't even seen seen it yet! Series opener this Wed, Ch2 at 8PM.

In fact, good news for Moyer's fans, Bill Moyer's Journal is back every Friday at 8PM -and it will be available for video podcast after the broadcast.

NWN4P screens Kilowatt Ours -Thursday

It costs 250 bucks to show An Inconvenient Truth, which is an inconvenient truth of it's own, so NWN4P has changed the showing to Kilowatt Ours -an exploration of energy solutions. Thursday, 7PM at the Broodale Library. More details in the Calendar below.

At the Aurora Site

Podcast: Todd Otis at Business Democrats. BD makes it's first policy endorsement of Ready4K.

Blog o' Mania:

Anthony Signorelli warns that Bush seeks to weaken FISA.

Uncle Geo opines on fear of the voter and on the Gonzales testimony as the beginning of the end for the Bush alternate reality creation machine.

Lee Iacocca -Ship of Clueless Bozos

It still surprises me so few of our leaders are fearless enough to say what really needs to be said. Lee Iacocca apparently feels the same way in an excerpt from his new book "Where have all the Leaders Gone? Flagged by Margie Hoyt off the DFL Central Committee Listserve. Read on...

Had Enough? Am I the only guy in this country who's fed up with what's happening? Where the hell is our outrage? We should be screaming bloody murder. We've got a gang of clueless bozos steering our ship of state right over a cliff, we've got corporate gangsters stealing us blind, and we can't even clean up after a hurricane much less build a hybrid car. But instead of getting mad, everyone sits around and nods their heads when the politicians say, "Stay the course." Stay the course? You've got to be kidding. This is America, not the damned Titanic. I'll give you a sound bite: Throw the bums out! You might think I'm getting senile, that I've gone off my rocker, and maybe I have. But someone has to speak up. I hardly recognize this country anymore. The President of the United States is given a free pass to ignore the Constitution, tap our phones, and lead us to war on a pack of lies. Congress responds to record deficits by passing a huge tax cut for the wealthy (thanks, but I don't need it). The most famous business leaders are not the innovators but the guys in handcuffs. While we're fiddling in Iraq, the Middle East is burning and nobody seems to know what to do. And the press is waving pom-poms instead of asking hard questions. That's not the promise of America my parents and yours traveled across the ocean for.

Read more...

DNC/DFL Nationwide Doorknock

From Donna Cassut:

The DNC is once again beginning to organize early for next year's elections by coordinating a nationwide door knock to talk with our neighbors on Saturday, April 28, 2007. We have a wonderful opportunity this April 28 to begin building on last year's success in preparation for the tough battles ahead in taking back Paul Wellstone's U.S. Senate seat and winning next year's presidential election!

We'll be teaming up with our partner organizations for scheduled door knocks throughout Minnesota and we need your help to carry the DFL message throughout our communities. The focus at most staging locations will be advocacy for the transportation bills that were recently passed by both houses of the legislature. Municipal elections will be the focus in Saint Paul and Duluth. In a few areas, DFLers will even be hitting the doors with an elected official!

Consult the Calendar below for full details.

Mike Cerisi Enters Senate Race

Famous for delivering the most awesome smackdown of the tobacco industry to date, smart, accomplished and capable Mike Cerisi has thrown his hat in the ring for US Senate. The www.mikecerisi.org link takes you to a Wikipedia page right now so I have no contact details for you.

New Public Servants!

Congratulations to:

Long time activist Sharon Bahensky has been elected Associate Chair for DFL Senate District 32.

Greg Hulne and Katie Rodriguez were appointed to the Maple Grove Citizens Advisory Committee for a two year term. Katie sez: We join Don Skoglund who has been on the Committee for years (A big thank you to Don, Jim Dean and Georgiana Ruzich for helping me during the interview process!). If you are a Maple Grove resident please bring us your ideas/concerns as we are supposed to help facilitate better communication with residents.

Just for Fun

For no other reason than this is just too priceless to miss, here is the best cover of the Who's My Generation. Ever.

Tim Carlson Unveils Letters for Peace

>From the mouths of babes... Former candidate and extremely cool guy Tim Carlson posts images of written letters from Iraqi Children on his website Letters for Peace. Tim showed me this at our last Biz Democrats meeting and I was simply blown away. He has the letters up on the site and has kept them in image form which makes it so much more personal. Heartbreaking but also hopeful, I hope you'll give Tim's site a visit.

Knights of the Blessed Liberals Garage Sale

Keep your calendar open for May 16-18 for the DFL Senate District 46 Knight's Auxilliary of Our Ladies of the Blessed Liberals as they barbecue their way into your hearts! BBQ Wednesday and a garage sale full of high quality pre-owned items Thurs and Fri. Details in the Calendar below.

And More...

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April 1, 2007

Lotza news this week! No time to waste, lets get right to it.

Coleman to Rejoin Democrats

Former Democrat and now former Republican Norm Coleman is a Democrat -again!  "I just don't see how the Republicans are going to prevail in '08." When asked why he left the Democrats in the first place, Coleman responded "I guess I thought the Democrats stood for the little people, when what I wanted them to do was stand for me." "The presidency is all I have ever wanted -everything else has been a stepping stone. Why can't everyone just understand that?!" Coleman pointed to the lowly chameleon as his inspiration: "I admire the tenacious chameleon; his ability to change his colors and blend in is an evolutionary step that enabled this gentle reptile to survive through countless millennium -not that I believe in Evolution -no wait, I do!

A considerable amount of time and money has been invested in a GOP smear machine constructed for Coleman's run against  Al Franken -does Coleman have any regrets about the nastiness?   "Not at all. Al seems like a forgiving guy -I'm sure he appreciates that personal attacks and demonization are just part of the game."  Asked whether he would seek the DFL endorsement for US Senate Coleman said, "I do expect Al to step aside but I have the utmost respect for him and his positions -which, of course, are now my positions."

Bush Accepts Position at Halliburton

"After my presidency I wanted to continue my successfuler business career and the nicest folks at Halli-Hallibut? Halle Berry Oh, Dick's old place have invited me to move to Dubai with them. They say they have an office for me in Dubai and I'll be in charge of some Dubai thing or other.  Heh, heh, I hope my office has a good view of the rain forest... oh, and a mini bar, heh-heh and a nice little dog house for Barney -and for me when Laura throws me out, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh.

NWN4P Screens Little Mermaid

Following their highly successful showings of "Iraq for Sale" and "The Ground Truth", Northwest Neighbors for Peace will screen The Little Mermaid" at Brookdale Library on April 7th and again at Ridgedale on April 9th. Carol Rydberg says "Things were getting a bit heavy and serious, so for April we thought we'd lighten things up a bit." She notes that Sebastian is simply brilliant as the crusty, but benign, hermit crab who nanny for the mermaid Ariel. "Why he didn't get the academy award is beyond me."

Ramstad Town Meetings Canceled

Republican Jim Ramstad (MN CD3), citing the fact that no Republicans ever show for his Town Meetings but Democrats number in the hundreds has canceled all of his upcoming Town Hall Meetings. "I pretty much have Democrats thinking I'm one of them already so what does it get me to meet with them?" He also cited fears that questions about his record of voting with the President on much of the most odious GOP legislation would come to light and burst the "moderate" label he's worked so hard to project. "I could better use this time to strategize against the Far Right -I think they're moving Alan Keyes to Osseo to oppose me."

Purple Donut Coalition Merges with Caribou

Brooklyn Center, April 1: Caribou Coffee today announced it's friendly takeover of the Purple Donut Coalition. Citing a natural synergy, Clint Faust of the PDC confirmed the rumors: "Yes we've accepted the terms of the merger (pending FDA approval) as a natural step in furthering our goal of making Senate Districts bluer in the purple inner and outer ring suburbs." "Coffee and donuts just go together so well -we couldn't pass it up." A big advantage for the PDC are the expanded possibilities for meeting space. "There's no beer but, hey, enough cups o' java and you kinda get this buzz on..." In a related announcement, subcommittees of PDC will now include DANISH (Democratic Autonomy Now In Suburban Hennepin) and BAGEL (Big Action Getting ELected). A further subcommittee CROISSANT will meet alternate Thursdays though, as none of them speak French, they were having trouble deciding just what their acronym meant.

Business Democrats to Buy Santorini's

Since moving meetings to Santorini's in St Louis Park over a year ago, Business Democrats has thoroughly enjoyed the new venue -and has decided to buy it! "We love the food and the service is great. We thought, we're business people, why don't we just buy it!?" said BD President Sheryl Frieman as she popped a positively sublime and vaguely citrusy dolmades into her mouth. Treasurer Betsy O'Berry, enjoying a bite of a delicate but flavorful spanikopita noted "We collected 119 dollars at the last meeting and we think this will be an adequate down payment on the bank loan we need."



"I don't know why we didn't think of this before -we eat here enough -why give Santorini's all the money?" said Founder Rob Jacobs between bites of pastitsio. " ...plus we can have the big room any time we want it." Secretary Carol Woehrer, spying a large and flaming saganaki coming near the table, noted the groups openness to membership "No need to be a tycoon, everyone is welcome at our lunchtime speaker series. And speaking of lunchtime-Opa! -Waiter? More Ouzo!"

2008 Republican Convention Moved to Brooklyn Park

Pressure to accommodate protesters for the 2008 Republican National Convention has forced the City of St Paul to back out of hosting the 2008 Republican National Convention. "We could not find a place where the protesters would be totally hidden. We wanted to put them down on the riverbank behind the Science Museum but an acoustic analysis showed protesters' shouts would be audible up at street level."



Never known to pass up an opportunity for civic improvement, Brooklyn Park dug up their own acoustic study prepared for the ill fated Minnesota Orchestra site to prove protesters could holler all day and offend no one. "Besides, no one actually goes to Brooklyn Park except the people who live there" said a city official who asked to remain anonymous.  Asked about the almost complete absence of entertainment and dining, the official responded that, if the legislature would only approve the completion of HWY 610, GOP revelers could simply "trot over to Maple Grove like everyone else".

Objectivity Briefly Returns to Area Media

Ignoring for a moment her journalism professor's admonition to "put a face on it" cub reporter Tiffany Wilson today experimented with the old fashioned Inverted Pyramid style of newspaper writing. Sipping a cup of coffee and pondering her recent move from Eau Claire before last seasons Christmas Holiday, Tiffany actually told her readers the whole story in the first paragraph!

Tiffany also, contrary to policy, put aside an industry supplied story and actually checked the veracity of claims made by the subjects of her report and proceeded to expose their untruths and misdirection. Her dalliance was discovered when her editor found she had not elevated marginal and unsupported views to "the other side". A veteran reporter took pity on the wayward lass and suggested that if she renounce the old ways she might be able to enter rehab in the Style section until her journalistic principles were adequately compromised.

Last Two Decades Found to be Rip in Time

Scientists revealed for the first time today, that just before Ronald Regan's rise to the presidency, the world fell into a "cosmic infandibulum" -a rip in the fabric of space and time- that set our globe spinning into an alternate universe where everything is backwards. Union people vote against their own self interest, the party of smaller government spends more money than all previous administrations before it and "Compassionate Conservatism" makes millions of lives miserable.



"This is a curious world", said Dr. Uno Lirpa of the Institute for Advanced Studies "where war is peace, freedom is slavery and ignorance is strength -and half the people are OK with it!". Scientists further revealed that they had been able to catch a brief glimpse of the universe we left behind using the Hubble Space Telescope. Apparently in our old world Bush manages a White Castle in Aberdeen, Alberto Gonzales is the UN spokesman for human rights and Brownie actually does a "helluva job". Curiously, Dick Cheney appeared virtually unchanged, prompting one scientist to speculate on the nature of evil:  "Cheney may actually be the dark matter we've been searching for."

Metro Progressives Fail to Fall for April Fools Joke

Too smart for such trickery, suburban activists dismissed a sad sophomoric attempt at humor offered in today's edition of the Aurora Alert. " This "Uncle Geo" guy should get back to doing something that actually gets Democrats elected." said DFL party Chair, Brian Melendez.

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Blog O mania indeed! The biggest news at the Aurora Website is that a number of local writers have taken up the call to contribute their thoughts on the shared blog. Featured are Anthony Signorelli, author of Call to Liberty, Jay Shahidi, Mike Fink, Carole Rydberg, Kyle Tonn, David Long, Judy Nollet and Carol Woehrer, with others in the wings.

The importance of this cannot be overstated. Local, local, local! We are the folks on the ground in the fight to return America to sane government. When push comes to shove, we are the ones who get the vote out. I think hearing smart and talented local writers help us all to stay informed and connected.

If you have not visited the Handy Links page or Carol Woehrer's Twin Cities Speakers Forums please take a moment to do so. I think you will be surprised at how comprehensive they are. Keep in mind that you too can add to these pages and also to the Aurora Event Calendar!

Ramstad Town Halls, movie screenings, Humphrey Day Dinner speaker and more; lets get started!.

Wellstone Action Partners with Progressive Majority -Kickoff Tonight!

From Wellstone Action:

We write to introduce you to Progressive Majority, a national partner with Wellstone Action in building the progressive movement. While Wellstone Action's mission is to train thousands of individuals in the skills to run campaigns and win on issues, this is complemented by Progressive Majority's mission to recruit new candidates, coach them, and directly support their campaigns.Together we are building a pipeline of leaders for the progressive movement.

Now, we're proud to welcome our partner to our very own Minnesota, where they've set up shop with a full time staff - led by Camp Wellstone Alumnus Matt Filner!

Wellstone Action is excited to get down to business with Progressive Majority to secure Minnesota's proud progressive tradition for years to come. We hope you'll join us!

To celebrate, Progressive Majority is hosting a kick-off event next Thursday, March 29th.For more info or to RSVP, click here.

Thanks,

Wellstone Action!

World Chat: A Perspective on Iran -Tonight!

My friend, Jay Shahidi is our local Expert on all things Iran.

Thursday, March 29 Join MIC for a World Chat with M. Jay Shahidi, president and co-founder of the Iranian- American Association of Minnesota. Originally from Iran, he recently returned from a visit to his homeland and will bring us perspectives from this visit and from history. When: Registration and refreshments 5:30 P; program 5:45 - 7:00 P

Where: MIC, 711 East River Road, Minneapolis

Cost: MIC members and students FREE; Non-members 15

Advance registration is requested.

Please contact Minnesota Inrenational Center for registration:

Email: mic@umn.edu * Phone: 612-625-4421 * Website: www.micglobe.org

Ramstad Town Hall Meetings

Jim Ramstad is a tough one because he does vote with us on some crucial issues. He seems a decent enough guy, and the "moderate" label may have worked in other times, but his support for too many of the President's more odious initiatives makes him as responsible as any other GOP’er. We've dominated his town hall meetings before and we need to dominate again. Kyle Tonn notes the dates:

Next week Jim Ramstad is holding town hall meetings. Be good citizens and hold your members of Congress accountable for their votes in Washington.

Here is the information about the town hall meetings:

• Mon April 2nd, 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM, Brooklyn Park, City Hall Chambers * Wed April 4th, 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM, Edina, Southdale Library * Wed April 4th, 7:00 PM- 8:00 PM, Wayzata, City Hall Community Room * Thurs April 5th, 7:00 PM - 8:00 PM, Maple Grove, City Hall Chambers.

Camp Wellstone in Duluth

Registration opens six weeks before the camp but fills up in nanoseconds. Keep an eye on it!.

Camp Wellstone -Duluth.

A Volunteer is a Terrible Thing to Waste

Tonight I'll host the Northwest Neighbors for Peace free screening of An Inconvenient Truth at the Brookdale Library (7PM!). I've been amazed at the number of people at these things I've never seen before. I offered to host because I want access to these people -I'd like to see them involved. I wonder, though, what happened to all those folks who showed up Election Day.

When I did Election Day training in Plymouth and Brooklyn Park, I saw many new faces. Has anyone called them to invite them into the fold? If not, why not? Moreover, if I were one of those people, I might feel that I was used on election day and then forgotten.

This might have happened to me after 2004 if Brittany Edwards hadn't latched on to me and about 20 other people and strongly -and repeatedly- told us that, if we believed what we were saying and really wanted to make a difference, we needed to stay together and become friends. Smartly, she also made sure to remind us of our own unique talents and how they were so needed to accomplish the goals we all shared. From that original group (the ad hoc Northern Lights), I cannot think of anyone who has completely dropped out and virtually all of us have become leaders in some way.

I asked CD3 Field Organizer Dusty Trice, before he left for Al Franken's campaign, what had happened to the sign up sheets from Election Day. He said all those names should be in the VAN. In sales we talk about "qualified leads" -people who have been, in effect, prescreened in some way or another to be likely candidates for our product or service; why waste time calling people who would never buy!? Those election day volunteers, like the folks I see at the movie screenings, are qualified leads for new volunteers.

Every SD should set up a phone bank event, pop open the VAN and call all these folks. Not once, but repeatedly. Here, in this lull between campaigns, invite them to the kind of event that will allow them to get to know you and your other active pals (look at how nicely the DFL Links groups have solidified). Individually take the time to meet and talk with each person. Most importantly, ask them what they think, what they think needs to be done, what skills they have. DFL Links meetings are great for this, especially if there is a guest speaker. Be sure to personally introduce them to the speaker, especially if that speaker is a candidate or officeholder.

Camp Wellstone teaches many things, but above all, that relationships are the glue that makes organizations and movements real. Get out there and get sticky!

Who Will Speak for the Children?

My buddy, Jack Harris, sends this:

Leaders of the Archdiocese of Minneapolis and St. Paul, the Northeastern Minnesota Synod—ELCA, the Minnesota Childcare Association and the Minnesota School Boards Association joined with Representative Joe Mullery (DFL Minneapolis) to oppose important child sexual abuse prevention legislation from moving forward in the Minnesota House of Representatives.

Leaders of theses organizations told legislators that the state of Minnesota should continue to limit the ability of victims of childhood sexual abuse from suing their organizations if the child was abused in their care and someone in their organization was legally responsible for allowing the abuse.

Jack says: We're asking people to contact their legislators in support of this bill. For those with DFL legislators, we're asking them to ask why the DFL refuses to hold a hearing on this bill when the Republican Majority has held hearings on similar bills in the past.

The Bill Numbers are 1239 and 2134. We'd really like to get the hearing on 1239 since that is in the appropriate committee. (House Public Safety and Civil Justice). Rep. Mullery just flat out refuses to hear the bill.

More...

Sen Tom Harkin at Humphrey Day Dinner

Please join the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor? Party in welcoming Senator Tom Harkin to Minnesota for the 30th Annual 2007 Humphrey Day Dinner Saturday, April 21, 2007 at the Hilton Minneapolis Hotel, 1001 Marquette Avenue, Minneapolis, Dinner Served at 6:30, $125 per person, Click here for tickets!!

NWN4P Demonstration

Northwest Neighbors for Peace is really turning out to be one active group. Movie screenings are one thing but these folks get out and protest on a regular basis! Carole Rydberg notes the following events and updates tho their ongoing efforts:

Beginning with April 5th, NWN4P will hold weekly demonstrations on Thursday, 4:30-6 PM, at the corner of Winnetka and 42nd Avenue N. in New Hope. You may park near Walgreens or the lot by McDonald's. For more information, Carole .

Note: The last demonstration at the Plymouth site will be on Saturday March 31, 11 to noon.

The Saturday demonstrations in Minnetonka will continue to be at 11-noon, near Highways 101 and 7, in front of Target in Minnetonka.

Project Vote Smart

Carol Woehrer suggests this great idea:

I am a great fan of Project Votesmart and have used it for research on elected officials, especially on Jim Ramstad and Mark Kennedy. It's a great tool for evaluating legislators and for getting information for letters to the editor. It would be a big help to voters in 3CD if we could get more people using it.

I think we should take this opportunity to promote Project Votesmart . We could publicize a meeting through the senate districts, CD3, Aurora, DFL Links, Northwest Neighbors for Peace, Business Democrats, and senior groups. We could also invite Normandale and North Hennepin Community College students and high school students. If we promoted it together, we should be able to get 150+ people to attend. Where would be a good place to have the meeting?

Carol

Any ideas for Carol?

Rockridge Institute's Ongoing Framing Discussion

Yes, I know I harp on this, but how we talk about our positions is crucial to how well they will be accepted. Rockridge, after perhaps too long a time, has stepped up the information they provide about framing with a discussion of George Lakoff's book Thinking Points.

For the uninitiated, framing is a method of first, clearly defining core values and then constructing "frames" or ways of speaking about issues that evoke those core values. The iconic example, used so effectively by Republicans is "Tax Relief". This implies taxes are a burden placed on a victim by an oppressor that will be relieved by a hero. This evokes the core Republican value that government is inherently evil (and by extension, so are we for even suggesting taxes). Our frame might be "Tax Investment" which evokes our core values of community and opportunity.

Once you get the hang of spotting frames you’ll see that the Republicans are so skilled at it they can sell ice to an Eskimo. Join the discussion at Rockridge Institute

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"All politics is local"

-Tip Oniell

This quote, once adorning the logo above, underscores the truth that in the end it is what happens, not at the high reaches of a party or movement, but on the ground -closest to the voter- that wins hearts and minds. The Alert and the website have, since day one, been dedicated to encouraging and highlighting personal involvement.

This week I point you to the website where, for a while now, I've been featuring writing from local writers. Not big time Minneapolis newspaper writers or professional prognosticators, but people you probably actually know. Kyle Tonn, Carol Woehrer, Carole Rydberg, Mike Fink, Judy Nollet, and this week, David Long's interview with Terri Bonoff.

I'm serious about getting local writers to contribute when they can (call me if you'd like to be one!) and a few have risen to the call. I particularly like the interview format. Sure, I bloviate with abandon in those same pages, but it's not supposed to be about me. As I've said before, friends I meet through volunteering are the folks I admire most. Check them out -I'm sure you'll feel the same way.

Site Note: I've allowed anonymous postings at various places to encourage comments, but I've been hit by the evil viagra spammers, so now everyone has to log in to add anything at all to the site. I am frantically deleting the nasty postings one by one, so don't freak when you see that stuff.

CD3 Meeting Tonight

CD3 Central Committee Meeting Tonight, Wednesday, March 21 at 7 p.m. at the usual location, the Minnetonka Community Center, 14600 Minnetonka Blvd.

Local Writers Blog at Aurora Site

Buncha folks this time! Thanks for contributing! Go here to see how talented and bright our local writers are.

David Long Interviews Terri Bonoff

Uncle Geo is saved from the Blue Funk

Carole Rydberg Talks about the heartbreaking movie "The Ground Truth" and how the administration has failed our fighting men and women.

Jay Shahidi talks about the pro war, jingoist message of the Movie "300"

Easy Way To Write Your Congresspeople

Go to Congress.org enter your zip code and rant away! Letters get sent to Amy Klobuchar, Norm Chameleon and Jim Ramstad (If you're in CD3). So easy my dog can do it.

Movie Nights!

NWN4P -"Road to Guantanamo" Mar 22 at St Joseph's.

Vet's Caucus -The War Tapes" Mar 23, 5:30PM Immanuel Lutheran. "The War Tapes" Mar 29 7PM Brookdale Library -Host -Uncle Geo!

DFL Links March 27th

Health Care is the topic for this month, in light of recent legislative debate and Carol Woehrer has posted documentation for Links coordinators and for you too! The files she uploads every month are available for everyone and are a great resource for factual information and timely articles. Have I mentioned how much I admire Carol and the extensive work she does?!

OK, now get to your Links meetings!

Tuesday, March 27 at 7 p.m. unless otherwise noted. DFL Links Info Page

In February, many of the DFL Links meetings discussed health care systems in several countries. If you would like to do a little background reading on health care systems in Japan, England, France, Germany, and Canada, click here to download a document with links to short articles.

In March many of our DFL Links meetings will discuss health care proposals by states, think tanks, and presidential candidates. Which proposals will provide universal coverage with high quality and lower costs? Other countries have met the United Nations mandate of 1947 to provide health security for all their citizens for years. Come join our discussion to determine how we can do it too.

Nominations to DFL Women's Hall of Fame Open Until March 31

Nominations to DFL Women's Hall of Fame open until March 31



Do you know of a Rising Star or Woman of Distinction who should be honored for

their contributions to our party, our state and our country? If you do,

nominate them for this honor by March 31. Don't wait. Let them know how much

you appreciate them today.



The award luncheon is on Saturday, June 2 at the St. Paul Hotel. The stories of

the women who are honored are inspirational and wonderful.



If you know of a woman whose story should be told, don't forget to nominate them

now!



Nomination forms are available from Crystal Parking at WomensHallofFame@yahoo.com

or from Betsy O'Berry at betsyo@visi.com.



Betsy O'Berry

betsyo@visi.com

763-323-6775

Rockridge Institute Begins Discussion Group on Framing

Following the release of Thinking Points, George Lakoff's group, The Rockridge Institute is discussing the book and framing methods chapter by chapter. The GOP kicks out tukuses because they know how to stay on message. We have a hard time even articulating our message. Drop in here once in a while and pick up the language we need to effectively beat the GOP at their own game.

The Purple Donut

I've been remiss in not promoting this more. Scheduling conflicts caused me to leave out the info for this month's meeting but you should be aware of the Purple Donut Coalition. Clint Faust and others set this up to address the specific needs of the suburban Senate Districts that are "purple" that could potentially turn blue (wait that didn't come out right!).

Contact Clint Faust, Office: 763.543.5182 - Fax: 763.525.0372 - for more info.

CD3 AV Support Available

Grassroots events organizers in CD3 may borrow one of four video projectors and screens for legitimate political events by contacting me (and soon Clint Faust ) to check one out. There is no charge, though if you want to slide me a fiver towards new bulbs, I ain't gonna complain. A few provisos:

-The bulbs for these baby's cost 400 bucks and last only a few hundred hours so please use this for your event but not for football, Hollywood movies or other personal use.

-YOU MUST return the projector within two days or you don't get to use it anymore.

-You must come get it and return it -no deliveries!

We clear?

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Slow event week! But I have some podcasts from the last couple of weeks and don't miss your Links meeting!

Mark Viste in SD 46 (Brooklyn Park, Brooklyn Center) got an e-mail asking what organizations would be interested in hearing Ray Krone, the 100th man exonerated from Death Row. He was in town to address West Publishing and the William Mitchell College of Law and Witness To Innocence wanted to get his message out a little more widely.

Mark responded and the resulting address at Tuesday's SD46 meeting is a absolutely terrifying tale of injustice in the justice system (and a feather in marks cap for acting on an opportunity!) I've posted the Podcast so you too can hear just how easy it is to be innocently caught up in a system where prosecutors and police were so certain of their judgment that clearly exculpatory evidence was ignored or not even investigated. Don't think it can happen to you? Listen to this podcast.

Site Note: The Amazing Carol Woehrer maintains the Twin Cities Speakers Forum hosted at the Aurora website. In order to cut down on the considerable hours of work involved in posting this info it will now not be duplicated in the calendar. Carol will maintain the page in chronological order and has now categorized events by topic. Please let Carol know if you attend an event -it helps her know that this is of some service..

Carol has turned up some truly compelling speakers. I'd highly recommend attending some of these events -what better way to get educated on issues than from the folks directly involved?!

Podcast Extravaganza!

Ray Krone Podcast

From Business Democrats:



Anthony Signorelli Podcast

Anthony Signorelli is a businessman and concerned citizen. Like many thoughtful businesspeople who are not blinded by a knee-jerk addiction to tax-cutting, runaway profits and the bottom line, he feels that his and America’s best interests lie more in the building of a socially responsible political system. Since graduating with honors from the University of Minnesota he has enjoyed nothing better than a healthy political debate and his first book, Call to Liberty,Bridging the Divide between Liberals and Conservatives, reflects his lifelong willingness to look objectively at the hard issues.

From Business Democrats:



J. Drake Hamilton Podcast J. Drake Hamilton, Science Policy Director at Fresh Energy will speak on Minnesota's Energy Future. Fresh Energy is a private nonprofit organization working to lead the transition to a clean energy system, one that will support healthy economies, healthy people, and a healthy environment. Drake Hamilton Hamilton serves on the board of the United States Climate Action Network, and on the advisory board of the University of Minnesota Institute for Renewable Energy and the Environment. Hamilton is the principal author of Fresh Energy’s recent report, Playing with Fire: Climate Change in Minnesota.

DFL Links March 27th

Tuesday, March 27 at 7 p.m. unless otherwise noted. DFL Links Info Page

In February, many of the DFL Links meetings discussed health care systems in several countries. If you would like to do a little background reading on health care systems in Japan, England, France, Germany, and Canada, click here to download a document with links to short articles.

In March many of our DFL Links meetings will discuss health care proposals by states, think tanks, and presidential candidates. Which proposals will provide universal coverage with high quality and lower costs? Other countries have met the United Nations mandate of 1947 to provide health security for all their citizens for years. Come join our discussion to determine how we can do it too.

CD3 AV Support Available

Grassroots events organizers in CD3 may borrow one of four video projectors and screens for legitimate political events by contacting me (and soon Clint Faust ) to check one out. There is no charge, though if you want to slide me a fiver towards new bulbs, I ain't gonna complain. A few provisos:

-The bulbs for these baby's cost 400 bucks and last only a few hundred hours so please use this for your event but not for football, Hollywood movies or other personal use.

-YOU MUST return the projector within two days or you don't get to use it anymore.

-You must come get it and return it -no deliveries!

We clear?

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Scooter bumped the Skank this week, which is just as well. The sooner she is off the media radar the better for humankind. Man Coulter reveals a sinister side of the human psyche that might scare the children. What a tragic waste of protoplasm. Too harsh -turnabout's fair play.

So will Scooter spend time in Jail? Will his lawyers drag things out until everyone forgets? Will he blackmail the White House and threaten to reveal the truth unless he gets a pardon? Stay tuned -same batpoop channel, same batpoop station!

NOTE: In this less busy time I may send Alerts out a little less frequently. There is quite a bit less news right now and I'd rather not send them just to send them. Please visit the Event Calendar for up to date events.

Now is a good time for organizations and candidates to begin to add events to the Event Calendar. Visit the Event Calendar for details!

The Handy Links page just keeps getting handier. I've added more RSS Feeds and more links. There are links to DFL and Democratic sites and blogs, but also a good deal of links to news organizations (both real and fake) and other places you can research and learn. If you do not get cable, both the Daily Show and the Colbert Report have video's now and these are listed through RSS feeds on the Handy Links page under Fake News right next to State Television (sorry, Fox, News).

Business Democrats Hosts Anthony Signorelli -Thursday!

Anthony Signorelli is a businessman and concerned citizen. Like many thoughtful businesspeople who are not blinded by a knee-jerk addiction to tax-cutting, runaway profits and the bottom line, he feels that his and America’s best interests lie more in the building of a socially responsible political system. Since graduating with honors from the University of Minnesota he has enjoyed nothing better than a healthy political debate and his first book, Call to Liberty,Bridging the Divide between Liberals and Conservatives, reflects his lifelong willingness to look objectively at the hard issues.

What: Business Democrats February Luncheon.

Where: Santorini Taverna and Grill, 9920 Wayzata Blvd, St. Louis Park, MN 55426 (near the intersection of 169 and I-394)

When: 11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., March 8th, 2007

Cost: $15 for members, $20 for guests

Please RSVP to Sheryl Frieman at

Franken Rally a Hit!

photos: Carter Greene

Over a thousand folks formed the enthusiastic crowd for Franken's Twin Cities coming out party. The Strib covered Al Franken's rally in St Louis Park, but Reporter David Peterson seemed to add a bit of his own bias to the story misrepresenting what Al said and linking to a GOP hit piece. He took the angle that Al just keeps joking and that there are questions about his "seriousness" and Minnsotaness". No mention of the fact that Al spoke at length about virtually every major issue. And, no mention of Norm Chameleon's carpetbagging.

I complained to the Reader's rep and I encourage others to do so whenever you see sloppy journalism such as this.

Ben and Jerry's Frisbee

Ben and Jerry will send you a pie chart of government spending in the form of a foldable frisbee if you go to the TrueMajority website and sign up. How nice of them!

CD3 AV Support Available

Grassroots events organizers in CD3 may borrow one of four video projectors and screens for legitimate political events by contacting me (and soon Clint Faust ) to check one out. There is no charge, though if you want to slide me a fiver towards new bulbs, I ain't gonna complain. A few provisos:

-The bulbs for these baby's cost 400 bucks and last only a few hundred hours so please use this for your event but not for football, Hollywood movies or other personal use.

-YOU MUST return the projector within two days or you don't get to use it anymore.

-You must come get it and return it -no deliveries!

We clear? If you need a PA system for events of 100 or more call me.

CD-6 Welcomes Dennis Kucinich

I'm repeating this because this is a great way for Senate Districts to make some extra Ching for nice DFL Bling.

The Sixth Congressional District DFL is Kicking off its Sunday Speaker Series for 2007 with Presidential Candidate and Ohio Congressman Dennis Kucinich. Congressman Kucinich is a principled, compelling speaker, who will be sharing his views on the Iraq war and other progressive issues with us.

When: Sunday, March 11, 2007, Registration 12:15 p.m., Program 1:00 p.m.

Where: Lakes and Plains Carpenters Hall, 700 Olive Street, St. Paul, MN 55101

How Much: $35 per person. $15 Student rate, More information is on the 6th Congressional district website at http://www.subethanet.net/~sixthdfl/SundaySpeakerSeries.html

Questions? Contact 6th Congressional District Chair Nancy Schumacher at 763-441-5959, or e-mail her at .

Senate Districts take note: sell at least five tickets and CD6 will rebate bucks to your SD! Contact Nancy above for details.

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So, Al Franken's in the Senate Race and Mike Cerisi is too. GW is almost certainly ready to blast Iran judging from the increasing number or denials issuing forth from the administration (see an insightful description of his decision making process below!). And, in their unique fashion, The Daily Show has Douglas Feith by the short hairs (warning, not work safe).

Movie Night is a big topic this week. I've posted about NWN4P and their highly successful movie night and there's been a discussion going on now between DFL Links coordinators about having some of their own. Again, the number of new faces I saw at NWN4P just made me salivate. This is a great way to bring people in. (The other great way is to call each and every person that volunteered Election Day -it's in the VAN- and invite them to something -anything!)

Blog O' Mania

Righties Wants Ramstad Out -Do We? -Uncle Geo

Al Franken's In! -Uncle Geo

The Making of a President -Kyle Tonn



More...

UncleGeo? discovers RSS

An interesting note for savvy surfers, the website now has RSS feeds both in and out. What's RSS and what can it do for you? Very simply put; RSS summarizes web pages from RSS enabled websites and makes the summaries available in an automatic feed that other websites can publish. An individual like you can also collect feeds for a personalized page (Google RSS aggregators). An example: on the Handy Links page you can scroll down to "National Blogs" where I have the Daily Kos listed. What you'll see is a simple link to Daily Kos but also the titles and links to the last five or so entries at Kos's site. Kos, publishes these so I don't hav'ta do nothin'! It all updates automatically every hour!

And yes, many pages on the Aurora Site now feature an RSS Feed.

How does RSS do this? Elves. Little tiny elves gather the information and run about in the series of tubes that is the internet. Actually I don't know or even care, it's just less work for me. In fact, I'm hoping it's less work for Carol Woehrer because she spends a lot of time on the Twin Cities Forum page gathering speaking events you can go to. I'm hoping the Elves help but, of course, they can't be everywhere (not every site has RSS) so she is interested in someone who'd like to volunteer to help her. _E mail me at the address just below the logo above.

DFL Links Next Tuesday

Do not miss the DFL Links Meetings next Tuesday. Bring a friend!

Flowchart Fun!

DFL Links Next Week

The best way to bring new people in! See the DFL Links Page.

CD-6 welcomes Dennis Kucinich

I'm repeating this because this is a great way for Senate Districts to make some extra Ching for nice DFL Bling. The Sixth Congressional District DFL is Kicking off its Sunday Speaker Series for 2007 with Presidential Candidate and Ohio Congressman Dennis Kucinich. Congressman Kucinich is a principled, compelling speaker, who will be sharing his views on the Iraq war and other progressive issues with us.

When: Sunday, March 11, 2007, Registration 12:15 p.m., Program 1:00 p.m.

Where: Lakes and Plains Carpenters Hall, 700 Olive Street, St. Paul, MN 55101

How Much: $35 per person. $15 Student rate, More information is on the 6th Congressional district website at http://www.subethanet.net/~sixthdfl/SundaySpeakerSeries.html

Questions? Contact 6th Congressional District Chair Nancy Schumacher at 763-441-5959, or e-mail her at .

Senate Districts take note: sell at least five tickets and CD6 will rebate bucks to your SD! Contact Nancy above for details.

Business Democrats -Speaker: Anthony Signorelli

Join Business Democrats for lunch on March 8th with Anthony Signorelli

Anthony Signorelli is a businessman and concerned citizen. Like many thoughtful businesspeople who are not blinded by a knee-jerk addiction to tax-cutting, runaway profits and the bottom line, he feels that his and America’s best interests lie more in the building of a socially responsible political system. Since graduating with honors from the University of Minnesota he has enjoyed nothing better than a healthy political debate and his first book, Call to Liberty,Bridging the Divide between Liberals and Conservatives, reflects his lifelong willingness to look objectively at the hard issues.

Grass Roots Solutions Job Openings

• Advocacy Training Coordinator - Texas


• Online Advocacy Coordinator - Texas


• Field Researcher - Midwest


• Assistant to the President - Minneapolis, MN


• Campaign Manager - Central Northeast US


• Deputy Field Director - Washington DC

---

Website Features

• Blog
• DFL Links meeting announcements
• Calendar of Events
• Carol 's fabulousTwin Cities Speakers Forums
• The DFL Links File Download Galleries of materials for current and past DFL Links meetings
• A very extensive list of handy Democratic/Progressive links

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First, Check out the fabulous four part Frontline on PBS entitled News Wars. Last night's installment was great and will be repeated a number of times this week on CH 17 and TPT-HD. And now...

The silver lining in the disaster that is the Bush Administration is the energizing of new people in the political process. Arriana Huffington noted immediately after the 2004 election that groups would continue to form spontaneously to get active -she was right. Some of these folks work within progressive parties and some outside. A great success locally is Northwest Neighbors for Peace. Carole Rydberg and her fellow organizers have seen great success with rallys, weekly demonstrations, meetings and movie nights. See the announcement below for their latest screenings and consider getting to one of these events.

I'll also note that at the screening I attended there were plenty of folks I'd never seen before. If you go, seek these folks out and begiung to build a relationship. Invite them to become involved. Give 'em a copy of the Alert -whatever! Don't lose these folks!

Northwest Neighbors Screenings and Events

1)We're getting together Thursday to watch The Ground Truth—a powerful documentary told through the eyes of veterans of the Iraq war. It's a hard look at what some soldiers go through when they return and try to put their lives back together. After the movie we'll watch a special video from Rep. John Murtha about what we can do to stop the escalation and end the war. Then, we'll write letters to Congress pressing them for action.

Where: Parish Community of St. Joseph (in Minneapolis)—We'll send you the exact address after you R.S.V.P.

When: Thursday, Feb 15 2007, 7:00 PM

NOTE: This documentary is very graphic and it may contain scenes and language you don't want your kids to see. We would advise that you consider viewing the documentary first, before deciding whether you feel comfortable showing it children or others who may be sensitive to such subject matter.

2) TWO fine films at Ridgedale Library on Sunday March 4th ... FREE. "Inconvenient Truth" will begin at 12:30 PM and lasts a bit over an hour and a half. "The Ground Truth" begins at 2:30 PM; we hope to have a discussion led by Military Families Speak Out following the film.

3) IRAQ FOR SALE: THE WAR PROFITEERs. Who's getting killed? Who's making a killing? Thursday, February 22, 7 PM sharp at the Brookdale Library, 6125 Shingle Creek Parkway, Brooklyn Center. The facility has a large screen and a nice sound system!

4) Photography Exhibit: "Chronicles of Our American Conscience: Faces of Commitment" and features the faces and stories of our service men and women. They will be on display at the Coffee News Cafe, 1662 Grand Avenue, St. Paul, MN 55105, 651-698-3324 throughout the month of March. Can you think of a place in our northwest area where these photographs could also be exhibited? Let Chante know:

Aurora Blogger Hits Big Time!

One of our bloggers, Judy Nollet has had her fourth letter published in Newsweek! Judy notes "the following letter was sent in response to an article about Dinesh D'Souza and his book, "The Enemy At Home," in which he blames "the Left" and its "decadent moral values" for fueling the jihadists:

A stand against torture, no matter the perpetrator. A belief in human rights and dignity for all, including women, homosexuals and others who are mistreated simply for how they were born. A hope that America will unswervingly uphold the principles of democracy and justice that it preaches to the rest of the world. Tell Dinesh D'Souza I'm proud to belong to the "domestic insurgency" that holds these "decadent moral values."

- Judy Nollet

Eagan MN

CD-6 welcomes Dennis Kucinich

The Sixth Congressional District DFL is Kicking off its Sunday Speaker Series
for 2007 with Presidential Candidate and Ohio Congressman Dennis Kucinich. Congressman Kucinich is a principled, compelling speaker, who will be sharing his views on the Iraq war and other progressive issues with us.

When: Sunday, March 11, 2007, Registration 12:15 p.m., Program 1:00 p.m.


Where: Lakes and Plains Carpenters Hall, 700 Olive Street, St. Paul, MN 55101


How Much: $35 per person. $15 Student rate, More information is on the 6th Congressional district website at http://www.subethanet.net/~sixthdfl/SundaySpeakerSeries.html

Questions? Contact 6th Congressional District Chair Nancy Schumacher at
763-441-5959, or e-mail her at .

Senate Districts take note: sell at least five tickets and CD6 will rebate bucks to your SD! Contact Nancy above for details.

Grass Roots Solutions Job Openings

Current�job postings for February 13, 2007:

• Campaign Manager - Central Northeast US


• Deputy Field Director - Washington DC


• Finance Director - Minnesota


• Deputy National Field Director�- Washington DC


• Regional Field Organizer�- Washington DC

�

To apply online or for more information, visit our website
at�www.grassrootssolutions.com�and click on "Jobs in the Field."

911 Report Download

This link won't prevent you from copying from the report like other links did. Not that it matters anymore. http://www.gpoaccess.gov/911/

DFL Links Next Week

The best way to bring new people in! See the DFL Links Page.

Website Features

• Blog
• DFL Links meeting announcements
• Calendar of Events
• Carol 's fabulouscurrent and past DFL Links meetings
• A very extensive list of Permalink-view this post with all comments 0 Post comment