Action Alerts and Regional Events

Thanks to the Virginia Grassroots Coalition

VGC Action Alerts:

Intern with the Rockridge Institute - http://www.rockridgeinstitute.org/aboutus/internships/2005/announcement

Oppose CAFTA, A Flawed Trade Pact. Urge your senators and representatives to oppose the Central American Free Trade Agreement http://www.capwiz.com/thenation/mail/oneclick_compose/?alertid=6825116

A Whole BUNCH of Action Alerts on PDAmerica. http://capwiz.com/pdamerica/home/

Check out the American Progress daily email. It WILL make you angry. http://www.americanprogressaction.org/

No Draft. http://www.nodraftnoway.org

Regional Events:

Saturday, April 9, The National Gay and Lesbian Task Force Honors DNC Chairman Howard Dean.
At the 16th Annual Leadership Awards. VIP Reception at 6:30 pm / General Reception at 7 pm /Program at 8 pm, Omni Shoreham Hotel, 2500 Calvert Street NW. Sign up and become a sponsor today to be listed on the invitation for this not-to-be-missed event. Go to www.thetaskforce.org/awards or contact Task Force National Events Manager Clayton Yeung at (202) 393-5177 ext.8742 OR cyeung@theTaskForce.org.

Tuesday, April 19^th, Civic Dialogue Project: National Dialogue on Social Security. Find one near you! http://www.wellstone.org/network/issue_page.aspx?catID=1770

April 30th-May 1st - DFA Training in Charlottesville - www.democracyforvirginia.com or Jeanbee6@netscape.net

June 1st - 3rd - Take Back America 2005, A Progressive Conference in Washington, DC - www.ourfuture.org

Weekly Reader and Fun Stuff

Democracy Arsenal. http://www.democracyarsenal.org/

Energy Insanity. www.alternet.org/columnists/story/21622

Dark and Weird. http://www.ctheory.net/text_file.asp?pick=449

Illiberal Conservative Media. http://media.eriposte.com/

Who Wins? http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A3796-2005Mar26.html

Mission Not Accomplished. http://www.missionnotaccomplished.us/

Hypocrisy is NOT pretty. http://www.sptimes.com/2005/03/22/Opinion/Political_opportunism.shtml

On Corporate Social Responsibility. http://hbswk.hbs.edu/specialReport.jhtml?id=4715&t=special_reports

Campus Progress. http://www.campusprogress.org/

The Attack on Unions. http://www.inthesetimes.com/site/main/article/2008/

Minimum Wage. http://www.prospect.org/web/page.ww?section=root&name=ViewWeb&articleId=9310

No Mandate. http://www.nomandate.org/

Debt Slavery. http://www.debtslavery.org/

DeLay in Trouble AGAIN. http://tinyurl.com/48e2j

A living will that works. http://www.sptimes.com/2005/03/27/Columns/Living_will_is_the_be.shtml

Wussies. http://www.inthesetimes.com/site/main/cartoons/wussies/

Join PDA Directors Friday, April 8 from 8 to 10 pm

Dear Friends,

Please join PDA (http://www.pdamerica.org/) Director, Tim Carpenter, and Policy Director Alysia Fischer for a showing of Tom Hayden's talk, "Stop the Funding of the Iraq War" on Friday, April 8 from 8 to 10 pm at the UDC David A. Clarke School of Law, Building 39, Room 204, 4200 Connecticut Avenue, NW in Washington, DC. Right atop the Red Line Van Ness/UDC Station. Underground parking available off Van Ness street. Handicapped accessible.

LYNNE STEWART VIDEO

ALSO before the PDA event, at 6PM there will be a video and discussion of the Lynne Stewart case in the next room, Room 205. Who is Lynne F. Stewart, Esq? Why was she indicted by John Ashcroft after 9/11 and tried and convicted for "aiding terrorism"? What are the implications of this case for defense lawyers and people's civil rights in this period of war, terrorism, fear, and secrecy?

RSVP for either or both events to: Jlibertelli@udc.edu

Joe Libertelli

April 14 Meeting with Chris Van Hollen's Staff

Elly Shaw-Belblidia Rockville DFA MeetUp Host / Organizer, writes:

Dear Montgomery County DFA Members, DFA and True Majority have asked supporters across the U.S. to meet with their Congressional representatives on April 14 to discuss Social Security. Here in the 8th Congressional District we have a fine Representative in Chris Van Hollen. We know he supports preserving Social Security and doesn't need convincing.

Still, we want to meet with his staff with this purpose: to emphasize our support for a vigorous Democratic defense of Social Security, and to ask what we can do to help in this effort. I have scheduled a meeting with Joan Kleinman, Cong. Chris Van Hollen's District Director, for Thursday April 14 at 9:30 am. It should last about 30 minutes.

The office address is 51 Monroe St., Suite 507, in central Rockville. Looking at the map, the building is more or less between Route 355 and the Regal Cinema. There may be visitor parking on the ground floor of the building, but if not, there is a large parking lot in front of the Cinema. It is walking distance from the Rockville Metro.

I might change my mind about this, but right now I'm thinking we could meet in the lobby of the building around 9:20, and any stragglers who come after 9:30 should come up on their own. Please let me know ASAP if you can join in this visit so that we have a healthy-sized contingent.

Thanks in advance,

Elly Shaw-Belblidia