Houghton

Hey folks,

Just a quick reminder about some events this week.

Josh Carlson, MTU Chemical Engineer, Libertarian, and new husband (congrats!) will lead a discussion of Bob Barr's nomination as the Libertarian Party's candidate in the 2008 presidential election this Wednesday night at 7:00 pm at the Keweenaw Brewing Company. Barr's nomination has created a stir in the party, due to some of his "Republican" stances while in the House. See last week's message on the Houghton DL blog at the following link for more details:
http://livingliberally.org/Living-Liberally-website-launched

Erik, Ray & Curt have still been informally chit-chatting away at our regular time and place: Thursday at 7 at KBC. Swing in and say hello if you're out and about.

Finally, I'm hosting a Democracy for America Unity Action Event this Saturday, 6/21 at my house behind Houghton High School on Second St. We'll start around 6 and have some burgers and dogs on the grill. I have postcards with a list of names and addresses for Democratic voters in the area. We'll be writing personalized messages to all the local Democratic voters in an effort to bring all Democratic supporters, regardless of the candidate they supported in January, together for the November election. The work will only take about an hour, then we'll have time for socializing & strategizing further. Bring your own alcohol if you'd like to Drink Liberally. Here's my address:
47608 2nd St.
Houghton, MI 49931

Please RSVP at the following link if you'd like to participate:
http://www.democracyforamerica.com/events/29551-unity-action-event

Also, check out the Houghton chapter blog at the following link if you have time . . . comment if you fancy:
http://livingliberally.org/drinking/chapters/MI/Houghton
Scroll down for the blog.

Cheers,
Jeremy

This morning, the Bush administration received bad news from the Supreme Court. In a 5-4 ruling, the high court granted Guantanamo Bay detainees the writ of habeas corpus. As such, detainees will have the right to obtain legal counsel and bring their cases to trial in U.S. civilian courts. Some hope this will be the beginning of the end of indefinite detention without charges being brought against detainees. Still others look at this as a turning of the tide and the death knell for Gitmo in general.

"Justice Anthony Kennedy, writing for the court, said, 'The laws and Constitution are designed to survive, and remain in force, in extraordinary times.'"
High Court sides with Guantanamo detainees again, Mark Sherman, AP

What Next at Gitmo?, Katie Paul, Newsweek

Bush's reaction and CNN commentary:

Shhh . . . do you hear it? It sounds like the faint singing of cellos and violas weaving the opening notes of Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture.

It sounds like freedom.

I'm on all kinds of mailing lists. I get a great deal of information, action alerts, videos, petitions, whateva through email and usually the weekly DL mailings I send is more a matter of weeding out what to pass along rather than trying to find relevant political material to talk about. Here are a few things that have caught my eye this week.

In a message from Howard Dean, chair of the Democratic Party, he announced a new policy of refusal to accept donations from federal lobbyists or political action committees. I in no way endorse the party, nor do I encourage you to donate. However, as a former teacher, I make it my business to educate people about opportunities.
http://www.democrats.org/nonlobbyists

Progress Michigan is running a campaign to prevent corporate profiteering from the sale of Great Lakes water. Recently, the State House voted to protect our natural resources while bolstering our right to defend them. However, the State Senate has put forth a plan to open up Michigan's waterways for sale and export, while weakening public control over the same. Progress Michigan offers an opportunity to contact your Senator regarding the matter.
http://progressmichigan.org/page/speakout/greatlakes

MoveOn.org is offering free Obama bumper stickers (1 free one per person), 10 for $5, or 100 for $25.
https://pol.moveon.org/obamastickers/?id=12804-8566543-Gn.EI5&t=4

LA Times featured an opinion piece by Mark Dery entititled "McClellan's 'Matrix' Moment." It's a fascinating read about the implications of the Bush propaganda machine and "manufactured consent."
http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/la-oe-dery7-2008jun07,0,1999387.stor...

Brave New Foundation and The Nation have been working on a series of online documentaries entitled "This Brave Nation." Each episode is a dialog between two individuals that have been active in making a positive difference in this country. The first featured Van Jones (civil rights activist) and Carl Pope (environmental activist). The second episode, just released, features Bonnie Raitt (singer and social activist) and Dolores Huerta (union organizer).
http://bravenation.com/

MoveOn.org is organizing "Hungry for Change," a nationwide bake sale to raise money for Obama's campaign on Saturday and Sunday, June 21 & 22. If you'd like to organize a local bake sale, click below.
http://pol.moveon.org/event/events/create.html?action_id=123&id=12823-85...

On Monday, June 9, Dennis Kucinich presented 35 Articles of Impeachment against George W. Bush. The first link will take you to the full text. The second link takes you to the American Freedom Campaign's online letter to Congress regarding the matter.
http://kucinich.house.gov/News/DocumentSingle.aspx?DocumentID=93581
http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/2165/t/1027/campaign.jsp?campaign_K...

MoveOn.org and John Cusack put together an ad showing some of the similarities between John McCain and George W. Bush. You can see the ad and donate funds to get it aired here:
https://pol.moveon.org/donate/cusack.html?id=12833-8566543-dPjNOi&t=4

Okay, that's all for today.

Greetings great gulpers of liberal libations and progressive pints,

With summer research and Johnny Law making it difficult to make it out, we'll have to cancel this week's meeting. However, Josh Carlson, our very own Ron Paul supporting Libertarian, has volunteered his time next Wednesday evening from 7:00 pm on to make a special Drinking Liberally appearance. On tap for the night will be a discussion focused on Bob Barr, the Libertarian presidential candidate. This is touchy issue among some Libertarians, as he was a Republican when he served in the House of Representatives, authored the Defense of Marriage Act, and supported the Patriot Act. This should be a thought-provoking discussion, as we consider Obama (opposed Defense of Marriage Act, supported Patriot Act) and McCain (supported both). Here's a couple videos to wet your whistle.
Barr's acceptance speech: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mjfDSPfL02w
Christine Smith's concession speech/Barr attack: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c964GberGRs

Drinking Liberally has shuffled around the internet a bit. Living Liberally has a new website, where Drinking, Eating, Screening, Laughing, and Reading Liberally all find a new centralized home. The Houghton chapter now has its own page with an events calendar and blogspace. The new site also better connects us with DL around the country and the whole Living Liberally network. I'll be posting more of the articles and commentary in the Houghton chapter's blog and leave the weekly reminders as just that.

For the time being, the old links will just redirect to the Living Liberally site. Here are the new links. By the way, if you haven't checked out the DL map recently, I invite you to see how it's grown since November . . . it's made it to Japan, Australia and New Zealand!
Living Liberally home: http://livingliberally.org/
Drinking Liberally home: http://livingliberally.org/drinking
Houghton chapter home: http://livingliberally.org/drinking/chapters/MI/Houghton

Again, no DL this week, but come on down to the KBC next Wednesday (6/18) night at 7 pm.

I leave you with a quote. "Politics and the fate of mankind are shaped by men without ideals and without greatness. Men who have greatness within them don't go in for politics." ~ Albert Camus (I have an earnest hope he's wrong this time)

Cheers,
Jeremy

Welcome to the Houghton, MI Drinking Liberally blog on the new and exciting Living Liberally website! I'm Jeremy Sandrik and will be your host on this amazing journey in democracy.

I'm excited about this whole blog business. Every week, I try to pack as much into a weekly reminder that sometimes I feel it's a bit overwhelming for those that just want to know about the current week's meeting. This will serve as a storehouse and archive of leftastic videos, action items, news bits, etc. and will allow the weekly reminders to be a bit briefer and to the point.

That said, here's my first entry into the Living Liberally blog world.

On June 6-8, Minneapolis was home to the National Conference for Media Reform (NCMR), hosted by Free Press and featured Bill Moyers and Dan Rather, among others. You can find the full text of Dan Rather's speech, a scathing report on the state of corporate news, here. I'm pasting the video of Bill Moyers' keynote address immediately below.

Apparently frightened by the large numbers of people, led by real journalists with integrity, Rupert Murdoch, by way of his junkard dog Bill O'Reilly on Faux News, launched an attack on the NCMR, Free Press and by extension, Dan Rather and Bill Moyers. What follows is a set of clips from that segment, followed by a Keith Olbermann response.

I responded to one of Free Press' action alerts and wrote this response:

"Labeling opponents as "lunatic left," "loons," and "unstable people" allows you to sidestep the rational criticisms of your brand of "journalism" and focus your attack on the people bringing the argument against you instead of against the criticisms themselves. Name-calling is a classic propaganda technique I see on your show consistently. It is not a journalism technique.

Furthermore, you shift the conversation to the supposed "threat" that these media reformers in your eyes represent. In classic Fox News and Bill O'Reilly style, you appeal to fear, another tried and true propaganda technique. In truth, the only "damage" media reformers and quality journalists are doing and will do is to the credibility and ratings of programs like yours. You, sir, are doing enough damage to America by misleading its people. You appeal to the emotions that are basest and most primitive in humans.

I am a graduate student at Michigan Technological University and am a member of ACLU, Rock the Vote and the College Democrats. All three of these groups are planning numerous events in the fall in the last few months before the November general election. I'd like to invite you to come share your point of view on media, politics and their intersection.

'Fuck it! We'll do it live!'"

If you'd like to give Bill an earful, click here.

I'm not sure if you have to be a member to leave comments here . . . something to play around with.

Laters, escalators.