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Knock on wood- but we think the cold weather is FINALLY behind us. You know what that means...

It’s time for Living Liberally’s 5th Annual Spring Celebration and Fundraiser! On Saturday, May 7th 2011, we’ll be getting together from 7-11pm to catch up, discuss our future and honor the hard work of our fellow progressives.

We’re also super excited to recognize our honorees -- former Congressman Alan Grayson (D-FL) and activist group Color of Change: two magnificent examples of principled progressive activism at work. Mr. Grayson was instrumental in hitting back at the Corporate/Republican noise machine during financial reform, health care and a wide variety of other issues. Most notably, Mr. Grayson is remembered for summing up the Republican plan for health insurance reform as, “Don’t get sick. And if you do, die quickly.”

Color of Change is one of the fastest growing progressive advocacy organizations on the Left, and has recently scored a huge victory in their long campaign to take Glenn Beck off of TV. By circulating petitions, contacting advertisers and spreading the word about Beck’s hateful conspiracy theories and diatribes, Color of Change was largely responsible for Beck’s decline in ratings and eventual departure from FOX.

Tickets start at $100, but if you register now, you can take advantage of our recession special -- two tickets for $150 total! So grab a pal and join us for some liberal libations as we celebrate our work together over the past year.

Join us for the 2011 Living Liberally Spring Fundraiser and Celebration! Click here to register today.

As GOP contenders try to look like grown-ups
preparing for a "serious" run at the White House,
their exploratory committees debuts get dumped
by a media that obsesses for anything called Trump.

Republicans proposes sweeping budget changes
& try to ignite a debate over entitlement spending,
but the guy calling for Obama's birth certificate
(yet can't produce his own) gets all the attention.

Conservatives jockey to seem folksy & accessible,
angling to become the Regular-Joe-in-Chief,
but the rich, obnoxious elitist steals the spotlight.

After years of right-wing hopefuls shilling on Fox News,
the man with an NBC show tops their primary polls.

Sorry, Republicans, you've been trumped.

Believe it or not, Trump's not the only news story,
so share what's on your mind & toast what's in your glass,
with like-minded left-leaning libation-lifters
at your local progressive social club.

DRINKING LIBERALLY
Find - or start - a chapter near you.

SUPPORT LIVING LIBERALLY

Living Liberally supports hundreds of gatherings around the country, giving liberals the opportunity to find their community wherever they are.

We do this with an all-volunteer staff -- and with your support.

Help us continue Living Liberally! Every dollar helps us continue this work.

On May 7th in New York City, we're hosting our 5th Annual Living Liberally Celebration. We'll be honoring the Honorable Alan Grayson and the organization Color of Change. Join the fun.

And if you can't make it, make a donation to support a local activist to attend -- and to support Living Liberally.

In addressing the nation's long-term deficit,
President Obama pledged to end the Bush tax cuts
...which he agreed to extend just 4 months ago.

He called for us to curtail wasteful spending
...a month after launching a costly third war,
while two already drain our national coffers.

He affirmed the kind of country we want,
the values we hold, the programs we commit to,
& drew a line in the sand...which he often does
shortly before he compromises, caves & capitulates.

A solid speech, but will the Prez follow through?
Because his ability to deliver on progressive values
is the long-term deficit we're most concerned about.

Let's toast & talk, debate & deliberate, recap & revel
as we gather with progressive pals, guys and gals,
at your local progressive social club.

DRINKING LIBERALLY
Find - or start - a chapter near you.

(With a click of her mouse, EatingLiberally's kat, aka Kerry Trueman, corners Dr. Marion Nestle, NYU professor of nutrition and author of Pet Food Politics, What to Eat and Food Politics:)

KAT: We talk a lot about the factory farms that provide most of our meat, poultry, eggs, and dairy products, but most Americans have no idea what really goes on inside a CAFO, or Concentrated Animal Feeding Operation.

You, however, saw a number of these fetid facilities firsthand when you served on the Pew Commission on Industrial Farm Animal Production a couple of years ago. And industrial livestock production's role in degrading our environment, undermining our health, abusing animals and exploiting workers in the name of efficiency has been well-documented, most recently in Dan Imhoff's massive, and massively disturbing, coffee table book CAFO: The Tragedy of Industrial Animal Factories
.

Given all the problems inherent in industrial livestock production, do you see a future for factory farming?

Dr. Nestle: I do not think factory farming is going away. Most people like meat and want to eat it, and do so the minute they get enough money to buy it.

I think a more realistic question is this: Can factory farming be done better? The interesting thing about the Pew Commission's investigations was that we were taken to factory farms where people were trying to do things right, or at least better. Even so, it was mind-boggling to see an egg facility that gave whole new meaning to the term "free range." And these eggs were organic, yet. The hens were not caged, but there were thousands of them all over each other. This place did a fabulous job of composting waste and the place did not smell bad. But it did not in any way resemble anyone's fantasy of chickens scratching around in the dirt.

Factory farming raises issues about its effects on the animals, the environment, the local communities, and food safety. As someone invested in public health and food safety, I care about all of those. The effects on the animals are obvious, and those will never go away no matter how well everything else is done.

But the everything else could be done much, much better. The first big issue is animal waste. It stinks. It's potentially dangerous. Most communities have laws that forbid this level of waste accumulation, but the laws are not enforced, often because the communities are poor and disenfranchised.

The second is antibiotics, particularly the use of antibiotic drugs as growth promoters. This selects for antibiotic-resistant bacteria and is, to say the least, not a good idea.

The factory farming system could be greatly improved by forcing the farms to manage waste and restricting use of antibiotics. This will not solve the fundamental problems, but it will help.

I'm hoping that more environmentally friendly meat production will expand, and factory farming will contract. That would be better for public health in the short and long run.

If you're in the NYC area, please join Eating Liberally and Kitchen Table Talks this Thursday, April 14th at NYU's Fales Library to hear Dr. Nestle, Dan Imhoff, and Pulitzer prize-winning New York Times investigative reporter Michael Moss address the question "What's the Matter with Mass-Produced Meat?" The discussion will be moderated by Paula Crossfield of Civil Eats. Event details here.

Glenn Beck's Fox televsion show is ending!
We want to cheer, but we know Fox "News"
will fill the time with other conservative blowhards
that continue to push a distorted, right-wing agenda.

Progressives are winning the WI Supreme Court race!
While this shows the power of solidarity with workers
it stands against a backdrop of state-after-state
passing anti-labor rules & anti-family budgets.

The Tea Party's extreme overreach is going to cost them!
Happy they stumble, but there are real consequences:
their Medicaid privatization plan still drives debate
& their budget bullying may shut down our government.

…and some of us want a government that functions.

It's great to see The Tea Party's tea go cold…
but it should mean more than weak tea for all of us.
We need progressive to brew some hot coffee
…or maybe, we need a shot of something stronger.

Share what you think as you share a drink,
talk Wisconsin, Washington & the state of our nation
with lovable lefties and like-minded libation-lifters
at your local progressive social club.

DRINKING LIBERALLY
Find - or start - a chapter near you.

Conservatives first shouted we moved too slow in Libya,
then they screamed at the Prez for moving to fast,
& now they squeal that we're working with France.

The GOP accuses Obama of not leading on the budget
while they focus on a culture crusade against NPR,
and play games with 2-week budget extensions
that undermine our country's strength & stability.

Tea Partiers blame him for not focusing on job creation,
while their statehouses wage a war on workers,
& presidential hopefuls put the economy on the back burner
to engage in anti-gay, anti-choice debates in Iowa.

Liberals may feel left out & progressives are pissed,
but conservatives are conflicted in their ranks,
convoluted in their logic, contorted in their goals
...& when it comes to leading, they're just confused.

Plenty to discuss, much to debate & reason to drink --
so share your values & a pitcher with a few friendly folks
at your local progressive social club.

DRINKING LIBERALLY
Find - or start - a chapter near you.

This time we engaged the international community,
rather than bullying and ignoring them,
before unleashing bombs on an Arab country
with no clear timeline, end goal or sense of cost.

The administration at least believes in global warming
-- even while it allowed more drilling post-BP spill,
called for more nuclear before the Japanese disaster
& advocated "clean coal" despite it being a myth.

Our President now expresses support for labor,
instead of holding working families in contempt,
while making budget deals to cut social services
as he extends tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans.

We're a far cry from the days of "Mission Accomplished"
…but this isn't exactly the spirit of "Yes, We Can."

We signed on for "Change We Believe In,"
but this is "Change We'd Rather Leave Out."

If you'd like a drink, an escape & friendly debate,
join like-minded libation-lifting lefties
at your local, progressive social club.

DRINKING LIBERALLY
Find - or start - a chapter near you.

As Japan reacts to a devastating earthquake,
we pray for the people, their health, their welfare,...
their social safety net, their infrastructure
& their government's emergency response teams.

As revolution shakes Libya & the entire region,
we hope that elite plutocrats yield to the populace
that wants more public investment & social services,
more distribution of wealth & a stronger middle class.

And in Wisconsin we see what's at stake in America:
workers' rights stripped away, a century of gains undone
& a conservative attack on working families everywhere.

In America, the right-wing attacks our institutions,
undermines investments & shreds our safety net.

Everywhere else in the world, we pray
that other countries have all that in place.

We pray for those in the quakes & shakes
...and we also remember what we have at stake.

Discuss it all & join the revelry revolution
as we toss around ideas & toss back drinks
at our local progressive social club.

DRINKING LIBERALLY
Find - or start - a chapter near you.

Our country is wealthier than it's ever been
yet we believe we need a slash-and-burn budget
because we're afraid to make the rich pay their share.

Big banks contribute next to nothing in taxes,
while giving out bonuses backed by public bailout,
yet we're talking about cutting teachers.

Unions, the vehicles to a healthy middle class,
who have already agreed to concessions,
are being attacked for not sacrificing enough
...while the Kochs sacrifice nothing at all.

But won't taxing billionaires & banks hurt them?
Not nearly as much as they've hurt all of us.

Tax the super-rich and they sting a little.
Cut schools, and our future bleeds a lot.

And on that cheery note, who needs a drink?
Come out to toss out ideas & toss back a beer
at your local progressive social club.

DRINKING LIBERALLY
Find - or start - a chapter near you.