Thanks to Spud1 for the descriptive logo above...
Many here on Daily Kos have been working for months - and some longer - on exposing all of the activities of ALEC working with pro-corporate interests. We have all tried to gain the ear of the MSM and get them to accurately report on the activities of ALEC and their enablers and funders headed up by the Koch brothers. No matter how open and anti-democratic the activities of this cabal, the MSM has turned a deaf ear and steadfastly refused to publicize any of it. Consequently it fell mainly upon the shoulders of the Progressive elements here at Daily Kos to stand upon the front lines in this struggle, continuing to hold a defensive position against the well funded campaigning of the radical right wingers and Koch's money.
When a call went out for a protest of ALEC - Kossacks responded and put together a great event in Cincinnati in April of this year. We know that the release of ALEC's until then secret documents were turned over and made public for all to see during that event.
Kossacks along with the Protest ALEC and Exposing ALEC group put together, attended and spoke in New Orleans on August 3rd against ALEC, their model legislation and their anti voter, anti worker legislation. We brought the SEIU, AFLCIO and AFSCME to the event and march against ALEC.
All of our efforts to date have been in defense of democracy. We have held the line against legislation, rhetoric and Republican politicians such as Kasich of Ohio, Walker of Wisconsin, LePage of Maine, Scott of Florida, Brewer of Arizona and Perry of Texas. While all of these Governors have fought to end collective bargaining, bust up unions, disenfranchise voters and weaken all labor in America, we have stood watch and worked to provide a defense against them.
Today I want to write and tell all my fellow Kossacks that many of us now believe it is time to stop just defending democracy, workers, voter's rights and unions...it is time for us to go on the offensive...
...Bruce Fealk gave us the idea to consider a Bus Tour while he was visiting Oregon recently. He thought this would be a way to reach out to Americans and get them to understand what is at stake for them and America if we allow these Conservative led attacks to continue to erode democracy in our nation and society.
Taking Bruce's idea to a much higher level, we have decided to explore the possibility of putting together a National Tour on democracy. We are hoping to begin the tour in November of this year and end it on election day in November 2012. During the tour we intend to hit many cities - large and small - state by state, attending town halls, holding presentations and events at Union halls, at political press conferences. Along the way we intent to interview executives of all the corporations belonging to ALEC, film the mansions of the Kochs, DeVos and Scaife family...visit and film all of the right wing organizations affiliated with these attacks against our democracy; Heritage Foundation, Heartland Institute, CATO Institute, Mercatur Center, George Mason's Law Education Center, the Mackinac Institute in Michigan.
We are planning on having a 3 hour radio program nightly where everyone can call in and be heard and segments will be set aside for representatives of Unions, labor groups, education authorities and those involved with immigration reform and LGBT and other issues to sit down and discuss their issues with listeners. We will sell advertising at a reasonable cost to help offset the costs of the tour and offer an exclusive right to one organization for producing a documentary of the tour.
I realize it is late in the year to try and attempt something like this within the next two months, but we have not been idle as we've planned this over the past two months. Knowing that ALEC has advised their state representatives to specifically monitor the diaries and comments about them on DK, I and others involved have been hesitant to announce our intentions for this tour here on DK in order to attempt to keep our activities hidden from them as we solidify our plans. This is no longer possible or desirable. Democracy and activities to fight against the erosion of it must be in sight of the people and not hidden away like ALEC and the Koch's activities have been hidden for more than 3 decades now. This tour and our efforts are about transparency, something ALEC fears more than anything. So here it is...you now know what we've been planning for two months and working to make it possible.
We have made arrangements for 501(c)(3) exempt status, and have been actively searching for funding, sponsorship, those who wish to take part along the tour, individuals in every state to help with scheduling, advertising and logistics. We have made some headway but have a distance to go. We must raise at least one million dollars over the next 6 months to make this happen. To you and I that sounds like an insurmountable figure, but in politics in the run-up to a Presidential election cycle that represents a minuscule amount.
Some are aware that I was invited to attend a radio program last Sunday hosted by Reverend Jesse Jackson. On the panel with me were Congressman John Conyers of Michigan, Congressman Jesse Jackson, Jr. of Illinois, Economist, Max Fraad Wolff (Huffington Post) and author, Danny Schechter. The show was about prison privatization, prison industries, prison labor and the impact each has had upon our economy, our jobs and legislation that has allowed such profiteering. I explained to the listeners what ALEC is, how they wrote the laws to imprison more than 2 million Americans, to keep them the longest amount of time possible and to work them to extract the most profits possible from their labor.
During the two hour show Congressman Conyers invited me to attend the Congressional Black Caucus in DC later this month. He wants me to be on a panel and speak to the caucus about the issues of prison industries, prison labor and how they have stolen jobs from our private sector - and what must be done to stop this theft of our jobs. I expressed to the Congressman our wanting to take a bus tour nationwide to speak to Americans about ALEC and their cabal and its harmful pro-corporate agenda and legislation. I told him others were developing and going to propose and support a "people's" legislative bill designed to control lobbying such is done at ALEC events...that we also intended to hold voter registration drives and inform voters of the state laws in their state and what they must do to not be turned away at the polls or made to vote provisionally and that we wanted to allow candidates to speak at our events about their opposition to free market legislation and support for transparency in government. We will provide ALEC legislation comparisons between what the corporations proposed and conservative legislators took back to their states and implemented, so the public can see for themselves who wrote the laws they are now living under.
Congressman Conyers said he thought that was a great idea and if I get him a firm media package about the Tour, he will issue a press release about it and his support for it immediately prior to the September 21st Congressional Black Caucus meeting.
Now all we have to do is make it happen...gather volunteers to represent us in each state and help with scheduling events, town halls, etc. and of course funding. These needs make it necessary to once again turn to the Kossacks and ask them to again step forward and help us make this happen. If we are to go on the offensive, we must do it now and continue to do it right up until the last vote is cast in November 2012. And after that event comes and goes...we will continue our efforts to make sure this does not happen again in the lifetime of our children and their children. Our organization that begins with this Bus Tour, will be active in guaranteeing that promise to American workers, parents and students.
This all began right here last November when I began writing prolifically about prison issues and the involvement of ALEC and the Kochs, CCA and Geo Group in driving the legislation to imprison so many and profit off their incarceration. Until then most were still unaware of ALEC and had no idea what the American Legislative Exchange Council was all about, what they did, who they were, who their members were...the legislators who are owned by them and the corporate interests. Through DK, all of that is now common knowledge and many now understand the plight our country and three branches of government are in by the continuous attacks upon each by ALEC and their supporters. Since we began to fight back from here, it is fitting that any national effort to carry the fight to them begin right here, where the anti-ALEC activism was born.
We are preparing to implement an escrow account for donations and contributions from those who wish to help. We are now starting to contact major contributors seeking their support and grants to assist us. This is also where personal and individual donations can be made.
For now we are working on naming the tour and our organization. For that I'm putting out a call to readers to make suggestions. Keep the name short and descriptive - no more than four or five words. If you have time and energy to devote to helping us in your city or state, let me know and I'll add your name to the list and have our outreach committee contact you. If you wish to donate, contribute or offer sponsorship or want to inquire about advertising on the radio program, you can also contact me directly through the DK email system and I will get back with you promptly.
In conclusion, I want to also say - with the proviso that we know ALEC is watching and listening to our efforts here on DK...the expose I've hinted was coming is still in the works but the time is moving closer by the day. Before the Tour takes off everyone will know more about ALEC, Koch and their cabal than ever before in their long history. It stinks and is truly if you can believe it, much worse than their model legislation is and has done more damage to our democracy than a hundred of those damn laws ever have. For just a mere hint...one tiny glimpse into a piece of what has been happening take a few minutes and read Jim Hightower's article posted yesterday here and when you realize this is just a tiny piece of what ALEC's corporate friends and right wing funders have been up to, you'll begin to understand the peril our democracy is in right now.