MY FIRST DIARY - be kind please. Not a political pro or major activist by any means here...
Just got back from this event today and not sure if any comments about it have been posted yet.
I am sure that there were many Bay Area Kossacks in attendance. I am not sure what capacity is at the theatre - HUGE crowd - it was standing room only. Great TV/Media coverage. Can't wait to see it tonite. Here is what happened - on the flip side...
Congressperson Barbara Lee - 9th District held a very informative town hall today at Oakland's wonderful Grand Lake Theatre. Many of you are aware that Alan - the owner of the theatre has used his very prominent marquee out front to make very timely political statements since 2000.
The Marquee is visible through the area and very clearly from interstate I-580.
He was gracious in allowing the use of the theatre for this event on a Saturday - none the less.
The line up was impressive.
in attendance were:
Barbara Lee
Daniel Ellsworth - Pentagon Papers
Steve Cobble - After Downing Street
Madea Benjamin - Code Pink
And not to mention other prominent guests that are fighting to get the truth out about the Downing Street Memos. Perhaps others could post their names as well. I do not recall all of their names.
Here are some very excellent sites:
DMS
http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/
CodePink
http://www.codepinkalert.org/
Iraq Veterans against the War
http://www.ivaw.net/
Gold Star Families for Peace
http://www.gsfp.org/
Progressive Democrats
http://www.pdamerica.org/
Here are a few very important things I got from this meeting and thought I would share with fellow Progressives:
- There a massive amounts of Americans that have not even heard of the Downing Street Memos. The feedback on this point from the panel and audience was shocking. We all need to step up our action plans to address this. We get DSM out to the masses.
- This goes along with #1 comment. We need to realize that active Progressives like ourselves that devote much time to internet and this blog are lightening years ahead of everyone else when it comes to political news and opinion. We are where everyone else will be someday - just not yet. We must find ways to help educate those that are not as devoted to our causes on what we know. We must remember that there are tried and true ways in getting our message out there besides the internet.
- keep working the newspapers op/ed sections
- keep circulating fliers
- keep contacting family and friends and talking about what we are learning here
- keep having massive protests (those are coming folks - this year)
- The OMB is projecting there will be 3,000 more deaths by 2009-2010 in Iraq. Certainly this administration still has no plan to ever leave there.
- There are real plans in Congress/Pentagon/WH to establish permanent bases in Iraq. Barbara Lee and others will be introducing legislation to counter this with a NO PERMANENT BASES IN IRAQ bill.
- The 2006 mid-term elections are everything. We must to win back the majority in the house. Then we can have the multitudes of hearings necessary to get answers to what this administration has been up to since 2001.
- Barbara Lee feels certain that the tide is turning in our favor (Progressives). We must keep up the fight - more now than ever.
- We need to encourage more whistle-blowing. We now need the "American" versions of similar Downing Street Memos. We must obtain all the Administrations correspondence on why we went in to Iraq - that will get us the concrete evidence that we need to show that the Bush Administration has lied on all counts about Iraq. This will lead to bringing those responsible to justice.
- The Progressive Democrat Caucus is now the largest of the Democratic caucuses in Congress.
Any and all feedback is greatly appreciated. I hope this spurs further efforts by all of us to get the truth out on Iraq - DMS and what we all can do to help.