Even as we recover from the heavy blow of losing the legislative fight against FISA protections for spying telecoms, last weekend and other occasions have me reflecting about the battle for what Obama (ironically) calls our "progressive future," how it is far from finished, and how blogging can be a powerful weapon of choice for those on the frontlines. But we have got to remain serious about our work. Our momentum can't ebb and flow as we lick our wounds and wait for another FISA.
This isn't a rant. I've got a few ideas about how we can keep our tanks fueled (ugh--please excuse the sickening reference to that other topic we love to discuss).
As a follow up to the NN panel I organized--on the right's agenda for tort "reform" and why our civil court system should be a top priority to progressive bloggers, especially in the aftermath of the grueling FISA fight--here's my companion memo about continuing this conversation beyond the convention. More on this below the fold.
An emergency kept me from getting to Austin, but I hear the panel went really well. (I will put up a link to video and related blogposts from panelists when they become available). Since I was unable to attend, I wanted to contribute to the continued dialogue the panel intended to generate by making the following simple argument: progressives must write more frequently and organize more readily around civil justice issues.
Why and how should we do this? Glad you asked.
1. Why?
Because it's important! In his video-address to the Austin NN Convention, Barack Obama commended the progressive blogosphere for its ability to work effectively around the important issues. Observing the promise of using online platforms to build the progressive movement, he said:
"This is one of those moments in our history when we have a chance to create a real grassroots movement and lay the groundwork for a lasting progressive future."
In order to lay the groundwork effectively, progressives have to be able to articulate what we believe in and what our blueprint will be for change to achieve those ideals.
The FISA fight is a good case in point for how successfully we can do this. Mass organizing around FISA showed us that progressive Americans feel passionately that they deserve legal protection and adequate recourse when their rights are violated. We believe it is important to be able to curb corporate abuse and governmental neglect and to achieve redress when someone else does us unreasonable, illegal harm. The FISA issue is just one part of a larger set of issues related to access to the courts and our civil justice system. As an important part of a progressive vision for society, we have to continue paying attention to issues that affect our access to the courts.
2. How?
I've written a memo on how progressive bloggers can continue taking on pressing civil justice issues and inspire grassroots organizing around them. The Memo to the Netroots on Civil Justice discusses how to get progressive bloggers more involved in this conversation and in offline strategizing to achieve access to justice for ordinary Americans.
In short, the memo provides links to more than a few really excellent progressive blogs that discuss the fight for civil justice (disclaimer: the list is just a start); presents some simple steps we can all take get progressives to pay more attention to what is happening in the courts; reflects upon our uphill challenge against the corporate industry's effort to weaken our legal rights; and surveys ideas for enriching the dialogue with more factual information about tort "reform" when the mainstream media will not.
The memo also makes the case that this work must be done right now, while we are in the middle of a critical election year and while our economy (unfortunately) provides us with countless examples of why it's important to curb corporate power and protect the legal rights of ordinary, hardworking citizens.
I'd be grateful for any comments on the memo, questions about why I wrote it, or additional suggestions for bloggers interested in getting involved in this type of advocacy. And if folks want to get even more involved in the debate, they can join the daily discussion of civil justice issues on TortDeform.com and the other civil justice blogs referenced in the memo.