Junior's gonna have some company at his "ranch" during is August vacation this year. Camp Casey is returning to Crawford August 16 through September 2. After that, they'll move it to the National Mall on Sept. 8th (through Sept. 21st) where activists will gather for workshops, trainings, and to meet candidates running for office. It looks like a lot of national groups have already signed on to take part in this project in the lead-up to the elections in November.
The Camp Democracy website describes the event as "a camp for peace, democracy, and the restoration of the rule of law... focused not only on ending the war but also on righting injustices here at home and on holding accountable the Bush Administration and Congress."
Tents will provide activist activities, trainings, workshops, and entertainment on at least these themes, if not others:
War/ Peace
The Constitution/ Accountability/ Censure/ Impeachment
Poverty/ Katrina/ Immigration/ Labor
Environment/ Health Care/ Education
From the campdemocracy press release...
Participating organizations and guest experts and celebrities will provide workshops and training sessions on the above topics, as well as on communications, voter registration, nonviolent civil disobedience, lobbying, organizing, media production, and performance arts. Congress Members and congressional candidates will take part. Local elected officials will instruct attendees on participation in local government. Musicians will perform concerts. New films will be shown on a large screen. The intention is for participants to go home having acquired useful skills for civic participation, to enjoy themselves, and to demand fundamental change from a government whose actions so rarely follow majority opinion. Trainers, speakers, and performers who want to propose activities are being encouraged to contact Camp Democracy here:
http://campdemocracy.org/...
And from the email they sent out this morning...
Announcing Camp Democracy
Organizers intend the camp to bring together peace activists with activists for social justice, united in demanding a shift of public resources from war to the needs of people. Participants will lobby Congress to end all funding of the occupation of Iraq, and will demand that Congress hold the Bush Administration accountable for the falsehoods that launched the war and the abuses of power here at home that have accompanied it. Camp Democracy is launching an outreach effort to include organizations in the planning of the camp's activities, which are all in the initial stages. Organizations already on board are listed on the website:
http://campdemocracy.org
Participating organizations and guest experts and celebrities will provide workshops and training sessions on a wide range of issues, as well as on communications, voter registration, nonviolent civil disobedience, lobbying, organizing, media production, and performance arts. Congress Members and congressional candidates will take part. Local elected officials will instruct attendees on participation in local government. Musicians will perform concerts. New films will be shown on a large screen. Participants will acquire useful skills while demanding fundamental change.
Individuals can sign up and plan to come:
http://campdemocracy.org/...
And volunteer to help:
http://campdemocracy.org/...
Organizations, large and small, can sign up to participate:
http://campdemocracy.org/...
Organizations, trainers, speakers, educators, and performers should propose activities that they believe would benefit thousands of citizens who want to work for change:
http://campdemocracy.org/...
Internet activists, and anyone with a blog or a website, can help by posting this information and link to the website using this link:
http://www.campdemocracy.org
READ PRESS RELEASE:
http://campdemocracy.org/...
At any rate - given the number of activists around here - and even in the DC / No. VA / MD area - I thought a few of you might be interested in checking this out.
Attend a workshop.
Volunteer.
Pass the word on to anyone else you know who might be interested.
This sounds like a great opportunity to network, lobby, get fired-up in the lead-up to November, and we might even learn something to boot.