DemocracyForAmerica.com » NJ for Democracy

Howard Dean's Keynote Speech

Written by: Mitch Manzella on Jul 18, 2008 3:06 PM

Linked to groups: DFA at Netroots Nation (formerly YearlyKos) July 17-20, NJ for Democracy, Netroots Activism!, NJ for Obama

Hey DFAers,

Just wanted to let you know that Howard's keynote speech from last night is up on YouTube

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2008/7/18/141254/541/733/553550

Discuss

Progressive Values Stories: Zeus Yiamouyiannis on Innovation and Caring

Written by: Edwin Rutsch on Jul 14, 2008 11:10 AM

Linked to groups: East Bay for Democracy, Oakland DFA Meetup, Lake Park, San Francisco for Democracy, Alameda for Democracy, California for Democracy, Courage Campaign, Take Back Red California, Capitol Area Progressives (CAP) , What are Progressive Values? Study Group, DFA-Link Organizers, Walnut Creek DFA, Blog For America, Blogs United, DFA Film Club, DFA-Marin, DFA Night School, Silicon Valley DFA, brought to you by Dean Democratic Club of Silicon Valley, Framing Committee, Florida DFA, NJ for Democracy, Democracy for Florida, Democracy for New York, Democracy for Texas, Democracy for NYC, PA for Democracy, Democracy for Washington, Sacramento For Democracy, Democracy for Illinois, Democracy for Maryland, Philly for Change, Democracy for Ohio (DFO), Democracy for America Miami-Dade (DFAM), Washington Fair Elections, Michigan Democracy for America, DFALA, DFA at Netroots Nation (formerly YearlyKos) July 17-20

Linked to campaigns: Obama for America

“Innovation is the ability to see change as an opportunity - not a threat”

In this interview Zeus Yiamouyiannis talks about how innovation is a progressive value. He also sees caring and nurture as progressive values and talks about having learned these values growing up on an organic farm and tending to the animals. On one hand, conservatives talk about their traditional values of self interest and selfishness, on the other hand, innovation, caring and nurture are some of the traditional progressive values.

Progressive Values Stories: Zeus Yiamouyiannis on Innovation and Caring

My name is Zeus Yiamouyiannis. I'm a progressive person. I'm actually a progressive at heart, who worked on the Dean campaign. Part of being a progressive is not just innovation and new ideas, and this pragmatism, fiscal responsibility, along with idealism, this ability to be creative, to believe in the goodness of the human spirit, innovate with regard to being able to collaborate. These kinds of skills tend to go beyond the typical traditions. But I think part of being a progressive is really collecting and honoring the best of both of those traditions as we go forward.

I like to tell people I'm an old-school conservative, with personal responsibility in the sense of honoring traditions, the wisdom that's gone before you -- particularly during the depression era generation -- incredible wisdom around sticking together, in terms of getting by on very little.

Progressive Values Stories: Jeremy Rothe-Kushel on Caring

Written by: Edwin Rutsch on Jul 13, 2008 2:49 PM

Linked to groups: East Bay for Democracy, Oakland DFA Meetup, Lake Park, San Francisco for Democracy, Alameda for Democracy, California for Democracy, Courage Campaign, Take Back Red California, Capitol Area Progressives (CAP) , What are Progressive Values? Study Group, DFA-Link Organizers, Walnut Creek DFA, Blog For America, Blogs United, DFA Film Club, DFA-Marin, DFA Night School, Silicon Valley DFA, brought to you by Dean Democratic Club of Silicon Valley, Framing Committee, Florida DFA, NJ for Democracy, Democracy for Florida, Democracy for New York, Democracy for Texas, Democracy for NYC, PA for Democracy, Democracy for Washington, Sacramento For Democracy, Democracy for Illinois, Democracy for Maryland, Philly for Change, Democracy for Ohio (DFO), Democracy for America Miami-Dade (DFAM), Washington Fair Elections, Michigan Democracy for America, DFALA, DFA at Netroots Nation (formerly YearlyKos) July 17-20

Linked to campaigns: Obama for America

"Without a sense of caring, there can be no sense of community." Anthony J. D'Angelo

In this interview, Jeremy Rothe-Kushel talks about the progressive value of caring. He recounts learning to care more deeply by being with his family at his great-grandmother's death bed. It's a learning process to expand your sense of care beyond just thinking of yourself - to caring for your family, community, nation and the world.

Progressive Values Stories: Jeremy Rothe-Kushel on Caring

My name is Jeremy Rothe-Kushel, and I was born and raised in L.A., and I’ve been a Peace and Social Justice activist for about a decade of my life. I’m a teacher of young people. I do hip-hop, word props, after school programs, and I’m a hip-hop artist myself.

To me progressive values would be – first, I would start that in order to make progress as a human species, we have always had to remember from the past. Meaning that the only way that we are here is because our ancestors made it through, through all kinds of trials and tribulations.

And, so I would say, progress would be taking on the best, the highest values that have come through our thousands of years of human history, and parsing through them, because some things have to be left and composted, and other things need to be taken up.

And also allowing for the fact that the human condition and human beings in general are just like the universe, that we are unfinished beings.

Edwin: So what are those values from the past that you want to bring forward?

Thank Our Representatives

Written by: Paul Eisenman on Jul 10, 2008 11:29 PM

Linked to groups: Bergen Grassroots, DFA-Link Organizers, NJ for Democracy

Fellow Grassrooter,

A majority of the Senate has sided with the Bush administration and against the rule of law. It was a sadly bipartisan effort, with more than two-thirds of senators voting for a bill that includes blanket immunity for companies that assisted the administration's illegal warrantless wiretapping. Even in an election year with demagogues ready to scream appeaser at those who take a stand, it's a disappointing day. We should be able to expect more from our public officials.

Today, the other shoe dropped: As expected, President Bush signed into law the FISA Amendments Act. I know many of you joined the members of the Bergen Grassroots Steering Committee in denouncing this outrageous behavior by our elected representatives.

To our credit, we can point with pride to our Senators, Frank Lautenberg and Bob Menendez, and to Congressman Steve Rothman all of whom stood with us to the end. For those of us who are unrepresented by Scott Garrett, I guess we must shrug our shoulders and say, "When are we ever proud of this clown?"

Bergen Grassroots proposes to send the following letter to these officials:

"The members of Bergen Grassroots (DFA) wish to express our profound gratitude to you for your steadfast commitment to the fight for our constitutional rights and liberties. Your stand against the FISA Amendments Act—in the face of a disgraceful bipartisan clamor by elected representatives to prove themselves more "patriotic" than the President—demonstrates that you feel the pulse of your constituents and are determined to support that view with your votes. Obviously, the Senate chose election-year politics over our Constitution. We're proud that you lost with us.

"Bergen Grassroots pledges to support your future efforts to correct in the next Congress this dreadful step backward."

If you wish to sign this letter, please respond to this email with your name, street address, town and zip. We'll take the names of all adult family members. Please respond by Sunday at midnight so that we can send the letter on Monday.

For the Bergen Grassroots Steering Committee:
Paul Eisenman, Chair

Discuss

Oil Crisis: Oil Industry's method of raising prices and cutting their own taxes

Written by: James Dunn on Jul 8, 2008 11:15 AM

Regarding opening environmentally protected areas for mining and pumping oil:

There is over 200 years of oil in the 48 contiguous States that are capped up by oil companies to monopolize world energy. There is no need to violate our environmentally protected areas, just to allow oil companies to further monopolize their strangle hold over our lives.

They are creating a media frenzy just to increase the price of oil; very successfully I might add. However, there is no immediate threat for an oil shortage !!! The oil companies have ONLY created the perception that there is a shortage !!!!

I personally believe that ALL mineral rights belong to the American People, NOT souless corporations!!!

I applaud Venezuela for nationalizing the oil assets in their country!!!!

We should be doing the same thing here in the United States !!!!

Ethically Eliminate ALL Political Corruption

http://blog.360.yahoo.com/jamesbdunn?p=57

Discuss

The Fatally Flawed Conservative Value of Hypocrisy

Written by: Edwin Rutsch on Jul 6, 2008 3:45 PM

Linked to groups: East Bay for Democracy, Oakland DFA Meetup, Lake Park, San Francisco for Democracy, Alameda for Democracy, California for Democracy, Courage Campaign, Take Back Red California, Capitol Area Progressives (CAP) , What are Progressive Values? Study Group, DFA-Link Organizers, Walnut Creek DFA, Blog For America, Blogs United, DFA Film Club, DFA-Marin, DFA Night School, Silicon Valley DFA, brought to you by Dean Democratic Club of Silicon Valley, Framing Committee, Florida DFA, NJ for Democracy, Democracy for Florida, Democracy for New York, Democracy for Texas, Democracy for NYC, PA for Democracy, Democracy for Washington, Sacramento For Democracy, Democracy for Illinois, Democracy for Maryland, Philly for Change, Democracy for Ohio (DFO), Democracy for America Miami-Dade (DFAM), Washington Fair Elections, Michigan Democracy for America, DFALA, DFA at Netroots Nation (formerly YearlyKos) July 17-20

The only vice that can not be forgiven is hypocrisy. The repentance of a hypocrite is itself hypocrisy. William Hazlitt

Several people I asked about the failure of conservative values mentioned hypocrisy. Michelle, Owen and Steve brought up areas of conservative hypocrisy in; family values, education, finance, the economy, the occupation of Iraq and in human rights. While we all may exhibit varying degrees of hypocrisy in our lives, it seems that the conservative movement has embraced and institutionalized this value.

Failed Conservative Values: Michelle on Hypocrisy

I’m Michelle Gabriel from Oakland, California. I think that they fail because they say one thing and they do another. Talk about family values – look at all the Republican candidates. They have all these divorces and scandals.

You say family values, yet there is no issue about killing a million Iraqis. I mean, 4,000 of our citizens, you keep hearing about them. You don’t hear about all the Iraqis that got killed also. You hear about the strength of our country and the fact that we have such a great population from immigration. Yet, they have all this immigration reform to stop immigrants from coming in.

They say one thing and they do another. And that’s the real failure. And unfortunately, people listen to the rhetoric, and they don’t follow the reality.

A metaphor for Failed Conservative Values?: I can’t think of an animal or machine. I just think it’s kind of like selling your soul

Hypocrite: the man who murdered both his parents... pleaded for mercy on the grounds that he was an orphan. Abraham Lincoln

Failed Conservative Values: Congresswoman Maxine Waters on Blame, Hate & Lying

Written by: Edwin Rutsch on Jul 1, 2008 1:18 PM

Linked to groups: East Bay for Democracy, Oakland DFA Meetup, Lake Park, San Francisco for Democracy, Alameda for Democracy, California for Democracy, Courage Campaign, Take Back Red California, Capitol Area Progressives (CAP) , What are Progressive Values? Study Group, DFA-Link Organizers, Walnut Creek DFA, Blog For America, Blogs United, DFA Film Club, DFA-Marin, DFA Night School, Silicon Valley DFA, brought to you by Dean Democratic Club of Silicon Valley, Framing Committee, Florida DFA, NJ for Democracy, Democracy for Florida, Democracy for New York, Democracy for Texas, Democracy for NYC, PA for Democracy, Democracy for Washington, Sacramento For Democracy, Democracy for Illinois, Democracy for Maryland, Philly for Change, Democracy for Ohio (DFO), Democracy for America Miami-Dade (DFAM), Washington Fair Elections, Michigan Democracy for America, DFALA, DFA at Netroots Nation (formerly YearlyKos) July 17-20

Men are conservatives when they are least vigorous, or when they are most luxurious. They are conservatives after dinner." Ralph Waldo Emerson

I interviewed Congresswoman Maxine Waters and asked her about progressive and conservative values. In this section, Maxine mentions that conservatives have tricked people with the failed conservative values of blame, hate and lying. These values are also failing because more people are not following them anymore and in fact, people are starting to turn toward progressives values. She goes on to talk about how the occupation of Iraq is a metaphor for the failure of conservative values.

Failed Conservative Values: Congresswoman Maxine Waters on Blame, Hate & Lying

Edwin: Do you think that conservative values have failed?

Maxine Waters: I think that conservative values have failed. But I’m always stunned and amazed at how the conservative message penetrates our society, and how people are tricked by it. I think poor people are preyed upon, and I think that vulnerable people are preyed upon.

I think that when people are feeling neglected and they are feeling isolated, they hear some of these conservative messages, they buy into them. Because all of a sudden they’ve got somebody to blame, to hate, they’ve got somebody to point a finger at.

Failed Conservative Values: Gordon Wright on Psychopaths and Fear

Written by: Edwin Rutsch on Jun 28, 2008 1:54 PM

Linked to groups: East Bay for Democracy, Oakland DFA Meetup, Lake Park, San Francisco for Democracy, Alameda for Democracy, California for Democracy, Courage Campaign, Take Back Red California, Capitol Area Progressives (CAP) , What are Progressive Values? Study Group, DFA-Link Organizers, Walnut Creek DFA, Blog For America, Blogs United, DFA Film Club, DFA-Marin, DFA Night School, Silicon Valley DFA, brought to you by Dean Democratic Club of Silicon Valley, Framing Committee, Florida DFA, NJ for Democracy, Democracy for Florida, Democracy for New York, Democracy for Texas, Democracy for NYC, PA for Democracy, Democracy for Washington, Sacramento For Democracy, Democracy for Illinois, Democracy for Maryland, Philly for Change, Democracy for Ohio (DFO), Democracy for America Miami-Dade (DFAM), Washington Fair Elections, Michigan Democracy for America, DFALA

“It is a characteristic of all movements and crusades that the psychopathic element rises to the top” Robert Lindner

Gordon Wright values freedom but was raised by a conservative, autocratic, dictatorial and bully of a father. He feels conservatives fear life's changes and it's spontaneity. An example is how all of George Bush's public events are totally choreographed and controlled events. He also thinks that the corporate conservatives value of heartlessness and unfettered self-interest, are the same values as a psychopaths.

Failed Conservative Values: Gordon Wright on Psychopaths and Fear

Gordon: I think real and true conservative values would probably involve conservation and conserving the best in tradition – you know, the best that is part of tradition. And I think where conservatism in this country has virtually completely failed is that I think it got paranoid with some of the changes. It got tied up with corporate values, and The Corporation – if you have seen the movie – the corporate values are the same values as a psychopath.

So the people with money that have taken over the Republican Party, and now the insane lunatics that are called the neocons, are the example of that. The trouble is that I hesitate to label these people conservatives. They are reactionary corporatists. They are psychopathic war criminals.

News from So.Jersey - "Reframing the Iraq War" Videos

Written by: JOANNE O'Neill on Jun 27, 2008 12:01 AM

Linked to groups: Progressive Democracy South Jersey, NJ for Democracy, Philly for Change, Montco DFA, Mercer County Democracy for America, Hunterdon DFA, Democracy for Gloucester County , Lower Bucks for Democracy

On June 13 PDA / DFA Progressive Democracy South Jersey joined together with other activist groups from the area in presenting a "Reframing the Iraq War" Townhall Forum. I wish to Thank our members, Cheryl Biren -Wright and Sue O'Connell for all the work they did in making this a successful event. Good Job Gals !!!

Also thank you to all those who worked on & participated in the event . It was a night to remember !!!!!!!!!!

For those who are unaware, this was the fulfillment of a promise Rob Andrews made to a group of us back in April of 2007 to participate in a Townhall Forum.

The coalition of the activist groups invited all candidates from District 1 and District 3; Democrat, Republican and Green to take part in the Forum. ( Please keep in mind when listening to this , Rob Andrews was personally recruited by Bush to help write the Iraq War Resolution.)

Regretfully one of the major speakers had personal problems come up the morning of the event, but how fortunate for us Marine Sergeant, Adam Kokesh of IVAW, was able to fill in and what a speech he gave ......Please listen to his words.

The Failed Conservative Values of James Dobson

Written by: Edwin Rutsch on Jun 26, 2008 6:12 PM

Linked to groups: East Bay for Democracy, Oakland DFA Meetup, Lake Park, San Francisco for Democracy, Alameda for Democracy, California for Democracy, Courage Campaign, Take Back Red California, Capitol Area Progressives (CAP) , What are Progressive Values? Study Group, DFA-Link Organizers, Walnut Creek DFA, Blog For America, Blogs United, DFA Film Club, DFA-Marin, DFA Night School, Silicon Valley DFA, brought to you by Dean Democratic Club of Silicon Valley, Framing Committee, Florida DFA, NJ for Democracy, Democracy for Florida, Democracy for New York, Democracy for Texas, Democracy for NYC, PA for Democracy, Democracy for Washington, Sacramento For Democracy, Democracy for Illinois, Democracy for Maryland, Philly for Change, Democracy for Ohio (DFO), Democracy for America Miami-Dade (DFAM), Washington Fair Elections, Michigan Democracy for America, DFALA

Religious factions will go on imposing their will on others unless the decent people connected to them recognize that religion has no place in public policy. They must learn to make their views known without trying to make their views the only alternatives. Barry Goldwater

James Dobson is a major leader of the social conservatives. He is considered one of the more moderate of the 'Value Voters' leaders because he doesn't support spanking any child under the age of 18 months, while other conservative leaders do.

I’m the conservative leader who can unite the party, John McCain

James Dobson is now attacking Barrack Obama for "deliberately distorting the Bible" and "dragging biblical understanding through the gutter." Isn't it time for progressives to start unmasking how the values of the conservative movement have failed? Isn't it time to ask them some questions about their failed values? How about asking your family, friends, neighbors and colleges, "Have Conservative Values Failed?"

Let's raise the question. It should be easy for anyone to answer. It's time for progressives to take back the values debate and promote an open and honest discussion about values. Document what you find out and share it with the rest of us.

Here are some progressives who have taken up the challenge.


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Democracy for America group blog for NJ for Democracy

Howard Dean's Keynote Speech

Progressive Values Stories: Zeus Yiamouyiannis on Innovation and Caring

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Progressive Values Stories: Jeremy Rothe-Kushel on Caring

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Thank Our Representatives

Oil Crisis: Oil Industry's method of raising prices and cutting their own taxes

The Fatally Flawed Conservative Value of Hypocrisy

Read more

Failed Conservative Values: Congresswoman Maxine Waters on Blame, Hate & Lying

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Failed Conservative Values: Gordon Wright on Psychopaths and Fear

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News from So.Jersey - "Reframing the Iraq War" Videos

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The Failed Conservative Values of James Dobson

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