Sum of Change Blog

New Location for the Blog

2010-06-24T16:16:00.000-04:00

Hey folks, we made some pretty big changes over at Sum of Change.

If you have been checking in here to see our blog, you will want to bookmark a new address. From now on, all of our blogs will be posted at SumofChange.com, in our Articles section. Please check it out, and let us know what you think of the new site design.

Thanks!

EMILY's List Announces EMpower

2010-06-18T02:10:00.001-04:00

cross-posted from Sum of Change

On Thursday, June 17th 2010, EMILY's List announced a new program called EMpower. We were filming WIN's 21st Annual Women Opening Doors for Women, where Stephanie Schriock, President of EMILY's List, announced the new program:

What is EMpower?

Twenty-five years ago, 25 women gathered in a basement, rolodexes in hand, to send letters to their friends about a network they were forming to raise money for pro-choice Democratic women candidates. Today, EMILY's List is one of the nation's largest and most successful political action committees. But the fight isn't over, and while the tools are different, the mission remains the same. It's time to EMpower the next generation of Democratic women. It's our time. EMpower is a place to network, to learn about candidates throughout the country, to collaborate, and to see our individual and collective impact make a real difference.
Learn More »

CWA Endorses CA's Control and Tax Ballot Initiative

2010-06-17T17:53:00.000-04:00

I do not typically think too much of endorsements, but this one is an exception:

COMMUNICATIONS WORKERS OF AMERICA, LOCAL 9415 ENDORSES CALIFORNIA INITIATIVE TO CONTROL AND TAX CANNABIS

Initiative could create tens of thousands of new jobs, billions in wages in California

(Oakland, CA) Today, the Communications Workers of America (CWA), Local 9415 announced its support for the California initiative to control and tax cannabis.

“The labor movement is coming together behind this initiative,” said Sally Venable, President of CWA, Local 9415. “With California’s state budget in disarray, and people out of work, it’s time to harness this incredible revenue stream and create tens of thousands of high quality, union jobs, by controlling and taxing cannabis in California.”

According to a study by the California Chapter of NORML (National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws), a controlled and taxed cannabis market could create between 60,000 and 110,000 new jobs, and $2.5 – $3.5 billion in new wages for workers each year.

Last month, almost 100 workers in Oakland’s medical cannabis industry voted to unionize and joined United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW), Local 5.

UFCW Local 5’s Dan Rush, who oversees statewide ballots matters for the Union and who has been assigned by Local 5 to work full time on the campaign, said controlling and taxing cannabis could help save thousands of public sector jobs which are currently on the chopping block. “California is laying off teachers, firefighters, and nurses left and right,” Rush said. “Controlling and taxing cannabis will generate billions in revenue to help us save these vital services and jobs.”

Rush and CWA, Local 9415 join a broad and growing coalition supporting the Initiative, including medical professionals, law enforcement professionals, faith leaders, economists, and elected officials.

Similar to current alcohol and tobacco laws, the Initiative will give local governments the ability to control and tax the sale of small amounts of cannabis to adults age 21 and older. The Initiative includes significant safeguards and controls: it will increase the penalty for providing marijuana to a minor, expressly prohibit the consumption of marijuana in public, forbid smoking marijuana while minors are present, ban possession on school grounds, and maintain the current law against driving under the influence.

California’s tax regulator, the Board of Equalization, estimates that marijuana taxes could generate $1.4 billion in revenue each year. www.boe.ca.gov/legdiv/pdf/ab0390-1dw.pdf

The California Legislative Analyst's Office states that in addition to generating new revenue, the Initiative would allow correctional and law enforcement resources to be redirected to more pressing needs. The LAO says that in addition to generating “a few hundred millions of dollars annually” it could also save “several tens of millions of dollars annually” and permit the “redirection of court and law enforcement resources.” http://www.lao.ca.gov/ballot/2009/090512.aspx

A summary of the Initiative’s fiscal benefits is available at: http://www.taxcannabis2010.org/index.php/pages/fiscal-benefits-fact-sheet

A summary of the Initiative’s public safety benefits is available at: http://www.taxcannabis2010.org/index.php/pages/public-safety-benefits-fact-sheet

This Union endorsement is sure to reinforce the message that we can create jobs in a time of economic turmoil with sensible regulations and a legal cannabis market along the lines of alcohol.

David Waldman - Filibuster Reform at America's Future Now! 2010

2010-06-10T02:40:00.000-04:00

cross-posted from Sum of Change

Thanks to our friend Jeremy Koulish, who spent the first half of this week filming and livetweeting the America's Future Now! Conference, we get to bring you some highlights from the event.

I wanted to get this next video out right away. As the health care debate dragged on and on, talk of filibuster reform came up with increasing frequency. Well, there is still plenty of talking left to do, but according to David Waldman, the Editor in Chief of Congress Matters and a Contributing Editor at Daily Kos, it's time to seriously start focusing it:

He also spoke to a question that is often asked, what about when Republicans regain control of the Senate?

And don't forget Democrats:

[LIVE] DC4D Candidate Meet N' Greet

2010-06-02T11:51:00.002-04:00

Tonight, at 6:00pm (EST) we are fortunate to be filming DC for Democracy's pre-endorsement candidate meet n' greet with numerous candidates for DC's Democratic Primaries. You can find bios on all the candidates that will be attending at our 2010 DC Primary Elections page.

Candidates confirmed to attend include:

U.S. Congressional Delegate

• Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (incumbent)
Norton is the longstanding incumbent for the position of D.C. Representative. For several decades, she has focused her political drive toward securing full representational rights for the District of Columbia in Congress... read more

• Doug Sloan
Sloan is the current Democratic challenger for the U.S. Congressional Representative seat for the District of Columbia. A native Washingtonian. He owns a public affairs consulting firm, Sloan Consulting, LLC... read more

Mayor

• Mayor Adrian Fenty (incumbent)
Adrian M. Fenty was elected the fifth Mayor of the District of Columbia in November 2006... read more

• Council Chairman Vincent Gray
Mr Gray was first elected as the Council Chairman in 2006 running on a campaign message of "One City"... read more

• Leo Alexander
Leo Alexander chaired the public relations committee for the DC Federation of Civic Associations. Since 2005, he has served as an executive board member of the Development Corporation of Columbia Heights (DCCH)... read more

Council Chair

• Councilmember At Large Kwame Brown
Kwame Brown was first elected to the City Counsel in 2004. He currently chairs the Committee on Economic Development... read more

• Vincent Orange
Former Councilmember and current VP of Pepco, Vincent Orange is attempting to get back into politics... read more

Councilmember At-Large

• Councilmember At Large Phil Mendelson (incumbent)
Phil Mendelson was first elected to the City Council in November 1998. He is the Chairman of the Committee on Public Safety and the Judiciary... read more

• Clark Ray
Clark Ray has served as Director of the Department of Parks and Recreation for DC, the Director of External Affairs for DC Sports and Entertainment Commission, a Neighborhood Services Officer, and in several offices in the Clinton/Gore administration... read more

• Kelvin Robinson
Kelvin Robinson has held various senior-level positions within state and local government in Florida... read more

Ward 1

• Councilman Jim Graham (incumbent)
Jim Graham was first elected in 1998, and re-elected in 2002... In his first term on the Council, Mr. Graham chaired hearings and an investigation that uncovered major fraud and theft at the Office of Property Management... read more

• Jeff Smith
Jeff Smith is a a D.C. native and long time resident of Ward 1, was an elected School Board Member and in 2007 became the Executive Director of DC VOICE... read more

• Bryan Weaver
Bryan Weaver is a long-time community activist, an Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner (ANC) serving in his fourth-term, and a communications professional... read more

Ward 5

• Councilman Harry Tomas, Jr. (incumbent)
Councilman Tomas was first elected in 2006 and is Chair of the D.C. City Council’s Committee on Libraries, Parks, and Recreation... read more

• Kenyan McDuffie
Kenyan McDuffie worked as a trial attorney for the Civil Rights Division of the U.S. Department of Justice... read more

Shadow Representative

• Shadow Representative Mike Panetta (incumbent)
Mike Panetta has been the District of Columbia shadow representative since 2007. He started the District of Columbia Olympic Committee... read more

• Nate Bennett-Fleming
Mr Bennet-Fleming was a staff assistant and intern in Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton's office and has worked on numerous campaings... read more

• Jon Kuhl
Mr Kuhl works as the Speaker and Congressional Affairs Manager at the Congressional Youth Leadership Council... read more

DC Residents to Vote for AG?

2010-06-01T18:03:00.001-04:00

cross-posted from Sum of Change

Earlier today, the City Council for the District of Columbia voted to let DC residents decide on a possibly change in the way it chooses the Attorney General, according to WTOP.

Currently, the Mayor selects the AG for the state. In November, DC residents will vote on whether or not the AG seat should be on the ballot. The majority of states choose their Attorneys General by vote, with only nine states and the District appointing the AG (14 if you include American Samoa, Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands).

Here is the list of appointed Attorneys General, according to the National Association of Attorney's General (NAAG):

Alaska
*American Samoa Attorney General
District of Columbia
Hawaii
Kansas
Maine
New Hampshire
New Jersey
*Northern Mariana Islands
*Puerto Rico
South Dakota
Tennessee
*Virgin Islands
Wyoming

Description from the about NAAG page:

[The AG] is appointed by the governor in five states (Alaska, Hawaii, New Hampshire, New Jersey, and Wyoming) and in the four jurisdictions of American Samoa, the Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands. In Maine, the Attorney General is selected by secret ballot of the legislature and in Tennessee, by the state Supreme Court. In the District of Columbia, the Mayor appoints the Attorney General whose powers and duties are similar to those of the Attorneys General of the states and jurisdictions.

One has to wonder if this will have any impact on turnout in the DC election. Statehood is a top-of-the-list issue to DC voters, and they will likely find excitement in measures that are perceived as more power for your vote.

CNN Turkey: Israeli Flotilla Attack

2010-05-31T15:22:00.000-04:00

CNN Turkey's coverage of the Israeli attack on a flotilla. They give some great background on this issue. I set the video to finish when the English part ends:

DC Dem Profiles: U.S. Congressional Delegate

2010-05-29T19:15:00.003-04:00

Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton, now in her tenth term as the Congresswoman for the District of Columbia, is the chair of the House Subcommittee on Economic Development, Public Buildings, and Emergency Management. She serves on three, rather than the customary two, committees: the Committee on Homeland Security, the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, and the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure.

Norton is the longstanding incumbent for the position of D.C. Representative. For several decades, she has focused her political drive toward securing full representational rights for the District of Columbia in Congress. She also previously appeared on the Colbert Report.

The Colbert Report

Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c

Better Know a District - District of Columbia - Eleanor Holmes Norton

www.colbertnation.com

Colbert Report Full Episodes

Political Humor

Fox News

The Congresswoman has a long history with activism. From Wikipedia:

While in college and graduate school, Norton was active in the civil rights movement and an organizer for theStudent Nonviolent Coordinating Committee. By the time Norton graduated from Antioch, she had already been arrested for organizing and participating in sit-ins in Washington, D.C., Maryland, and Ohio.

Doug Sloan

From Doug Sloan's official bio page:

Douglass Sloan is a native Washingtonian and currently owns a public affairs consulting firm, Sloan Consulting, LLC, in Washington, D.C. Sloan Consulting provides consulting services to non-profit and community development corporations, real estate developers, and various businesses in the Washington Metropolitan area.

Sloan is the current Democratic challenger for the U.S. Congressional Delegate seat for the District of Columbia. Also a vocal supporter of DC statehood, Sloan has recently advocated drastic measures to pressure lawmakers:

"If you really want to talk civil unrest, if you want to talk about shutting the city down and doing something that's really going to get Congress' attention, there's about six or seven bridges between D.C. and Virginia," Sloan said on The Politics Program With Mark Plotkin on WTOP Friday.

DC Dem Profiles: Mayor

2010-05-29T19:13:00.003-04:00

These are the Democratic Candidates for Mayor of the District of Columbia

Mayor Adrian Fenty (incumbent)
From Mayor Fenty's official online bio:

Adrian M. Fenty was elected the fifth Mayor of the District of Columbia in November 2006. He has made quality public education for all and efficient and accountable government hallmarks of his administration....

Going forward, Fenty is committed to meeting the economic challenges facing the District by creating new jobs, spurring neighborhood economic development and investing in local infrastructure in an effort to stimulate the city’s economy. Improving education will also remain a cornerstone of the Mayor’s agenda, with special attention paid to improving graduation rates and reducing truancy. With encouraging progress surrounding the city’s congressional voting rights status, Fenty has committed to work with the Obama Administration to make a voting member of Congress for the District a reality.

Over the last year-and-a-half, local media has reported on numerous corruption issues facing Mayor Fenty. From Wikipedia:

Mayor Fenty and his administration came under increasing scrutiny in 2009 in local media, including the Washington Post, the Washington City Paper, and local news radio station WTOP. Of note are two "secret trips" taken by Fenty in early 2009.[45] According to WTOP, one of those trips was to Philadelphia and another was to an undisclosed location in the Middle East. The same article also cites city officials who say that Fenty did not disclose to anyone where he was going.

Fenty also came under scrutiny in November 2009 when WTOP reported numerous cases of use of police motorcades. These events include using them to protect him during bicycle rides on streets in and outside of Washington, some of which were on parkways which ban bicycles.[46]

Fenty came under national criticism during the snow storms of February 2010 for the District of Columbia's inadequate response to the historic snowfall, during which the United States Federal Government was effectively shut down for almost a week.[47]

Fenty has been embroiled in a number of additional controversies reported on by the Washington Post, including withholding skybox tickets to the Washington Nationals, despite not being legally entitled to them. He eventually handed the tickets over to the city council.[48] and allowing personal acquaintances to drive city-owned vehicles.

Council Chairman Vincent Gray
From Chairman Gray's official online bio:

Vince’s dedication to his community and the residents of Ward 7 inspired a successful campaign for elected office in 2004 where he handily defeated the incumbent in the primary. During his first term as City Councilman from Ward 7, he chaired a Special Committee on the Prevention of Youth Violence, and created the Effi Barry HIV/AIDS initiative. Two years after joining the Council, Vince ran for the citywide office of Chairman of the Council. Running on the theme of “One City,” he continued his focus on uniting the disparate racial and economic groups in his hometown. He won the general election with 98% of the vote.

As Chairman, Vince has been a leader in efforts to improve the Council’s operations, transparency and oversight capacity, and has been a true champion for school reform. As Chairman, he spearheaded the Pre-K Expansion and Enhancement Act, which established a voluntary, high-quality pre-school program which will provide 2,000 new classroom slots for three and four year olds over the next six years.

Chairman Gray recently received the endorsement of DC police and firefighters, and endorsement that appears to be as much about their disapproval of Mayor Fenty as it is their approval of Gray.

"Mayor Fenty has done nothing to warrant the endorsement and support of D.C. firefighters," said Ray Sneed, president of the firefighters' Local 36. "From a labor standpoint, he is unreachable, unapproachable and our correspondence goes unanswered."

Chairman Gray took some heat recently when his proposed budget basically eliminated the popular streetcar line. By the end of the day, most of the the funding had been restored after the Chairman's office was inundated with calls from DC residents.

From an interview for the Washington Post, published on May 30th, 2010:

In graduate school, I had a professor who said to me, "What do you know about mental retardation?" I was a clinical psychology major, and I said, "Well, to be honest, not a lot." She said, "I'm on the board of the Association for Retarded Citizens, and I would really like you to think about taking a summer job there and see what you think." So I did. They sent me to a conference at Forest Haven, a really infamous institution. I walked around the grounds, up to this really high chain-link fence. While I was standing there, this staff person literally herded about 20 women out who had absolutely no clothes on and started hosing them down. It was one of the most dehumanizing things I've ever seen. I stood there, I looked at it, and it was one of those defining moments. I said: I think I could do something that makes a difference here.

Leo Alexander
From Leo Alexander's official online bio:

In 1999, Leo Alexander became a Ward 4 resident homeowner and an active member of the Brightwood Civic Association. He exhibited leadership and tenacity in helping the Association wage its successful campaign to block construction of a transfer station in Brightwood, a largely middle‐class African‐American community. This empowering experience launched his commitment to community and political activism in the District. He volunteered in a full range of campaigns; from President Obama’s historical win, to local races for mayor and council chair.

He chaired the public relations committee for the DC Federation of Civic Associations and in these duties; he produced and moderated the last major candidates’ forum for the 2006 local mayoral election. That same year, he was named the Delegate of the Year for the DC Federation of Civic Associations. Since 2005, he has served as an executive board member of the Development Corporation of Columbia Heights (DCCH). The DCCH is responsible for spearheading most of the affordable housing and commercial redevelopment projects along the 14th Street corridor; i.e., The Tivoli theatre, Giant Supermarket and DCUSA shopping mall.

DC Dem Profiles: Council Chair

2010-05-29T19:12:00.000-04:00

This Summer, Sum of Change will be bringing you extensive coverage of D.C. local elections. To kick it off, we've been invited by D.C. for Democracy to film their pre-endorsement candidate meet n' greet on Wednesday, June 2. In preparation, we put together some bios on all the candidates that will be attending. Bios for Republican candidates for these seats will be coming shortly. To find all our current DC candidate bios, please visit our 2010 DC Election Page.

These are the Democratic Candidates for Council Chair

Councilmember At Large Kwame Brown

Committee Assignments:
• Committee on Economic Development, Kwame R. Brown - Chairperson
• Committee on Government Operations and the Environment
• Committee on Libraries, Parks and Recreation
• Committee on Finance and Revenue
• Committee on Public Works and Transportation

Kwame Brown started service on the DC Council in 2005. In a short time, Kwame has emerged as a national leader in Washington. He currently serves as chair of the Council’s Committee on Economic Development and Vice-Chair of the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments. He is the first DC Councilmember to be a member of the Congressional Award Foundation Board of Directors, a national organization that promotes volunteerism, public service, personal development and physical fitness.

From Councilman Brown's official online bio:

In addition to his leadership roles, Kwame’s first term in office led to the revitalization of Phelps High School in Ward 5, passage of the School Modernization Act, a reform of the District’s domestic violence laws, and an unprecedented focus on neighborhood revitalization, job training and local small business development.

Kwame was recently named one of the top 10 people to watch in 2009 by the Washington Business Journal.

Vincent Orange

Former Councilmember and current VP of Pepco, Vincent Orange is attempting to get back into politics by challenging Kwame Brown.

From Wikipedia:

On September 12, 2006, Orange lost his bid for mayor in the Democratic primary of the 2006 Washington, D.C. mayoral election. Orange is now the regional vice president for Pepco Holdings Inc. for the Washington, D.C., metro area.

Orange is an attorney and a certified public accountant. He graduated from the University of the Pacific, where he earned a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, 1979, and a Bachelor of Arts in Communications, 1980. In 1983 he earned a Juris Doctor from Howard University. In 1988, he graduated from the Georgetown University Law Center, where he earned a Master of Laws in Taxation.

Orange served as chair of the Committee on Government Operations. There are numerous agencies under the Committee on Government Operation's purview that play an integral role in developing the overall policy for the District of Columbia. He also sat on three standing committees: Public Services, Public Works and the Environment, and Labor, Voting Rights and Redistricting.

DC Dem Profiles: At-Large Council Member

2010-05-29T19:11:00.001-04:00

Phil Mendelson was first elected to the City Council in November 1998. He is the Chairman of the Committee on Public Safety and the Judiciary and is a member of four additional committees: Housing & Workforce Development, Human Services, Public Works & Transportation, and Libraries, Parks, and Recreation. Along with representing the Council at the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments, he's also President of the Association of Metropolitan Planning Organizations (AMPO).

Phil has been active with District issues since 1975 when he joined the McLean Gardens Residents Association in the fight to save that 43-acre housing complex from destruction. He ran for a seat on the Advisory Neighborhood Commission in 1979 and continued to serve as an ANC Commissioner until he took office as an At-Large member of the Council.

Clark Ray

Clark Ray has served as Director of the Department of Parks and Recreation for DC, the Director of External Affairs for DC Sports and Entertainment Commission, a Neighborhood Services Officer, and in several offices in the Clinton/Gore administration. He is a strong supporter of education reform.

From Clark Ray's official online bio:

Clark’s leadership at the Department of Parks and Recreation resulted in some of the most dramatic improvements seen in the District’s neighborhoods in many years. Clark opened new and renovated recreations centers, installed new artificial turf and natural turf fields, renovated and maintained existing fields, constructed the first official city dog parks, expanded summer camp for city youth from 8,500 to over 12,500, and created partnerships with non-profit groups to help supplement recreational and educational programming.

Clark’s service to the people of the District has also included walking the beat as a Reserve Officer for the Metropolitan Police Department, working out of the Third District and the City’s Gay and Lesbian Liaison Unit. Clark also served as the Founding President of Metropolitan Washington Gaymes Committee, the nonprofit entity tasked with bidding for the 2014 Gay Games. Clark and his partner, Aubrey Dubra, reside in Ward Four’s Crestwood neighborhood.

Kelvin Robinson

From Kelvin Robinson's official online bio:

Kelvin J. Robinson is a seasoned public servant with more than 15 years of service, having held various senior-level positions within state and local government in Florida. From 1994 to 2001, Mr. Robinson was the Director of Legislative and Public Affairs for the Florida League of Cities, where he served as chief lobbyist and spokesperson for Florida's more than 400 cities. In this capacity, he successfully represented the issues of Florida's cities to the members of Congress, the Florida Legislature, various agencies of state and federal government, as well as before business and civic organizations. During his tenure, Florida's cities experienced an increase in their home rule and fiscal authority, securing passage of a number of local organizational and revenue reforms. Florida's municipalities also enhanced their relations with federal and state policymakers as well as statewide business interests.

Before joining the Florida League of Cities, Mr. Robinson served as Director of the Division of Hotels and Restaurants where he was responsible for the licensing and regulation of Florida's public food service and lodging industry, as well as elevators. In that capacity he was recognized for having successfully consolidated food and lodging inspections under one agency, as well as for streamlining inspection processes, which resulted in less costly and more efficient operations.

DC Dem Profiles: Ward 1

2010-05-29T19:11:00.000-04:00

Jim Graham was first elected in 1998, and re-elected in 2002... In his first term on the Council, Mr. Graham chaired hearings and an investigation that uncovered major fraud and theft at the Office of Property Management. This work led to felony criminal indictments and restitution to the DC Government of millions of dollars.

In his second term, as chair of the Committee on Consumer and Regulatory Affairs, Mr. Graham was a strong advocate for tenant rights and consumer protection, extending and tightening the District’s rent control laws, creating a “bill of rights” for tenants, and ending abusive, illegal evictions of tenants.

Mr. Graham is now chairman of the Committee on Public Works and Transportation. That assignment includes oversight of alcohol regulation. He is also a member of the Committee on Aging and Community Affairs, the Committee on Housing and Workforce Development and the Committee on Public Services and Consumer Affairs. Mr. Graham is a voting member of the Metro/WMATA board of directors. He has been a voting member of the board since 1999 and previously served as chairman in 2003 and 2009.

Jeff Smith

From Jeff Smith's official online bio:
Spending the past 25 years in Washington, D.C., Jeff works hard to give back to the community that’s given him so much. After receiving his undergraduate and law degree from Howard University, Jeff immediately immersed himself in community activities where he could ensure D.C.’s continued progress and growth. Jeff has worked with policy makers, and later in the classrooms of the DCPS school system and as an elected School Board Member. In 2007, Jeff became the Executive Director of DC VOICE where he continues to engage the community in DCPS issues and reform.

As a D.C. native and long time resident of Ward 1, Jeff is committed to advancing the interests of the neighborhoods and communities of D.C. in sight of what he sees as a long pattern of neglect and inadequate representation. Jeff believes his friends and neighbors in Ward 1 deserve safer neighborhoods, more responsible economic development, schools that play a central role in the life of the community, and an overall improved quality of life. These goals cannot be addressed adequately with ad hoc responses to problems as they present themselves but must be approached with attention to the broad social dynamics at the root of the challenges the community faces.

Bryan Weaver

From Bryan Weaver's official online bio:

Bryan Weaver is a long-time community activist, an Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner (ANC) serving in his fourth-term, and a communications professional with over 15 years of experience in progressive causes. He has worked on coalition building in local and national politics, promoting livable and affordable urban neighborhoods, crime prevention, education, community and economic empowerment, affordable housing issues and nonprofit work geared toward youth leadership development. He is a true believer in the economic and cultural diversity of Ward One and all of Washington D.C., and uses his elected office as a platform to give a voice to those who have been forgotten by the city government.

Bryan is serving is fourth term (seventh year) on the Adams Morgan Advisory Neighborhood Commission. He served as Chair for three years. An extremely active and engaged commission, it routinely deals with complex issues such as public safety; liquor licensing; building livable, urban communities; strengthening multi-cultural neighborhoods; and encouraging business development. As such, Bryan has years of leadership experience in one of the busiest, diverse and dynamic communities of Washington, D.C.

DC Dem Profiles: Ward 5

2010-05-29T19:09:00.000-04:00

Harry “Tommy” Thomas, Jr. campaigned for and successfully won the D.C. Ward 5 Council seat in November 2006. He was sworn into office in January 2007. Councilmember Thomas is Chair of the D.C. City Council’s Committee on Libraries, Parks, and Recreation. He sits on four additional committees: Finance and Revenue, Housing and Workforce Development, Government Operations and the Environment, and Aging and Community Affairs. Councilmember Thomas is the son of late three-term Ward 5 Councilmember Harry Thomas, Sr., and former D.C. Public School principal Romaine B. Thomas. Councilmember Thomas attended D.C. Public Schools and graduated from Woodrow Wilson High School. He holds a degree in Public Relations/Marketing from Bowie State University. Councilmember Thomas was Vice President of Public Affairs for the Public Benefits Corporation (formerly D.C. General Hospital)...

Councilmember Thomas is a former Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner, and has served as Chair of the Woodridge Health Clinic. He is a past President of the D.C. Young Democrats and a former At-Large elected member of the D.C. Democratic State party, for which he coordinated local and national events. Councilmember Thomas has worked for the national Democratic Party, holding the office of Treasurer. He has also served as the Adult and Youth Chair of the Neighborhood Planning Council. Councilmember Thomas is a member of the YMCA, NAACP, Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, and Woodridge Boys and Girls Club.

Kenyan McDuffie

From his website:

Kenyan worked as a trial attorney for the Civil Rights Division of the U.S. Department of Justice, where he conducted investigations and managed cases throughout the United States regarding enforcement of key federal civil rights statutes, including defending the rights of the mentally ill, nursing home residents, and persons with disabilities, and also working to reform the policies and procedures of police departments throughout the country. Prior to joining the Justice Department, he worked as an Assistant State's Attorney in Prince George’s County, where he prosecuted misdemeanor and felony cases in District Court and on appeal in Circuit Court. He also served as a judicial law clerk for an Associate Judge on the 7th Judicial Circuit of Maryland...

Kenyan, an experienced attorney and civil rights advocate, is a proven community leader whose campaign, like his life’s work, is focused on your future. For more than a decade, Kenyan has dedicated himself to improving the lives of Ward Five residents and the collective life of the Ward Five community.

DC Dem Profiles: Shadow Representative

2010-05-29T19:08:00.000-04:00

These are the Democratic candidates for Shadow Representative

Shadow Representative Mike Panetta (incumbent)

From Mike Panetta's official online bio:

Mike Panetta has been the District of Columbia shadow representative since 2007...

Panetta has run several high-profile campaigns for D.C. representation, including starting the District of Columbia Olympic Committee and leading efforts to rebrand RFK Stadium as “Taxation Without Representation Field”.[2][3] Panetta has pledged to make District of Columbia voting rights a national issue that is embraced by progressive activists across the country.

Panetta was reelected in 2008, facing no opposition in the Democratic primary[4] and defeating D.C. Statehood Green Party candidate Joyce Robinson-Paul in the November election by 86 to 13 percent.

Nate Bennett-Fleming

From Nate Bennett-Fleming's official online bio:

Nathan's work in public service was launched in 2001, when Nathan was a staff assistant and intern in Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton's office. After learning from Congresswoman Norton, Nathan has worked on several national, state, and local campaigns including the Ben Cardin for U.S. Senate campaign, where he was a regional field coordinator and the John Kerry for President campaign, where he was the deputy national director of African-American Religious Outreach.

In 2009, Nathan worked on crafting a comprehensive strategy to achieve statehood and congressional representation with the D.C. Councils Special Committee on Statehood and Self Determination, chaired by Councilmember Michael A. Brown. In addition, Nathan has gained legislative and legal experience as a summer attorney at two Washington D.C. law firms. Nathan also has finance experience gained as an summer analyst at the Wall Street investment banking powerhouse, Goldman, Sachs & Co. The variety and depth of Nathans professional experiences leaves him as the best qualified candidate to advocate for self-determination and to represent D.C.s residents as a liaison to the United States House of Representatives.

Jon Kuhl

From Jon Kuhl's official online bio:

Having always been passionate about civic involvement, Jon works as the Speaker and Congressional Affairs Manager at the Congressional Youth Leadership Council, a non-partisan organization that runs leadership conferences for students from across the country. In addition to managing the organization’s relationships on Capitol Hill, Jon organizes weekly visits to the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives for groups of high school students. As part of his work, Jon also moderates a bi-monthly webcast featuring former members of Congress discussing various topics designed to give high school students a better understanding of how our government works.

Jon believes strongly that the District of Columbia should have full voting rights in Congress, and is intent on building a national coalition of support to end our city’s taxation without representation. Unsatisfied with the status quo, Jon wants to engage his fellow Washingtonians in an effort to increase pressure on Congress. With Democratic majorities in the House and Senate, and with President Obama in the White House, now is the time to demand representation.

Making States More Green

2010-05-27T10:34:00.000-04:00

cross-posted from Sum of Change

The question on how states and local level governments can assist the green wave is commonly considered, especially when discussing the current job market and nation’s economy. Michael Fedor, the Pennsylvania state director for Repower America, and Adam Graber, PennEnvironment, bring up various ways to support this process.

The following clips were filmed at the 2010 PA Progressive Summit, held this last January in Harrisburg, PA. In the first video, Fedor and Garber answer a question regarding the Maglev System (a budding green friendly train system appropriate for state wide and city commuting) and how to gain federal funding for a project such as this. In the final video, Garber and Fedor specifically address plans to decrease coal dependency in Pennsylvania, another solution to help states become greener.

For more info on the Pennsylvania Progressive Summit and it's organizer, Keystone progress, please go to paprogressivesummit.org and keystoneprogress.org

"We're Not Out Of The Woods Yet"

2010-05-26T00:54:00.000-04:00

cross-posted from Sum of Change

History repeats itself. It is 1948. Not literally of course, but we are about to relive a moment of U.S. history. A moment in history when our government, with the President leading the charge, took steps to remove a form of bigotry from our armed forces. For several years leading up to that point, the government had experimented with integrated units, providing black soldiers with a chance to serve in the normal people's army (kind of).

As the Don't Ask Don't Tell policy (the homosexual's equivalent to experimental desegregation) takes center stage amidst reports of a potential deal, the folks from Get Equal are cautioning people not to celebrate too quickly.

This language shifts responsibility for repeal from Congress to the President, the Secretary of Defense, and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff -- two-thirds of whom were not elected by a supportive American public.[1] Repeal hinges on a subjective study to ensure that our presence in the military won't have a negative impact on the military, there is no date given to end military discharges of LGBT servicemembers, there is no change to the DADT law right now, and there is no guarantee that repeal will happen -- whether or not the conditions on the amendment are met.

We're happy that Congress may take the first step this week in repealing this discriminatory legislation -- but we're not out of the woods yet.

If there is one thing we have learned from recent fights, the Republican party is going to use every available avenue to derail this legislation. This debate is just beginning and the debate will be ugly. We know the debate will be ugly because we have lived through this before.

We have seen how the conservatives react when liberals attempt to use the armed services as a vehicle to drive a radical, social experiment.

They told us that "To change would destroy morale and impair preparations for national defense...no experiments should be tried . . . at this critical time."

They told us that "Experiments to solve social problems would be 'fraught with danger to efficiency, discipline, and morale'."

These were the rational arguments they made the last time the nation took steps to remove bigotry from our military. Those calmly stated arguments in favor of bigotry were matched by lone wolf attacks on black service members and their families.

So, while Democratic leaders may be getting giddy over a possible deal, I have to agree that "we're not out of the woods yet." But for the first time since this President has taken office, I am confident that we are going to have the chance to really have this fight. And for the first time, I am confident that we are going to see an end to Don't Ask Don't Tell, a major step forward for the LGBT community.

Jean du Preez on the Comprehensive Test-Ban Treaty

2010-05-25T14:12:00.000-04:00

cross-posted from Sum of Change

Back in April, we spoke with Dr. Peter Wilk of Physicians for Social Responsibility about the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START). That treaty has been hailed as a major step forward in the interest of arms reduction. Yet arms reduction is just the tip of the iceberg. To deal with this issue, we need to not only reduce armaments but conceptually rethink our entire policy regarding nuclear arms.

There are many aspects of nuclear non-proliferation where action is seriously needed. We are going to delve into some of these areas, but today I would like to talk specifically about the Comprehensive Test-Ban Treaty. This treaty was signed in 1996, but the United States Senate failed to ratify it. President Obama has pledged to work aggressively getting it ratified by 2011.

For more context, and a little bit of looking forward, check out this interview with Jean du Preez:

You can find a lot more information about nuclear non-proliferation from the good folks at NPT TV, a student run operation to shed light on these issues.

Ex-Presidents and Former Presidents

2010-05-20T05:00:00.002-04:00

I get emails from all kinds of folks. I make it a point to get emails from both liberal and conservative groups, and I make it a point to actually read as many of them as possible. So, there was nothing strange about me scanning over the roundup of "headlines" from LifeNews.com. I got distracted right away when I saw them refer to President Clinton as "ex-President Bill Clinton."

I thought it interesting that they used the word "ex" instead of "former." My immediate thought was, they are trying to attach a bad connotation to him. It implies that his exit was... well... not-so-nice. I would love to say that the petty word tricks like this do not work, that it is usually best to ignore it. But they do matter. The Republican National News Network, you know, Fox, understood that calling it the "government option" instead of the "public option" would have an affect on its popularity (ultimately, they were a little late to the game and the term "public option" was far too ingrained into common rhetoric to simply be replaced because some news anchor wanted it so).

Back to LifeNews.com. I decided to employ the awesomeness of google and do a little analysis of their use of the terms "ex-President" and "Former President." The latter was used almost exactly the same number of times to describe Republicans and Democrats. Nothing really to note about that. Yet their use of the term "ex-President" tells a different story.

That term has, as far as google knows, only been used thirteen times at LifeNews.com. Once, was quoting FORMER President Jimmy Carter speaking about himself. Every other time, they are speaking about FORMER President Clinton.

I am sure that the partisan nature of the anti-choice movement has nothing to do with this. It is simply a coincidence that while LifeNews.com more often than not refers to past U.S. Presidents as "former President," 100% of the times they have used the term "ex-President" it has been in reference to a Democrat who served two full terms and remains popular to this day.

PA-Sen Primary Eve: Recap from PA Progressive Summit

2010-05-17T19:27:00.001-04:00

cross-posted from Sum of Change

As Pennsylvania gets ready to vote in, arguably, the most-watched primary of the year, we thought folks might appreciate one last look at the two candidates, Senator Arlen Specter and Congressman Joe Sestak, back-to-back on the issues. (Videos from the PA Progressive Summit)

--Question 1- What Do You Think of a Partial Spending Freeze?

--Question 2- What Would You Do To Increase Manufacturing Jobs in the US?

--Question 3- What is Your Opinion of Same-Sex Marriage?

--Question 4- Will You Vote For The Employee Free Choice Act With Card Check?

--Question 5- What Are you Going to do About the Trade Deficit?

--Question 6- Do You Support Comprehensive Immigration Reform?

--Question 7- What Should We Do About the Filibuster?

Video from K Street Protest

2010-05-17T17:52:00.003-04:00

cross-posted from Sum of Change

Today, despite the persistant rain, thousands of people showed up on K Street in Washington, DC to protest the actions and lobbying efforts of big banks and to demand economic justice. The Washington Post is comparing the anger to what we have seen at Teaparty protests.

--Mark Freeman, foreclosure victim and SEIU member

--Kia Alvarez, member of Alliance to Develop Power

--Trenda Kennedy, Illinois People's Action

--Al Marshall, SEIU Local 1021

Interview with Neil Franklin of Law Enforcement Against Prohibition

2010-05-17T05:00:00.002-04:00

cross-posted from Sum of Change

On Friday, May 14th 2010, I got the chance to sit down with Neill Franklin, the Executive Director of Law Enforcement Against Prohibition (LEAP). (Full interview at the bottom)

Neill Franklin, LEAP's incoming executive director, is a 32-year law enforcement veteran who spent more than two decades with the Maryland State Police (leading the drug division's education and training) and then moved to Baltimore PD. Like a character from HBO's "The Wire," Neill could tell you stories of colleagues being gunned down in the line of fire, as he did in this Washington Post op-ed.

--Neill Franklin Shares His Story

To sum up: Mr Franklin is a 32-year law enforcement veteran. Many things he experienced doing that work led him to speak out against drug prohibition, but there were two events that really changed him. First off, he served on Mayor Kurt Schmoke's Board for Needle Exchange in Baltimore. Mayor Schmoke was an advocate for rethinking our policies regarding the war on drugs. But it was not until 2000 when he lost a good friend named Edward Totely. Mr Totely was assassinated while making an undercover drug buy. That is when Mr Franklin began to examine the negative consequences of the war on drugs.

--On the Obama Administration's Drug Policy

To sum up: Mr Franklin feels that President Obama's "balanced new approach" is balanced in rhetoric only because two thirds of the money goes to enforcement (not including the costs of incarceration).

--On the Gateway Drug Theory

To sum up: Mr Franklin feels it is a fallacy and that cigarettes and alcohol are greater gateway drugs yet remain legal.

--Drug Laws and the Fourth Amendment

To sum up: Mr Franklin argues that the laws surrounding drugs create an environment where police are under pressure to search for drugs, which leads many officers to unintentionally push the limits of the law.

--The CA Ballot Initiative and the Federal Response

To sum up: Mr Franklin congratulates the people of California for putting this issue on the ballot, and encourages people to get involved with that campaign. As for the federal response, he has some concern that the federal government may try to "flex their muscles and go into California and start arresting people." He says the federal government should allow that state to go ahead with control and regulation. "They should be bringing smart people together to figure out what the future policies will look like."

--Law Enforcement Reaction to Franklin's Work

To sum up: Mr Franklin finds that most law enforcement officials respond positively to his position.

Full, Unedited Interview

Celebrating One Year Of Grassroots Video

2010-05-13T23:57:00.001-04:00

Today, Thursday May 13th 2010, marks one year since we signed the paperwork to register Sum of Change. We did not know what to expect when we started but we are proud of what we have accomplished so far. We feel privileged to be able to do this work and wake up every day more appreciative of this opportunity.

Below we have compiled links to many of our best projects for you to enjoy. Below that, we present our plans for the coming year, of which you are a major part. Please take some time this weekend to watch and digest as much as possible, then let us know what you think and what you would like to see in the future.

Sum of Change In Year One

Soon after Dr George Tiller was assassinated, we filmed and released our first video from the vigil that took place outside the White House in his honor and felt compelled to take our website live, before we had originally intended. Before long we were covering important events around town, such as the election in Iran. That event captivated many Americans and we captured their feelings of solidarity as they took to the streets of Washington DC.

From there, our work has blossomed. We shed light on the struggles of former felons in Virginia to restore their rights, well before the national media took notice. We covered labor issues like EFCA and union busting. We heard from inspiring voices for change, like William McNarry, Stewart Acuff, Richard Trumka, Michelle Singletary, Darcy Burner, Howard Dean, and our good friends from Grow the Hope.

We started production on our first feature documentary, titled Best When Boring, about pro-choice clinic escorts and the Washington Area Clinic Defense Task Force. Not long ago, we released the first preview.

We delved into the world of music, beginning with an interview with Tim Westergren from Pandora Internet Radio. From there were inspired to explore further and have highlighted talent from today like Nicky Egan, Petworth, and Dub FX, and talent from yesteryear like Elvis, Dizzy Gillespie, and Louis Armstrong. We also covered local cultural events like FlavorTripDC and Obscura Day.

Besides for these DC based events, we traveled to some fantastic conferences, including Netroots Nation, Organizing 2.0, the PA Progressive Summit, Democracy for America's Campaign Academy, and the Good Jobs Green Jobs Conference.

Out of all of this, however, health care reform was our primary focus. When our nation re-initiated the health care fight, we were there. We were there for the town halls. We were there with experts to educate the public about the facts of reform, including this simple explanation of the public option. We were there to see people sharing their personal stories with neighbors and legislators. We were there to challenge misinformation. When they said reform would fund abortion, we pressed the President of Operation Rescue and the folks at the March for Life in a fruitless search for someone who could explain how.

And we were there as reconciliation went through the final steps of the process. After reform passed, we were still there reaching out to grassroots folks, including David Waldman of Congress Matters, Dr. Margaret Flowers of Physicians for a National Health Program, and Jim Lindsay of the Virginia Organizing Project, to discuss what lessons were learned.

Throughout all of these events this past year, we worked aggressively on the front lines of the new media movement. We magnified the power of our work using cutting-edge web, video, and social networking technologies. Hand-in-hand with bloggers and other progressive video groups, we took steps to combat the forces of Status-Quo™ that dominate mainstream news outlet, as perfectly explained by our friend Chris Hayes at a Sum of Change housemeeting.

Moving Forward In Year Two

After the passage of health care reform, we knew we had to establish a new platform of issues upon which to provide in depth coverage. Health care dominated the headlines at Sum of Change, as it dominated political discussion across the country.

We deliberated, researched, and sought advice from viewers, and over the last couple months we explored a variety topics to see what the response would be. We continue to strive to cover all relevant stories, but it is important to have a core set of issues so that we can focus our efforts in the most productive way.

Therefore, we have decided upon 5 issues where we feel our focus is most needed: Green Energy, Immigration, Reproductive Justice, LGBT Rights, and The 2010 Elections. Over the next year (and beyond) you can expect a focused stream of in depth material on these topics.

Please continue to send us your input on these and any other topics that you find important. Without viewers like yourself, none of this would be possible and our work is based on interactive communication, not one-way dissemination.

We expect year two to be even more exciting than year one. Thank you for your continued support and we look forward to sharing a brighter future together.

Thank you,
Mitch Malasky and Will Urquhart

[UPDATED @ noon] National Nurses United Rally for Nursing-Ratio Limits

2010-05-12T15:57:00.006-04:00

cross-posted from Sum of Change

About 1,000 nurses, with a handful of doctors mixed in, rallied today on Capitol Hill for National Nurses Week to "press the case for moving beyond insurance reform to improving the quality of care in U.S. hospitals and other healthcare settings."

One of the big topics of discussion, S 1031/HR 2273, The National Nursing Shortage Reform and Patient Advocacy Act (pdf). The focus of this legislation is to establish a minimum nursing-ratio, much like the law in California. We were able to grab Senator Boxer for a very quick explanation of the California law everyone was talking about:

We also got a minute to speak with Congressman Anthony Weiner to get his thoughts on the days events:

Senator Boxer's remarks on the National Nursing Shortage Reform and Patient Advocacy Act (pdf):

Senator Al Franken's opening remarks:

Congressman Weiner's opening remarks:

We've got lots more video from this event. Check Sum of Change for updates.

UPDATE: Permeable Cone Stocking (Oil Corral): Oil Spill Solution?

2010-05-10T13:43:00.006-04:00

cross-posted from Sum of Change

UPDATE: Eric Lewis put together a more detailed drawing of the proposed permeable cone stocking, and there is a good discussion about it taking place over at Daily Kos.

UPDATE2: Just got an email from the Coast Guard, they have received 4,800 proposals to stop/contain the spill from all across the world.

Last night, I came across this picture on Daily Kos. With the failure of the containment dome, BP and the US government are now scrambling for a solution. We are joined today by Eric Lewis who came up with the permeable cone stocking idea.

Mr Lewis received a reply from Deep Water Horizon Response (DWHR), nothing significant most likely a stock response. We reached out to DWHR this morning and will update this post with any response.

The following inquiry was submitted to Deepwater Horizon Response on
05/10/10 10:27 (259571):
From : Joint Information Center
Date : 05/10/10 10:49

Dear Mr Lewis,

Thank you for your comments and suggestions. Unified Command is considering all options for mitigating both the response and clean-up efforts.

A telephone number has been set up to receive calls - 281 366 5511, and also an email account: horizonsupport@oegllc.com

For the most current information on the Deepwater Horizon Response, visit www.deepwaterhorizonresponse.com.

Sincerely, Joint Information Center Team
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
From : Eric Lewis
Date : 05/10/10 10:27

I think I may have come up with an idea that will help contain the Gulf spill and can be manufactured relatively quickly. I am not an engineer, but I do have a Master of Industrial Design degree from The Rhode Island School of Design, where I received the Rachel Carson
Environmental award for ecologically responsible design.

Please find the attached jpeg sketch of a "Permeable Cone Stocking" concept.

The thought behind this is that it would avoid the complicated chemistry involved in deep sea high-pressure capture efforts, by making the tube between the leak and the surface PERMEABLE. As a result, this method allows some oil to escape, but more or less contains it within
the cone.

The drawing shows the bottom of the cone nailed to the ocean floor, but upon further consideration, it could simply be attached to a rigid steel hoop and positioned less precisely over the leak - so long as the majority of the spewing was going into the cone.

I very much hope you are able to find a solution soon. Thank you very much, and good luck!

Sincerely,

Eric Lewis

Masquerade Ball, A Republican Love Affair

2010-05-08T14:54:00.002-04:00

cross-posted from Sum of Change

There is a pattern emerging amongst the radical right. Time after time, we find the conservative side engaged in an act, pretending to be authority figures, often times the same ones their base ridicules.

I will start with an example I saw on last night's Rachel Maddow show.

American College of Pediatricians? Religious, political activists pretending to be medical experts with the intent to mislead others into assuming some level of scientific or experienced authority on the subject. Want to know what the real American Academy of Pediatrics (you know, actual pediatricians and not political activists) has to say?

Official Statement:

Summary of Physician Guidelines

Pediatricians should be aware that some of the youths in their care may be homosexual or have concerns about sexual orientation. Caregivers should provide factual, current, nonjudgmental information in a confidential manner. These youths may present to physicians seeking information about homosexuality, STDs, substance abuse, or various psychosocial difficulties. The pediatrician should ensure that each youth receives a thorough medical history and physical examination (including appropriate laboratory tests), as well as STD (including HIV) counseling and, if necessary, appropriate treatment. The health care professional should also be attentive to various potential psychosocial difficulties and offer counseling or refer for counseling when necessary.

The American Academy of Pediatrics reaffirms the physician's responsibility to provide comprehensive health care and guidance for all adolescents, including gay and lesbian adolescents and those young people struggling with issues of sexual orientation. The deadly consequences of AIDS and adolescent suicide underscore the critical need to address and seek to prevent the major physical and mental health problems that confront gay and lesbian youths in their transition to a healthy adulthood.

From Pediatrics, Vol. 92, No. 4 (October 1993, pp. 631-34).

As for the "reparative therapy" that George Rekers suggested to them:

"Reparative Therapy"

The American Academy of Pediatrics in its policy statement on Homosexuality and Adolescence states: "Confusion about sexual orientation is not unusual during adolescence. Counseling may be helpful for young people who are uncertain about their sexual orientation or for those who are uncertain about how to express their sexuality and might profit from an attempt at clarification through a counseling or psychotherapeutic initiative. Therapy directed specifically at changing sexual orientation is contraindicated, since it can provoke guilt and anxiety while having little or no potential for achieving changes in orientation." [Policy Statement: Homosexuality and Adolescence, American Academy of Pediatrics, 1993.]

Taken from The American Psychological Association Online Fact Sheet — Just the Facts About Sexual Orientation & Youth: A Primer for Principals, Educators and School Personnel.

Let's move on. How about those Republican "census" mailers?

The Census Bureau? Pretending to be one of the bastions of big government?

And have you heard of Crisis Pregnancy Centers? This one's good, I promise.

These are fake clinics run by people who are anti-abortion. They have a history of giving women wrong, biased information to scare them into not having abortions.

These are religious and political advocacy groups (anti-choice activists to be specific), masquerading as the very professionals their cohorts intimidate (pdf), harrass, kidnap (pdf), bomb, and shoot. There is no uncertainty about their objective. They are not there to provide women with expert, medical advice. They have one goal: prevent abortions by any means.

The radical right has a love affair with deceiving people into believing they are experts, often the very experts they ridicule. This is all part of a greater conservative campaign strategy ingrained in them early in their training: win by any means necessary. These examples are not out of the ordinary.

Karl Rove is famous for having impersonated a volunteer in order to steal campaign stationary and spread fake invitations around promising "free beer, free food, girls and a good time for nothing."

This, sadly, is their proud tradition. I am going to end with this clip from the James O'Keefe scandal.

Maryland Leads the Way, Yet Again

2010-05-07T14:36:00.001-04:00

cross-posted from Sum of Change

Sometimes, Maryland is the unrecognized progressive capitol of our country. The first affordable housing laws on the books, some of the nation's best public schools, a good living wage law, and one of the first states to write legislation protecting the right to access a clinic entrance.

Earlier this year, Baltimore followed in this fine tradition, becoming the first city to mandate that crisis pregnancy centers inform women that they do not provide abortion. Crisis pregnancy centers are religious activist organizations that prey on pregnant women. They impersonate medical centers and trick women into thinking they are experts of reproductive health care.

In truth, these religious advocacy groups have one goal: prevent women from having abortions by any means:

From now on, in Baltimore city, these organizations will have to be more honest about who they are. This is a good start.

Ouch, New Sestak Ad Props Specter's Republican Record

2010-05-07T14:11:00.001-04:00

cross-posted from Sum of Change

Ouch. That one is going to hurt. Last summer, when we filmed Senator Arlen Specter and Congressman Joe Sestak at the Netroots Nation conference, I remember commenting to Mitch that Sestak seemed to have kid gloves on when it came to Specter's Republican credentials. We concluded that they were likely holding off until closer to the election. I would say we are officially closer to the election now.

Sue Lowden's Chickens Come Home To Roost

2010-05-04T23:54:00.001-04:00

cross-posted from Sum of Change

Apparently, Sue Lowden is confident doctors will accept chickens as payment, but do not try to barter chickens to get into her campaign events or you will get shown the door:

That should put the final six thousand nails in the coffin of chickencare.

Good Jobs Green Jobs Conference: Public Transportation Reform

2010-05-04T15:47:00.001-04:00

cross-posted from Sum of Change

I just finished listening to Ruth Otte of Veolia Transportation talking about real life examples of revolutionizing, from an energy standpoint, public transportation. I will run through the bullet points with you real quick.

She spoke about three locations where Veolia came in to make public transportation easier and more efficient; Nice in France, Limburg in the Netherlands, and Salt Lake City.

Nice, France:
From the Veolia website

Quiet, electric light rail vehicles, drawing power from the street below rather than unsightly wires above, run down grassy malls beneath canopies of trees in the city’s downtown center of commerce, tourism, and culture. Bus lines with tightly coordinated schedules act as “feeders” to the trains. Together they bring people from the farthest reaches of the area into the core of the city with ease, as well as to high-speed trains that travel all over France.

And here are some of the results:

• 5 minutes waits in peaks
• train extremely popular
• Bus ridership up 35%
• 92% satisfaction
• currently testing a system to allow people to pay for rides with their cell phone

Limburg:
The efforts here were similar to that of Nice, France. The one mission: make travel easy. As with Nice, there was an emphasis on scheduling busses to feed the trains. Taxi's are part of the fare, and riders can access real time info to help plan accordingly.

The results:

• 36% rail increase
• bus ridership up 30%
• less fuel/labor costs
• less government funding necessary

Salt Lake City:
One of the interesting things that was done in Salt Lake City, and is being tried in other cities as well, has to do with busses. Veolia added "bus rapid transit", or bus only lanes. The busses are also connected to traffic signals and receive priority (if they are coming up on a green light that is about to change, it will hold off and wait for the bus to get through). This leads to rapidly moving bus routes.

We'll be here for the next couple days and tomorrow I'll have my video camera with me.

[updated] Mayor Bloomberg's Office: Billboard is Accurate

2010-05-03T17:47:00.007-04:00

cross-posted from Sum of Change

UPDATE: I just got off the phone with Gabriel Sayegh of the Drug Policy Alliance. He told me that Titan 360 has now completely changed their reasoning for rejecting the ad. At first, they were going to work with the Drug Policy Alliance to place the ad with another landlord but have now decided that the ad goes against their policy and cannot be run anywhere. We are still trying to get in touch with Titan 360 for a comment.

Booze, strip clubs, breasts, and casinos. What do they have in common? All are billboards you will find along the Brooklyn Queens Expressway (BQE). But the following was rejected:

In their press release, the Drug Policy Alliance claims that an email from the billboard company, Titan 360, stated that the landlord rejected the ad for "political circumstances from the Mayor's Office." According to Tony Newman, that is the only explanation that has been given to them by Titan 360 at this point.

So what are the "political circumstances from the Mayor's Office"? We would like to know that too. The Gothamist is reporting that the Mayor's Office is flatly denying any involvement with the billboard. A spokesperson for the Mayor confirmed that with us, over the phone. When questioned about the accuracy of the ad, he stated that nothing about the content of the ad is inaccurate. That would seem to contradict the excuse Titan 360 gave to the Gothamist that "we have no way of knowing if Bloomberg in fact smoked marijuana."

Just for fun, here are pictures we found online, allegedly of billboards along the BQE:

From Best View in Brooklyn

From Scouting New York

And this from Titan 360's website (not on the BQE):

Green Thoughts: Green Jobs for Green Days

2010-04-29T12:31:00.006-04:00

Originally Posted at SumofChange.com

With a poor economy, new technology offers the ability to create new jobs as well as progression for companies large and small. Combining this with the global need for clean energy creates a viable opportunity for economic alleviation.

To continue our “Green Thursdays”, here are some clips from a panel at the 2010 PA Progressive Summit, held this last January in Harrisburg, PA. Michael Fedor, the Pennsylvania state director for Repower America, and Adam Graber, PennEnvironment, discuss the current job environment and how clean energy “green jobs” are essential for the future for most companies.

In the first video, Fedor (along side Adam Garber) explains the realistic ways green jobs can fix unemployment. Once more green jobs have been established, Fedor in the second video describes the ways green jobs can become green careers. In the final video, Fedor illustrates how to make Pennsylvania the leading green jobs state in the nation.

For more info on the Pennsylvania Progressive Summit and it's organizer, Keystone progress, please go to paprogressivesummit.org and keystoneprogress.org

For more videos from Sum of Change at the Pennsylvania Progressive Summit, please go to SumofChange.com/paprog

The Need for More Women In Office and How to Make It Happen

2010-04-28T11:14:00.015-04:00

Originally posted at SumofChange.com

Who needs women in office? Everyone.

That was the title of one of the more powerful panels held at this year's Pennsylvania Progressive Summit, in Harrisburg, PA. Sam Bennett, Women’s Campaign Forum President/CEO and former congressional candidate, led the panel discussion which previewed several of the state's female candidates and elected officials. Largely discussing the various ways to get more women into public office, the candidates shared their personal stories on why they chose to run for office, how to personally fund your campaign, and discussed the reasons why more women in office is "essential to the health of our nation".

In the first two videos, Sam Bennett and other panelists outline the major points on why we need more women in public office. In the third video, Lois K. Herr illustrates how to support other women in running for office. The final video offers advice on ways to support your own campaign, especially if its your first.

For more videos from the Pennsylvania Progressive Summit, go to SumofChange.com/paprog

For more info on the Pennsylvania Progressive Summit and it's organizer, Keystone progress, please go to paprogressivesummit.org and keystoneprogress.org

Marriage Equality: Details You Should Know to Make it Happen

2010-04-27T10:46:00.005-04:00

Cross Posted from SumofChange.com

Also from the Pennsylvania Progressive Summit (paprogressivesummit.com), I'd like to bring you a few videos form a panel simply entitled 'Marriage Equality'. On this panel, the speakers discussed the benefits, issues, and consequences of allowing homosexual couples marriage rights equal to those of heterosexual ones. The panelists and approached the topic from a variety of angles. Some spoke about the legal issues equality, both in the PA state legislature and in the constitution, others talked about the religious aspects, especially from the Christian and Jewish traditions, and others talked about the moral and human rights aspect of the debate.

The clips below go into many of the arguments against marriage equality and gay marriage and why most of them struggle for validity. The first video, PA state senator Daylin Leach, who sponsored a bill in the PA state legislature in support on marriage equality, goes into many of the arguments against gay marriage that he has heard while debating the bill. As he says, no one has debated him twice, because no one has presented him an argument with any validity. The second video looks at many of the religious issues brought up by the marriage equality debate. Many think that religion has no part of the legal debate over gay marriage and often when religion is invoked, it is done so incorrectly. Finally, the last clip discusses why marriage equality supporters should want legalized gay marriage and not civil unions. Civil unions seem like an acceptable compromise, but really they are impractical and still discriminatory.

For more videos from the Pennsylvania Progressive Summit, go to SumofChange.com/paprog

For more info on the Pennsylvania Progressive Summit and it's organizer, Keystone progress, please go to paprogressivesummit.org and keystoneprogress.org

Control & Tax: Legalization of Cannabis

2010-04-26T18:02:00.002-04:00

Cross-posted from Sum of Change

On Friday, April 23rd 2010, I got the chance to sit down with Dale Sky Clare, the Executive Chancellor of Oaksterdam University and the Spokesperson for Control and Tax Cannabis 2010. We talked about the upcoming ballot initiative to legalize cannabis in California.

California's November vote is going to be one to watch. Recent polling has demonstrated that Californians favor the legislation. Nationwide, 56% of people believe cannabis should be regulated along the lines of alcohol and 60% support medical use (Quick shout out to News Junkie Post for linking to a pdf of the poll, I found numerous articles on this poll with no link to the actual results. It is disgustingly negligent to not provide your readers with information you are sourcing that is so easy to provide).

The Control and Tax Cannabis 2010 campaign is pushing both an economic and moral message. Ms Clare comes to this with a unique perspective, having taught the D.A.R.E program, and spent a lot of time talking about the dangers of an underground market.

To get involved with the campaign visit www.taxcannabis.org

Green Thoughts: Importance of Green Organizing

2010-04-22T10:44:00.000-04:00

Originally posted at SumofChange.com

In past posts, we looked at the different ways to gain support from individuals and businesses large and small and how to involve them in the creation of green jobs. The following videos will discuss why support for green energy is critical not only for the environment and our communities but also for businesses, their employees and ultimately the nation's economy. All of the videos included were recorded at a panel held at the 2010 Pennsylvania Progressive Summit, called "Effective Advocacy for Clean Energy Jobs Legislation". The panel is more or less hosted by Repower America as all the panelists were Repower America employees.

In the first video, Benjamin Freed of Repower America explains why his organization specifically focuses on business for support and the benefits that can be gained from them. And then in the two following videos, Alicia Gurdus of Repower America explains Repower America's Field Program's objectives as well as the difficulties are brought up when issue campaigning and how Repower America's objectives

For more info on the Pennsylvania Progressive Summit, please go to www.paprogressivesummit.com

For more Green Thoughts on Thursday clean energy posts, please go to www.SumofChange.com/greenthoughts

Repower America's Progressive Steps to a Green Economy

2010-04-21T12:55:00.001-04:00

Cross posted from SumofChange.com

Following up on last Tuesday's post on Field Organizing in the community, this week were going to go into organizing for clean energy in your local business community.

Green is the word on every businesses' mind. From large international corporations, to small family owned businesses, it is blatantly apparent that the economic world is changing fast and everyone involved needs to be prepared to change with it. Unfortunately, in most cases corporations and businesses are not well informed on how to make the necessary changes; Repower America is working to do just that.

Through efficient campaigning and "field programs" Repower America is informing the public on how to make the right moves. At the 2010 PA Progressive Summit and in the videos below, Repower America not only discussed the daily concerns of many businesses in regards to the evolving economy, but reviewed the proactive steps to gain support from them and why it is essential for the nation’s companies as well as its workers to turn regular jobs into green jobs.

In the following videos, Laura Vendetta discusses the best way to get businesses involved in the Repower America Campaign or your own green energy effort.
In the third video, Ms. Vendetta discusses the various ways to appeal to businesses and how to connect with them whether its through the lowest rung on the ladder, or the owner of the company. And in the final video, Ms. Vendetta covers some of the basic steps in attracting support from businesses.

Check our next Green Thoughts post this Thursday for more clean energy organizing videos.

For more info on the Pennsylvania Progressive Summit, please go to www.paprogressivesummit.com

For more Training Tuesday grassroots training videos, please go to www.SumofChange.com/trainingtuesday

Pictures, Oklahoma City Bombing After 15 Years

2010-04-19T01:53:00.000-04:00

cross-posted from Sum of Change

At 9:01 on April 19th, 1995, it was a typical day in Oklahoma City. By 9:03, the entire side of a building had been demolished in an act of heinous, domestic terrorism. It was premeditated mass-murder by an anti-government, gun-nut, who wanted to see payback after the incident at Waco, Texas.

It just happened that I was driving across the country this weekend. On Friday, I visited the Clinton Library in Little Rock, where I came across an exhibit on the Oklahoma City bombing. It struck me that the anniversary was coming up, the Timothy McVeigh tapes are being released, and I would be driving from Little Rock right through Oklahoma City on my way to Albuquerque. And so, I am able to bring you this picture slideshow on this anniversary.

"May all who leave here know the impact of violence."

Heifer International HQ: One of the Greenest Buildings in the World

2010-04-16T21:22:00.001-04:00

cross-posted from Sum of Change

The Heifer International Headquarters in Little Rock, Arkansas is one of the greenest buildings in the world, by many standards. Since my drive across the country was bringing me right through Little Rock, I had to drop in to see this.

First, you should understand who Heifer International is. They are a non-profit that works in struggling communities throughout the world to provide people with tools to improve their lives. Often that includes livestock and training in a unique loan agreement where one of the livestock's offspring is to be given to another needy family. They call that "Passing on the Gift – a cornerstone of our mission that creates an ever-expanding network of hope and peace."

While doing this work it struck them that it would all be in vain if we, as a society, do not take proactive steps to make all our communities more sustainable. “If we’re going to have a lasting impact on ending world hunger, then everything we do must renew the earth and not deplete it,” said Jo Luck, Heifer’s president and CEO.

Everything about this building, from the initial plot of land to what we have today, was highlighted by sustainability. The site they chose to build on was picked because it was what is called a brownfield site. Before anything could be done, the place had to be cleaned. They hauled off 75,000 tons of earth, and made the site into a wetland.

They used as much of the material that was there as possible, grinding up concrete from abandoned buildings to make gravel for the construction process. They relied on local businesses for many materials, such as Ace Glass Co who are literally across the street. They used bamboo for the wood floors which grows rapidly and is recyclable. The rugs are recycled carpeting, that can themselves be recycled. They are designed in squares, like tiles, so that money and resources can be saved by replacing squares when damage is done and not the whole rug.

The wetland area "controls, stores and reuses surface groundwater." To prevent pollution in the water, there is "an innovative, permeable-surface parking lot next to the building eliminates common stormwater runoff problems."

They also use gravel to filter liquids that drop off parked cars:

Wild flowers are allowed to grow freely in parking lot medians so roots grow far and create another natural filter:

The roofs catch water, are white to avoid evaporation, and are made out of a type of pool surface that makes the water bead easier. Of course, all the water is collected and reused:

That water is dumped into a filter that, at first glance, appears to be no more than some stones and vegetation:

And, of course, to keep all this water they have a four story water collection tower:

This does not provide drinking water but could be retrofitted to filter to that high a degree.

These measures have created a wetlands that now serves as home to some animal friends. Fish were added early on, but turtles and birds have moved in on their own and apear to be thriving.

Moving inside, you immediately notice how long and narrow the building is. It is only 64 feet wide for a very specific reason: sunlight. Windows can provide decent sunlight up to approximately 30 feet in. The narrow building allows everyone inside to rely heavily on sunlight. The building is then positioned so that the sun is never facing the two long walls. This way you have no direct sunlight making certain rooms hotter than others. The indoor lights are on sensors and become lighter or darker depending on how bright it is outside.

The building uses a creative heating and cooling system, venting from the floor and not the ceiling. They have high ceilings and venting from the floor allows them to only heat and cool the bottom part of the room, saving energy that would otherwise be wasted on space no one will ever occupy.

Moving back to the roofs, we learn that they are slanted in relation to the position of the sun so as to grab more heat from the sun in the winter months and less in the summer:

The Heifer International Headquarters teaches us that a little green architecture and some good intentions can go a long way to developing a more sustainable society. This building uses over 50% less energy than buildings of comparable size and use.

Tips and Tales from the Road

2010-04-16T14:42:00.000-04:00

KYou may or may not know that yesterday I took off for a cross-country road trip!!! Anyways, I'll be visiting some great places and meeting up with some great people over the next few weeks. I'll try to keep you all updated along the way.

Just got in to my first motel 6 on the trip, so now sounds like a good time for some road tripping Urquhart-style trips.

1: This actually comes from my brother, and is really a cooler tip, but I brought a cooler of food so it is relevant. Before you buy ice or ice-packs, try freezing some water bottles, or even stuff like vitamin water and gatorade. Once frozen, these bottles will work to keep the cooler cold just as well as ice or ice-packs. The great thing is they don't leave a huge pool of water to dump out when they melt, and you don't lose valuable cooler space. I swear, try it once and you will be hooked. Sadly, my motel six has no fridge in the room, but they have free ice and if it wasn't late I would fill my empty bottle with ice instead of just dumping it in the cooler.

2: Before you leave, ask a handful of friends what the last three bands they listened to are, then go out and get as much of it as you can. I was able to find complete discographies for most of the bands my friends mentioned, loading my Droid with oodles of new albums. You can also then pump all the bands your friends mentioned into a playlist on Pandora, creating a huge list unique to that specific road trip.

3: The Droid rocks. Okay not really a tip but it does. I just finished writing this and published it from the Droid.

[Livefeed] David Waldman on Process And Lessons Learned Fighting for Health Care

2010-04-14T13:09:00.006-04:00

cross-posted from Sum of Change

Today we were fortunate to be joined by David Waldman, a Contributing Editor at Daily Kos and the Editor-in-Chief of Congress Matters. This interview was recorded live, starting at 2:45pm (EST). We spoke about the legislative process and lessons learned from fighting for health care reform.

David Waldman's analysis of process during the fight for reform was among the most substantial analysis coming out of the netroots. Bloggers like myself relied heavily on his insight to help better understand where we were and the road ahead. And this recent fight forced us to examine a multitude of congressional processes in ways we have not for a very long time. We we are very excited to hear what Mr. Waldman has to say about the lessons we learned.

UPDATE: I wanted to highlight a few of the lessons learned that David shared with us, especially for the video-impaired amongst us. These are not direct quotes, just my observations:

1) There is a role that the netroots needs to grow into that moves us beyond our traditional model of advocacy by sheer numbers alone.

2) One of the things that worked, to a certain extent, was the development of whip counts and the use of highly targeted advocacy, focusing in on very specific pressure points.

3) You need to understand the process in order to effectively lobby your legislator. Specific asks provide more powerful commitments.

4) On purely a legislative level, starting from a spot of compromise was likely a bad idea that in no way softened the opposition.

5) We have a new model for dealing with merging two different bills. In future fights, when we see legislation moving along the "health care model," we already know where to put pressure with advocacy.

6) Almost no major legislation has passed and not been improved upon. Changes will be made. Changes should be made.

Green Thoughts: Field Organizing in the Community (Part 2)

2010-04-08T12:29:00.000-04:00

cross-posted from Sum of Change

To follow up on our post in this week's Training Tuesday, I'd like to present you with a few more videos with tips on organizing for green energy in your community. The tactics and principles hold true to any type of campaign, whether issues or candidate based, but since the panel is on organizing for clean energy, we're going to focus on that issue. This panel was more or less hosted by Repower America, (the moderator and every panelist works for them) and the speaker in all of these clips, Alicia Gurdus, is a field organizer for them. This is part two (of two) of our selections from her remarks. Check our post from this past Training Tuesday for part 2.

The videos in this post go into the different kinds of discussions you will have with people who you are trying to get to help your campaign, not (financially) support it. These people can be broken down into two different types. First, the community leaders and elected officials that can bring community or legislative assistance. Both leaders and officials are critically important to the influence and success of your campaign and you want to make sure treat them that way.

The other kinds of helpers who you will speak to are those volunteers and team leaders who are helping you in the office and in the field. They are not only the life blood of your campaign but they are speaking int the public in your support. These are the people that will do your job for your or make your job impossible, so making sure that your workers and are interested and invested in your issue will greatly help your efforts. However, not every volunteer you find will work out, and so in the final video Alicia goes into ways to deal with problem volunteers who are more interested in saying they are helping then in actually doing so.

--Speaking With Commuinity Leaders and Elected Officials

--Working With Potential Volunteers and Team Leaders

--Dealing With Problem Volunteers

Click Here to see Part 1 on 'Field Organizing in the Community'. Next week, Training Tuesday and Green Thoughts on Thursday will move on to look at field organizing with in your local business community.

For more info on the Pennsylvania Progressive Summit, please go to www.paprogressivesummit.com

For more Green Thoughts on Thursday clean energy posts, please go to www.SumofChange.com/greenthoughts

'Next Up, Comprehensive Immigration Reform' at the Center for American Progress - Part 2

2010-04-07T22:27:00.001-04:00

cross-posted from Sum of Change

--Latinos' Political Support Over the Last Decade

Following up on our post from Monday, I'd like to bring you a few more clips from a panel entitled 'Next Up, Comprehensive Immigration Reform' at the Center for American Progress in Washington DC. This took place in late January, but it operated under the assumption that health care reform would actually pass (at some point and the belief that once it did pass, immigration reform must be the next major issue addressed. In last Monday's post our panelists discussed what the situation with a reform bill is currently and what we can expect the next steps in the effort will be. The videos in this post, however, will add context to what is going on off the hill and how the efforts on and off the hill relate.

Though America's immigration laws (obviously) affect people from nations all around the world, the population most affected by them in America are those from Latin America. So in the video above, Markos Moulitsas Zúñiga, the Founder and Editor of Daily Kos, goes into the how Latinos have formed their political affiliations over the last decade. Then in the first video below, María Elena Durazo, the Executive Secretary-Treasurer of The Los Angeles County Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO, and Andrea Nill, an Immigration Blogger and Researcher with Think Progress go into how Immigration is beneficial to everyone and would support both employers and their workers.

Next, Mrs Durazo goes into how it is the workers who need to be supported more with this immigration bill (not surprisingly from someone who is a part of the labor) and how by strengthening the power of the workers, the proposed bill can improve the outset for everyone in America. Finally, all three of our experts go into detail on one aspect of the bill, the guest/temporary worker program. This is only one part of the bill, but it is one that can be very divisive, even amongst immigration reform supporters, and their thoughts on the subject are quite provocative.

--Immigration Reform Supports Employers and Workers

--Temporary Worker Programs

--Supporting The Unsung Hard Workers Through Immigration Reform

The panel was sponsored by The Center for American Progress, America's Voice, and Netroots Nation and held at The Center for America Progress' offices in downtown Washington DC.

For Part One, please click here.

For more videos from Sum of Change, please go to www.SumofChange.com

Jim Lindsay: Grassroots Response to Health Care Passage

2010-04-06T20:41:00.006-04:00

video cross-posted from Sum of Change

Today we were joined by Jim Lindsay of the Virginia Organizing Project. This is part of a series of interviews we have done and continue to do with grassroots activists who devoted time, money, and energy to passing health care reform.

Mr Lindsay is a member of the VOP's Health Care Reform Committee. We spoke about this recent fight for health care reform and what lessons grassroots activists can take away.

As I said earlier, we continue to reach out to grassroots activists to respond to the recent passage of health care reform. If you would like to suggest someone for us to interview, please contact us.

You can see plenty of our coverage of the Virginia Organizing Project's efforts on health care reform at this link. You should also check out our last grassroots response from Dr. Margaret Flowers of Physicians for a National Health Program.

Training Tuesday: Field Organizing in the Community (Part 1)

2010-04-06T01:11:00.000-04:00

cross-posted from Sum of Change

For this week's Training Tuesday, we're going to move to a new venue, the Pennsylvania Progressive Summit, from where we have already posted several videos from keynote addresses (which you can see here). However we also went to a bunch of interesting and informative panels on a diverse variety of topics and, beginning with the following videos on organizing for green legislation, we will be posting a bunch of clips from many of these panels.

--The Ease of Organizing

Though the focus on this panel was organizing for 'clean energy jobs legislation', the theories and tips on best practices hold true for any kind of organizing. This panel was more or less hosted by Repower America, (the moderator and every panelist works for them) and the speaker in all of these clips, Alicia Gurdus, is a field organizer for them. This is part one of our selections from her remarks. Check our Green Thoughts post this Thursday for part 2.

In the first video above, Alicia talks about how easy it is to organize in today's world. The technology you need is accessible and (relatively) cheap, so you if you have the desire to organize for an issue you care about, it is easier than ever to do so. In the next video (below) she talks discuss the importance on field organizing how it can magnify the power of the individual interaction to build a unified voice for your cause.

In the last two videos, Alicia goes into more specific pieces of advice for how to organize in your community, like on a college campus for example. First, she'll explain how to approach and engage one or a group of strangers, which is often the hardest part of you job. Then, she has some strategies for the next step after you've gotten someone to talk with you, getting them to support you and say yes.

--Why Field Programs Exist

--How To Approach and Engage Strangers

--Getting People to Say Yes, Best Practices for Field Programs

Check our next Green Thoughts post this Thursday for Part 2 on 'Field Organizing in the Community'. Next week, Training Tuesday will move on to look at field organizing with in your local business community.

For more info on the Pennsylvania Progressive Summit, please go to www.paprogressivesummit.com

For more Training Tuesday grassroots training videos, please go to www.SumofChange.com/trainingtuesday

No Justice, No Peace

2010-04-05T18:32:00.000-04:00

cross-posted from Sum of Change

Warning, the following video is graphic. It depicts American soldiers gunning people down in Iraq, including two individuals who worked for Reuters. It depicts American soldiers giddy at the opportunity to fire on humans. It depicts the worst fears people all across the world have of foreign intervention. And to make it worse is the complete and utter denial of that which turned out to be easily knowable facts by our own military officials. There needs to be a thorough investigation of this cover-up, and, frankly, people need to be made an example of. The individuals that assisted in keeping the truth secret from the public were accomplices to these unjustified murders and to let them go unpunished is to tell future accomplices to murder that they will not be held accountable.

So please keep all this in mind if you choose to watch the video below, Collateral Murder. We have always had a policy of providing our viewers with important content, even the difficult to read or watch material. So we are reposting the video here, but felt a need to warn viewers of the content.

Of course, CNN is running pretty much all day with the "Deadly Blasts Rock Baghdad" story, because when people are killed it is news, unless Americans kill them.

'Next Up, Comprehensive Immigration Reform' at the Center for American Progress - Part 1

2010-04-05T02:30:00.006-04:00

cross-posted from Sum of Change

On the same historic day that President Obama's health care reform bill initially passed, hundreds of thousands of people gathered on the mall to remind those running our government that even though health care reform is a major accomplishment, there are many other issues, most notably immigration reform, that need to be addressed, and soon. In this same vein, The Center for American Progress, America's Voice, and Netroots Nation held a panel discussion a few months earlier on an immigration reform bill, it's advantages and issues, and it's likelihood of passage. The panel, moderated by Nico Pitney, National Editor of The Huffington Post, featured María Elena Durazo, the Executive Secretary-Treasurer of The Los Angeles County Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO, Andrea Nill, an Immigration Blogger and Researcher with Think Progress, and Markos Moulitsas Zúñiga, the Founder and Editor of Daily Kos.

In this post, Mrs Durazo discusses the priority issues of an immigration reform bill, Ms Nill talks about a progressive immigration reform bill already introduced by Rep Luis Guitierrez (D- IL), and Mr Moulitasas-Zuniga ponders how the immigration reform debate could effect the upcoming 2010 mid term elections. Check back on Wednesday for Part 2 with more clips from these speakers.

--What Are The Priority Issues of Immigration Reform- María Elena Duraz

--The Effect of the Gutierrez Immigration Reform Bill - Andrea Nill

--The Importance of Immigration to the 2010 Elections - Markos Moulitsas Zúñiga

To see more immigration reform related videos from Sum of Change, please click here

For all other coverage from Sum of Change, please go to www.SumofChange.com

Gunn High School Meets Hate With Love

2010-04-04T22:12:00.000-04:00

cross-posted from Sum of Change

When students and faculty at Gunn High School in the Bay Area discovered that Westboro Baptist Church would be protesting the school's tolerance they decided to meet them head on:

The students greeted the protesters with song. This is a moment that should be heard all across the country.

Ron Paul is a Nut-Job

2010-04-01T20:24:00.000-04:00

cross-posted from Sum of Change

I have few words for what is about to follow. Ron Paul takes wingnuttery to a new level with this interview:

Getting down to the last two questions here.... Most people consider Abe Lincoln to be one of our greatest presidents, if not the greatest president we've ever had. Would you agree with that sentiment and why or why not?

No, I don't think he was one of our greatest presidents. I mean, he was determined to fight a bloody civil war, which many have argued could have been avoided. For 1/100 the cost of the war, plus 600 thousand lives, enough money would have been available to buy up all the slaves and free them. So, I don't see that is a good part of our history. Besides, the Civil War was to prove that we had a very, very strong centralized federal government and that's what it did. It rejected the notion that states were a sovereign nation.

The people who disagree want to turn around and say, "Oh, yes, those guys just wanted to protect slavery." But that's just a cop-out if you look at this whole idea of what happened in our country because Lincoln really believed in the centralized state. He was a Hamiltonian type and objected to everything Jefferson wanted.

Forget that no slave-owner was about to sell their entire workforce. Forget that they would simply over-charge the government and turn around to buy new slaves at a cheaper price. I cannot believe I have to explain this, but the point was to make slavery illegal, not to deprive southerners of slaves. This is, frankly, one of the dumbest things ever said by anyone.

Sean Hannity Calls Teaparty Protesters "Tim McVeigh wannabees"

2010-04-01T15:22:00.001-04:00

cross-posted from Sum of Change

Wow is all I can say. Now, this may have been said to mock liberals who had previously called the Teaparty a group of "Tim McVeigh wannabees," as Hannity has derided before. Yet still, in the midst of all that has been happening amongst radical conservative whackos, from bricks through windows to rogue militia groups planning to kill authority figures, you would think conservative leaders would work hard to steer clear of the domestic terrorist references.

Interview with Dr. Peter Wilk of Physicians for Social Responsibility

2010-04-01T08:21:00.005-04:00

cross-posted from Sum of Change

I stopped in at the office of Physicians for Social Responsibility this morning to meet Dr. Peter Wilk, the Executive Director.

Dr. Wilk is a recognized expert on nuclear disarmament and has been active for the past 27 years in public health advocacy organizations and medical organizations concerned with preventing nuclear war and addressing other threats to global survival.

We talked about the upcoming Strategic Arms Reduction Treay (START) that President Obama and President Medvedev will sign in Prague on April 8th. While the full text of the treaty has yet to be released, the White House has released some "key facts" of the NPT:

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release March 26, 2010
Key Facts about the New START Treaty

Treaty Structure: The New START Treaty is organized in three tiers of increasing level of detail. The first tier is the Treaty text itself. The second tier consists of a Protocol to the Treaty, which contains additional rights and obligations associated with Treaty provisions. The basic rights and obligations are contained in these two documents. The third tier consists of Technical Annexes to the Protocol. All three tiers will be legally binding. The Protocol and Annexes will be integral parts of the Treaty and thus submitted to the U.S. Senate for its advice and consent to ratification.

Strategic Offensive Reductions: Under the Treaty, the U.S. and Russia will be limited to significantly fewer strategic arms within seven years from the date the Treaty enters into force. Each Party has the flexibility to determine for itself the structure of its strategic forces within the aggregate limits of the Treaty. These limits are based on a rigorous analysis conducted by Department of Defense planners in support of the 2010 Nuclear Posture Review.

Aggregate limits:

• 1,550 warheads. Warheads on deployed ICBMs and deployed SLBMs count toward this limit and each deployed heavy bomber equipped for nuclear armaments counts as one warhead toward this limit.
This limit is 74% lower than the limit of the 1991 START Treaty and 30% lower than the deployed strategic warhead limit of the 2002 Moscow Treaty.

• A combined limit of 800 deployed and non-deployed ICBM launchers, SLBM launchers, and heavy bombers equipped for nuclear armaments.

• A separate limit of 700 deployed ICBMs, deployed SLBMs, and deployed heavy bombers equipped for nuclear armaments.
This limit is less than half the corresponding strategic nuclear delivery vehicle limit of the START Treaty.

Verification and Transparency: The Treaty has a verification regime that combines the appropriate elements of the 1991 START Treaty with new elements tailored to the limitations of the Treaty. Measures under the Treaty include on-site inspections and exhibitions, data exchanges and notifications related to strategic offensive arms and facilities covered by the Treaty, and provisions to facilitate the use of national technical means for treaty monitoring. To increase confidence and transparency, the Treaty also provides for the exchange of telemetry.

Treaty Terms: The Treaty’s duration will be ten years, unless superseded by a subsequent agreement. The Parties may agree to extend the Treaty for a period of no more than five years. The Treaty includes a withdrawal clause that is standard in arms control agreements. The 2002 Moscow Treaty terminates upon entry into force of the New START Treaty. The U.S. Senate and the Russian legislature must approve the Treaty before it can enter into force.

No Constraints on Missile Defense and Conventional Strike: The Treaty does not contain any constraints on testing, development or deployment of current or planned U.S. missile defense programs or current or planned United States long-range conventional strike capabilities.

Green Thoughts: The Weatherization Process

2010-04-01T00:13:00.002-04:00

cross-posted from Sum of Change

Having already gone through many of the individual aspects of the weatherization process, I'd like to share with you a brief overview of the entire retrofit process. We have shown you how to seal your attic space, ducts, and band joists, and how to control the ventilation of air and moisture throughout your home. But in this video, our expert host Jason with Edge Energy (www.edge-gogreen.com) will explain how all of the individual retrofits are all part of a larger weatherization strategy that makes sure that all systems operating within your home are doing so in efficient unison. By focusing on every potential spot for energy loss in the house, and not single issues like leaky windows, you can make sure that you're home is as efficient as possible and that you're energy bills are as low as you can make them.

To see more Green Thoughts on Thursday posts, please go to www.SumofChange.com/greenthoughts

Full Disclosure: EDGE Energy hired us, as Sum of Change not individuals, to produce several videos for them including the ones in this post. We have not been hired to distribute, recommend, or advertise for EDGE Energy, rather we are using these videos to explain a vital service and we appreciate them letting us do so.

To learn more about the energy audit from Edge and see more of our videos, please go to www.edge-gogreen.com and see Edge's youtube page

Training Tuesday: The 4 Key Principles of Effective Planning

2010-03-30T01:28:00.008-04:00

cross-posted from Sum of Change

It seems self evident, but creating and following an actual tangible, usable plan is an important step any campaign that often goes overlooked. Many people think they can rely on their innate abilities and wing it, but it is clear (and seems somewhat obvious) that planning and scheduling your campaign is an incredibly important step to reaching your stated goals. Here with 4 helpful and useful tips on this necessary step in the process is Matt Blikek of Democracy For America's Campaign Academy (democracyforamerica.com/training). Matt shared this knowledge on one of the Campaign Academy's stops in Gettysburg, PA last year. To learn more about the Campaign Academy and to see their upcoming 2010 schedule please go to their website.

In the first video above, Matt will explained a bit more on why a plan is so important. In the following 4 videos, Matt will go over his 4 Keys Principles for Effective Planning one at a time. First, Write It Down. If your plan is not on paper it does not exist. It may be a great idea, but until you can write it down and share it with other people, there is no way to effectively implement it. Secondly, Set Specific Measurable Goals. Raising 'a lot' of money (for example) is a very vague and nondescript, but raising $10,000 (again, for example) is a tangible goal that your staff and volunteers can work towards. Next, Work Backwards. This is the most counterintuitive principle, but it actually is very logical. How can you plan your initial steps until you know what your final goals are? Therefore, you should first figure out how you want everything to turn out in the end and work backwards to discover what it is going to take to achieve those goals. Finally, It's Never Done. Your plan 6 months before your election shouldn't be the exact same as your plan 6 weeks before the election. Over that span of time, you situation will change so you should be constantly adding to and updating your plan to address the changing challenges you will be facing.

These same principles apply to events (for your campaign and elsewhere) and not just to the campaign on a whole and it is equally important to schedule out these events in detail. Whether your event is a house meeting, a debate, or any other campaign stop, setting a scheduled plan and sticking to Matt's 4 key principles while doing so. will help to maximize that event's success and effectiveness.

Write It Down

Set Specific Measurable Goals

Work Backwards

It's Never Done

For more Training Tuesday posts from Sum of Change, please visit www.SumofChange.com/trainingtuesday

For More Info on DFA's Campaign Academy, please visit democracyforamerica.com/training

YouTube's Effect on Music

2010-03-29T01:26:00.004-04:00

cross-posted from Sum of Change

Several years ago, I sat in my room at college, likely browsing the internet and studying, when something from CNN in the background caught my attention. It was a very brief bit on a guitar:

There were so many things about this story that captured me. Everything about the artist, broadcasting from his bedroom, the bright light hiding his identity. This was, as a young man who grew up playing guitar, thousands of people I had met at concerts and playing in the DC subways, on the street and at battles of the bands. I, and millions of other people around the world, immediately identified with this young man with no face. And let's not kid ourselves, the kid can play.

CNN gave the scoop. The kid, named Funtwo, posted the video on a battle of the bands website in South Korea. Someone enjoyed it enough to post it on YouTube. One of those alone has received over 71 million views since being uploaded 4 years ago.

And so began a new era of finding music for me. With radically new tools like youtube, I could be inspired by the guitar work of a young kid sitting in his bedroom in South Korea without a record label involved. No agents had suggested this kid wear the right clothes and be seen at the right places. And from him I began searching out for new stuff...

Those two, and funtwo, were some of my favorite youtube finds. But the most inspiring had to have been this next one. After the earthquake that shook haiti, celebrities came together and remade "We Are the World." In response, 57 ordinary artists came together on YouTube, and from different locations, put together a remake that speaks to the power of ordinary people who want to see a change in the world:

Dr. Margaret Flowers - Grassroots Response to Health Care Reform

2010-03-24T11:52:00.025-04:00

cross-posted from Sum of Change

(This segment was recorded live on Ustream on 3/24/2001 at 12:00pm EST)

I was privileged to have the opportunity to sit down with Dr. Margaret Flowers of Physicians for a National Health Program today. We talked about the health care bill that passed, the general movement for health care reform, and the lessons we learned during this struggle.

This is part of a concerted effort we at Sum of Change have undertaken to reach out to grassroots folks who devoted a lot of energy to fighting for health care reform. We want to use the microphone we have to get the feedback of voices from the grassroots. Part of this involves reaching out to a wide array of activists so as to hear different views from the fight for reform. Feel free to contact us if you would like to suggest someone for us to interview.

Dr. Flowers said that she was "disappointed" with the reforms passed and criticized the bill for not including some type of national "health system that guarantees that every person in our country can get health care."

With this legislation we're forcing people to purchase private insurance, and that moves us to further privatizing the financing of our health care which is kind of the opposite direction of where we were hoping to go...

What we saw over the past year or so is a very powerful influence from the industries that profit off of the current health care situation, the health insurance companies and pharmaceuticals companies. And this legislation is going to further enrich them. So our concern is that that power that they've had is going to grow and that will make it more difficult to push for the types of reforms we need to have...

This was a very tightly scripted kind of process... The administration and the leadership knew before going into this what they wanted to see and they drove the whole process in that direction. And what we had wanted to happen was a real kind of open honest debate about what's best for our country and will improve our health outcomes. And we found that we ran into a lot of roadblocks with that. But we were successful in some ways of getting our message out. And now I think many people have heard the term single-payer.

When asked whether or not she thinks it was a good decision to rule out single-payer before negotiations began, she had this to say:

I think part of the problem with the public option movement is that the public option was a very vague concept and people didn't really understand what that was all about or how that was supposed to work. But our experience of talking to people of all different bakcrounds is that when you describe what a national improved medicare for all system is, not only do they get it, but they really, they like it...because it saves money, it makes sure that you can get health care that you need, you know, if you need to change jobs or go back to school you don't have to worry about not being able to get health care if you need it. So, it's a very appealing concept, it's a simple concept to explain.

Q: What lessons did you learn from this process?

The biggest lesson that we learned from this process is that we can't leave it up to our leadership right now to do what we consider to be good evidence-based health reform, there's too much influence from the industry. And so, tying ourselves to particular political parties or legislators leads us to always compromise in the end, you know, to save their political career. What we need to do as a people is to say that this situation is not acceptable to us, that we want a national health system that provides real health security and build an independent movement, an independent social movement that will push our legislators in that direction...

It was an interesting year, this was a really new experience for the American people and at this point we're just saying don't stop, don't give up... It was, I think, new in that there was so much energy around this issue. There's so many more people, you know, if you look at compared to the 90's, the effort that went on in the 90's, I think so many more people now get it or are feeling the situation that we have and so many more peole did get involved from both sides, there was a real heated and involved discussion.

On progressive groups supporting the President and not the policy:

As it came down to the wire they were throwing out kind of all their constituents. Women's reproductive rights and the labor unions who didn't want to have the excise tax and, and the people that wanted the public option that all got compromised away.

Q: Do you feel like the compromises were one-sided?

Yeah, yeah, I think they were all really done, at the end of this deal what it came down to was that the President had staked his future reelection on this reform and that whatever was passed, they needed to have something passed just to say that they did it. And so the content was no longer important the closer it got down to the line. And we're a different movement. Physicians for a National Health Program has been around for 22 years. We do the research, we look at other systems, we look at what works here and so we're very, very strong on, you know, what our beliefs are because we want evidence-based reform and so we don't compromise away from that. I think that attracts people to our cause because they know that if they're gonna fight with us that we're gonna fight for something real.

Q: What is the one big lesson we learned?

The biggest thing, I think, is to kep in mind that the people are the ones that push the politicians to do what we want them to do and that this has gotta be about the issues. We need to be really clear on what we want and educate ourselves on, on why that's important and stand up, you know, for what we need...If you look at us compared to people in other industrialized nations, we, we settle for so little and, and we don't have a strong social infrastructure that supports us as a people because of that and I think that really needs to change.

Dr. Margaret Flowers, Physicians for a National Health Program, and several other progressive groups are looking forward and continuing to push for single-payer systems at the State level. The doctor urges non-physicians to join Healthcare-Now!

Si Se Puede! Sights and Sounds of the Immigration Rally on Washington DC Mar 21st 2010

2010-03-24T02:39:00.001-04:00

On the very day that the historic healthcare bill was passed in the house, reportedly over a hundred thousand people gathered for a rally on the National Mall in Washington DC. Though I have heard some think that this is unfortunate planning, since much of the news and media were obviously focused on the epic legislative action. But I take a different approach, whether plastered on daytime cable news all day or not, having the rally on the same day sends a message that we should celebrate, but that the work is not over. Health Care reform is one of several major issues that need addressing (in addition to our financial regulatory system, our Education system, and our Green Energy Policy to name a few). But the turnout on the mall on Sunday is be evidence that Immigration Reform is an issue that is of critical importance to many people in America and can not wait to be addressed.

This was only the beginning of a major push across the country to enact meaningful immigration reform. There is a lot still to happen, so keep coming back to SumofChange.com for more information and grassroots coverage of the effort as it progresses.

David Sirota Personally Delivering Public Option Petition Tomorrow Morning

2010-03-23T22:19:00.000-04:00

David Sirota just sent out this press release:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Jenny Godehn – Promotions Director
Clear Channel Colorado - 4695 S. Monaco St.
Phone: (720) 373-0301 Fax: (303) 713-8424

AM 760’S DAVID SIROTA TO PERSONALLY DELIVER A PETITION 35,000 SIGNATURES STRONG TO MICHAEL BENNET’S DESK TOMORROW DEMANDING A PUBLIC OPTION

Denver, CO, March 23rd, 2010. . .AM 760 host David Sirota will be making a visit to Senator Michael Bennet’s office tomorrow at 11am to personally deliver him a petition tomorrow demanding he introduce a public-option amendment to the current health care reform bill.

Earlier this year, Senator Michael Bennet sent a letter demanding Senate leaders use reconciliation to create a government-run insurer to compete with private insurance. For this, he received a lot of media attention and praise from media outlets including AM 760. After President Obama signed the major portion of the health care reform this week, the Senate will have a chance this week to vote on a separate reconciliation bill in which Senator Bennet will have the opportunity to offer a public option amendment.

Progressives intend to hold Bennet to his promise and have produced a petition signed by 35,000 Americans in just 4 days demanding Bennet fulfill his public option pledge.

Right now, the public option amendment could pass with 51 Senate votes thanks to reconciliation procedures. The House has already passed a public option in the past. As a standalone bill, the public option would likely require 60 votes and likely wouldn’t pass.

In Michael Bennet’s own words: “A strong public option is one of the best, most fiscally responsible ways to reform our health insurance system. ... Much of the public identifies a public option as the key component of health care reform -- and as the best thing we can do to stand up for regular people against big insurance companies.”

Senator Bennet’s office is located at 2300 15th St. Suite 450.
Please contact Jenny Godehn for media inquiries at 720-373-0301

The David Sirota Show can be heard on AM 760 weekdays from 7am – 10am.

While the reality is grim for the public option, if it could get through the Senate it would likely make it through the house without much trouble. There is one big question: can the public option be considered in reconciliation?

There is no definite answer to that right now. Many progressives would argue that since it reduces the deficit there is a direct relation to the budget, while some would say the savings are indirect and therefore it cannot be included in a reconciliation package. I suspect it would be allowed, but I highly doubt the Senate will take it up. But, as I said, should they take it up and pass it they need not worry about the house doing the same.

ps: Sirota is also sending around a link to sign the petition.

Government Transparency: Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee Hearing

2010-03-23T18:25:00.003-04:00

Today, the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee held a hearing on government transparency. This was to be a follow up on the Open Government Directive.

This memorandum is intended to direct executive departments and agencies to take specific actions to implement the principles of transparency, participation, and collaboration set forth in the President’s Memorandum.

We heard lots of numbers, new websites, and bold visions of people powered politics. We heard aspirations, including the declassification of 400 million pages of previously classified documents by the end of 2013. The panelists we heard from were

Vivek Kundra, federal chief information officier and administrator for electronic government and information technology in the Office of Management and Budget

Aneesh Chopra, assistant director for technology in the Office of Science and Technology Policy

Archivist of the United States David Ferriero of the National Archives and Records Administration

We were also supposed to hear from:

Ellen Miller, co-founder and executive director of the Sunlight Foundation

Rob Pinkerton, director of public sector solutions for Adobe Systems, Inc.

Stephen O'Keeffe, founder of Meri Talk Online

Thomas Blantonm director of National Security Archives

However, these folks we cut off during the introductions when all Senate hearing had to cease, I believe, having to due with the Senate health care actions.

"Open government isn't an abstract notion, it's a new way of doing business in Washington," said Kundra. He did, however, caution that the interest of national security must also be weighed when talking transparency. When pressed by Senator Coburn on accountability he declared that many of the problems regarding that stem from what he called a "culture of faceless accountability" where no person can seemingly be held accountable for actions that do not meet the expectations of the law.

"The core of our mission is serving democracy by providing" acces to information and an open government, added Ferriero. Our "government cannot be accountable" if it does not preserve documents yet "the federal government has not deemed record keeping a high priority in IT systems."

The simple availability of information, a task not nearly met as of yet, is of the utmost importance. Chopra listed of a number of reasons that is so. When the Department of Labor makes information available "employers can better protect their workers." All the panelists made references to people-powered-politics.

Kundra spoke of moving towards an architecture that empowers third parties to hold government accountable and improve their communities. He referenced YouTube, saying that they "didn't go out there and create every video that you see there, it's the american people."

This all sounds good, and the President's Open Government Directive sounds good, but the big hurdle towards transparency became blatantly apparent when no one answered Senator Coburn's question, "Is there any consequence to not following the law?"

Obscura Day 2010 From Washington DC: The National Museum of Health & Medicine

2010-03-23T16:48:00.002-04:00

In the middle of everything else happening for Sum of Change and America this weekend (you know, like the passage of health care reform bill, a giant march on Washington in favor of immigration reform, and a conference we covered for feminist campus to name a few), I made a quick stop at an event that was specifically off the beat and path, the 1st Annual Obscura Day, hosted by Atlas Obscura (atlasobscura.com),‘a compendium of this age's wonders, curiosities, and esoterica’ or a guide the unusual and hard to find treasures across the world.

I, (obviously) went to the DC event at the National Museum of Health and Medicine on the Campus of Walter Reid Army Medical Hospital (more on that in a bit) but Obscura Day was celebrated in over 80 cities around the world. The event kicked off in Australia with a tour of a bio-luminescent glow worm filled tunnel in Australia, and featured such diverse events, such as a trip the world’s largest tree house, an underground tour of the Atlantic avenue tunnels in NYC, a time travel buss tour of 1050s LA, and our event at the Museum of Health and Medicine in DC.

Though few artifacts at the museum were unusually obscure, the museum collects very important items to the survival of our society that many of us take for granted, such as the largest collection of microscopes and brains for research. It is one of the only museums dedicated not only to the overall history of health, but also to the study of military medicine. So it features areas on the development of human beings, from pre-birth to death, in addition to more military specific sections, such as a room about the identification of human remains.

The museum however is quite large and diverse and has over 25 million items in its collection. The most unique artifacts are probably the bullet that killed Abraham Lincoln and a fragment of his skull. This is a true rarity, not only for the historical significance of the artifacts themselves but because this is one of the few displays of the actual ‘mortal remains’ of one of our country’s most historic figures, as Tim Clark, the Museum’s communications director describes it.

From all accounts Obscura day was quite a success around the world and I know everyone in DC had a great time. To see videos, pictures, blogs and tweets from all the Obscura Day events, go to obscuraday.com.

For more info on the museum, please go to their website (http://nmhm.washingtondc.museum) and visit them on the campus of the Walter Reid Army Medical Hospital (while it still exists) in Washington DC.

Music Monday: Futureman and His Syntax Drumitar

2010-03-22T23:02:00.001-04:00

One of the more interesting and creative musicians I have seen in my life is Futureman, the 'drummer' in Bela Fleck and the Flecktones and one of the superiorly gifted Wooten Brothers (Bassist Victor probably being the most famous but they're all pretty amazing). However, Futureman is much more than a 'drummer' due in large part to his Syntax Drumitar, an invention of his own creation. Essentially, it is shaped somewhat like a bass guitar, but instead of have strings, it has a ton of small pads that each play a different sound when touched or tapped. This gives him the ability to play individual percussive instruments, and a wide variety of non-percussive sounds, with just the touch of a finger.

Since it only takes a single finger to make a sound instead of a whole hand, the Drumitar gives him the ability to individually play the role of three drummers simultaneously.
Furthermore, since he records his own sounds and has more buttons on the instrument than he has fingers, he can easily play a large number of different sounds. This allows him to integrate diverse percussion styles in a way that a single musician could never do. It's an amazing instrument that really separates him from other drummers (some may say unfairly so, but it's cool with me).

I've found a few videos of Futureman explaining his unique instrument. The first is a very short and overly simplified explanation of the instrument, but the next two are from an 'interview/jam session' hosted and posted by James Ross where Futureman explains and demonstrates the amazing abilities of the drumitar. The last video is of the 'Zendrum', a commercialized drumitar that isn't as cool as Futureman's but available for you to purchase and try out on your own (for >$1k). Enjoy.

For more Music Monday articles, please go to www.SumofChange.com/musicmonday

Grassroots Response To Health Care Passage

2010-03-21T21:26:00.003-04:00

Tonight we are doing something new here, something I have wanted to start doing for a while, reaching out to grassroots folks to respond to major happenings. On this historic night, as we pass substantive health care reform, we are bringing you a grassroots response from David Hart, the founder of Grow the Hope. The response will start very shortly after the vote is done.

Throughout this fight we at Sum of Change spent a lot of time filming and writing about the work being done by grassroots activists engaging the community to work for reform. We hope to reach out to a variety of grassroots activists on any number of issues, and welcome your insight on future grassroots responses.

Text as prepared by David Hart:

This bill is not everything many of us had hoped for but we celebrate its passage. We must recognize that this bill is a significant reform to private health insurance. In fact, it is a good fix for many horrific abuses that now impact many Americans. When this bill is signed into law people with pre-existing conditions can no longer be denied coverage. Insurance companies can not drop customers who have developed catastrophic illness. And young people can remain on their parents policies until they are 26 years old. These are just a few key provisions that make this bill worthy of our support.

Sadly, the debate on this legislation has been dangerously debased by fear mongering and ridiculous charges that have nothing to do with the facts. After this bill is signed into law the American people will see that there are no death panels. They will wake up and see that our society does not, in fact, look like Nazi Germany. Instead, the sun will rise as it did before this debate began and somehow we will not experience the expected Armageddon.

The rhetoric of mass distortion has not served us well during this important national debate. In the last few days, we have seen members of the US House of Representatives attacked in the halls of Congress. A civil rights icon was called the n-word. Another Representative was spat on and a third was insulted because of his sexuality.

Let this be a wake up call. Those who spew hate must shift their course. This angry rhetoric leads to dehumanizing opponents and can lead to violence.

Now that this bill has passed, let’s celebrate it for what it actually does and allow the rhetoric to cool. Now let us move forward together to address the many pressing challenges facing this great country.

We want to know what you think about this historic debate. Sum of Change has provided a great way to do just that. Please tell us your story. Join the conversation by visiting sumofchange.com/yourstory

And, please check out Growthehope.org for more on our important work. Thank you and good night.

McGovern on Storytelling at the House Rules Committee

2010-03-21T14:50:00.003-04:00

I have written about the power of personal stories on multiple occasions. Personal stories make abstract issues like health care reform real. They paint a picture, like a good author detailing the numerous traits of a single brick in a wall. And storytelling creates empathy amongst neighbors. Last night, we heard plenty of personal stories, from one side of the aisle.

The other side was noticeably absent from that form of debate. Republicans offered vague references of seniors who would be taxed more if the reforms go through, leaving out that they would have to be making over 250k/year for that to happen. Vague stories of the struggle that could be caused by these reforms. Whereas the Democrats offered stories of daughters with preexisting conditions and sisters denied care the same day her family's premiums go up.

Afterward, I asked Congressman McGovern for his thoughts on this. “They don’t have the stories,” he told me. Then the Congressman threw out a few examples of the stories from individuals that Republicans are defending: insurance company executives complaining about smaller profits, big contributors with less to give to the RCCC. Real tearjerkers.

“This is very personal for many of us,” he added. McGovern told me they hear all kinds of stories from constituents then he immediately jumped into one of an individual from his state who suffered to get adequate care because the problems were arguably dental, and not covered.

Storytelling has, undoubtedly, been the staple of the health care movement and will surely go far to reinforce the belief many organizers have that there is nothing more powerful than and individual's personal experience. As Congress prepares to pass this historic health care legislation, I thank all those folks who told their health care stories to us.

Feel free to tell your story, or the story of a loved one in the comments.

Livefeed: National Young Feminist Leadership Conference

2010-03-21T10:08:00.001-04:00

Free video streaming by Ustream

9:45 – 11:15
Women’s Rights on the Global Stage (PG)

We are approaching an era where the struggle for gender equity in every facet of society is becoming the fundamental basis for foreign policy for the U.S. and other nations around the world. During this session, speakers will discuss the significance of the United States’ newly revived commitment to empower and improve the quality of life for women globally. They will examine the implications for securing the country’s obligations to pass IVAWA, ratify CEDAW, and fulfill the promises of the U.N.’s Millennium Development Goals and the 1994 Cairo Conference. They will also recommend how young women can get involved in the cause for advancing women’s rights everywhere.

Daphne Jayasinghe, Women’s Human Rights Advocacy Director, Amnesty International
Feroza Yari, Feminist Majority Foundation Afghan Scholar
Tamara Tunie
Anushay Hossain, Global Programs Coordinator, Feminist Majority Foundation

And later on this evening...

3:30 – 5:00 General Assembly
Fired Up? Ready to Go! (VV)

There is tremendous power in the feminist movement today, and it is up to us to harness that energy moving forward. In order to do so, we all must step up as skilled leaders and informed advocates, raising our voices for a better tomorrow. Join us for tips on leadership and advocacy, skills that will serve you well in any field, whether you’ll be joining us tomorrow on Capitol Hill or heading back to campus! This session will also include an opportunity for participants to share their action pledges and ideas for moving forward.

Congresswoman Donna Edwards (MD-4)
Jehmu Greene, President, Women’s Media Center
Jane Campbell, Chief of Staff, Office of U.S. Senator Mary Landrieu (LA)
Alison Friedman, Senior Advisor, Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons, U.S. Department of State
Shelby Knox, Feminist Organizer
Grace Mulenga, University of the District of Columbia Student Government Association Vice President

Activism Pledge Sharing and Summary
Val Vilott, National Campus Organizer, Feminist Majority Foundation
Emily Kadar, National Campus Organizer, Feminist Majority Foundation

8 Yay, 5 Nay

2010-03-21T04:16:00.002-04:00

This will be easy.

Every last one of the proposed amendments went down on party line votes, with four Republicans voting in favor and nine Democrats opposed. Republicans called for a recorded vote on all amendments (folks who consistently criticize bureaucracy as inefficient come across rather comical using bureaucracy for the sole purpose of slowing a process down).

The final vote to move reconciliation forward went down almost the same way but for Congressman Michael Arcuri joining Republicans in voting no. This was not a complete surprise, many progressive groups had called on people to pressure this very Congressman. What consequences Arcuri will face from the left is not hard to predict, many groups have spoken openly about interest in challengers.

This is sure to be an election to keep your eye on. The Working Families Party had a serious hand in helping Arcuri last time around. He defeated his challenger "by just 10,000 votes, while winning 9,500 votes on the Working Families Party line." (Quote from Daily Politics link above).

To sum up, oodles of 4-9 votes on amendments, a 8-5 vote to move reconciliation forward, and one Congressman officially has a problem with the left.

Witness to History

2010-03-21T02:00:00.001-04:00

Walking around Capitol Hill still awes me. I have grown somewhat used to being here, but I still find myself in a haze walking along what are arguably the most powerful blocks in the world. Decisions are made on a daily basis here that affect lives all around the world and I would hope I never grow more accustomed to being present for it.

If you have never stood in the center of the Capitol building late at night, when no one else is around, you really should try it. I stood there tonight as I returned from the recess and took a deep breath. I am fortunate enough to have gotten a seat in the Rules Committee meeting as a blogger, a label I wear with pride tonight. I often avoid using the term, simply calling myself a journalist or reporter so as not to raise alarms, but in my soul I am a blogger. So it truly is significant to me that this bastion of main stream society has opened its doors for this blogger on what may be one of the most memorable weekends of my life.

I am thoroughly moved. This weekend, the congress so many worked so hard to elect over the past several years is going to declare that the Government will take action to address the health care crisis. By no means am I satisfied with what will pass. Then again, I am hard to please. I am thrilled with the work our President is doing but will settle for nothing less than universal social justice. That is an oath I took a long time ago.

So I stand, moved by what we are doing, in the center of one of the most powerful buildings in the world, fortunate enough to call myself a blogger, officially witnessing history in the making from the back of the room with a laptop and a blackberry.

Update During House Rules Committee Recess

2010-03-20T19:48:00.003-04:00

The House Rules Committee has finished the hearing portion of today's meeting, and are taking a brief recess. I spent the last several hours listening to arguments surrounding the various amendments that congresscritters are attempting to attach to the reconciliation bill.

There is nothing unexpected to report right now. It has all been fairly typical health care talking points.

One interesting conversation took place after Congressman Franks began speaking about abortion. He chastised "Democratic leaders" for wanted to force tax-funded abortion on the country. Congressman McGovern made it a point to interrupt and state his objection. Congresswoman Foxx then picked up where Franks left off, declaring explicitly that she knew exactly what in the bill funds abortion.

At that point, Congressman Hastings posed a question for all the congresscritters in the room, show us what in the bill funds abortion? (Most progressive knew long ago that women's reproductive health care would not be covered by any Federal reforms, just a reality of the politics)

There was a noticeable pause, and when the silence was broken Congresswoman Foxx was reading a response to his question from what we can only assume was a letter written by the National Right to Life (she mentioned said letter only minutes before this). Hastings cut her off in the middle to ask what she was reading from, stating that he asked for someone to show him the language of the bill that funds abortion. Foxx never answered what it was she was reading from, but did not continue.

One of the funnier moments, to me, was when Congressman Franks made an analogy about a highway of history littered with failed attempts by the Government to manage. I found it especially adorable that he would use a highway, arguably one of the most successful government run programs in history, to bash government run programs.

Anyways, I will likely have to head back in soon, then again the staff told me we could be on recess for hours (will the metro still be running when I get out of here, or am forking over the cash for a cab?).

If Boehner Says So

2010-03-19T21:44:00.002-04:00

House Minority Leader John Boehner is giving his friends on the other side of the aisle some advice, which I am sure is based entirely on his desire for them to succeed:

House Minority Leader John Boehner says this weekend’s votes on healthcare reform will haunt Democrats through November’s election and mean “sacrificing a big number of their members” to meet President Barack Obama agenda.

You just know this advice is golden, given the advice he gave his conservative friends back in 2008:

House Minority Leader John A. Boehner says Sen. John McCain's presidential bid provides long coattails for his party to regain seats in traditionally conservative districts that Republicans lost in 2006.

Remember that stomping the Republicans gave the Democrats in '08, when McCain's coattails devastated Democratic down-ticket races? That sure was a tough election year for the blue side of the aisle.

DADT and Desegregation of the Armed Forces

2010-03-19T20:48:00.004-04:00

I was originally writing something up on the conservative response to Lt. Dan Choi’s arrest when I wrote this sentence: “If conservatives want us to stop equating their homophobia to the racism that the civil rights movement experienced, they should stop using the same talking points.” I decided to write the following instead of a typical conservatives-freak-out-at-liberal-activism post.

Let us play a game. I am going to give you a quote about the bigotry of the armed forces. I will redact all names, dates, and any words along the lines of "homosexual", "gay", "sexual orientation", "black", "negro", "race." You try to guess what kind of bigot these perfectly rational arguments came from, homophobic or racist! Sounds fun, right?

Come out and play... (answers below, no cheating, no google)

1) "Somehow we think the United States Armed Forces can thrive in their true mission — fighting wars and protecting our shores — without being diverted into the dubious business of [redacted] 'pride'."

2) "To change would destroy morale and impair preparations for national defense...no experiments should be tried . . . at this critical time."

3) This proposal "would be tantamount to solving a social problem which has perplexed the American people throughout the history of this nation. The Army cannot accomplish such a solution and should not be charged with the undertaking."

4) "Experiments to solve social problems would be 'fraught with danger to efficiency, discipline, and morale'."

5) "The Army is not a sociological laboratory; to be effective it must be organized and trained according to the principles which will insure success. Experiments to meet the wishes and demands of the champions of [redacted] for the solution of their problems are a danger to efficiency, discipline and morale and would result in ultimate defeat."

6) "A [redacted] survey of...Army personnel revealed that 32% completely opposed [redacted], and 61% opposed [redacted] if it meant that [redacted] would share sleeping quarters and mess halls.

Can you guess which of those quotes are about desegregating the military and which are about repealing Don’t Ask Don’t Tell?

I will give you a hint, only one of them are about DADT. Can you guess which one? Not too easy, right? Here are the answers:

1) Peter LeBarbera responding to Lt. Dan Choi's arrest.

2-5) Defense Studies Series: Integration of The Armed Forces 1940-1965 by Morris J. MacGregor, Jr.

6) Lesbians and Gay Men in the U.S. Military: Historical Background (the quote I took happens to be from the section on the desegregation of the armed forces)

LGBT rights advocates often take a lot of crap for comparing the two human rights movements. Yet the argument that the two movements are incomparable is as grounded in reason as claiming they are without differences. While the struggles and specific hindrances differ greatly, the underlying hatred is the same. The fear of a people unknown is the same. The bigots’ arguments, devoid of merit as they are, are the same.

Did desegregation of the armed forces disrupt unit cohesion, as many military experts warned would happen? Not in combat zones. Did African Americans continue to experience prejudice in the armed forces? Absolutely. Was there majority support amongst the armed forces for desegregation? No. Was there majority support amongst civilians for desegregation? No. Was there a fear that desegregation could have a negative impact on the best armed forces in the world? You bet your ass there was. Was there a fear amongst white soldiers of sharing quarters with people of a difference race? Indeed. Was desegregation the right thing to do, even if all those fears came true? Damn straight.

It was the right decision, if for no other reason than this: “Serving with Blacks appeared to make White soldiers more accepting of integration.” If serving with open homosexuals will make straight soldiers more accepting of differing sexual orientations, that would be a beautiful thing.

AFL-CIO: Not Ready For Explicit Primary Threats

2010-03-18T15:51:00.028-04:00

Just hopped off the conference call with Richard Trumka from the AFL-CIO.

This morning, the AFL-CIO leadership voted in overwhelming favor (higher than 90%) of "active support" for the current health care proposals in the face of slight changes to the excise tax agreement.

What that term "active support" entails is unclear. Earlier today Greg Sargent's blog, the Plum Line, reported that a source inside the AFL-CIO told him they were ready to directly threaten primary challenges.

The AFL-CIO source sends over the list of House Dems who are being targeted:
Dennis Cardoza, Jim Costa, Daniel Lipinski, Stephen Lynch, Michael Michaud, James Oberstar, Steve Dreihaus, Charlie Wilson Marcy Kaptur, John Boccieri, Zack Space, Tom Perriello, Jason Altmire, Christopher Carney, Paul Kanjorski, Tim Holden, Jerry Costello, Alan Mollohan, Nick Rahall, Kathy Dahlkepmer.
The source says that the threat of a primary or third-party challenge will be implicit, particularly since the AFL-CIO is already supporting Arkansas Lieutenant Governor Bill Halter’s primary challenge to Blanche Lincoln.

Count on any threats regarding an election to be taken seriously when they come from Trumka. However, when asked about that on the conference call, Trumka stated that they are not prepared to make threats.

Whether or not the term primary comes up, we cannot say, but undecided House members should be expecting calls from labor during the final push. One can imagine that this sentiment, which Trumka expressed on the call, will come up: "We would have preferred it 60 years ago."

As for his meeting with the President last night, he refused to disclose any details, but said the President has his full permission to do so if any reporters happen to ask.

Health Care Stalled - Excise Tax Is Back?

2010-03-18T00:55:00.000-04:00

This morning could bring a change in whip counts. On Wednesday, President Obama met with Richard Trumka of the AFL-CIO to discuss the return of the excise tax debate after the Congressional Budget Office returned less favorable results than expected. Reports are that the AFL-CIO will hold a meeting today, and what they say to the public afterward is of incredible importance.

The Unions passionately staked out a position against the excise tax when it was first debated months ago and progressives have increasingly complained that Democratic leadership makes concession after concession without favor returned from conservative colleagues. With credible whip counts predicting a narrow victory for the future prospects for health care reform, the AFL-CIO could likely pull enough votes to end this. The AFL-CIO has certainly played a part in a lot of elections, and will likely play a part in several more. By no means are they married to the Democrats. If they called on the legislators they helped elect to oppose this bill, you can bet that candidate wants AFL-CIO help in the next campaign. That obviously gives them one big bargaining chip.

The question is, does the President have a carrot he could give them that is significant enough for them to endorse the bill with an increased excise tax and would the President be willing to use that carrot? Ultimately, the AFL-CIO needs to answer to their members. Their members will not be happy with a tax on their health care plans.

[UPDATE] Grandstanding at the Rules Committee

2010-03-17T17:55:00.004-04:00

UPDATE: Just got off the phone with C-Span, they confirmed our research. Congressman Dreier was incorrect when he claimed that C-Span covered the House Rules Committee meetings when Medicare Part D was "rammed down our throats" at 3:00am. We have reached out to Congressman Dreier's office for a response and await their reply.

Today, I sat in on the Rules Committee hearing. It was a rather arcane meeting today to authorize suspension bills to be brought to the House floor over the next couple days and the weekend. Currently, House rules prohibit suspension bills from being brought to the floor between Thursday and Sunday without the rules committee specifically allowing it. (Why? I am still trying to figure that out.)

While authorizing suspension is what they were supposedly there to negotiate, barely a word was spoken about it beyond reading the language of the resolution. Republicans, all of whom voted against authorizing suspension, never made the case against it. Instead, we spent the hour or so listening to arguments about how much c-span coverage there would be and whether or not Congressman Dreier ran a more, or less, transparent rules committee. In other words, we spent a while listening to Dreier complain that this meeting was not being aired on C-Span.

A big moment of disagreement came when Congressman McGovern thanked the Chairwoman (Congresswoman Slaughter) for running a more transparent rules committee than Dreier. McGovern made the claim that the Republicans, led by then Chairman Dreier, rammed Medicare Part D through the rules committee without cameras. This claim was outright refuted by Dreier.

Luckily, we do not have to take their word for it (whoever you would choose to believe). C-Span just recently finished uploading almost all of their 23 year archive to their website. We found only six programs from the rules committee of the 108th Congress. Of those six, exactly zero were on health care in general, let alone Medicare Part D specifically. Since it is now after regular business hours, we will have to wait until tomorrow for verification from C-Span, but it appears that Congressman Dreier was mistaken. And frankly, to find only six rule committee programs available during the reign of Chairman Dreier is in itself a statement on how transparently he ran things.

In all fairness, McGovern may have overstated how transparently the rules committee is run by Chairwoman Slaughter. C-Span has four rules committee programs in their online archives for the 111th Congress, about on track to reaching, you guessed it, six. A fairly conservative number if we are talking transparency.

Final Breitbartocalypse Report: Interview with Institutional Left

2010-03-16T17:29:00.002-04:00

Here it is, our last report on the disaster that is the Breitbartocalypse. We've got more from our in-the-field reporter, as well as an exclusive interview with the Policy Director of the Institutional Left™:

Don't forget to check out our report from this morning.

And our report from last night.

The Breitbartoclypse touched down on the east coast at around 12:00am this morning. At this point, we've lost all contact with our in the field reporter and our secured location can no longer broadcast. Twitter remains one of the only tools of communications for individuals to get word out from inside the disaster zone. It appears that the last of the liberal media has crumbled. We've had all sorts of crazy rumors flying across the news desk today, which me made sure to report immediately and without the slightest verification.

We are now some 17 hours into a new reality, a conservative uptopia. The offices of the Institutional Left™ have been occupied by the Family and they are preparing their first initiative: the Texasification of all US School Books.

The BREITBARTOCALYPSE is Here!!!

2010-03-16T07:28:00.000-04:00

We've got our first report since the arrival of the Breitbartocalypse:

We have secured a location just outside the expected disaster zone to broadcast out of for as long as possible. We'll have reporters in the field, and experts in the studio bringing you the most extensive coverage and best analysis as the destruction happens.

The country first learned of the impending Breitbartocalypse only weeks ago, when Andrew Breitbart, conservative talking head, warned us that the Institutional Left™ was on the brink of disaster.

Check Sum of Change tonight at 6:00pm for our first report as the chaos ensues!!!

BREITBARTOCALYPSE: On the Brink

2010-03-15T23:46:00.000-04:00

It's almost here...

Are you prepared for a post-breitbartocalyptic world?

We have secured a location just outside the expected disaster zone to broadcast out of for as long as possible. We'll have reporters in the field, and experts in the studio bringing you the most extensive coverage and best analysis as the destruction happens.

The country first learned of the impending Breitbartocalypse only weeks ago, when Andrew Breitbart, conservative talking head, warned us that the Institutional Left™ was on the brink of disaster.

Check Sum of Change tomorrow morning at 6:00am for our first report as the chaos ensues!!!

DFA's Last Ditch Push for the Public Option

2010-03-15T20:25:00.001-04:00

I spent today on Capitol Hill, tagging along with a group of Democracy for America volunteers from around the area. They came to speak on behalf of DFA members from all across the country and urge key legislators to sign on to the Polis-Pingree letter. That letter, which you can read in full here, calls on leadership to include a public option through reconciliation. You can also view the full list of legislators who support this path forward.

The group I stuck with visited some 15 offices today. At most offices, we found the Legislative Assistants that would normally take health care meetings to be unavailable. The few Legislative Assistants we did speak with came across very supportive yet tired. I got the sense that they are ready to get this fight done.

It is impossible to say what, if any, effect this last minute action had. No new members signed on to the Polis-Pingree letter. They did, however, get verbal confirmations from several folks, including Representatives Charles Rangel, Robert Andrews, and Henry Waxman.

This is an all-hands-on-deck week, with most people predicting legislation to be signed into law by the end of the weekend.

Change And The Small World Problem

2010-03-13T05:07:00.000-05:00

In the 1960's, Stanley Milgram asked the question: if you take two people at random and find the shortest path of connections linking them together, what is the average number of links? How connected are we to total strangers? It became known as the small world problem.

The mean number of intermediaries observed in this study was somewhat greater than five

So, five or six. Hence, the six degrees of separation. Since Milgram asked that question, the small world problem has become rather popular. No doubt you have played the Kevin Bacon game at some point in your life. It sparked an entirely new field of study, called network theory or social network analysis.

Network theory looks at the structure of specific networks and the patterns of paths connecting individuals in those networks. While Milgram analyzed how quickly individuals picked at random could be connected, network theorists take a step back and look at the make up of communities. What they are finding can radically change the world. And all because of one significant discovery: hubs.

Hubs are essentially connected individuals. Connected to many people, or just enough of the right people. When you look at the paths connecting individuals in a community, you find many paths crossed and high-traffic sections. As it turns out, many of us tend to be connected by a fairly small segment of the population.

One of the early discovered results was that these hubs have a greater ability to enact change in their network than individuals with few connections. Malcolm Gladwell calls it an 80/20 principal of economics. He described it as "the idea that in any situation roughly 80 percent of the 'work' will be done by 20 percent of the participants." (The Tipping Point, p.19) This theory, that a very small segment of the community will be the ones responsible for the change, or lack of change, taking place in that community, has been confirmed repeatedly even in rather new networks.

This type of analysis has the ability to create great change, for better or worse. Companies already use this philosophy when reaching out to sponsor athletes. They choose how much that sponsorship is worth based on the number and quality of connections to potential customers that individual has. Yet there is potential beyond selling us stuff.

Network theory details how individuals are connected, and in doing so, explains the spread of information and disease. The famous Obama-is-a-Muslim emails are a perfect example of the former.

Chris Hayes detailed the origin of that rumor in an article about right-wing email forwards, and what we learn is that a fairly small number of people with the right set of connections set off a chain of events that changed an enormous community.

On August 10, 2004, just two weeks after Obama had given his much-heralded keynote speech at the DNC in Boston, a perennial Republican Senate candidate and self-described "independent contrarian columnist" named Andy Martin issued a press release. In it, he announced a press conference in which he would expose Obama for having "lied to the American people" and "misrepresent[ed] his own heritage."

Martin raised all kinds of strange allegations about Obama but focused on him attempting to hide his Muslim past. "It may well be that his concealment is meant to endanger Israel," read Martin's statement. "His Muslim religion would obviously raise serious questions in many Jewish circles where Obama now enjoys support."

That was the first hub. That individual was not significant for having numerous connections, although he did relative to most individuals, but he happened to have the right set of connections...

Within a few days of Martin's press conference, the conservative site Free Republic had picked it up, attracting a long comment thread, but after that small blip the specious "questions" about Obama's background disappeared. Then, in the fall of 2006, as word got out that Obama was considering a presidential run, murmurs on the Internet resumed. In October a conservative blog called Infidel Bloggers Alliance reposted the Andy Martin press release under the title "Is Barack Obama Lying About His Life Story?" A few days later the online RumorMillNews also reposted the Andy Martin press release in response to a reader's inquiry about whether Obama was a Muslim. Then in December fringe right-wing activist Ted Sampley posted a column on the web raising the possibility that Obama was a secret Muslim... On December 29, 2006, the very same day that Sampley posted his column, Snopes received its first copy of the e-mail forward, which contains an identical charge in strikingly similar language. Given the timing, it seems likely that it was a distillation of Sampley's work.

A handful of hubs, several of which likely had the slimmest of connection to each other, and the misinformation spread remarkably far. The same rule applies to disease. Disease does not have the internet to help it spread (although a computer virus is also a good example), but the pattern is all the same. We already consider the hubs when a bad flu is around. Schools, airports, malls, places with high numbers of people or close contact (quality of connections is often as important as number). Understanding the effect hubs have on the spread of disease helps us to fight it. Network theory opens up possibilities for coming up with new, creative, and effect methods of containing outbreaks.

Just as we can use network theory to better understand the spread of disease and develop methods of containing it, we can also use this knowledge to combat the spread of misinformation. Intellectual quarantine of potentially harmful and factually inaccurate smears.

The same principals apply to organizing for social justice. The community members you ask to host house meetings and actions or become leaders are ideally hubs, or connected to hubs (As far as my research has taken me, network theory has yet to touch on the creation of hubs and one thing a good organizer can do is help members of the community build new leaders, new hubs). The press you attract is intended to extend connections. The activist and supporter networks you build are hopefully established in a way where information can be disseminated quickly and efficiently. None of these things happen on accident. They happen because of the conscious planning of a small number of people.

As Margaret Mead said, “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it's the only thing that ever has.” Mathematically speaking, that is.

Yes, Sen Byrd Stopped Reconciliation For Clinton's Health Care Reform

2010-03-11T12:45:00.005-05:00

So, there is a video that is getting a lot of attention amongst the right wing nuts:

And yes, the video is not made up, Senator Byrd did counsel President Clinton against using reconciliation to pass health care reform, claiming the reforms were far too massive for that process.

But there is a huge difference that our conservative friends are overlooking, Senator Byrd stopped President Clinton from using reconciliation to pass the entire health care package. That is, in no conceivable way, the same thing we are talking about today.

Today we are talking about having a massive health care reform bill passed in both the House and Senate (assuming the House passes it, and I absolutely agree with David Waldman that they should pass the fixes first but that is a subject for a different post). Reconciliation will only be used for small fixes. This is a completely different situation.

There is no shred of merit to claims that Sen Byrd's statement means anything in regards to the situation we find ourselves in today.

UPDATE: Oh, and thanks go out to zenbassoon for reminding me that Sen Byrd has openly stated that the proposed use of reconciliation is acceptable.

Green Thoughts: Moisture Control

2010-03-11T12:08:00.001-05:00

Another issue that may homeowners may have after properly sealing their building shell, besides for a lack of air ventilation, is an excess of moisture. Vapor generates naturally within the home, whether from exterior sources, like ground water, or from internal sources, such as showers and water boiled for cooking. No matter the source, an excess of moisture is not a good thing for your home. It potentially can both deteriorate your air quality, through mold growth and other methods, and decay the materials that make up you home, such as the paint, walls, and interior floor joists and wall studs which don't react well to prolonged exposure to warm and moist air.

To solve these problems, Jason from Edge Energy (www.edge-gogreen.com) is going to show us solutions for two major areas of moisture generation. First, he is going to take us under a client's house to demonstrate how to properly seal a crawl space. As Jason will point out, there are several different problem areas in crawl spaces underneath the home, but the multiple simultaneous solutions he introduces will comprehensively protect your home from the massive amount of ground water that can seep into your home. The second moisture production point Jason will address is an interior source, the shower. Here he will show you how a few cheap and simple solutions can dramatically improve the moisture load in your home (hint: use your bathroom fan when showering)

To see more Green Thoughts on Thursday posts, please go to www.SumofChange.com/greenthoughts

Full Disclosure: EDGE Energy hired us, as Sum of Change not individuals, to produce several videos for them including the ones in this post. We have not been hired to distribute, recommend, or advertise for EDGE Energy, rather we are using these videos to explain a vital service and we appreciate them letting us do so.

To learn more about the energy audit from Edge and see more of our videos, please go to www.edge-gogreen.com and see Edge's youtube page

The Single Dumbest Excuse Ever

2010-03-11T10:54:00.001-05:00

This is not hyperbole. If you have been following the case of a school spying on students using cameras on laptops given out to students, you too heard the single dumbest excuse ever.

Here is their excuse:

The district claims that it only did so to try to track down lost or stolen laptops.

If you are not sure, yes that is the single dumbest excuse I have ever heard. Let me tell you why.

A laptop camera is nowhere close to the most effective method of finding a lost laptop. First off, it is highly likely that using the camera will do nothing to help you find it. Unless the lap top is in an easily recognizable place, that laptop camera could be useless. And here is the kicker, if you are able to access the camera, you are able to access information that is 8 trillion times more effective, the IP address. With an IP address, you can locate the computer. Anyone capable of accessing the computer's camera would know this, absolutely. They turned on the computer cameras to see what was going on there. There is no other reasonable explanation. It is a blatant and intentional violation of individual privacy, and if there is any justice the Judge will laugh them out of the courtroom if they try to make that excuse during the trial.

Rachel Maddown on Health Care and Abortion

2010-03-11T01:22:00.001-05:00

Okay folks, we have been saying this exact same stuff for some time now, but Rachel Maddow gave some great analysis of the health care and abortion debate last night.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Let me repeat, the Senate health care bill does not change the standard we have lived by for decades that no tax-payer dollars go towards abortion. It does not. This is not an opinion, it is a fact. Rachel Maddow gave great analysis, but I would love to see her ask some of these folks to come explain themselves. We can go blue in our face telling people these folks are wrong and have no clue what they are talking about, but we need to show it. I would like to see more people taking these anti-choice dimwits on, asking them three times to explain what in the Senate bill funds abortion.

We did it:
<a href="http://www.linkedtube.com/MG08mAIsV6s79ad054160159dd24d78ae788c06f406.htm">LinkedTube</a>

<a href="http://www.linkedtube.com/pk39bCyELw092c37313c63c99cdde8ddb3e85a4225c.htm">LinkedTube</a>

So, we are dealing with a bill that is by no means pro-choice. It does near everything possible to avoid touching reproductive health all together. Pro-choice folks should not be thrilled, but anti-choice folks are either lying, too lazy to fact check, or too incompetent to fact check if they are outraged by the bill.

DC Health Care Rally - March 9th 2010

2010-03-10T19:43:00.000-05:00

Yesterday, we posted some quick interviews I did with some of the folks at the health care rally in Washington DC. Today we have some highlights of the day's events:

<a href="http://www.linkedtube.com/lZz5ZIssdO4823ead18f677dba1c17c0e0b0e5f5f88.htm">LinkedTube</a>

Featuring Gov Howard Dean, Hilary Shelton of the NAACP, and Anna Burger of SEIU.

National Abortion Provider Appreciation Day

2010-03-10T16:10:00.002-05:00

Today, March 10th, marks the National Abortion Provider Appreciation Day. The Nation did a great job covering the politics of this year's appreciation day, but no one captured the emotion of the day better than Alexis Zepeda:

For all abortion providers, clinic staff, volunteer escorts and local fund volunteers...

When she looks at the piece of paper with your phone number on it, she wonders who will watch her kids, will she have to travel to a different state, does her credit card have enough space on it, how much will she get when she pawns her TV, will he come through with the $300 he promised her…can she do this?

She walks through the gauntlet of protesters – the same people some of you walk past every day at work and at home – but remains resolute in her decision. This choice of hers is only a real possibility because of your dedication to the notion that as long as there are unplanned and unwanted pregnancies, there must be access to safe and legal abortion care.

Your work is revolutionary and empowering. Your goals are simple: value women, trust women, listen to women. By providing the compassionate and skilled abortion care that women and their families need, you save women’s lives. You are heroes. Thank you for all that you do. Hearing that every day would still never be enough. On March 10, 2010, know that you all play a critical role in our movement’s struggle to fight stigma, judgment and prejudice.

Thank you!!

Abortion is a matter of the heart: for until one understands the heart of a woman, nothing else about abortion makes any sense at all.
- Dr. George Tiller

Reproductive health care is under attack in America, but today we can celebrate that it is mostly safe and legal right now.

Where Have Our Dreamers Gone?

2010-03-10T09:46:00.001-05:00

On the heals of black history month, and in an effort to not subject Black culture and history to one month of the year, I'd like bring you another piece from an anonymous author that speaks to the state of African-American culture. It is only one person’s (impassioned) opinion, but it is honest and insightful- constructively critical yet simultaneously inspiring- and I hope you enjoy it.

I write this letter with great dismay and concern for the state of our communities. It is out of utmost respect that I put these thoughts on paper, for action. Ultimately, change is imperative. Our people are in an identity crisis. We have forgotten where we have come from, who we are individually and collectively, and what needs to change. Due to the brazen violent attacks in our communities and lack of leadership, I have made it my mission to voice my opinions. I hope my ideas resonate, vibrate, and reach higher levels of consciousness never thought possible, for change is essential for the survival of our people.

Does it concern you that the Afro-American community is in a state of complete disarray and division? Where are our leaders? Are they afraid to step up to the plate and lead? Or is it that we have reached a point of lackluster complacency? How many people have to fall into the abyss of violence? How many times do we have to see the same violent pattern taking hold of brilliant minds? When is enough, enough?

Back in the 60’s and 70’s there were a group of Brothers and Sisters that saw a brighter future for our people. They were the dreamers. I call them the true “Dream Team”. These men and women risked their lives for change and progress. They founded, cradled, and coined the Revolution. They sparked the “Power to the People”, “Black Pride”, and “Black Nationalist” movements that not only revolutionized and made way for the young, but also these movements gave us an identity.

Identity is so important to advancement and purpose of a group of people. Throughout history our identity has been stripped, stolen, dehumanized, lost, altered, denied, and molded into something foreign – something apart from who we inherently are as a people. For this reason, we have never been able to maintain a strong central unified identity.

Afro-centricity has lost its flavor to a distasteful culture filled with more oxymorons than Enron. Our generation is growing up without any morals, or notions of what it means to struggle. They have forgotten the fight that lies within the belly of the beast! But is it completely their fault? Or, should some of this blame be directed at a lack of leadership from our political, civil, community servants?

My definition of a leader is someone who is an example; someone who listens, follows, and aspires to be; someone full of depth and aspiration for a brighter, better future- A light in darkness. A witness to the glories to come – for they are coming. A person of dependability, but most importantly character.

Dependability is an innate characteristic of pragmatic responsibility. Someone who is dependable is reliable in all areas of life, especially the political arena. They not only take responsibility for actions in the communities they represent, but also are trustworthy, impermeable, and strong in their value system. They fulfill promises, raise consciousness and set the standard. In essence they are dynamic – they reflect a unique kind.

Character, a profound word with deep meaning, is an inalienable quality one must possess to echo a true leader. Martin Luther King, Jr. sacrificed himself because he was a man of character. In his “I Have a Dream” speech, he highlights character as an essential right. He wanted his children to grow up with character and people to judge them by the content of that character.

This is to say, a man is defined, in essence by his character. His values are reflected through his character. His decisions are based on character. His leadership qualities emit these vibrations. Moreover, that’s what is missing in our communities on the local, national, and international levels, dignified leaders- Men of character and integrity.

These days, character and other values associated with positive attributes (integrity, honor, and respect) are replaced by violence, pessimism, and negativity. We are being miseducated but more so, in lack of guidance to make that correction. We are at a disenfranchisement, disadvantage- outside the box and below the bar. We are blind: for we can not see truth. We accept a lie as the truth and the truth as a lie. A backwardness caused by our contentment with mediocrity. We have accepted life “as is”. So I ask you, “Where have the dreamers gone”?

From as far back as I can remember, I was taught to hold on to my dreams. No one can ever go wrong with a dream. For to dream is to be free – without restraint. It is also an insightful, objective revolutionary concept. Martin Luther King, Jr., Malcolm X, Mahatma Gandhi, Bill Clinton to name a few was dreamers. They stood and pushed for their dreams.

The opportunity is here right now! There isn’t a better time than today to be a dreamer, build upon a new vision, and follow through for our communities, our children, and our people. Also, we have to stop looking for others to lead and take responsibility for leadership ourselves --- each and every one of us.

In essence, this vision has to be strong in identity and truth. A vision that fosters progress and does not tolerate mediocrity and violence, instead the dream rises above the status quo to deter violence and replaces it with peace. We have to unify to find a means to our glorious end! Quintessentially, we are byproducts of the “Dream Team”, so let’s come together and shine with endless gleam.

Thank you for your time. I hope this letter triggers something inherent in all of us, something that appears to be lost, but can be found. All we have to do is Dream.

How Health Care Impacts 2010?

2010-03-09T19:40:00.000-05:00

This will be quick, because the answer is rather simple. At this point, there are two choices for the Democrats, finish reform or drop it. How does this impact 2010? No one is exactly sure. The proposed plan polls poorly, although the individual provisions poll well individually. One would imagine that if the provisions themselves are popular, then reform will overall be a boost for Democratic support. Yet none of that will have taken effect by the time folks begin making decisions for 2010 elections.

So how does health care impact 2010 elections? Could go either way. There is one question I can answer: will it play better for Democrats to get reform finished or drop it all together and start over? Guaranteed, at this point in the game you have "already paid for lunch, you might as well eat it" as Chris Hayes from The Nation said.

Whether or not passage of health reform will help the 2010 elections is unclear, but failure will clearly have a strongly negative impact.

Dean, Billionaires for Wealthcare, and a Public Option Superstar...

2010-03-09T15:37:00.001-05:00

Today I dropped in on the health care rally in DC. Everyone who's anyone was there (not literally, but it certainly felt that way when I was there).

Howard Dean was there. We got to ask him if he thinks the Democratic leadership is prepared to move forward without Republicans and if he agrees with the statement that House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer made at the health care summit that everyone shares the same goal of covering all Americans:

<a href="http://www.linkedtube.com/m3k3K8eIeD4b202ca6a940796ef969fc911c5914bb2.htm">LinkedTube</a>

Billionaire's for Wealthcare were there:

<a href="http://www.linkedtube.com/Sj54bU0YYnkb2750bec6ded91168a7a0d04483c8392.htm">LinkedTube</a>

And, one of my personal favorites, Edward Kimmel, the man who braved hordes of teabaggers at the 9/12 tea party in DC (he had to be escorted out by police that day, the reception was much nicer today). Here's the 9/12 tea party footage of him:
<a href="http://www.linkedtube.com/0Q7XH8lfGMc1fba18f59885f508ca5efbb2d1260667.htm">LinkedTube</a>

And here's my interview with him today:

<a href="http://www.linkedtube.com/S5LNYS0k31Uf7fbe2ebea8d7e2cbfce4dc70c28bfc7.htm">LinkedTube</a>