Mark McCracken on Reproductive Rights

Some of you have been coming to my site looking for information on Mark McCracken's position on reproductive rights. I know this because the SiteMeter is just that good.

To help serve your curiosity before the election, I wrote Mark to ask him to write a few words on the subject.

Here is what he said:

I am Catholic and my personal / individual beliefs are pro-life. However, I take the strong stance that I will not impose my personal beliefs on anyone else. As I believe in personal rights and responsibility, I will always respect that another person has the right to make their own choices.

I hope this statement helps people understand where Mark McCracken is on the subject of reproductive rights and how he might vote on a bill addressing the various related issues, such as abortion rights, birth control and abstinence education.

I wrote Mark a while ago when the PA Department of Health was deciding to accept Title V abstinence-only funds for the first time since 2003. He wrote back to let me know that he also believes that we need to offer young people the information they need to keep them safe and healthy.

If Mark's response on reproductive rights does not answer your question, than please write your question as a comment on this blog.

McCain Fights to Keep Crucial Blue State in Play - NYTimes.com

I have been moving around a bit. For the last 2 years, I was in rural, western PA. It felt good to be there during the primary. I saw new people discovering the democratic networks that had become isolated from new members. The democratic party in PA is much larger now, thanks to the voter registration during the primary and on non-stop until the deadline to register on Oct. 8.

"[T]his year there are 1.2 million more registered Democrats than Republicans in the state," says a NYTimes article on McCain in PA. Read McCain Fights to Keep Crucial Blue State in Play

McCain's strategists think he can make a play for PA, which has gone blue in the last four elections.... McCain's ad's of blatant lies about Obama raising our taxes have been on the radio for weeks.

Volunteers have really made the campaign strong in rural PA as well as in the somewhat urban area where I now reside. Here, we are fortunate to get volunteers from New Jersey and New York as well as Connecticut!

Having McCain target the pro-gun, working class people of PA will intensify the efforts of volunteers in the Keystone state. Also, I believe in the old-school mentality of the blue-collar Pennsylvanian who understands that regulations exist to help employees and consumers. They understand that by helping each other, we help ourselves!

My friend flew in to PA this last weekend from AZ. She got a taste of knocking on doors and entering data. Now, she is advocating the ease of involvement in the campaign to people in AZ! Her husband is an economist, and he now supports Obama mainly on the basis of who he solicits for economic advice. She sent me a link to the NYTimes article about McCain trying to move in on PA, and now she wants to come back!

Come to PA and help to make the Obama victory in this state a landslide!

Voter Registration Status

Not sure where to vote? As you may have guessed there is one easy way to find out. You can go to PA voter services and look up your Voter Registration Status.

Make sure you know where to vote!
Make sure the people you know are certain of where they should vote!

If you are not sure what to take with you to the polls, you can find out at VotesPA.
You do need ID, but if someone lacks any form of photo ID, they can also use a utility bill!

Vote!

Oral Contraceptives and the Struggle for Reproductive Freedom and Women's Rights

There is a sad and simple truth that more women need to realize. The fight for women's rights is NOT over! If you value your ability to plan the size of your family, then you must take a stand and protect women's ability to access oral contraception.

Women's liberation was made possible by, among other things, the invention of the oral contraceptive pill (OCP). As a reliable form of birth control, one that could largely be controlled by the woman, became available, more women were free to pursue an education and enter the work force. Unfortunately, there are those who believe that OCP is an abortifacient, that it aborts an unborn child and want to prevent women from gaining access to OCP. On July 15, Robert Pear of the New York Times reported that Secretary Leavitt of the Health and Human Services Agency and President Bush are planning to

require all recipients of aid under federal health programs to certify that they will not refuse to hire nurses and other providers who object to abortion and even certain types of birth control.

According to NARAL: Pro-Choice America:

• This regulation could undermine good state laws that require hospitals to provide emergency contraception to rape survivors and ensure that pharmacies fill women’s prescriptions for birth control.
• The proposal could allow health-care corporations (hospitals, HMOs, and health plans) to refuse to provide services or make referrals for birth control.
• The proposed regulation could affect Medicaid and the Title X family-planning program. For instance, staff at clinics or health-care plans that contract for Medicaid services could refuse to provide contraception.

In her blog on Reality Check, Christina notes that this legislation is "a spectacular act of complicity with the religious right."

We have already seen changes to policies in 2004 at the Center for Disease Control, where condoms are no longer advocated as the best defense against sexually transmitted disease. We have also recently witnessed various attempts to remove access to late term abortions on the state level in South Dakota, which resulted in a law requiring doctors to tell women seeking an abortion that they are terminating the "the life of a whole, separate, unique, living human being."

We can not continue to allow policy to be shaped by ideological beliefs over scientific fact as well as the pressing reality of overpopulation and the global benefits of women's ability to control reproduction.

Oral contraceptives suppress ovulation; increase the accumulation of mucus in the cervical tubes, which make it difficult for sperm to reach an egg; and impede the thickening of the endometrium, which is where a fertilized egg, or blastocyst, typically is implanted for development into an embryo.

In a recent issue of Ethics and Medicine Dr. J. Goodnough critiques a argument made by Dr. R. Alcorn that OCP is an abortifacient because, at times, ovulation does occur, eggs can be fertilized, and, therefore, embryos may die.

According to Dr. Alcorn, OCP is an abortifacent because some breakthrough ovulation can occur. If this happens, then there is the chance an egg will be fertilized but unable to implant due to the thinning of the endometrium. Dr. Goodnough argues that OCP has a .1% pregnancy rate, which means about 3% of users will become pregnant even while taking OCP. However, he believes this rate is mainly accounted for by missed pills. One should not assume that breakthrough ovulation is a common occurrence.

Dr. Goodnough also argues that there is no actual proof that the endometrium is made so hostile as to cause death for an embryo. Goodnough states:

he could just as easily assume that the embryo always implants and survives despite seemingly hostile changes in the endometrium. Or, more accurately stated, he could say that the embryo implants and survives as frequently in those on the OCP as happens in those not on the OCP, since embryo loss occurs in an estimated 70 % of fertilizations in women not taking the OCP. Fifteen percent of these embryos die immediately after fertilization, 15 % fail to implant, and 41 % are lost after implantation.

In other words, a sexually active woman using OCP is just as likely to experience the loss of an embryo as a sexually active woman not using OCP.

Oral contraception pills prevent ovulation and impede fertilization. It is not clear the extent that they inhibit implantation of a fertilized egg.

Do not be lured by ideological slants on research. OCP is not an abortifacient.

But, for arguments sake, let's say that OCP is an abortifacient, would that reality give health practitioners the right to refuse to prescribe or fill prescriptions for OCP? Do we really want to empower health practitioners with the right to make choices based on their religious values when they serve the public health? What if we were to allow teachers in public schools the same right? Would you be partial to allowing an educator to refuse to teach students who did not share his/her religious values? Perhaps an educator might refuse to teach a segment of history that did not meet his or her belief system? Maybe educators who do not believe the holocaust existed should not have to teach about it. Perhaps educators who believe democrat values are really a psychological illness can fail students who do not demonstrate republican beliefs and refer them to the nurse?

Those who serve the public do not get to make choices based on religious or partisan values. They must make choices that serve the common good and reflect the will of the people as demonstrated through democratic processes, and they must be conscious and respectful of reason and scientific evidence.

Thankfully, many members of Congress are speaking out on behalf of OCP and family planning. According to Matthew Jaffe of ABC news,

More than 100 members of Congress wrote President Bush today, urging him to "halt all action" on a proposal they argue would change the definition of abortion, and drastically limit women's access to birth control.

We should not take this proposed legislation lightly. Write your Senators and Congressmen to tell them where you stand on this issue.

Write Sec. Leavitt at secretary@hhs.gov and explain to him why you support a woman's right to control her fertility and to plan her family.

Uniquely Obama

Please watch this video and experience what it is that makes Obama unique.
He is unique because he envisions a new way of managing governance. For Obama, governance is about what we can do together and not what others can do for us.

As he said on the March 4th Primary Night, San Antonio, TX,

"...[T]he real work of democracy begins far from the closed doors and marbled halls of Washington. It begins on street corners and front porches; in living rooms and meeting halls with ordinary Americans who see the world as it is and realize that we have it within our power to remake the world as it should be."

In the following video, you glimpse another example of the empowering manner that is uniquely Obama. In the video, you can witness the pep talk he gives to his staff and volunteers in the campaign headquarters in Chicago and across the country by conference call on June 7:

Unify the Democratic Party!

Right now, Jim Dean is asking members of the Democratic Party to take the UNITY PLEDGE to reach out to 5 people who you know supported a different candidate for the nomination RIGHT NOW and bring them into our campaign.

Jim Dean wants us to listen, empathize, and try to help them move past the pain and think of the good of the country. This is bigger than an alliance to one candidate...

He encourages us to convince them that if they are thinking of voting for McCain, then they are not choosing the same values and goals of their original candidate. McCain is for the same things as Clinton or Edwards or Richards, and definitely not Biden or Kucinich!

I had a fellow democrat email me last week to tell me that while she and her family have been staunch democrats [she] can not support Obama. While curious if this means that she merely won't be publicly promoting Obama or if she really will not vote for our presumptive democratic nominee, I can't yet bring myself to ask.

People need time to heal. Our fellow democrats have been going through the stages of grief. We can reach out and let them know that we are here. However, until they embrace acceptance, we should not rain upon them neither reason nor rhetoric.

I will reach out and say to the Clinton supporters I know,

The democratic values you believe in have not been lost.
They are embodied in Obama.

The major difference between Obama and Clinton was not policy or democratic values, but rather the way they went about living those values. Clinton wants to restore jobs and rebuild the middle class. She wants to help make health care and education rights and not privileges....

But when Clinton talked about making change, it was about what SHE would do for US.
When Obama talks about making change, it is about what WE can do TOGETHER.

Keep your not-yet-Obama-supporters away from the strange delusion that McCain is a better choice because of his experience...Clinton really did not help herself or the party by pursuing that line of reasoning.

McCain is to Hillary as Bush is to Bill.
Let's try to keep that thought in mind.

Obama is to Hillary as Richardson is to Edwards...

Both Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama have been stressing party unity through the month of May. At the Jefferson-Jackson dinner this year, Clinton even said,

If [Obama] is the nominee, I'll work my heart out for him."

If Clinton is offering to promote Obama as the candidate as well as hold the Vice President position, then why should her supporters do anything besides vote for Obama?

Take the UNITY PLEDGE and reach out to your fellow democrats to unify our party, but please use caution. They may need time to heal.

Pundits liked to spin a drawn out primary as bad for the party, but more people have been fired up by it across our nation than have been in 30 years! More people are interested and engaged!!! This primary has helped us to see the real stakes of the election.

To safeguard our future, democrats must stand together.

Involvement in Jefferson County PA: Summary of Democratic Committee Meeting

If you are interested in being more involved with democratic action in Jefferson County, PA, then please consider attending a meeting of the Jefferson County Democrats!

At these meetings, you will get to meet candidates and elected officials, hear from representatives of the state democratic committee, participate in voter outreach, and hear about the policies that are shaping your lives! You will also have time to socialize with people who share your values.

At their most recent meeting on May 28, the Jefferson County Democrats finalized their decision to have booths for outreach and voter registration, discussed the importance of unifying behind the democratic Presidential nominee, and heard updates from regional candidates such as Mark McCracken (5th Congressional) and Don Hilliard (66th PA state legislative). The campaigns are reaching out to voters in all parties. This is a republican dominant county. We will need cross party votes to get our candidates into office!

They also received an update on the Obama campaign from me: the campaign is back in town and gearing up for the next phase! Please let me know if you are interested in helping with the campaign. We will be working with the Jefferson Democrats to get more people registered to vote!

Finally, the Jefferson Democrats were visited by Brigid Sullivan from the DNC who came to discuss the Neighborhood Leader program. The Neighborhood Leader program asks that you speak with at least 25 voters about our democratic candidates three times from now until November. No problem!

The outreach and voter registration booths will be held at the Jefferson County Fair and the Sykesville Ag & Youth Fair. They will also look into having booths at the Laurel Festival, the Brockway Festival, and the Reynoldsville Homecoming. They will not have a booth at the Punxsy Festival due to the numerous rules.

Chairman Lu Inzana asked that everyone attend each festival and fair wearing buttons, etc. to show support for the party and for democratic candidates.

He also asked that all democrats come together to support our likely presidential candidate, Sen. Barack Obama

Lu Inzana said that we in NW Pennsylvania have a chance to make a real showing in this race.

PA is quite often a swing state in elections. By coming out in record numbers, we have a chance to impact this election.

All democrats must support the democratic candidate if we are to get a democrat back into the oval office!

I hope you will consider getting involved by helping at at voter registration booth, showing your support for all of the democratic candidates, and by participating in the Neighborhood Leader program.

Voting Makes a Comeback: On the Importance of Registering Voters and Getting them to the Polls

Winning an election is not a mystery. You want more people who support your candidates and issues going to the polls than people who support other candidates and issues. Americans didn't seem to vote much in the last 40 years...but that is starting to change.

In the 2004 Presidential election, we returned to levels of voter participation not seen since the 1968 election between Nixon and Humphrey, where just over 60% of the eligible population turned out to vote.

According to federal records, only 70% of the eligible population is actually registered to vote, which means we need to reach out to that 30% of unregistered voters!

According to Dr. Michael McDonald of George Mason University, voter turnout in the United States has been largely misrepresented due to comparisons of votes to people of voting age; however, comparisons using numbers of eligible voters still demonstrate, in my opinion, that not enough Americans vote. One of the lowest voter turn outs in his records was 52% in the 1996 election between then President Clinton and Bob Dole.

Perhaps voter participation has not changed radically since 1972; we seem to hover around the 55% mark, as seen in McDonald's study of participation in presidential elections since 1948. Since 1948, the only time we hit 65% participation was in 1960 in the presidential race between Kennedy and Nixon! Between 1952 and 1968, voter participation remained above 60%.

An interest in changing the world did not retire with the baby boomers who broke through to a counter culture! Once again, people are getting involved in governance because they recognize that their voices matter, and they don't want to risk not casting a vote.

Your vote is your voice!

If we are to show the world just how much Americans care about democracy, we need to bring those 30% of unregistered voters into the fold!

In 2004, 62% of Pennsylvania's eligible voters participated in the election. In 2008, 32% of Pennsylvania's eligible voters participated in the April 22 Primary.

We need to make sure active voters get out and vote!

More people are interested in politics than have been since 1960! We have a great chance to show people that collectively they can and will make a difference.

Not sure where to start? In Pennsylvania, we can increase voter registrations by targeting women!!

A study of women in Pennsylvania in 1998 to 2000 indicated that only 62.3% of women are registered to vote. Of those, it seems that only 47.3% voted!

It was a stratgey in the 2004 election, and it is again in 2008, no matter who is the democratic nominee. If candidates want to win, they should make sure women are registered and getting out to vote.

More people are getting involved because they see how politics affect their day to day lives with gas prices, the cost of food, health care, joblessness, home financing, and, of course, the threat of losing more soldiers....

Declare yourself! Vote!

Involvement through County Committes and Campaigns (a summary of the Clearfiled County Meeting)

You can get more involved in democracy by joining your local democratic committee! There was a meeting of the Clearfield County Democrats on Tuesday, May 13th. If you live in Clearfield, PA, please consider joining them at their next meeting on June 10th.

At their latest meeting, the Clearfield County Democrats discussed several outlets for involvement including joining sub-committees to plan fund raising and voter registration events, attending the Pennsylvania Democrats Committee Meeting, taking the DNC Neighborhood Leader pledge, and hosting a house party for 5th Congressional District Democratic Candidate Mark McCracken.

The committee is currently forming a sub-committee to plan a voter registration both at the Clearfield County Fair the last week of July in partnership with the City of DuBois Democratic Committee.

A sub-committee will also be formed to plan a fund raiser later this summer. They are also in the process of developing a web page to help reach out to interested democratic voters.

Various other means of involvement and strategies were discussed that evening.
They were joined by Missy Stehr-Wood, the DNC Regional Field Organizer for Central PA as well as Clearfield County's Commissioner and 5th Congressional District Democratic Candidate Mark McCracken.

Missy Stehr-Wood invited everyone to observe the Pennsylvania Democratic Committee Meeting on June 6th and 7th. On Friday June 6th, there will be a fund raising diner at the Radisson Penn Harrisburg. On Saturday, June 7th, there will be VAN (aka vote builder) training as well as election protection training. Saturday is also when the state committee and caucus meetings are held, general members are welcome to observe. After the committee meeting, she meets with democrats from Central PA for a informal session of idea exchange. You can contact Missy at stehrwood(at)dnc.org.

Visit the PA Democratic Committee Site for more information about the State Committee Meeting on June 6 & 7.

Missy also joined the meeting to promote the DNC Neighborhood Leader Program. They ask that we each pledge to talk to at least 25 people about candidates at least three times before November! I know you can do it! If you are interested in taking the pledge and learning more about the program, then go to their site.


Clearfield County Commissioner and 5th Congressional District Democratic Candidate Mark McCracken shared stories of his success on April 22. He received 80% of the democratic votes from Clearfield County. If you are interested in helping to make sure Mark gets to represent us in Congress, then consider hosting a house party!

House parties are en excellent way for people to get to know Mark McCracken and to judge for themselves that he is the best person to represent the 5th Congressional District. Invite your Democratic friends as well as Independents and Republicans. To help Mark win, we need bi-partisan support!

I have been talking to Mark about his positions on climate change, touch screen voting machines, nuclear power, and other issues touched on by the WPSU 5th District Candidate Quiz. I know that some people find him to be less than progressive. However, Mark McCracken is someone who listens. I believe he is more concerned with promoting the interests of his constituents than he is with following his own policy agendas, and that is what makes him the best candidate for the 5th Congressional District.

If you are interested in helping Mark McCraken, visit his website for more information.

The Clearfield County Democrats are trying to make a comeback, and you can help. The committee's bi-laws were written in 1957, but the committee became inactive after the 1960s. We can help change the conservative, republican trend in rural PA by communicating with our friends, co-workers, and neighbors; hosting house parties and fund raisers for the democratic candidates in our region; and coordinating events to elevate the public profile of democrats in the area.


Please come to the meeting on June 10th at the Steelworkers Union Hall and get involved!

Tired of the Mainstream Media? There are alternatives!!

I am exceeding tired of watching CNN, FOX, and even MSNBC (sorry Olberman). Are you? There are alternative media sources out there!!

If you are reading a blog, then I know you are interested in alternative media!

Blogs are cool because they offer us, the general public, a chance to add to the free exchange of ideas!! What is not so cool is that the free exchange of ideas has not been free, or even cheap for quite some time. It really has not even been an exchange, ever since television became the #1 media format, driving newspapers and magazines nearly underground and driving up the cost of programming! Far too often, media operates under an assumption of what is desired by the masses and acceptable to the mainstream in a manner that produces too many stories that enable the manufacturing of our consent (see Noam Chomsky for more on this concept). Any critically thinking viewer was painfully aware of this while watching America Strikes Back (my phrase) type of coverage after 9-11 and particularly the Shock and Awe coverage of the Iraq invasion in 2003.

I typically seek out alternative news sources to supplement my regular news cravings because I know there is more going on in the world than the election, Rev. Wright, and Brittney's custody hearings.

The pundits make their living sensationalizing our world. I think this is important to remember. I think you know it, but, perhaps, you feel compelled to stay informed.

Watching mainstream media outlets like CNN, MSNBC, and Fox has its place. After all, it is, still, what everyone else is watching. You want to know what they know. Also, there are some keen analysts out there who can interpret events and help us see the significance of events, which is what makes them worthy news casters, Keith Olderman is one example, and even though he is on a comedy show, Jon Stewart is another. On Comedy Central's the Daily Show, where quite a few people get a regular dose of news, Stewart does an excellent job of getting straight to the key issues of the day. He also nicely connects current events to what happened in the past. This makes things funny as well as essential for our for understanding of a big picture. Otherwise, someone like Cheney can claim he never said that Saddam Hussein was connected to the 9-11 attacks, or a bunch of other claims, and people who were not paying attention or who have a short-term memory could believe him.

If you are in the mood for some alternative media, something that touches on issues at a variety of levels of national and global significance, and it not as biased toward some corporate network owner's values, or, at the least, is not skewed by their perspective of what you want, then check out Democracy Now and the News Hour with Jim Lehrer. You do not need cable to watch either of these shows. The News Hour is on PBS and Democracy Now is available online. I typically watch the podcasts.

Depending on where you live, you may be able to hear Democracy Now on the radio, specifically Pacifica radio stations. The show is broadcast on 737 stations worldwide. I discovered Democracy Now while living in DC and listening to WPFW-DC live. After that, I was hooked! With her Edward R. Murrow-esque tone, it is easy to become absorbed in what she is talking about. Co-host Juan Gonzalez is also engaging and direct.

You can also catch Democracy Now on satellite television on the Link-TV: Television Without Boarders and Free Speech-TV channels. Both of these channels provide incredible documentaries and informative programing that offer insights into some key issues of our global economy such as deforestation in the rain forest, the life style of people in western china, the impact of medicine on people's development, and war in the Congo as well as AIDS concerts, film festivals, international music videos and so much more. I have also been trying to get into Al Gore's TV/Internet experiement: Current TV, which is an interactive media of user developed content. We can watch things online and then vote for things we like. Programs with the most votes go on the TV channel. Some of it is amazing, others not so great. But it is always interesting.

Go beyond what networks and sponsors want you to see and explore the alternatives.

Neither Democracy Now nor the News Hour have changed their format to mimic the visual spectacle to which you may have grown accustomed. Therefore, it may be hard for you to consider it "a real news show." For those of you who are more likely to watch Brian Williams or Katie Couric, you should also be expecting a bit of a change, but hold in there. These news shows will give you more detailed information on a variety of hard hitting issues.

I would consider The News Hour and Democracy Now essential viewing for staying up to date on important current events. If you watch these shows, you may even lose the feeling that you MUST stay tuned into the 24 hour news cycle.

Do yourself a favor, step away from the sensationalist media and try to stay focused on journalists with perspective and restraint and a desire to keep you informed on a variety of issues.


Okay, there are, of course, more sources of alternative media.
Here is a developing list (please post any sources you know and love):

Mother Jones
TruthOut
ZNet
Alternative News Network
Counter Punch
Buzz Flash
Behind the Home Front
AlterNet
Utne Reader
Independent Media Center
RINF: The Breaking News Alternative

Click for a list to more resources from Michael Moore

Summer Involvement: Voter Registration & Education in Western PA

The real work of democracy is never done. The real work of democracy is involvement at every level of governance. We need to reach out to even more people and ask them to register to vote. We need to make sure more people, more democrats, vote in November.

There are several races in Western PA that need our help. If we are to have more democratic elected officials working to safeguard the future of PA and our democratic values, then we need to act.

The National Democratic Party is asking people to volunteer to be neighborhood leaders and talk to 25 people about voting and elections at least three times before November. But, we can do so much more!

We could have voter registration drives throughout the summer at fairs and carnivals or even yard sales and picnics!?

This is the first step in getting our democratic candidates, such as Mark McCraken for the 5th district Congressional Race, Don Hilliard for the 25 state senate district, and the presidential democratic nominee into office. (Please tell me about the other candidates running in our area who need our help!)

More people need to be ready to participate in elections! Since January, we have already registered 218,923 new voters! 70 % are democrats! Of those, 164,026 people changed their party from republican to democrat!

We can do voter registration outreach by setting up at the various town and county fairs in Jefferson, Clearfield, Clarion, Centre, and Elk Counties (forgive me if I left yours out). I think we should each suggest this kind of action to the people in our democratic committees as well as to our friends and family. Find out what you can about what it will cost to set up at your favorite fair.

Setting up at fairs and carnivals will cost money. To fund the table, I suggest getting donated baskets to raffle to try to fund the tables or, as one person suggested, we can set up a dunking pool--which would be great fun!

Please try to think of other forums were we can target unregistered citizens. Let's continue to get more people involved with democracy!

Even if you are just having yard sale, why not put out a few voter registration forms or ask for educational materials on our democratic candidates. We can set up in malls, outside of grocery stores, and a variety of places.

We just need people who are willing to make it happen. I truly believe more regular Americans would be democrats if they understood our values and did not believe the conservative hype.

My mom told me how her grandmother, a woman who knew what it meant to be denied the right to vote, used to gather with women in the area to discuss politics. We Americans have begun to take this right for granted.

We need to make politics something that every person cares about, and we need to help them see that being involved in politics is so much more than the cult of personality nonsense they see on FOX and CNN. Politics is very local, and it affects each of our lives.

If we are not telling our elected officials at every level of government what we need and expect, then we deserve what we get: nothing! We also need more efforts to educate voters.

I urge each of you to write about candidates in letters to the editor or on your blogs. Tell your friends and family why you are going to vote for candidates. We need more coverage of our local politics in our papers. You can do this through letters to the editor, and by contacting news editors about story ideas.

We need people who are willing to educate people about the decisions that are happening in their own towns and counties that affect how they can do business and go about their regular lives.

Please post your ideas on how or where to set up voter registration drives or coordinate efforts to educate voters about democratic candidates and local/regional politics.

All ideas are welcome.

Save Victims of Crime Act Funding

In order for democracy to work, for our government to represent US and OUR interests, we must be ready to speak.

As I am sure many of you know, activist networks create handy online petitions and form e-mails for you to add your name to and click. This simple act sends a message to your representative.
While convenient for us, I am afraid sending e-mails is perhaps not as effective as CALLING or sending SNAIL MAIL or FAXES.

Also, we should not just sit back and wait for activist groups to draft letters. We must be willing to do this for ourselves and on our own....

But, if someone has taken the time to write something, why not use it. Draw from it. Develop it to make it your own. Then print it and put a stamp on it.

Here is a letter I developed to ask our Senators and House Representatives to Save the Victims of Crime Act Funding. Use Liberally:

I have recently learned that domestic violence and sexual assault agencies would lose funding under the proposed federal budget for FY2009-2009. The proposed budget cut would redirect Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) money to the general budget. This funding MUST be directed to state agencies, local programs, and state agencies that use it to provide services for victims of crime.

President Ronald Reagan and Congress created VOCA in 1984. No tax money is used to support VOCA; instead, money is taken from a range of federal criminal fines, assessments and penalties. Make the perpetrators of crime pay to support the safety and rehabilitation of survivors. Across the nation, agencies receive assistance from the $2 billion collected. If this funding in cut support agencies would lose all of their VOCA funding by 2010.

YOU have the power to protect funding for local agencies that offer support to victims of domestic violence and sexual assault. Victims of crime often have no one to turn to but these agencies. Such agencies rely on VOCA money to provide services for victims and pay their staff.

Protect these agencies. Protect their funding. Demand that VOCA money be directed to state agencies, local programs, and state agencies that use it to provide services for victims of crime.

Please use this text to craft your own letter.

Let your legislators know that you do not support a federal budget that takes funding away from agencies that support victims of domestic abuse and sexual assault.

Obama for America Office Grand Opening in DuBois, PA

On March 28, 2008, over 50 people came out to show their support for Sen. Barack Obama at the Grand Opening of the DuBois Office!

Several statements were made by the field organizer, the regional coordinator, and a 5th District Delegate for Obama, as well as by several active volunteers and members of Democratic groups . They each shared information on how people can get involved as well as why they personally became active.

Jody G., a Clearfield resident and Obama volunteer, said that she supports Obama because she wants a better life for her grandkids. Mary V, a 5th District Delegate, said that she supports Obama because through him she found new hope for the future.

We were also joined by 5th district candidate Mark McCracken, a public supporter of Sen. Obama!

Getting out and seeing the people who share your values is always an positive experience.
This is a mainly Republican area, but the Democrats made a big show for Obama at our Grand Opening!

The campaign has come deep into the PA Wilds because Sen. Obama understands that rural PA has a voice. For the first time in nearly 30 years, the people of PA matter in the Democratic Presidential Primary. And, not just the people of urban PA, but the people in RURAL PA!!

It is a very exciting time.


If you live in Jefferson or Clearfield County, I hope you will consider volunteering.

Get out the Hope and Get out the Vote!

There are several ways to volunteer. And Obama's website has many bits of advice to get you started on your own grassroots campaign to put Obama in the White House!

First, you can sign up to be a neighborhood team leader.
Go to the PA home page for the Campaign.
and join the PA Neighborhood Teams

As a Neighborhood Team member, you will have access to lists of potential Obama Supports.
First we identify the Obama supporters, and then we make sure they get out to vote.

Secondly, you can come to where the action is! In the office and in the neighborhoods!
Join us in the office, where you can volunteer by helping out in the office, canvasing door-to-door, and by hosting out-of-state volunteers.

Finally, you can spread the word by being a public supporter.
If you are the social type, you may want to host a house party either to Fund Raise for Obama for America or to educate your undecided or leaning Obama friends, family, neighbors, co-workers, peers, gym buddies, etc. There is no reason not to do both at once!
Remind people they can help by spreading the word and telling the people they know why they support Obama for America!

If you are a member of a religious or social club, you may want to ask for time to talk to your group about Obama. Of course, people supporting other candidates should also be welcomed to speak. Just wear your pin and show your support and people will talk to you, hopefully with honest questions!

Many people want the yard signs, which can be hard to come by.
If you are interested, you can support the campaign by purchasing your own yard sign.

Contact the Obama for America DuBois, PA office for more details on opportunities to volunteer:

11 N. Brady Street
DuBois, PA
(across from Lugi's)

Email Mike, the field organizer: Mreynertson(AT)barackobama.com
or Ryan : sees.com(AT)gmail.com

Call Mike or Ryan: 320-293-5531

Enjoy Photos of the Grand Opening!

Summary: New Priorities Vigil in Dubois, PA

Last Wednesday a group of six dedicated individuals stood in the rain beside Liberty Blvd. in Dubois, Pennsylvania, to acknowledge that it has been FIVE LONG YEARS since the United States entered Iraq.

We were met with honks of support!

A photographer from the local paper, the Courier Express said that we were newsworthy because we were standing in the rain. The photo from the paper is to the right ->


What a shame, to only be newsworthy because we stood in the rain.

Is it not newsworthy that people in this rural, republican area are coming out into the open to make their voices heard, to say that war is not something we should stay in just to save face? That there are lives at stake, the dear lives of our loved ones?

At the Vigil, we talked about the need to find people in our sparse area who think the way that we do. We know YOU are out there...we know that you might feel silenced by the voices around you who speak in a manner so differently from how you think and what you value. There are ways we can come together through MoveON.org and Democracy for America's PA for Democracy. Check them out. Please also respond to this blog!

In the days that followed, I was surprised how many co-workers and neighbors told me they shared my view. We are tired of this war.

We want to support our troops by bringing them home!
We want a candidate who will not rush us into war!

We will meet again, myself and the dedicated five who stood in the rain, on April 18th at the Penn State Dubois campus where the Eyes Wide Open Exhibit will be displayed from 10am-6pm.
The evening will close with a candlelight vigil from 6pm-8pm.
I hope you can join us.

The exhibit was created by the American Friends Service Committee. It visually portrays the human cost of war.


Will you join us?

New Priorities Candlelight Vigil in Dubois

New Priorities Candlelight Vigil in Dubois

Please join us in a solemn and respectful vigil where we honor the soldiers and send a message to our leaders that we must bear in mind the human cost of war as well as its impact on our economy. It is time to set new priorities!

Liberty Blvd. & Parkway Drive
Memorial Park
Wednesday 19 March

We will stand vigil from 5:30 to 7:00 p.m. in a public park. It is handicap accessible.
You can find metered parking off Parkway Drive.

Go Here to Register: http://pol.moveon.org/event/events/event.html?event_id=45611&id=-6699804-AVqf06

If you are planning to attend, please bring signs and/or candles.
If you bring candles, do something to help keep the wax from dripping.
You may want to bring votive candles with holders, use wax-based paper cups, or use tapered candles with a cupcake wrappers slid over them (just put a hole through the wrapper.

MoveOn.org has developed an array of signs you can either print out or use as inspiration as you develop your own.

• "Keep 'Em Safe / Bring 'Em Home": Color and black and white signs to display at the vigil. Try printing out different sizes, and let people choose which ones to hold.
  • One-page (8x11) black and white | color
  • Two-page black and white | color
  • Large (20x16) black and white | color
• "Invest in America" signs - Big signs color and 16x20 inches
  • Invest in America not War
  • Invest in Health Care not War
  • Invest in Education not War
  • Invest in Clean Energy not War
  • Invest in Real Security not War
• "Invest in America" Full Color signs 8.5x11 inches
  • Invest in America not War
  • Invest in Health Care not War
  • Invest in Education not War
  • Invest in Clean Energy not War
  • Invest in Real Security not War
• "Invest in America" 2-color signs 8.5x11 inches (print these if you have a black and white printer)
  • Invest in America not War
  • Invest in Health Care not War
  • Invest in Education not War
  • Invest in Clean Energy not War
  • Invest in Real Security not War

2008 PA Primary – Obama, Governance, and Responsibility

Vote on APRIL 22 in the Pennsylvania Primary for Senator Barack Obama.

If you are not interested in politics, you really should be.

If you are interested, you need to educate yourself about candidates and you need to vote!

As a citizen, you have a right to vote. Voting is the most basic as well as the most important way that we can participate in governance.

We live in a democratic republic. Each citizen has a voice in selecting a representative government. This government is keep in check by a separation of church and state, a system of checks and balances between governing bodies (Presidential, Congressional, Judicial), and the ability of the people to select leaders as well as our right to impeach people who are not doing their jobs!

And what is their job?
It is the job of all politicians to serve the will of the people.

We are many, and we are diverse. It is the burden of our elected officials to mediate the many needs and wants of the people against what is possible. In the end, they should do what will maximize the public good. What will serve the interests of the most people in the most efficient manner?

Unfortunately, we have seen the rise of government that serves the needs of the few, the corporations. Since the 1970s, out of our fear of a folding economy, our leaders removed restrictions from businesses. The invisible hand of the market was supposed to maximize profits as well as maximize the public good. What has trickled down? Nothing. Nothing but higher payments and less return for what we pay in taxes!

We need to see tax fairness. We need a business that is regulated to serve the common good. We need to rebuild our infrastructure, educate our children, and regain our image as a peace keeper.

You can help make it all happen by exercising your right.

You can make a change happen in America by fulfilling your responsibility to participate in government.

VOTE!!!

VOTE FOR OBAMA!

You must be a registered Democrat to vote for Senator Obama in the PA Primary on April 22.

Independents can not vote in the PA primary.

It is a shame, and perhaps an injustice...but it is a fact that we must deal with. If you are an INDEPENDENT please re-register to vote for Obama on April 22.

If you have never voted before, please register now and make a difference.

We have a chance to make history in Pennsylvania. A chance to show that the rural areas as well as the urban areas are ready for a change toward grassroots activism and progressive governance!

You must REGISTER as a Democrat 30 days before the primary in order to vote.

Register by MARCH 24!

A Voter Registration Form:

http://www.dos.state.pa.us/voting/lib/voting/02_voter_registration_applications/onlinevoterregformblank.pdf

PA Voting Information:

http://www.dos.state.pa.us/voting/

There are TWO STEPS to the ONLINE REGISTRATION:
1) Complete an online form.
2) Print it out, sign it, and mail it in before March 24th!

Registering online sends counties an electronic record of each registration, but it
doesn't register the application.

If you will not be in your voting precinct on April 22, you must apply for an ABSENTEE BALLOT by April 15.

Absentee Ballot Application:

http://www.dos.state.pa.us/voting/lib/voting/02_voter_registration_applications/absenteeballot/absentee_ballot_application_(08-13-04).pdf

The County Boards of Election must receive civilian absentee ballots by April 18!

Absentee Voting Information:

http://www.dos.state.pa.us/voting/cwp/view.asp?a=1193&q=442991

Vote on APRIL 22 in the Pennsylvania Primary for Senator Barack Obama.

Show the world that Pennsylvania is ready to turn the page and write a new chapter in the history of nation, one of involvement, one of patriotism, one where civil liberties are respected, and one where innovation and business serve the common, collective interests of the people!

Keeping in touch with Politics: 5th District Congressional Seat in PA

I find it so hard to find information on our local elections. Why is that?
I will save that rant for another day.

If you don't already know, Rep. John Peterson (R) is retiring for personal reasons.

There are three democrats and five republicans looking to take his place.

For now, I would like to tell you about a site that is making is much easier to follow the race for the 5th District Congressional Seat.

The Centre Daily Times has a whole page dedicated to continuous articles about the race.
http://www.centredaily.com/congressional_race/


Please note that there is one story with brief details from each nominee (Republican and Democrat alike) on economic development in the region.
http://www.centredaily.com/482/story/442490.html


I also like to check for things on the Keystone Politics page, where several nominees have posted blogs.
http://www.keystonepolitics.com/delegation08

You can also access a variety of candidates web sites through ActBlue.com
http://actblue.com/directory?query_parameters=---%20%0Afilters%3A%20%5B%5D%0A%0A&add_filter_query=_facet-state%3A%22PA%22

We must go out of our ways to educate ourselves.
We must make ourselves informed voters.

I hope this information helps you make your decisions.