...so does the rest of the nation!

In California, we have an opportunity HERE AND NOW, to DEFEAT right-wing crony-ism and corruption, and send a HUGE message to the rest of the country that the time for CHANGE has arrived. Just remember, Tip O'Neill's time-honored phrase: "All politics is local." If there ever was a time when the phrase 'think globally, act locally ever applied, it's now!

At the end of July, Davy Bui (a SFD member and Alliance staff) wrote the following words. They are even more keenly understood today:


The Threat is Real and Imminent

I received emails from some of you who believe that this special election is not our fight.

"What I really care about are voting issues like Diebold and paper trails."

"Who cares about state workers, anyway? They have too many benefits. Where are my benefits?"

All of us at Sacramento For Democracy take pride ourselves in thinking for ourselves and seeing the issues for what they really are despite the propoganda. So bear with me.

Take a journey with Jane -- a scared and pregnant 17-year old from an
abusive family -- through the judicial maze Prop 73 creates.

Jane has a positive pregnancy test at the doctor's
office and after counseling decides to end the pregnancy. Jane tells

"If we can get Proposition 73 voters into the polls, it will have a benefit for the other propositions as well," said Mike Vallante, chief operating officer of the state Republican Party.

This is going to come down to voter TURN OUT, pure and simple, and if you don't think the other side is serious about it, perhaps this might move you: This weekend, 3,000 - 5,000 out-of-state evangelicals came into the state to mobilize a right wing get-out-the-vote effort! Read the propoganda being promoted by the right wing (quoted in the L.A. Times, Oct 13), check out the info below that, and HELP OUT! - k.

State GOP hires a Bush campaign veteran to get evangelicals to the polls. Abortion is the draw.

Sacramento City Council votes to bring troops home

After nine months of effort, the reward was sweet: the birth of another anti-war resolution, calling for the troops to come home. The fact that the vote was so favorable to its passage only made the midwives all the more joyful.

On Tuesday night, the Sacramento City Council, by an 8 to 1 vote, called for "a humane, orderly, rapid and comprehensive withdrawal of United States military personnel and bases from Iraq," citing the financial and human costs of the war on local resources. The Council also asked Congress and President Bush to deliver "promised veterans' health, education, disability, and rehabilitation benefits, and otherwise meet the needs of returning veterans."

My friends,

I had promised a few people that I would write about why I was going to Crawford before I left. I thought that I would be able to do that on the first day I got here --- I was wrong. I have been incredibly busy as the person drafted to be the Crawford Peace House volunteer coordinator that I don’t think I’ve gotten to post anything in about 3 days. I apologize for the void in communication, and I realize people are wanting to know about what’s going on!


First, Cindy and Dede’s Mom is okay, considering she had a stroke ---- it was not life threatening. Dede (Cindy’s sister) will stay with her from here on out, and Cindy should be back by tomorrow. There’s no such thing as good timing when it comes to something like that, but this weekend is particularly trying because they are trying to move the encampment at the site to the plot of land that a lone sympathetic rancher has so kindly allowed the vigil keepers to stay on. In addition, Amy Goodman just got here last night, in addition to an AirAmerica affiliate from San Diego.

It’s been crazy --- I mean crazy! I got ‘volunteered’ to be the volunteer coordinator for the Peace House, so I am now just finding the time to blog. What a day…. I’m not sure how they will continue to operate if this continues to grow as it has. We honestly thought that Monday would find us operating at a more manageable pace. That was not the case. If anything, the growth has been steady --- and next weekend ought to be just crazy. An AirAmerica affiliate broadcasting from the site and Lance Armstrong bicycling with Bush ought to bring out the forces in droves.

The people coming out here are from all walks of life, driven by one thing in common. They know that one woman has come to embody what all understand instantly: that the jig is up ---- this is truly the moment when we are witness to the fact of Bush’s nakedness when it comes to heart and soul. I have seen people come in the door to join Cindy and the other families and vets out at the site near Bush’s ranch. Before we shuttle them there, we sign them up and ask them where they’re from. We ask them to put a pin on a map of the U.S. if there isn’t one already there. Today we had people from Manhattan, Amarillo, Sydney, Boston, Minneapolis, and

Getting ready to go down to the House, but here’s a recap of part of yesterday. Sorry I'm behind -- trying to get caught up. I'm slowly learning what it takes to make this blogging thing go faster. Anyhow...

Yesterday, the local Fox affiliate from Waco came down to the site to report how tired the residents were of all the protesters. One guy came out to engage in a little intimidation (a rancher shooting his shotgun on his property), and the local news just ran with it. Interestingly, they presented him in a sympathetic light, understanding of his desire to want to shoo -
us off. ---- I'm beginning to think it was all planned - since all they focused on was the idea that WE were being disruptive as protesters.

The day started with a rally at the site -- christened "Camp Casey" at noon. About 800 - 1000 supporters came in to support Cindy and the other GSFP parents that were present.

The site is located on Prarie Chapel Rd, a few miles from downtown Crawford and down a winding secluded road that passes through a short wooded area and over a bridge that overlooks a hidden creek with a rocky overhang - inviting, to say the least, given how hellish the steamy heat is. Soon the road reaches open space as it approaches Bush's ranch. It is there that one sees the 500+ crosses (and occasional stars and cresents) lined up, three deep and very uniformly arranged, on the left side of the road. Each has a name on them, written on paper and attached to the wooden crosses by rubberband. They follow the road all the way past a fork in the road, continuing on up to the site, which ends shortly after the fork.

Hi Folks!!

I arrived at the Crawford Peace House at approx. 9pm TX time. Getting here was an adventure in itself. I got in to Austin a little after 4:30 and rented a car at the airport --- very nice --- it was good to be just able to drive away from the airport without going anywhere else. When I turned on the car, I noticed right away that the station was on AirAmerica! Good going Austin!.... or was it the occupant from Oklahoma (since the plates were OK plates)?

(Note: Cindy is scheduled to also appear on MSNBC's Hardball tonight --- tune in, just in case she DOESN'T get bumped! You can catch her on internet radio or TV tonight)

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

On Wednesday June 22, at 10 p.m. (Pacific), Cindy Sheehan will be the guest on Basham Radio on KNEWS AM 970. Cindy lost her son in Iraq back in 2004, and has since founded Gold Star Families for Peace. Cindy also participated in hearings on Capitol Hill last Thursday, organized by the Democratic Congressman from Michigan, John Conyers. Several House Democrats urged lawmakers to conduct an official inquiry to determine whether George W. Bush intentionally misled Congress into the invasion of Iraq.

Editor's Note: The following statement was made by Petty Officer 3rd Class Pablo Paredes during his military court-martial in San Diego, California on May 12, 2005.

Statement to Military Judge
By Pablo Paredes

By Marjorie Cohn
t r u t h o u t | Report

Friday 13 May 2005

"I think that the government has successfully proved that any service member has reasonable cause to believe that the wars in Yugoslavia, Afghanistan and Iraq were illegal."

Interesting letter written to the President of KQED --- with responses back and forth......

Mr. President,

I was very distressed by the lack of journalistic integrity in Mr. Margolis' Doris Matsui piece. He left out many important points: First, many Democrats are and have been upset over the entire entitlement mentality of the Democratic Party. The House of Representatives was not set-up as an entitlement system of special interest patronage, which it has become. The House members are given two year terms to represent the people; the Matsui's lost touch with this concept many years ago.

Why did The New York Times
run this story?
by Dr. Teresa Whitehurst

"Death has a tendency to encourage a depressing view of war."
~ Donald Rumsfeld

In times of war, particularly when that war is starting to look meaningless and futile, its promoters must keep one highly influential group under control: the families and friends of fallen soldiers. Whether by enemy or friendly fire, on the battlefield or off, military deaths send shockwaves through families and friends, shockwaves that can lead to changes of heart about the war.

Published on Thursday, February 3, 2005 by The Progressive
by Matthew Rothschild


Howard Dean is back.
It looks like it’s a done deal that Dean will become the new head of the Democratic National Committee.

Subject: Pravda coverage of State of Union: abuse of public airwaves

Anybody seen "fairness" around lately?

Nice of you to put up a token Democrat along with 6 Republicans before the President's speech. Just in case we had any questions about Bush's directness, we could hear from 6 other Republicans --and oh yeah 1 Dem.(Hard for you to find another Dem out of the 56 million who voted that way?) I encourage you to look harder or else just ask for RNC $ for all your programming (but please leave my tax $ alone--Dept of Ed and DHHS.)

Hi Everyone,

Here are Monday's activities (as we know of them) concerning voter outrage over Election shenanigans:

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> >>>

San Francisco

Other versions of protests call for an 11am meet time for Boxer's office. Call the numbers listed below to inquire further.

 Monday, November 29th, Demonstration  11:00 a.m. : 900 Front St. KGO TV.

Well, this is certainly explosive! ---- and comes from a respected journalist. This, posted Nov 25 on onlinejournal.com....

Special Report

By Wayne Madsen


November 25, 2004—According to informed sources in Washington and Houston, the Bush campaign spent some $29 million to pay polling place operatives around the country to rig the election for Bush. The operatives were posing as Homeland Security and FBI agents but were actually technicians familiar with Diebold, Sequoia, ES&S, Triad, Unilect, and Danaher Controls voting machines. These technicians reportedly hacked the systems to skew the results in favor of Bush.

Published on Friday, November 12, 2004 by the Seattle Post-Intelligecer

by Helen Thomas

Do Americans of good conscience really believe that we are making the United States more secure by bombing and killing the people of Fallujah?

Good news from Dubya's "hometown" newspaper!


Kerry Will Restore
American Dignity

Few Americans would have voted for George W. Bush four years ago if he had promised that, as President, he would: