Lubbock Left

The above message could be arriving in inboxes across the nation very soon. The National Democracy for America organization is considering whether to make Rick Noriega their first Senate endorsement for 2008.

From the email to DFA members:

Next week could be a big week for the Noriega campaign. Dick Cheney and George Bush are coming to Texas to raise money for Rick’s Republican opponent. With the national support of DFA, Rick could highlight the incredible amount of people power behind him against the back drop of a private $1,000 a plate Bush sponsored fund raiser.

The deadline to express support for the DFA endorsement is November 3rd. If you believe as I do that defeating John Cornyn must be a nationwide priority, then taking a few seconds to add your voice to the call for DFA endorsement is a great way to help.

http://democracyforamerica.com/supportrick

The Health Organization Management Program of Texas Tech University will be screening “Sicko” on Tuesday. They’ve put together a wonderful panel to discuss the film as well.

Here’s the skinny:

Panelists:
Terry Greenberg: Editor, Avalanche Journal
Steven Berk, MD: Dean, TTUHSC School of Medicine
Timothy Huerta, Ph. D: Research Scientist, Child and Family Research Institute, Vancouver, BC, Canada
Patti Patterson, MD: Professor, Department of Pediatrics, TTUHSC School of Medicine

Popcorn and Sodas Provided!!!!

Tuesday, October 30, 2007
7:00 p.m.
Allen Theater in the Student Union Building
TTU Main Campus
Sponsored By:
Health Organization Management Student Association (HOMSA),
And Center for Healthcare Innovation, Education, & Research (CHIER)

Let’s turn out and support this important film as it is discussed by those “in the trenches” of the health care crisis.

Texas Democratic Women of the South Plains will have their regular meeting tomorrow (Friday) at 11:30am at Furr’s on Slide Rd. Their featured speaker will be LISD School Board member Vernita Woods-Holmes. She will discuss the decision-making process for the all-girl charter school as well as other issues of importance to the school district.

Their meetings are always engaging, and TDW of the South Plains is one of the fastest-growing TDW chapters in the state!

On Wednesday, October 24 at 7:00pm at Mahon Public Library, Lubbock Democracy for America will screen the new movie “War Made Easy.”

Full event details and RSVP are online at:

http://www.dfalink.com/event.php?id=24474

There’s a great letter to the editor in Saturday’s A-J (scroll down at the link to read) that I want to share with y’all. It’s called “Lubbock liberals believe in a ‘we’ not ‘me’ society.” Here’s an excerpt:

Are you starting to realize that a liberal may actually be someone who loves democracy and the principles on which our country was founded? If so, there is one thing you might want to consider before embracing this ideology - being a liberal in Lubbock is not for sissies, but then neither is getting old or being poor.

Right on, Mary Ruth. Right on.

This begs the question: how often do you write letters to the editor?

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I have added some handy donation links over at the top of the right sidebar. They will take you to ActBlue, the online fundraising tool used by the Lubbock County Democratic Party. You can give a one time donation, or you can become a sustaining member of the Lubbock County Democratic Party by giving as little as $10 a month automatically with a credit card.

Now is the time to set up your monthly contribution to the Lubbock County Democratic Party, so we can build the infrastructure that all local campaigns will rely on.

I was checking out BoingBoing today and came across Revolution in Jesusland, a blog about emerging progressive evangelical movements. It’s pretty amazing to behold, and it turns out that I know the guy running the blog.

Here’s a sample of a speaker at an 11,000+ evangelical conference:

With governments that kill…
…we will not comply.

With the theology of empire…
…we will not comply.

With the business of militarism…
…we will not comply.

With the hoarding of riches
…we will not comply.

With the dissemination of fear
…we will not comply.

But today we pledge our allegiance to the kingdom of God…
…we pledge allegiance.

To the peace that is not like Rome’s…
…we pledge allegiance.

To the Gospel of enemy love
…we pledge allegiance.

To the poor and the broken…
…we pledge allegiance.

It feels great to see progressive born-again Christians once again fighting for progressive goals.

From the Lubbock Chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union press release:

Banned Books Week, which will take place on September 29- October 5, celebrates freedom of expression and raises awareness about the level of censorship in public schools. Over the course of the 2006-2007 school year, books like The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck, To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, and The Color Purple by Alice Walker have been challenged in Texas public schools, and many have been removed from library shelves.

The ACLU is opposed to censorship in all its forms, and believes that the right to choose what we see, hear, and read is one of our most vital freedoms.

Our community will celebrate Banned Books Week with a public reading of banned and challenged books that will take place at 6:00 p.m. until 10:00 p.m. on Thursday, October 4 and Friday, October 5 at Hastings Books, 8209 Slide Road, Lubbock, Texas.

ACLU of Texas has more about the project on their website, including their 2007 banned books report (pdf).

The Lubbock Chapter of the ACLU does a lot of important work in the area, including fighting censorship. Consider joining the National ACLU so that you can participate in the local ACLU activities!

Lubbock Democracy for America, taking a turn for the irreverent, is screening Mike Judge’s under-appreciated crude satire “Idiocracy” this Wednesday at Mahon. From the email:

Wednesday, 09/26 at 07:00 PM
Mahon Library
1306 9th St
Lubbock, TX 79401

Full details are on the event page.

It never ceases to amaze me how effective a grassroots organization MoveOn.org is. There are maybe 2 dozen people who make a living at MoveOn, but 3.2 million members nationwide who make it go.

Yesterday, they raised $500,000 from 12,000 donors, with an average donation of less than $50 per person. Let me repeat — half a million dollars in a single day from small donors only.

What’s all the fuss? MoveOn ran a very effective ad in the New York Times about a betrayal of trust from those responsible for leading our military.

The Republican response? “How impolite.” The Republican Senators put forward a resolution, sponsored by Texas’ own John Cornyn, condemning the MoveOn ad (voting record). Apparently, a single newspaper ad was more important to the Senate Republicans than actually providing adequate time at home for our troops in the field. And people wonder why congressional approval ratings are so low.

MoveOn’s response is to fight back with a new video that highlights the betrayal of trust from the Senate Republicans. You can watch the ad to see their message yourself and donate online if you are moved by it as I was.

A few minutes ago I ran into a friend downtown. “I just donated to MoveOn,” he told me, as I was about to return to my office and do the same. True story.