http://www.progressnowcolorado.org/page/community/blog_rss/seanshealy Tens of thousands of protestors are expected to descend on Colorado's capitol today* in a showdown over healthcare. The rally, which begins at noon on the west steps, is in support of universal, single-payer healthcare, the proposal that would save Colorado residents $1.4 billion every year, yet cover everybody. "If we don't pass this common-sense legislation," said Governor Bill Riter, "forget being re-elected; we'll need the National Guard just to get out of this building." ** The legislation, which would take the billions being spent on CEO salaries, insurance overhead, "profit taking," and Viagra commercials, and instead shovel the money into doctors and nurses and hospitals, is up for review in the legislature tomorrow. * These figures are based upon every decent, moral, intelligent citizen in Colorado showing up tomorrow. If your job interferes, QUIT YOUR JOB. ** This is a dramatization of what Ritter should be thinking at this moment. Go to http://www.healthcareforallcolorado.org more info. http://www.progressnowcolorado.org/page/community/post/seanshealy/Cq8M http://www.progressnowcolorado.org/page/community/post/seanshealy/Cq8M/commentary#comments Thu, 31 Jan 2008 03:11:49 EST http://www.progressnowcolorado.org/page/community/post/seanshealy/Cq8M Sean Shealy http://www.progressnowcolorado.org/page/community/profile_picture/68bef36de5149d0c28_0zm6beuw2.jpg Sean Shealy 2 http://www.progressnowcolorado.org/page/community/comment_rss/Cq8M/ <b>If President Bush has his way, some of the most spectacular areas in Utah will be irreversibly degraded by oil rigs and off-road vehicles (ORVs). Eleven million acres in Utah's red rock canyon country are at immediate risk, and we have until Feb. 8 to speak out. This precious land is filled with breathtaking vistas, ancient cultural artifacts and dinosaur fossils, and a wide range of wildlife. Unless the public speaks out now, President Bush's land management team will forge ahead aggressively, with little thought to the permanent impact on a fragile, irreplaceable ecosystem. As the New York Times editorialized , "some of the trails would crisscross about 2.5 million acres of breathtakingly beautiful country that the Clinton administration thought worthy of permanent wilderness protection." This is the beginning, folks. By the time January 20, 2009 rolls around, there will have been so many signing statements, desecrations of law, and such such massive theft as to never be untangled. First, sign the petition here to stop this: http://action.wilderness.org/campaign/utah_redrock Next, go to: http://www.impeachco.com/ ... to learn how you can support the articles of impeachment to be introduced on Monday, January 28th.</b> http://www.progressnowcolorado.org/page/community/post/seanshealy/Cqzy http://www.progressnowcolorado.org/page/community/post/seanshealy/Cqzy/commentary#comments Thu, 24 Jan 2008 14:02:40 EST http://www.progressnowcolorado.org/page/community/post/seanshealy/Cqzy Sean Shealy http://www.progressnowcolorado.org/page/community/profile_picture/68bef36de5149d0c28_0zm6beuw2.jpg Sean Shealy 1 http://www.progressnowcolorado.org/page/community/comment_rss/Cqzy/ In 9 days, the Colorado legislature will receive the recommendations of the Blue Ribbon Commission On Healthcare. The word is that they will be recommending mandates, forcing Coloradoans to buy insurance, and heavily fining those who cannot afford the cost of coverage. Benefits would be capped, meaning that while you pay for insurance premiums, you'll also have to pay out-of-pocket for medical services exceeding the bare-bones coverage. This could be devastating to our health care. On Tuesday, January 22, at 6:30 PM, we will be holding an event at the Mercury Cafe featuring medical professionals (including a prominent doctor and RN's), and updates on state and national efforts to institute real universal, single-payer health care. A showing of Michael Moore's SiCKO will cap the evening, and live music will be provided by "Us." Please make plans to attend this event, and bring a friend or two. We will be organizing toward joining Health Care for All Colorado's "Storm the Capitol" protest, to be held on the west steps of the state capitol at noon on January 31. Without all of us lending a hand, this insurance-extortion legislation will likely pass. You, and your family, cannot afford to let that happen. Yours In Service, Sean Shealy For more info, go to: http://www.healthcareforallcolorado.org.[/ . http://www.progressnowcolorado.org/page/community/post/seanshealy/CqzQ http://www.progressnowcolorado.org/page/community/post/seanshealy/CqzQ/commentary#comments Tue, 22 Jan 2008 02:07:59 EST http://www.progressnowcolorado.org/page/community/post/seanshealy/CqzQ Sean Shealy http://www.progressnowcolorado.org/page/community/profile_picture/68bef36de5149d0c28_0zm6beuw2.jpg Sean Shealy 2 http://www.progressnowcolorado.org/page/community/comment_rss/CqzQ/ In a siege to rival Leningrad, a quarter of a million citizens are expected to descend on Colorado's capitol on January 31 to prevent the passage of the 2008 Insurance Extortion Act. The act, championed by United Health Care and a host of insurance conglomerates, would force the most vulnerable citizens to purchase inadequate, token health insurance, about as valuable in real-life as a Monopoly "Get Out Of Jail Free" card would be in an American court. Those who cannot afford to pay for "protection" will have their financial knees bashed in with a legal baseball bat -- they will be forced to pay a huge fine equal to a year's insurance premiums. "We will lay siege to the capitol and force the legislators to remain in session until they defeat this extortion racket," said one anonymous source. The groundwork for the Insurance Extortion Act was laid in 2007, when the governor's "independent" Blue Ribbon Commission On Healthcare received more than a million dollar "contribution" from an "anonymous source." Prior to that, the commission determined that Universal, Single-Payer healthcare was the only plan that covered everyone, and saved more than a billion dollars. After the "contribution," the Commission reversed course and decided to give billions more to the insurance industry. YOU do the math. Of course, much of the above is satire (except for the facts on what this will do to Colorado's health care). What is really "expected" to happen is that we all lay down and take it like whipped puppies. Will YOU? Call, write, petition, organize, protest! There's an event at the Mercury Cafe on January 22 at 6:30 featuring doctors, nurses, charts, graphs, bells, whistles, a free showing of Michael Moore's SiCKO, and live music. Let's get amped, folks; we have a couple of weeks to gather enough steam to stop this horrible legislation from becoming law. This blogger is not affiliated with the event, but encourages everyone to attend. http://www.progressnowcolorado.org/page/community/post/seanshealy/CqbG http://www.progressnowcolorado.org/page/community/post/seanshealy/CqbG/commentary#comments Fri, 11 Jan 2008 13:56:26 EST http://www.progressnowcolorado.org/page/community/post/seanshealy/CqbG Sean Shealy http://www.progressnowcolorado.org/page/community/profile_picture/68bef36de5149d0c28_0zm6beuw2.jpg Sean Shealy 4 http://www.progressnowcolorado.org/page/community/comment_rss/CqbG/ <b>Why I Believe Bush Must Go Nixon Was Bad. These Guys Are Worse. By George McGovern Sunday, January 6, 2008; B01 As we enter the eighth year of the Bush-Cheney administration, I have belatedly and painfully concluded that the only honorable course for me is to urge the impeachment of the president and the vice president. ... Bush and Cheney are clearly guilty of numerous impeachable offenses. They have repeatedly violated the Constitution. They have transgressed national and international law. They have lied to the American people time after time. Their conduct and their barbaric policies have reduced our beloved country to a historic low in the eyes of people around the world. These are truly "high crimes and misdemeanors," to use the constitutional standard. From the beginning, the Bush-Cheney team's assumption of power was the product of questionable elections that probably should have been officially challenged -- perhaps even by a congressional investigation. In a more fundamental sense, American democracy has been derailed throughout the Bush-Cheney regime. The dominant commitment of the administration has been a murderous, illegal, nonsensical war against Iraq. ... How could a once-admired, great nation fall into such a quagmire of killing, immorality and lawlessness? It happened in part because the Bush-Cheney team repeatedly deceived Congress, the press and the public into believing that Saddam Hussein had nuclear arms and other horrifying banned weapons that were an "imminent threat" to the United States. The administration also led the public to believe that Iraq was involved in the 9/11 attacks -- another blatant falsehood. ... Another shocking perversion has been the shipping of prisoners scooped off the streets of Afghanistan to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and other countries without benefit of our time-tested laws of habeas corpus. ... In addition to the shocking breakdown of presidential legal and moral responsibility, there is the scandalous neglect and mishandling of the Hurricane Katrina catastrophe. The veteran CNN commentator Jack Cafferty condenses it to a sentence: "I have never ever seen anything as badly bungled and poorly handled as this situation in New Orleans." Any impeachment proceeding must include a careful and critical look at the collapse of presidential leadership in response to perhaps the worst natural disaster in U.S. history. Impeachment is unlikely, of course. But we must still urge Congress to act. Impeachment, quite simply, is the procedure written into the Constitution to deal with presidents who violate the Constitution and the laws of the land. It is also a way to signal to the American people and the world that some of us feel strongly enough about the present drift of our country to support the impeachment of the false prophets who have led us astray. This, I believe, is the rightful course for an American patriot.</b> http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/01/04/AR2008010404308.html http://www.progressnowcolorado.org/page/community/post/seanshealy/CqFQ http://www.progressnowcolorado.org/page/community/post/seanshealy/CqFQ/commentary#comments Sun, 06 Jan 2008 20:26:02 EST http://www.progressnowcolorado.org/page/community/post/seanshealy/CqFQ Sean Shealy http://www.progressnowcolorado.org/page/community/profile_picture/68bef36de5149d0c28_0zm6beuw2.jpg Sean Shealy 2 http://www.progressnowcolorado.org/page/community/comment_rss/CqFQ/ <b>"Who Killed The Constitution?" is a game that the whole room can play: A news clip or suspect quote (okay, a lie) from Bush, Cheney, et al, is projected onto a screen. You will compete, based upon Evidence and Law cards dealt out beforehand, to see who can find the most felonies during the night. The person who finds the most felonies becomes "Prosecutor Of The Week," and prizes will be awarded. Hosted by Sean Shealy, author of <i>Corruption & Cover-Ups of the Bush White House Unmasked.</i></b>  More info: http://www.08dnc.com/Paleoliberal/client/ http://www.progressnowcolorado.org/page/community/post/seanshealy/CqK9 http://www.progressnowcolorado.org/page/community/post/seanshealy/CqK9/commentary#comments Fri, 04 Jan 2008 09:51:19 EST http://www.progressnowcolorado.org/page/community/post/seanshealy/CqK9 Sean Shealy http://www.progressnowcolorado.org/page/community/profile_picture/68bef36de5149d0c28_0zm6beuw2.jpg Sean Shealy 0 http://www.progressnowcolorado.org/page/community/comment_rss/CqK9/ In a nail-biter, any Dem is a sure loser. George W. Bush's administration will be overseeing the election. The GOP owns the media. They own the voting machines. There are large groups of people in the United States who do not yet know of the many dozens of provable felonies of this administration. In November of '08, millions of these people are going to enter the voting booth thinking, "well, I'll vote for this party, or that party; they're both basically the same. I like Huckabee's smile, though, and Republicans have kept us safe from the grave terrorist threat we faced all these years." But if those people understood that the "grave terrorist threat" in fact never existed, that it was created to be used against them by the GOP, it would change the tide dramatically in the Democrat's favor. When pollsters ask the question, "if it can be shown that the president did not tell the truth, should he be impeached?," the numbers in favor of impeachment reach 53%, as opposed to 42% against. Those types of numbers would make the next election tamper-proof. This is why it is critical to impeach, not just George W. Bush, but the GOP as a whole under the umbrella of George W. Bush. Instead of the Dem saying, "I support wire-tapping, but I'm weaker on the issue," and "I support water-boarding, but I'm wishy-washy about it," let the Dem take the American position on the issues (support Habeas, Geneva, "nothing to fear but fear itself") and make the GOP defend the anti-American position in the context of an ongoing daily airing of dirty (horrific) laundry -- the impeachment. One can defy reality and suggest that impeachment is "bad" for the impeaching party, but history shows otherwise. Negative advertising works. Impeachment is free, sustained negative advertising. And it would be JUST, and RIGHT, and Republic-restoring too! IMAGINE! But, then again, maybe we could do the same thing we did in 2000, and 2004, and hope for a different result. We'll just cruise into 2008, defending against outlandish Republican attacks as they come. We'll keep "fear of terrorism" as the center of the debate, even though the advantage is clearly Republican. And we'll tit-for-tat, and we'll complain about the skewed coverage of the MSM, and we'll battle against the superior money of the GOP --it will come -- and, on election night, we'll watch the 50/50 split be entrusted to those wonderful voting machines. And we'll expect a different outcome. Because we're insane? ----------------------------------------------------- Join us Saturday January 5, 2008 @ 7PM at the Mercury Cafe, for an interactive multi-media, audience-participation impeachment event. And bring some wishy-washy Dems who need an injection of backbone, will you? The incredible progressive experimental rock band "Orphaned Gears" will bring down the house after. http://www.progressnowcolorado.org/page/community/post/seanshealy/CqKK http://www.progressnowcolorado.org/page/community/post/seanshealy/CqKK/commentary#comments Sun, 30 Dec 2007 13:44:53 EST http://www.progressnowcolorado.org/page/community/post/seanshealy/CqKK Sean Shealy http://www.progressnowcolorado.org/page/community/profile_picture/68bef36de5149d0c28_0zm6beuw2.jpg Sean Shealy 0 http://www.progressnowcolorado.org/page/community/comment_rss/CqKK/ Saturday January 5, 2008, 7PM: Who Killed The Constitution? Murder-Mystery Event At Mercury Café 2199 California Street, Denver, Colorado 80205 (303) 294-9281 FREE Sean Shealy, author of Corruption & Cover-Ups of the Bush White House Unmasked, will host the second Who Killed The Constitution? interactive, multimedia audience-participation game. A news excerpt or quote from the Bush administration is projected onto a screen; audience members will compete to discover the most felonies based upon Evidence and Law cards dealt out beforehand. The person who finds the most felonies will become "Prosecutor Of The Week," and prizes will be awarded. YOU be the judge and jury. Shall we impeach? We'll also: *Offer a brief caucus training on how to introduce a resolution of impeachment *Create a short, audience-participation video demanding impeachment, to be posted to YouTube. Remember that scene in Life of Brian, when Brian, nude, flings open the window to find a hundred people standing below speaking in the collective unison of a single voice? Powerful, huh? We'll be saying something along the lines of, "Hello Senator Ried, Speaker Pelosi! We're Denver, Colorado. Please begin impeachment proceedings immediately on the following grounds: Violation of the Geneva Conventions ... Misallocation of Funds ...Treason ... violation of the Fourth Amendment ... violation of the False Statements Accountability Act ... violation of the Fifth Amendment ..." Don't fret, I'll have it simplified by the time we're ready to roll. Boulder progressive-experimental rock band Orphaned Gears will cap the event. Check them out here: www.myspace.com/thriftstoresweater1 www.myspace.com/orphanedgears They're that band you've been dying to hear, and will never forget. The sound is like a combination of Pink Floyd and Bela Fleck: meandering banjo, raucous piano, and soaring Gilmouresque guitar solos. The Mercury offers a scrumptious menu, wonderful wines, and warming libations. Plan on getting a cab or a room. You won't be happy if you have to leave early. CONTACT: Sean Shealy seanshealy@hotmail.com http://www.progressnowcolorado.org/page/community/post/seanshealy/CqKc http://www.progressnowcolorado.org/page/community/post/seanshealy/CqKc/commentary#comments Thu, 27 Dec 2007 10:59:53 EST http://www.progressnowcolorado.org/page/community/post/seanshealy/CqKc Sean Shealy http://www.progressnowcolorado.org/page/community/profile_picture/68bef36de5149d0c28_0zm6beuw2.jpg Sean Shealy 0 http://www.progressnowcolorado.org/page/community/comment_rss/CqKc/ http://www.zogby.com/news/ReadNews.dbm?ID=1404 http://www.progressnowcolorado.org/page/community/post/seanshealy/CqKS http://www.progressnowcolorado.org/page/community/post/seanshealy/CqKS/commentary#comments Fri, 21 Dec 2007 16:12:44 EST http://www.progressnowcolorado.org/page/community/post/seanshealy/CqKS Sean Shealy http://www.progressnowcolorado.org/page/community/profile_picture/68bef36de5149d0c28_0zm6beuw2.jpg Sean Shealy 3 http://www.progressnowcolorado.org/page/community/comment_rss/CqKS/ WASHINGTON (AFP) -- The Lakota Indians, who gave the world legendary warriors Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse, have withdrawn from treaties with the United States, leaders said Wednesday. "We are no longer citizens of the United States of America and all those who live in the five-state area that encompasses our country are free to join us," long-time Indian rights activist Russell Means told a handful of reporters and a delegation from the Bolivian embassy, gathered in a church in a run-down neighborhood of Washington for a news conference. ------------------------------------------------------ A Lakota-Sioux male has a life expectancy of 44 years -- the lowest in the world. They consider secession "a matter of survival," as every treaty ever made with the tribes has been broken by the American government. The Lakota-Sioux say that all are welcome to live on the land, so long as s/he renounces American citizenship. This could get interesting. KUDOS to the Lakota-Sioux! http://www.progressnowcolorado.org/page/community/post/seanshealy/CqKM http://www.progressnowcolorado.org/page/community/post/seanshealy/CqKM/commentary#comments Fri, 21 Dec 2007 01:59:52 EST http://www.progressnowcolorado.org/page/community/post/seanshealy/CqKM Sean Shealy http://www.progressnowcolorado.org/page/community/profile_picture/68bef36de5149d0c28_0zm6beuw2.jpg Sean Shealy 2 http://www.progressnowcolorado.org/page/community/comment_rss/CqKM/ These 7 voted to kill impeachment proceedings on 11/06/07. They need to be encouraged to CHANGE their positions and fulfill their oath of office to defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign AND domestic: Howard Berman (CA-28) Artur Davis (AL-07) William Delahunt (MA-10) Zoe Lofgren (CA-16) Jerrold Nadler (NY-08) Linda Sanchez (CA-39) Debbie Wasserman Schultz (FL-20). If you live in their districts, please contact them personally. The following 6 voted to send a recommendation of impeachment hearings to Judiciary on 11/6. They should publicly support Congressmen Wexler and Kucinich's efforts, and their own votes: John Conyers (MI-14) Bobby Scott (VA-03) Brad Sherman (CA-27) Betty Sutton (OH-13) Mel Watt (NC-12) Anthony Weiner (NY-09) Please email all House Judiciary Democrats through this petition: [www.democrats.com] If you are represented by any of the 13 Democrats listed above, please join your local Congressional District Impeachment Committee (CDIC) and plan local actions: letters to the editor, district office visits, birddogging, honkathons, and collecting petitions and personal letters on the streets. Find your CDIC here: [democrats.com] "These are the times that try men's souls. The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of his country; but he that stands it now, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman." -- Thomas Paine 1776 CUT, PASTE & CIRCULATE WIDELY http://www.progressnowcolorado.org/page/community/post/seanshealy/Cqb9 http://www.progressnowcolorado.org/page/community/post/seanshealy/Cqb9/commentary#comments Thu, 20 Dec 2007 02:14:28 EST http://www.progressnowcolorado.org/page/community/post/seanshealy/Cqb9 Sean Shealy http://www.progressnowcolorado.org/page/community/profile_picture/68bef36de5149d0c28_0zm6beuw2.jpg Sean Shealy 1 http://www.progressnowcolorado.org/page/community/comment_rss/Cqb9/ According to CIA documents obtained through the Freedom Of Information Act: Dec 3, 2002 -- at Baghram, interrogators kill an Afghan prisoner "by shackling him by his wrists to the wire ceiling above his cell and repeatedly beating his legs. A postmortem report finds abrasions and contusions on the prisoner's face, head, neck, arms and legs and determines that the death was a "homicide" caused by "blunt force injuries." Oct 22 2003 -- Final autopsy report relating to death of "52 y/o Iraqi Male, Civilian Detainee" held by U.S. forces in Nasiriyah, Iraq. Prisoner was found to have "died as a result of asphyxia … due to strangulation." June 16, 2004 -- Marine Corps document describing abuse cases between September 2001 and June 2004, including "substantiated" incidents in which Marines electrocuted a prisoner and set another's hands on fire. (Undated): Sworn statement of screener at Abu Ghraib indicates that prisoners at Asamiya Palace in Baghdad had been beaten, burned and subjected to electric shocks. Subsequent internal documents record prisoners being stripped, made to walk into walls blindfolded, punched, kicked, dragged about the room, observed to have bruises and burn marks on their backs, and having their jaws deliberately broken. The transcript of this internal document reveals Lt. Gen. Schmidt's own words that it was his understanding that the directives to commit these acts, many of which are apparent war crimes, came right from the top. "I thought the Secretary of Defense in good faith was approving techniques," testified Lt. Gen. Schmidt. More: www.commondreams.org By the way: Anyone seen the freaking media or the United States Congress lately? If you do, would you mention to them politely that this country is being dragged through the fetid sewers of history while they do NOTHING? http://www.progressnowcolorado.org/page/community/post/seanshealy/Cq2P http://www.progressnowcolorado.org/page/community/post/seanshealy/Cq2P/commentary#comments Sun, 16 Dec 2007 20:10:42 EST http://www.progressnowcolorado.org/page/community/post/seanshealy/Cq2P Sean Shealy http://www.progressnowcolorado.org/page/community/profile_picture/68bef36de5149d0c28_0zm6beuw2.jpg Sean Shealy 0 http://www.progressnowcolorado.org/page/community/comment_rss/Cq2P/ The nonpartisan, independent 208 Commission, designed to evaluate proposals on Colorado's healthcare crisis, was originally funded at a meager $100,000. The Commission passed five proposals on to the Lewin Group for independent financial analysis. The Lewin Group found that, of all the proposals, the only one that would cover everybody in the state -- and the only one that actually saved money -- was the single-payer, universal plan put forth by Health Care For All Colorado. Single payer would remove the insurance industry from the equation -- meaning that the 30% of healthcare dollars that now go to lobbyists, exhoribitant CEO pay, advertising, and insurance company overhead would go instead to -- well, healthcare. Read the comparative analyis here: http://healthcareforallcolorado.org/pdfs/BriefOverview5Proposals.pdf. Interestingly, the Lewin Group was recently acquired by United Health Care, Colorado's largest insurer. And, by mere coincidence, the 208 Commission received a significant boost in donated revenue shortly thereafter -- in the neighborhood of $1.1 million, according to sources. SHOCKINGLY, the 208 Commission has now decided that the proposal they will submit to the Governor, with their approval, is a plan that will cost billions more, leave hundreds of thousands without healthcare, will penalize those who are too poor to afford the mandatory insurance, and will continue to siphon off billions of healthcare dollars to the parasitic insurance industry. The donor of all that green shall remain secret, by the law that created the commission. Draw your own conclusions. It would be nice if the Denver Post, Rocky Mountain News, 9News, Fox31, Channel 4 and Channel 7 would draw their own. http://www.progressnowcolorado.org/page/community/post/seanshealy/Cq2z http://www.progressnowcolorado.org/page/community/post/seanshealy/Cq2z/commentary#comments Sat, 15 Dec 2007 02:07:49 EST http://www.progressnowcolorado.org/page/community/post/seanshealy/Cq2z Sean Shealy http://www.progressnowcolorado.org/page/community/profile_picture/68bef36de5149d0c28_0zm6beuw2.jpg Sean Shealy 10 http://www.progressnowcolorado.org/page/community/comment_rss/Cq2z/ I don't care much about gender equality, LGBT issues, or minority rights. Well, "don't care" is probably a stretch; but these things rarely hit the top of my radar. That's probably because I'm not a woman, a minority, or LGB or T. Three months ago, I didn't care much about police misconduct and brutality, either. I took note of it, and I'd surely sign a petition against it, but that was about it. That's because, at the time, I wasn't a victim of police misconduct. Now I am (blog to come). We all give face-to-face conversational support to people with these issues. But privately, we think, "well, if you're in trouble with the law, you probably did something wrong; if you're a woman or Latino and you don't want to be discriminated against, choose one of the many employers who won't discriminate; if you're gay and you fear exclusion, just don't mention that you're gay in mixed company." It's not that we don't sympathize and empathize. It's just that we all have our critical, pinnacle "issue:" the environment, defending Constitutional liberties, healthcare for all; whatever I, and my group, happen to be working on at the moment. Organizing conservatives into mass groups for collective action is easy: you just appeal to an emotion -- fear, prejudice, outrage -- provide a strong leader, and conservatives follow in droves. Organizing liberals to address common causes, on the other hand, is like herding cats. Conservative rallies -- like "Promise Keepers" -- take place in stadiums, and get massive media coverage. Liberal rallies occur in groups of 25 on the capitol steps, and get none. This has to change, if we are ever to bring any of our disparate issues to the forefront of social thought. Here is my proposal: We organize a summit of Progressives -- like Roots Camp -- inviting representatives of all the various disparate interest groups. We list all of our favored causes. We vote upon which issues we believe we could all support, that represent our collective progressive values. We all agree to lend our support to chosen issues in three-month cycles. We vote on the order of support, but none are left out. Example: From 3/1/08 to 6/1/08, we agree to support the cause of healthcare. We agree to write letters, call congresspeople, attend rallies, petition the news for coverage, etc. From 6/1/08 to 9/1/08, we work on prison reform. From 9/1/08 to 12/1/08, we work on ... whatever. Everyone in the group eventually gets support for their chosen cause, as long as they honor their committment to support the others before them. Of course, none of this precludes us from working on our pet issue at the same time. And, as a fringe benefit, we'll all learn alot about these peripheral issues that weren't near and dear to us at the time, but which we might need to know about somewhere down the road. Like police misconduct, something I knew little about 3 months agao, and something I really wish I'd understood and paid attention to long before. Whaddya think, folks? Care to herd some cats? http://www.progressnowcolorado.org/page/community/post/seanshealy/Cq22 http://www.progressnowcolorado.org/page/community/post/seanshealy/Cq22/commentary#comments Thu, 13 Dec 2007 15:55:02 EST http://www.progressnowcolorado.org/page/community/post/seanshealy/Cq22 Sean Shealy http://www.progressnowcolorado.org/page/community/profile_picture/68bef36de5149d0c28_0zm6beuw2.jpg Sean Shealy 4 http://www.progressnowcolorado.org/page/community/comment_rss/Cq22/ Wednesday, Dec. 12th, 2007 CU Campus - 2:00 pm Location: UMC (University Memorial Center) Room #247 (2nd floor) CU Campus Elizabeth Kucinich will meet with students and the general public at CU. This is an excellent opportunity to learn more about the Presidency of Dennis Kucinich, and start envisioning a Kucinich White House. Meet organizers in Boulder and Take Action! towards supporting the candidate that most supports us! No charge for event. Donations to campaign highly encouraged. Oriental Theater - 6:30 pm Location: 44th & Tennyson, Denver, CO Cost: Suggested donation $10, no one turned away. Elizabeth Kucinich will speak and take questions at the Oriental Theater on Dec 12th. Show will start at 6:30 pm. We will entertain and inform with video, Elizabeth will speak and then take questions from the audience. Following this portion, we will discuss caucus, while a live band sets up to finish the evening with a show. I am working on the musicians still, but it should be great! Food, cocktails and other beverages will be available at the venue. Cafe/bar on location. *All events are accessible to people of all abilities. http://www.progressnowcolorado.org/page/community/post/seanshealy/Cq2q http://www.progressnowcolorado.org/page/community/post/seanshealy/Cq2q/commentary#comments Tue, 11 Dec 2007 00:51:42 EST http://www.progressnowcolorado.org/page/community/post/seanshealy/Cq2q Sean Shealy http://www.progressnowcolorado.org/page/community/profile_picture/68bef36de5149d0c28_0zm6beuw2.jpg Sean Shealy 0 http://www.progressnowcolorado.org/page/community/comment_rss/Cq2q/ Several CIA agents recently revealed that they were willing to "go to jail" to declassify the 2007 NIE, which concluded that Iran is no threat. And, in spite of the CIA being perhaps the most vocal -- albeit subtly -- critic of the Bush admins policies, Democrats are currently pretending to have their undies in a bunch over the destruction of a torture tape. "We haven't seen anything like this since the 18 1/2-minute gap in the tapes of President Richard Nixon," said Sen. Ted Kennedy, in spite of a loud, glaring, completely present and widely known document (see Downing Street Memo ) revealing that the President of the United States conspired to deceive Americans into an illegal, immoral war costing an expected $4 trillion and a million lives. "We're going to get to the bottom of this," said Illinois Senator Dick Durbin, referring to the destruction of two plastic cassettes worth $8. Durbin didn't comment on the content of the tape, which shows agents drowning a suspect, as approved by the President of the United States, in violation of all humanity, as well as multiple US laws. "This is serious business," said Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Carl Levin (D-Mich). "If we find out these tapes were purposefully destroyed to protect CIA agents who were following the orders of the President, we're going to make several -- and I mean several -- fiery Senate speeches designed to give us an appearance of moral indignation." "That way, we can build our majority in 2008, which is important if we're to have a party in America willing to feign outrage at violations of American principle." "These subordinates are gonna fry," added an unnamed Democrat. "When the President gives you a direct order, you're expected, under penalty of treason, to obey that order. And the fact that these men did just that is an outrage. It's a violation of ... er ... I mean, it ...," he said, before wandering off, muttering and apparently having confused himself as to which direction to pretend indignation. http://www.progressnowcolorado.org/page/community/post/seanshealy/Cq2V http://www.progressnowcolorado.org/page/community/post/seanshealy/Cq2V/commentary#comments Sat, 08 Dec 2007 14:29:57 EST http://www.progressnowcolorado.org/page/community/post/seanshealy/Cq2V Sean Shealy http://www.progressnowcolorado.org/page/community/profile_picture/68bef36de5149d0c28_0zm6beuw2.jpg Sean Shealy 0 http://www.progressnowcolorado.org/page/community/comment_rss/Cq2V/ The Democratic leadership's incredibly bad idea of allowing the GOP a fresh start and a clean, shiny new face is on the verge of coming to horrible, predictable fruition. The folksy Huckster is smiling his way across the dial these days, getting 10 solid minutes of free campaign ad-time on the Today Show just this morning. This, on a day when the news should have been utterly consumed with stunning testimony of treason, deception, war profiteering, misallocation of funds, conspiracy, and war crimes. "The Republican Party, as a unit, worked to decieve and defraud the American people," would-be-saying the Democratic Candidates, in various forms. "Billions of dollars from our national treasury have been routed through Iraq, and back to the corporate coffers of the war profiteers in Houston. Should they remain in power, there is no doubt that the GOP will continue on the path of fear-mongering against the American people, so as to continue looting our treasury." On the Today Show this morning, the topic would not have been the Huckster's "Christian principles;" instead, the guests would have been the recently-testified Joe Wilson and Valerie Plame, and the topic would have been whether impeachment was an adequate punishment for treason. 'In a sane world, with an actual opposition party,' right?       http://www.progressnowcolorado.org/page/community/post/seanshealy/Cq2B http://www.progressnowcolorado.org/page/community/post/seanshealy/Cq2B/commentary#comments Thu, 06 Dec 2007 13:26:34 EST http://www.progressnowcolorado.org/page/community/post/seanshealy/Cq2B Sean Shealy http://www.progressnowcolorado.org/page/community/profile_picture/68bef36de5149d0c28_0zm6beuw2.jpg Sean Shealy 0 http://www.progressnowcolorado.org/page/community/comment_rss/Cq2B/ There was an editorial in the Denver Post recently that suggested that we "follow Wyoming's model" in some sort of policy issue affecting the people at large. I thought: "My God, have you ever been to Wyoming?" Except for the billionaires living on gated ranches, 99% of the population looks like they haven't been to a doctor or a dentist in decades. Oh yeah: let's make THAT our model. You're oil-rich, Wyoming. You've been robbed blind. Grow a pair, stop listening to this conservative drivel that says you're better off with overlords, and take your birthright back!!! http://www.progressnowcolorado.org/page/community/post/seanshealy/CqLy http://www.progressnowcolorado.org/page/community/post/seanshealy/CqLy/commentary#comments Thu, 06 Dec 2007 00:57:54 EST http://www.progressnowcolorado.org/page/community/post/seanshealy/CqLy Sean Shealy http://www.progressnowcolorado.org/page/community/profile_picture/68bef36de5149d0c28_0zm6beuw2.jpg Sean Shealy 0 http://www.progressnowcolorado.org/page/community/comment_rss/CqLy/ See, these blogs are great. They're SUPER! Trouble is, they tend to be a very one-way conversation. And the only person participating is the person writing that particular blog. Notice all the "no comments" on all our blogs. What is it, like, 99%? Contrast that with this message board I post on frequently. Notice that their aren't 4 "featured blogs" on the page; without scrolling, there are a dozen topics. Without going to a different page, there are 75 different topics to choose from. And, rather than hot, juicy topics steadily disappearing to the bottom of the page, the subjects that people are interested in and want to discuss get bumped back to the top. Yet every topic has a chance to be heard; all you have to do to get a subject at the top of the list is to produce a new post. There's little-to-no "moderating," either; it isn't necessary. If your comments are boneheaded, "the people" will let you know: no one responds, and they disappear. We desperately need this type of board for Colorado liberal-centric topics of discussion. It's dynamic, it fosters community, facilitates real two-way debate, and builds coalitions. I'd highly recommend an exact replica of the SelectSmart board. Here's the software: http://www.phorum.org/ Questions, comments? Yes: you in the back with your hand raised? http://www.progressnowcolorado.org/page/community/post/seanshealy/CqL4 http://www.progressnowcolorado.org/page/community/post/seanshealy/CqL4/commentary#comments Mon, 03 Dec 2007 16:03:37 EST http://www.progressnowcolorado.org/page/community/post/seanshealy/CqL4 Sean Shealy http://www.progressnowcolorado.org/page/community/profile_picture/68bef36de5149d0c28_0zm6beuw2.jpg Sean Shealy 3 http://www.progressnowcolorado.org/page/community/comment_rss/CqL4/