You think I'm kidding? It could have happened to me.

A few winters ago I let my new neighbor--a woman who had just escaped from an abusive relationship--borrow my car. She knocked on my door in the middle of the night, crying. Her newborn baby had a 105 degree fever, and she had to get to the emergency room.

Everything went fine until she was pulled over because one of the brake lights had burned out. As it turns out, her license had been suspended due to an unpaid ticket, and she didn't even know it. It was no big deal--the police called me, I put on my moon boots, and trudged half a mile to drive her and her baby home from the spot where she was pulled over. The police were nice, considering the circumstances: no tickets for her or for me.

If I-300 had been law, the police would have been required to impound my car, and I would have been forced to pay the $2,700 in bonds and fees to retrieve my car from the impound lot. And that doesn't even include the cost of towing.

That's why I'm asking you to vote No on Denver's Initiative 300 before 7:00 p.m. tomorrow.

It's deceptive. It's scary. It's expensive. And it's unnecessary.

Police officers already have the ability to impound vehicles if they are concerned about public safety. The Denver Post, Mayor Hickenlooper, ten members of the Denver City Council, House Speaker Terrance Carroll, and a long list of Denver community organizations and individuals oppose Initiative 300. And the proponents of this nightmare are counting on low turnout in an off-year election to sneak this one past us.

You can get more details on Initiative 300 by visiting http://www.VoteNoOnImpound.com.

1. Vote. Turn in your ballot by 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday. You can drop it off at the Webb Building downtown (201 W Colfax) or do a drive-through dropoff at the Denver Elections Division office. (3888 E. Mexico Ave. at Colorado Blvd.). It's too late to mail it--you need to hand deliver it.
2. Forward this e-mail to 5 friends in Denver.
3. Share this information on Facebook status, Twitter, and other social networks to remind people to vote and vote no on I-300.

If you haven't received your ballot yet, or if you lost it or spoiled it, go to either the Webb Building or the Denver Elections Division before 6:00 p.m. today, or between 7:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. tomorrow. If you have any questions about the process, dial 311 to contact the Denver Elections Division.

There's an election on Tuesday! 

If you vote by mail and haven't turned your ballot in yet, hand-deliver your ballot to your County Clerk's office Monday or Tuesday to ensure that it's received in time for your vote to count. Your county may have more than one possible drop-off location for your convenience. If you haven't received your ballot yet, contact your county clerk to find out how to obtain a replacement ballot. Below, we've included some other information that may help.

Whether you're liberal, conservative, progressive, libertarian, or a completely unaffiliated free spirit, vote.

The elections in odd years involve local issues from school boards to city council to county commissioner. There may also be bond issues, initiatives, and referenda--all very local to your city or county. Although elections call to mind voting for President, Governor, and legislature, the fact is that most of what affects our daily lives happens locally. Our schools, our city streets, our zoning boards, even our trash collection are all local issues.

If you don't exercise your right to vote in these local elections, you will miss the best opportunity you will have this year to affect change for yourself and your family.

• According to the Secretary of State, there is an election in every Colorado county except Archuleta, Hinsdale, and Phillips.
• Most Colorado counties have an all-mail election this year. If you have not received a ballot or information on where to vote, contact your county clerk right away.
• Your ballot must be received by your county clerk no later than 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 3rd for your vote to be counted. Postmarks don't count.
• If you already voted by mail, you can make sure your ballot was received on the Secretary of State's secure voter lookup website:
  https://www.sos.state.co.us/Voter/secuVoterHome.do
• If your county has a polling place election, your polling place may not be in the same location as last year. Contact your County Clerk if you are not sure where you should vote.
• If you need to contact your county clerk for any of the above reasons, you can find your county clerk's contact information here:
  http://www.elections.colorado.gov/Default.aspx?PageMenuID=1397

If Initiative 300 in Denver passes, and you forget your wallet and get pulled over, police officers will be forced to impound your car leaving you stranded.

Which is why we're asking for your help. We need you to vote No on Initiative 300 if you live in Denver County.

It's deceptive. It's scary. It's expensive. And it's unnecessary.

Police officers already have the ability to impound vehicles if they are concerned about public safety. The Denver Post, Mayor Hickenlooper, ten members of the Denver City Council, House Speaker Terrence Carroll, and a long list of Denver community organizations and individuals oppose Initiative 300. And the proponents of this nightmare are counting on low turnout in an off-year election to sneak this one past us.

• Send an e-mail to 5 friends in Denver and ask them to vote no.
• Talk to your friends, neighbors, and co-workers in person about how important it is for them to return their ballots, and ask them to vote no on Initiative 300.
• Sign up to volunteer.

As for voting, the 2009 Election will be Mail-In Ballot only. Voting couldn't be easier-- it just takes 2 stamps to return, or you can drop it off to the Denver Election Commission in person. So please Vote NO on Initiative 300 and help spread the word.

If you live in Denver, you should have received your ballot in the mail. To check on your voter registration and on the status of your ballot, click here to look it up at the Secretary of State:

http://www.sos.state.co.us/Voter

If you believe you are registered to vote and you have not received your ballot, call 311 today.

It is possible that the workers at King Soopers and Safeway may be forced to strike, or worse--they could get locked out soon. They have been negotiating hard for a new contract since this spring, but the highly profitable grocery corporations don't want to put enough money in the pension fund to cover the pensions the workers were promised.

If there is a strike, we want you to be ready to shop somewhere else to avoid crossing a picket line.

We've made this nifty map that you can use to shop responsibly. Check it out. And if there are locally-owned stores in your area that don't show on the map, use the link on the map page to submit those locations and we'll add them.

http://www.progressnowcolorado.org/ShopResponsibly

Tuesday, July 21, 2009

Udall Announces Support for Confirmation of Sonia Sotomayor to the U.S. Supreme Court

Washington, D.C. -- Today, U.S. Senator Mark Udall announced that he plans to vote to confirm Judge Sonia Sotomayor when the Senate considers her nomination to serve on the U.S. Supreme Court.

"As a U.S. Senator I must give my advice and consent before any of the President's nominees to serve on the U.S. Supreme Court may be seated, and I take my responsibility seriously. I said I would take my time to study Judge Sotomayor's record and background and consider the Judiciary Committee hearings on her confirmation before making a decision. Now, as the Senate prepares to vote, I am announcing my support for her confirmation.

"Judge Sotomayor is an extremely accomplished jurist, and she has a very compelling personal story. This historic nomination is not only a source of pride for Hispanic Americans, but all Americans because we all take heart and feel pride when we see an individual overcome enormous obstacles and achieve great things through hard work and perseverance.

"But while her story is inspiring, what matters most are her qualifications for the job, her record, and her approach to the Constitution. And that is where I am most impressed.

"Judge Sotomayor navigated her Senate confirmation hearings with grace. Her years as a prosecutor and a sitting judge were evident. She took tough questions and gave clear and forthcoming answers. Her poise through hours of questioning is a testament to her strength of character. And my study of her record convinces me that she would be an unbiased judge.

"Sonia Sotomayor is a wise choice and a valuable addition to the Court. A generation after my father testified in the Senate in favor of Sandra Day O’Connor becoming the first female Supreme Court Justice, I am humbled and honored to support Judge Sonia Sotomayor."

Click here to thank him by Twitter

In each of our lives, we experience moments of shock that we will never forget. When Kennedy was shot in 1963. When the Challenger exploded over Florida in 1986.

For me, it was when 21 year-old Matthew Shepard was brutally beaten, tied to a fence, and left for dead on a cold October night in 1998. Matt was killed because he was gay. It sent chills of terror through the gay and lesbian community because the message was clear: you're next.

Matt's murder sparked a national movement to amend the federal hate crimes law to include crimes motivated by sexual orientation, gender, or disability.

After ten years, that change in law is finally in sight. Tonight, the U.S. Senate will vote on the Matthew Shepard Hate Crimes Prevention Act. Both Senator Mark Udall and Senator Michael Bennet are cosponsors of this bill. The House version of the bill passed earlier this year with the support of six Colorado Representatives, and President Obama has committed to signing it.

Will you sign our virtual thank-you card to the members of the Colorado delegation who support this important law?

http://www.progressnowcolorado.org/HateCrimesThanks

Angie Zapata was an 18 year-old transgender woman from Greeley who had just moved into her first apartment on her own. She was murdered--in her killer's own words--because "all gay things need to die."

Check out this amazing video from Fox 31 News's Heidi Hemmat:

Then contact your state legislators and tell them to support HB 1292, the bill that will finalize the new oil and gas rules that might have prevented this from happening.

That's how many jobs were lost in the United States last month.

It's over 4 million since the recession began. Here's a visual:

Click here to tell Scott Renfroe what you think!

On the floor of the State Senate yesterday, Senator Scott Renfroe (R-Greeley) actually referred to gay and lesbian people as an "abomination" and an "offense to God."

It gets worse:

Renfroe equated gay and lesbian people with murderers and quoted the Book of Leviticus suggesting that gay people should be put to death.

He also said that women were created to be "helpers" for men, quoting the Book of Genesis.

Renfroe was referring to Senate Bill 88, a bill that would extend healthcare coverage to the same-sex partners of state employees. SB 88 is about healthcare. It's about gaining some measure of equality for gay and lesbian state employees. And regardless of how people like James Dobson and Scott Renfroe feel about gay people, their shameless hate-mongering has no place in public debate and we should reject them completely.

Respond to Scott Renfroe.

http://www.ProgressNowColorado.org/NoHateState

And please also forward this email to your friends and urge them to sign as well. ProgressNow Colorado will deliver your comments by the end of the week.

Sincerely,

Bobby Clark
Deputy Director

ProgressNow Colorado was at today's presser put on by Colorado Republicans and their Big Oil-funded front groups. We're still pulling stuff together to show you, but you have to see this right away:

That's noted right-wing shill Michelle Malkin posing with who we've dubbed "Swastika Guy," owing to the sign he carried right onto the stage with State Senator Josh Penry, Congressman Mike Coffman, Colorado GOP Chairman Dick Wadhams, State Senator Dave Schultheis, former Congressman Tom Tancredo, and Independence Institute president Jon Caldara, among others. None of whom did anything about it, and in fact one person defended the guy to one of our people saying that the swastika is not a Nazi symbol, but an honored Native American symbol.

Yeah, I am totally sure that is what Swastika Guy was referring to.

Today President Obama has penned an op-ed in the Washington Post called The Action Americans Need in which he spells out in no uncertain terms what is happening in Washington right now:

In recent days, there have been misguided criticisms of this plan that echo the failed theories that helped lead us into this crisis -- the notion that tax cuts alone will solve all our problems; that we can meet our enormous tests with half-steps and piecemeal measures; that we can ignore fundamental challenges such as energy independence and the high cost of health care and still expect our economy and our country to thrive.

I reject these theories, and so did the American people when they went to the polls in November and voted resoundingly for change.

Read the piece and then sign our petition urging Congress to act. Our friends in congress need to hear from you because the right-wing astroturf machine is in full swing. And those who stand in the way of this economic recovery plan need tobe reminded that Big Oil-funded "think tanks" do not represent us.

Today's Denver Post headline says it all: $2.9 Billion Stimulus Stake for Colo. As it stands, the stimulus plan currently making its way through the House contains hundreds of millions of dollar to protect and create jobs in Colorado. $408 million to retrain workers. $226 million to upgrade our crumbling schools. Nearly $750 million for transportation and infrastructure improvements.

To be sure, this money is not going to keep our state government from having to make the tough choices that we all have to make when the economy turns sour. But it will create or save thousands of jobs including teachers, nurses, and other healthcare professionals. It will go a long way to cover the surge of new Medicaid patients and growing ranks of those who can't afford to pay their utility bills.

President Obama is seeking broad, bipartisan support; but that will only come if we put the pressure on those members of Congress whose partisan ideology stands in the way of progress. Congressmen Doug Lamborn and Mike Coffman both oppose the Obama plan, instead backing a bill written by the ultra-conservative Republican Study Committee that slashes taxes for corporations that send jobs overseas while cutting federal funds for Colorado. Senator John McCain said he would only support the Obama plan if it cuts taxes, has no spending, and enacts a permanent moratorium on raising taxes for any reason.

We are the first to admit that healthy opposition and debate is good for our democracy. But this group of partisans just wants to stand in the way, offering no alternative to the same failed ideology that landed us in this mess. Colorado's unemployment rate has hit a 5-year high. Let's shame them into bipartianship.

Click here to tell the Colorado delegation to support the Economic Recovery Act. Congress may vote as soon as tomorrow, so act now.

Right now, with just one phone call or e-mail, we can help reduce the number of uninsured in Colorado and help our state move towards equality for same-sex couples.  Can you help?

Sen. Jennifer Veiga introduced Senate Bill 88 – Domestic Partner Benefits, which would allow state employees to apply for health insurance for their partners.

Please contact your state senator and ask him or her to vote yes on Domestic Partner Benefits.

We have to act fast. Focus on the Family is already begging their vast network of right-wing zealots to contact their senators, claiming this bill somehow undermines marriage. We can't let them control the debate on this. SB 88 is not about marriage. It's about health insurance and fairness—two items everyone can support.

Please, show your support. Contact your senator now and urge them to say yes to SB 88 – Domestic Partner Benefits.