Tidbits, Reader Responses and Announcements - September 22,
2012

* Economic Democracy Conference
* Re: Occupy's Protest Is Not Over. It Has Barely Begun (Cliff
  Conner)
* Re: How to Make Work Pay Again (Elinor Bowles)
* Re: Chicago Teachers Have Raised the Bar; What was
  Accomplished, Tasks Ahead (Laurel MacDowell)
* Re: Chicago School Teachers Give Us All a Lesson (Tom
  Downes)
* Re: The Music of Occupy - Seventeen Noteworthy Musical
  Performances (Melanie)
* Re: Want a hero? Look to Pete Seeger (Martin Gittelman, Karl
  Greenblatt, Eleanor Walden)
* Will GOP Steal Election - Corporate Vote Theft & the
  Future of American Democracy - Los Angeles - Oct. 4

==========

*Economic Democracy Conference
 We Need it! Let's Build it!

 WHEN:                 October 11-14 2012
 WHERE:               Madison College, Downtown
 Madison WI

Thursday evening, October 11 to Sunday afternoon,
October 14 at the Downtown campus of Madison
College with sessions at the Inn on the Park.

FEATURING:  Gar Alperovitz; Ellen Brown; David Cobb;
John Nichols; Stephanie Rearick
Many more individuals and organizations.

REGISTER NOW:
www.economicdemocracyconference.org

==========

* Re: Occupy's Protest Is Not Over. It Has Barely Begun

This is an excellent response to the pathetically superficial
"analysis" offered by Andrew Ross Sorkin on the first page of
the business section in this morning's NY Times.  As usual,
though, it will probably only be seen by a minute fraction of
those who see the Sorkin article.  And so goes the "national
discussion."

Cliff Conner

==========

* Re: How to Make Work Pay Again

Do we have social justice advocates any more?  Are there
people and/or organizations who speak for the middle class?
How does the federal government become informed about these
issues?  Is OWS the only group touching on these issues?  What
can the average liberal-progressive citizen do?  How can they
make their voices heard?  After we elect our federal
representatives, how do we keep them informed of our wishes in
addition to writing them individual letters?

Elinor Bowles

==========

* Re: Chicago Teachers Have Raised the Bar; What was
Accomplished, Tasks Ahead

And a broader movement for economic justice strengthens
democracy in America! The alternative is elitist and
undemocratic.

Laurel MacDowell

==========

* Re: Chicago School Teachers Give Us All a Lesson

The mayor is attempting to bust as many unions as possible.
The president should be ashamed of him.

The state legislature passed a law which required the teachers
union to have 75 per cent of ALL membership approve a strike,
not just those voting. He never thought it would happen. The
union voted 90 per cent to authorize the strike.

The mayor has farmed out to private industry some city jobs
and for others want city workers to compete costs with private
companies. It is a disgrace and the mayor is taking the
opposite stand against the principles of the Democratic Party
when it comes to unions.

Tom Downes

==========

* Re: The Music of Occupy - Seventeen Noteworthy Musical
Performances

How about ... Mahina Movement, Steve Earle, George Martinez
and Global Bloc - J15World Candlelight Vigil for Peace,
January 15, 2012

Melanie G

==========

* Re: Want a hero? Look to Pete Seeger

Rename the George Washington Bridge-- Pete Seeger
Bridging the River--The Seeger Bridge

Martin Gittelman

===

I am for a Pete Seeger school and a Park, music hall, trail,
folk musicians union, PS day, museum ECT

Karl Greenblatt

Luke 19:13, "Occupy till I come."

===

Pete Seeger: Nobel Peace Prize

Want a hero? Look to Pete Seeger! The Portside article by
Peter Dreier fails to say that Pete was nominated for the
Nobel Peace Prize in 2009 by Rep. Barbara Lee, Congressional
Representative from California's 9th district. That was the
year that President Obama received the Prize and during his
acceptance speech made a case for a "just" war. I spearheaded
that campaign aided by a group of people in Berkeley, CA, on a
small grant from the Kendra Alexander Foundation, administered
by the Committees of Correspondence for Democracy and
Socialism.

From 2007-2012, by means of an online petition, well over 32
thousand signatures were gathered. An international register
of internationally renowned and ordinary people supported  it.
A majority of those signing the petition also included a
personal comment as to what Pete Seeger meant in their lives
for up to three generations! People spoke of his influence on
their parents, themselves, and their children, and most of the
comments were deeply felt. Many were shinning accolades and
some sentimental; a very small minority asked to be anonymous;
a few were critical; a small number were negative, a couple
were abusive; but only one had to be removed for obscene
language! A song writing contest was part of the campaign.
Almost 100 songs were sent in. The genres ranged from a
formally arranged multi voice chorale to agit-prop ditties
more typical of the folk-revival movement.

This data is the basis of a presentation about the role of
Pete Seeger as a contemporary working-class hero in the manner
of John Henry or Johnny Appleseed. Pete Seeger was targeted by
the House Un-American Activities Committee and he was
blacklisted in 1950. He was barred from public appearances and
from radio and television.  Because of this restriction, Pete
made his living singing at summer camps, schools and colleges.
In this way his audience was the basis of his influence on a
whole generation of American youth and their liberal parents.
This audience and the circumstances of overcoming great
hardships combined with Pete's talent, personality, diligent
hard work and the unflagging support of his wife Toshi,
provided the soil for a wide spread adulation that is
comparable to the hero making process in folklore.  Pete
Seeger has a reputation similar to the legendary American
working class hero John Henry.  The memories and tales of Pete
Seeger have a quality that some have called the "Saint Pete"
stories.

Eleanor Walden

==========

* Will GOP Steal Election - Corporate Vote Theft & the
Future of American Democracy

Thursday, October 4th

LA Progressive

http://www.laprogressive.com/will-gop-steal-election/?utm_

WHO: With Harvey Wasserman, Terrence McNally, Mimi Kennedy and
almost in person, Greg Palast. Special Guest: Brad Friedman.
And guest star, comic Genius Rick Overton

WHEN: Thursday, October 4th at 7 PM

WHERE: Van Nuys. Address with RSVP.

TICKETS: $20 INCLUDES WINE, HORS D'ERVES

RSVP required: [log in to unmask]

Will the GOP Steal America's 2012 Election? is a question..and
a challenge . for you. It's up to you to prevent theft. Get
informed, then put on a badge. If you don't join the Democracy
posse, who will?

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