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Puget Sound Liberals Weekly Newsletter #77

Enhancing Freedom, Opportunity and Cooperation in Puget Sound and Beyond

 Through informing and networking Liberals and Liberal Organizations.

 

Our vision is hundreds of thousands of well-informed Puget Sound Liberals working together.

 

July 6, 2007

 

 

 

Recommendations

 

·       Darcy Burner for U.S. Congress, 8th District

·       Both Keith Scully and Bill Sherman for King

·       County Prosecutor

·       King County Parks Levies #1 and #2

·       Alec Fisken for Seattle Port Commission

·       Gael Tarleton. for Seattle Port Commission

·       Write in Brad Larssen for King County Council #6

 

·       Holly Plackett for Redmond Mayor

·       Brian Conlin for Redmond City Council #3

·       Richard Cole for Redmond City Council #5

·       Both Jessica Greenway and Penny Sweet for

     Kirkland City Council #4

·       Keri Andrews for Bellevue City Council

·       Josh Schaer for Issaquah City Council

·       Maureen Judge for Mercer Island City Council

·       Dana Stober for Kent City Council, Position 3.

 

·       Support Our Grocery Workers

·       Save Our Renton-Snohomish Rail Line

 

 

 

 

 

 

Table of Contents   *** featured articles

 

Puget Sound Liberals

About Puget Sound Liberals

 

Commentaries from Our Members

Democratic Values and Platforms  **

Picketing in Minnesota

 

Liberals and Democrats

Comparing Legislative District Democratic Websites ***

 

Nation and World

Michael Bloomberg for Vice President?

A Foreign Policy in Disarray

A Larger Military?

Republicans Will Suffer from Attacking Immigrants

 

State and Local

Recommending Candidates   ***

Public Campaign Funding for Local Offices  ***

 

Links to Interesting Current News     Here’s the Beef

 

Our Liberal Spirit

On Learning

 

Recommended Books

 

Lake Hills Liberals

Vigiling to Bring Our Troops Home Alive

 

Quote of the Week

Life can only be understood backwards. 

But it must be lived forwards.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Calendar of Events

 

Tuesday, July 24 at 6 PM at Mainstage Comedy and Music Club (315 1st Avenue N, Seattle) – NARAL Pro-Choice Pop Star Karaoke contest and cocktail mixer

 

Friday, July 27 at 6:30 PM at Ann Rolio’s home (16109 SE 5th Street) – Lake Hills Liberals Salon, including a Cajun buffet and presentation about impeaching Bush and Cheney and discussion led by 45th LD Senator Eric Oemig.  RSVP to davthom@att.net.

 

 

Our Political Priorities

 

·       Fair Elections and Open Government

·       Fair Taxes and Competent Spending

·       Investment for Productivity

·       Quality Health, Education, Jobs, Income and Retirement

·       Environmental Protection and Energy Independence

·       Personal Security and Equal Rights

·       Justice and Peace Everywhere

·       International Cooperation and Leadership

 

Conservatives oppose all of these.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


Commentaries From Our Members

 

From member Sarajane Siegfriedt

Democratic Values and Platforms

I like your side-by-side comparison of our Democratic values in the 46th with those of the Lake Hills Liberals newsletter.  I do think you should consider adding "Working for peace at home and abroad," because this is #1 to many of our folks.

 

We had UW Professor of Communications David Domke speak to our 46th executive board in 2006. Our Platform Committee, which I co-chaired, felt strongly that we needed a simple values statement as a summary of our 10-page platform.  (See http://www.46dems.com/platform/2006.php ) Thus, each of our values statements reflects one of the sections in our platform.  We also provided leadership to King County in creating a values statement, which introduces the King County Dems platform and has been used effectively as a slim jim handout for the past year. (See http://www.kcdems.net/documents/platform/Platform_Final_2006.doc )

 

I believe that the Democratic Party Platforms are important tools to build consensus on what we stand for (as the "Democratic wing of the Democratic Party") and to communicate this to the public, as well as to our candidates.  Platforms are posted on LD and county party websites.  Candidates must read the platform and agree, or take specific exceptions, to be eligible for endorsement by our LD or the King County Democrats. (We all use the same candidate questionnaire.)  Yes, the platform is an imperfect tool, but it is a tool. 

 

Anyone wanting to contribute to their LD platform should plan on attending the Democratic Presidential Caucus next February 9th, and should bring their favorite issues or concerns in writing for adoption by the precinct and submittal to their LD Platform Committee.  Better yet, volunteer for the platform committee.

 

Tomorrow I'm excited to be participating with David Domke in a workshop on communicating our health care issue using his framing precepts, especially the injunction to "speak American."  Sarajane Siegfriedt.  46th LD King County Committeewoman.

 

From Minnesota member, former Puget Sound resident and long time friend Amelia Kroeger  

Picketing in Minnesota

Hi Dave - quickly checked out #76. Your vigiling this time reminded me to tell you that we are doing the same here every Saturday from 10:30 - noon at a well traveled intersection in Minnetonka. Although we don't have a scientific count on honks and thumbs up, since November '06 the honks and thumbs up have increased dramatically! To be conservative, and thinking it's fair to say, we currently get 3 out of 5 vehicles in support of ending the occupation in Iraq. Of course, we are right along the roadway on a sidewalk. Several folks have even stopped and parked and joined us (we have extra signs and flags thanks to a gal who brings her Vets Home Alzheimer victim husband, Bill, every Saturday - he is very enthusiastic but clearly on a decline). Last Saturday we had 22 people joining the fun.  Peace and Love, Amelia Kroeger 

 

P.S. - we also get some very vocal pro-war-ers. Last Sat. a guy in a van stopped at the edge of parking across from the four-lane and shouted very loud obscenities at us, along with the usual middle finger. He kept that middle finger at us all the way out of parking, and at the stop light, and held above as he finally drove away. It was actually quite humorous - one of our gal's teenage sons had come with a video camera - we have it on film, although I've yet to see his footage.  Amelia

 

Liberals and Democrats

 

Comparing Legislative District Democratic Websites

This analysis of Democratic legislative district websites is intended to facilitate examining and comparing website features to find features which might be adopted. 

 

12 Features

Upon examination of each website for each of the 12 features listed below, an ‘X’ was put in the columns in which these features were present.  But much variation may occur.  For example, a website may have a brief mention of PCOs or describe the role, how to become one and list the PCOs.  There are asterisks by some websites which seem to offer excellent coverage of many features..

 

If you are interested in a feature, simply click on the legislative districts or counties which have an ‘X’ in the appropriate column.  You can quickly review them and make notes concerning the websites and their contents which you want for your website.

 

County and Legislative District Website Features

 

 

Leg Dist

1

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