***** YOU ARE INVITED TO CONG. MIKE COFFMAN'S EARLY RETIREMENT PARTY *****
Monday, Dec. 14th - Living Liberally Centennial hosts Lt.Col.(ret) John Flerlage, the Dem candidate running against Mike Coffman for Congress. Bistro Al Vino. 7-9pm one block east of Orchard and Parker roads. Separate tabs. Bring friends. All it takes is all of us! Please come!
Nancy Cronk Progressive Activist720-341-8964 cell303-680-6243 home
OFA National Health Insurance Reform Bus Tour and Celebration!!
With OFA National Director Mitch Stewart
and other high-profile VIPs, to be announced.Friday August 28th, 5pmTivoli Commons, Auraria Campus900 Auraria ParkwayDenver, CO80202Millions of people all across the country, and hundreds of thousands across Colorado, support President Obama's call for Health Insurance Reform. The OFA national bus tour is making stops across the country in critical states and cities to show the broad- based support for reform. We will be sending off the bus with tens of thousands of petitions we have collected in Denver, on the way to Washington to be delivered to our legislators. Please plan on attending. This will be a fun event! Come early if you can. We're expecting a crowd!
Please pass this on to other progressive groups and individuals.
Thank-you!
Sponsored by Colorado Organizing for America
Technology was an important tool ued in the Obama/Biden victory, and technology can keep us connected for future wins! A number of local progressive groups are on Facebook:
Arapahoe County Democratic Party
Arapahoe County Campaign for Change
Arapahoe Teens for Obama
Drinking Liberally Centennial
Piney Creek Progressives
and many more!
Please consider joining Facebook, and staying connected between elections. YES WE CAN!
Hi,
I have created a new website for progressives in the southeast Denver area suburbs. I hope you will check it out, let me know what you think, make suggestions, bookmark it, and check back often! My vision for this site is to post announcements, share information, and keep us all connected in between elections.
YES WE CAN!
Nancy Cronk
It was a creed written into the founding documents that declared thedestiny of a nation. Yes we can.
It was whispered by slaves and abolitionists as they blazed a trailtoward freedom through the darkest of nights. Yes we can.
It was sung by immigrants as they struck out from distant shores andpioneers who pushed westward against an unforgiving wilderness. Yes we can.
It was the call of workers who organized; women who reached for theballot; a President who chose the moon as our new frontier; and a King who took us to the mountaintop and pointed the way to the Promised Land.
Yes we can to justice and equality. Yes we can to opportunity andprosperity. Yes we can heal this nation. Yes we can repair thisworld. Yes we can." (from Barack Obama's famous "Yes We Can" Speech)
In my work as an interfaith lay Chaplain, I have studied the sacred texts of many cultures and religions. Unlike President George Bush, Barack Obama never claimed to speak with G-d personally, nor to be anything other than a human being with human flaws. However, like other great leaders in history (Ghandi, Martin Luther King Jr., the Buddha, the Dalai Lama, Moses, etc.), his words may be divinely inspired from his reading of the great sacred texts, and in them, we may all find a higher purpose.
I believe Barack Obama's words have inspired a generation of people all over the world to find a higher purpose... to use their own sacred texts to find their way, to unite this country, and to bring peace to this fractured world.
I honor the Withrow family for recognizing these spiritual words where they found them, and to accept a call for a more noble and honorable life. I honor them for sharing their spiritual truth, in their own personal way as a family, and by exercising their first amendment rights to express their own spirituality during the holiday season.
As a sign of my support for, and solidarity with, the Withrow family and with people who have heard the Call for Change, I will find a holiday ornament of my own, paint on it the words, "Yes We Can" and place it in my front yard for all the world to see.
Happy Holidays. G-d, please Bless America. YES WE CAN.
~ Nancy Cronk
www.InterfaithOfficiants.com
Is "Yes We Can" a spiritual message?According to my neighbors, it is not. My neighbor has received two threatening letters from our HOA telling them to remove their holiday lights because it contains the message "Yes We Can". Read the article here. http://www.denverpost.com/headlines/ci_11116056I hope you will comment and pass it on to other Obama groups!Thanks!Happy Holiday,Nancy
You Are Invited to a
"YES WE CAN" family holiday decoration party/fundraiser.
When: Sunday, December 7th 1:00 - 4:00 p.m.
Please bring an hors d'eoerve or beverage to share (very informal)Home of Saul Greenhutand Nancy Cronk
5846 S. Ensenada St. (Tuscany Subdivision) Aurora, CO 80015
Requested donation per person: $5 donation to "Doctors Without Borders"
We will be painting holiday items with the "Yes We Can" message. Each person donating $5 can take home an unbreakable Christmas tree ornament (or similar item) as a reminder of our solidarity for Change. Additional items will be available for $5 each.
No talent required. Come and have some fun! All profits will go to "Doctors Without Borders".
"Hope" themed book blings (like book thongs) will also be available, for sale by the "Arapahoe Teens for Obama".
Please RSVP to 303-680-6243 with your name, telephone number and number of people coming, so we can have enough art supplies ready. Thank-you.
Our inspiration comes from: http://www.denverpost.com/headlines/ci_11116056
Please forward to other Democratic families in Arapahoe County. Thanks!
Dear Friends,
As a fellow Arapahoe County resident, I want to personally thank-you for your involvement in the Obama campaign, and congratulate all of us on turning our red county blue! As a group of volunteers, we accomplished what was previously considered impossible! I wish all of you Happy Holidays, and hope they are filled with the promise and spirit this new season brings to us all.
Today's Denver Post includes an article about why our continued local political voice is so important. One of our neighbors, Sharon Withrow, was issued an order to immediately remove her holiday decorations by Tuscany Maintenance Homeowners Association/ Hammersmith Management (East Piney Creek) because they included the words, "Yes We Can" as part of her holiday lighting display. ("Yes We Can?" No, You Can't., article by Susan Greene, page 4B) I have not seen the display myself.
I spoke at length with Hammersmith Management agent Micki Pickel, who told me she wrote up the violation. Our call was informative; she was extremely helpful. At first she said the issue was that the lights were offensive to Sharon's neighbors. When I pressed her for which rules the lights broke, she searched the association's rules and said the issue is that the signage violates the rules for political signs, which must be 36" x 48" or smaller, 45 days before and 7 days after an election. In contrast, holiday displays, which sometimes include signs, are regulated under "exterior holiday decorations" and may be placed up to 30 days before and must be removed within 30 days after the holiday. There is no limit in size (perhaps there should be, based on some of the displays I have seen these past few years!). Hammersmith Management's point is that Ms. Withrows's display is political since they say it was up during the campaign. Withrow's attorney, according to the article, says it was put up after election day.
The attorneys will have to find evidence to prove which side is right, but, I can't help but think the real underlying issues here are conformity and "freedom of speech" in a very conservative area of town. How many of us have had our Democratic signs stolen from our lawn in the last three presidential elections? Would the Tuscany Board of Directors/Hammersmith Management make someone with a Christmas display take down the words, "Country First" on their decorations because they were used in a political campaign? I don't know. How about "Joe the Plumber" in a Santa hat? I just hope the rules apply to everyone equally.
Don't get me started on the constitutional right to "freedom of religion" we must constantly protect in areas like this one. How many of us who do not celebrate the holidays in a fundamentalist, traditional way, or who celebrate other holidays, would feel comfortable putting up a sign that expressed our alternative celebrations ("Put the Rama back in Diwali", or "Put the miracle back in Hanukkah"? How about a "Praise Allah" sign during Ramaddan? "Happy Summer Solstice?" "Goddess bless our troops?") In my humble opinion, the holiday rules were written assuming everyone in the neighborhood celebrates a very traditionally religious Christmas, and does not speak to the diversity of this neighborhood. (In Judaism, for example, every sabbath is technically a holiday. What are the rules for a holiday that occurs every seven days?) When these rules were written and ammended, who was there from our neighborhood to ensure everyone's constitutional rights were considered? Who is there each time they are intrepreted?
I am not suggesting conflict; I am suggesting equality. I am suggesting keeping a watchful eye on our constitutional rights, and each of us doing what we can to keep this part of town welcoming to everyone who may wish to live here in the future. I am writing this as a kick in the pants to myself as well, since I haven't attended a neighborhood association meeting in years.
I do not have the answers to Ms. Withrow's predicament. I am not an attorney. I am a liberal, interfaith community Chaplain and religious educator, who embraces everyone's right to their own political and spiritual self-expression, especially on our own property. I don't know if Ms. Winthrow has a case, or if Hammersmith Management has a right to tell her to take down her holiday display. I do know the personal is political, and neighborhoods routinely make decisions that can protect, or impinge upon, the constitutional rights of its' residents. Unless Democrats speak up, we will not have a voice in our own neighborhoods. I ask all of the wonderful people I have met this past election year to get involved in our own neighborhoods between now and the next Presidential campaign, to help keep our constitutional rights protected, in a peaceful, democratic manner. It is only then that this country will be worthy of the description, "and justice for all".
YES WE CAN.
Happy Holidays to all of you, whatever you may celebrate, and whenever, and however you may celebrate it!
Nancy Cronk,
Chair, Piney Creek Democrats for Obama
http://my.barackobama.com/page/group/PineyCreekDemocrats
Adult mentor, Arapahoe Teens for Obama
http://my.barackobama.com/page/group/ArapahoeTeensforObama
P.S. Phone number/contacts you may be interested in:
Hammersmith Management, Micki Pickel or Rana Valentine, 303-980-0700 (contact board members through Rana)
Kevin Johnson—PresidentKevin Marrs—Vice PresidentMike Wolf —Secretary/Treasurers- Julie Sheehan and David Burachio
P.S.S. Anyone know where I can find a "YES WE CAN" window menorrah?
(I sent this to every Democrat I know. Thought I would share....)
Hi! We are almost there!!!!!
A final plea - If you want to see Democratic victories where you live, and are available for even one hour the day or evening before the election, PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE choose a candidate or election, call the office near you, and offer to help. Not sure where it is? Google the candidate, proposal, your area and the word "office". There are Obama offices in even the smallest communities in swing states, for example. Also, consider the local Democrats office, state reps, senators, commissioners, etc.
The day before, there are always:
- yard signs that can be put out before dawn on election day near polling places (schools, post offices, churches, etc.),
- doorknob signs and phone calls, reminding people where their polling places are and the times they are open,
- stacks of leftover literature that can be placed on front doors,
- yard signs can be waved by smiling people at busy intersections,
- tired, overworked, stressed out staff who need nourishment.
Campaign staff in every election are going crazy trying to get these last minute things done. If you want to see your candidates/proposals win, please go see how you can help in the final hours!If these ideas do not float your Democratic boat, please take an hour and call every Democrat you know. Make sure they are planning to vote, know where their precinct is, and the hours they are open. Tell them Obama needs a team of Democrats below him to get the job done right. Offer to babysit, give them a ride, or whatever it takes to get them to the polls.
On election day - Bring some water bottles and granola bars to people in long lines. Offer to hold their space in line while they use the bathroom --- whatever it takes!!! (Just don't campaign while in line or wear campaign stuff). Research shows, when young people, minority members, working people, women, and other groups, VOTE, DEMOCRATS WIN.
Let's all help them get them to their voting booth!
YES WE CAN!!!!!!
Thanks, Nancy Cronk
Dear Friends/family/acquaintances,
I wrote this with many of you in mind, and I am sharing it with as many other people as I can find. I am not mentioning any names here. Those of you who watch Fox national "news" will recognize I am talking to you, and those of you who don't, will recognize my public warning to all.
I am so worried about this country, I don't know what else to do.
I know that the vast majority of my friends, and millions of people like me, would never take Fox national "news" seriously (I am not talking about the local stations here, but the national one on cable). We know that it is entertainment, and we know that the Fairness in Media act does not apply to it because it is cable. With the deregulation of the airwaves and media these last eight years, anything goes. We know that Fox "news" is deliberately extremely biassed to the right, and that its content is designed to get people to support the interests of big business and to to be brainwashed against their own self-interests. We know that they deliberately slander anyone who advocates for the "little guy", because that undercuts the profits of the corporations who pay them to throw their mud. We know no intelligent person would ever think it is "fair and balanced". How could they possibly???????
But they do. Millions and millions of millions of Americans, who still have not gotten the memo that it is merely "entertainment" rather than real news. Millions and millions and millions of people who actually think that because they say the words, "fair and balanced", they actually aspire to be so. I am concerned that if the large corporate interests that give the world Fox news ever wanted to commit a Holocaust, or witch trials, or massive public lynchings, or something as evil as these things, they could seriously get away with it.
I sometimes make myself watch Fox "news", although I know that I will get upset watching it after a very short time. I make myself watch it because I firmly believe I should "keep my friends close, and my enemies closer". So, I force myself to watch it, and I imagine myself getting all of my "News" from this station. If I did, I would probably become very paranoid. I would think liberals and unions were nuts, and minority members were evil. Every "news" story is presented, edited, and exaggerated from that angle. Every story, twenty-four hours a day (I know that because I have watched it all night at times.) The same corporate lies are presented all night long, just like they are during the day.
Lately, I have been sickened by the whole ACORN story, for example, because it is so heavily sensationalized. The lies are fantastic. There were 8 or 9 "news" stories about this, or mentions of it, every hour on Fox "news". Never mind that every credible, sane, unbiassed agency has said that this story is not accurate, and that the lies have been hugely distorted. Fox "news" says it is true, so millions of Americans think it is true.
I recently shared my concerns with an intelligent male friend of our family. This man is a college graduate, has a job with a great deal of responsibillity, and has a great family with several children. He is a mildly religious person, pays his taxes, and is a good all-around citizen. Even though this man in intelligent, I was the first person who told him Fox "news" is not real news. Two weeks later, he said to me, "I have to admit, I did start to notice after awhile that what you are saying is true. Fox is the only "news" station that perpetuates the "stories" they report. All of the other stations are very different. I did not realize that until you pointed it out to me.
What do we do? Imagine if Hitler owned a tv station on cable, and used "news" anchors that were always emotionally charged like the ones on Fox "news". Psychological research shows that when information is presented in ways that evoke emotion, it is remembered more easily, and people are more inclined to act on that information. Fox "news" does this in every segment. If Hitler wanted to motivate people to kill others, he would certainly have started using Fox "news" had it been available to him. Their method of delivering lies and distortions would have made the job easy and effiicient.
"People are too smart for that", some of my friends tell me. These are the same friends who say they do not understand where all of the irrational sentiment is coming from about Barack Obama, or why people bring monkey dolls to McCain/Palin rallies. They don't understand why people are falsely being accused of being "terrorists", and why violent racist acts are increasing all over this country.
But I do understand it, because I have many dear friends and relatives who watch Fox "news", and watch it regularly. They cannot be the only fifteen or twenty people who do. They are religious and secular people alike, peopje who have jobs and families, pay their bills, and are otherwise good citizens, and great people. Not only do they watch it, they believe it, and they don't even question what they are watching. They truly believe that watch they are watching is "news".
I am very worried about this country. I am worried that millions of Americans are psychologically addicted to a "news" source that constantly plays on their emotions, brainwashes them, and feeds them lies about the world. I am worried that if Fox news had any other agenda than their current one of getting people to vote against their own economic best interests, they have enough believers, and they could do pretty much anything they wanted to do, and a sizeable minority of the population would simply follow their suggestion. This is how Hitler attempted to take over the world. Who is the next Hitler? Does he watch Sean Hannity?
There is a saying, "If we don't know history, we are destined to repeat it". One of the most significant events that led up to the Holocaust was the German economy collapsing. Germans needed a scapegoat for their fear.
You may laugh at this suggestion, however, let me remind you of two recent news stories. In one, a man who regularly watched Fox news (books written by some of their frequent guests and anchors were in his home in prominent places), walked into a Unitarian church during a children's pagaent, and murdered a number of people, wounding many more. He said he did it because he hated liberals, gays and black people. This man left a letter saying he had just lost his job and needed a scapegoat.
A month later, a similar story happened when an unemployed man shot the leader of the Democrats in Arkansas.
Even more concerning than just the occasional crazy people who are pushed into acting on their impulses, I am worried about the complacency of the majority. Most of the people who read other newspapers and who know how insanely biassed Fox "news" is, don't recognize the danger in ignoring them. They are not remembering the lessons of the Holocaust. They do not do anything about the daily brainwashing by Fox "news", except to shrug it off and say with a smile, "Come on, people are smarter than that".
Smart people killed millions of Jews, gypsies, academics, homosexuals, developmentally disabled people and others in the Holocaust, too, and not that long ago. Other smart, decent people saw it coming and did nothing.
Pass this on if you care about this country. Or don't. The choice is yours. I hope we don't regret our complacency later.
First they came for the Communists, and I didn’t speak up, because I wasn’t a Communist.Then they came for the Jews, and I didn’t speak up, because I wasn’t a Jew.Then they came for the Catholics, and I didn’t speak up, because I was a Protestant.Then they came for me, and by that time there was no one left to speak up for me.by Rev. Martin Niemoller, 1945
