|
|
|
San Francisco for Democracy Home
|
Dean Corps: Keeping Hope Alive By Alane Bowling, San Francisco for Democracy member On Saturday, June 11th, DeanCorps began a new volunteer effort at St. Anthony's Dining Room in The Tenderloin district of San Francisco. Twelve San Francisco for Democracy volunteers, including three teenagers, began the day at 9:00 am with an in-depth orientation by St. Anthony's staff, covering the causes and realities of poverty and homelessness, Tenderloin demographics, and the inner workings of the Dining Room. At 10:30, we were ready to serve a hot lunch to guests in the first seating, which included seniors, families, and the disabled. St. Anthony's tends to their guests' emotional as well as physical needs. Their staff and volunteers are dedicated to treating everyone with respect and compassion. This guiding principle was evident on Saturday, reflected back to us in the form of lots of smiles, jokes, and thank yous. At 11:30, our volunteers switched to busing tables, which is hard work but well worth the effort. Most of the folks we met really appreciated that we wanted to do a little something for them and do it with a smile and a few kind words. Around noon, we started taking our own lunch breaks, two or three at a time, going through the cafeteria line and sitting with whoever had been friendliest to us while we were working. Most of our lunch companions wanted to know about DeanCorps and Democracy for America and had a favorable impression of Gov. Dean. After our breaks, it was back to work until 1 pm or so when we headed upstairs for a new volunteer recap. It wasn't an easy assignment, but everyone enjoyed helping some San Franciscans in need. Many thanks to all the DeanCorps volunteers and to Chris and Ilysa at St. Anthony's. 50,000 say NO! To the Special Election
 Assemblyman Mark Leno and SF for Democracy Membership Director Tom Brown deliver more than 50,000 signature petitions opposing the costly special election. SF4D members Steph Feiring and Will Carsten at left. Watch the full video here. It will cost upwards of $80 million, and even the Republicans say it's just to save Arnold's prestige at this point. Still, Governor Schwarzenegger seems determined to call a special election in November. Click here for the latest news and an insider's view of California for Democracy's campaign to stop the Governor's colossal waste. The Latest in Public Policy from the "Conservatives"
Of course, that's not even mentioning the Downing Street Minutes, Tom DeLay's pattern of unethical behavior, or this administration's coddling of dictators and condoning of torture. Governor Dean Speaks to the Take Back America Conference You can download his speech here, along with great presentations from John Edwards, Arianna Huffington, Antonio Villaraigosa and more... Minutes from our Membership Meeting May 17th ...can be downloaded by clicking here. Dean Corps on National Day of Action, May 14 Saturday, May 14th was not only DFA's National Day of Action, it was also the annual National Association of Letter Carriers Food Drive, and the San Francisco for Democracy Dean Corps was out in full force to meet the legendary eagled trucks as they pulled into the Food Bank with their loads of generously donated foodstuffs from all parts of the city. Together with a number of other volunteers, the eighteen of us sorted about 63,000 lbs of edibles not to mention toothpaste, toilet paper, sanitary napkins, baseball gear, and cat food. One thoughtful donor meticulously clad each of her contributions in bubble wrap, and included handwritten instructions for how to prepare each item for consumption. The San Francisco Food Bank staff was very grateful for our help and sent us a nice note: "....Thank you SO much for your help on Saturday with the National Association of Letter Carriers Food Drive! It was a pleasure meeting all of you kind-hearted Dean Corps folks. Thank you for staying later and helping us.... In my book, you get the volunteers of the month award! I hope you all had a great time! Again, you all helped to sort over 63,000 lbs of food! That's a whole lot of food that will soon be back in the communities helping to feed people in need. As always, we were glad to have your group here, and we look forward to working with you all again soon...." Our upcoming Dean Corps activities are: serving food at St. Anthony's Dining Room, working with the SF Parks Department Native Plants Program, and organizing a crew for the SF AIDS Walk - see our calendar for more details: http://www.sf4democracy.com/calendar. May Volunteer of the Month — Nolan Treadway
As an all-volunteer organization, San Francisco for Democracy recognizes the efforts of an individual volunteer each month. For May, we honor Nolan Treadway. Nolan has engaged at every level of the organization, from checking in people at Meetups to researching Social Security policy and working to thwart the governor’s attack on democracy in projects to stop the potential special election. His commitment to political participation, at all levels of government, reflects the civic values of San Francisco for Democracy and its volunteer-based spirit of advocacy. Thank you Nolan! The Defense Department Says Thanks
 Seems like ages ago, but in late December 2004, San Francisco for Democracy took up a collection (which DFA in Burlington matched) to provide phone cards to veterans at the VA hospital here in San Francisco so they could call home during the holidays. (Read all about Outreach Director Will Carsten's experience delivering these cards here on Blog for America.) The certificate above is from the Defense Department, courtesy of DFA...many, many thanks go out to everyone here in San Francisco who contributed to this worthy project. While most of us here in SF opposed going to war in Iraq, we are deeply troubled by the poor treatment of veterans. In addition to lying to us about the reasons for war, the Bush administration failed to plan appropriately for the needs of veterans and so community-based groups have helped out in a variety of ways. Our next Dean Corps events will be helping out at the S.F. Food Bank this Saturday May 14th, volunteering at St. Anthony's Kitchen Saturday June 11th, Native Species Planting with the S.F. Parks Department Sat. June 25th; and the AIDS Walk in San Francisco Sunday July 17th. Come on out and join us - one person does make a difference. Governor Dean's Position on the Iraq Situation Recently, Tom Hayden, Dennis Kucinich and others apparently read selected quotations from a speech that Howard Dean gave to an ACLU gathering in Minnesota - and reacted strongly. Well, it turns out that those quotes were highly selective and nowhere near the truth of what Governor Dean was saying - so much so as to be a gross misrepresentation of Governor Dean's position. Read the full transcript - not just out-of-context snippets - in An Open Letter to Dennis Kucinich, by Spandan Chakrabatri of DFA-Silicon Valley. Holy War on the Judiciary Have these people ever heard of the separation of church and state? Are the Republicans positioning themselves as the "Party of God?" How does one say "Party of God" in Arabic, anyway? And let's get one thing straight. More than 60 of President Clinton's judicial nominees were denied a vote in the Senate through secret, anonymous holds and other Republican tactics. To claim otherwise is the height of lying and hypocrisy. Tom DeLay - The Most Corrupt Republican Ever?!? That's saying a lot, especially if you compare him with heavies from the past like Dick Nixon. But DeLay's bad behavior sure is giving us a lot to think about these days. Click here for a citizen's guide to the scandals swirling around DeLay, including:
Slate.com also has a scorecard to the DeLay scandals here...Common Cause also has a good, detailed list...and if you'd like to sign a petition urging DeLay to resign, MoveonPAC.org, Public Campaign Action Fund, or Democracy for America are leading the charge. April Volunteer of the Month
Jim Cowan Each month, San Francisco for Democracy highlights and honors a volunteer. Our April Volunteer of the Month is Jim Cowan. From registering voters to creating and editing our monthly e-newsletter, the People-Powered Paper, Jim has been a very active volunteer. We value his commitment to keeping our members informed and connected. And we thank Jim for taking leadership as coordinator on the communications committee and participant in our strategic planning process. Thank you Jim! -- Stephanie Linder, Communications Director Sign the Petition to Stop the Special Election Governor Schwarzenegger wants to call a special election in November to push through his right-wing agenda. It's unnecessary, will cost us $70 million, won't be verifiable, and is will only serve to benefit the corporate special interests. Click here to sign the petition opposing this power grab. More "Stop-Arnold" resources are available on the California for Democracy home page. For the low-down on what's really going on here, read our previous article about stopping the power grab... Governor Dean's Speech at the California Democratic Party Convention Several of us have just returned from the California Democratic Party Convention in Los Angeles...it was a great time, with lots of education and networking. But the highlight of it all had to be Governor Dean's speech at the dinner Saturday night. Of all the great speeches he's given, this one has to rank near the top. NEW! The speech has been posted to the California for Democracy website for you to view or download using quicktime. Click here to get the version that's right for your connection speed. Also, you can read a transcript of the speech here.  Meeting Minutes from the March 30th Membership meeting... ...are available in PDF format by clicking here. DeanCorps Attacks Alien Invaders The Dean Corps spent a sunny Saturday, April 9, in rolling McLaren Park rooting up aggressive alien invaders to help provide some small space for our California native plants to thrive once again. To compare maps of the ranges enjoyed by these species 200 years ago versus today is enough to make you want to give your all for the poor, oppressed little things. Now, to many people weeding may not sound like the most fun or therapeutic thing in the world, but let's just think about that for a second. Personally I found myself mentally transforming each and every thistle into a miniature Grover Norquist or David Horowitz before ripping out every last root. Ah, satisfaction at last! Don't forget that the Parks Department (http://www.parks.sfgov.org) has a monumental job on its hands and they are always in need of volunteers, whether you come with us or not. But if you do join us you just might get free fruits and vegetables. (contributed by DeanCorps volunteer Jeff Whittington) Who's Running for Governor in 2006? The 2006 Governor's race will be here before you know it. Share your thoughts on our discussion board. Just Say No to the Costly and Unnecessary Special Election
On March 24th, Tom Brown (San Francisco for Democracy membership director and California for Democracy steering committee member) joined Assemblyman Mark Leno and State Treasurer Phil Angelides to fight the Governor's unnecessary $70 million special election. Please visit www.californiafordemocracy.com for more information on how you can get involved.
|
Quote of the Day:
"The less a man knows about how sausages and laws are made, the easier it is to steal his vote and give him botulism." Working Groups SF for Democracy's Five Strategic Issues
 Play Whack-a-Murdoch Boom Boom (a very funny video) Join our Yahoo group (discussion, etc.) No Longer New ! Air America radio in the Bay Area...960 on your AM dial (or on the web here). |
|||||||||||||||
|
©2008 San Francisco For Democracy |
