Progress Now Action

Check out the latest episode of the Colorado Progressive Pulse on iTunes!

If you haven't yet, check out the latest episode, published on Monday.

Also, we've had the blog up and running for a couple of days. A couple of the latest topics:
-John on the Dems Human Rights Campaign forum
-Jeff on Primary Shell Games
-John is cynical. No, really.
You can find it at coloradopulse.org/studentvoice.html

If you're interested in blogging for us, send us an email at coprogressivepulse@gmail.com

The Colorado Progressive Pulse is the student voice in the Colorado political conversation. The missing link in the political conversation in the state of Colorado is the student voice. In order to inject a new and fresh perspective, we recently launched a Podcast called The Colorado Progressive Pulse. As progressive student leaders at the University of Denver, we are uniquely positioned to provide candid discussion and debate in a format that appeals to students and engages them in the political process. We integrate engaging interviews, news, commentary, editorials, humor and community events. Previous guests have included Prof. Robert Prince, TJ Bowen of the Colorado Peace Alliance, Eric Kornacki from the Sustainable DU project, and Scott Wisor from the Sudan Divestment Task Force. Future confirmed guests include Seth Masket, a former White House staffer, and Democratic Speaker of the House Andrew Romanoff. By using the volatile combination of humor and analysis while simultaneously providing focus to the progressive community, The Colorado Progressive Pulse reaches out to the untapped potential of university students. CHECK US OUT on iTunes (search for Colorado Progressive Pulse) or at our website, coloradopulse.org INTERESTED IN GETTING INVOLVED? E-mail us at coprogressivepulse@gmail.com.

Two things you can do to help US Rep. Kucinich succeed
in Impeaching Cheney are:

1. Memorize this phone number... 800-828-0498 and use it often.

(it is one of a number of toll free ways to contact
your Congressman/Senator's Office)


2. Call the number and ask for your Congressman
(if you don't know who that is tell them where you live
and they will connect you to the correct office.)

Tell your Congressman to become a 'Co-Sponsor' on
US Rep. Kucinich's Articles of Impeachment.

Then call all other Colorado Democratic Congressmem/women
offices to make the same request.

Then call US Rep. Kucinich's office and leave a message
thanking him for having the guts to do this.

I have used this number frequently and get through quickly.

It should take only a few minutes to say something like..

"My name is John Kennedy of Denver, Co and I support
Representative Kucinich's filing of Articles of Impeachment
against VP Cheney and I urge you to become a Co-Sponsor."

Simple, yes?


Go for it.............

We had a little fun with 'Foxy' the fox today... NO, not That Kind of Fun!

We heard that Frontier was doing a Campaign Interview style promo for the 'Foxy' Frontier's Favorite Animal at the Civic Center today across from the City Hall. So we thought this would be great test of our Concept of Instant Vigils.

We flew downtown and did a 'one indian' to their 'circle the wagons' maneuver. The media types applauded my arrival but grumbled later when they had trouble getting a shot without our signs in the background.

Our sign on one side said.

Call Foxy and tell her to
Stop the Iraq War
and impeach Bush

and on the other side

Call Foxy and say
Stop the War and
impeach Bush.

Amazing the amount of eyeballs these signs got.

It was Fun...
you all shoulda been there.

Maybe next time, eh! Join Us.
Impeachment can be fun.

John

WeeklyVigilsToImpeach.Us
Link

ProgressNowAction Member
Link

Our group

Link
1stProtestinTheStreet.org
is having a MeetUp 7 pm TONIGHT at the Hooked On Colfax Coffee House (w/ Free Wifi ) at 3215 East Colfax Ave, Denver. Anyone interested in the possibility of holding Bush and Cheney accountable for their crimes is welcome to join us. We believe that we can put enough public pressure on our US Representatives we might be able to cause a Bill of impeachment. ( Yes..especially the Democrats we elected... the ones who dissed Bush/Cheney so, who now are Congressmen who have the power to Impeach).

We are doing two weekly vigils so far, one on
">Link
Wednesdays at Noon at the State Capital in Denver and on Link
Thursdays at Noon at US Rep. DeGette's Denver Office at East 6th & Grant. The purpose of the Wednesday and Thursday Vigils is to attract the attention of our State Legislature. our two Daily Newspapers, and the public. We hope that someone in the Legislature will carry a bill to ask the US House to begin proceedings on Impeachment (as New Mexico's Democrats are doing).

We hope the newpapers will consider that if Bill Clinton can be brought up on Impeachment for lying about sex... then perhaps the more serious offense of lying to Congress ( and Voters) just before a vote on War Resolution should require the same journalistic attention.

We hope the public will begin to see that this ( lying to Congress) is a more serious matter even than the Iraq War itself (if that is possible). The previous 'do nothing' Republican Congress was not much of a check on Bush's Imperial ambitions and our current Democratic Congress' Leadership would like to ignore impeachment and 'move on 'as they say, and hope it just goes away. What they are trying to ignore is the fact that all of Bush's lies and Signing Statements add up to a huge expansion of Presidential Power. We need to protect our grandchildren from the future Imperial excesses of the next President RunAmuck, regardless of which party they come from.

We need to put the Fear Of Impeachment into all future presidential candidates.

Bush doesn't think the Congress will call his bluff and impeach him, so he will push his supposed 'powers' to the limit. Democratic leaders in the House and Senate are kidding themselves if they think he will back off. And even if he does, shouldn't he be held accountable for lying to Congress about a War resolution in the first place... to prevent this from recurring? And about the 700 plus Signing Statements. Saying he will ignore US Laws, after taking an Oath to Uphold them.

I'll stop now....

See you tonight at Hooked On Colfax,
and Wed. at the Capital,
and Thursday at DeGette's Office

PS... We've already started getting Push Back, from Democrats no less, about Vigiling in front of DeGette's Office. Why her they say... Well.. she is in a 'safe' seat, she now has powerful positions on very important Congressional Committees. She Can support this without endangering her re-election far more than other Democratic US Reps.

As a lifelong Democrat, I've voted for DeGette in every election and carried signs for her and probably will do so in the future. I think she is Super. However, I think she and all the other Democratic Reps will duck Impeachment if we let them. We will Vigil at other Colorado US Representative's offices as soon as we have the volunteers (all of them).
join us.

I've been interning with Maria this past week and a half, working to organize house parties all over the state, in support of Colorado's new minimum wage initiative. It's been a lot of work, and a lot of emails and voicemail messages, but the event is finally out of our hands. Tonight, at six o'clock, activists from all across the state will convene at seventeen different house parties, from Rifle to Pueblo to Greeley. At six thirty, these house parties will join a statewide conference call with Senator John Edwards, and many others will call in of their own accord.   Read More »

There was a WaPo article from this past weekend that didn't get nearly enough attention. Seems that one of the Republican candidates running in CD 5 got his campaign mixed up in some illegal fundraising recently. Bentley Rayburn, the candidate, asked his old friend Jack Catton to help him raise some money from their classmates at the Air Force Academy, and Catton obliged. Problem is that Catton is still active duty, and active duty military personnel can't get involved in political races. To make matters worse, the fundraising appeal that Catton sent out by email came from his government email address and went to the government email addresses of other active duty officers. That's also illegal. Here's the text of Catton's email:

Classmates,

As some of you may have heard, Bentley Rayburn is running for Congress in Colorado's 5th District. What many of you may not know is his website address and the uphill battle he has in terms of limited time to campaign (less than 100 days) and raising money to support a competitive campaign. We are certainly in need of Christian men with integrity and military experience in Congress. Please read Bentley's note below and join me in supporting his bid to continue serving our country.

Proud to be a member of the Spirit of '76,

Jack

Here's the text of Rayburn's email to Catton that started this whole thing:

Jack,

It was great to talk to you on the phone today. Thanks a million for your willingness to spread the news of my congressional run among your classmates. Needless to say, I wouldn't be doing this if I didn't think it was important--if I didn't feel called to the task--and if I didn't think we could win this thing. We can win, but it's going to take a lot of hard work and help from a lot of people. So, what I'd ask you to do is to convey to the Class of '76 some of the basic information of my candidacy and ultimately enlist their support and encourage them to seek out the support of their family, friends, neighbors and colleagues. As we discussed, beyond the local issues here in the 5th District of Colorado which they may not be interested in if they don't live here, the lack of credible military experience in Congress is a national problem. The lack of any Air Force presence within the Congress was particularly telling over the last few years, and we as a service have suffered for it. For those reasons alone, along with the need to support the President in our war against radical Islamic jihadists, it only makes sense that we look for more folks with solid military experience who can provide the balance we need in Washington. For those of us who are Christians, there is that whole other side of the coin that recognizes that we need more Christian influence in Congress. That being said, I'm the guy who has put his hand in the air, so any help I can garner from your class and our other Academy colleagues, would be of tremendous help. Our website is: www.RayburnForCongress.org. We have the capability for on-line donations, and also attached is a form folks can fill out (it's also on the web) if they want to send a check vice doing it electronically. We can win, but you know that it's going to take a lot of hard work and help and money from a lot of people. Time is important because it is not going to be a long campaign as the primary is 8 August, 97 days from now. Hopefully we'll be able to raise funds quickly to show some strength relative to the other candidates. My classmate, John Gaughan (Col, ret), is our campaign manager. He's doing a great job! We can win this seat--which needless to say will be great for the AF, the US military, the USAFA and for folks who hold to our values for God and Country--but we need your assistance. I certainly appreciate any and all help that the men in '76 can give. Thanks for being such a great friend,

Bentley

According to the WaPo article, appropriate Air Force officials are investigating. Click on the extended entry for the text fo the WaPo article.   Read More »

How does one, 20 minute tape of material allow for a teacher to be forced to go on leave? Thought provoking questions and statements should be encouraged--leave it up to the students to define their positon on controversial issues rather than telling them their position.   Read More »

Unfortunately, this is how Colorado is rated by the national organization NARAL Pro Choice. This means that the coming legislation protecting women's choice is that much more important and needed. A "D" rating is unacceptable.



Protesters rally at Planned Parenthood

March 2, 2006
By Chuck Slothower | Herald Staff Writer

Colorado received a "D" grade for abortion rights from NARAL. Seventy-eight percent of Colorado counties do not have an abortion provider, according to the organization.

This is a really significant step forward for women, as support for a woman's right to use over the counter Emergency Contraception is acquired on the CU campus from both political parties. Personal choices should not be controlled by the government. This agreeance on the CU campus should be a model for Democrats and Republicans all over the country, at all levels of government and political activity. It's not simply a matter of Republicans vs. Democrats. It's a matter of women having control of their own bodies.   Read More »

Rocky Mountain News


Abortion proposal tweaked
By Jean Torkelson, Rocky Mountain News
February 23, 2006

Sponsors of a proposed initiative on late-term abortion are making what they call "voter friendly" word changes after a recent poll showed lower-than-expected support.

The Legislative Council will rule today on whether the changes are substantial enough to require a hearing.

The initiative has gone through four changes since September, the most recent one last month. All changes must be approved by the Legislative Council and the title board before sponsors can seek voter signatures to get the initiative on the November ballot.

Now those steps must be retraced.   Read More »

Higher-ed bills come fast and furious

By MATT WILLIAMS Colorado Daily Staff Writer
Tuesday, February 21, 2006 9:14 PM MST

Bills on higher education are multiplying seven weeks into this year's session of the state Legislature.

State lawmakers have introduced about 20 bills related to colleges and universities so far, including legislation that would require all institutions to adopt a post-tenure review procedure for faculty members as well as a bill that would give students the opportunity to sign a consent form to notify relatives when they are suicidal.

Most higher education bills are stuck in committees right now as lawmakers continue to tweak them; others are in transit between the House and Senate.

State Sen. Ron Tupa, D-Boulder, told the Colorado Daily on Tuesday that bills on higher education are all vying for the same $4 billion that Referendum C, the state's temporary budget fix, will make available over the next five years.

It has created a landscape of "competing interests" at the Legislature, he said.

Tupa is member of the Senate Education Committee.

"I'd like to see more go into financial aid for the students, and if that comes as a College Opportunity Fund increase, which I'm hearing that it will, I'd like to just see more money assisting students get in and out of college," Tupa said.   Read More »

Women won't "just get over" reproductive freedom

By Diane Carman
Denver Post Staff Columnist
DenverPost.com

I will fight against anybody, including those in my own party, who say abortion should be a litmus test.

- Sen. Ken Salazar,

endorsing Bill Ritter for governor.

So it's come to this. The right to privacy in a fundamental health-care decision is trivialized as a petty, narrow, political litmus test.

With women making up 58 percent of Democratic voters in the state, Salazar's threat is a risky strategy.

"I don't think that was necessary," said Dottie Lamm, a Democratic pro-choice advocate for 40 years. "I think he could have made that pitch for solidarity without alienating the very people he was trying to bring in."

Lamm has not leapt aboard the Ritter bandwagon - at least not yet.

"I'm still kind of reeling from John Hickenlooper's decision not to run," she said. "I'm feeling very ambivalent."

It's going around.

Senate President Joan Fitz-Gerald said Salazar's office has encouraged her to endorse Ritter. But his unwillingness to support women's reproductive rights still makes her uncomfortable.

"I understand where he is on this issue," she said. "It's not where I am."

Judging by the storm of calls and e-mails to NARAL Pro-Choice Colorado on Wednesday, the abortion issue is not going to go away just because Salazar says that it should.

"For the 1 million women of childbearing age in Colorado, the issue of nongovernmental interference in their private, personal lives is of paramount importance," said Kathryn Wittneben, executive director of Colorado NARAL. "Women's reproductive rights are fundamental freedoms that cannot be lightly dismissed by political candidates for political gains."   Read More »

The woman warrior
By Ellen Goodman | February 7, 2006

WHEN THE news came of Betty Friedan's death on her 85th birthday, I remembered Aug. 26, 1970, the Women's Strike for Equality. I remembered Betty Friedan parading down New York's Fifth Avenue, with tens of thousands of exhilarated women behind her.

I also remembered the afternoon edition of my paper illustrating that march with two front-page photos. On the left was the pretty, blond, smiling figurehead of some unknown group of Happy Homemakers. On the right was Betty Friedan, mouth open in midshout, face contorted, as unattractive a photo of this woman as was ever chosen by any editor. Under both pictures ran a simple, loaded question: Which one do you choose?

This came to mind not only because Betty won her place in the history books. It reminded me of what this passionate and irascible, strong-willed, and difficult woman was up against: a culture with prescribed roles for women and harsh ways of slapping down those who didn't conform.

Betty Friedan, author and agitator, most assuredly did not conform. Not to Peoria, Ill., where she grew up. Not to suburbia, where she raised her children. Not even, always, to feminism.

She was born the year after suffrage passed. Her book, the book, ''The Feminine Mystique," was published in 1963, the year that Adlai Stevenson told my graduating class at Radcliffe how important our education would be in raising our children. It was released to paperback and fame in 1964, the year I worked in the sex-segregated research pool at Newsweek magazine -- and thought I was lucky to have the job.

It's easy to forget now what it was like before Betty named ''the problem that had no name" and, in futurist Alvin Toffler's words, ''pulled the trigger on history." We know how far women have come, but for every woman who believes life has improved, there is another who believes that life has become more stressful. Some of us believe both things at the same time.   Read More »

Rocky Mountain News

Ex-DA still 'has problem': abortion

By Lou Kilzer, Rocky Mountain News
February 7, 2006

Now, a new waiting game begins.

Minutes after Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper announced he would not run for governor, attention turned to candidate Bill Ritter.

Will certain reluctant Democrats rally behind the former Denver district attorney, or will they seek an alternative?

Alice Madden, the majority leader in Colorado's House of Representatives, said she might just be that alternative.

"I'm seriously considering running," she said after the mayor's announcement.

Several big-money Democrats and old party pols were working to conscript Hickenlooper, political consultant Floyd Ciruli said.

Some in the party are "having trouble uniting behind Ritter," he said. "He still has a problem."

That problem centers on one issue: abortion. Ritter is personally opposed to abortion, although he says he would not back any effort to criminalize women or their doctors.   Read More »