Upcoming Events
_______________________________________________________________________________
PDA METRO MEETING
when:
Thursday, June 17,
6 pm supper, 7 pm
meeting
where:
Giovanni's Pizza, corner 9353 Clairemont
Mesa Blvd (at Ruffin
Rd.)
An Invitation to our Esteemed
Endorsed Candidates
"OK, the Primary's over - NOW
COME HOME!"
This will be a "down home" meeting, suits left in the closet, hair down, Congratulations, fun music, conversation, crying in beer as needed.
We will have some Announcements (when don't we?), and brief discussion of Blackwater's recent Court decision followed by the June 12 protest.
Our Nationally (and Locally) Endorsed Candidates:
Cheryl Ede (CA 50)
Vickie Butcher (CA 52)
Mike
Copass (CA 53)
Our Locally Endorsed Candidates:
Floyd Morrow (Mayor of San Diego)
Stephen Whitburn (SD Council District 3)
Rudy Reyes (SD County Board of Supervisors)
Welcome home to PDA Metro and on to greater things.
_______________________________________________
PDA METRO MEETING
when:
Thursday, May 15 6
pm supper, 7 pm meeting
where:
Giovanni's Pizza, corner Clairemont
Mesa Blvd and Ruffin
Rd.
PDA Metro San Diego Chapter welcomes you to a very special evening this Thursday
for two important reasons.
We recommend that you arrive early for good seating.
Col. Ann Wright, US Army (Ret),
and US diplomat, who resigned her position in Afghanistan to protest the upcoming Iraq War
will speak and sign her new book, "Dissent: Voices of Conscience". Col. Wright's book will be
available for purchase.
Col. Wright is returning from Japan, and will report on new developments in President Bush's
efforts to have the Japanese amend their Constitution to participate in the US War of
Aggression in Iraq. She will also report on the cover-up of assault, rape and murder of US
female military by male counterparts, and the assault and rape of women on Okinawa by
US service personnel.
Nationally Endorsed Candidates
This Thursday night is also our last meeting with our 3 nationally endorsed candidates as
Primary Candidates. Yes, the next time we hear from them, they will be the Democratic
Candidates running in the General Election to represent us in the House of Representatives.
Please join us to welcome them once more, and to give them a great send-off to their Primaries June 3rd. We will join together to help them be elected. Details at the meeting.
Our Candidates:
Mike Copass - CA 53
Cheryl Ede - CA 50
Vickie Butcher - CA 52
We urge you to support these deserving Candidates.
See you Thursday!
_____________________________________________
PDA METRO MEETING
when:
Thursday, April 17 6
pm supper, 7 pm meeting
where:
Giovanni's Pizza, corner Clairemont
Mesa Blvd and Ruffin
Rd.
First, remember to go to your caucus Sunday - PDA Metro Members are running as
delegates to the Democratic National Convention in Denver. See Dr. Bill's email with
the list of PDA Candidates.
JOIN US
Meet your Democratic Candidate for
Mayor of San Diego
Floyd Morrow
Floyd will discuss his campaign and his plans to restore confidence in government, to restore fiscal
responsibility in City Hall, and to fulfill the promise of San Diego as America's Finest City - Floyd
will ask for a "friendly endorsement"
AND
Since PETRAEUS And CROCKER sent us a
CLEAR MESSAGE for the Administration:
!!! ATTACK IRAN !!!
AND
Since the media has embraced this new war,
We bring you excerpts of the Movie, based on
Norman Solomon's book,
WAR MADE EASY
How Presidents & Pundits Keep Spinning Us to Death
narrated by Sean Penn, and featuring Norman Solomon -
PDA's own Norman Solomon
(co-chair of Healthcare not Warfare Initiative)
We've invited Norman to call in, discuss the current push
for an attack on Iran, and take your questions.
Also - more on working precincts and monitoring elections!
_____________________________________________
PDA Metro Meeting:
When: Thursday, Mar. 20 6pm supper/ 7pm meeting
Where:
Giovanni's Pizza (corner
Clairemont Mesa Blvd
and Ruffin Rd. San Diego)
What: Did you know?
That San Diego County's Elections are run by:
Former Diebold Sales Executive (Registrar, Deborah Seiler)
Former
Cuyahoga County Ohio
Registrar, two members of whose
staff were convicted in the 2004
Ohio Presidential Election Scandal?
(Assistant Registrar, Michael Vu)
How to elect Progressive Democrats and take back our country?
Come to our meeting to find out!
Hear
Julian Quinonez
(SD Co. Dem Party) discuss the Go Team
efforts - and how to become a Precinct Leader and Poll Watcher - help
progressive candidates get elected.
Hear Sal Magallanez on working Election Integrity by poll watching
We
got Blackwater out - we can
fix our elections and get a
Progressive
Democratic Majority in - Si se puede!
_________________________________________________________________________________________
PDA
Metro Endorses and will Participate in
SDCPJ's
March 15 Rally and March
commemorating
the Illegal Invasion of Iraq Mar.
19, 2003
The occupation
continues...
Join us at our PDA
Metro Table
11:15 at TerAlta
Park
(bordered by 40th St, Orange Ave, Central Ave and Polk St)
We'll
assemble there to
go to the March together
and march behind our banner.
Bring
signs, drums (substitute pots
and wooden spoons)
and wear your PDA T Shirt to demonstrate
our solidarity in opposing this war!
March will return to TerAlta Park for 1 pm Rally with
Featured Speaker,
Gore Vidal
Directions to
TerAlta Park
TerAlta is either
directly below or above I-15 - hard to be sure from the map.
If
you get off I-15 North at El Cajon Blvd. (highly recommended) go West
(left) on El Cajon Blvd, and almost immediately go South (left) on 40th.
Orange Ave. is 1 block south of El Cajon Blvd. Turn left on Orange to
drive the northern border of the park and then you can circle it to find
parking.
If you're coming from 15-South, go west (right) on El Cajon Blvd and then
follow the above directions.
____________________________________________
PDA
Metro San Diego Proudly Presents:
!!! ENDORSED CANDIDATES !!!
CA 53
MIKE COPASS
Click on Mike's picture to see his
story on the
National Website
CA 50
CHERYL EDE
And Presenting Our First
Nationally Endorsed
Candidate this year, in
CA 52
VICKIE BUTCHER
See Vickie's Front Page Story at PDA National:
http://www.pdamerica.org/articles/campaigns/2008-03-03-13-06-01-campaigns.php
Information: All 3 Candidates have won the Endorsement of our
Chapter. To
receive the National Endorsement, the Candidates
participate in the National
Conference Call, "Inside the Democratic
Party", the 4th Thursday of each month.
Candidate Vickie Butcher has won the National Endorsement in last month's call.
Mike Copass and Cheryl
Ede will be on the call Thursday,
March 27. All PDA
members are invited to be on the call.
See the National Home page for call
information.
___________________________________________
Candidate Endorsement Meeting Feb.
29
Hear Mike Copass for Congress in CA 53
Giovanni's at 6pm Supper - 6:30 pm Registration - 7:00 pm Meeting
Here are Mike's Responses!
CA 53
PDA
Metro
2008
Candidate Endorsement Questionnaire
U. S. House of Representatives
Return to:
Address:
City,
State, Zip:
E-mail
Address: California53@gmail.com
Office
for which you are running: US
Congress, 53rd District,
Date
of Election: June
3, 2008
Registered
Political Party: Democratic
Party
Campaign
Manager:
N/A
Phone:
619.665.9415
Fax: N/A
Campaign
Consultant: N/A
Phone:
N/A
Fax: N/A
Campaign
Address: Copass
for Congress,
Al
Meyerhoff (Environmental
lawyer and former Natural Resources Defense Council attorney)
I
have only recently begun asking for endorsements.
I
am a proud Progressive.
To quote the late Senator Paul Wellstone “I
stand for the Democratic wing of the Democratic Party”
None.
(In addition, I have been neither wined, nor dined, by a lobbyist or PAC,
nor taken paid-for travel.)
I
am a scientific consultant to a plaintiffs’ law firm, specializing in
detecting and prosecuting securities
fraud perpetrated by pharmaceutical manufacturers alleged to have violated
Securities laws. I created
and am the president of a legal services business which hires and trains
attorneys in the review and
analysis of discovery documents in similar complex civil litigation
matters. Additionally, I
write for the Corporate Governance
Bulletin, a quarterly publication which highlights litigation and
advances in
securities and consumer fraud.
I
strongly believe that the
social crises, driven by a war machine and militarism that has been
vocally opposed by We, the People,
but yet unchallenged by the people's Congress. It is abundantly clear that
the status quo (and the
incumbent representative in our District) has failed utterly to provide
leadership in confronting these
crises. Americans can, and
will, boldly confront these challenges – and to do so, the times call
for change – for a new approach and with a new voice.
Issues Specific to Office:
Patience:
I have 12 years of experience in molecular biology, specifically
microbiology and molecular genetics, working in three different countries,
which has provided training in patience, persistence, (and languages) as
well as providing an understanding of genetic technologies. There are
currently no members
of Congress with training in molecular biology, which is alarming,
given the rapid technological
development and genetically modified products entering our food supply.
Business:
I manage a small business in Legal Services, which has been
instrumental in instructing me
how job creation, business, and regulation function.
votes and positions on key issues (
Progressive candidate on both a local national level.
I will employ the PDA endorsement in a fashion
similar to that of Donna Edwards of
locally and nation-wide, and be proud to list the endorsement on my
literature, website and
communications.
Please
list the top three issues on which you will take leadership if elected:
restoring the
energy policy with carbon and climate policy, for both short term and long
term goals.
As
a matter of principle, I oppose strongly all legislation that undermines
or eviscerates our Constitutional rights -- from the Patriot Act, to the
creating of the Homeland Security Dept, the Military Commission
Act, which suspends habeas corpus, and the attempts to pass “Patriot Act
II.” The net effect of these
laws is not “better security” -- the Patriot Act and its ill-conceived
brethren instead exert an enormously chilling effect on free and open
speech, and the ability of American citizens to actively voice their
dissent.
I
stand with Congressmen Dennis Kucinich and Ron Paul, who, although of
starkly differing positions on social programs, have stood up and spoken
out-- with purpose and clarity --against the raft of "anti-
freedom" legislations passed by Congress during the last seven years,
laws which are antithetical to the basic freedoms and liberties which
generations of men and women fought to establish.
The newest
outrage is the revelation that Bush-Cheney have sought, even prior to
September 11th 2001, the circumvention of the FISA court standard, to
harvest all electronic communications, voice and data, from American
citizens engaged in private discourse – this with the collaboration of
the large telecom
corporations.
The
lifeblood of liberty is free and open discourse: in the street, on the
phone, on the internet. Legislation
that chills or suppresses this speech, or that permits spying either
overtly or covertly, eviscerates the
privacy protections of the 4th Amendment.
Why
or why not?
abuses of the
a racket." The restoration and rebuilding of the human infrastructure
of the men and women is our obligation.
As such, I would be honored to be called to serve on the Oversight
Subcommittee of the House Armed Services Committee (HASC).
As a scientist who is keenly aware of the importance of scientific data,
and who has direct experience as a genetic engineer, and fully aware of
both the incredible power for genetic technology to be abused for
private-profit purposes, I
would also be pleased to rise to the call to serve on the Agricultural
Committee. The use, sale and
consumption of Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO foods) is a topic that
should be part of a lively and informed public debate.
Independence and Global Warming.
Federal Issues:
1)
PDA
supports an immediate start to a rapid and complete withdrawal from
support the peaceful reconstruction of the nation of Iraq, and I will
support legislation those ends, while we
reconstruct our human military infrastructure both at home and abroad by
providing the services they may need.
The
framers of the Constitution understood that placing the power of
unilateral use of the military in the hands of one man, or in the
Executive Branch, was to invite the abuse of that power. Therefore,
Article I, Section 8 of the United States Constitution describes that it
is reserved to the Congress, and only to Congress, the power to declare
war and levy funds for that purpose.
Pre-emptive military strikes fall dangerously close to what the
of Iraq, and would you support impeachment of Bush, Cheney and other
administration officials for these
and other high crimes?
Congress'
failure to uphold the rule of law, to uphold its sworn oath, is a danger
to the rule of Law. The founders and framers of the Constitution could
foresee a need for Congressional oversight and accountability, and saw fit
to discuss impeachment in six places in that document. (Curiously,
"corporation" appears nowhere.)
I
would support investigations to the actions of any government officials,
whether in foreign countries, or
my own, which may constitute War Crimes, or at the least, the fraud
perpetrated and described in the book "
impeachment of either President Bush, or Vice President, it is Congress'
obligation pursue the. It is
appalling that throughout two full Congressional sessions, particularly
after the November 2006 election's majority went to the Democrats that
many members of Congress have failed to support HR 333, which I would do,
if in office.
Against the War and their Winter Soldier events, March 14-15.
There
are over 46 million uninsured people living in
our system performs poorly, spending more money for less coverage,
maximizing profits by finding ways to deny care. The private insurance
bureaucracy expends one-third of health care money on waste,
administrative paperwork, advertising and corporate profits. The current
Medicare program for senior citizens spends under 4% of its
budget for its overhead costs. Meanwhile, poor health, escalating health
insurance premiums and spiraling health care costs impair our economy and
job creation in the
health care for all. This system would insure portable and uniform
benefits regardless of income. With no deductibles or co-pays, this plan
would encourage preventive care and restore a doctor and patient
controlled health care system affording choice of providers and fair,
publicly negotiated payment for both treatment and medication.
What is your approach to the health care
crisis?
States
We
are all the stakeholders in the Public Health. I would support legislation
similar to HR 676, the Conyers-Kucinich bill, the system endorsed by more
than 14,000 physicians.
system?
reason that the
to retire with $1.3 billion in gains, and Pfizer's former CEO Hank
McKinnell, former BusinessRoundTable Chairman, who, after pushing
pharmaceuticals on the market that medical plans neither needed nor could
afford, stepped down with $240 million in options.
A for-profit system tends to fall victim to being rigged
in the interests of a self-serving elite.
These enormous healthcare and Pharma CEO payouts illustrate at
a glance that for-profit systems are difficult to harness to the public
good.
hypertension, and cardiac disease which are lurking like time bombs in our
population. As the son of a
physician who works in a
is not a "savings" but rather a cost, a tax that must be paid
elsewhere.
Street's dollar-only metric.
does for those covered by the Veteran's Administration's plan?
clinical trials data from big-Pharma sponsored drug trials (both the
published and often-hidden data) has
been invaluable.
The
current generation has seen unprecedented levels of economic disparity,
both among individuals (the richest 1% of Americans own almost 35% of all
wealth; the bottom half, only 2.5%) and in the ratio of
CEO pay to employee wages. Thirty-seven million people (equal to the
population of
in poverty in the
color and women, can be significantly reduced through concerned
legislative effort - including a living wage for all workers, expanded
earned income tax credits, childcare assistance and housing vouchers.
Specifically, the federal government must fulfill its promise of
resources to Hurricane Katrina survivors so they can return to rebuild
their communities
in the
Tax
burdens on the middle class can be eased if the wealthy pay their share.
In addition to working to roll back Bush's tax breaks for the wealthy, PDA
endorses the Equity in Income Act, limiting the amount of
CEO compensation afforded federal corporate tax deductions. In
emphatically supporting the workers'
right to organize, we also endorse the Employee Free Choice Act, which
establishes unions in any
workplace where a majority of workers sign union cards to join. In
the global arena, PDA supports anti-sweatshop legislation and fair trade
agreements which protect workers' rights as well as the environment, while
opposing wage reducing "free trade" agreements that protect only
corporate rights to exploit unprotected labor.
PDA also advocates for humane and comprehensive immigration reform,
which insures a fair, attainable path to citizenship and the rights of
undocumented workers in the workplace, affirming the dignity and integrity
of immigrant families.
have not shown anything else, the ability of US Corn to dump a subsidized
product on Central American markets has the net effect of driving Central
American growers (many smallholders) off their own land,
into the ranks of urban poor, and finally, to desperate migrations to
other countries.
This
massive migration pressure is felt first in border areas including
ilk (such as the recent Peru-CAFTA) have failed all parties.
I am strongly supportive of fair wages being paid on both sides of
the border, and to these ends, trade agreements not by supra-national
bodies such as the WTO, but from representation of workers and the
citizens, are of utmost importance to all.
Having
already thought about the matter, I would support a “Tobin Tax” on
financial derivative transactions (the outstanding notional amount is
roughly $516 trillion) of about 0.5% to 1%.
Congress must act now to restore fairness, such that Wall Street
transactions of billions and trillions are taxed in a fashion not
creating unfairness to the laboring man and woman.
defrauded -- these unions include SEIU, UNITE-HERE, and others.
53rd District.
1)
Recognize the root causes of the poverty cycle in a specific
community, and address them
with long-range programs
2)
Business incentive and job creation: most communities on
borderline poverty are ready and willing
to work. They lack the job training & access to capital -- which the
wealthy often enjoy as a matter
of birthright.
3)
Homeownership & foreclosure:
I support public & private partnerships in the community which
assist at-risk homeowners who face late payment or mortgage default. The
2/28 and 3/27 ARM mortgages (called “subprime”) often result in
rapidly increasing “balloon payments.” Default leads to foreclosure
leads to neighborhood decay I support neighborhood which assist at-risk
homeowners from predatory lending, and can save homeowners from
foreclosure – programs in
been incredibly successful in this regard.
Would you support the legislation of
the "out of poverty" caucus?
Yes.
Poverty is an issue addressed through equitable and mandatory education
standards, through investment in human capital across the country, and
requires equitable taxation and healthcare support to achieve the goal. We
all stand to gain if poverty is addressed honestly, and with moral force.
New Orleans– to bring job skills and educational training to the poor
communities of the Lower 9th Ward
and elsewhere. Instead, the Federal Government sent FEMA trailers with
toxic formaldehyde. This
does nothing to alleviate either acute or long-term issues.
Out of crisis, opportunity:
for example, could be right now working with groups like Rebuild Green to
construct affordable and environmentally-sound housing in their own
neighborhoods, “Green Collar” jobs.
Frequently all we need
but do is “open the door” – and it is morally appalling that our
government does not.
I
do.
4) Clean, Fair, Transparent Elections:
The
I will lead the fight in Congress not for compromise solutions, but for
simple and clear legislative reform – and I believe that it is
imperative to restore Voter Trust and Confidence in our election systems.
The well-documented irregularities of the elections of 2000, 2002, 2004
and 2006 demonstrate that vote suppression, and computerized tabulation,
represent "clear and present dangers" to fair, transparent, and
open democracy.
1)
sweeping campaign finance reform (no
bundling, lowered maximum individual contributions, matching public funds)
2)
verifiable voting aka “paper ballots” (no computerized tabulation)
3)
fair redistricting, to end gerrymandering of absurd districts which are
purely designed to promote incumbency.
All
three areas require immediate action.
to the polls?
Photo
and “REAL-ID” requirements are designed to suppress voting among
elderly and ethnic groups.
5) Environment/ Global Warming:
No
issue reveals more clearly the flaws of the
future generations. It is
known that the U.S. has the natural resources to power the entire country
solely from clean, “alternative” sources of power- whether with solar cells that would require a
miniscule fraction of the California
desert, or from wind turbines on the Great Plains and in the Great Lakes. It
has also often been said that we need a
new Apollo Program for clean energy (if not Manhattan Project), in which
science, industry and government would cooperate on a crash course to
produce novel results in a limited period. Immediate action would include raising the
auto fuel economy and impose mandatory caps on carbon pollution while
investing in public transportation, energy conservation technologies and
alternative energy development--in the process, creating new jobs, which
pay well.
and sacrifices that will be required to stem Global Warming?
I
plan to be in the vanguard of this legislation. Although sustainable
energy and climate policy is often
seen as “bad for business” --
it is more apparent that it is merely “bad for ExxonMobil and Big
Oil.”
There are incredibly exciting job creation possibilities, “green
collar” jobs, which we will implement in
energy solutions will actually drive economic growth.
and useful conservation measures.
Local Issue:
Blackwater has initiated the establishment a training camp in
Potrero
CA
. Congressman Bob Filner has
come out in full opposition to this camp.
What
will you do specifically to support him in keeping Blackwater out of
county fails to stand up and speak out to the moral imperatives of our
County, as Democrats, and as
human beings.
I
will fight for legislation, proposed by Filner and others, that bans the
use of any land, public or private, for private military contractors (PMCs)
such as Blackwater, DynCorp, Kroll, or others.
Private mercenary armies are inimical to freedom, much as Madison
and others recognized in the late 1700s.
The
possibility arises that 1) private contractors are hired on a different
pay scale, which is unfair to our troops 2) private contractors would be
asked to perform task which escape the Geneva Conventions and oversight
bodies including Congress and 3) that someday, somewhere, a contingent of
private mercenaries might massacre innocent people at an intersection.
If
Congress does not act forcefully to assert its oversight authority, such
things could someday come to
pass, and I would predict that the private companies involved would
attempt to use some legal loophole to escape accountability.
I
recall that a for-hire mercenary in
Glocks and that they unleashed a barrage of bullets in the general
direction of the alleged shooters on the overpass. "After that, all I
heard was moaning and screaming, and the shooting stopped. That was it.
Enough said."
Finance
Please estimate your campaign costs:
__________________________________________
Candidate Endorsement Meeting Feb. 21
Hear the Candidates CA 50 and CA 52
Giovanni's at 6pm Supper - 6:30 pm Registration - 7:00 pm Meeting
Here are the Candidates Responses!
CA 50
__________________________________________
Cheryl Ede -
PDA Metro San Diego Chapter
2008 Endorsement Questionnaire
U. S. House of Representatives
Judy Hess
judyhess@gmail.com
Diane Shamis Field@pdamerica.org
We are part of Progressive Democrats of America, a nation-
wide grassroots organization of 100,000
members that works inside the Democratic Party and outside in movements
for peace and justice.
Candidate and Campaign Information:
Candidate
Name: Cheryl
Martin Ede
E-mail
Address: cmede@san.rr.com