http://www.couragecampaign.org/page/community/blog_rss/eriklove It's been a busy year for progressives in California. Without sounding too dramatic, in 2007 we took huge steps towards achieving our boldest dreams . From ending the war in Iraq to providing health care to every person in California; from fighting to stop the Bush administration from eroding civil liberties and torturing, to blocking Blackwater; from seeking fair and humane immigration policy reform, to protecting the integrity of our elections – you have been working hard and earning huge victories this year. Here, I'll highlight some of the biggest moments of 2007. As you'll see, this list contains some incredible victories, but every item on this list contains elements we'll continue to fight for in 2008 and beyond. As big as 2007 was, there's no question that 2008 will be even bigger. Without further ado – here's Courage 2007 In Review . http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/post/eriklove/Bck http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/post/eriklove/Bck/commentary#comments Fri, 28 Dec 2007 13:35:50 PST http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/post/eriklove/Bck Erik Love Erik Love 0 http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/comment_rss/Bck/ California Secretary of State Debra Bowen has opened an investigation into the Dirty Trick to steal the White House -- and now Courage Campaign needs your help to make sure the GOP-backed group behind the move to change California's Electoral College votes is exposed as using illegal tactics to get signatures. You may remember that Bowen opened the investigation earlier this week after Courage Campaign and the netroots community took action, catching people on video obscuring petition language and misrepresenting the intent of a petition. After the great success that we won in convincing Bowen to open the investigation, we need to come together one more time and help close the noose around the GOP-backed groups trying to get their Dirty Trick on the ballot. Debra Bowen needs your help right away. Send your photos, video, or any other documentation of dirty tricks to the SoS office now . Full details after the flip. http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/post/eriklove/BJJ http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/post/eriklove/BJJ/commentary#comments Fri, 21 Dec 2007 11:10:02 PST http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/post/eriklove/BJJ Erik Love Erik Love 1 http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/comment_rss/BJJ/ The California progressive grassroots community has done it again. Just before Thanksgiving, UCSB graduate student Steven Attewell contacted Courage Campaign , raising alarm bells about disturbing signature-gathering tactics being used by "California Counts" -- the right-wing organization behind the so-called "Electoral College Reform Initiative" that would help the Republicans steal the White House in 2008 by changing how California allocates its electoral votes. As you may know, this dirty trick initiative is on life support, as California Counts struggles to get it on the November ballot, after failing to make the June ballot. And Kossacks, if today's great news from Secretary of State Debra Bowen pans out, may be part of the vast left-wing conspiracy that ultimately kills it. As Steven discovered, the sneaky signature gatherers working for "California Counts" and Arno Consulting are luring people in to sign using a "children with cancer" bait-and-switch tactic. After getting in touch with Steven, I headed out on campus armed with a camera. I confirmed and documented what Attewell first noticed: that the dirty tricksters had obscured the petitions that students were signing. And I got it on video. Today, I received a letter from Secretary Bowen's office. Bowen's letter and Courage Campaign videos are on the flip http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/post/eriklove/BJ5 http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/post/eriklove/BJ5/commentary#comments Tue, 18 Dec 2007 07:54:48 PST http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/post/eriklove/BJ5 Erik Love Erik Love 0 http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/comment_rss/BJ5/ For progressives, it's been a busy Monday in Sacramento and Washington (and in LA for that matter) as several important stories had major developments today. Follow me after the flip for a summary of what happened today on: -- Healthcare in California -- Holding telephone companies accountable for illegally violating our civil liberties -- The Writer's Guild Strike -- And, last but certainly not least, the Calitics/CREDO/Courage Happy Holiday Fun Time! http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/post/eriklove/BJR http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/post/eriklove/BJR/commentary#comments Mon, 17 Dec 2007 17:29:35 PST http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/post/eriklove/BJR Erik Love Erik Love 0 http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/comment_rss/BJR/ Tonight, Blackwater is on a ballot for the first time in United States history. View a short Courage Campaign documentary on the brave and historic grassroots opposition to Blackwater, and sign up to help Block Blackwater at BlockBlackwater.com. http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/post/eriklove/BJM http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/post/eriklove/BJM/commentary#comments Tue, 11 Dec 2007 19:42:47 PST http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/post/eriklove/BJM Erik Love Erik Love 0 http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/comment_rss/BJM/ I remember when President Bush promised that any time that the CIA or FBI listened to my phone calls, there was an impartial court that gave them permission to spy on me. It made sense to me. After all, the CIA isn't above the law. And then, we found out that not only did the President lie, but so did AT&T and other telephone corporations. They helped the Bush Administration violate my civil liberties (and yours) -- for who knows how long. A former AT&T worker in San Francisco came forward as a whistleblower on the illegal activities he saw at the secret AT&T office where he worked. The case against the telephone corporations is solid -- so it's time to bring them to justice. Or not. As Bradley Whitford explains in his latest Courage Campaign video, our Senator Feinstein holds a crucial vote on a bill that would let AT&T off the hook. It's called "retroactive immunity," but what that really means is that your phone company can violate your civil liberties without any penalty. Tell Senator Feinstein to stop this bill from ever seeing the light of day. More from Rick Jacobs after the flip: http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/post/eriklove/BJH http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/post/eriklove/BJH/commentary#comments Mon, 10 Dec 2007 11:23:34 PST http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/post/eriklove/BJH Erik Love Erik Love 1 http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/comment_rss/BJH/ The people-powered campaign to hold Senator Dianne Feinstein accountable for her pro-Bush votes is just getting started. You've got her attention. Now, it's time to make sure she doesn't ignore her constituents any more. Click here for video and the latest update. http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/post/eriklove/BJQ http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/post/eriklove/BJQ/commentary#comments Thu, 06 Dec 2007 14:15:53 PST http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/post/eriklove/BJQ Erik Love Erik Love 0 http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/comment_rss/BJQ/ At a recent football game on the campus of San Diego State University, the infamous Blackwater Corporation found yet another way to dishonor America. On December 1, Blackwater, the notorious mercenary corporation which brought scandal upon itself when its highly paid empployees in Baghdad shot and killed more than a dozen innocent civilians, took part in a halftime show. A Blackwater employee, wearing military-esque apparel, parachuted into the stadium and literally dragged the American flag through the mud. Here's a video from the same event last year; skip ahead to about 2:40 to see Blackwater's shameful presentation: Follow me over the flip for more on this scandal. http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/post/eriklove/BJ2 http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/post/eriklove/BJ2/commentary#comments Wed, 05 Dec 2007 18:55:10 PST http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/post/eriklove/BJ2 Erik Love Erik Love 0 http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/comment_rss/BJ2/ Just before Thanksgiving, I posted my video showing the illegal tactics that the Republicans are willing to use in order to get signatures on their so-called "Electoral College Reform Initiative" - a ballot proposal that in reality is yet another election-stealing Republican dirty trick. And now, my video has just been featured nationally on the CBS Evening News. The full story is over the fold. http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/post/eriklove/BJZ http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/post/eriklove/BJZ/commentary#comments Mon, 03 Dec 2007 15:13:56 PST http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/post/eriklove/BJZ Erik Love Erik Love 2 http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/comment_rss/BJZ/ Debra Bowen, the California Secretary of State, was interviewed last week on her in-depth, "top-to-bottom" review of California's voting machinery as well as the recent push by Republicans to "reform" California's Electoral College votes. On the inquiry into voting machines, Secretary Bowen describes how and why she followed through on her duty to de-certify voting systems that shows inherent and persistent problems. She talks about how California is moving forward now that several voting machines are no longer acceptable in Califorina. And on the so-called " Electoral College Reform " effort, which would give the Republicans 20 electoral college votes in the 2008 Presidential Election, Bowen says that such a change might be fair if it happened in all 50 states. But targeting only California for this kind of sweeping reform is clearly problematic because it only benefits the Republican party. See the videos here -- first Secretary Bowen on her "top-to-bottom" review of election machines , and then her response to the Dirty Trick . http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/post/eriklove/BJq http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/post/eriklove/BJq/commentary#comments Mon, 03 Dec 2007 09:27:55 PST http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/post/eriklove/BJq Erik Love Erik Love 1 http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/comment_rss/BJq/ Courage Campaign has formally and officially requested that Secretary of State Debra Bowen open a full investigation into the "California Counts" Campaign, the Republican front group pushing the so-called " Electoral College Reform Initiative ." Over the past 10 days, Courage Campaign has received a flood of testimonials from across California showing that the video evidence we released last week is part of a larger pattern: the "California Counts" Campaign is using misleading (and illegal) tactics to get signatures on their ballot petition. As you already know, the Dirty Trick "reform initiative" is backed by wealthy supporters of Republican Presidential Candidate Rudy Giuliani . Giuliani would love to see this initiative on the June 08 ballot, because if it passes, then the Republicans would get about 20 electoral college votes from California -- enough to potentially steal the White House. Now, we've supplied the Secretary of State's Fraud Investigations Unit with testimonials that clearly show a pattern of illegal activity done by petitioners working for "California Counts." We've asked that office to open a full investigation to get to the bottom of this Dirty Trick. If you have information on misleading tactics used by signature gatherers, now is the time to let us know. Visit www.couragecampaign.org/sneaky and submit your information. http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/post/eriklove/BJv http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/post/eriklove/BJv/commentary#comments Sat, 01 Dec 2007 12:01:47 PST http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/post/eriklove/BJv Erik Love Erik Love 0 http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/comment_rss/BJv/ Blackwater, the mercenary "private army" corporation embroiled in controversy due to its killing of more than a dozen innocent Iraqi civilians in Baghdad, has not given up on its plans to construct a massive training facility in the border community of Potrero, California. The small community, recently ravaged by wildfire, will come together on December 11 for an election. This election, called due to a petition of the 850 Potrero residents, will recall most of the Potrero planning group which (apparently against the wishes of the majority of Potrero residents) approved the construction of Blackwater's giant facility. The small and picturesque town has become the center of world attention recently , due to Blackwater's plans. A new documentary, "Blackwater in Potrero," airs on Alternate Focus, beginning next week. There's also an advance copy of the documentary available here . This remarkable documentary shows the stakes of Blackwater's plans to expand near the US/Mexico border. Clearly, this corporation has its eyes set on the potentially lucrative job of deploying a mercenary force to patrol the border -- a possibility which has already angered Mexican authorities and human rights groups. You can send a message of support to the people of Potrero here. http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/post/eriklove/BJc http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/post/eriklove/BJc/commentary#comments Fri, 30 Nov 2007 08:46:34 PST http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/post/eriklove/BJc Erik Love Erik Love 0 http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/comment_rss/BJc/ What does it mean to be a Democrat?  For me, it means standing strong on fundamental principles like torture and civil liberties. Let's join together to send a message loud and clear to Senator Dianne Feinstein and California Democratic Party Chairman Art Torres: stand strong on our principles.  Don't cave on immunity for telecom corporations. More details below the fold. http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/post/eriklove/BJr http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/post/eriklove/BJr/commentary#comments Wed, 28 Nov 2007 20:49:47 PST http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/post/eriklove/BJr Erik Love Erik Love 2 http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/comment_rss/BJr/ Send this YouTube to your friends and tell then to keep their eyes peeled for dirty tricksters when they go shopping this weekend. If you encounter a petitioner trying to trick you with a line about "children with cancer," then click here to report when and where you saw the dirty tricksters: http://www.couragecampaign.org/sneaky Last week, University of California student Steven Attewell discovered a team of petitioners on the university campus at Santa Barbara . After discovering that the petitioners were trying to get signatures for the Dirty Trick Act , Mr. Attewell immediately contacted the Courage Campaign to help shine a spotlight on these illegal tactics. The following day, we found the petitioners using their deceptive tactics to get signatures from unsuspecting college students. And we had a video camera. As you can see in the video, the petitioners said that their petition would "help children with cancer," and then proceeded to instruct well-meaning students to sign several petitions that were attached together on a single clipboard. The petitioners clearly tried to obscure the language on the petitions, using a rubber band to make it difficult for anyone signing to read beyond the first page. When pressed, the petitioners described some of the other issues (besides curing cancer) they were advocating, but their descriptions of the petition language on eminent domain and presidential election reform was unclear or inaccurate. According to an investigation from the UCSB Daily Nexus , the petitioners in Santa Barbara said that they work for Arno Political Consultants (APC), a notorious Republican consulting firm which has previously contracted to get signatures for tobacco companies, Mobil Oil, and they've been discovered tricking people into registering to vote as a Republican. APC has been in courts all over America, as you can see here . APC said that their corporation bears no responsibility for the tactics seen in Santa Barbara, and that any violations of election law are the fault of the individual signature-gatherers in Santa Barbara. This seems unlikely as reports are flowing in from across the state of APC petitioners using similar deceptive tactics used to get signatures on the Dirty Trick Initiative. If you see anyone collecting signatures for the Dirty Trick, let us know right away by visiting CourageCampaign.org/sneaky . Send us your video, your photos and your stories; we'll post them and we'll offer them up when it comes time to challenge the process. Follow me after the break for more information. http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/post/eriklove/Bn2 http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/post/eriklove/Bn2/commentary#comments Wed, 21 Nov 2007 15:31:16 PST http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/post/eriklove/Bn2 Erik Love Erik Love 0 http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/comment_rss/Bn2/ The meeting of the California Democratic Party in Anaheim this weekend was historic. Now, the conversation continues at CourageCampaign.org/Conversation Here's the latest update on how we're moving forward after the incredible groundswell of activism changed the conversation in the CDP. http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/post/eriklove/Bnt http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/post/eriklove/Bnt/commentary#comments Tue, 20 Nov 2007 18:02:20 PST http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/post/eriklove/Bnt Erik Love Erik Love 0 http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/comment_rss/Bnt/ “This plays right into the hands of the Republicans.” “Our only goal is to elect a Democrat into the White House in 2008.  Nothing should distract from that.” These the main sound bites from Senator Art Torres at the California Democratic Party meetings this weekend. They should be the talking points of the grassroots Democrats whose anti-torture platform was shot down yesterday. The actions of Torres, committee chair John Hanna, and others in the California Democratic Party leadership played right into the hands of the Republicans.   The core principles of the Democratic Party – freedom and upholding the constitution – were blatantly violated by one of our members, Senator Dianne Feinstein.  The message our resolution sent was simply that we expect better from our Senator, because nothing distracts more from electing a Democrat to the White House in 2008 than weak-kneed Democrats in Congress who betray even the most basic Democratic principles . Torres and Hanna’s strong-armed tactics played right into the hands of the Republicans.  They have sent the wrong message to California, and the wrong message to America. http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/post/eriklove/BnP http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/post/eriklove/BnP/commentary#comments Sun, 18 Nov 2007 11:53:36 PST http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/post/eriklove/BnP Erik Love Erik Love 1 http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/comment_rss/BnP/ The California Democratic Party meets in Anaheim today, and they will consider adopting a resolution to censure US Senator Dianne Feinstein for her recent pro-Bush votes.  The Censure resolution has the support of more than 20,000 individuals and over two dozen grassroots organizations located across the state. It’s not too late to add your name to the growing list of people who think that Feinstein should be held accountable for her votes which contravene Democratic principles – like her recent vote to confirm Bush’s pro-torture Attorney General Michael Mukasey. Just yesterday the Sonoma County Democratic Party voted to endorse the censure resolution , joining Courage Campaign, MoveOn, the CDP Women’s Caucus, Progressive Democrats of America, and more than two dozen others.  See the full list at CourageCampaign.org/CensureTheSenator . Senator Feinstein has too often voted with President Bush and has failed to listen to the constituents who elected her.  Today is the day she’ll learn that voting against the interests of California is unacceptable.  Stay with CourageCampaign.org for the latest updates from the CDP meeting in Anaheim. http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/post/eriklove/BnT http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/post/eriklove/BnT/commentary#comments Sat, 17 Nov 2007 10:52:32 PST http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/post/eriklove/BnT Erik Love Erik Love 0 http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/comment_rss/BnT/ The Dirty Tricks petitioners are out in full force all across California right now, doing their worst to get hundreds of thousands of signatures. With the support of wealthy Republican activists like Darrell Issa, they're trying to get their plan -- to give the Republican Party 20 Electoral College Votes -- on the ballot. They won't succeed, because Californians are hip to their dirty trick. As Leah Adler at CREDO puts it: "I don't want anyone stealing the election in 2008. Let's make it fair and open for everyone by rejecting the dirty tricks initiative before it even gets on the ballot. If you are approached by petition gather for this dirty tricks initiative tell them NO." Get more information on the Dirty Trick at our central website for keeping the 2008 election fair and square: nodirtytricks.com http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/post/eriklove/Bn8 http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/post/eriklove/Bn8/commentary#comments Sat, 17 Nov 2007 09:45:15 PST http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/post/eriklove/Bn8 Erik Love Erik Love 1 http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/comment_rss/Bn8/ Our Senator, Dianne Feinstein, has been ignoring us for far too long. She has voted again and again and again to enable the worst elements of Bush policy: war, torture, racism, homophobia. I've had enough of my representative in Washington ignoring me. Let's do what we have to do to hold the Senator accountable for her actions. Join the coalition of Californians moving to Censure the Senator by visiting http://www.couragecampaign.org/censurethesenator See all the details below, from Rick Jacobs. http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/post/eriklove/BpQ http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/post/eriklove/BpQ/commentary#comments Tue, 13 Nov 2007 10:39:53 PST http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/post/eriklove/BpQ Erik Love Erik Love 25 http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/comment_rss/BpQ/ November 13 2007 UPDATE: Join the Coalition to Censure the Senator here. Details are still emerging, but tonight it is clear that a powerful coalition of Californians intends to hold their Democratic Senator, Dianne Feinstein, accountable for her vote to enable Bush's torture policy. Senator Feinstein voted last week to confirm Bush's nominee for Attorney General, Michael Mukasey. During his meeting with Senator Feinstein and the Judiciary Committee, Mukasey would not state the obvious fact that drowning torture (also known as "waterboarding") is illegal. Feinstein voted to approve him anyway. Feinstein has also voted with Bush on controversial federal judge appointments. She also voted for the Iraq War resolution despite huge protests against the war in her home state. Her constituents have clearly had enough, and they are now moving to hold her to account. News of a constituent movement to censure Senator Feinstein is particularly fitting news for Veterans Day, when every effort must be made to protect America's fighting women and men from harm. Bush's torture policy places our soldiers directly in the line of fire -- the only protection that Americans have against torture is the Geneva Conventions. Bush's refusal to stop the use of drowning torture is a clear violation of Geneva. More details on the actions planned by the coalition of concerned Californians coming soon -- stay at couragecampaign.org for updates. http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/post/eriklove/BpL http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/post/eriklove/BpL/commentary#comments Mon, 12 Nov 2007 21:51:17 PST http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/post/eriklove/BpL Erik Love Erik Love 5 http://couragecampaign.org/page/community/comment_rss/BpL/