Available in black, navy and purple, L and XL sizes, short-sleeved ($20) and long ($25). Choose from two different designs.
On back: “South Carolina Progressive Network: It’s about justice. It’s about democracy. It’s about time.”
To order, call 803-808-3384.
This week the Network resumes its monthly meeting schedule in Columbia, Charleston and Greenville after taking a summer break in July and August. The Charleston group merged their meeting with CAFE, which was meeting at the same time at the ILA Hall on Monday. (The Network meets there every second Monday of the month.)
Last night, the Columbia group met in a new location, the historic Modjeska Simkins house on Marion Street. I think she would have been pleased to see us gathered under her roof – black, brown and white, gay and straight, believers and humanists – talking about movement building. Being in that space was a privilege, and we thank the Columbia Historic Foundation for allowing us to meet there.
We had a good turnout, with several new folks. Our guest speaker was Martin Chernoff, who talked about the genocide in Darfur and a rally he’s helping organize that will be held Oct. 6 at 2pm at the State House. He sees South Carolina, an early primary state, being the perfect place to stage a big rally and invite the presidential candidates to participate. The event will include local and nationally known entertainers.
The Darfur Action Group has launched a savvy campaign and promises to stay engaged after the rally is over. For details, click here.
Frank Knapp and Dr. Sam Baker, who led the discussion after the Network’s screening of Michael Moore’s documentary Sicko earlier this month, talked about health care reform initiatives in South Carolina and where the presidential candidates are on the issue. Framing the debate is a priority, as the language is new enough to confuse voters. That’s just how the candidates – who have raked in megabucks from the insurance and pharmaceutical companies that stand to lose huge if this country goes for “socialized medicine” – want it. They want to appear to have a plan to fix the health care problem when, in fact, all but the good congressman from Ohio are reaching for Band-Aids when a tourniquet is in order.
If you want to join the new group South Carolinians for Universal Health Care, e-mail us at network@scpronet.com.
Frank Knapp talks about health care reform efforts in South Carolina.
We talked about the Pride March, which will be held in Columbia Sept. 22. For a full schedule of Pride activities, which kick off Sept. 15, see SC GLPM’s Web site. If your organization wants to distribute literature, feel free to drop it off at the Network’s table.
Network Co-Chair Rev. Bennie Colclough talks about the upcoming Pride March Sept. 22, where he’ll be a featured speaker.
Finally, we heard from Rehan Khan, who asked to speak on behalf of USC’s Student Muslim Association about a fundraiser (being held tonight on campus) for an injured Iraqi girl. Salee, who is 10, lost both of her legs during a U.S. led missile strike while playing near her house. She was recently brought to South Carolina to receive medical attention and prosthetic limbs by the No More Victims foundation.
Rehan also invited the Network to join them for a Fast-A-Thon on Oct. 4 and to break bread at a community meal on campus that evening. The South Carolina Fast-a-Thon was organized to raise money and awareness for impoverished people around the world. By pledging to fast on the 4th from sunrise to sunset, the group hopes to raise money and awareness for Iraqi war victims who need food and medical attention. All of the raised proceeds will go towards providing relief to victims of collateral damage. Find out more and make your pledge by clicking here.
Medical student Rehan Khan invites the Network to join USC’s Muslim Students Association in a Fast-a-Thon Oct. 4 to raise money and awareness about poverty.
Our next Columbia meeting will be held on Oct. 9 (the second Tuesday of every month) at 7pm at the Simkins House, 2025 Marion St. We’ll hear from Conchita Cruz, newly hired to head up the Coalition for New South Carolinians. We hope you’ll join us. Free drinks and snacks. Good people. Big ideas. What more could you want?
If you’re in the Upstate, join us tomorrow night in Greenville at 7pm at Open Book, 110 S. Pleasantburg Dr. Meetings are informal and open to anyone interested in knowing more about the Network and getting involved to make change in South Carolina.
A poorly crafted provision of Congress’ 2006 Deficit Reduction Act changed the rule allowing pharmaceutical companies to offer some providers low-cost drugs – ultimately making it harder for college and university health clinics to offer students affordable birth control!
Since this law went into effect last January, birth control prices on college campuses have skyrocketed: birth control pill packs have increased from $10 to $40-$50 and have become unaffordable for many young women.
Why should you care? Because at least 69% of females and 64% of males ages 18-19 report having had sexual intercourse, and 54% of unwanted pregnancies occur among women in their twenties.
Thankfully, there’s a fix. Contact South Carolina’s 6th District U.S. Congressman James E. Clyburn today!
Tell Clyburn to ask Rep. John D. Dingell, Chairman of the U.S. House Commerce Committee on Energy and Commerce, to attach proposed “fix it” language to the Deficit Reduction Act before it expires on September 30th! As the House Majority Whip, Rep. Clyburn is in a powerful position to help attach this language to the bill.Â
Call Congressman Clyburn at 1-888-546-0006.
TellThem!
P.O. Box 11531
Columbia, SC 29211
803.929.0088
info@tellthemsc.org
Excellent news from Public Campaign:
Things are looking very good for the New Jersey Clean Elections pilot program. A high rate of participation in the three eligible districts (15 of 20 candidates have opted in), coupled with good press coverage, support from the governor, and positive feedback from the candidates signals the potential to not only continue the pilot program, but expand it to more districts and eventually take Clean Elections statewide.
“With the positive results already being achieved by this year’s program, what once was thought of as a lofty goal is coming closer to becoming a historic reality,†said leading supporter Assembly Speaker Joseph Roberts Jr. (D).
This came today from longtime Network friend Harriet Johnson, a Charleston lawyer and writer who is a nationally recognized activist. She’s also a hero in her home state. She is one of the Network’s past Thunder and Lightning Award winners, an annual tradition of honoring our best and brightest. Her law practice works primarily on securing benefits and civil rights claims for people with disabilities. She is a regular contributor to the New York Times Magazine and to the disability press, and is the author of the books Too Late to Die Young and Accidents of Nature.
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Friends, colleagues, and comrades: I just got my MDA patient magazine, and there in the middle was a full-color spread with Jerry Lewis’s picture and caption “Yup, it’s that time again.”
Yup, it is that time again. Time for the 17th annual telethon protest in Charleston.
So please join me in downtown Charleston on Labor Day morning to let people know that there are two sides to the telethon. Sure, the money does some good, but at a great price. The telethon continues to reinforce harmful stereotypes about disability, especially neuromuscular disease. MDA continues to put children on the air and tell the world that they are dying, when the truth is that they are also living, and some of them may live long enough to get that letter from AARP.
MDA also continues to employ a notorious disability bigot as its spokesman. Jerry has never apologized for calling us “half persons,” or for saying that disabled kids are “mistakes who came out wrong,” to name just two of many insults. He justifies this by saying he raises a lot of money. But other charities raise money and do good without insulting the people they are supposed to help.
Beyond that, the telethon protest is a chance to remind the public that we shouldn’t have to beg for flu shots and wheelchairs. Everyone, disabled or not, should have such basic needs met.
We gather at 10 a.m. and pass out leaflets for a couple of hours with a police permit. The tourists are generally curious and often supportive. Following the protests, lunch is on me. RSVP 843-722-0178 to find out where. HARRIET
PS: We finish in time for you to go to the ILA Labor Day picnic and then come back downtown for the 7 p.m. Labor Day program at the College of Charleston School of Business (organized by one of our favorite historians, George Hopkins). This will be a great lead-in to a series of eclectic programs sponsored by the Social Justice Project throughout the year – including an Oct. 3 appearance by Laura Hershey.
Hope to see you soon!
Harriet Johnson
hmjohnson1@earthlink.net
And you should too.
Yesterday an overflow crowd turned out for the Network’s matinee screening of SICKO, Michael Moore’s newest documentary. The film takes the pulse of this country’s health care system, and the prognosis looks grim. But, if our crowd was any indication, the masses are ripe for change. Even with extra folding chairs set up in the aisles, the Nickelodeon Theater had to turn away people who wanted to see the film and talk about it afterward with organizers of a new group, South Carolinians for Universal Health Care.
It was a surprisingly responsive audience for Columbia, usually a reserved lot in public spaces. They laughed. They cried. They shook their heads. They muttered things under their breath. And when it was over, many of them signed on to a public effort to advocate from the grassroots for a more humane health care system.
The film is funny, frightening and, in the end, hopeful. See it if you can. If not, at least check out Michael Moore’s web site.
And if you want to get on board the campaign for universal health care in South Carolina, email us at network@scpronet.com.
Our thanks to our discussion panelists Lynn Bailey, a health economist for South Carolinians for Universal Health Care, Dr. Sam Baker, health policy professor at USC, and to Columbia radio host Frank Knapp for facilitating.
Becci Robbins
(From left) Frank Knapp, Lynn Bailey and Dr. Sam Baker.
Our webmaster, Steve, poses a question after hearing the news of Bush protesters’ recent court win:
Feds pay $80,000 to couple arrested for wearing Bush protest T-shirts: Read story at ABC News.
How much are the Feds paying Brett, again?
-s
Columbia’s Garden of Grace United Church of Christ honored the Network this morning with its annual community service award to recognize the work our members are doing to advance gay rights in South Carolina. “Equality comes in one size,” said Brett Bursey as he accepted the plaque from Pastor Andy Sidden. “And it fits everyone.”
Today Garden of Grace celebrated its 14th year with ice cream and a slide show trip down Memory Lane. The photo montage tracked the history of the congregation, including the building of the new church on Atlas Road, where they moved two years ago.
It was our first service at the church, and we were gratified to see how diverse a congregation it was. (Looked kind of like a Network meeting.) Congratulations to all of them for creating and sustaining a faith community that excludes no one and reflects the true values of a loving Christ. Here in the Bible Belt, ironically, that’s sometimes hard to find.
Becci Robbins
The SC Progressive Network and the newly formed group South Carolinians for Universal Health Care will hold a special screening of Michael Moore’s documentary SICKO at 3pm on Aug. 26 to promote public awareness of the need and practicality of universal health care.
SICKO will be shown at the Nickelodeon Theatre, 937 Main St. in Columbia. The screening will be followed by a public discussion led by a panel of experts.
Tickets are $10. Proceeds go to the host organizations to promote universal health care. Tickets are limited. For reservations, call the Network at 803-808-3384.
Cindy Sheehan speaks at a Columbia rally on Sept. 14, 2005.
The SC Progressive Network helped bring Cindy Sheehan to Columbia in the fall of 2005 for a rally and candlelight vigil at Martin Luther King Park. She and a handful of other family members of soldiers killed in Iraq stopped by on a 42-city, 28-state Bring Them Home Now Tour. It was an ambitious project, and it was easy to read the exhaustion on their faces. Day after day, they drove many miles, ate bad food, slept where they could, and told their awful stories.
Cindy hugs Stan Goff – former Democracy South colleague and an organizer of the “Bring Them Home Now Tour” – before addressing the crowd of about 200.
I met Cindy briefly and was struck by her warmth. But what stuck with me was how very tired she appeared. It was impossible not to admire her sense of commitment and depth of passion. At the risk of sounding trite, she truly was an inspiration to me and other activists starved for leadership and a consistent, clear voice in the anti-war movement.
That said, I was uneasy to hear last week about Cindy’s intention to run for Nancy Pelosi’s seat. While the Speaker has been a major disappointment – as have her spineless Democratic cohorts on the Hill – Cindy stands little chance of mounting a serious challenge. And while I’m glad that Cindy is back in the game, I wish she would stick to the platform she has worked so hard to construct for herself. I worry that her campaign for Congress will only make her look foolish and ineffective. The piece below, written by one of her supporters, does nothing to quell my fears.
Becci Robbins
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A Personal Vision for Cindy Sheehan’s Campaign
by Daniel Ellsberg
[Remarks of Daniel Ellsberg at a press conference Aug. 9, 2007, at which Cindy Sheehan announced her independent candidacy for the 8th Congressional District of California, an office now held by Nancy Pelosi, Speaker of the House.]
I don’t speak for Cindy Sheehan – whom I admire unreservedly – or for her campaign. When I say “we†in what follows, I’m really just giving my own perspective on this campaign, as one of her supporters.
I see this campaign as aiming much higher than putting Cindy Sheehan in Congress in 2009. Well before that time, we aim to help restore our Constitution, to end a war and avert starting a new one, and to remove from power two officials – George W. Bush and Richard Cheney – who block those objectives before they can do more harm in their remaining months in office.
That’s an ambitious project; but there’s a clear path to achieving it. We will work to change public awareness and, as a result, Nancy Pelosi’s policies as Speaker of the House well before the election, by revealing to the public real alternatives to the courses she and the Democrats have followed so far, and demonstrating the breadth and strength of public support for those alternatives.
The truth is that Democrats, and even Republicans, can do much better than they have been doing, under Pelosi’s leadership in the House, to protect our freedoms and our security. In this campaign we will publicize specifics of what can and should be done, and let the public tell the politicians which approach they want.
One essential demand is for Pelosi to encourage, rather than to block, Congressional investigations of past and ongoing administration deception, unwisdom, illegality and unconstitutionality in pursuing an aggressive war and in curtailing our rights. Such investigations, calling forth testimony under oath of current and former officials many of whom are eager to tell the truth at last, as well as demonstrating continued administration stonewalling, will almost surely lead to what does not yet exist: irresistible pressure from a belatedly-informed public for the impeachment and removal of Bush and Cheney.
Further, we need Pelosi’s leadership in rescinding the unconstitutional parts – which will not leave much – of the Patriot Acts, the Military Commissions Act and the recent, outrageous legislation purporting to legalize warrantless wiretaps and data mining. And – absolutely essential to ending our war in Iraq, ever – public pressure is needed to demand that Congress defund our indefinite occupation, providing funds only for the orderly, safe withdrawal of all our troops, contractors and bases on an announced time-table.
If this campaign can help bring about even the first of these, it will also, almost incidentally, put Cindy Sheehan within reach of success in the election. This is, in fact, a historic campaign opportunity, exploiting an opening unique in American politics. At this moment, Cindy appears to face insuperable odds, opposing without party support a powerful, heavily-funded incumbent. But we aim to change that. All we are asking is for Nancy Pelosi to do what she should: to uphold her oath of office, which is not to obey a Commander-in-Chief or to enlarge a Democratic majority but to uphold and defend the Constitution.
If we can induce her to do that, then a year from now Cindy Sheehan should be running for an open seat, or against a brand-new incumbent appointed by our Republican governor. Nancy Pelosi, third in line for succession when Bush and Cheney are impeached and removed, will be in the White House. That will, as it happens, leave an open field for Cindy.
So you see, it’s nothing personal for us. After all, as representatives of big business go, Nancy Pelosi is better than most. We don’t aim to kick her out of politics, we aim to kick her upstairs. And there’s a bonus: President Pelosi as a write-in candidate in November. She’s far from ideal, from the point of view of members of this campaign, but for a Democrats we could do a lot worse. Off the record, some of us see this as the best strategy for keeping Hillary out of the White House without letting a Republican in.
So there it is: a vision for 2009 that can evoke some real enthusiasm: Cindy in the House, Pelosi in the White House, the US out of Iraq. Our Constitution back, and Bush and Cheney under criminal indictment.
A makeshift memorial to Cindy’s son, Casey (in center photo), who was killed in Iraq.