OS & 9/11 Hearings

[Elwin and Joan]

--- Harrison Owen <hhowen at comcast.net> wrote:
> I thought that Dean and Co. might listen. They certainly got the
power >of the InterNet (which after all is just a big Open Space). But
they >flamed out. One thing I am clear about -- real opening of space
for >civilconversation is quite unlikely to come from the top (The
Candidate >and His staff). If it ever happens it will occur because
someone >somewhere just decided to do it -- and then invited the
candidates. Who >might that be?

Harrison, again you and I are on the same wavelength!
I attended every Dean Meet-Up in Baltimore. After the "flame out" Dean
put together something called Democracy for America (DFA) to maintain
the passion of the hundreds of thousands of Dean people. An element of
the DFA project is to continue to Meet-Up.

This is what I said to the 30 people who attended last Wednesday's
Baltimore Meet-Up:

I promised to set in type, the comments I made at the end of our April
7th meeting, as best I can remember them.  Here goes:

The ONLY reason that we continue to meet is to honor the spirit of
Howard Dean’s credo i.e., “we represent the Democratic wing of the
Democratic Party!”

Today Howard is attempting to keep us involved by focusing on support
to the “right” candidates.  Our task is to decide how to do that.

My suggestion, is to continue to Meet-Up (and to bring others with us)
on the 1st Wednesday of each month for the purpose of “auditioning”
would be candidates as well as to open the floor for information
sharing by the likes of the League of Women Voters, Maryland and
Baltimore Democratic Party officials, and others who could help us
agree on winning strategies to take the decision making out of the
hands of the same old DNC gang that gave us Al Gore’s defeat and Howard
Dean’s ambush!


It is critical to rebuild our numbers even beyond the 200 plus that met
prior to Iowa’s disaster. To do that we need to attract the media to
attend the next few meetings and make us news worthy so others will
join and re-join.  I do not believe it is enough to send emails etc.

Speaking of the Internet and emails, the magic and power of the Dean
Campaign, at least for me, was not those elements, but rather the
face-to-face interaction that tool place at Meet-Up!

If we truly want to “take back the Democratic Party” then I suggest we
seize the solid energy and passion that we share. Build on that in
growing numbers and become the focal point for determining what
Democrats stand for and support.  Today we are beggars trying to enter
the  “house of power”.  I am suggesting that we are the “key” to the
house of power.  Thanks to Howard Dean, we have a ready army of support
to set the agenda, prescribe the rules, rewrite the standards, and
bring the Democratic Party into the 21st Century as winners!

Let’s continue to meet.






=====
Elwin Guild
Future Development International
Baltimore

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