" /> Where there's a Will, there's a way: January 2008 Archives

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January 31, 2008

FutureGone

There are a lot of news articles about the Department of Energy backing off its support for the experimental FutureGen power plant proposed for Mattoon. A lot of criticism is rightly being given to the Department of Energy but this shouldn't be a total surprise after the FutureGen alliance announced a location ahead of schedule without the Department of Energy, after a manipulative selection process that pitted desperate rural communities against each other. There's plenty of blame to go around.

Most of the Illinois Congressional delegation sent a letter to George Bush asking him to renew his support. John Shimkus didn't sign the letter.

When Mattoon was selected as the FutureGen site, Shimkus was quick to take his share of the credit for being a leader among those who made it happen. Will Shimkus now accept his share of the blame for a President of his own party backing away from it?

Shimkus has been George Bush's rubber stamp for seven years, and he claims he broke his term limit pledge at Bush's request. What good does Shimkus' total subservience to Bush do if it doesn't even get him a major federal project he considers to be a top priority for the region? Didn't it buy him any clout at all?

If Shimkus wants to be a real leader he should start promoting an economic future for Southern Illinois independent of the coal industry instead of being the hired hand of George Bush and coal lobbyists.

January 30, 2008

Hunter Lake Forum on TV

The Citizens Club Forum on Hunter Lake that happened last night will be aired on the local PBS affiliate, WSEC.

It airs:
Friday, Feb. 1, 9pm
Wednesday, Feb 6, 10pm
Friday, Feb 15, 8pm

All the Citizens Club events I've been to are very informative and this was no exception. It was the first time I've seen proponents and opponents of the dam on the same stage together. The Chamber of Commerce and many business leaders are supporting the dam but the audience was clearly on the side of its opponents. Its worth checking out when it airs on TV.

January 28, 2008

Carpenter and Hunter preserves

If you skipped reading the Sunday State Journal-Register be sure to check out this article on preserving Carpenter Park. It includes quotes from some of Springfield's leading environmentalists, including one from Bill Crook about the artwork he creates in the Park.

“To me, the feeling I got when I was drawing was that of being in a cathedral; it was uplifting,” said Crook, who is best known locally for his pen and ink drawings of historic landmarks.

“It’s unique in that it’s one of the largest and best examples of the native hardwood forest that has existed here for thousands of years — at least until the last 200 hundred years,” Crook said. “It’s an example of what the forests of Illinois looked like, and it is in relatively good shape.”


The article reminded me that one of the proposed alternatives for use of the land purchased for Hunter Lake is turning it into a nature preserve. Tuesday night the Springfield Citizens Club is holding a forum on Hunter Lake and water alternatives. Proponents and opponents will both make presentations.

Tuesday, January 29
5:15pm - 7:15pm
Hoogland Center for the Arts, Main Theatre

The Chamber of Commerce argues that Springfield needs Hunter Lake for future growth as planned under the Q5 initiative. But, several cheaper alternatives are proposed and Springfield has yet to implement any serious water efficiency programs.

If the Chamber is interested in bringing new businesses and growth to Springfield they should take a look at the results of Friday's SJ-R poll which said that 94.7% of respondents would move somewhere else "if there were no money, job or family considerations."

If Springfield is going to grow we need to look at ways to make the city more enjoyable and livable. A large new natural area created from the land purchased for Hunter Lake will help do that. It will also give tourists a reason to stay in Springfield for more than a day when they finish visiting the Lincoln sites. Sometimes the best economic development decision is to not build a bad project.

January 25, 2008

Global Warming Teach-in

Next week is a national global warming teach-in happening at over 1,000 college campuses sponsored by a new group called Focus the Nation. Their website lists UIS as a participating school but it doesn't provide any information about what they're doing.

Lincoln Land Community College isn't listed on the Focus the Nation website but they are holding a series of events. Here's a list of all events happening on the LLCC campus:

Tuesday, January 29 Robert H. Stephens Room

11:15- 12:15
“The Politics and Psychology of Global Warming”
Chris McDonald, Professor, Political Science &
Natasha Rainbolt-Trame, Instructor, Psychology

12:30 – 1:10
Video showing “Recycled Life”
A dramatic story of the thousands of adults, children and generations of families who have been living and working in the largest and most toxic landfill in Central America over the last sixty years.


Wednesday, January 30 Robert H. Stephens Room

Noon – 1:00 p.m.
“Personal Choices & Global Warming: Reducing Your Carbon Footprint”
Bob Croteau, CWLP Energy Conservation Manager


Thursday, January 31 Robert H. Stephens Room

Noon – 1:00 p.m.
“The Spiritual Perspective on Caring for the Planet”
Sister Sharon Zayac of Jubilee Farm

1: 15 – 2:15
Video Showing “Oil on Ice”
A documentary connecting the fate of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to decisions America makes about energy policy, transportation choices, and other seemingly unrelated matters. Caught in the balance are the culture and livelihood of the Gwich'in people and the migratory wildlife in this fragile ecosystem. Discusses the conflict between the oil industry and environmentalists over the future of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge

These activities are sponsored by the Science Department, the Multicultural Awareness Center and Student Life Office.


January 22, 2008

10,000 Black Men Named George

For the Liberty Brew & View series I try to pick movies that are entertaining in addition to being political. So far, they've all been documentaries but in February I'll be showing a historical drama made in 2002 called 10,000 Black Men Named George.

Its about the formation of the first national union of African-Americans, the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porter Workers, and its leader A. Philip Randolph. You can read the New York Times review for more details about the movie.

I picked this movie because its an exciting and entertaining portrayal of an important part of the pre-1950's civil rights movement that doesn't get as much attention.

It will show on Tuesday, February 19 at 7:00pm at in the City Nights theater at Capital City Bar & Grill in the Capital City Shopping Center. The social 1/2 hour begins at 6:30. Food and beverages ill be available for purchase.

In an uncharacteristic instance of advance planning I've already scheduled the March movie, the Ghosts of Abu Ghraib. The showing is co-sponsored by the local ACLU chapter and is on March 18, the day before the anniversary of the invasion of Iraq.

Springfield clean energy agreement in the spotlight

Springfield is getting more national attention for the clean energy plan worked out between the Sierra Club and City Water Light & Power. The Environment Report is picked up by NPR stations across the country.

The five minute segment includes interviews with CWLP Chief Engineer Jay Bartlett, Illinois EPA Director Doug Scott, and myself. You can listen to the story here. Doug Scott talks about Springfield's role as a model for other towns and utilities.

The reporter said this is part of a series so he may include other parts of the interviews in future reports. Its a good story, but I don't think it mentioned funding for new energy conservation and efficiency programs, which is an important part of CWLP further reducing its emissions. That's the part of the plan that calls for more public involvement by Springfield customers.

January 21, 2008

A Day of Service

Martin Luther King Day is now appropriately recognized as a day of service. This website has some good ideas for what you can do today, or later this week, and information about his principles of nonviolence.

I did a quick youtube search for a King speech which reminds me that his principles are part of a living struggle and not a historical artifact. Here's one of many I found:


January 19, 2008

Hillary Clinton is no Lyndon Johnson

Most of my friends who are old enough to remember Lyndon Johnson's Presidency don't like him because of his escalation of the Vietnam War. That's understandable, but despite that I have to admire his domestic achievements.

From civil rights, to the environment, education and fighting poverty, Johnson has a record of domestic accomplishments rivaled by no President save Franklin Roosevelt. His list of achievements includes things that dramatically effect the daily lives of every American to this day. That includes creation of the Head Start program, which Bill Clinton often brags about expanding.

Compare that legacy to Bill Clinton. When I hear Democrats talk about how great Clinton was as President they usually rattle off a series of numbers and statistics about how good the economy was and how he balanced the budget. Those are fine accomplishments and he deserves credit for that.

But how long did Clinton's legacy last? It took only two years of the Bush administration to destroy everything Clinton did to build up the economy and balance the budget. What kind of legacy can a President claim if its so easily undone by the next President?

I was impressed by Johnson's speech to Congress in March of 1965 when he called for a new Voting Rights Act.

My first job after college was as a teacher in Cotulla, Texas, in a small Mexican-American school. Few of them could speak English and I couldn't speak much Spanish. My students were poor and they often came to class without breakfast and hungry. And they knew even in their youth the pain of prejudice. They never seemed to know why people disliked them, but they knew it was so because I saw it in their eyes.

I often walked home late in the afternoon after the classes were finished wishing there was more that I could do. But all I knew was to teach them the little that I knew, hoping that I might help them against the hardships that lay ahead. And somehow you never forget what poverty and hatred can do when you see its scars on the hopeful face of a young child.

I never thought then, in 1928, that I would be standing here in 1965. It never even occurred to me in my fondest dreams that I might have the chance to help the sons and daughters of those students, and to help people like them all over this country. But now I do have that chance.

And I'll let you in on a secret--I mean to use it. And I hope that you will use it with me.

That's something Bill Clinton was never willing to do. He presented safe, poll-tested measures and wasted the nation's time on an idiotic personal mistake. Clinton deserves credit for his accomplishments but when I think of his lasting legacy I see eight years of missed opportunities.

That's why I don't want to waste four more years on another Clinton. I don't want another cautious President who will leave a temporary legacy easily dismantled in two years after the next Republican president is appointed. I want real change.

What I see from Hillary is more of the same pandering to the polls and governing based on her fear of being too controversial. Johnson knew that his stand for Civil Rights would cost the Democratic Party the south, but he did it anyway.

Hillary Clinton is no Lyndon Johnson.

January 18, 2008

Citizen Kate meets Kucinich

Last March I wrote about the video blogger Citizen Kate. She covered Obama's Presidential campaign announcement in Springfield at the start of her quest to understand politics and "find out what it takes to be a great leader."

If you look past the dumb blond act and low cut shirts, her videos are very funny political satire. She's the love child of Elle Woods and Jon Stewart.

Even though Citizen Kate has since interviewed several Presidential candidates and received major news coverage she still links to my blog on the friends page of her website because I was one of the first blogs to take notice of her first video. She also calls me her "cyberfriend" which I'm going to assume means she has a huge crush on me. On second thought, I think she only gets crushes on men running for President.

Anyway, I looked at her website today to see if she has any new videos and she just posted her interviews with Elizabeth and Dennis Kucinich in New Hampshire. What really makes this one good is the scrolling text and the funny titles she gives to the people she interviews.




I spent a couple of months in New Hampshire when I was working on the Kucinich campaign staff during the 03/04 primary so this video brought back some good memories. Because Dennis had a relatively small staff, with few experienced people, I had the chance to be given a large amount of responsibility and do a little bit of everything. On a few trips I was the advance team before Dennis got there, traveled with him to events, and stayed after for follow up organizing with local volunteers.

The most difficult part about traveling with Dennis was trying to feed him. He's a vegan and there aren't a lot of towns in Iowa and New Hampshire with vegan restaurants. But I always enjoyed the trips because of his non-stop energy and optimism. He has a good sense of humor too. It was the most exciting, chaotic, stressful, insane and fun job I've ever had.

January 17, 2008

CWLP January Smart Energy Forum

I almost forgot to post a reminder about City Water Light & Power's Smart Energy Forum coming up tonight, January 17, 6:00pm, in the city council chambers, 3rd Floor, Municipal Center West, 300 S. 7th St.

The forums happen every other month and were included in the clean energy agreement with the Sierra Club to encourage more open communication between CWLP and its customers. CWLP is moving forward quickly with their plans for energy efficiency programs and developing a green buy-in program. This is a good opportunity to find out what they're up to and tell them what you would like to see done in the future.

The next one will be Tuesday, March 25, 7 p.m., Carnegie Room, Lincoln Library.

January 16, 2008

King size interest in King Corn

The response to the showing of King Corn last night was far beyond what I expected. I counted 110 people and I may have missed a few. We had to line the walls with chairs from other parts of the bar. Someone said the Republican Congressional debate held earlier the same evening at UIS only had about 60 people.

I'd like to think the turn-out was due to my jedi-like skills as an organizer, but I've gotten smaller crowds at events I promoted more widely than this one. The articles in the State Journal-Register and Illinois Times helped, but when there's a big response like this it means you're offering something that a lot of people are strongly interested in. Corn is a major part of the economy in central Illinois and it was clear last night that people are ready for a public debate about changing our national agricultural policies.

A lot of people told me afterward that they enjoyed the movie, and the funny parts got big laughs. It was nice to see some young people since its hard to get an age diverse crowd at events in Springfield.

I've seen the movie before so the most exciting part for me was the panel discussion. Two local farmers and two staff with the Illinois Stewardship Alliance spoke about alternatives to the current system.

One of the points that came out is that people are making millions from the current system but it isn't the average farmer. One panel member contrasted the multi-million dollar salaries earned by the CEO's of ADM and Monsanto to the struggle of farmers to simply earn a living wage. Some of the biggest beneficiaries of federal farms subsidies are major land owners who live in large cities and don't personally do any farm work.

The National Corn Grower's Association and other agribusiness industry spokespersons have attempted to paint King Corn as being anti-farmer. I disagree. They would have us believe that the interests of the average farmer and the interests of the big agribusiness firms are one and the same, but that's not always true.

The two farmers on the panel both pointed out that the power to change the system rests with the consumer. You can vote at the ballot box by electing representatives who will change the current system and you can vote with your wallet when you make choices about what to eat.

King Corn is already available on DVD and I suspect other groups will do their own viewings in the future. Check it out if you missed it last night and contact the Stewardship Alliance if you're ready to do something about it.

January 13, 2008

The Four Hundred Tree Huggers

I was recently elected to the board of the Illinois Chapter of the Sierra Club. When I agreed to serve in the position I thought it meant doing more environmental work for no pay. Little did I know that it would be my ticket to the fantastic world of the environmental Illuminati.

It turns out that everything you've heard on conservative talk radio about the environmental movement is completely true. It is in fact a movement of people concerned with nothing other than schmoozing with Hollywood elites and controlling the world through the conspiracy of global warming!

The Sierra Club staff took me to a private jet with Leonardo DiCaprio and Al Gore. We didn't have anywhere in particular to go so the jet flew around in circles for a while. They explained that the wasted fuel doesn't matter since global warming is a brain-washing hoax. Al Gore and his cohorts have amazingly bought off every climate scientist in the world except those brave few willing to work for ExxonMobil.

The talk radio hosts complaining about Gore's house have no idea just how bad he is. He spends most of his time flying around the world in a jumbo jet powered by a special fuel derived from the fossilized remains of baby seals clubbed by cro-magnon man.

Eventually we flew to Venezuala to talk with Hugo Chavez and Robert Kennedy Jr. about how to use the global warming myth to ignite the world socialist revolution. Al Gore will be named world Vice-President for life.

My status as an environmental activist means a new lifestyle including frequent limousine rides with Hollywood elites. Julia Roberts and Ed Norton prefer the Hummer limo. And I'm sorry to inform the single ladies of Springfield that I will only be dating Hollywood actresses from now on. I already have dates lined up next week with Sheryl Crow, Daryl Hannah, and Jennifer Connelly.

That's my confession. Now you all know. Everything you hear on talk radio is true.

January 11, 2008

50th District State Senate Candidate

If you vote in the Democratic Primary in the Springfield area you won't see anyone on the ballot for State Senate. But, you will have the chance to place a Democrat on the November general election ballot by writing in John Devine.

According to his new website he needs 1,000 write-in votes in the primary election in order to be placed on the November ballot as the Democratic candidate. The seat is currently held by Larry Bomke. Bomke went unopposed in his last run for re-election in 2004 so John is doing voters a service by providing everyone with a choice. He's currently a student at UIS and I've been impressed by what he has to say when I've talked with him.

January 10, 2008

King Corn Trailer

Here's a two minute trailer for King Corn. Its the most exciting movie about corn that you'll ever seen. I promise.


January 9, 2008

King Corn January 15

I recently sent out this press release...

Illinois Stewardship Alliance and Liberty Brew & View are sponsoring a free showing of the new documentary King Corn, January 15, 7:00pm, at City Nights, 3149 S. Dirksen Parkway, Springfield, IL.

King Corn is a feature documentary about two friends, one acre of corn, and the subsidized crop that drives our fast-food nation.

“In King Corn, two friends start out with an idyllic dream of spending a summer farming, and end up immersed in a food system they never expected,” said Bridget Holcomb of Illinois Stewardship Alliance. “This movie is a ride through everything that happens before food hits a supermarket shelf.”

In King Corn, Ian Cheney and Curt Ellis, best friends from college on the east coast, move to the heartland to learn where their food comes from. With the help of friendly neighbors, genetically modified seeds, and powerful herbicides, they plant and grow a bumper crop of America’s most-productive, most-subsidized grain on one acre of Iowa soil. But when they try to follow their pile of corn into the food system, what they find raises troubling questions about how we eat—and how we farm.

City Nights is a renovated one screen movie theater connected to Capital City Bar & Grill in the Capital City Shopping Center. Food and beverages are available during the film. A social hour begins at 6:30pm and the movie will begin at 7:00pm.

After the movie there will be a discussion on local foods and the politics of eating. The discussion will feature area farmers growing local and organic products, and local food advocates working to promote local food systems and sound public policy. Panel members include:

Paul Gebhart, an organic farmer from Edinburg who left conventional agriculture to grow diversified, locally sold products.

Bridget Holcomb, a lobbyist with Illinois Stewardship Alliance working on a state and federal level to promote local food systems and conservation.

Floyd Johnson is an organic farmer from Raymond and part of a cooperative that directly connects Illinois organic farmers with markets in the state.

Lindsay Record is a diversified farmer and works for Illinois Stewardship Alliance to promote a local food system in the Springfield area.

“I’m excited about doing the first public showing of King Corn in central Illinois”, said Will Reynolds, one of the event’s organizers. “It’s important that we have this discussion in the heart of corn country.”

More information about King Corn, including a press kit, can be found at: http://www.kingcorn.net/

Illinois Stewardship Alliance is a membership organization that works to promote local, sustainable food systems.

Liberty Brew & View shows a politically themed movie followed by a speaker on the third Tuesday of each month. Previous movies include Who Killed the Electric Car? which was followed by remarks from State Representative Mike Boland. The yet to be announced February film will focus on civil rights in conjunction with black history month.

January 7, 2008

Voter Registration Deadline and Election Day Registration

Tomorrow, Tuesday January 8, is the deadline for regular voter registration in Illinois. I just registered two people to vote today and I still love registering voters no matter how many times I do it. If you aren't registered yet you can do so at your County Clerk's office or by finding a deputy registrar.

Illinois now has grace period registration in case you miss the regular deadline. You can register and vote in the primary at the same time in your County Clerk's office until January 22. The Illinois primary is February 5th.

Unfortunately, Illinois still doesn't have election-day registration. Some good reforms have passed recently but Illinois still puts up embarrassing and needless barriers to exercising ones right to vote. I ran a voter registration drive in Arkansas and even that old Jim Crowe state was light years ahead of Illinois in facilitating easy registration. I get disgusted every time I hear overblown fears about fraud and bureaucratic laziness as lame excuses for disenfranchising voters.

Last Thursday I drove a college freshman in Iowa to the caucus. She heard Obama speak at her school the previous week and decided to vote. Because Iowa allows same day registration she was allowed to participate. Under Illinois rules she would have been excluded.

Obama is attracting large numbers of young voters who have never participated in an election before. Undoubtedly, young people old enough to vote in a Presidential election for the fist time will be disenfranchised because they're unaware of Illinois' archaic laws that require everyone to register a month before the election. I hope the legislature has the sense to change that law before November. While they're at it, they can require anyone applying for student financial aid to register to vote just like they're required to register for the draft.

January 5, 2008

The Democratic Reagan

Ronald Reagan was conservative. Very conservative. More conservative than many of the independents and Democrats who voted for him. He's the hero of the Republican Party because he had an appeal that went far beyond the conservative base of voters who agreed with him on the issues.

At the end of my quadrennial trip to Iowa Thursday night, as the caucus results were coming in, one of the Iowa radio stations reported that independents and first-time caucus goers were heavily favoring Obama. Clinton lost narrowly among regular Democrats. The tone sounded as though the Fox affiliated station was trying to downplay Obama's victory but I took it as a positive statement.

Obama has the most progressive record of the top three candidates. John Edwards is making a liberal pitch in his stump speech but his Senate voting record doesn't match. Its hard to believe that Hillary Clinton is presenting herself as the "change" candidate for any reason other than the fact that national polls claim voters want change this year.

So we have a situation where the most reliably progressive candidate also has the most appeal among independents and Republicans. That's the Democratic version of Ronald Reagan.

Most campaigns focus their activities on persuading those who regularly vote. Getting new people to vote for the fist time is labor intensive and rarely pays off. That's why it's rare for a candidate to attempt winning a Presidential election by expanding the base of voters. The dominant Democratic Party strategy for at least 12 years has been appealing to independents by presenting a moderate message, rather than persuading them to a progressive viewpoint or activating the 49% of the public who don't regularly vote.

Obama is doing the nearly impossible. He's significantly expanding the base of voters to the young and others voting for the first time. The Iowa caucus broke all attendance records and a majority of the new people were there for Obama. A national increase in African-American turn out, which is traditionally low, would bring in even more new voters in the general election.

Obama is showing the cautious Democratic establishment that has compromised and hidden its values since 1994 that there's another way. He has a message and style that inspires people without pandering to them. Obama's speech after the caucus sounded like John Kennedy and Martin Luther King all rolled into one.

I'm tired of fearful campaigns based on the idea that appealing to moderates by avoiding discussion of liberal values is the only way to win. Democrats don't have to do that this year. We have a candidate who can appeal to independents and bring in new voters in large numbers without changing who he is week to week. Democrats have our Reagan and his name is Barack Obama.

January 4, 2008

Iowa caucus night fun

The mood was wildly ecstatic at the Obama headquarters and post-caucus party. Hopeful inspiration was added to the cheering and shouting after Obama's victory speech. After watching the three top Democrats I only saw one who sounded like a President last night.

I watched the caucus in a Clinton Iowa precinct after giving a ride to a college freshman caucusing for the first time. She's originally from another part of Iowa and decided to caucus after hearing Obama speak at her college.

In the precinct I watched, Obama had the most supporters after the first count. In the second round the Dodd and Kucinich supporters switched over to Obama. But the Biden group and most of the Richardson group went with Edwards. That gave Edwards just a few more supporters and one extra delegate over Obama. Despite that precinct, Obama won Clinton county.

It was easy to see right away that Obama's supporters included more young people and was more racially diverse than the groups backing other candidates. Almost all of the Clinton group was white and over 50. My guess is that Clinton was focusing on the list of people who usually caucus, but that precinct, like many others around the state, had record turn-out.

I can understand why young people are drawn to Obama's message of hope and change. Obama talking about political values is an important departure from the Clintonian approach of focusing on small, poll-tested measures that we've constantly seen from the Democratic Party since 1994. We have an entire generation of young voters who came of age in a Democratic Party that lacks a spokesperson who speaks with conviction about its core values. A hodge podge of proposals and promises is no replacement for a compelling vision for the future.

Volunteering yesterday was a lot of fun. I'll write more when I'm back home.

January 3, 2008

Clinton Iowa

I'm in Clinton Iowa to volunteer for Obama on caucus day. I'll be heading to the local campaign office pretty soon.

I'm watching the TV news shows and another Clinton surrogate is telling us why it wouldn't be so bad for Hillary to lose Iowa. I heard James Carville say the same thing on Meet the Press about six months ago. The Clinton campaign has known for a long time that they're going to struggle in Iowa and they've been playing the expectations game well. They don't want a repeat of the Dean disaster where the so-called front runner is derailed by coming in third in Iowa.

I predicted months ago that Clinton will finish third in Iowa and I still expect that. I suspect the Clinton campaign would be happy with an Edwards win in Iowa because it will keep the progressive and anti-Hillary vote divided two ways through February 5 if Edwards stays in the race.

Kucinich announced that he's encouraging his supporters to pick Obama as a second choice in the caucus where Dennis isn't viable. He did the same thing for Edwards in 2004 and most Kucinich supporters I know had been leaning toward Edwards as their second choice. If Kucinich supporters in Iowa hear the news and take the advice it will seal a victory for Obama.

I worked on Kucinich's campaign staff last time and I believe Obama is the natural alternative for people looking for someone who can run a winning campaign on progressive values this time around. I'm glad to see Kucinich agree with me at least to some extent.

The Huckabee-Romney competition is a grudge match 160 years in the making. Southern Baptist ministers were in the mobs that drove Mormons out of Missouri in the 1830's and Illinois in the 1840's. Things have gotten nasty in Iowa. I think Romney has the religious advantage since he belongs to a church full of people who have spent two years of their lives knocking on doors in bad weather. But who knows.

I'll write about what happens when I get home.