Happy New Year
Some general updates:
DeLay Watch: Looks like the House GOP is now for ethics, having previously been against them.
DeLay obviously thinks he's dodged the indictment bullet, or he wouldn't have called for the reversion to old rules. We'll see what else transpires in the fundraising case. And the Indian Casino scandal--people who would know really seem to think this is the one to watch.
NB: The GOP is still pushing a rule change that will make it impossible to begin an ethics investigation unless Republicans on the ethics committee vote for it (rather than a simple majority). The committee is split 50/50, and right now a 50/50 vote automatically generates an investigation.
Inaugrual Activities: For those unable to get to D.C. or New Orleans, Austin will have an "Inaugurate This!" protest (scroll down to January 20) on the Congress Ave. bridge from 5-7 p.m. Legal protest only, no traffic blocking. They are asking folks to organize their own pre-protest events--teach-ins, vigils, etc.--and publicize them independently. There's also a party afterwards at Mother Egan's to benefit the Crawford Peace House.
And remember, other than the benefit, don't work or spend any money on inauguration day.
DeLay Watch: Looks like the House GOP is now for ethics, having previously been against them.
DeLay obviously thinks he's dodged the indictment bullet, or he wouldn't have called for the reversion to old rules. We'll see what else transpires in the fundraising case. And the Indian Casino scandal--people who would know really seem to think this is the one to watch.
NB: The GOP is still pushing a rule change that will make it impossible to begin an ethics investigation unless Republicans on the ethics committee vote for it (rather than a simple majority). The committee is split 50/50, and right now a 50/50 vote automatically generates an investigation.
Inaugrual Activities: For those unable to get to D.C. or New Orleans, Austin will have an "Inaugurate This!" protest (scroll down to January 20) on the Congress Ave. bridge from 5-7 p.m. Legal protest only, no traffic blocking. They are asking folks to organize their own pre-protest events--teach-ins, vigils, etc.--and publicize them independently. There's also a party afterwards at Mother Egan's to benefit the Crawford Peace House.
And remember, other than the benefit, don't work or spend any money on inauguration day.
posted by Susan @ 7:39 AM
1 Comments:
At 2:56 AM,
Anonymous said…
GENERAL UPDATES FOR FRIDAY, JANUARY 14, 2005
"A WAKE FOR PEACE"
JAZZ FUNERAL FOR DEMOCRACY
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA
CONGO SQUARE
JANUARY 20, 2005 @ 10:00 A.M.
http://www.jazzfuneralfordemocracy.com/
SPEAKERS INCLUDE KATHY KELLY, HOWARD ZINN, AND DENNIS KYNE
PARADE MARSHALS NEEDED:
We need volunteers to act as marshals during the funeral march. Ward Reilly will organize and instruct volunteers. Please contact Ward directly at wardpeace@hotmail.com . This is very important and we urge all of you to pitch in.
PERMITS:
Our permits have been approved and paid for. We are now street legal. The New Orleans Police Department has been most gracious and we can expect excellent security during the event. Many thanks to NOPD.
ROUTE:
Because interest in the march has grown well beyond our initial expectations, we have had to make some minor adjustments in our route. We will leave Congo Square (Louis Armstrong Park) at exactly 11:00 PM. A dignified procession will leave Congo Square and slowly proceed down Rampart to Canal. At Canal, we will turn towards the river and slowly make our way through the old commercial district until we reach Decatur at which point we will turn and head to our speakers' rally venue at Jackson Square.
We will arrive at Jackson Square between noon and 12:30 PM. The speakers should be on stage for approximately one and one half hours. Upon the conclusion of the rally, we will Second Line out of Jackson Square and back on to Decatur headed down river. At Turtle Bay, 1119 Decatur Street, the procession will stop, time permitting for a brief street party outside the club. By 3:30 PM, in accordance with our agreement with NOPD, we must be in the 500 block of Frenchmen Street where the march will disperse.
INAUGURAL BALLS:
Our "official" inaugural ball will begin at The Blue Nile, http://www.bluenilemusic.com/ , 532 Frenchmen Street, immediately upon the conclusion of the march. Live music and cash bar. Both floors will be open with the live music downstairs. In the event of an overflow crowd, Checkpoint Charley's just down the street is prepared to handle a large crowd.
A second, more sedate, gathering will take place at Turtle Bay with acoustic music and far less weirdness than that which is expected to occur on Frenchmen Street. It is anticipated that some will opt to end their march at this venue, approximately six city blocks before the end of the march. Any overflow crowd can be accommodated several doors down at Molly's On The Market or, if tourist traps strike your fancy, across the street at Jimmy Buffet's Margarittaville.
SAFETY:
As noted above, we will have more than adequate police protection. However, it is STRONGLY SUGGESTED that you not respond to any counter demonstrators along the funeral route. DO NOT ALLOW NUT JOBS ALONG THE ROUTE TO ELICIT ANY RESPONSE WHATSOEVER FROM YOU. Do not play into their hands. They will be there but they are not your problem. They are NOPD's problem. Establish and maintain a civil, if not friendly, association with the police officers in your vicinity and everything will go smoothly despite any attempts by fascists, rednecks, or idiots to disrupt your freedom of expression.
Cameras and video/digital recorders are great deterents to knuckleheads. Bring 'em if ya got 'em.
FINANCES:
We are skimming by on the money thing. Every time an unexpected expense arises, the money somehow seems to appear. My staff advises that we have raised $400.00 in the last two days. We have been advised that additional funds are in the mail. We still haven't raised all we need, but we have guarantors who have agreed to dig deep in their pockets to insure that everything is paid for and that the event goes forward as planned. But, if you are planning to kick in a few bucks and just haven't gotten around to it yet, now is the time. Our guarantors are on the hook for a pile of money. See the web page for donation instructions. Michael Goff and I will post a full accounting on the web page after the smoke clears.
CALENDAR
SUNDAY:
(High Noon) New Orleans Bayou Steppers Social Aid and Pleasure Club 2nd Annual 2nd Line Parade. Route: http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=155&topic_id=961&mesg_id=961&listing_type=
Kenny Schoen is organizing this opportunity to get flyers out. Contact Kenny @ 985-232-8211 or kschoen1@charter.net .
SUNDAY:
(6:30 PM) Flyer Distribution-Turtle Bay, 1119 Decatur Street. Pax Christi has generously donated 4,000 flyers promoting the Jazz Funeral for Democracy. Kenny Schoen, Annie Spell, Sarah Goff and others will be at Turtle Bay from 6:30 PM to 7:00 PM to distribute flyers in bulk for posting around the city and for distribution at the MLK march. Volunteers with staple guns and tape needed to post flyers in and around Tulane, Xavier, Loyola, UNO, SUNO, Delgado, Magazine Street (Uptown and Downtown), Maple Street (Uptown), Oak Street (Uptown), and near music clubs throughout the area Sunday night. Anyone from Baton Rouge who wants to help can get flyers posted around LSU, especially on Chimes Street.
Contact 2spells@bellsouth.net to adopt a territory.
MONDAY:
Join 3C and represent for the J20C at the MLK march in New Orleans. I have forwarded the details in recent days and will do so again Sunday evening. Mourning free protest practice. Be there.
WEDNESDAY:
(6:00 pm) Our direct action will officially begin with a "wake" and reception for our out of town guests and local activists at Turtle Bay, 1119 Decatur Street. Live music and cash bar. There's no telling who you might get to meet at this one. Potential opportunity to network with fellow travelers, chat with speakers, and discover new resistance opportunities.
THURSDAY:
(10:00 AM) STAND AND BE COUNTED!
DAILY REPORTS FROM HERE ON OUT
I'm sure that you still have questions. Take a run through the web page to see if the answers are there. If not, we probably do not yet have the answers. Things are falling together quickly now, and I will strive to get out a daily report each day through Tuesday.
Keep your eye on the web site's message board for up to the moment developments on music, parade formations, etc.
Peace,
Buddy Spell
2spells@bellsouth.net
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