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News :: Civil & Human Rights : Elections & Legislation : UCIMC |
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Urbana-Champaign Organizes for Post-Election Initiatives. |
Current rating: 0 |
by Sascha Meinrath
Email: sascha (nospam) ucimc.org (unverified!) |
03 Nov 2004
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Scores of local community members took part in a hastily assembled Community Meeting and Social to discuss new projects, ideas, and strategies following the 2004 elections. Earlier in the evening community members rallied in the cold and rain at the corner of Race and Main Streets in downtown Urbana to demonstrate against the flawed American election system. Over a dozen projects were unveiled and discussed as people channeled their anger, their concern, and their disappointment -- vowing not to give up hope, lessen in their community engagement, or cease resisting discrimination and the diminution of our civil rights. |
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People raised many concerns during the discussions and socializing including: the war on terror, civil rights violations, election tallies, energizing the peace movement, first ammendment violations, polarization of the country, decreasing tolerance, the draft, neoconservatives, war, increasing feminism, right wing agendas, healthcare, education, social regression, activating youth, civil liberties, political disengagement, cooptation of language, using the language of our oppressors, conservation, environmentalism, mainstream media, economic structural adjustment, repression of dissent, arrogance, cooptation of the "moral" and "religious" by the right, dissenfranchisement of minorities, facism in America, abortion, connecting the local to the national, outreach (both within the left and to the right) and education, unequal representation of constituencies in government, art, political appointments, human rights, empire, mysogyny, law enforcement, visas, blowback and opposition, demoralization, gay rights, dumb discourse, angry liberals, infighting, paying attention to the rightwing, death of soldiers, women's rights, the rhetoric of Kerry's submission speech, and revolution.
Projects spanned the gammit including initiatives to increase public commentary in our local mainstream media, build the local Green party, increase involvement in the IMC and its numerous projects (including the newspaper, outreach group, and Books to Prisoners projects), re-energizing Food Not Bombs, increasing membership in the NAACP, engaging in House Theaters, increasing involvement in the Teen Awareness Group to educate youth and protect women's rights, increased Anti-War Anti-Racism Efforts, renewed focus on innauguration protests and the Spring elections, joining CARE3 to initiate educational reform and teaching critical thinking among young students, creating community literature distribution systems, engaging in the gay rights movement, building bridges and engaging with traditional enemies, reforming the broken election system, fixing the foster care system, and building coalitions and affinities among local groups. |
This work is in the public domain. |
Comments
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Re: Urbana-Champaign Organizes for Post-Election Initiatives. |
by tr4nqued
tr4nqued (nospam) yahoo.com (unverified) |
Current rating: 0
04 Nov 2004
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How can I find out about such activities as these in advance rather than after the fact? I would like to have been there, but I was not aware it was going on. Are there similar events scheduled soon? Is there an email list for such events? If so, I would like to be added. |
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Re: Urbana-Champaign Organizes for Post-Election Initiatives. |
by tr4nqued
(No verified email address) |
Current rating: 0
04 Nov 2004
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OK, now I see that this was announced below. I just missed it. If there is an email list, I would still like to be added. |
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Re: Urbana-Champaign Organizes for Post-Election Initiatives. |
by Sascha Meinrath
sascha (nospam) ucimc.org (unverified) |
Current rating: 0
04 Nov 2004
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I sent out announcements to multiple different e-mail lists here in town -- unfortunately, the entire event was pulled together within 6 hours, which meant that the outreach probably missed some folks. I'll try to have more advanced warning of future events, and I'm quite certain that more information will be forthcoming. Many of the groups and initiatives discussed last night already have their own e-mail lists -- many of which are available on our community webservers -- "the list of lists" is available at: http://lists.chambana.net. But drop me an e-mail if you want more information on anything in particular. |
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Re: Urbana-Champaign Organizes for Post-Election Initiatives. |
by lovevsfear
n/a (unverified) |
Current rating: 0
05 Nov 2004
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I am AWARE of http://www.care2.com but what is CARE3 , and if you are not a member of CARE2 do JOIN now as this website has many ways to communicate with fellow carers
We ARE united in Spirit , let us communicate closer so that we can unite our MInds, so that our bodies become ONE :-) |
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Re: Urbana-Champaign Organizes for Post-Election Initiatives. |
by Robert Dunn
prorobert8 (nospam) hotmail.com (unverified) |
Current rating: 0
06 Nov 2004
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Ok, lets see, Bush wins fair and square and you still are protesting? Are you protesting the "stupidity" of the American people. Good luck winning allies with that one. Thanks for proving that the right was correct this time. People are on the left are a bunch of snobs. |
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Re: Urbana-Champaign Organizes for Post-Election Initiatives. |
by tr4nqued
(No verified email address) |
Current rating: 0
09 Nov 2004
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The "fair and square" assertion is an open question, as is some's assertion of being "fair and balanced." Nonetheless, even if the election was won fair and square (and again, this point is not conceded), this in no way suggests that protest against policies, rather than against the election itself, should be silenced, especially as it becomes clear that the real policies will differ quite markedly from those advanced during the campaign, as happened last time. Let's not falsely conflate the election results with approval of the policies of the "winning" cabal. Even those who voted for the current regime do not agree with all, or even most, of the current regime's policies. Will they, though, be obediently silent? I expect they will. Of course it is no surprise that the request is being made to just be quiet while the powers do whatever pleases them, but it should also be no surprise that this request will not be countenanced. One would expect, though, that such requests would come from the powers, not from those abused by them. Is American masochism on the rise? Kinky! |
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Re: Urbana-Champaign Organizes for Post-Election Initiatives. |
by Robert Dunn
prorobert8 (nospam) hotmail.com (unverified) |
Current rating: 0
09 Nov 2004
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how can people who claim to champion democracy and majority rule say that this election was not fair and square? Only elitists leftists such as Michael Moore, Al Franken, locals such as Faith Swords may think that the American people are just plain stupid retards for overwhelmingly voting for Bush. Well as someone who has seen the light and like the prodigal son, I have returned to supporting America and her ideals and values that the elite snobbish left such as those mentioned want to take my birthright from me. What have they done to earn anything in their lives. All they do is protest, whine, complain, and do the same. Those of us who voted for America are the real vanguard of the working class, not these intellectual snobs and angry feminists. |
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Re: Urbana-Champaign Organizes for Post-Election Initiatives. |
by tr4nqued
(No verified email address) |
Current rating: 0
10 Nov 2004
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Voted FOR America? That's funny. Or are we defining America as only corporations, and individuals as property of said corporations? For that is the only way that a vote for George was a vote for America...watch and see...or better yet, just look at the last four years. Or is it better to see no reality, speak no reality, and hear no reality? Methinks I know the answer. |
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Re: Urbana-Champaign Organizes for Post-Election Initiatives. |
by se
(No verified email address) |
Current rating: 0
10 Nov 2004
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faith? an elite? cool! i thought i was alienated from my elite masters. capital. |
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Re: Urbana-Champaign Organizes for Post-Election Initiatives. |
by dont kill the messenger
n/a (unverified) |
Current rating: 0
11 Nov 2004
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well lets see,
a less than democratic process
electoral college
Republican owned , newly introduced, electronic voting machines
one day of voting only , benefits who?
the reason i feel like talkig thie past election because those of us on the "left" are fighting for truth and progress , all these problems have been around for a long time , but rather than sending a messenger with a horse i can send you a email
all of YOU , spread the word !
http://www.BlackBOxVoting.org
http://www.BlackBoxVoting.com
http://www.VotersUnite
Nader is calling for a recount
Rpublicans want you to vote for nader in a less than democratic voting system
lets change that! http://www.FairVote.org
http://www.MidWestDemocracyCenter.org
but do it with LOVE
get on board and find a comfy seat : - ) |
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