Tony Palmeri.Com Update For May 6, 2004
Feedback: Editor@tonypalmeri.com
1. Campaign Kick-Off
2. Palmeri Named "Communication Educator Of The Year"
3. Residents Rally For Rights
4. Barefoot Charlie
5. Greens/Libertarians Oppose Patriot Act
6. Bill of Rights Defense Committee Cites Palmeri
7. Dan Rylance Letter
8. How We Won The War
9. Valley Scene Interviews Peace Activists
10. Ted Rall Cartoon Banned
11. Wages Don't Figure In Rebound
12. Stephanie McMillan's Mother's Day Greetings
1. Campaign Kick-Off: The "Time For Tony" Palmeri For Assembly
Campaign kicked into high gear last Saturday, with an enthusiastic response
at the New Moon Coffee Shop in Oshkosh. We have a digital video of my speech
at the event--as soon as we figure out how to get it on the web I will send
the link. We'll need to provide videos because the coverage of my events will
be incomplete, as is the case with the UW Oshkosh Advance-Titan coverage:
http://www.advancetitan.com/story.asp?issue=11026&story=3007
After the kick-off, I also spoke at the joint Green/Libertarian press conference in opposition to the Patriot Act (will talk about this more below). Later that night we held a fundraiser at Studio Hall. Jason Moon, just back from 11 months in Iraq, endorsed the Time For Tony campaign and did a moving set of protest songs. We also heard some great jams from the Sunday Papas and Barry Weber (who has a new song about The Passion of the Christ that just floored everyone). The theme of my remarks was that we are asking people like Jason to fight and die to protect free institutions, yet the Wisconsin legislature is currently not worth protecting. It is corrupt and makes a mockery of freedom. I pledged to go down to Mad Town and change that.
Next campaign event: There will be a forum today at 4 p.m. in the UW Oshkosh Reeve Union. The two Democratic candidates and I will participate. Stop by if you are in town and available!
2. Palmeri Named Communication Educator of the Year: The Wisconsin Communication Association recently named me the recipient of the 2004 Andrew Weaver "Communication Educator of the Year" Award. Andrew Weaver was a great Wisconsinite and speech teacher. The award was presented at the WCA conference on May 1 by my wonderful colleague Dr. Lori Carrell, who pointed out that I could not be there to receive it because I was kicking off the Assembly Campaign! The linking of education and activism was apparently one of the major reasons I was thought worthy to receive the award.
3. Residents Rally For Rights: Oshkosh last Sunday was the scene of
a massive demonstration in opposition to Senator Carol Roessler's and Rep. Carol
Owens' attempt to amend the Wisconsin Constitution not only to make gay marriage
impossible, but also to restrict civil unions. Thus Wisconsin's constitution
would become the most restrictive of all the 50 states! My speech at this event
was also videotaped, and once again we will try to get it on the web because
the Advance-Titan coverage (linked below) really doesn't capture the energy
of the event (at least the AT mentioned most of the speakers, which is not the
case with the Oshkosh Northwestern coverage):
http://www.advancetitan.com/story.asp?issue=11026&story=3005
4. Barefoot Charlie: One of the major themes of the Time For Tony campaign
is to call attention to and eradicate homelessness, poverty, and hunger in the
54th Assembly District. We have a crisis in the community that has fallen off
the radar screen of politicians that are more concerned with gays, guns, and
making the tax code even more regressive. Mike Malchow, an Oshkosh resident
with much real life experience of the homeless problem, has produced a great
website called Barefoot Charlie:
http://www.geocities.com/barefootcharlie/
5. Greens/Libertarians Oppose Patriot Act: Here's the TonyPalmeri.com
coverage of Saturday's joint Green/Libertarian press conference in opposition
to the Patriot Act:
http://www.tonypalmeri.com/tp1.htm
Here's the Northwestern "coverage":
http://www.tonypalmeri.com/patriot1.htm
6. Bill of Rights Defense Committee Cites Palmeri: The Bill of Rights
Defense Committee, an organization has been the driving force behind the creation
of "Civil Liberties Safe Zones" in 4 states and 300 cities/counties,
has cited my speech on "The Patriot Act: Same Old Story" on their
website:
http://www.bordc.org/Theissues.htm
(see the first paragraph)
Meanwhile, Winnebago County Supervisor Mike Norton, a real reformer on that body, came to the press conference and has begun the process of trying to get the County Board to adopt a "Civil Liberties Safe Zone" resolution. Good work Mike!
7. Dan Rylance Letter: The Oshkosh Northwestern published a great letter
by Dan Rylance on behalf of the Time For Tony campaign (scroll down to the third
letter):
http://www.wisinfo.com/northwestern/news/opinion/stories/opinion_15958335.shtml
8. How We Won The War: My latest Media Rant for the Valley Scene:
http://www.valleyscene.com/mediarants.html
9. Valley Scene Interviews Peace Activists: My Valley Scene editor and
good friend Tom Breuer conducted a lengthy interview with area peace activists
for the May issue. Check it out:
http://www.valleyscene.com/cover.html
And please don't forget to pick up a hard copy of the Scene at any of the fine
locations linked below. It's FREE.
http://www.valleyscene.com/where.html
10. Ted Rall Cartoon Banned: Editor and Publisher explains why MSNBC,
part of the "liberal" media, decided to drop Ted Rall's controversial
Pat Tillman cartoon:
http://www.mediainfo.com/eandp/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1000502227
If you have not seen Rall's cartoon, here it is:
http://www.ucomics.com/rallcom/
11. Wages Don't Figure In Rebound: A depressing report from the Boston
Globe:
http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2004/05/05/wages_dont_figure_in_rebound?mode=PF
12. Stephanie McMillan's Mother's Day Greeting: Cartoonist Stephanie
McMillan laments all victims of war:
http://www.minimumsecurity.net/gclf/0509.htm
Peace,
-Tony