Thursday, December 10 7:00pm: Public Discussion of Gas Drilling, after Viewing Split Estate

Marty Luster, Ken Zeserson, and Judy Abrams will facilitate the Q & A after the film, and discuss regional gas drilling concerns, and what you can do about it.

Split Estate is a multiple-award-winning documentary which examines the conflicts between land owners in the western U.S. and those who own and extract the energy and mineral rights below.

Tuesday, November 10 at 7:00 pm
Jeff Cohen:
Corporate Media Crisis, Indy Media Boom: An Insider's View

Author and media critic Jeff Cohen is founding director of the Park Center for Independent Media at Ithaca College, where he is an associate professor of journalism. His latest book is Cable News Confidential: My Misadventures in Corporate Media. He has been a TV commentator at CNN, Fox News and MSNBC, and was senior producer of MSNBC’s Phil Donahue primetime show until it was terminated for political reasons three weeks before the Iraq invasion. Cohen founded the media watch group FAIR in 1986. His columns on media issues have been published online at such websites as HuffingtonPost, CommonDreams and Alternet—and in dozens of dailies, including USA Today, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times and Boston Globe.

Jeff will give an entertaining talk about his adventures (and misadventures) in the television news business and how its product has devolved from information to misinformation and infotainment. He will also describe the rise of alternative media, which he sees as a vibrant and healthy antidote to our media malaise.

Sick around after the meeting. Jeff will do a book signing, and talk to people. All proceeds from the books will benefit Back to Democracy. Thanks, Jeff!!!

Please note, if you're in the habit of attending our meetings on Friday nights, that this meeting is on TUESDAY, Nov 10.

Friday, October 9, at 7 pm
Bo Lipari:
Update on the State's New Voting Machines

The changes mandated by the Help America Vote Act of 2002 have taken a long time, but finally this year, New York State is about to roll out new voting systems to replace the mechanical lever machines. Election Integrity advocates fought a  long battle for paper ballots, optical scanners, and ballot marking devices rather than the unauditable electronic touch screen machines. But will these new machines be used correctly? How will election officials deploy the new systems, and will training for poll workers and voters be adequate? And will the paper ballots be audited correctly to verify the machine results?

The New York State Board of Elections is holding a week of voting machine testing starting Sep 28, 2009. Bo will be on hand for all the tests, and will brief us on the results.

Bo Lipari, former Director of New Yorkers for Verified Voting, will talk about the status of the changeover and what voters need to know about the new systems. Recent developments concerning New York State's new voting systems can be found at Bo's new website.

Free and open to all, with complimentary refreshments. Donations appreciated, as BTD is entirely volunteer-run. Handicap accessible. Free parking in the Fire Hall lot and on Rte 96, but please don’t block the fire truck bays in front or in back of the building.

Friday, September 11, at 7 pm
Breaking New Ground Together:
The Local Gardening Movement Takes Root

An "edible schoolyard" program in Trumansburg would improve the diets of young people, broaden their range of studies and skills, strengthen community ties, and promote the eco-friendly habit of growing and eating locally-grown food.

Thanks to a small group of local folks, this program is gaining headway and needs your support. Please join us for a presentation and discussion with a panel of local growers and educators including:

• Josh Dolan, Community Food Gardening Coordinator at Cornell Cooperative Extension, will provide an overview of the educational gardening movement in Tompkins County where there are already 20-30 gardens for all ages in diverse settings, from recovery centers and prisons to community centers and churches. Josh has been working to develop new gardens, provide better access to gardening information, and develop a coalition to support and facilitate community and school gardening across the county.


• Dan Flerlage will share some of his experiences starting up an edible schoolyard at the Lehman Alternative Community School (LACS) of Ithaca, where he teaches.


• Jeannie Wiggins, Principal of Trumansburg Elementary School, will discuss steps needed to incorporate an edible schoolyard program into the school curriculum.


• Deb Bush, Food Service Specialist for the Trumansburg and South Seneca Schools, will share her ideas on improving school lunches through the use of local produce, and what needs to be done to encourage children to eat unfamiliar foods. She will also describe the progress the cafeterias have made in recycling and reusing materials.

The panelists will also discuss some of the challenges to overcome, like the “red tape” of the school district. They’ll answer your questions, welcome your input, and offer suggestions on how you can participate.

Educational gardening is a growing movement throughout the U.S., especially in low-income urban communities of color. For example, Boston's The Food Project.

Friday, June 12, 7:00 pm at the Trumansburg Fire Hall:
Torturing Democracy

2008 independent documentary
run-time: 90 minutes

In a riveting and dramatic narrative, Torturing Democracy tells the inside story of how the U.S. government adopted torture as official policy in the aftermath of 9/11. With exclusive interviews, explosive documents and rare archival footage, award-winning filmmaker Serry Jones has crafted the definitive account of a deeply troubling chapter in recent American history.

Winner of the 2009 Journalism Award for domestic television from the RFK Center for Human Justice, Torturing Democracy carefully presents the evidence that leads straight to the top of the chain of command -- and so lays to rest the "rotten apple" defense for abusive interrogations at Guantanamo, Abu Ghraib and elsewhere. For more info, including the contents of all the key documents mentioned in the film, visit www.torturingdemocracy.org

If we want to know what torture is, and what it does to human beings, we have to look at it squarely, without flinching. That's just what a powerful and important film, seen by far too few Americans, does. 'Torturing Democracy' was written and produced by one of America's outstanding documentary reporters, Sherry Jones.
- Bill Moyers (from Everyone Should See Torturing Democracy)

Thursday, May 21, 7:00 pm at the Trumansburg Fire Hall:
Garbage Capital
with the Finger Lakes Zero Waste Coalition of Geneva

Every day, 9,000 tons of garbage is trucked into Seneca Meadows Landfill in Seneca Falls (at the northern tip of Cayuga Lake), and, 10 miles away, to the Ontario County Landfill in Stanley, NY.  The garbage comes from New England, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, New York City, plus over 40 NY Counties and Canada. Our beautiful region has become the garbage capital of New York State. 

As if this situation were not bad enough with hundreds of 18-wheelers hauling trash through our towns and villages, and the smell of the Ontario County Landfill wafting downwind to the western shore of Seneca Lake, the Ontario County Board of Supervisors is now moving forward with a plan to build a waste-to-liquid-fuel gasification pilot plant at the Ontario County Landfill. If built, it would be the first commercial facility of its kind in the United States here in the Finger Lakes.

A group of citizens gathered in Geneva to address the problems posed by these mega-landfills. They call themselves the Finger Lakes Zero Waste Coalition, and Back To Democracy has invited them to discuss the topic with us on May 21. Here´s how Katherine Bourbeau of the Coalition describes their presentation: "We will tell what we know about how this appalling state of affairs came to be, and the political and financial circumstances that exist now. We'll talk about the landfills and the sources and amount of waste they accept, and will describe the inadequate environmental review and our many concerns about the gasification pilot. We will tell how our group formed, what are goals are, and the many challenges we're facing. We will give some information and useful links on communities nationwide moving toward zero waste, and the main groups developing the theory and the practice."

For suggestions on how you can take action on this issue, go to Finger Lakes Zero Waste's Take Action page.

Friday, April 17, Dr. John Abramson on Big Pharma:
Can The American Health Care System Be Fixed?

To follow up on a documentary we showed last April, “Money Talks: Profits Before Patient Safety,” we invited one of the experts featured in the film, Dr. John Abramson (author of “Overdosed America”) to speak to us about health care. We are delighted to announce that he has graciously accepted our invitation.

The following description of the focus of his talk comes directly from our guest speaker Dr. Abramson:

“American healthcare costs twice as much per person as does healthcare in the other industrialized countries. If we were actually getting better health, one could argue that the enormous investment is paying off. But Americans actually live two and a half years less in good health than the citizens of those other countries. And the U.S. is the only country that doesn’t provide coverage to all citizens, leaving about 48 million Americans without healthcare coverage.

“But we must be careful not to throw good money after bad. Liberals can be as uncritical of healthcare spending as conservatives are of defense spending. The core problem must be addressed before any sustainable progress can be made: Like the market failure in the financial world, we have market failure in the medical knowledge that informs doctors and consumers. Clinical research and the dissemination of scientific evidence have been largely taken over by industry, and their primary responsibility is to maximize their shareholders’ return on investment, not to improve the public’s health.

There is no better example of how this problem plays out than in our misguided efforts to reduce the risk of coronary heart disease. This lecture will present a brief history of the privatization of medical knowledge, the impact that has had on the quality and integrity of our medical knowledge, and what needs to be done to heal American healthcare.” (- John Abramson, MD)

About our speaker

John Abramson, MD is currently on the clinical faculty at Harvard Medical School, where he has taught primary care for many years and now teaches health policy. For seven years he served as chairman of the department of family practice at Lahey Clinic, and was twice voted “Best Doctor” in the area by readers of the local newspapers. On three occasions, his peers have selected him one of a handful of best family practitioners in Massachusetts. His work has been published in the NY Times and the Los Angeles Times, and he has appeared numerous times on national television, including twice on the Today Show. He lectures frequently to both medical and non-medical audiences about the crisis in American health care. He also serves as an expert in litigation involving the drug industry, and as the Executive Director of Health Management for Wells Fargo Health Solutions.

Dr. Abramson grew up in Newton, MA and graduated from Harvard in 1970, having majored in sociology and psychology. He earned his medical degree from Dartmouth and Brown Medical Schools and interned in Chapel Hill, NC. He then joined the Public Health Service, working as a primary care doctor in the south eastern corner of West Virginia for two years. He completed his residency in family medicine at Case Western in Cleveland, at the same time completing a two-year Robert Wood Johnson Fellowship—a fellowship designed to provide doctors with the research and teaching skills to pursue an academic career. But he changed career after observing the prejudice against family medicine in the academic center, and in 1982 he took over a fledgling family practice just north of Boston and practiced there for 20 years. In 2002 he left his practice to devote himself to writing and research about the increasing takeover of medical information by the medical industry, leading to the publication of his book “Overdosed America” in 2004.

Books by Dr. Abramson will be available for purchase and signing after his talk.

We are incredibly fortunate to have Dr. Abramson available to us, right in our own neighborhood -- not because he lives here, but because he, as the son-in-law of our own Ruth Kahn, comes to visit fairly often.

Friday, March 13 at 7pm: Not Your Grandparents' Gas Well

7:00-7:15 Introduction (Margo Alexander, Back To Democracy's facilitator)

7:15-7:35 Sue Heavenrich, local scientist and journalist, will describe the new technique of drilling in Marcellus Shale, how it is significantly different from drilling as we know it, and its possible adverse effects.

Sue Heavenrich has been closely following natural gas exploration and development in our region. With a biology background and graduate research on insect behavior, she has written extensively for local newspapers and national magazines about agriculture, science and the environment for the past 25 years.

7:35-7:50 Rachel Treichler, JD, will give an overview of the regulatory process for gas drilling in NY, including roles of the DEC and Governor, then cover options for landowners to address compulsory integration.

Rachel Treichler is an attorney in Hammondsport. She represents landowners in oil and gas, mineral rights and water rights matters. Rachel graduated from the University of Texas School of Law in 1981, where oil and gas law was a featured section of the curriculum, but she did not focus her practice on oil and gas law until she moved to this area in 2002.

Rachel adds:

People will get more out of my talk if they review the following materials in advance:

1. Oil and Gas Accountability Project Landowner's Guide to Oil and Gas Development, Ch. 2, Legal and Regulatory Issues, http://www.earthworksaction.org/pubs/LOguideCh2.pdf
2.  Public Hearing Processes for Oil and Gas Well Spacing and Compulsory Integration in New York, http://www.dec.ny.gov/docs/materials_minerals_pdf/policydmn1.pdf
3. Executive Summary of the Generic Environmental Impact Statement on the Oil, Gas and Solution Mining Regulatory Program, 1992, http://www.dec.ny.gov/docs/materials_minerals_pdf/fgeisexecsum.pdf
4. Final Scope for Draft Supplemental Generic Environmental Impact Statement, 2009, http://www.dec.ny.gov/docs/materials_minerals_pdf/finalscope.pdf

7:50-8:00 Charles Wolff, JD, will discuss the nature of a gas lease contract, the contract negotiation process, and then provide insight as to how local landmen react to specific proposals by landowners. Charles, a 2004 graduate of Syracuse University College of Law, is a Trumansburg attorney who negotiates gas lease contracts for his clients as part of his practice.

8:00-8:10 Personal testimony: For several years, Autumn Stoscheck has lived right next to a gas well. She?s a mother, farmer and cider maker from Van Etten.

8:10-8:30 Q&A Note: If time does not permit our panel to answer all questions, please email them to us (address below).

8:30-8:45 Intro to local community organizers (Jan Quarles, BTD)

Reports (3 min/ea) from area activists: representatives from Shaleshock.org, Van Etten?s ?Listening Project,? and others in adjacent counties.

8:45-9:15 Breakout groups led by these activists to discuss future actions.

Friday, February 13 at 7pm: Documentary Film
FLOW: How Did A Handful Of Corporations Steal Our Water?

One of the most important under-the-radar movements of our generation is the appropriation of the commons by private interests. Although this has been going on since the beginning of the Industrial Revolution, it has been institutionalized and globalized under the guise of the IMF, WTO and World Bank. Of particular concern to our region, because of its proximity to large stores of fresh water, is the taking of water resources by private corporations for bottling and selling as "spring water". Water is a primary target for privatization, and is being agressively pursued worldwide. Flow examines this phenomenon.

From the website (www.flowthefilm.com):

Irena Salina's award-winning documentary investigation into what experts label the most important political and environmental issue of the 21st Century - The World Water Crisis.

Salina builds a case against the growing privatization of the world's dwindling fresh water supply with an unflinching focus on politics, pollution, human rights, and the emergence of a domineering world water cartel.

Interviews with scientists and activists intelligently reveal the rapidly building crisis, at both the global and human scale, and the film introduces many of the governmental and corporate culprits behind the water grab, while begging the question "CAN ANYONE REALLY OWN WATER?"

Beyond identifying the problem, FLOW also gives viewers a look at the people and institutions providing practical solutions to the water crisis and those developing new technologies, which are fast becoming blueprints for a successful global and economic turnaround.

Tuesday, January 20, 7:30pm:
Come Celebrate Obama's Inaugural at the Rongo!

The Rongovian Embassy to the United States of America, affectionately known by natives and visitors alike as the Rongo , will be hosting an Inaugural Celebration commemorating the swearing into office of the 44th President of the United States, the Honorable Barack Obama. Scheduled to coincide with the general inaugural hoopla in Washington and abroad on January 20th, ceremonies will begin at 7:30 p.m. at the Embassy, 1 West Main Street, Trumansburg, N.Y., featuring music by The Destination, proclamations, contests, prizes, issuance of visas, and the singing of the Rongovian national anthem, All Hail, Rongovia.

Revelers are invited to come in formal attire, costume, Obama-wear, or however they happen to be dressed when they leave home. Local celebrities and elected officials will join in the ceremonies and the general fray. Comestibles will be served, and drinks available for a price.

Admission is $10 at the door, a portion of the proceeds to be donated to the Trumansburg Fire Company Ambulance Fund.

Friday, December 12:
Let's Keep Involved Democracy Going

Our December meeting will be an official Obama Change Is Coming house meeting. Please sign-up through Obama's web site. The location and attendance of these meetings will be posted there. Seeing the amount of participation encourages others to get involved, too. The Obama transition team is asking folks to help plan their next steps. Our ideas and feedback will be submitted to help shape their priorities in months ahead.

We'll have an open discussion about how we can promote a progressive agenda on domestic and foreign policies with the new Administration. We'll revisit the priorities we identified together at our Platform Meeting in July, and discuss what we can do to help realize Obama's vision for government to be transparent, participatory and efficient. His Administration is already inviting us to get more involved via new channels of two-way communication at www.change.gov and by creating a new Cabinet position of "Progressive Liaison."

Friday, November 14:
Election Recap with Linda Robertson
of Plato's Cave

Linda Robertson of the popular but erstwhile WEOS radio program Plato's Cave which she co-hosted with Iva Deutchman, will be here to provide her always perceptive and often witty insights on the recent political season. Robertson will comment on the presidential and other political races as well as the role of political pundits and other media phenomena from a refreshingly liberal perspective.

Feel free to ask questions and participate in this informal discussion.

Thursday, October 30: John Tonello
Democratic candidate for New York Senate

This could be a transformative election year. We could finally have a president who will actually take governance seriously. We could have a 60-seat, filibuster-proof U.S. Senate. In New York, control of the State Senate could flip to the Democrats for the first time since 1965.

Elmira Mayor John Tonello is an integral part of that transition. Running in the 53rd Senate District against incumbent George Winner, Tonello promises to work for the reforms that are so sorely needed in Albany. An opponent of the "three men in a room" style of decision making that has made New York's political system one of the most corrupt in the country, he'll eliminate "Pay-To-Play," which favors corporations over ordinary people. He supports the aggressive development of green technologies that will help make New York a leader in creating a sustainable economy.

Come meet John and bring your questions.

You can make a contribution to John Tonello's campaign, as well as to other regional progressive candidates, at our Act Blue page.

Thursday, October 16 at 7pm : Ulysses Town Justice Candidate Forum

In addition to all the other important offices on the November 4 ballot, Ulysses residents will see choices for the position of Town Justice. If you are not familiar with the candidates -- Tom Schlee is the incumbent, and Charles Wolff is the challenger -- Back to Democracy is sponsoring a forum to allow you to meet and interact with them. Candidates will introduce themselves, say why they are running, discuss the competencies they belive qualify them for the position, and what issues they find important. Members of the audience are then free to ask questions of one or both candidates.

Don't go blindly into the voting booth and just vote for a name. This is an important and interesting race in its own right -- one that affects the quality of the justice that citizens receive and how legal disputes are settled in our community. Come out and listen to the candidates and see what they have to say for themselves.

Background Info: What do judges do?

Friday, October 10: Eric Massa, Candidate for New York's 29th Congressional District
(running against Randy Kuhl)

Here's your opportunity to meet the person who will finally unseat Randy Kuhl, who has been a reliable source of aid and comfort to the people who have occupied the White House for the past eight years and who have done so much to harm this country. Massa has been a strong and consistent opponent of the Iraq occupation and a supporter of fair trade and universal healthcare. He understands the danger of global warming and our need for energy independence. Come out and show your support. All donations go to the Massa for Congress Campaign.

Massa's stand on issues (from his website).

Donate to Eric Massa through ActBlue.

Here is Eric's statement in response to our request for a bio:

A New Direction for Western New York

My name is Eric Massa and I'm running for Congress because I know there is a better tomorrow for the Western New York. As I've campaigned, I've learned that families of this district are ready for change rather than more of the same from typical Washington politicians. It is time for someone to step up and fight for our families, not the corporate special interests. From creating jobs, to lowering gas prices, to supporting our troops, to making health care affordable — I will stand up for you.

Creating good jobs with benefits. Middle class American families are the backbone of this country and when they prosper, so does the United States of America. Under the Bush-Kuhl administration American families have struggled while thousands of jobs have been shipped overseas. Unlike my opponent, I would not support CAFTA, NAFTA and unfair free trade deals with China. The people of Western New York need a leader who will create good jobs with solid benefits and fight to bring businesses back home. By partnering our local educational institutes with private industry and the State/Federal government, we can rebuild our economy by ensuring that college graduates that grew up in New York can stay here by creating stable 21st Century jobs.

Energy Independence and Lowering Gas Prices. These days, working Americans are having trouble affording the fuel they need to get to work and are worried about how they will afford to heat their homes this winter. Everyone is feeling the pain at the pump, but the current administration continues to sit idle, voting for Big Oil tax handouts and against middle class tax cuts. In Congress, I will fight to expand domestic drilling, fund renewable energy initiatives, and create green jobs right here in the Southern Tier. My vote will never be sold to Big Oil. That's why I've never accepted any money from corporate special interests, unlike my opponent who has taken over $1 million from them. The only people I will owe my loyalty to are the families of our district.

Standing up for our Veterans. As a 24 year US Navy veteran, I will also fight for veterans benefits. The men and women who sacrifice their lives for our freedom deserve the utmost respect, but Washington politicians continue to dishonor veterans and their families. As a Congressman, I will put our veterans and their health first. I will vote for full funding for the Veterans' Administration. I will also lead the fight to provide our returning veterans with all of the resources that they need to find good jobs and successfully transition from military to civilian life.

Fighting for quality, affordable healthcare. American families should not have to choose between putting food on the table or filling their prescriptions. Each and every citizen of Western New York deserves quality, affordable health care. Unfortunately, today's Washington politicians have failed to take action and American families continue to feel the pain of skyrocketing health care prices. In Congress, I will lead the fight for health care reform and I won't back down until all Americans have access to the same affordable, quality health care that every member of Congress has already voted to give themselves.

This district deserves a new standard of independent leadership in Washington. We need a representative who will stand up to the special interests and work for the families in Western New York. I believe that we can improve America now and for our children's future and that's why I'm running for Congress. I hope you will join me in our cause and vote for a new direction on November 4th.

Friday, September 12:
How We Can Avoid War with Iran

Professor John Weiss of Cornell University will explore ways of assessing the danger of war and how to bring about conditions that may avoid it. As we've seen, many things seem to be pointing to a war between the US and Iran: Iran has rejected pleas to cease its enrichment of uranium and has conducted some of its nuclear work outside the view of inspectors; Iran's President has held a conference of Holocaust deniers and has made provocative statements about Israel's place on the map; Iranian groups are exporting weapons to Iraq in the hands of men trained to attack American troops; Israeli officials have said that an attack on Iran is inevitable; funds have been voted specifically for the purpose of regime change in Iran; American officials have stated that allowing Iran to have nuclear weapons is unacceptable.

Our Guest Speaker

Professor John Weiss played a leading role during the fall of 2002 in the activities at Cornell aimed at avoiding a war with Iraq. During that period, he also appeared regularly on the local "Morning Report" radio show (WHCU) as a guest expert on international affairs. This term, he is teaching a course on the Early Cold War, a course on Darfur, and a seminar course called "Iran and the World."

John Weiss grew up in Rome, NY, "in the Happy Days of the Eisenhower Presidency,"as he describes them. At Princeton, he majored in International Affairs, founded the African Affairs Committee, and wrote a thesis on genocide in the King of Belgium’s Congo. After serving as an artillery lieutenant in Korea, he studied European and African history at Harvard, where he also ran a project on small claims courts for Ralph Nader, helped develop a nationally marketed curriculum on technology and society, and protested the invasion of Cambodia as a member of Veterans for Peace.

Since arriving at Cornell in 1974, John has taught scores of courses there: on European history, World War II, the history of technology, and the history of international humanitarianism. He has served three times as director of Cornell's Institute for European Studies, was a member of the board of Cornell Cinema for 15 years, and now serves on the board of the Public Service Center. He is also finishing a term as the chair of the University-ROTC Relations Committee. Since 2005, he has received two teaching awards from Cornell and one from the United States Air Force.

As an activist, John helped in 1988 to found the Friendship Center, Ithaca's center for the homeless and disadvantaged, and served for six years as its board president. During the war and genocide in Bosnia, he served as chair of the Bosnia Coordinating Committee, which worked to bring aid and political assistance to the victims of the conflict. During his mission to Bosnia in 1995 on behalf of the BCC, he became the only American witness to the events immediately surrounding the Srebrenica massacre.

In 2004, John and his wife Elaine started producing the weekly TV show HOW TO SPELL PRESBYTERIAN, which begins its fifth season this month. Of the many subjects covered in the show, the most frequent one was the Darfur genocide. John also directs the Darfur Action Group-Cornell and teaches courses on Darfur and Sudan every term, taking students to Washington and Ottawa to brief government officials about policy questions.

John's daughter Amity, a graduate of Ithaca’s public schools, is best known in this area as the founder of KIDSREACH, an independent activist/public education organization that won local and national awards for community service. She graduated from Princeton in 2007 and has just completed a year's internship in Rwanda with an international child protection organization.

John's wife Elaine, a native of Ithaca, teaches at St Paul's Nursery School. In John’s words, "Elaine is also a co-conspirator on most of my activist projects and shares a house with me on Coddington Road near Brooktondale, a very senior cat Rosie, a mostly unsuccessful garden, church activities, and a passion for kayaking, camping, fishing, hiking, and each other."

Friday, August 8: The 11th Hour

This 2007 documentary, starring Leonardo DiCaprio and directed by Nadia Conners, explores the global environmental crisis and paints a portrait of a planet at risk while also offering some exciting and radical solutions for making life on earth sustainable. Tapping the brains of leading scientists and thinkers -- including Stephen Hawking and Mikhail Gorbachev -- the film ultimately delivers a hopeful message: Our planet may be in crisis, but that doesn't mean it's too late change.

Tuesday, July 22 7pm:
Help Determine the Democratic Party Platform

From the Obama website:

Every four years, the Democratic Party assembles a "platform" that outlines the party’s position on a variety of issues. Traditionally, the platform is written by paid professionals and then presented to the American people.

This year, that’s going to change.

From July 19 to July 27, everyday people all across America will hold Platform Meetings in their own communities. From Atlanta, Georgia to Muncie, Indiana, from Bangor, Maine to Eugene, Oregon, Americans will meet to talk about what issues are most important to them and what should be at the heart of the Democratic platform for change.

The results of these Platform Meetings will be incorporated into the formal process that culminates in the adoption of the platform at the Democratic Convention in August. A few participants may even be invited to appear and testify at the National Hearing and at the Convention!

You can write the next chapter in the history of the Democratic Party. Host an event in your own community. We’ve prepared all the materials that you need to host. Or, if you'd prefer, find an event near you.

This meeting is open to everyone and is our chance to join with citizens throughout America to get our voices heard. Please register for this meeting through the Obama web site, so they can record the number of people who participate nationwide.

Here's a link to the 2004 Democratic Platform for your review.

Friday, July 25
What's Next for New York?
A Report on Election Integrity by Bo Lipari

After an arduous five-year battle with the manufacturers "black box" voting machines, New Yorkers can finally be assured of a voter-verified paper ballot. This is in large part due to the efforts of Bo Lipari of New Yorkers for Verified Voting.

Bo is an old hand at BTD, having visited us on several occasions to keep us informed on the status of this project. Now he returns to report on NYVV's successful campaign

Friday, July 11 @ 7 PM: The Net At Risk

From the website:

The future of the Internet is up for grabs. Last year, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) effectively eliminated net neutrality rules, which ensured that every content creator on the Internet-from big-time media concerns to backroom bloggers-had equal opportunity to make their voice heard. Now, large and powerful corporations are lobbying Washington to turn the World Wide Web into what critics call a "toll road," threatening the equitability that has come to define global democracy's newest forum. Yet the public knows little about what's happening behind closed doors on Capitol Hill.

Some activists describe the ongoing debate this way: A small number of mega-media giants owns much of the content and controls the delivery of content on radio and television and in the press; if we let them take control of the Internet as well, immune from government regulation, who will pay the price? Their opponents say that the best way to encourage Internet innovation and technological advances is to let the market-not the federal government-determine the shape of the system.

"The genius of the Internet was that it made the First Amendment a living document again for millions of Americans," says Robert McChesney, a media scholar and activist and co-author of OUR MEDIA, NOT THEIRS. "The decisions that we're going be making ... are probably going to set our entire communication system, and, really, our entire society, on a course that it won't be able to change for generations."

Friday, June 27:
Report on the Walk to Fort Drum from New York State Marches for Peace

On Thursday, May 8, 2008, citizens starting from Ithaca, Rochester, and Utica began a 10–day march to Fort Drum in Watertown, NY. The three groups converged in Pulaski, picking up many more participants along the way. Some folks walked the whole way; others joined in for a day or so. Some citizens who had not intended to march at all, or who did not even know the march was happening, were so inspired as the march passed through their town that they, too, joined in..

The march culminated on Saturday, May 17, Armed Forces Day, at the Fort Drum Spring Festival, where veterans, their families, and civilians came together to celebrate the principles of peace and democracy. The festival was coordinated by members of IVAW who run A Different Drummer Cafe, whose mission is to promote the free and uncensored exchange of ideas and information among active duty and reserve military personnel and civilians.

The organization that organized the march — New York State Marches for Peace — is a collaboration between members of Iraq Veterans Against the War (IVAW), and upstate peace activists. March organizers, participants, and veterans will join us on June 27 to recount their experiences on the march and to participate in a panel discussion on issues such as war and peace, foreign policy, the military mission of our soldiers both at home and abroad, and the proper balance between the rights of citizen soldiers and military authority in a democratic society.

The panel will be followed by an open discussion on how we can SHARE THE BURDEN OF THIS WAR WITH SOLDIERS AND VETERANS, and how we can proceed in future peace-related efforts, in cooperation with veterans and active duty soldiers who are opposed to the Iraq War.

Thursday, June 12 @ 7 pm: King Corn

2007. Run time: 90 mi

If you've read or heard much about Michael Pollan's The Omnivore's Dilemma, you'll be familiar with the extensive role that subsidized corn plays in our society. Everything from the shape of our landscapes to "supersized" fast food, to the increased flow of immigrants from Mexico and Central America can be traced to corn. Join us for this sometimes amusing sometimes heartbreaking journey through the paths corn takes through our culture.

From the movie's web site:

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, 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, andpowerful 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. —Copyright © 2007 Balcony Releasing

Friday, May 30 @ 7 pm: Citizens for Agricultural and Rural Responsibility

Robert Barton of Citizens for Agricultural and Rural Responsibility (www.carrcny.org) will join us to discuss "The Right of Citizens to Govern," with a focus on protesting sludge dumping on local farmlands.

Robert, a resident of Hector, will show the documentary film My Name is Allegany County (run time: 50 min.) as an example of how citizens came together in 1989 to prevent a nuclear waste dump site in their county. He will then discuss the current use of sewage sludge on farmers' fields, and the necessity of citizens to mobilize once again to halt this practice.

Sludge is treated sewage from city wastewater plants. Some farmers spread sludge products (also called "biosolids") on their fields for organic content and/or as a substitute for lime. The main reason farmers use sludge is that it is cheap.

Sludge contains human waste, as well as anything that goes into city sewer systems, such as household cleaning products, medications, industrial chemicals, hospital waste, and pathogens (disease organisms). Sludge used to be dumped in the ocean, but the practice was so destructive that it was outlawed in 1991.

Friday, May 9 @7pm: The Witness (2004)

Local filmmakers Jenny Stein and James LaVeck will join us for a screening and discussion of their award-winning documentary, The Witness, profiling one man's change of heart towards animals, and how his awakening transforms his own life as well as others on the streets of New York City. It's a true story of compassion, courage, advocacy, and the power of individuals to make real changes in the world.

Translated into 10 languages and featured in 32 film festivals worldwide, The Witness has won much acclaim, including eight "Best Documentary" awards, most recently in Kiev and Prague.

After screening the film (43 minutes long), the filmmakers will join us for a group discussion. Drawing on the film's inspiring story, as well as its producers' tribulations and triumphs while attempting to get their work shown to mainstream audiences, we will focus on the life path of citizen activism, which moves from awareness of an issue, to the awakening of conscience, and then to empowered nonviolent action. The filmmakers will offer their thoughts on how artwork which has the power to transform society is often blunted and suppressed, as well as strategies for overcoming these forces of resistance.

Producing/directing team James LaVeck and Jenny Stein are co-founders of Tribe of Heart, a charitable organization that produces award-winning documentary films that explore how the awakening of conscience inspires ordinary people to respond to injustice with creativity and nonviolence. LaVeck and Stein are outspoken proponents of values-based grassroots activism, emphasizing the need for respect for individual rights, truth, transparency, and integrity in effecting social change. In addition to film making, they lecture and publish on critical thinking, the ethics of animal advocacy, and the essential roles of grassroots activism and independent media in maintaining a healthy democracy. Tribe of Heart films are financed, produced, and distributed entirely through the power of an international grassroots community, giving LaVeck and Stein an extraordinary level of freedom from the forces that so often limit both the content and reach of independent documentaries.

Since its release in 2000, nearly 20,000 copies of Tribe of Heart's first documentary, The Witness have been purchased over the internet by people who wish to share its message with others in their family and community. Concerned citizens have partnered with Tribe of Heart to hold hundreds of community screenings, and to translate the film into Czech, French, Finnish, Italian, Japanese, Polish, Russian, Spanish, and Swedish. The film has also been broadcast on numerous PBS stations and Link TV, and will have its European broadcast premiere in May 2008 on Britain's Community Channel.

Tribe of Heart's next film, Peaceable Kingdom: The Journey Home, is due for release in the second half of 2008. It is the culmination of a ten year project exploring the emerging new ethics of the human-animal relationship. The film will offer a riveting portrait of the moral and ethical awakening of several farmers, whose growing sense of connection with the animals they raise and send to slaughter leads them to challenge the basic assumptions of their culture, to part ways with generations of family tradition, and ultimately to adopt a lifestyle based on nonviolence toward all living beings.

Tuesday, April 29:
Clean Money / Clean Elections Lobby Day in Albany!

Most of us sooner or later feel frustrated that nothing changes. We see clearly that our country and our planet are in trouble and something needs to be done — and soon. But only rarely do we get the opportunity to really make a change. Such an occasion is coming up this month. On Tuesday, April 29, Citizen Action New York is sponsoring a "Lobby Day" in Albany to push for the Clean Money – Clean Elections (CMCE) campaign.

CMCE is a method of publicly funding elections that has the potential to greatly change the nature of elections and the kind of people who get elected. One reason the system is so corrupt now is that it takes a lot of money to run a campaign, and candidates get large quanities of the stuff from corporate lobbyists. The corporations expect something in return, and they usually get it, whether it's in the public interest or not. In a Clean Money election, candidates can opt in to the public system and receive enough money to compete. Such systems have been very successful in Maine and Arizona in bringing more grassroots candidates into office.

Of course, there's a lot of opposition from those who thrive on the current system, but Citizen Action believes that it's possible to get legislation passed during this legislative session, but they need the support of citizens. That's where you come in. Here's an opportunity to do something that will really make a difference.

Take the day off work and join us on Tuesday, April 29 for a day of lobbying in Albany. We need as many people as possible so that the legislators will see that this program has strong public support. A bus will be leaving at 7am from Ithaca, so you don't have to drive (but if you choose to drive, we can tell you where to meet us).

For more information about how the Clean Money / Clean Elections system works, go to PublicCampaign.org.

Thursday, April 24 @7pm:
Water Quality in Taughannock and Trumansburg Creeks

The Community Science Institute (CSI), a local nonprofit, partners with groups of adult and youth volunteers to monitor water quality throughout the southern Cayuga Lake watershed. Volunteers collect samples from Cayuga Lake and its tributary streams, and CSI's EPA-certified laboratory analyzes them for chemicals and bacteria. The data are scientifically credible and can be used by all levels of government in managing water resources, including impacts of land use practices on tributary streams and the streams' impacts, in turn, on Cayuga Lake. CSI's volunteer monitoring partnerships are building a base of information about water quality in our region and are helping to fill the large data gaps left by state and federal programs. Monitoring results through 2006 may be viewed at CSI's web site. Results from 2007 will be posted following redesign of the CSI website, hopefully this spring. Raw data through 2007 are available on request by emailing lab@communityscience.org.

CSI partners with local Stream Watch volunteers to monitor water quality in Taughannock Creek and Trumansburg (Frontenac) Creek, including effluent from the Village of Trumansburg's aging sewage treatment plant. Preliminary data on samples collected from the headwaters to the mouths of both Trumansburg and Taughannock Creek suggest water quality impacts in some places, including E. coli bacteria and phosphorus and nitrogen nutrients. Stream Watch and CSI have requested funds from local municipal governments to increase the frequency of monitoring in both streams in order to get accurate baseline data and to characterize stormwater impacts on water quality throughout their lengths. Repeated sampling of the effluent from the sewage treatment plant over a two-year period from 2006 to 2008 has shown that the effluent is contaminated with fecal coliform bacteria above the permitted level approximately 90% of the time. However, because of dilution, the fecal bacteria counts at Camp Barton, located about a mile downstream at the mouth of Trumansburg Creek, are found to be elevated only under stormwater conditions.

Dr. Stephen Penningroth is a co-founder of the nonprofit Community Science Institute, where he serves as both Executive Director and Technical Director of CSI's certified laboratory. A former associate professor and researcher in cell biology and toxicology and the author of a dozen peer-reviewed publications, Dr. Penningroth taught at the Robert Wood Johnson Medical School in New Jersey in the 1980s and in Cornell's Department of Natural Resources in the 1990s before moving to CSI in 2000. He lives in the Town of Ulysses with his wife, Judy Roberts, and their two German shepherds, Xoe and Patrick.

Friday, Apr 11 7pm:
Money Talks: Profits Before Patient Safety

Run time: 50 min. Open discussion to follow.

Have you ever noticed all the pharmaceutical company logos in your doctor's office -- on pens, calendars, clocks, mugs, whatever? This is a small but visible indicator of the growing influence of the drug industry on the way medicine is practiced in the U.S. Money Talks reveals the pharmaceutical industry's corrupting influence over medical education, drug trial results and publications, and drug marketing, resulting in the overprescribing of some medications and the withholding of negative discoveries about others. This 2006 independent documentary by Kathleen Slattery-Moschkau features six experts in the field, including John Abramson, MD of Harvard Medical School, author of Overdosed America, and Prescription Access Litigation Project director, Alex Sugerman-Brozan.

The film was independently written, directed, produced and distributed by Hummingbird Pictures, a woman-owned company. Money Talks was honored by the American Library Association's 2008 list of Notable Videos for Adults. For more info and to view a trailer, visit www.moneytalksthemovie.com.

Dr. Abramson happens to be the son-in-law of one of Back To Democracy's Founding Mothers, Ruth Kahn. To follow up our screening, we asked Dr. Abramson if he'd speak to the public in person about this subject when he visits Trumansburg sometime this fall. He kindly agreed. We are currently exploring larger venues, including the High School, and will post details here on our web site.

Friday, March 28, 7pm: Sandra Steingraber
Toxic Trespass: How Chemical Pollutants in Air, Food, Water, and Consumer Products Violate Human Rights and What We Can Do About It

Ecologist, biologist, author, acclaimed lecturer and cancer survivor, Sandra Steingraber, Ph.D. is an internationally recognized expert on the environmental links to cancer and reproductive health. Her world renowned book, Living Downstream: An Ecologist Looks at Cancer and the Environment -- the first to link data on toxic releases with data from U.S. cancer registries -- presents cancer as a human rights issue.

The recipient of numerous prestigious awards, Dr. Steingraber was heralded by the Sierra Club in 1999 as "the new Rachel Carson." Her book, Having Faith: An Ecologist's Journey to Motherhood was selected by The Library Journal as one of its best books of 2001. The following year, it was featured in a PBS documentary by Bill Moyers. A two-way translator between scientists and activists, Steingraber briefed U.N. delegates on the global contamination of breast milk in 1999, and this year appeared before the U.S. Congress to present her findings on the falling age of puberty in American girls.

She is currently a Distinguished Visiting Scholar at Ithaca College, resident of Trumansburg village and mother of two.

Dr. Steingraber's talk will explore the ways in which new discoveries in toxicology and environmental health are mounting challenges to our antiquated methods of regulating toxic substances, which are based on outdated scientific presumptions. In particular, she will examine how the toxic trespass of chemical pollutants into our bodies can contribute to developmental disorders and health problems, including learning disabilities, infertility, early puberty, asthma, and cancer. The advent of green chemistry and serious chemical reform initiatives in Europe and California offer an entirely new approach to chemicals regulation and the chemicals economy.

How can citizen activism on a local level contribute to, and take advantage of, these ongoing efforts? An open discussion will follow Dr. Steingraber's presentation.

Copies of her latest report, The Falling Age of Puberty in U.S. Girls: What We Know, What We Need to Know was featured last fall on Good Morning America and profiled in the Los Angeles Times. Copies will be available, free of charge, to the audience. In addition, she will bring copies of her earlier books for sale and signing. For more information on the author, visit www.steingraber.com .

Friday, March 14 Movie: No End In Sight

2007. Run time 102 min.

The first film of its kind to chronicle the reasons behind Iraq´s descent into guerilla war, warlord rule, criminality and anarchy, NO END IN SIGHT is a jaw–dropping, insider´s tale of wholesale incompetence, recklessness and venality. Based on over 200 hours of footage, the film provides a candid retelling of the events following the fall of Baghdad in 2003 by high ranking officials such as former Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage, Ambassador Barbara Bodine (in charge of Baghdad during the Spring of 2003), Colonel Lawrence Wilkerson, former Chief of Staff to Colin Powell, and General Jay Garner (in charge of the occupation of Iraq through May 2003), as well as Iraqi civilians, American soldiers and prominent analysts. NO END IN SIGHT examines the manner in which the principal errors of U.S. policy — the use of insufficient troop levels, allowing the looting of Baghdad, the purging of professionals from the Iraqi government and the disbanding of the Iraqi military — largely created the insurgency.
--© Magnolia Films

Saturday, March 15, 11:00am: Trumansburg Peace March

Beginning in front of Trumansburg High School on Route 96 / Main Street, we'll march down Main Street through town to "People's Park" — the small grassy area near the intersection of Main Street and Route 227 (across from the T-burg Farmer's Market) -- where we'll gather in a circle at about 12 noon. The total distance is about one mile.

Parking is available on Main Street, but please don't park in the school lots. Bring signs if you wish, and dress warmly.

It helps the anti-war movement to show numerous protesters on a national web site. So please RSVP for this event at UnitedForPeace.org.

If you have a digital camera and are able to take photos of the event, you can submit them afterwards to UnitedForPeace.org and community@backtodemocracy.org .   

Saturday, March 15, 2:00 pm - Ithaca Commons

"All People are Created Equal -- A Puppet Pageant for Peace." 

Raise your voice against war and crimes against humanity as we work together to hold our current administration accountable, end the occupation of Iraq and Afghanistan, and stop white supremacy and neocolonialism. The pageant will include prepared skits by community organizations or groups of people representing a particular theme.  If you are part of, or know of an organization who might want to participate in a prepared skit, please contact Alexis Alexander ; (607) 277-9219.

Saturday, March 8, 10:00am
Trumansburg Trustee Candidate Forum at the Trumansburg Village Hall

On Tuesday, March 18, 2008, voters will go to the polls to select a new Trustee to fill the seat of David Filiberto, who is stepping down. Vying for the empty seat are Allen Carstensen, Democrat, and Debbie Nottke, Republican. Marty Petrovic is running unopposed for Mayor. On Saturday, March 8, Back To Democracy will host a candidate forum where voters can meet the candidates. Candidates will introduce themselves and tell us why they have chosen to run and what issues they think are important in their desired role as Trustees. You are then free to ask the candidates any questions you might have.

There are important issues coming up for the board -- the Byrne Dairy Store, Water District 5, Privatization of billing for the ambulance service, zoning changes, etc. Learn what the candidates believe about these issues. Don't vote in ignorance. Come out and get informed.

Friday, February 22: Trucks and Asphalt (EVENT CANCELED)

Trucks and Asphalt -- the backbone of the US consumer culture. A necessity, or a dinosaur?

Gary Redmond, the owner/operator of Regional Access in Trumansburg will speak about our truck-based freight transportation industry: its economic and environmental impacts, some of its historical background and, as we approach an era of diminishing petroleum-based liquid fuels, what the future holds for it.

After 28 years in the business of distributing food commodities throughout the Northeast in trucks of all sizes, Gary brings a wealth of knowledge to the subject, both from behind the wheel and behind the desk. He also brings a view of the future of an industry that is so necessary in our culture, and how it might adapt to the changing landscape of that culture as we move into the next decade and beyond.

Please join us for an interesting and informative evening. As always, the speaker’s presentation will be followed by a guided discussion session involving all those attending. You will also find petitions and/or letters directed to various legislative bodies for your perusal and signatures, and information on current events that are of import to our community.

Friday, February 8, 7pm:
The Injustice System in America

Released 2007. Directed by Cary Silberman. 80 minutes.

The Injustice System in America explores issues surrounding the mass incarceration of American minorities, especially African-Americans, who make up 13% of the U.S. population, but 49% of the prison population. Through a series of talking heads (including Van Jones and Professor Michelle Alexander of Stanford University) a picture of what's behind this phenomenon is revealed.

There are at least two threads of American culture at work here. One is the historical trend of suppression of minorities. Slavery, Jim Crow laws, and anti-immigrant riots have all been part of this legacy. Recently it has been extended and widened through "tough on crime" tactics such as over-policing of minority communities, harsher penalties for the types of drugs more likely to be used by minorities, mandatory sentencing for non-violent crime, racial profiling, and prejudicial severity in every step of the justice process. As a result, our prisons are disproportionately populated with minorities.

The second thread evident in the rapid increase in the number of prisons and prisoners is the development of mass incarceration as a for-profit enterprise. Building prisons brings money and jobs into our communities, and creates interest groups who lobby for stricter laws in order to keep the prisoners and money flowing.

At the root of this trend is the ability of Capitalism to exploit our culture's refusal to set limits on the "free market". Like permissive parents who sit by while their bullying child gets more and more aggressive, hoping that he'll "grow out of it", we are unwilling to restrain our corporate offspring, naively waiting for the "invisible hand" to correct the inequities. As a result, the corporations get richer, more powerful, and ever more difficult to control.

Friday, January 25:
Clean Money - Clean Elections, with Mary Clark of Citizen Action New York

Mary Clark will be here to update us about Clean Money - Clean Elections -- CANY's campaign to get big money out of politics.

One way that the corporations dominate American democracy is through making politicians dependent on campaign donations. CANY's effort to get money out of elections offers one important means to make politicians more dependent on, and more accountable to voters.

Come out and learn how Clean Money / Clean Elections works, and how you can help push for publicly-funded elections in New York State.

Friday, January 11: Iraq in Fragments

7:00 pm, Trumansburg Fire Hall

An opus in three parts, Iraq In Fragments offers a series of intimate, passionately-felt portraits: A fatherless 11-year-old is apprenticed to the domineering owner of a Baghdad garage; Sadr followers in two Shiite cities rally for regional elections while enforcing Islamic law at the point of a gun; a family of Kurdish farmers welcomes the US presence, which has allowed them a measure of freedom previously denied.

American director James Longley spent more than two years filming in Iraq to create this stunningly photographed, poetically rendered documentary of the war-torn country as seen through the eyes of Sunnis, Shiites and Kurds. Winner of Best Director, Best Cinematography and Best Editing awards in the 2006 Sundance Film Festival documentary competition, the film was also awarded the Grand Jury Prize at the 2006 Full Frame Documentary Film Festival, and nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature in 2007.

Description is from the web site www.iraqinfragments.com .

Run time 94 minutes; discussion to follow.

Friday, December 14: Breaking Ranks

Breaking Ranks is a moving documentary about the plight of four U.S. soldiers seeking sanctuary in Canada as part of their resistance to the war in Iraq. With intimate access to four American military deserters, their lawyer and families, this film documents their experiences as they try to exercise their consciences amidst profound emotional, ethical and international consequences. If deported, they face the venom of mainstream American opinion and one to five years in prison. If Canada instead follows the legacy established by Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau during the Vietnam War, when Canada welcomed tens of thousands of war resisters, there may well be an unprecedented crisis in U.S.-Canadian relations.

Filmed over the course of the refugee process, this provocative film explores the meaning of duty through the powerful testimonies of these young soldiers. In so doing, Breaking Ranks poses challenging political, cultural and historical questions for Canadians and the world.

Sharing stories of moral awakening and the burden that it brings, the emotional core of Breaking Ranks is formed by candid interviews with these four young men as they take us on their journeys from the moment of recruitment to the momentous decision to desert.

Directed by Michelle Mason, an award-winning filmmaker whose first film, The Friendship Village, was an inspiring account of reconciliation between American and Vietnamese veterans, Breaking Ranks reveals the everyday lives, hopes, and idealism of another generation of young soldiers as they become controversial peace activists.

Breaking Ranks is a universal story about the painful forming of character, of men growing to manhood in more complex ways than they expected. Heroes to some and traitors to others, as these young men navigate the international controversy caused by their decisions, their stories raise challenging questions about citizenship and the meaning of duty.

Friday, Nov 30: Steve Coffman

What would the founding fathers have thought of George W. Bush? Steve Coffman, author of Founders v Bush will be here to discuss the fundamental conflict between the policies of George W. Bush and the intentions of the founding fathers.

Beware of pretend patriotism.
-George Washington, 1796

Power always thinks it has a great soul and vast views beyond the comprehension of the weak; and that it is doing God´s service when it is violating all His laws.
-John Adams, 1816

By oft repeating an untruth, men come to believe it themselves.
-Thomas Jefferson, 1813

Perhaps it is a universal truth that the loss of liberty at home is to be charged to provisions against danger, real or pretended, from abroad.
-James Madison, 1798

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Steve Coffman grew up in South Bend, Indiana, then attended the University of Michigan where he later taught Dramatic Literature and Creative Writing. Several of his plays have been produced in college theaters and at The Smithsonian. A dozen of his stories have been published in national journals including four in Redbook. His non-fiction books include two political memoirs, Peace Meal and Messy Freedom, and a country memoir How To Walk A Pig, which he expanded last year and republished as Chicken Justice. Steve settled in the Finger Lakes in 1972, when he was "heartsick with our mainstream culture during America's unconscionable war against Vietnam. My wife Bobbie and I staked our claim in the boonies of Yates County, hoping to make our life closer to nature and form basic relationships that we could understand, and to some degree control."

SPECIAL EVENT!:

Steve will read excerpts from Founders v. Bush on Sat, Nov 24 at 2 pm at the One Green Horse bookstore on Main Street, Trumansburg (next to Gimme!Coffee). Steve will be there from 2-4 pm to chat and sign his book; the reading will be from 2:00 to 2:10 pm.

Friday, Nov 9: The Corporation

The 20th century has been characterized by three developments of great political importance: the growth of democracy, the growth of corporate power, and the growth of corporate propaganda as a means of protecting corporate power against democracy.
-Noam Chomsky

This film explores the nature of corporations as legal "persons" and their role in American society and democracy.  If you wonder sometimes why a government instituted for the purpose of "promoting the general welfare" fails so miserably at that fundamental task, look no further than the corporation, which haunts the republic like a Frankenstein monster bent on destroying its creator.

WINNER OF 26 INTERNATIONAL AWARDS! 10 Audience Choice Awards including the 2004 Sundance Film Festival.

Directed by Jennifer Abbott and Mark Achbar. Based on the book The Corporation: The Pathological Pursuit of Profit and Power by Joel Bakan.

More about this film:
* The Corporation website
The Wikipedia entry for The Corporation has an outline of the movie.

Friday, Oct 26: Planning for Energy Descent

Whether we voluntarily reduce our use of fossil fuel to deal with climate change or are forced to do with less as a result of oil depletion, it's becoming increasingly clear that we face a future in which we will be using much less energy, with profound and unavoidable consequences for our way of life. The effects of energy descent include reduced material wealth, economic upheaval, high food prices, reduced mobility, and shorter manufacturing and retail supply chains. No combination of technical fixes will be able to change the basic outlines of this future reality.

TCLocal is a group of citizens researching and planning for energy descent in Tompkins County, New York. This presentation explains energy descent, describes relocalization as a strategy for coping with energy descent, shows the kind of questions that must be answered in preparing for relocalization, and outlines the steps that should be taken now to prepare for self-sufficiency and a more local way of living.

THE SPEAKERS

Jon Bosak is a technical standards specialist who has spent the last several years researching energy descent and organizing TCLocal in Tompkins County.

Bethany Schroeder is a writer and educator, with a special interest in health care. She serves as the secretary for TCLocal.

Monday, October 22:
Ulysses Town Board Candidate Forum

7:00 pm Trumansburg Elementary School Auditorium

On Tuesday, November 6, voters will elect two new members to the Ulysses Town Board. There are four candidates running for the two open seats being vacated by Roxanne Marino and Don Ellis. Republican candidates are Heather Hartwell and Scott Sherwood. The Democractic candidates are David Kerness and Liz Thomas.  Those elected will serve a four-year term of office.

Whoever we elect to these two seats will shape the future of our town. What is our vision for our town? What do we want the Comprehensive Plan to look like? Do we need to invest in water infrastructure projects? Are there aspects of our town we want to preserve as we face inevitable growth and change? What do you think are the Town's most pressing problems?

On Monday, October 22 at 7 PM at the Trumansburg Elementary School Auditorium, voters will have a chance to MEET THE CANDIDATES. The four citizens vying for the position will each have about 10 minutes to introduce themselves and their platforms.  Voters will then have an opportunity to ask the candidates questions and voice their concerns. Please spread the word to your neighbors. Come out and inform yourselves by attending the forum, and most importantly, VOTE!

Friday, October 12: Michael Moore's SiCKO

The words "health care" and "comedy" aren't usually found in the same sentence, but in Academy Award winning filmmaker Michael Moore's new movie 'SiCKO,' they go together hand in (rubber) glove.

Opening with profiles of several ordinary Americans whose lives have been disrupted, shattered, and -- in some cases -- ended by health care catastrophe, the film makes clear that the crisis doesn't only affect the 47 million uninsured citizens -- millions of others who dutifully pay their premiums often get strangled by bureaucratic red tape as well.

After detailing just how the system got into such a mess (the short answer: profits and Nixon), we are whisked around the world, visiting countries including Canada, Great Britain and France, where all citizens receive free medical benefits. Finally, Moore gathers a group of 9/11 heroes -- rescue workers now suffering from debilitating illnesses who have been denied medical attention in the US. He takes them to a most unexpected place, and in addition to finally receiving care, they also engage in some unexpected diplomacy.

While Moore's 'SiCKO' follows the trailblazing path of previous hit films, the Oscar-winning BOWLING FOR COLUMBINE and all-time box-office documentary champ FAHRENHEIT 9/11, it is also something very different for Michael Moore. 'SiCKO' is a straight-from-the-heart portrait of the crazy and sometimes cruel U.S. health care system, told from the vantage of everyday people faced with extraordinary and bizarre challenges in their quest for basic health coverage.

In the tradition of Mark Twain or Will Rogers, 'SiCKO' uses humor to tell these compelling stories, leading the audience conclude that an alternative system is the only possible answer.

(This synopsis is from MichaelMoore.com)

Friday, Sept. 28: Dr. Sylvester Johnson

The Effects of Climate Change on Agriculture:
How to Achieve an 80% Reduction in Emissions by 2050

Dr. Johnson will describe, with compelling graphics, the several accelerating repercussions of global warming. The presentation emphasizes positive action steps that can make a real difference.

Friday, September 14: Eric Massa

Former U.S. Naval Officer Eric Massa, who will run against Republican Randy Kuhl for the 29th Congressional District seat in 2008 will join us for the evening. Bring your questions and ideas.

Massa lost to Kuhl in 2006 in a very narrow race in which Kuhl had the advantages of incumbancy and Republican money.

Massa served in the Navy for 24 years and was an aide to then-NATO commander Wesley Clark, and later worked for Clark's presidential campaign. He was one of the "Fighting Dems" -- more than 50 military veterans running as Democrats because of their strong opposition to the Iraq War, Bush's destructive foreign policy, and his administration's manipulation of the troops for political gain.

The security of our economic future is not clear and becomes more in question every day. Jobs are being shipped overseas, access to health care is more difficult and more expensive. The deficit fueled by tax cuts and unrelenting government spending has created a true toddler tax of over $27,000 dollars for every new child born in this nation. We are failing to secure the future for our children. This is what brings me here today, and I want to turn that around.
-Eric Massa

Friday, August 24: Bo Lipari

We follow-up Hacking Democracy with Bo Lipari, Executive Director of New Yorkers for Verified Voting will fill us in on the status of voting machine legislation in New York. Bo is another individual who works long volunteer hours to help protect our voting rights. He has addressed our group several times. Lately he's working for a voter-verified paper record to assure us that our votes will count.

Friday, August 10: Hacking Democracy

We've heard a lot about how the voting machines don't work, but what exactly are the problems? Come see this thorough accounting of many of the glitches and weaknesses in our new-fangled (and old-fangled) system. Problems range from software that doesn't work to machines that can be remotely accessed to incompetent, careless, or corrupt officials whose decisions help determine whether our vote counts. The film features Bev Harris, an ordinary Seattle grandmother, who began questioning the decisions made by her local county, and ended up taking on the voting-machine industry. With the help of computer security experts, she demonstrated that the software in Diebold machines, as well as that of other manufacturers, was subject to massive, undetectable hacking. She went on to show many other problems in many communities in the United States.

Bev has a website BlackBoxVoting.org, and has written a book, Black Box Voting

Friday, July 27: In Debt We Trust

Danny Schechter's IN DEBT WE TRUST: AMERICA BEFORE THE BUBBLE BURSTS
2006; 98 minutes

Join us in watching award winning journalist Danny Schechter’s (Weapons of Mass Deception) newest documentary, which investigates the deregulation of the lending industry, a collusion between the Bush Administration and credit card companies, media conglomerates and lobbyists, and the devastating consequences for the middle and working classes, as credit card debt continues to skyrocket in this country.

Schechter leaves no stone unturned as he talks to a number of different people, including real estate experts, soldiers returning from Iraq, government officials, college students dependent on student loans, and people who have declared bankruptcy, while making the connection between the growing debt load in this country and the negative consequences for all Americans.

Take action: go to Stop the Squeeze!

Friday, July 13: Marino Cordoba

In co-operation with Cornell's Committee on U.S.-Latin American Relations (CUSLAR), Back to Democracy presents an evening with Marino Cordoba, founder and first president of the Association of Displaced Afro-Colombians (AFRODES).

Born in the small community of Rio Sucio, Colombia, Mr. Cordoba was displaced from the community following a brutal massacre committed by paramilitary death squads alongside the Colombian military. He fled to the capital,Bogotá, where he helped found AFRODES. After multiple death threats and attacks Mr. Cordoba received asylum in the US, where he continues to work on behalf of Afro-Colombians.

A "powerful and gripping" speaker, Mr. Cordoba will discuss the situation of Afro-Colombians, who make up 25 percent of Colombia’s population. More than 3.5 million people have been internally displaced over the last decade in Colombia, and at least a third of these are Afro-Colombian. According to the international NGO Internal Displacement Monitoring Center, "Forced displacement in Colombia is primarily a way to seize agricultural land from peasants and small farmers, and only to a lesser degree the unintended consequence of fighting between warring parties." It should also be noted that this displacement is contributed to by US taxpayers, in the form of US aid to the Colombian military, and by US corporations who are often complicit with the paramilitaries.

AFRODES, the Association of Displaced Afro-Colombians, was founded in 1999 in response to the mass displacement of Afro-Colombians from their ancestral lands. AFRODES works to defend the rights of displaced Afro-Colombians, raise awareness, preserve cultural heritage, and seeks to guarantee all Afro-Colombians the conditions necessary to live with dignity.

Friday, June 29: The Road to Universal Health Care

Come join us at the Trumansburg Fire Hall for a discussion with Rebecca Elgie and Bernie Fetterly of the Tompkins County Health Care Task Force.

Achieving Universal Health Care has become the number one domestic issue. The problems of our current system have reached the crisis point as it leaves millions without insurance and millions more underinsured or in financial ruin. We will discuss various plans which are being proposed and what we believe is a solution to this growing problem. Please join us with questions on this important issue.

The Tompkins County Health Care Task Force is a health care reform organization linked to many other national organizations working for health care reform in the United States. The Task Force opened its doors in 2001, but members have been working for health care reform for more than 20 years with different organizations.

The Tompkins County Health Care Task Force works primarily for a Single-Payer system that is a government-financed health insurance program like Medicare. It would be a comprehensive, affordable plan which would end the inefficiencies of our current for-profit program. We know that it is the only answer to a just health care system and that it will be the only program that will address our growing health care needs.

Friday, June 8: Kilowatt Ours

Jeff Barrie's 2006 documentary takes us on a journey from the coal mines of West Virginia to the solar panel fields of Florida. Along the way, Jeff and his wife Heather share a plan to eliminate their use of coal and nuclear power at home through energy conservation and the use of renewable sources. Kilowatt Ours invites us all to help build a "net zero" nation. Learn 10 simple steps to save $600/year on electricity.

More info at the Kilowatt Ours Website. Please join our circle discussion after the film and share your energy-saving ideas and questions!

Friday, May 11: Loose Change 2

We will show the revised documentary film about September 11, LOOSE CHANGE 2, by Dylan Avery, Korey Rowe and Jason Bermas. The premise of this film is that the United States Government was at least criminally negligent in allowing the 9/11 attacks. As usual, an open discussion will follow.

Friday, April 27: Local Sustainability

Gay Nicholson, PhD, Program Coordinator of Sustainable Tompkins will present a 30-minute slideshow showcasing a variety of green initiatives taking root in Tompkins County. A circle discussion for sharing ideas will follow, to be co-facilitated by Gay and folks from Sustainable Trumansburg.

If you're tired of all the bad news oil dependency generates, come enjoy the good news that energy self-reliance brings us!

Friday, April 13: Big Easy to Big Empty

On Aug. 22, 2006, independent journalist Greg Palast and producer Matt Pascarella documented how poor residents of New Orleans were marched out of their houses at gunpoint. Palast takes you inside the offices of the Bush Administration's political cronies responsible for this tragic evacuation. Here's the real story of Hurricane Katrina that you won't get on commercial news. During its production, Palast and Pascarella were charged with criminal violations of the anti-terror laws by Homeland Security.

That´s what they want us to do. They want us to get discouraged and to leave. I´m going to stay here long enough to see it come back. - Henry Irving Sr.

Run time: 60 minutes, including Amy Goodman's interview with Greg Palast.

Friday, March 30: The Workers Rights Movement

Pete Meyers, Coordinator of the Tompkins County Workers' Center (formerly Living Wage Coalition and Workers' Rights Center) will join us in a discussion of workers' rights.

In a society dominated by the rights of capital, the "worker" is a marginalized figure, yet the contribution of workers to the quality of life for middle-class Americans is fundamental. At one time, child labor, starvation wages, long hours, and dangerous working conditions were the norm. Thanks to the efforts and sacrifices of organized labor, that is no longer the predominant case, yet workers have lost ground since the peak of unionization in the '50s.

Pete will show two short films. In an 11-minute segment from Anne Lewis's Morristown, American workers from Tennessee and Mexican immigrant workers sacrifice for their common interests during a strike against a chicken processing plant. The second film is In the Shadow of the Tower, about labor practices at Cornell, and the struggle of the United Auto Workers Union to gain a living wage for Cornell employees (30 min).

Following the films, Pete will facilitate a conversation about the importance of workers' rights and a living wage. He will also discuss the role of class in building a grassroots movement for democracy and social justice, locally, nationally, and globally.

Saturday, March 17: Tompkins County Marches for Peace

In solidarity with nationwide actions protesting the 4th year of the Iraq War, Trumansburg's Back to Democracy has joined with a coalition of groups throughout Tompkins County to hold a march & rally on Sat, March 17th.

Groups are organizing carpools in their townships, destined to park at various lots on the outskirts of Ithaca. From there, these groups will march to The Ithaca Commons, where we'll rally together at 3 pm.

Why? Our themes include the illegality of this war, honoring those who have died, the consequences to our communities, the growing threat of the war with Iran, and holding accountable the current administration. We will walk to honor the soldiers; we will walk to honor all of those who have been wounded or died in this conflict; and we will walk to express our strong support for using diplomacy instead of violence to achieve world peace.

Confirmed speakers include Congressman Maurice Hinchey, current representative of New York's 22nd Congressional District, Matt Hrutkay, a member of Iraq Veterans Against the War; Martha Robertson, a Tompkins County Legislator who will address the war's local consequences; and Marty Luster, a former NY State Assemblyman who will address the war's illegality and offer a petition to sign that calls for investigation into impeachment. The Burns Sisters and John Simon will provide entertainment.

Urge your friends to come. If they say, "It won't do any good," here's what you could tell them:

1) We need hundreds of signatures on this petition. Marty, along with concerned citizens, will take it up to the Tompkins County Legislature. Many other towns, counties and even some states are doing the same thing. Even if impeachment does not pass in the Senate, the purpose of this grassroots nationwide impeachment campaign is to show government officials, and the rest of the world, that we hold the White House accountable for its illegal war.

2) The press will be there -- TV, radio and newspaper reporters -- so our event coverage will be seen by our reps and the general public. Also, by submitting digital photos of it to web sites like www.unitedforpeace.org and www.afsc.org, we'll communicate to the global community that we do not condone this war.

3) It is our DUTY, in times like this, for citizens to assemble, protest and petition. Recently, when asked how effective demonstrations are, Marty Luster said, "If 100 people show up on March 17, that wouldn't say much. But if 1,000 people show up, the reps definitely take notice!"

4) Historically, this is how progress has been made in America. In the 30s, it's how we got labor unions and social security. In the 60s, civil rights and medicare. Now let's call for an end to illegal wars, war-profiteering and torture.

Here's the itinerary for those who wish to carpool from the Town of Ulysses & walk together in Ithaca. We have allowed extra time at each meeting location in order accommodate lateness and maximize participation:

12:30 - Carpoolers meet at Park 'n Ride, Trumansburg (junction of Rtes 96 & 227; loc. of Tburg Frmr's Mkt)

1:00 - DEPART for Cass Park Ice Rink lot (on Rte 89 in Ithaca)

1:30-2:00 - Converge at Cass Park Ice Rink lot (allows extra time to connect with latecomers or use bathrooms)

2:00 - DEPART on foot for The Commons, walking (on sidewalk) along the lake inlet, turning left on Buffalo St. This walk is 1.7 miles total, and should take us about 45 minutes.

2:45-3:00 - ARRIVE at The Commons for regional rally at 3 pm.

If you can help with poster-making, flier distribution, and phone calls, please contact our volunteer event coordinator for Town of Ulysses: e-mail Katherine Ludwig or 387-6282.

RSVPs: Since we welcome last-minute participants, RSVPs are not required, but we'd like to report our expected numbers to the bigger planning committee. Plus, hearing back from you keeps up our morale, so please email Katherine if you plan to participate.

For those interested in walking further, meet at Stick 'n Stone Farm on Rte 96 by 11:45 AM. We will march down Rte 96 and meet up with fellow marchers coming from Cass Park @ 2:10 PM and continue to march to the Commons for the rally. For more info, call or write Lou Johns (582-6336) or Michael Dineen (532-9288).

For more information, please visit Ithaca Peace Vigil.

We can't end the war by ourselves, but together, we can. We're counting on your participation, and look forward to seeing you on March 17!

Thursday, March 15: Trumansburg Village Board Candidate Forum

Join Back to Democracy at the Fire Hall at 7:00pm for a discussion with candidates for Trumansburg village trustee in the upcoming March 20 election.

Candidates David Filiberto, Chris Thomas and Rordan Hart are vying for the two open seats for a 5-year term on the village board. Each candidate will spend ten minutes addressing their views on the ethics of the job, public accountability, and their vision for the future of the village. Members of the community will then have a chance for questions and conversation with the candidates and each other in a discussion facilitated by Back to Democracy.

Vote on March 20!
Polling Place: Village Office Building
56 E Main St, Trumansburg

Friday, March 9: Why We Fight

If you've ever wondered why our defense budget exceeds the defense budgets of all other nations of the world combined, why it continues to rise, why politicians don't even suggest lowering it, or why we attack foreign nations who don't attack us, come see this film. Eugene Jarecki's fact-filled, independent documentary made in 2005 uncovers the economic, political and ideological motivations behind US military aggression since WWII. Beginning with Eisenhower's famous warning about the growth of our "military-industrial complex," the film offers insights from the diverse points of view of government leaders, military officials, and ordinary citizens. Winner of the 2005 Sundance Grand Jury Award. Running time: 98 minutes.

More about this movie at Why We Fight.

Friday, Feb 23: Marty Luster

Marty Luster, former State Assemblyman and former City Attorney of Ithaca, has more recently worked as Co-editor of Positive News and as an activist on media reform, immigrant rights and other local and national issues of grassroots concern. He was a participant in the recent National Media Reform Conference held in Memphis, Tennessee.

Mr. Luster will host a conversation on impeachment. We will consider the pros and cons, learn what impeachment is and how it can be accomplished, including the way states may initiate the impeachment process, and consider especially grassroots activity, such as local impeachment hearings, and the contribution they may make to the accountability of public officials.

Bring your questions, comments, and ideas to share with the community.

Friday, Feb 9: Who Killed the Electric Car?

Chris Paine, former electric car owner, attempts to answer why GM crushed the most efficient vehicle it ever invented. His lively, independent documentary, completed in 2006, recounts the dramatic story of how activists fought GM to keep the cars they loved. After the film, we'll provide a brief update on their ultimate impact, leading to GM's electric car revival.

Saturday, January 27, 11:00 am

Join Us Is Protesting The Surge
WHERE: Trumansburg, in the park on the N side of Rt 96 at the intersection of Rt.96 and 227. Parking available at the Farmer's Market site across from the park and at the old Big M lot.

Back to Democracy will hold a demonstration of protest against Bush's "Surge" in Iraq. Many Americans from around the nation will be traveling to Washington, DC to protest there. Many in our community will not be able to go there, but would still love to express their revulsion to this escalation and the continuing needless destruction of lives, infrastructure, and resources in a country that never attacked the United States. Bring your friends, family, and neighbors. Bring your signs, your enthusiasm, and your voice to join us in expressing our democracy by lawfully assembling to "petition the government for a redress of grievances."

Phone Lisa daCunha-Koski at 387-4854 for more information.

Friday, January 26: Amnesty International

Wayles Brown of the Ithaca Chapter of Amnesty International will talk about about this important organization. Mr. Brown´s introduction:

Not everyone knows how we all came to have the same human rights in the first place. As a matter of international law, rights began to appear after the First World War, but really took off after the Second. The United Nations adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948, as a set of principles that should be valid everywhere. Treaties protecting and defining various human rights were signed by almost all countries. But do the countries comply with all their agreements? Amnesty International (AI) started its first, now legendary, campaign in 1961 to insist that they should. AI is not the only organization standing up for human rights, but it is the biggest, with nearly 2 million members. At 45 years old, it has a lot of experience putting pressure on the governments of the world. It usually asks members not to work on cases within their own country, but U.S.-based Amnesty members have found more and more violations here at home that need our attention, be it governmental authorities acting unjustly, or bills that contradict the country´s legal system and treaty obligations.

Bring your questions and comments regarding issues such as the Detainee Bill, Torture in America, Abu Ghraib, Habeas Corpus, and the Geneva Conventions, etc.

Top 10 ways YOU can help close Guantánamo at Amnesty International's web site.

Friday January 12: The Ground Truth

The Iraq war is exacting a human toll that is mounting. Behind the happy talk of "Support the Troops" and the yellow-ribbon stickers on giant SUVs are the soldiers whose lives will forever be affected by the years of brutality in Iraq. But rarely are the soldiers themseves heard from. This film by director Patricia Foulkrod follows the soldier's odyssey from recruitment to the streets of war-torn Iraq and back again to the streets of America's cities where these young people attempt to put their lives back together again. Narrated entirely by the soldiers themselves, the film provides a glimpse into the lives of the men and women who responded to the administration's call for sacrifice.

Comment from Allen Carstensen:
Our Back To Democracy film this month was The Ground Truth a documentary of the experiences of the soldiers before, during, and after combat in Iraq. It is a very powerful film. From the discussion afterward, it seemed everyone was deeply touched. The film pulls you into their troubled lives. Some of them lost limbs, some lost friends, some of them lost their ability to function back home, and some of them ended their own lives. Imagine if you could connect fully with the tragedy in their lives. Then multiply that out to encompass all of the wounded vets and all of the families of dead soldiers. Then imagine what it would do to your mind if you could really understand the horror of the 650,000 dead Iraqis and the millions of wounded, and the real effects of the depleted uranium. It´s a good thing nobody can make a documentary that could put all that in my head.

Thursday, January 11, 4pm to 7pm

Join Us in Protesting the Escalation "Plan". Cayuga Street End of Ithaca Commons. A rally to protest the troop escalation is planned for Thursday, January 11. This is also "Guantanamo Day", the day that the first prisoners arrived in Guantanamo to avoid international laws regarding prisoners of war. Come join your neighbors in expressing their revulsion to these policies. If you can't bring your own sign, we'll have some cards that say "NO MORE TROOPS!". There will also be petitions to sign. You can sign-up for the event at www.americaSaysNo.org, or through MoveOn

Friday December 8: An Inconvenient Truth

A powerful and informative documentary about the most important topic facing humankind, created and presented by former VP Al Gore with passion and compelling scientific evidence. Since our "leaders" have chosen to ignore, and even suppress this problem, Americans will have to push for action. Get informed. This movie is the place to start.

You can learn more about An Inconvenient Truth and watch a trailer by going to the web site www.climatecrisis.net.

Sign Al Gore's petition to the new congress at AlGore.com

Friday November 10: Orwell Rolls in His Grave

Director Robert Kane Pappas' riveting documentary about the relationship between the government and the media. It consists of a series of interviews with media critics. Featured are Congressman (soon to be Senator) Bernie Sanders, Charles Lewis (founder of the Center for Public Integrity). It carefully document how our media has failed to live up to its responsibility to provide Americans with the information they need to make decisions in a democracy. Instead, it has become an Orwellian world where lies become truths and the real world of facts has been replaced with a managed "reality" designed to fill the needs of those who control power

Friday October 27: Elizabeth Garry

State Supreme Court justice candidate Elizabeth Garry will be here for an evening of information sharing on our court and legal system. Come with questions.

UPDATE: In November of 2006, Elizabeth Garry became the first Democrat ever elected to serve on the New York Supreme Court from the Sixth New York Judicial District.

Friday October 13: Iraq for Sale

This new film from Robert Greenwald, the director of Wal Mart: The High Cost of Low Price and OutFoxed: Rupert Murdoch's War on Journalism analyzes the war profiteering that is rife in Iraq, and the administration's complicity in it. Funding for the film came from citizen donations.

Friday September 29: What Motivates People to Resist?

A discussion of why people commit acts of resistance. Some people devote their whole lives; others find themselves in circumstances in which they feel compelled to act. Many of us are feeling quite angry and helpless as citizens of an increasingly militarized nation and the seeming inability of our elected representatives to prevent this trend. The St Patrick's Four, a local war tax resister, and other area activists will share their stories. There will be ample time for questions and group discussion. Please come and listen and share in discussion with your neighbors.

Saturday August 26th: CLEAN MONEY CLEAN ELECTIONS

Free training session at the Ulysses Philomathic Library, Corner of South & Main Streets, Trumansburg, NY 14886, 9am - 1pm. Our trainer will be Citizen Action NY's "Clean Money Clean Elections" coordinator Jessica Wisneski. Free & open to all. Handicapped accessible. To register for the training, or for more info, contact: Margo Alexander (607) 387-5080; Please bring a snack and your own beverage.

Friday, August 25th

Bo Lipari, Executive Director of New Yorkers for Verified Voting (NYVV), will talk about recent developments in the fight for verifiable, auditable voting systems in New York State and around the nation. A retired software engineer, Bo developed software for both large and small companies throughout a 20 year career. In 2003, he became concerned about the rush to use touch screen electronic voting machines in our elections and began traveling, speaking and organizing all over NYS, alerting people to the problems with electronic voting, and the potential for compromising the integrity of our elections. In 2004, Bo founded NYVV (www.nyvv.org), a citizens group working for secure, reliable, accessible, and verifiable standards for voting systems and elections. NYVV has led the struggle in NYS for verifiable, auditable systems. In May, 2006, Bo was appointed as the League of Women Voters of NYS's representative to the NYS Citizen's Election Modernization Advisory Committee. Committee members will advise and assist the NYS Board of Elections in the examination of voting systems.

Friday, July 28th: Water Privatization

The topic of discussion will be local, national and international concerns and actions related to water privatization. There is a national movement afoot called "Defending Water for Life Campaign", organized by a diverse, bipartisan group of people who believe "secure and equitable access to clean water is a human right and must be protected for all generations and all living things." Come learn about what is happening locally with this issue, as the Fingerlakes have been targeted by large corporate water companies for privatization We will start the meeting by showing the documentary Thirst, which looks at the corporate drive to control & profit from water. The film demonstrates the ways citizens have mobilized domestically and internationally around the disputes over water rights. The second part of the meeting will be a discussion with people who are currently organizing locally on this issue.

Friday June 30th

CLEAN MONEY, CLEAN ELECTIONS Campaign Coordinator Jessica Wisneski of "Citizen Action of NY" will show a short video and moderate a discussion about getting big money out of politics through publicly-funded campaigns. Find out how to take legislative action like the citizens in VT, ME, NJ, NC, NM and AZ who have restricted or banned private donations. More info on the topic at www.citizenactionny.org.

Friday April 28th

Les Roberts will speak about his experiences in Iraq and abroad as an expert in the field of public health and water supplies and safety. He is the person responsible for the study and report which was published in The Lancet revealing the large number of Iraqi citizens who perished in this war.

Friday March 31st: Weapons of Mass Deception

We will show the documentary film, Weapons of Mass Deception. "Independent filmmaker Dan Schechter's 2004 documentary focuses on how the media shaped people's views of the Iraq War through their intense coverage from the war's inception through February 2004. Schechter's film examines how new methods such as satellites and embedded journalists affected the media coverage, and the competition between media outlets."

Saturday March 18th, 10am: Join Us to March for Peace

In front of the Trumansburg High School, we will gather as we did last year for a Peace March down to the small park across from where 227 meets Rte 96. Last year, we were 127 strong. This year, we are looking to double that number, so please consider coming if you did not, or bring a friend if you did!

Friday March 17th, 6-8pm: Vigil at Trumansburg Fairgrounds

We will hold a vigil at the Trumansburg Fairgrounds, calling for a real exit strategy from Iraq of US troops, corporations, and military contractors. This was the place and time that we vigiled for many months, before, during and after the invasion. It also is St. Patrick's Day and a way we plan to honor the work of the St. Patrick's Day Four. People can bring signs/posters of their choice.

Friday February 24th: You Can't Be Neutral on a Moving Train

We will watch and discuss the 2004 documentary Howard Zinn: You Can't Be Neutral on a Moving Train about this prominent historian's lifetime of activism.

Friday January 27th

We will be watching and discussing Arundhati Roy's 2004 talk Public Power in the Age of Empire

2005

Wednesday November 16th

In cooperation with the Tompkins County Workers' Rights Center, we will show Walmart - the High cost of Low Price at the Trumansburg High School auditorium.

Thursday October 6th

We will host a question & answer session with Democratic District Attorney Candidate Gwen Wilkinson. This is an opportunity to not only ask questions, but to inform her of our concerns-so please come & bring any registered voter who is interested.

Monday September 26th

MILITARY RECRUITING. Speaker Jim Murphy, a VietNam vet who has been working fin the schools doing counter-recruiting and who has been a peace activist for years. He was featured in USA Today earlier this year.

Saturday August 6

Hiroshima Day event in conjunction with the Perry City Friends monthly Peace Pot Luck. There will be a dish-to-pass dinner at 5:30pm with the program to follow at 7 pm. The meeting will start the program with a greeting & then a moment of silence, and time to honor those who perished and suffered in Hiroshima and Nagasaki. There may be a speaker on the issue of depleted uranium.

Monday June 27

WHAT CAN WE DO TO SHUT DOWN GUANTANAMO?! A powerful video of the New York session of the World Tribunal on Iraq held on May 8, 2004 will be shown by Back to Democracy. The World Tribunal on Iraq is the final segment of Deep Dish TV's 13 part Shocking and Awful series on the U.S. led invasion and occupation of Iraq. Graphic footage of the war and its effects and eyewitness testimony of military and medical personnel are presented as well as testimony by experts in international law. After the film Back to Democracy member and lawyer Howard Engelskirchen will facilitate a discussion on War Crimes in Iraq, international law, our obligations, and our response.The meeting coincides with the last day of the final session of the worldwide World Tribunal on Iraq to be held at Istanbul from June 23 to June 27. Modeled on the Russell Tribunal on the War in Vietnam, preparatory sessions of the World Tribunal have been held across the world, beginning with London in 11/2003, Mumbai 1/2004, Brussels 4/2004, Barcelona and NYC 5/2004, Tokyo and South Korea 12/2004, and Rome 2/2005. The jury for the final session includes Ara Guler, Arundhati Roy, Chandra Muzaffar, Francois Houtart and others and the panel of advocates and witnesses includes Dennis Halliday, Dahr Jamail, Richard Falk, Samir Amin, Scott Ritter, Joel Kovel, Haifa Zangana and others.From the WTI Webpage: "The World Tribunal on Iraq (WTI) is a worldwide undertaking to reclaim justice. It aims to record the severe wrongs, crimes and violations that were committed in the process leading up to the aggression against Iraq, during the war and throughout the ensuing occupation, that continue to be widespread to this day. It is our intention to also record the social, political, environmental and cultural devastation. In the end, the evidence gathered and presented will serve as a historical record that breaks the web of lies promulgated by the war coalition and its embedded press." WTI is a horizontal network of local groups and individuals worldwide that work together in a non-hierarchical system. The project consists of commissions of inquiry and sessions held around the world investigating various issues related to the war on Iraq, such as the legality of the war, the role of the United Nations, war crimes and the role of the media.

Monday May 23

Can American Democracy Survive the Corporate Media? We will watch Bill Moyers' keynote address at the first ever national conference on media reform: On Reforming the Nation's Media and Restoring Democracy. Discussion will follow.

Monday April 25: The Future of Food

We will watch the video, The Future of Food, a documentary which offers "an in-depth investigation into the disturbing truth behind unlabeld, patented, genetically engineered foods that have quietly filled U.S. grocery store shelves for the past decade." It also offers viable alternatives to large-scale industrial agriculture. There will be people present who are working in providing alternatives in this area able to speak with us after the video.

Monday March 28

Fair Trade vs. Free Trade. Meaghan Sheehan from CUSLAR and Risa Sokolsky will be presenting information on the general topic and specifically on the Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA) which Congress will vote on in the next few months. Discussion will follow. Click here for resources and iformation about what you can do.

Saturday March 19 10:00 AM

Peace March in Trumansburg. We will meet at the T-CAT bus stop in front of T-Burg Schools on Main St. (Park on Main St.) The theme will revolve around messages such as "war is not the answer", the "human and financial costs of war", and "love thy enemies." After marching through downtown, we will gather in a circle for silence to honor those dead or wounded in the Iraq War. Then there will be time to speak out from the silence. This is the date two years ago that the US began this war, and the toll to humanity has been devastating. We must keep pressure on to insist that we do not want this bloodshed to continue in our name.

Monday February 28: The Control Room

The War in Iraq will be the focus of the meeting. We will plan for a march in Trumansburg on the second anniversary of the invasion of Iraq. There will be a screening of the documentary, The Control Room which looks at the "controversial and often dangerous operations of the seven year old Al Jazeera news network...which has become the most accepted informational resource in the Arab community."

Friday January 28

"Are you tired of working for peace & paying?" We hold power that government officials can understand in our wallets. Join us for a presentation on boycotts as a political strategy by Linda Finlay and Mary Loehr, both long-time activists, with a discussion ot follow. Ongoing and potential boycotts will be addressed. 7pm at the Trumansburg Firehouse, Rt. 96, just north of downtown.

Monday December 20: The Ground Truth

The Ground Truth is an ongoing documentary project. Currently, U.S. Troops and the Iraqi people are experiencing the daily horrors of war. This film is an opportunity to hear and see our soldier's experiences in this war, and understand the critical and necessary treatment for these soldiers upon returning home. The Ground Truth invites Congress and the American people to bear witness to these soldiers and their families, and to consider the human cost of war, above all else. Discussion will follow the film.

Monday November 29

Was Our Election Stolen? Concerns about voting machines, voter suppression, media coverage & current investigations related to election. There will be a short presentation by Jan Quarles with discussion to follow. Websites with relevant information:

• www.verifiedvoting.org
• www.votersunite.org
• www.electiononline.org
• www.votefraud.org
• Bev Harris' investigations in FL and other states: www.blackboxvoting.org
• To sign a petition on national reform: www.PetitionOnline.com/uselect
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2004_U.S._Election_controversies_and_irregularities
• New Yorkers for Verified Voting: www.nyvv.org
• Voter Protection Center: https://voteprotect.org/?jsc=1

Saturday November 13

Town Meeting cosponsored by many likeminded groups to ferret out, as a community, what the next steps of our progressive movement should be. People broke up into groups with common interests to start that process.

Tuesday November 2

Watch the election returns together starting around 10pm.

Monday October 18

We will be dicussing what activities we want to be involved with as a group between now and the election. We will have a brainstorming session, then divide into action groups based on our interests and time availability. Please bring your ideas and energy. Everyone is welcome as always.

Wednesday October 13

Presidential Debate. The topics will be economic and foreign policy.

FridayOctober 8

Presidential Debate. Town-hall style with questions from audience members. Equal balance of foreign and domestic policy questions.

Tuesday October 5

Vice-Presidential Debate. There will be an equal balance between foreign and domestic policy questions.

Thursday September 30

Presidential Debate. The topics are foreign policy and domestic security.

September 27

Democracy and Education: No Child Left Behind? Presentation and discussion facilitated by Judy Kugelmass, Associate Professor in the School of Education and Human Development at Binghamton University.

September 13: The End of Suburbia

Video preview of The End of Suburbia about the depletion of the world's oil supplies. This will be followed by a discussion led by Michael Doliner.

August 30

Democratic Primary Race, 29th Congressional District: Half hour presentation by candidates Jeremy Alderson and a representative for Samantha Barend. The victor will face Randy Kuhl in November.Discussion of selected 2004 presidential platforms: Click to download or see the platforms in advance: Democratic, Republican, Green, Nader/Independent, Libertarian and Working Families. Individuals will present six issues of each platform: "strength" (i.e. military, terrorism, war in Iraq), education, environment, world social justice, healthcare and trade.

August 16: Outfoxed

Robert Greenwald's documentary Outfoxed (www.outfoxed.org) "examines how media empires, led by Rupert Murdoch's Fox News, have been running a 'race to the bottom' in television news." The movie was be shown then followed by a discussion on how we get our news and can improve it. There has been a legal challenge filed to oppose Fox News' patent on the phrase "Fair and Balanced" because it is "false and misleading."

August 2

Panel discussion about reinstitution of the draft. For more information about the evening, click here. Included are the young people's pro-draft and anti-draft comments and the text of the proposed draft bill.

July 19

Discussion of the Patriot Act led by Brian Eden, Coordinator of the Tompkins County Bill of Rights Defense Committee. See http://www.bordc.org for information on this issue.

July 5

The video Bridge to Bagdad with discussion following regarding reactions to the video and the true cost of the war. Discussion moderated by Zillah Eisenstein, Professor of Politics, Ithaca College.

June 21

Media discussion with Linda Robertson, Professor of Media and Society at Hobart-William Smith and moderator of Plato's Cave.

June 7

The "Help Americans Vote Act" (HAVA) and issues about computerized voting, presented by Bo Lipari.