National Coffee Party Week: Accountability Through Awareness

Coordinated events begin Monday June 4 in cities and towns across the U.S.

by Frank Maurizio

Coffee Party USA is planning events at local coffee houses and other venues across the U.S. during the week of June 4 thru June 10.  Coffee Party USA is a member-based, grassroots organization that began on Facebook.

“National Coffee Party Week” is designed as a forum for on-line organizers to meet in person to chart out local actions that will help ensure that the issues of the 99 Percent (We the People) are not lost in the shuffle as the 2012 election approaches.  Local organizers will get a boost from the Coffee Party’s extensive social media network, including an email database that can invite hundreds of people to each event.  (Events can also be created by clicking here, and existing events can be found by clicking here.)

Politics Done Right With Egberto Willies is a political talk show on current events. While the show has an admittedly liberal bent, it seeks to engage citizens of all political ideologies to foment a healthy discourse. Join us on Saturdays from 12:00 Noon CST to 2:00 PM CST.

Today we will talk about Wisconsin's Scott Walker Recall. The show today will be dedicated to our brothers and sisters in Wisconsin fighting for the working middle class. This week I wrote two Wisconsin specific blogs and one specific to the corrosive nature of money in politics. I got some push back at our Coffee Party Facebook site. I hope some of you that took exception or had concerns would call in to talk about it.

Blogs:

2nd American Revolution. GOP Playing With Inextinguishable Fire When Voters Realize They’ve been had.Wisconsin’s Scott Walker Recall a Must to Reclaim Morality and Middle Class HumanityWisconsin Loss Would Be A Loss For Union & Non-Union Workers & A Roadmap To Indentured Servitude

The Wisconsin Recall is just days away. Out-of-state and possibly out-of-country money makes up over half of the cash in the Walker campaign - a new record! Campaign finance reform has been put on hold by the Citizens United decision. Let's talk about this. Call in at 646-929-2495.

Coffee Party super volunteer Mike Potters will tell us about the PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT VIDEO Contest.

Presented by Coffee Party USA, "The Middle Ground" covers a variety of topics on both the left and right sides of the political spectrum, but always with an eye to finding the place where both sides share that 'middle ground.' Co-hosted by award-winning filmmaker Eric Byler and political author Michael Charney, the show airs every Tuesday 8-9 PM EST/5-6 PM PST. 

Our guest for the May 29 show is Dr. Mary Ann Reilly. Dr. Reilly is an artist, writer and progressive educator who has worked as a K-12 teacher, director and assistant superintendent for urban public schools in New Jersey, and as a Professor at Manhattanville College.  She is currently CEO of Blueprints for Learning, a consulting company specializing in promoting innovative learning approaches for K-12. Dr. Reilly will speak to us about the role of politics in today's educational climate, including standardized testing, No Child Left Behind, the impact of unions on education, and more.

"What's on Your Mind?" 

This installment we will be talking with people from different movements that are standing against corporate personhood, money as speech and the Citizens United ruling. We will hear from people involved with 99%, MoveON, Move To Amend and others. Also Brian Gunn who has just announced his candidacy for State Representative for Washington's 31st District. Hear for yourself what he will be doing in his campaign, that all candidates should do. Tune In! Call in!!

Every Monday evening we open the phone lines to whatever America wants to talk about. Politics, Environment, Culture, Social Issues, Local, National, even International. The direction of the dialogue is up to you! The host and guests take your questions and comments live. Civil Discourse Lives on "Speaking of America" Monday evenings @ 8pm PST / 11pm EST. Let's Talk About It!

"You might think that the declining price of gasoline means that we don't have to pay attention to all that talk about oil speculation driving up the price of oil.

"Right?

"Wrong.

"Even though the price of gas has fallen, you're still lining the pockets of Wall Street every time you gas up."

Tyson Slocum, Energy program director at Public Citizen joins Jessica English on The Bottom Line.  The words above open his recent essay published by The Huffington Post.  In today's show we'll talk to Tyson about his research into how Wall Street profiteers manipulate gas prices, hurting American families and the American economy, in order to line their own pockets.  And, we'll talk about what We the People can do to stop them.

Read Tyson's article.

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Join Jessica English on Coffee Party Radio from 5 PM to 6:30 PM eastern time each Sunday.

You can hear archived shows and learn more about Coffee Party Radio at wwwCoffeePartyUSA.com/radio.

This was a news-packed week and we will try to cover it all. We will cover the Obama v Romney election which is now in full swing. Specifically I want to address:

Mitt Romney’s claim that over-crowded classrooms do not diminish scholastic outcome. Mitt Romney’s aim to revert student loan administration to private banks. Cory Booker's original defense of Bain Capital, a private equity firm for which Romney has been attacked by GOP rivals and the Obama campaign alike General Colin Powell verbal scolding of Mitt Romney for his dangerous and outlandish foreign policy assertions. How and why hate speech and an unholy alliance by evangelical electioneers and their plutocratic partners have lead well-meaning followers astray.

Special guest: David Frank, author of the book 300 Million Minds Changing America Piece by Peace.

This week is a special Memorial Day conversation with journalist Cheryl Hatch, just back after an embed with an Army battalion in Afghanistan where she documented the lives of soldiers before, during, and after deployment. Her years of being in and out of war zones, plus a child hood of waiting for her father to come home from four tours in Viet Nam, have brought forth a body of work called THE COST OF CONFLICT. This insightful collection of images capturing what war leaves behind, combined with her reverence and respect for military personnel and their families, should help set the tone for a thoughtful and meaningful Memorial Day Holiday.

"What's on Your Mind?"

Every Monday evening we open the phone lines to whatever America wants to talk about. Politics, Environment, Culture, Social Issues, Local, National, even International. The direction of the dialogue is up to you! The host and guests take your questions and comments live. Civil Discourse Lives on "Speaking of America" Monday evenings @ 8pm PST / 11pm EST. Let's Talk About It!

We bring you live coverage, first-hand and in depth accounts of the anti-war march in Chicago!  Our guest, Lisa Luinenburg (with the group MIRAc), will join us after the marches to fill us in on the events.

 

What do you think of these anti-NATO demonstrations in Chicago, and the anti-G8 rallies near Camp David? Did you travel to any of the events? I want to know how you feel about the protest some of our veterans have scheduled. Please listen and call in (646) 929-2495.