Health Care Reform Must Include a Strong Public Option

Call your US House Representative now @ 1-877-264-4226 and urge them to ensure that a strong public option remains in HR3200.

President Obama is working tirelessly, urging the US House and Senate to approve sweeping health care reform at the national level.

SustiNet was just passed in Connecticut, but the success of SustiNet will be impacted by the strength of the national health care plan. We need to ensure that HR 3200 (the strongest bill that has been proposed) includes a public health insurance option.

Please take a moment to call your US Representative today and ask that they support HR 3200.

1-877-264-4226

Thank you for all that you do.

Val McCall, State Chair
Organizing for Connecticut


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Boycott Fox News and Network

These words, "we, the people," what do they really mean to you, to me. In my opinion, "we, the people" was written to empower us to become emboldened to take powerful steps together, united, one in body - many in mind. "We, the people" was written to shake us, to wake us, to call us out to action.

We cannot ignore this moment in time. We worked long and hard, day after day, month after month. On November 4, 2008, we sent a message that was heard and celebrated around the world -- we elected change we can believe in. It is no wonder that opposition rises up to deter us from our course. We were expecting fierce opposition to come knocking at the door, doing it's best to stop us, and so it has.

Let us unite again and again until every American has access to affordable, quality health care with a strong public option.

We have run out of time for the likes of Glen Beck and Fox News. Let's send a very clear message and stop watching Fox News. And on August 4, 2009, let's boycott Fox stations nationwide for one day. A kind and gentle woman, Rosa Parks, made a decision on December 1, 1955, to not give up her seat. Let's follow her example and not expose ourselves to the hatred and lies that are espoused daily on Fox network.

Glenn Beck and his associates have gone too far. It is time to stop the hatred!

Boycott not just Fox News, but its entire network and affiliates. Join us on Face Book

National Day of Action - Support HR3200 America's Affordable Health Choices Act

Summer finally came to Connecticut -- we hope. But before you go on vacation, we need your help to keep the momentum for health care reform building. We can win health care at the federal level just like we did at the state level. Let us stand with our President and let Congress know that we want them to vote for HR3200.



Our House of Representative members have been supporting HR3200 thus far; Congressmen Larson and Courtney voted for HR3200 in their committees last week. Please take a moment to call them and thank them for their vote:

Congressman Joe Courtney(202) 225-2076 [DC]; (860)886-0139 [CT]

Congressman John Larson(202) 225-2265 [DC]; (860) 278-8888 [CT]

Opponents of reform have been calling into House members non-stop, trying their best to put a halt to meaningful health care reform. They are putting the pressure on doing their best to distort the truth about HR3200. This bill proposes to save a person an average of $2,800 per year. The bill also states that those who earn more than a quarter of a million dollars a year should help pay for reform by rolling back Bush's tax cuts by just 1%.

Tuesday July 28th National Health Care Day

Next Tuesday, July 28th, OFC together with HCAN partners and allies across the country will unite and generate 50,000 contacts nationally that sends one message to the House of Representatives by phone, email, text, letter and even in person that clearly states, "We want quality, affordable health care for everyone and WE CANNOT WAIT."

A special number has been set up to make these 50,000 calls

1-877-264-HCAN(4226)

Here is what you can expect to hear when you call in to 1-877-264-HCAN (4226):

Opening greeting:Thanks for helping us to call on Congress to act we will look up your member of Congress for you and connect you directly to them. Simply enter your ten digit home phone number and then press the pound sign.

If yes: Confirm address press 1.

Please hold and we will connect you to.. (Representatives name)

Tell them your name and that you live in their district. Be polite and urge your Member of Congress to vote for quality affordable health care for all – now by voting yes for HR3200, America's Affordable Health Choices Act of 2009.” We will connect you now.

If no address: In a moment you will be connected to the Congressional switchboard. Let them know where you live or the Member of Congress you want to call and they will connect you. Please be polite and urge your Member of Congress to support quality affordable health care for all – now by voting yes for HR3200, America's Affordable Health Choices Act of 2009.

If busy: Sorry that line is busy.
At the tone, please tell us your health care story and why we need to pass health care legislation so we can send your message on to Congress. Remember to give your first name, your city and state.

Click to Call

If you would like to use the click to call tool for your activities on June 28th please click here. This link will connect only to House members and has the most up to date message.


Call your Representative on Tuesday, July 28th using the special number of 1-877-264-HCAN(4226) and tell them to stand up for health care. Here is a sample of what you can say:

Write a Letter to Your Representative

Click here to write a letter to your representative online and urge them to vote for this historic health reform bill that will finally make health care affordable.

Thank you for all that you do.

Val McCall, State Chair
Organizing for Connecticut


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SustiNet is Now Law! Congratulations

Congratulations! SustiNet has re-passed the House and Senate with and thus overriding Gov. Rell's veto and becoming law. We had one final opportunity and we did not waste it.

We should all feel a sense of accomplishment and pride. By fighting for SustiNet, we have made Connecticut the beacon of hope for a better future for America's healthcare system. This is something that will benefit us, our children and many more generations to come.

You have one final task though. Please, call your Representatives and Senators that so bravely put themselves on the line and voted against the Governor. Thank them for their courage and wisdom. They deserve the praise...and so do you- so thank you!

Adam Chiara
Organizing for Connecticut


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The Family at C Street: Secret Religious Group of Washington & World Elite

Several members of Congress belong to "The Family," a secret church referred to as C Street located in Washington, DC. These members actually live at C Street. The family hosts Bible study classes and counseling to it's members, along with sermons and does things that any church would do. That's fine. We live in a country that allows freedom of religion, wherein a person can worship as he or she chooses, whether Christian, Buddhist, Jewish, Islam, etc.

What gives pause for concern about The Family is that this group likens the words of Jesus Christ to Hitler, Osama Bin Laden, and other dictators. The Family purposefully does its best to be as invisible as possible -- most religions aspire to spread the word in order to save others. The Family believes that only a few elite people should become as wealthy as they can and help folks from behind the scenes with no programs for the poor or disadvantaged, etc. Of greatest concern is that The Family contains members of Congress who vote and enact laws that govern us all.

I am a person of faith, and, as such, I see no separation (except for that of church and state) between a secular life and a spiritual life. I strive daily to adhere to my faith as the core of my life, constantly guiding me on the right path in life, no matter whether I am attending a religious service or a musical performance, or writing a blog, or dinning with friends, or being with family.

Our thoughts, words and deeds are causes that we make that are embedded in our lives forever. I use my faith to help me make causes that create value for myself and others (simultaneously -- I believe service on behalf of others is the road to one's true happiness) and in that manner, I will enjoy a life without regret. I assume that others, regardless of their faith, also use their faith as a guiding light in their lives. The Family, however, concerns me. I keep recalling Jones Town where everyone was encouraged to drink the purple lemonade. Something is not right here.

While I do not purport to be a scholar on Jesus Christ, I am confident in my belief that some may say the only way to use Jesus Christ and Adolph Hitler in the same sentence would be that if Hitler had found Christ in his heart, there would not have been a war.

So when the leader of The Family on C Street likens belief in Jesus Christ to the followers, tenets and belief in Adolph Hitler, and other dictators, we all need to sit up and take notice. When the leader of The Family on C Street (Mr. Coe) uses the Red Army (uses the example of Red Army recruits having to literally behead their mother (or father, sister or brother) to show their total allegiance and their faith) to describe the level of faith and commitment members of The Family on C Street church should aspire to, everyone needs to take notice.

Just what is Mr. Coe espousing in his sermons and his interpretation of Christianity. In three different biblical texts, each has this to say about our parents:

New American Standard Bible (©1995): "Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be prolonged in the land which the LORD your God gives you.

GOD'S WORD® Translation (©1995): "Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live for a long time in the land the LORD your God is giving you.

King James Bible: Honor thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee.

So where is Mr. Coe getting his spiritual direction and guidance from? Is The Family some kind of radical religious group in that they encourage members in faith by citing as role models those individuals who have forever placed a dark stain in our world history, namely Hitler, Osama Bin Laden, Lenin and other dictators.

It is one thing to note how a person is able to gather followers or the strategies that a person, whether a sage or a demon, won a contentious battle. It is quite something else to edify a demon. In my opinion, The Family goes beyond noting strategy, ability to organize, etc. The Family appears to be edifying those historical figures that inflicted immeasurable pain and suffering on it's victims with a brutality that tears at the core of humanity. Something is not right here.

Watch these two interviews on The Family (especially the second one) and share your thoughts. We need to find out more about The Family and its interpretation of religion.

First Interview:


Second Interview Part I:


Second Interview Part II:


Val McCall, State Chair
Organizing for Connecticut


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Health Care - It's Not Over Yet

This is the 11th hour. This is the time that all of us hungered for when we sought to put into the White House a leader that could deliver leadership, justice and integrity.

We got the leader. Now we need to support him. Everyday, I get requests asking "what can I do." Here's the answer. First, watch this video then take action.



At the state level: Sustinet and CT Partnership Bills: Come out to the State Capital @9:30AM on Monday July 20th and urge our legislators to override Governor Rell's veto.

Homeless and Health Care: Contact a local homeless shelter in your area and set up a time to have some volunteers come and help serve breakfast, help clean the facility. While you are there, gather signatures of support for the president's health care plan.

If the shelter needs repair, contact Home Depot or Lowe's and they will provide paint, lumber, etc.

Literacy and Health Care: There are literacy agencies all across Connecticut, contact one and find a time to do a book drive of gently used and new books to donate. Combine it with health care. While folks are delivering their books, educate them on health care and get their support.

Community Gardens and Health Care: Connecticut has been enjoying a lovely Fall this Summer with lots of Spring rain. Community gardens can certainly use our help with upkeep. Contact your local garden and bring health care literature with you. Get folks to sign up to support the President's plan.

When it is Raining, Mall Crawl: While we cannot solicit inside of our malls, we can join the morning walkers and wear our Obama gear. You can meet up in the parking lot and have folks sign to support the President's plan. Then go inside and do four or five laps.

USE THE INTERNET. Post your events at http://www.ctobama.org and at http://www.barackobama.com.

When you post your event on Organizing for Connecticut (www.ctobama.org), we will send out a press release alerting news media in your area of your activity.

Visibility: Wear your Obama gear at all of your events. Buy a jar of white fabric paint, a small sponge brush and large letters. Write on your blue t-shirt - Health Care Reform 2009.

Make Calls and Canvass: Log onto Organizing for America @ http://www.barackobama.com and go to the Health Care Action center where you can make calls from home, set up a phone bank, set up a neighborhood canvass, write letters and more.

Recruit, Empower, Multiply.

It does not have to be 100 people working together -- it could be three. It is amazing what a handful of people coming together neighborhood by neighborhood can do.

Thank you for all that you do.

Val McCall, State Chair
Organizing for Connecticut


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Uniting Our Voices: The Work Ahead

When we began this journey of change over two years ago, we began with hope and determination for a better place to live, to work, to play, to raise our children, our grandchildren (I've got ten beautiful grands). We dared to dream out of the box and elected a president that would bring about that change. In the back of our minds, we knew opposition would be strong, but we forged forward despite negative attacks and we won.

It was our united voices from all aspects of society, political thought, the young, the seniors and all those in between. That unity, that dream, that determination brought us to this point. Let us not forget how we got here and continue to unite our voices and move ahead.

There's work to be done!

Monday marks the beginning of yet another defining moment in our history as Judge Sotomayor goes before the United States Senate for her confirmation hearings for a seat on the highest court in our nation. This is, indeed, a grand moment. Unfortunately, not everyone would agree with me on that and the naysayers are lining up. In the words of Vice President Biden:

Judge Sotomayor's brilliance and unique legal qualifications have stood strong against fierce scrutiny. Law enforcement officials have praised her tough-mindedness and experience as a prosecutor and trial judge, and just this week she earned the highest possible rating from the American Bar Association. There's no doubt -- the President picked the right person for the job.

Unfortunately, some people would rather try anything to score political points than debate honestly about the facts. Some people are even trying to say Judge Sotomayor's proud record as a civil rights advocate in the Latino community is evidence of "extremism." Well, there was a time when standing up for the disadvantaged and fighting for equal rights was called extreme -- but now we just call it doing what's right.

Now is the critical moment for us to stand up and fight back against these attacks.

Visit our online action center now. The action center has all the tools you need to write a letter to the editor, tell your senators why Judge Sotomayor should be our next Supreme Court Justice, and spread the word to everyone you know.

Access to Affordable Quality Health Care with a Strong Public Option

In Connecticut, we watched as our Governor seemingly ignored the united voice of the people and vetoed two critical bills that would have launched a viable health care reform in our state. We must continue this fight for health care justice on the federal level and support President Obama in bringing about health care reform for our country. Organizing for America Director Mitch Stewart had this to say in his recent blog post:

As we speak, key committees in Congress are weighing options and making final decisions about how to tackle health care reform. This could be one of the last opportunities to shape the legislation before it's written.

The behind-the-scenes committee negotiations aren't front-page news, but the lobbyists trying to block reform are following every detail, and they won't miss a day. If the final plan is to uphold President Obama's principles of reduced costs, guaranteed choice -- including the choice of a robust public insurance option -- and quality care for all, your voice must be heard.

Organizing for Connecticut has spent the last week coming up with ideas to reach as many people as we can to support the President's health care reform.

We're going door-to-door, making phone calls and reaching out to folks at various events such as community garden clean ups, homeless shelters, churches and community organizations, letting them know the facts about the President's plan and gathering their support through declaration signatures.

The key to our success on November 4th and now is our united voice. If you cannot make it out to an log onto the action center and write a letter to our elected leaders and urge their support for the President's health care plan. The action center has all the tools you need to make calls, write letters, create a canvass to go door to door and more.

Organizing for Connecticut is reaching out to all of our partners and teaming up to pool our resources and help with immediate issues while simultaneously fighting for health care reform, fighting for Judge Sotomayor's confirmation on the US Supreme Court, fighting to tell the truth about our new greener economy under President Obama's administration, sharing with people the good works that this administration is already doing.

Join the conference call on Tuesday and help make change happen.

Thank you for all that you do.

Val McCall, State Chair
Organizing for Connecticut


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Help Me Stop the Republicans from Re-Writing History

Middletown's Democratic Mayoral Candidate Dan Drew

Middletown's incumbent Republican Mayor Sebastian Giuliano was on the Eye on the Air radio show this afternoon, and host Ed McKeon started to ask a question about the “Got Your Tax Bill?” message of the mayor’s campaign four years ago.

Mayor Giuliano quickly interrupted Ed and began talking about how he intended for the signs to spark a dialogue about the nature of the tax system. It’s understandable that he wanted to avoid the topic. He has tried to raise taxes 13 percent in his second term while cutting critical services. And, he's raised taxes more on average in four years than his predecessors did in the 12 years prior to his assuming office.

If the Sebastian Giuliano of four years ago were running against Mayor Giuliano in 2009, his campaign slogan would justifiably be: "Got Your Tax Bill?"

The mayor’s talk of fiscal responsibility is just that — talk. But he'll have enough money in his coffers to advertise heavily and tell people that he was right to try cutting 13 school teachers and six police police positions while raising taxes. I am going to door-to-door with our Common Council members, and we are spreading the Democrats’ message one door at a time.

But we still need your help to get the word out. Mayor Giuliano is well-funded by a very small group of people with ample resources. Please consider making a contribution on our secure credit-card processing site today: www.dandrew09.com/contribute

Please also mark your calendars for the New Leadership Brunch on Sunday, July 26 from 10:30 a.m., to 1:30 p.m., at the First & Last Tavern on Main Street in Middletown, and help us spread the word to your family, friends, and neighbors

Please become a supporter on Facebook here: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Dan-Drew/84890878270. Please check my Web site at: www.dandrew09.com

Please also attend the New Leadership Brunch kick-off fundraiser. You can find an invitation on Organizing for Connecticut's Facebook page.

Please also e-mail me directly at dan@dandrew09.com. I would love to hear your thoughts and ideas.

SustiNet: Knocked Down but Not Knocked Out!

The horrible, perhaps even inevitable has happened. Governor Rell has vetoed the SustiNet bill. For all those that sacrificed so much to advocate for SustiNet, please do not feel discouraged. It was not that you did not do enough, it was that Gov. Rell does not care enough.

With that veto we have been knocked down but we have not been knocked out. There is still always the opportunity to override the veto. I'll be blunt- the chances are not good. The 2/3 votes needed are there in the House (a credit to all the lobbying done by you all this session) but the Senate is a different story. As of now, we are drastically short.

It is time to blitz our State Senators! Calls, emails, petitions, editorials, don't hold anything back. Frankly, because this is it. If we don't succeed here there is not another shot. They need to know that votes are at stake for them if they do not vote for SustiNet.

Everyone likes a good underdog story; let's make this one they will talk about for years to come.

High Court Rules Against Clean Water Protections - Results of Bad Bush Governance

Acid drains from rock near Lower Slate Lake at the Kensington Mine in June, more than six months after it was discovered. Coeur Alaska's cleanup efforts reduced the flow but did not stop it. Photo: U.S. Forest Service

While we wage the fight for health care, we must keep our eyes and ears close to the ground for other mishaps. In doing just that, I came across this incredible bit of news. On June 22nd, the Supreme Court ruled that "the Clean Water Act allows a mining company to pump hundreds of thousands of gallons per day of toxic waste slurry into a pristine lake in Alaska. Over the next decade, 4.5 million tons of solid waste will be dumped into Lower Slate Lake, killing nearly all the aquatic life and essentially burying the entire lake." (Earth Justice)

The rest of the blog post from Earth Justice is copied below. We are being called upon to write our new administration to stop this injustice. Action must be taken within the next 9 days. This blog post says it all.

This misguided ruling has implications for clean water all over the country, potentially opening the floodgates to allow more pollution into other lakes, rivers and streams nationwide.

But hope is not lost. Despite the Supreme Court's decision, there is much that can still be done by officials of President Obama's administration to protect our waters. We're going to continue to fight in the courts and in Congress for stronger clean water protections, but you can tell these officials right now that they can act immediately to protect clean water and assert his commitment to a cleaner, healthier environment.

Ask Obama administration officials Lisa Jackson, EPA Administrator, and Nancy Sutley, Chair of the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ), to immediately rescind the memo written by the Bush administration in 2004 that allowed waste to be dumped directly into lakes, streams and rivers without meeting strict EPA pollution standards. Also, ask them to initiate a process to undo a 2002 rule that redefined industrial waste as "fill," and paved the way for this "fill" to be dumped into our waters.

With swift action, President Obama's administration can guarantee clean water protections and ensure a cleaner, safer and healthier environment. Let these officials know that clean water is important to you and your community!

Click here to take action now.

Val McCall, State Chair
Organizing for Connecticut


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