email from Ned Lamont

[connecticut yankee]

I just received this. It was sent to Ned's email list. So I guess we haven't heard the last of Ned yet, thank goodness!


When I said that the end of the campaign would not bring an end to our fight – our fight for an end to the disastrous occupation in Iraq; our fight for new, innovative solutions to the problems our country faces; and our fight for basic rights and equality of opportunity – I meant it.

Since the campaign, I have become more convinced that the biggest changes in America will not begin in Washington, D.C., but in the same ways that our campaign worked – at the local level, among the grassroots, in the places where optimism and hope still outperform cynicism and anger.

Even on the critical issue of Iraq - a federal issue if there ever was one - state governments have been taking the lead. The Progressive States Network and a number of partner organizations have launched a campaign, with encouraging success, to get state legislatures to speak out against President Bush's disastrous proposal to escalate the war.

You can help this campaign succeed by contacting your state legislators today and asking them to sign on:

http://www.progressivestates.org/stoptheescalation

And it isn’t just Iraq where states are leading. On issue after issue, states are in the vanguard:

• Health care for all. While Congress debates whether to tinker with our broken system, state governments from Vermont to Oregon to Wisconsin to Massachusetts to California are eyeing new approaches for universal coverage – and an end to our health care crisis.

• Clean and fair elections. Connecticut recently joined Maine and Arizona as a “clean elections” state – a place where our public officials can run for office without begging for money from special interests.

• Global warming. State governments across the country are taking real steps, from promotion of energy efficiency and renewables to caps on carbon output, to address the greatest environmental challenge of our lifetimes.

I am excited to announce that I am joining the Board of Directors of the Progressive States Network as we seek to provide solid analysis and background to help state legislators take the lead on many of these important issues.


Finally, I want to thank all of you again for all of your time, energy, and help during and since the campaign. We accomplished so much during the campaign. Together, I know we can accomplish so much more.

Sincerely,

(signature)

Ned Lamont


P.S. This is just one of many actions you can take to stop the escalation and help bring our troops home. Here's another:

On Saturday, February 24th, Connecticut Opposes the War (COW) is planning a day of simultaneous conference call connected town hall meetings across the state.

You can make a difference by working with the state AFL-CIO, local officials and religious leaders, community organizations, veterans, and other groups to organize a town meeting in your area. COW will provide organizing and publicity help – you just need to provide your dedication, passion and enthusiasm.

To learn more about how to organize a town meeting, you can contact COW at 203-329-1629, 860-655-4179, or e-mail [e-mail].