Bush in South Bend next week...

[dray178355]

http://www.wndu.com/news/022005/news_40540.php

President Bush to visit South Bend

Posted: 02/23/2005 10:39 pm
Last Updated: 02/24/2005 09:36 am

South Bend, IN - President George W. Bush is apparently planning a trip to South Bend.

Details are vague but a source in Washington tells NewsCenter 16 that Mr. Bush will arrive in South Bend sometime next week.

The reason for his visit has not been released nor has the exact day he will arrive. For security purposes, his travel plans are under wraps for now.

More details on the president's visit will reportedly become available this Friday.

I just heard about this. I think we should greet him with bells on. When he was here in 2000 we had a nice little rally directly across the river from where he was being feted. I pretty sure those folks will show up again.

I just talked to our DFA hostess and I'm going call our labor people and everyone I can think of. If you are in the South Bend area please, please, please try to come. As soon as I have info I'll post it here.

There is a Town Hall meeting with Chocola on Saturday at the Library. I think he's sweating this SS thing. The polling isn't going well for him so he's bringing in ol' C+ Augustus.

[dray178355]

1. Update on Bush visit...

Bush's social security campaign to hit South Bend
This will mark President's Bush sixth visit to the Michiana area

http://www.wndu.com/news/022005/news_40564.php

Posted: 02/24/2005 04:23 pm
Last Updated: 02/24/2005 04:49 pm

Story filed by NewsCenter16 Reporter
Jennie Runevitch

South Bend, IN - Michiana will get a presidential visit next week. President Bush is slated to make a stop in South Bend next Friday.

Sources both in South Bend and in Washington DC have confirmed that the President will come to Notre Dame next Friday. They say he'll be here to rally support for social security reform.

For more than a month now, the President has been touring the country, touting his plan for social security. The format is usually a panel of citizens and a social security expert, seated next to the President as he explains the need for reforming the system, and privatizing a portion of young workers accounts.

A week from Friday, Michiana will hear the President's plan in person. Sources tell NewsCenter 16 that the President will come to South Bend on Friday, March 4th and speak on the campus of Notre Dame.

Police in the area have been notified, and there's a meeting scheduled on Monday with police and Secret Service agents about security for the visit. You could say they're getting used to Presidential security in Michiana.

<snip>

[salin]

2. with you in spirit...

are folks going to the town meeting to help count choc sweat a little? If so, please give us a report (first or second hand) about how it goes. Same for the bush visit. :hi:

[Patriot Acts]

3. I have notified all the organizers I could think of....

....so we/they can they can roll out the red carpet and sprinkle rose petals.

[salin]

4. dray - chocola and his ss antics - make note in Talking Points Memo

Josh Marshall's blog. Thought you might be interested and might want to pass it along to others: http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/004904.php

[dray178355]

5. Thanks, Salin

I've been following him with all the SS stuff. He's doing terrific work. I was at the Count's event in South Bend today and it was kind of a bad day for him. He starts out with his "war heroics" showing pictures of himself with some soldiers from IN. Then he talks about how good the economy is getting again and then he tried to talk about tort reform. He had a couple other things on the agenda but people were getting pretty pissed so he went on to SS finally.

He thought he was going to be able to flim-flam us but there were at least 125-150 there and only a few of them were Rep plants. Everyone who spoke was against "personal accounts." There was maybe one guy and he just wanted Personal Accounts on top of SS, not to replace it. My friend, whose son is currently "west of Baghdad" serving in the marines, stood up and said, I'm paraphrasing here "since this administration miscalculated how many troops we would need in Iraq, and miscalculated how many WMD's were there, and miscalculated how much money we would need to rebuild Iraq and miscalculated....." anyway she had many examples, "Then how can we trust these numbers you are giving us and know that they aren't a miscalculation too." The count said that , and it was pretty funny really, "well these numbers aren't from the Bush admin....they're from the SSA."

There were two professors from ND in the audience and they were amazing. I don't know if I should post their names here (I'm sure they'll be in the Tribune article tomorrow) but it was a total smackdown. He was pinned to the ropes almost the entire time. One is a specialist in retirement investments and SS admin. One specializes in the financial and human resource aspects of pension systems, including private and public plans and Social Security and the second professor's areas of interest include financial crises and instability, political economy, and institutional change in the postwar U.S. economy. Chocola was SOOOOOOO out of his element. The first one is a woman too. God, I loved it. It was wonderful.

Also, I think I ran into my first real "freeper" there today. As we were getting ready to leave my friend, the one I mentioned above whose son is in Iraq was confronted by some big ugly guy who told her she was scum. She wears a button with a picture of her son on it and he said "and your son is scum too." Fortunately a good friend, who is about 6 ft 4 and weighs at least 200 was there and got between them. I couldn't believe someone would sink that low. A man attacking a woman and her son. God, these people are really creeps.

Hope I get to meet some of you folks in Indy on the 20th.

[dray178355]

7. Just want to say

That the tribune article really sucks. Best report is on Josh Marshall's http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com I helped him gather the info for the report and I won a "Privatize This" t-shirt! I'm so excited. He really is doing amazing work on the SS issue.

I can't wait until Friday.

[FtWayneBlue]

6. I would like to come to that "welcome" rally

Please find out what is being planned and keep us posted, or contact me directly.

"Somewhere in Texas, a village is missing its idiot."

[dray178355]

8. Ft. Wayne Blue

I sent you an e-mail and my e-mail addy is active so you can e-mail me anytime you need to. Also, as soon as I have specifics I'll post them. I'm pretty sure the venue will be on campus and it's very easy to get there. However, I'll try to find out about parking and stuff. When he was here for commencement in 01'we met at a park downtown and marched to campus which is a good mile or so away. There was a venue set up for us directly across from the Joyce center where we convened for the duration of his visit. Everyone who went in had to deal with us. I'll keep everyone posted.

[burn the bush]

9. keep us posted. My husband is trying to get off work so we can come

[Patriot Acts]

10. yes, please do keep us posted...

...I know some folks that would like to attend.

[dray178355]

11. so far the only info....

is that the event is "invitation only." Like we didn't know that already. LOL. I'm working on some stuff now. Cant' seem to find anything out about events on campus. I have some e-mails out there. I'll keep you posted.

[dray178355]

12. Quick update

They are opening the venue to ticketed people at 2:00 pm. I am waiting for some info that will give us the activities that are being planned on campus as I write this.

I'm going to give you some preliminary info on parking, etc. The Joyce Center is on campus and I don't imagine they'll have parking available jsut for protestors. LOL. I do know that the University did not invite him. The Republicans tried to rent "Century Center" our convention hall, but it was already booked so they rented the Joyce Center. The university is being very clear about this which I think is kind of funny. Anyway....Here is a map to the Univ. http://tinyurl.com/4l97a

Zoom in for more details.

There a lots of places surrounding the campus that accomodate football parking but I don't know yet if they will be open. If they are, parking should be fairly easy but I'll warn you we got lots of snow yesterday and it's supposed to snow all week. If you approach the Univ from the south there is a field on the north side of Edison Road that accomodates football parkers. I don't know if it will be open yet, but I'll find out for sure. It would probably be best to come in from the south since I think the north and east entrances will be blocked anyway. I don't know if they'll close Edison too, there are a lot of businesses there and I don't think they'd be too happy. I'll let you all know for sure on parking when I find out. I'll also be happy to help anyone so just e-mail me, it's active in my profile. I have to work on Fri. but I will be taking a couple of hours off for this. If I can't meet you I have lots of friends who will so just e-mail if you need it.

[dray178355]

13. Also

I'm very sorry to be so vague about all of this but they are keeping all details of his visit "secret" for "security reasons" so it's been hard trying to organize things. We will have info up sometime this afternoon at the latest, I hope.

[dray178355]

14. a little more info

Protest planned for Friday, March 4th on the Notre Dame campus. No specific times have been announced yet but we will meet at Stonehenge one hour before CIC is due to arrive, then march to the area along Juniper Rd. across from the Joyce Center (JAC) where he is scheduled to speak.


I will have a more info on Stonehenge etc. soon.

[dray178355]

15. Details.....

Sorry for the delay....here are the details. We do have a permit so there shouldn't be any problems.

For all of you still in town on Friday- 1 HOUR BEFORE President Bush's speaking event begins, we will converge on Stonehenge to distribute signs and banners then march to Juniper Road- in front of Gate B and hold a peaceful protest. We are coordinating with various campus and community groups.

Our unified message will be "Bush Makes US Insecure". We will respond
directly to the President's plan to overhaul social security, but also
include the other many ways his plans and budget harms our country and our world.

We hear the event begins at 4pm, however we will confirm that today.

If you aren't familiar with ND Stonehenge is a nickname for a peace monument on campus. Its real name is the Clarke Memorial Fountain. Here's some travel guide type info to help you locate it.

Picture here: http://www.irishlegends.com/Pages/postcard/postcard_may01.htm

The Fountain is the centerpiece of Fieldhouse Mall, a lovely park-like area with benches and formal gardens that graces the southern end of the quad. The mall not only serves as a crossway between the Hesburgh Library and the Main Quad, but is also a popular place for festivals, social activities, marching band rehearsals, and the innumerable snowmen that students build during the long Indiana winters. The site was created when the Old Fieldhouse was torn down in 1983, and consistent with Notre Dame's steadfast sense of tradition, there now stands a buff brick monument to that long-gone gymnasium. Look for it just west of the Clarke Memorial Fountain, and you'll discover that it contains the Old Fieldhouse's original "April 1898" cornerstone.

North Quad's Great Views and Spendid Sights:

Of the Hesburgh Memorial Library: Stand just west of the Clarke Memorial Fountain and look east directly toward the Hesburgh Library behind it, and you'll see that the outline of the Library actually echoes the ancient shape of "Stonehenge." The result: architectural double vision in the curious sight of a monolith standing in front of a monolith.

Here is the link to campus maps: http://www.nd.edu/maps/

Here is the yahoo link with South Bend & ND http://tinyurl.com/5bc7g

[dray178355]

16. Activities for Thursday and Friday on campus....

UPDATED
Wed. March 2, 2005-9:50PM
FRIDAY SCHEDULE

Bush will get to South Bend at 2:25 and speak at 4:45 in the Joyce Center at Notre Dame.

The protest being organized by students calls for everyone to assemble at the fountain nicknamed Stonehenge an hour before the scheduled start of Bush's speech. That means 3:45.

Stonehenge is between the library and LaFortune Student Center.

If you enter the library through the doors facing Juniper and go straight through the lobby and out the other side, you will see the fountain in front of you.

From Stonehenge, everyone will March to Gate B of the stadium. This is at the northeast corner, across the street from the Joyce Center. This is the same place where they kept people when Cheney was in town.

If you want to help students make posters, etc., come to the Center for Social Concerns, which is near Stonehenge, tomorrow night (Thursday, March 3, 2005) at 9:00PM.

[dray178355]

17. Quick update

The students have decided to meet at 3:00PM. It shouldn't be too much of a problem but just wanted to let everyone know.

If anyone else needs maps etc. let me know. I'm still getting some links together.

[FtWayneBlue]

18. Good protest rally!

I had a great time at the rally and was quite impressed with the leaders' energy level. I want to Deb for welcoming me there, also to thank whoever organized this. (Notre Dame Peace Action Coalition?)

I believe that it is important to continue to protest the agenda of the Bush regime wherever we can, and want to encourage everyone to be aware of any such prime events to stage protests.

The media was there and took video and still footage and did some interviews.

Keep up the resistance!