SD Events

[sarahlee]

WEDNESDAY April 13, 7:00 pm CDT ~ Sixty Minutes 2 (CBS) will feature the brother of a Center member who was an interrogator at Abu Ghraib prison.

THURSDAY April 14, 7:30 pm ~ (not wednesday) Sioux Falls P&J Chapter will host the United States premiere of The Doctor, the Depleted Uranium, and the Dying Children. $2.00 Admission.* This award-winning documentary made for German national TV exposes the medical consequences of depleted uranium weapons both for civilians in Iraq and for US & other foreign troops and their families. Our government intends to keep on using DU. It will take a critical mass of informed citizens to stop this war crime. Your friends won't be informed about DU by the Argus Leader, so bring them to Crestwood United Church of Christ (33rd St & Cliff Ave), Thursday eve.

FRIDAY April 15 is Tax Day $438 Billion is what our leader requests for military functions (Pentagon + Dept of Energy nuclear weapons work) and not including cost of Iran & Iraq operations ($82 billion more for starters) or cost of past wars such as veterans' benefits and interest pmt on military portion of national debt and certain military foreign aid --- which boost the FY 2006 military expense total over the trillion dollar mark.

SATURDAY April 16, 1:00 - 4:45 pm ~ Sioux Falls, Growing Peace South Dakota Pax Christi Conference, sponsored by Presentation Sisters Social Justice Team & Southeastern SD Pax Christi. Registration begins 12:30; freewill donation. Crestwood United Church of Christ (33rd St & Cliff Ave) -- Jack Nelson-Pallmeyer, peace studies prof and author-activist from University of St Thomas, Minneapolis, is the featured presenter.

SUNDAY April 17, 3:00 - 4:00 pm ~ Sioux Falls, Stand for Peace with local P&J Chapter, federal courthouse steps, 400 S Phillips Avenue, downtown. Beam hope, encouragement, and sanity to those who pass by.

WEDNESDAY April 20, beginning 11:00 am ~ Mitchell Dakota Wesleyan University Sherman Center -- "The Death Penalty: Progress Made, Progress Ahead," featuring an exonerated former death-row inmate, Juan Melendez, speaking at 11am and participating in a panel discussion at 1 p.m. Other panel discussion participants include Rep. Gerald Lange, D-Madison, who introduced legislation to repeal South Dakota’s death penalty, and Marcia Kear, a DWU student who worked to help end the juvenile death penalty in the state. The documentary, "The Empty Chair," will be shown at 2 p.m. The film includes the stories of four murder victims’ families. A question and answer period will follow the film. This event is free and open to the public. Individuals wishing to have lunch with Melendez and organizers are welcome. Lunch reservations are required by April 15. Contact Karl Kroger, 999-9898 or [e-mail]. $5 charge for lunch. Event sponsored by Karl Kroger and DWU Student Ministries Council

FRIDAY April 22, is EARTH DAY! Hot Springs P&J Chapter honors Earth Day by adopting a portion of the Fall River shore to keep clear of little. By the way, their March community forum on Social Security was a success and a real public service

[sarahlee]

1. Coming Events from Grassroot Democrats South Dakota

Liberal Book Club
Proud Democrats will be meeting 7:30 PM April 14th at Café 334, located at 334 S. Phillips, Sioux Falls (12th Street & Phillips Avenue) to discuss The Essential America: Our Founders and the Liberal Tradition by George McGovern. Join us for a candid discussion on our liberal and progressive values and traditions.


Register NOW!!! Civic Dialogue on Social Security
Go to www.wellstone.org, register and learn more about this exciting grassroots movement.

Grassroot Democrats is one facilitator for the Civic Dialogue on Social Security. We will be meeting on April 19, from 7PM - 9PM in our downtown Sioux Falls office.

The Dialogue will consist of a discussion about Social Security, values, and how to talk about the issue using values-based messaging. It will also include several action steps that people can take to begin applying the lessons of the Dialogue to the current political debate.
Grassroot Democrats' office is located at
101 S Main,
Suite 501.

Not in the Minnehaha area? Go to www.wellstone.org to find a discussion group near you or sign up to be a facilitator. (We heard from a reliable source that democrats in Rapid City plan on participating.)

May 2nd Event: Mission? Accomplished
-Correction-
The upcoming Mission Accomplished Event sponsored by Grassroot Democrats will be held at Sanaa's 8th Street Gourmet located at 401 E 8th Street Ste. 100 Sioux Falls. The event will commence at 7PM and end at 9PM. The Honorable Jim Abourezk, former United States Senator, will speak. Authentic Middle Eastern cuisine will be served. The cost for the evening is $15.00 for an individual or $25.00 a pair.

Food for Thought re: War in Iraq
Below is an expert from a speech by Hon Ron Paul before the US House of Representatives: "Whenever the administration is challenged regarding the success of the Iraq war, or regarding the false information used to justify the war, the retort is: Aren't the people of Iraq better off? The insinuation is that anyone who expresses any reservations about supporting the war is an apologist for Saddam Hussein and every ruthless act he ever committed. The short answer to the question of whether the Iraqis are better off is that it's too early to declare, Mission Accomplished. But more importantly, we should be asking if the mission was ever justified or legitimate. Is it legitimate to justify an action that some claim yielded good results, if the means used to achieve them are illegitimate? Do the ends justify the means?" *Go to www.grassrootdems.org and read more.

The Blog Game
Here is how it works. In every newsletter a question pertaining to a recent post on one of the local blogs will be posed. Submit the correct answer to [e-mail] to be eligible for a prize in the weekly drawing. The answer(s) will be found in blogs listed below.

This weeks questions:

1. What SD organization has formed to fight the privatization of Social Security?
   
2. How can you contact the organization?
   
3. What Blog(s) provided the information?

Submit your answer to [e-mail], write Blog Game in the subject line.

www.proudlib.blogspot.com
www.thunewatch.squarespace.com
www.cleancutkid.com
www.thunewatch.com
www.dontworryaboutthegovernment.blogspot.com
www.dirtyflower.com
www.southdakota123.com