(full-disclosure, I work for Courage Campaign.  this was x-posted on Daily Kos)

The call for the California Democratic Party to censure Senator Dianne Feinstein has grown exponentially over the past few days and a huge log was just thrown on the fire.  MoveOn.org just sent an email to all of their California members urging them to sign on to the call for censure over at Courage Campaign.

They are now one of 19 grassroots organizations in California who have signed on to the call since Monday.  That is absolutely amazing considering how long it takes many Democratic Clubs to pass resolutions given their high barriers for endorsement. 

The response by the party structure and the Senator have been well documented here by dday and hekebolos.  Needless to say, we stirred up one heck of a hornet’s nest and it really could not have been done without you.

Below is the email we just sent out to our list and MoveOn’s email.  As the email says, join the movement.  Hold Senator Feinstein accountable.

Dear Julia,

This is the moment. This is the movement. And this is just the beginning.

This is the moment when tens of thousands of you express your profound disappointment in Senator Dianne Feinstein for voting with President Bush on the most important issues of our time.

This is the movement for accountability, a people-powered coalition of grassroots, netroots, and Courage Campaign supporters standing together to protect the core progressive principles that make America unique.

And now MoveOn.org is standing up for these fundamental values as well. Show them your support now by joining the movement to censure Senator Feinstein:

http://www.courageca…

Today, MoveOn is joining you in calling on the California Democratic Party to approve a resolution that censures the Senator. You can read MoveOn’s reasons for supporting the censure of Senator Feinstein below in an email message sent to their members today.

As MoveOn says in its message, “let’s send Senator Dianne Feinstein a message she can’t ignore.”

However, time is running out to send that message, with this weekend’s California Democratic Party Executive Board meeting in Anaheim fast approaching.

Please join the progressive organizations and Democratic clubs (click the link below to read a full list) driving this movement for accountability by signing your name in support of censuring the Senator:

http://www.courageca…

Rest assured that no matter what happens this weekend you can count on the Courage Campaign to continue to hold Senator Feinstein accountable as long as she fails to defend the core principles of her own party and country.

And, remember, this is just the beginning. Whether it is killing Republican dirty tricks, blocking Blackwater’s base on the California border, or holding Senator Feinstein accountable, the Courage Campaign is committed to people-powered political action that — as Democracy for America’s Jim Dean says so often — builds a culture of activism, not a culture of incumbency.

Please join this movement today. The grassroots, the netroots, the Courage Campaign and Move.org need your support:

http://www.courageca…

Please also take a minute to read MoveOn’s message in full below. It captures this historic moment — and the movement you are building — amazingly well.

Rick Jacobs
Chair
Courage Campaign

  ——

From: Wes Boyd, MoveOn.org Political Action
  Date: Nov 15, 2007 11:12 AM
  Subject: Send Senator Feinstein a Message
  To: Rick Jacobs

Dear fellow Californian,

Last week, every member of the Senate had a chance to take a stand against torture. Most Democrats did-they opposed the nomination of Michael Mukasey for Attorney General because he left the door open to torture. He wouldn’t, for example, say whether water-boarding-an interrogation technique that simulates drowning-constituted torture.

But Senator Feinstein wasn’t with the majority of Democrats-she actually cast a pivotal vote in the Senate Judiciary Committee to confirm him.

And that’s not all. In recent months, Senator Feinstein backed the president on issues ranging from right-wing judges to immunity for phone companies that broke the law.

Now, California Democrats-led by our friends at the Courage Campaign-are seriously organizing to get her attention. They’ve launched a grassroots campaign to ask the California Democratic Party to officially censure Senator Feinstein when its executive board meets this weekend.

We only have a few days before the meeting, so it’s important to make our voices heard right now. Can you sign the Courage Campaign’s petition asking the California Democratic Party to censure Senator Feinstein? Click here to sign:

http://www.courageca…

Only 29% of Californians-and just 9% of California Democrats-approve of the president, but Senator Feinstein has sided with him on key issues.

• On Torture: Senator Feinstein recommended Michael Mukasey for Attorney General, despite his refusal to call the practice of water-boarding “torture.”1
• On Judges: Senator Feinstein was the deciding vote to confirm Judge Leslie Southwick,2 even though Southwick had ruled that a white employee couldn’t be fired for using a demeaning and offensive racial slur towards an African-American co-worker. Southwick also took custody of an eight-year-old girl away from her mother, because the mother was living with another woman in a “lesbian home.”3
• On Wiretapping: Now Senator Feinstein says she is going to support immunity for phone companies that helped the Bush administration illegally spy on the phone calls and emails of innocent Americans.4

When Senator Feinstein sides with President Bush and the Republicans on key issues like these, she not only goes against what a majority of her constituents want-she gives cover to other weak Democrats, too. This means it’s even harder for Congress to make progress on the critical issues that so many voters care about.

Senator Feinstein isn’t up for election again until 2012, but we can’t afford another 5 years of this. She needs to hear from Californians that she needs to start siding with them-not George Bush.

A censure from the California Democratic Party is the strongest way to send that message.

Can you add your name to the Courage Campaign’s petition asking the California Democratic Party to censure Senator Feinstein? Click here to sign:

http://www.courageca…

Let’s send Senator Dianne Feinstein a message she can’t ignore.

Thanks for all you do,

-Wes, Ilyse, Joan, Carrie, Tanya, Marika and the whole MoveOn.org Political Action Team
  Thursday, November 15th, 2007

Sources:

1. “Bush Nominee Wins Key Democratic Support,” NPR, November 3, 2007
http://www.moveon.or…

2. “Feinstein to support attorney general nomination,” San Francisco Chronicle, November 3, 2007
http://www.moveon.or…

3. “Senators Should Reject Bush’s Latest Nominee to 5th Circuit,” People for the American Way, May 30, 2007
http://www.pfaw.org/…

4. “Feinstein backs legal immunity for telecom firms in wiretap cases,” San Francisco Chronicle, November 9, 2007
http://www.moveon.or…

note: I changed the links so they are not the tracking ones used by MoveOn.

(full disclosure: I am working for Courage Campaign.  x-posted on daily kos))

Serious question here.  Dianne Feinstein seems unreachable.  No matter how many calls, emails, petitions, letters, smoke signals (well honestly we have not tried that yet) we have sent to her there is no response.  She seems unaccountable.

Earlier this week it was Mukasey.  Tomorrow will be FISA.

It’s enough to make you throw your hands in the air and give up.  But you know what.  We have a moral obligation not to.

What I want to know is do you have an idea on how we can get through to her?  How do we hold her accountable for her actions?

Those are the questions we posed to Courage Campaign members in an email we sent out earlier today, crowdsourcing ways to hold Senator Feinstein accountable.

Dear Julia,

“You are leaving this country — and all of us — to the waterboards, symbolic and otherwise, of George W. Bush.”

That’s what MSNBC’s Keith Olbermann said to Senator Dianne Feinstein Monday night about her pivotal Judiciary Committee vote to approve Judge Michael Mukasey — the U.S. Attorney General nominee who refuses to admit that “waterboarding” is torture.

Olbermann’s “Special Comment” highlighted the heroic actions of Daniel Levin, President Bush’s former Acting Assistant Attorney General, an astonishingly patriotic man who subjected himself to waterboarding to personally determine if it was, indeed, torture — and then was fired for concluding the obvious.

As Olbermann says, instead of standing up for fundamental human rights and civil liberties that Americans used to take for granted, Dianne Feinstein is allowing George W. Bush to waterboard America and the world.

Click here to watch this amazing must-see “Special Comment” by Keith Olbermann and then take action to hold Dianne Feinstein accountable:

http://www.couragecampaign.org/feinstein

Have you had enough?

From waterboarding and wiretapping to Iraq and Iran, we’ve had enough. Enough caving. Enough capitulation. Enough Republican-lite triangulation.

Unfortunately, condoning torture is just the ugly tip of a very dangerous iceberg. Judge Mukasey also is willing to grant George W. Bush executive power carte blanche to ignore the law. And now, with the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act up for review by the Judiciary Committee Thursday morning, Senator Feinstein stands at the precipice of history again.

If you care about protecting the Fourth Amendment and stopping warrantless wiretapping, call Senator Feinstein about FISA right now at 202-224-3841.

Of course, just like us, you’ve probably tried everything in your power to reach her before. Phone calls. Emails. Faxes. Petitions. Protests. Smoke signals. And nothing seems to work. It seems that Dianne Feinstein, much like George W. Bush, is walled off from the rest of us in a Fox News-warped world in which torture is acceptable and the rule of law is ignored.
So, here’s the big question: In the wake of her vote to condone torture, what will it take to get Feinstein’s attention? We need your brainpower and creativity. Can you take a few seconds to click here and send us your best ideas on how to make Dianne Feinstein accountable to Californians?:

http://www.couragecampaign.org/feinstein

As your comments come in, we’ll take direct action as soon as possible on at least one idea brainstormed by the Courage Campaign community.

What was Senator Feinstein’s spin for why she failed to stand up for core American values? “First and foremost, Michael Mukasey is not Alberto Gonzales.”

Well, Senator Feinstein, you are no Daniel Levin. Or Russ Feingold. Or even John McCain, for that matter. As Senator McCain, someone who understands the brutality of torture, has said: Waterboarding is “a horrible torture technique… How can we condone this sort of stuff?”

On some of the most important issues of our lifetime, Senator Feinstein is giving political cover to regressive politicians like Rudolph Giuliani — even though she represents a blue state. A blue state that does not support torture. Or wiretapping Americans without a warrant. Or funding an endless war in Iraq. Or giving aid and comfort to George W. Bush as he seeks to provoke a new war with Iran.

It’s time to blow up the box of political expediency — to hold blue-state “Democrats” like Feinstein accountable. Right now, you can tell us what the Courage Campaign should do — what you would do — to trigger the conscience of Senator Feinstein:

http://www.couragecampaign.org/feinstein

If you send us your thoughts right now, we will take direct action ASAP on at least one idea from our people-powered community.

In email after email, we are witnessing the deep disappointment of grassroots and netroots supporters — a rising tide of frustration with Dianne Feinstein, her actions, and her lack of accountability.

If Senator Feinstein cares about nothing else, she cares about her legacy. At this moment, whether she knows it or not, Senator Feinstein’s place in history has been soiled by a decision that she will likely later regret, if only because it is catalyzing a movement to hold her accountable.

You are at ground zero in this movement. While this people-powered project may not create the desired outcome, we won’t know unless we try something new. Something different. Something from you.

As the always eloquent Keith Olbermann says in signing off his broadcast and channeling the ghost of Edward R. Murrow,… “Good night, and good luck.”

Eden James
Managing Director

P.S. With the unprecedented support you just gave us on ActBlue, the Courage Campaign continues to build a movement to stop the Republicans from stealing the White House, block Blackwater’s base on the California border, and hold Senator Feinstein accountable.

Last week, we asked the Courage Campaign community to help us meet a mission-critical goal within one week — 1,000 “No Dirty Tricks” donors on ActBlue — a goal you blew past in less than 48 hours. And now, unbelievably, we’re at 1,243 “No Dirty Tricks” donors on ActBlue and counting.

We need to keep up the momentum. Can you help the Courage Campaign reach 1,500 donors ASAP so we can lead a grassroots and netroots-driven movement to make politics in California people-powered and progressive?

http://www.couragecampaign.org/actblue

Here is the Olberman “Special Comment”

Feel free to leave your suggestions below.

As reported and later expounded on by the Calitics web of newshounds, Dirty Tricks is back.  Unfortunately it’s not a Halloween gimmick, and thanks to Courage Campaign, you can now see this new video from Bradley Whitford on the shady power grab and help financially support the incredible work that the Courage folks are doing.  But as the Dirty Tricks continues its haphazard course between various life-support systems, it’s found a big money home in the wallet of recall-champion Darrell Issa.

Issa, who represents the 49th Congressional District, is one of the richest people in Congress, making a fortune off the Viper car alarm (step back, you are too close to the vehicle).  Issa is a veteran of throwing gobs of personal money into campaigns.  He dropped $12 million of his own money to lose the Republican Senate primary in 1998.  He was a bit more successful in 2003 when he dug into his wallet for $1.6 million in personal cash to fund the signature gathering for the Gray Davis recall which, when asked if it was worth it earlier this month, he said “Yes, of course.”  Well, Rep. Issa is ponying up the big bucks again, lining up behind Dirty Tricks in its hour of need.  If new polling from Greenberg Quinlan Rosner is any indication though, he may have picked himself a loser this time.  The poll finds just 22% in favor and 53% opposed (25% undecided) to the measure throughout the state with uniform opposition throughout every region of the state.  So the question is…why?

Cross posted at San Diego Politico

Issa has been around this game long enough to know that any initiative starting that low is an exceptional longshot, and even said of initiatives last month “We barely mention them until they qualify…Usually they’re just talked about to get us to spend money.”  Well, it sure looks like it worked, as Issa has described his financial commitment to the initiative as “fluid.”  This money obviously is a drop in the bucket to Issa, whose net worth is estimated by OpenSecrets as $135,862,098 to $677,230,000.  So why even bother with a stinker like this?  The Union-Tribune editorialized a theory on Saturday suggesting that it’s all just a “slick” and “ingenius” plan by an otherwise bankrupt and backsliding CA-GOP to drain the coffers of Democrats throughout the state.

Obviously it discounts the notion that unifying, organizing, and energizing Democrats throughout the state might actually be problematic for Republicans.  While the initiative would likely appear on an otherwise overlooked ballot, that sort of organizing is pretty easy to roll over into, say, competitive assembly, state senate and congressional elections several months afterwards.  Given the complimentary fundraising debacles being turned in by the NRCC and California GOP, how wise is it to get Democrats revved up in every corner of the state?

Rep. Issa is taking on a curious cause here.  It’s chump change for him, but as he explained when discussing the recall, “Would I have liked to have spent less? Absolutely. I’m a fiscal conservative.”  He’s also been fretting of late over the prospect of too many children receiving health insurance.  Yet he’s more than happy to toss some coin around to make Republicans look bad and help galvanize Democrats.  I haven’t seen Republicans around the state coming up with any other ideas to improve their electoral chances next year, so maybe this is just the desperation starting to set in.  Time will tell, but in the meantime it’s time to gear up again.

(full disclosure: I’m working for Courage Campaign)

While Giuliani’s minions scramble around gathering signatures (holler in the comments if you have seen signature gatherers), Courage Campaign is ramping up again to beat the dirty trick initiative AGAIN.  We had pivoted on to Blackwater and are now waging two big battles at once: making sure the Republicans don’t steal the White House and keeping Blackwater from opening a mercenary training base in Potrero.

These battles take resources and by that I mean money.  We are dedicated to running a new style campaign, for and by the netroots.  Where these guys are getting million dollar checks from big funders, we are running hard on ActBlue.  We have set a goal of 1,000 contributions on ActBlue all time for No Dirty Tricks.  We knew it would be a reach.  We started the day at 619 donors and we are now at 820 donors. Can you help us reach our goal? You can contribute via the Calitics ActBlue page.

Below the fold is the email we sent to Courage Campaign members today.  On Halloween we will have a surprise from Courage friend and dirty trick foe Bradley Whitford.

Dear Julia,

I am very angry.

One month ago, your amazing activism killed a right-wing dirty trick to steal the White House in 2008. This unprecedented ballot initiative — robbing 20 Electoral College votes from California for the GOP’s presidential nominee — collapsed under intense pressure from the grassroots and netroots.

So, why am I angry? Well, as the Los Angeles Times reports, a ghoulish gang of out-of-state Republican donors and consultants is bringing this dirty trick back from the dead, just in time for Halloween.

But there’s another reason why I am upset about this devious Republican power grab: Progressives are now being forced to fight a two-front war in California with right-wing extremist outsiders spending millions to battle us on the ballot — and on the border.

As you may know, after the first dirty trick died, I dedicated our staff and budget to a very time and resource-intensive campaign — helping the people of Potrero block Blackwater’s planned mercenary base in San Diego County. And now, with the dirty trick rising from the grave, our organization’s finances are stretched thin and our staff is maxed out.

Let me be blunt: We need your immediate financial support to beat back Blackwater AND this new cabal of dirty tricksters. Can you dig deep and donate $20, $50, or $100 or more by Sunday, November 4? Your contribution will help us reach our mission-critical goal of 1,000 “NoDirtyTricks” donors on ActBlue:

http://www.couragecampaign.org/ActBlue

While I am not the least bit shocked by this new dirty trick, I am very angry that Karl Rove’s cronies are forcing it on the people of California again.

The desperation of these right-wing consultants would be laughable if they weren’t so frighteningly effective at stealing elections. Just like they did in Florida in 2000 and Ohio in 2004, they want to steal the presidency in California in 2008. And the consequences could be catastrophic for our country and the world.

Iraq. Iran. Global warming. Health care. Civil liberties. The Supreme Court.

The next President of the United States will fundamentally change the course of human history. That’s why these desperate right-wingers are hell-bent on subverting the Electoral College rules to lock down the White House for decades.

Are you angry now?

Then do something. With a vital contribution of $20, $50, or $100 or more, you can help us immediately re-launch our NoDirtyTricks.com campaign AND block Blackwater as well. Please help us reach 1,000 donors on ActBlue by Sunday, November 4 — exactly one year before the 2008 presidential election:

http://www.couragecampaign.org/ActBlue

We are a new kind of organization, waging a new kind of campaign, practicing a new kind of politics. By closely collaborating with some of California’s leading bloggers and grassroots activists, the Courage Campaign is changing the landscape of policy debate under the traditional media and political establishment.

A few months ago, for example, we worked with the netroots to relentlessly re-frame this sneaky ballot initiative as a “dirty trick” — creating a ubiquitous buzz in the blogosphere that prompted journalists and opinion leaders like Howard Dean to use “dirty trick” as a default description of the initiative.

The upshot? Instead of spending a fortune on focus groups run by top-down insider political consultants, the Courage Campaign is people-powered, working closely with grassroots and netroots activists to impact politics from the bottom-up.

That’s why we are setting a new kind of goal — donors instead of dollars. Can you help us defeat the dirty tricksters and beat Blackwater by making a small donation of $20, $50, or $100 on our ActBlue page? Your quick donation will help us build a people-powered movement of 1,000 “NoDirtyTricks” donors by Sunday, November 4:

http://www.couragecampaign.org/ActBlue

You are on the ground floor of a new movement led by the Courage Campaign to synergize the netroots with the grassroots to achieve a progressive vision for California. Now, as we battle Blackwater and the dirty tricksters, we need your help to make that vision a reality.

Thank you for everything you are doing to build our people-powered movement for progressive change in California and the country.

Rick Jacobs
Chair

P.S. On Halloween, Emmy Award-winning actor Bradley Whitford (“Josh Lyman” of “The West Wing”) will be sending you a special message with a special treat. For now, check out Brad’s YouTube video right here:

http://www.couragecampaign.org/ActBlue

Meanwhile, can you help us by forwarding this email to two friends? Getting two more friends involved will help us put an end to politics as usual in California. Thank you so much.

(full disclosure: I work for Courage Campaign) Note: this post was adapted from one posted earlier on dailykos

This past Sunday I was all set to have a call with the local activists on the ground in the tiny town of Potrero where Blackwater is planning on setting up a training facility on 824 acres in a fire-prone box canyon with one way in and out.  We were going to talk about ways that the Courage Campaign could support them during the upcoming recall election to boot the Planning Board members who voted to support Blackwater’s proposal.  But the locals had to evacuate due to a fire bearing down on the town and we canceled the call.

Until this morning, only word we have had from them was via the San Diego Union Tribune where Jan Hedlun, one of the organizers was quoted talking about her former colleague who was killed in the fire.  His son is in the hospital with four firefighters after a heroic rescue.  We did hear from Jan today.  She is ok.  Her house survived, though countless others in the town were destroyed.

This weekend, we were planning to travel to Potrero for a face-to-face meeting.  But we have decided not to make the trip, given what has happened.  Since we don’t even know for sure if they still have their homes at that point, now is not the best time to be entering into this potentially destroyed community.

What we can do is be here waiting in the wings when the fight resumes.  What we can do is let them know we have their back.  That was the message we delivered to Courage Campaign members last night.  Below the fold is that email.  Please join me in passing on a message of support to the brave people of Potrero.  They have a lot on their plate now, but perhaps we can be some moral support.  Blackwater has their army.  We have ours.

Meanwhile, what is Blackwater doing?  The are asking people for PR support, for them.  Much more below the fold.

Yesterday (via a press release), the Courage Campaign called on Blackwater USA to abandon plans to build a para-military training facility in Potrero, located in East San Diego County and site of at least one fatality and some of the worst damage caused by the California wildfires.

With over 1 million people displaced, 1,418 structures destroyed, and at least 5 people confirmed dead in Southern California, Blackwater USA sent an email to its supporters today with the following subject line: “A Request for Your Support”.

But, instead of asking its members to provide financial and volunteer support to Southern Californians victimized by the wildfires, Blackwater asked its supporters for public relations help:

“While we can’t ask that each supporter do everything, Blackwater asks that everyone does something. Contact your lawmakers and tell them to stand by the truth… Tell the Blackwater story and encourage your representatives to seek the truth instead of reading negative propaganda and drawing the wrong conclusions.

And here is the quote we included from Rick Jacobs:

Erik Prince and his Blackwater cronies have hewn the fine art of Orwellian double-speak. While San Diego County burns, Blackwater is more concerned about defending its corporate image. Maybe they should take this opportunity to recognize that the para-military base they want to build in East San Diego County would actually significantly increase fire danger to the people of Potrero and abandon their plans to build that base.

We are still waiting for their response.

Here is the email we sent the other night.  Lot’s of good background information on what is going on in Potrero with respect to Blackwater.

Dear Julia,

As I write this, massive fires are raging across Southern California. While it is quiet and normal at my house in Los Angeles, I can see smoke in the distance and smell it in the air.

And I keep thinking about the good people of Potrero — a serene small community in East San Diego County — that I met just a few weeks ago as we rallied together to block Blackwater from building a base in their tiny, beautiful town.

These concerned community members have been working for months to stop Blackwater from building a mercenary training facility on 824 acres, consisting of 11 firing ranges, a helipad, and an emergency vehicle operator’s course covering the equivalent of 10 football fields. As we watch the fire burn across the area today, one can only imagine what might have happened if an armory full of ammunition and explosives were located inside this box canyon.

I was inspired and proud to march with the good folks of Potrero, people who are not usually political, but who know that if they do not stand up against Blackwater in their own community, then no one will.

We need to show our support for the people of San Diego County at this difficult time. Click here to send a brief message to Potrero residents expressing your support and then consider sending a donation to the San Diego Foundation’s After the Fires Fund:

http://www.couragecampaign.org/Potrero

Beyond the damage and destruction to life and property, the timing of this wildfire could not b e much worse. This fire exploded just as the people of Potrero were preparing for a recall election on December 11 to kick out the planning group members who approved Blackwater’s base. With ballots scheduled to be mailed in early November to less than 600 registered voters in this historic vote-by-mail recall, Potrero residents were preparing for an intense campaign over the next six weeks.

But the actual landscape — and the political landscape — of Potrero have been transformed over the last 48 hours.

There’s no time to waste. On Sunday, if the situation permits, I will travel down to Potrero with my Courage Campaign colleagues Eden James and Julia Rosen. If we are able, we will hand-deliver your notes of support to the people of Potrero, survey the damage and determine how we can help them move forward.

Please click here to watch a brief YouTube preview of a documentary film being made about the battle over Blackwater and the people of Potrero. Then consider sending a donation, and let them know that you are behind them:

http://www.couragecampaign.org/Potrero

Jan Hedlun and Carl Meyer are two Potrero residents featured in the documentary film produced by Alternate Focus that you can watch at the link above. Although she is not identified, Jan is the first woman appearing on-screen, describing how the Potrero residents “first heard of Blackwater.”

Just last Sunday, as we were about to talk with both Jan and Carl by conference call about how to help them block Blackwater’s base, news broke of a huge fire moving towards Potrero. We spoke with Jan again that evening but, despite many repeated attempts, we have not heard back from either Jan or Carl since Sunday night. While we ass ume they are OK, reports from East San Diego County have been unclear and we remain deeply concerned.

Obviously, the last thing Jan, Carl and their fellow concerned citizens can think about right now is Blackwater and the recall election. But I can guarantee you that Blackwater is thinking about nothing BUT that recall election. From what we understand, Blackwater is already crafting arguments to defend their proposed base and play on people’s emotions during this crisis. Blackwater will likely argue that their base will not increase fire danger in San Diego County even as they plan to build it in a brushy, dry box canyon with only one way in and one way out.

We need to be there for Jan and Carl and everyone in Potrero. After watching the YouTube video, will you consider sending a donation to the “After the Fires Fund” or a note showing your support for the people of Potrero? On Sunday, we’ll hand-deliver the note for you:

http://www.couragecampaign.org/Potrero

While the good people of Potrero are focused on recovering from this disaster, we will continue to keep you updated on the other disaster threatening their community — Blackwater’s plans to build a mercenary base on their pristine land, just a few miles from the California border.

Thank you again for everything you are doing to support the people of Potrero.

Rick Jacobs
Chair

P.S. Three weeks ago, we asked you to sign your name to a letter to Senator Dianne Feinstein and Senator Barbara Boxer about Blackwater’s base, including a warning about Potrero’s “fire-prone landscape”:

“Not only will Blackwater’s proposed California paramilitary base disrupt the lives of its residents, but it will also threaten the pristine natural habitat of the Round Potrero Valley, which includes part of Cleveland National Forest and is adjacent to the proposed Hauser Wilderness preserve. The regular detonation of firearms would be a risk both to the fire-prone landscape as well as to the wildlife that currently calls that area home, including the golden eagle and the California condor.”

Despite this ominous warning, Senator Feinstein and Senator Boxer have failed to respond. The residents of Potrero and San Diego County can’t wait for politicians to act to reduce the fire danger posed by Blackwater. That’s why the Courage Campaign is getting involved now.

To show your support in their time of need, please consider sending a donation to the “After the Fires Fund” and a note of support to the people of Potrero:

http://www.couragecampaign.org/Potrero

Hundreds of people from around the country have already sent messages.  Here are a few highlights of mine.  I have to admit they made tears run down my face.

I know it’s asking a lot to ask you to continue to stand strong against Blackwater in the face of these devastating fires.  But please, don’t give up the fight.  You’re fighting for all Californians.  I’m standing shoulder-to-shoulder with you in spirit. -Jennifer, Manteca, CA

Our hearts are with you during this most difficult time. We admire your courage and your work in blocking Blackwater. We hope that you will be able continue your fight and hope that you will be soon recover from this devastating fire -Inge, Blue Bell, PA

viva potrero!!  i know sometimes each of us feels alone, and, more particularly, feels hopeless ….  this is just to let you know that YOU ARE NOT ALONE, and we’ll all make it with a little help from our friends.  peace. -Artie, Montrose, CA

Please know how proud your fellow citizens are of you for taking a stand for what you believe in and how much our hearts are with you during this difficult time.  I hope we might be as inspirational to you as you have been to us. -Lise, San Francisco, CA

We have Blackwater in North Carolina, which we don’t want…we stand with you in this. Find a way to keep them out. No one needs this Bush controlled army in America. -Kenneth, Browns Summit, NC

We gave what we could today to the After the Fires Fund, because we are especially grateful to those of you who took a stand against Blackwater.  The idea of having a private army in the U.S. is outrageous, and we must not tolerate having them in California–ever! We hope you will get all the support you need to return to your peaceful lives in Portrero.  We will be watching. – James & Suzanne, Manhattan Beach, CA

I watched the skies turn black and the ash cover my town of South Lake Tahoe this past June. I have friends who have lost all their personal belongings. We suffered no human casualties and I hope you all remain safe as well. Know that the fight you are waging, against nature, and then once that’s passed, against a mercenary army and training ground, is supported by fellow Californians and Americans just like me. Thank you for all the work you are doing to bring the shameful efforts of the Blackwater training camp into the light in an effort to destroy it. You are my heroes.  -Liz, South Lake Tahoe, CA

Join them in sending a message to the brave people of Potrero.  I promise to report back on the delivery.

I want to note that the donation link on the page is to the San Diego Foundation thanks to noweaseles at daily kos who answered my request for an organization other than Red Cross to send donations.  Everyone down in SD County that we talked to had bad experiences with Red Cross in the past and suggested we direct people to another charity.  The goal of the donations is to support relief efforts after the initial crisis is over.

(full disclosure: I am working for Courage Campaign)

Despite the uproar over their murder of 17 civilians in Iraq, Blackwater is still moving forward with their plans for a massive base in San Diego County.  Dubbed Blackwater West, the facility would stretch 824 acres in an environmentally sensitive area, populated by 360 staff and “students.”  The training facility would consist of 15 firing ranges, a helipad, and a heavy vehicle operator’s course covering the equivalent of 10 football fields.  SignOnSanDiego.com:

Despite rumblings that Blackwater might cancel expansion plans, Vice President Brian Bonfiglio said his bosses at the North Carolina-based company are still eager to open a law enforcement and military training center in Potrero, about 45 miles east of San Diego.

“Their charter is to make this thing work even more now,” Bonfiglio said.

These guys sure are stubborn.  Good thing the locals down there are adamant about keeping Blackwater out.  Courage Campaign has been working to build up support for the local efforts.  Thousands of people have signed the letter to Boxer and Feinstein asking them to stand with the California Democratic Party and go on record opposing this base.

Below the fold is more information on the official process that Blackwater needs to follow through on to get this base built.

Last year the local elected officially voted 7-0 to approve Blackwater’s plans to move forward with the base.  Immediately there was an uproar against the Potrero Community Planning Group.  The residents forced a contentious second vote that also passed, though more narrowly.  Now those who voted in favor face a recall election on December 11th.  This is a small town of around 1,000 residents and well over 300 have signed petitions against the approval.  The Planning Group is feeling the pressure and it is reflected in this quote by the Chairman:

Chairman Gordon Hammers, one of the members facing a recall, said Blackwater’s project should be judged only as a land-use issue.

“If they’re turned down, I want them turned down for the right reasons,” Hammers said. “My attitude is: What are we going to punish them for? For being better shots than the Iraqis?”

No.  We are going to punish them for killing innocent civilians.  We are not going to reward them by building a huge base to train more mercenaries.  We are not going to let a sensitive habitat be destroyed by firing ranges and a heavy vehicle operator’s course.

The residents of Portero will have their say in December.  The vote will be a two parter, much like the governor’s recall they will be asked if they want to recall the group and who they would like to replace them with.  If they are recalled it is almost assured that the group would revisit the Blackwater plans and reverse the official support.  In terms of process, the Potrero Community Planning Group does not have the power to officially block the base from being built.  That resides with the San Diego County Board of Supervisors.

The project is undergoing environmental review by the county and could come before the Board of Supervisors late next year.

Glenn Russell, interim deputy director for the county planning department, said the project would be governed by a permit that sets conditions, but only for land use. If those conditions are violated, such as by adding a facility that wasn’t in the plans, the county could take enforcement action.

Although the planning department deals only with land-use issues when reviewing the project, the supervisors might consider public reaction to Blackwater when weighing approval, Russell said.

“It is a discretionary action, and they have a broad range of authority,” he said.

Land use is why the environmental issues are going to be crucial to the approval or rejection of the plans by the County Board.  However, local opposition can be used.  The recall would be a powerful statement to that effect.

This is a multi-year fight, since the Board does not hold their hearing for another year.  So think of it as a short term fight for the recall, then a longer term battle to ensure the San Diego Board of Supervisors vote the right way next year.

For fun, check out the comments below the SDUT article.  Even though most of the commentors at the SDUT site are pretty conservative, the vast majority writing are opposing Blackwater West.  The case can easily be made that our military, law enforcement and border patrols are the professionals and they do not need the help from the likes of mercenaries from Blackwater.  The fact that the military on the ground in Iraq can’t stand these guys makes our case against Blackwater even stronger.

There are loads more images from the recent protests down in Porero on these flickr streams. (1) (2) (3)

(video is great earlier coverage of Blackwater West from KNBC)

Despite the well deserved outrage over Blackwater’s repeated atrocities in Iraq, the company is moving forwards with their plans to open up a new base in San Diego.  LAT:

Anne Tyrrell, spokeswoman for the Moyock, N.C.-based company, said Blackwater was not altering its Potrero proposal in light of the controversy. Last week the company announced it had dropped negotiations to buy land in North Carolina for a training site. That decision, Tyrrell said, was not a result of the controversy.

Rep. Bob Filner (D-Chula Vista) has introduced legislation to block “mercenaries” from training on non-federally owned property.  This would essentially can Blackwater West before they get a chance to break ground.  Where are Senators Diane Feinstein and Barbara Boxer on Blackwater West?  Silent, despite Courage Campaign delivering over 8,500 petitions to them.  That is unacceptable.

Thanks to activists within the California Democratic Party’s executive board, the party is now on record officially opposing Blackwater West.  It’s time for Senators Diane Feinstein and Barbara Boxer join their party in stopping Blackwater from operating in California.  Take Action: sign the new letter to Senator Boxer and Feinstein and give them a call if you can.

Below the fold is the email we sent Courage Campaign members earlier today.

Dear Julia,

Terrifying.

That is perhaps the most appropriate word to use in describing the menace that is Blackwater USA — the private “security” firm that just murdered 17 innocent Iraqis, sending another 24 to the hospital, in a rampage on the streets of Baghdad.

Blackwater, the same private firm of paid thugs whose incompetence cost the lives of American troops in Fallujah in 2004, now wants to build a base on California’s border to train mercenaries.

The consequences are ominous: Imagine Blackwater “defending” our border with Mexico in a vigilante action. Or providing emergency “security” to urban areas in California after a natural disaster.

No way. No Blackwater. Not in California. Not in America.

The security of California and our citizens is at stake. That’s the message that needs to be heard — loud and clear — by Senator Dianne Feinstein and Senator Barbara Boxer.

With activists converging to protest Blackwater in San Diego County this weekend, it’s your turn to take action. Please sign our NEW letter to Senator Feinstein and Senator Boxer and/or make a quick call to follow-up. Then tell us about the results of your calls at the following link:

http://www.couragecampaign.org/stopblackwater

Blackwater’s plans to build a private mercenary training facility in San Diego County are simply unacceptable. Consisting of 15 firing ranges, a helipad, a heavy vehicle operator’s course covering the equivalent of 10 football fields — and populated by 360 staff and “students” — this dangerous base is just the beginning of Blackwater’s infiltration of our state’s security.

We hoped Senator Feinstein and Senator Boxer got the message when the Courage Campaign delivered 8,543 of your previous petition signatures to their offices. We hoped they got the message when the California Democratic Party passed a resolution — putting the party on record — opposing Blackwater’s base. We hoped they would take a stand with their party and with us. But we haven’t heard a word.

Tell Senators Feinstein and Boxer to join the California Democratic Party in opposing Blackwater’s base in San Diego County. Then tell us what they told you:

http://www.couragecampaign.org/stopblackwater

The details now emerging from Iraq are deeply disturbing. The New York Times describes the beginning of last week’s massacre:

It started out as a family errand: Ahmed Haithem Ahmed was driving his mother, Mohassin, to pick up his father from the hospital where he worked as a pathologist. As they approached Nisour Square at midday on Sept. 16, they did not know that a bomb had gone off nearby or that a convoy of four armored vehicles carrying Blackwater guards armed with automatic rifles was approaching.

Moments later a bullet tore through Mr. Ahmed’s head, he slumped, and the car rolled forward.

The car, with Mr. Ahmed’s dead body pressing on the gas pedal, sped towards the Blackwater guards. They filled it with bullets and grenades, setting it on fire. Then continued to shoot at anything in sight. People ran away and cars turned around, desperate to get out of the hail of gunfire. But bullets continued to fly, cutting down 17 innocent civilians and wounding 24 more.

Killed in their cars. Shot in the back.

As Blackwater’s founder — right-winger Erik Prince (Mitt Romney’s campaign co-chair) — testified in Congress this week, these mafia-like mercenaries are still insisting they “acted appropriately at all times.” Despite the latest atrocities, the State Department continues to pay Blackwater hundreds of millions of dollars to operate in Iraq, even though the Iraqi government insists they should leave.

The Iraqis may not have the power to kick them out of their country, but we have the power to keep them out of California. And we need Senator Feinstein and Senator Boxer to lead the way.

It’s time for our Senators to stand up with us and the California Democratic Party and shut down Blackwater. Take action now: sign the NEW petition and/or call your Senators. Then tell us what they said:

http://www.couragecampaign.org/stopblackwater

The movement to stop Blackwater in California and the country is growing exponentially by the day. 

Congressman Bob Filner (D-San Diego) introduced a bill in the House last week that would allow the training of “mercenaries” only on property owned by the federal government — which would keep Blackwater out of California.

Meanwhile, this weekend, hundreds of local activists will be gathering at the proposed site for Blackwater West in San Diego County. The Courage Campaign will be sending a blogger to San Diego County to represent you and tell all of us about it on the Courage Campaign blog.

Time is running out. Please tell Senators Feinstein and Boxer to join us, the California Democratic Party, Congressman Filner, and grassroots activists in leading the way to keep Blackwater out of our state… before it’s too late:

http://www.couragecampaign.org/stopblackwater

Thank you for everything you have done and continue to do to stand up against Blackwater.

Sincerely,

Rick Jacobs
Chair

P.S. Three months ago, KNBC in Los Angeles filed a special in-depth report exposing Blackwater. With the Courage Campaign taking an early stand on opposing Blackwater’s base, I was interviewed about their plans to set up shop on our border.

Click here now to watch the YouTube version of KNBC’s report — it’s as good as investigative journalism gets:

http://www.couragecampaign.org/stopblackwater

(cross-posted on Daily Kos)

You killed it.  All of the noise you made.  The blog posts.  The donations.  The email forwards to friends.  The petitions.  The copies of the intiative you sent to Arnold. Everything.  The netroots mobilized, and the right-wing backed down.  This is a lone bright victory, in what has been a tough couple of weeks.

Absent some big rich right-winger stepping up with $2 million in the next few days, the attempt to put an initiative on the ballot to steal 20 of California’s electoral votes is kaput.  The main Republican lawyer for the California Republican Party, and the mastermind behind this has quit.  They can’t find anyone who is not a front group established in MO to donate.  In short, the campaign is in disarray.

The campaign needed to collect at a bare minimum 433,971 valid signatures.  In reality they needed to exceed that by 2/3rds to ensure that they would make the ballot.  At last count they were only 40,000 towards getting that done.  Remember they needed to be in by November to make it.  The likelihood of them being able to recoup at this point and make it on the ballot is slim.

Courage Campaign’s Chair, Rick Jacobs wrote over at HuffPo:

As Howie Klein says,” It (‘s defeat) has more to do with the grassroots action against it, the organizing efforts of the Courage Campaign and the fact that the shady Republicans behind it, Californians For Equal Representation are a bunch of cronies of David Dreier’s from Missouri.” Paul Kumar , Vice President of SEIU’S United Healthcare Workers West, one of the online community’s best friends in labor, said, “Your work made it too hot for Schwarzenegger and other leading Republicans to handle and dried up our opponents’ access to money. The netroots was way out in front of the party regulars and big institutional players on this one and you deserve the credit for it.”

Courage Campaign and our online colleagues had support from a huge cross section of prominent leaders ranging from members of congress such as California Congressional delegation chair Zoe Lofgren, Hilda Solis and Jane Harman, members of the state legislature such as Karen Bass and Mark Leno, labor leaders such as Sal Roselli at SEIU and bloggers ranging from Arianna Huffington to John Amato and Jane Hamsher. We had folks from Hollywood such as Brad Whitford, Sherry Lansing and Judith Light as well as literally over ten thousand others.

I have to admit, this is a bittersweet day.  The thing is I know we could have beaten that initiative on the ballot.  Polling indicated that we just needed to get out our base, which we were already starting to do.  There was so much potential there for us to build a powerful new style people-powered campaign driven for and by the netroots that worked in coalition with a traditional media heavy campaign, the party and labor.  That had never been done before, but we were doing it.  We proved that it works. 

Heck today, there was an excellent diary here by Jo Etta from Show Me Progress that was digging into the shadowy MO donor connections.  I had people from MI helping with opposition research.  There were folks from all over the country on our phone call with Bradley Whitford on Monday.  It was that sort of crowd-sourcing that I was really looking forward to.  Quite honestly, we had an email all set up to go soliciting your best ideas for how to defeat this initiative.  Instead we get to celebrate… at least for this weekend.  For come Monday, it is time to get back to work.  There is too much we have yet to accomplish to let the foot off the gas pedal.

Like Rick says:

We beat the right wingnuts on this one. As the Los Angeles Times reports this morning, we demonstrated that with discipline, organization and speed we can defeat the bad stuff. As we build power, we’ll be there to support other progressives and remind those who claim to be what it really means to make progress.

Damn straight.  We take what we did here in a short amount of time and we build on it.  It’s time to play offense.  Courage Campaign is building progressive infrastructure for the long haul.  So stay tuned!

P.S. Did you see the fantastic article in today’s LAT entertainment section about Courage’s video of Josh Lyman Bradley Whitford?

Whitford admits that he usually cringes when he hears celebrities talking about politics. But, in this case, he had to get involved. “I feel like my children’s future is at stake,” he said.

He and Jacobs shot the video in his living room in an afternoon. “I realize this whole YouTube style is based on some quirky shut-in staring straight into the camera,” he said. “It’s interesting stylistically addressing the camera.”

In a way, it’s liberating. Without all the trappings of a Hollywood production, he delivered a simple message right into the lens. “You can’t out-hypocrite a Republican,” he said bluntly on the video.

Now it’s up to the YouTube audience to decide if it agrees.

“There are pendulum swings in the new media,” Whitford said. “It’s truly democratization by letting millions of individuals express themselves.”

Some expressions are bound to be more equal than others. And if Whitford’s example succeeds, there will be a lot more YouTube time in political Hollywood’s future

(bumped – promoted by Julia Rosen)

(also up in orange)
In what can only be described as yet another dirty trick, the campaign pushing the initiative to steal California’s electoral votes disclosed its main donor in a campaign finance report earlier this week.  The lone $175,000 donor was attributed to a Missouri based company called Take Initiative America (T.I.A).  The only name we have is Charles A. Hurth III, an attorney in the small town Union, MO and big donor to Rudy Giuliani’s campaign.  He is the guy who registered the company, way back on September 10th.  The donation came in on the 11th.  The proponents of the ballot measure swear they have no idea who actually gave the money.  (See also Shane Goldmacher’s story.  He broke it)

Let’s get this straight.  A ballot initiative was filed by the lawyers for the California Republican Party (CRP) to try and steal 20 of California’s electoral votes.  The only donor we know about appears to be a front company, set up the day before the donation was made in Missouri.  And we know that the lawyers for the CRP have done work for Bob Perry, the Switfboat guy in the past.  Is Bob Perry running money through a Giuliani donor in Missouri?  If not, who is?

This is clearly a front group.  Under the law we don’t have any right to know who wrote the original check.  We only know the name of the guy who is the registered agent for the LLC that gave the money to the campaign.

The Fair Election Reform folks point out in their email that the Giuliani connections go beyond just Hurth.

But the connections to Rudy Giuliani don’t stop there.  Two law partners of Tom Hiltachk — the Sacramento attorney who authored and filed the power grab initiative here in California — are also strong supporters of Rudy and contributors to Giuliani’s campaign, including a lawyer serving as the Deputy Treasurer for the Republican pro-initiative organization in California.

They are using this as an opportunity to go right after Giuliani.

When asked directly about this, Giuliani’s campaign spokesperson tried to dodge the question by saying they’re prepared to compete in 2008 based on “whatever the people of California decides is best” — while refusing to answer whether or not the money funneled through TIA had any connections to Rudy.  What’s more, a spokesman for the right-wing pro-initiative campaign here in California said that Rudy “probably” wasn’t involved.  Probably?  Isn’t this something their campaign would know for sure?

Why won’t Rudy Giuliani stop hiding and come clean on this?  The voters of California deserve to know the truth about who’s behind this effort to rig the 2008 election by splitting up California’s electoral votes.

The only way to do that is to put pressure on the donors to disclose who they are on their own and disavow any ties to the Giuliani campaign.  All along he has said that one of the bonuses to his campaign is that he would be competitive here.  Is he trying to guarantee that is true?