How the Independents Speak

The Post-Election Independent Movement

* Principles Intact
* Paradigms in Transition
* Obama in the White House

Sponsored by CUIP independentvoting.org

News from Arkansas Independents!

I am recovering from a busy weekend, but it was great. Here's a rough report

Saturday I got up really early and set up a table at a local farmer's market. Here's the link to a photo on facebook (i took it on my cell phone). We registered (or re-registered) about 30 people, handed out over 100 information booklets and flyers, and got 3 people on our "sign up" sheet for future involvement. I networked with some independents at the Obama booth, and had very nice conversations with people from all over our state and surrounding states (most there for a RV Owners Convention). Today I have already noticed some increase in traffic to my blog.

Our next meeting is coming up this Thursday, Oct. 2nd. Because of an ad, I was contacted by a local campaign person from the Ralph Nader Campaign. He is coming to the meeting, and I am going to let him give a report on their efforts with ballot access and open debates, etc. He is also informing all of his volunteers about the meeting. I will attach the tentative agenda for the meeting this Saturday, to give you an idea of what I'm planning. Any feedback is greatly appreciated!

So, that's the big news. My weekend also consisted of a late night visit with my sister-in-law (which allowed me to only get 4 hours of sleep before the voter registration drive), a playdate with a new family in our apartment complex, Church, and a church-friends party on Sunday night. I was so tired that I fell asleep (fully clothed, jeans and all) at 8:15 last night and didn't wake up until 7:30 this morning! My husband, bless his heart, just put the kids to bed by himself and let me sleep!

Thanks for your support!
Courtney S. Terry

On the Bus: Blogging the World - An Online Stage for Activists at Performing the World

Blogging the World: An Online Stage for Activists (a performance of Performing the World 2008)

Hosted by Nancy Hanks, with Justin Gardner, Robert Koulish, Daisy Lopez, Jackie Salit, and Lanya Shapiro AND the World Wide
Sunday, October 5, 9:00am-10:00am
All Stars Project 543 West 42nd Street (between 10th and 11th Avenues) in the Telemarketing Room

From Howard Dean to Ned Lamont to the Ron Paul Revolution and the Barack Obama "phenomenon", the internet (and the ordinary people who use it) is helping to transform politics.
Blogging is the performance of ordinary people as media personalities, pundits commentators and newsmakers—actors in the political arena, insurgents speaking out and impacting our political culture.

"Blogging the World" will address the themes of community-building, performance and development, as well as issues of technology, democracy, and activism. “Blogging the World” is a performance within a performance--a "happening within a happening", broadcast throughout the stratosblog.

MEET THE CAST FOR BLOGGING THE WORLD:

Nancy Hanks HOST
The Hankster http://grassrootsindependent.blogspot.com/
Nancy Hanks is a long-time activist in independent politics. In 2006 she founded The Hankster, an irreverent look at the news from the eyes of the independent voter. Professionally, she is a full-time grant-writer for an international homeless youth program. She is a volunteer staffer for the Committee for a Unified Party and the Neo Independent magazine. In recent media appearances, Nancy discussed the importance of the independent voter on the SIRIUS Satellite Radio show Indie Talk Blog Bunker with Joe Salzone, and on a Skewz.com podcast.

Justin Gardner (via satellite)
Donklephant http://donklephant.com/
Justin Gardner is the founder and editor of Donklephant, a popular multi-partisan political blog where readers are encouraged to discuss the ideas of the day in a respectful, honest forum. Since launching in July 2005, Donklephant has drawn over 2.5 million page views and boasts a roster of over 20 authors.

Robert Koulish (via satellite)
Kouflo Memo http://koulflo.wordpress.com/tag/koulish/
(Robert twitters at http://twitter.com/koulflo)
Robert Koulish is an Associate Professor of Law and Society at the University of Philadelphia. He blogs at Koulflo Memo, a politically progressive blog that emphasizes immigration, democratic media and electoral politics, as well as the occasional personal experience. Robert also works in experiential and community based teaching and learning, and is co-founder of a youth-based media and education collaborative called co-lab, and a micro-radio coalition called Baltimore Community Radio Coalition.

Daisy Lopez
True North Inc.
Daisy Lopez is an online media advertiser for one of the largest ad agencies in the world. She focuses on brand and analytics, specializing in entertainment and consumer focused verticals. Daisy brings all forms of social media strategies, with a strong concentration on blogging, social networking, and user generated to Fortune 500 corporations such as The Economist, Pitney Bowes, and Disney Channel.

Jacqueline Salit
CUIP http://independentvoting.org/index.html,
The Neo-Independent http://www.neoindependent.com/
Jacqueline Salit is a 20-year veteran of the independent political movement. Executive editor of THE NEO-INDEPENDENT magazine, a bi-annual journal that covers the independent political movement and the independent voter, Jackie is also the President of the Committee for a Unified Independent Party (www.IndependentVoting.org), a national 15 year-old think tank giving leadership to grassroots independents. Jackie ran NYC Mayor Mike Bloomberg's successful 2001 and 2005 mayoral campaigns on the Independence Party line, effectively creating a game-changing black and independent alliance that is challenging politics-as-usual.

Lanya Shapiro
Traction http://www.gettraction.org/
Lanya Shapiro is the founder and Executive Director of Traction, a community of young-ish (Gen X&Y) progressives and an innovative civic engagement and leadership development organization. Since 2003, she's immersed herself in progressive grassroots organizing – from the Howard Dean grassroots to consulting with SEIU, EchoDitto, Institute for America's Future, etc. Lanya's background is in public health and social work, and she spent years designing and managing award-winning large-scale health behavior change programs. Traction promotes civic participation using the same social marketing principles – more Malcolm Gladwell than politics as usual. Some say if activism is the drug, Traction is the dealer...

H/T to Fred Newman (and colleagues), Jan Wootten, Carrie Sackett, Gwen Mandell, Marcia Ford, Tyndale Publishers, Alice Rydel, SIRIUS Satellite Radio, Phyllis Goldberg, John Opdycke, Nomi Azulay, June Hirsh, Bob Conroy, Lauren Ross, Shaun Mullen, James Protzman, Joe Gandelman and all the bloggers and non-bloggers in the world who are making a difference in a world so in need of a new performance.

Got Traction?

The Hankster highly recommends Traction, now on The Hankster sidebar. Founder Lanya Shapiro told IndyWeek back in 2006 when she won a Citizen Award: "We're showing people that there are great, fun, ass-kicking activists."

In 2007 Lanya was deemed "Best Organizer" and Traction, "Best Progressive Activist Group" by local Indy reporter Bob Geary, as quoted on the Tides Center site.

This June Philanthropy Journal reported in an article called Younger, hipper brand of activism by Ret Boney:

DURHAM, N.C. -- For Triangle-based Traction, the key to getting young adults engaged and active in their community is fun, friends and a dose of creative education.

Through social networking, with the emphasis on "social," Traction aims to "build the critical mass of energized and engaged citizen activists who will power the progressive movement," says Lanya Shapiro, the group's executive director. (read more here)

GetTraction.org!

"Not Your Grandfather's Caucus"

When Arizona Grand Canyon Independent Voters set up a caucus for independent voters at the Showlow Senior Citizens Center, local press failed to post notice about the event. Local Arizona independent activists Geannie Schroeder and Scott Brannon were undetered when nobody showed up.

What's an independent activist to do? Move to the next corner!

Geannie and Scott moved their operation to the local library in Showlow, set up a table, gave out bottled water and cookies and signed up another dozen or so voters interested in political reform. A lot of folks walked by, but a lot of independents stopped and listened, says Geannie. She was motivated by the experience. The next move? The Safeway.

This is exactly the kind of grassroots activism that builds the independent movement!

Watch for Grand Canyon Independent Voters on your corner!

To contact Grand Canyon Independent Voters

Contact: Geannie Schroeder, Scott Brannon

Email: roooney@cableone.net, gciv@npgcable.com

Phone: 928-537-7699 or 928-242-4775

Performing the World/ Blogging the World

I hope you'll join me this year at Performing the World 2008 [aka PTW].

PTW has in the past been attended by educators, psychologists, social workers and other community-based practioners who are attempting to deal with social issues in their communities ranging from genocidal war (Bosnia) to sexual assault (Prince George, British Columbia) to educating and helping refugee children assimilate (Decatur, GA) to community health issues (South Africa).... Most of these programs and helping professionals use a variety of performance-based approaches to human development.

Most attendees, I would daresay, consider themselves changers of society, if not changers of the world. They are political activists in the larger (and best) sense of the word.

This year the conference organizers decided to reach out more broadly and I was invited to submit a proposal for a session on blogging.

My session is a panel discussion called "Blogging the World" and is designed to engage the issues of grassroots activism, influencing the political process from the bottom up, and ways the internet/ blogging/ etc. has (and has not) democratized our political process. (I have one or two more slots on the panel, so if you're interested, please email me and I'll get you the details.)

And let's face it: 2008 a big fat election year, and I'm also interested in promoting and discussing independent politics.

PTW promises to be very interesting this year. Over 200 proposals have been submitted from every corner of the world. Here are a few:

Human Flag of Peace: Meditation for Planetary Peace - CHILE
This is a performance happening that will take place outdoors in a public space involving scores of PTW attendees. Developed by the Green Planet Collective in Valparaiso, Chile, the “Human Flag of Peace” is a performance-meditation involving in three circles created by human bodies, surrounding by another big circle created by human bodies. It is the international symbol of peace agreed on in 1935 by all the nations in Americas. The three circles in the middle represent art, science and spirituality and the big circle represents the culture of peace.

Bukom Dance Ensemble - GHANA
The Bukom Dance Ensemble is a drumming and performing group. It was established in 1989 to raise awareness on the link between culture and development and travels to communities within the country to educate the public.

Youth Theatre in Ireland – A Model of Practice - IRELAND
Orlaith McBride, the Director of the National Association for Youth Development in Ireland, will discuss the innovative approaches to working with young people through theatre developed by the Irish National Youth Theatre. The session will present the specific methodologies that have been developed over thirty years of practice from its unique method of auditioning to the building of an ensemble company through the rehearsal process to an exploration of the impact of the experience on the young people’s personal, social and aesthetic development as well as the impact of the National Youth Theatre on theatre practice in Ireland. The session will chart the development of the Youth Theatre movement in Ireland in the late 1970’s and the particular place the fifty youth theatres in Ireland occupy in 2008 in the spectrum of theatre in Ireland.

‘Inside A Box”: Community Theater in Times of Community Crisis - ISRAEL
This study focuses on the impact of participation in a community theater on women living in an Israeli city near the Lebanese border during a time of security crisis in Israel. Amnon and Esther Boehm will discuss how the participants’ coping resources were developed in the process of creating community theatre.

Mother{r}ight - MACEDONIA
Mother {r}ight works with Roma (Gypsy) mothers who beg with their children on the streets and intersections of Skopje, the capital of Macedonia. The session will look at different aspects of this project and will include performative aspects of their work through video questions recorded by each Roma mother involved in the project.

Improvising Yesterday to Clarify Today and Illuminate Tomorrow; Performance for Conflict Resolution and Political Stability in Nigeria - NIGERIA
The session will include a discussion of the use of performance in Nigeria as a means of conflict resolution and a performance of a comic solo skit titled “Bicycle.” “Bicycle” is a 10-minute comic solo skit dramatizing the anguish of a 45-year-old man who has to work as a house boy to make ends meet. The skit is a reflection of the extent to which poverty dehumanizes.

The Hankster will be there, capturing a little bit of it for you online. But if you can join us here in New York City Oct. 2-5, you'll be in for a treat. Hope to see you there!

PTW ‘08 is sponsored by the All Stars Project, Inc. (www.allstars.org) and the East Side Institute for Group and Short Term Psychotherapy (www.eastsideinstitute.org)