Be sure and get there early so that...

... you don't have to stand in the back of the room.

NOTE: The following post was sent in by a friend. For a little background on this story please see

here,
here
here,
and
here... and on to our story....

(after 4 days of trial, where I missed the 4th day)

It all began - when? With 911? When they started illegally listening to phone calls and reading e-mails, and equating any criticism, especially from Muslims, as support for terrorism? (And we're hardly immune - they said "If you're not with us, you're against us." Well write my name down George - put me on that enemies list.)

THE NOTEBOOK

Or was it when they bombed a camp and other sites in northern Iraq in 2003, killed everyone there and then claimed they had been terrorists? Very convenient since they're all dead.. Maybe that was the first "mistake." One of the groups attacked was Ali Bapir's group - a moderate former IMK leader who was not opposing them - they later apologized for killing several of his men and detaining him for a few months.

He is making his formal announcement and posted it on-line at DailyKos:

I'm told Markos will be featuring Brian's campaign today. If you are a DailyKos member please recommend Brian's diary. If not, please read and learn about Brian and his campaign. His is a very winnable seat. Democrats only need to win 5 seats to take control of the state senate and I think Brian's can be one of those 5.

Brian's district overlaps with Kirsten Gillibrand's (NY-20 CD) and you might consider helping out both campaigns over the summer and fall if, as I do, you decide Brian is one of your candidates for this year.

Please check him out!

I think you'll like what you see.

Rep. John Sweeney (R-Alpha Delta Phi) is continuing his plan of reaching out to a wide range of constituencies.

Following on his successful outreach to the youth vote the increasingly desperate Mr. Sweeney is now working on securing women's votes.

In an article in Sunday's Troy Record Sweeney is quoted as saying in regard to his female Democratic opponent Kirsten Gillibrand...

"You can't take a resume and a pretty face from New York City and say to people this is good for you simply because we can spend a lot of money and raise a lot of money."

So begins the endorsement today of Kirsten Gillibrand by Democracy for America.

"In addition to voting in lock-step with President Bush, enjoying ski trips with lobbyists, accepting thousands of dollars from Tom DeLay, and partying at college fraternity houses on the weekends, John Sweeney's found time to try to privatize Social Security and give away billions to the oil industry."

"Thankfully, DFA candidate Kirsten Gillibrand is everything that Sweeney is not. She's smart, ethical and will represent Upstate New Yorkers with the honor and dignity they deserve. Let's help Kirsten bring dignity back to DC."

USA Today's Andrea Stone highlights Gillibrand in a report on Democratic chances for recapturing the US House of Representatives in this falls elections. Democrats need to gain a total of 15 seats in order to gain majority control.

Describing the upstate New York district as "the land of opportunity" and a "key" to Democratic "strategy for gaining control of the House of Representatives," Gillibrand is quoted as saying:

"There's a shift happening right now in the district and the region," says Gillibrand, 39, a lawyer and a former Clinton administration housing official. "People want new leaders who are accountable."

Defining "best" as that which serves the people best removes what I am about to write from the realm of political reality in Washington, DC and various State capital circles that actually get to decide these things. In those places "best" is defined by political and financial capital and some people's short term views of the "best" way to produce a winner. What is "best" for the people is not part of that equation.

What I hear most of us clamor for is diversity and the opportunity for our state and therefore our vote to count. We want a say in who our Presidential nominee will be. This too separates us from the circles of the politically powerful who believe they know what is best and therefore want to keep that decision to themselves.

His name was Thomas White and he came to America looking for a new life. We don't know where he was born nor when. We don't know who his family was. He left them behind. He started showing up in records in Weymouth, Ma. in 1635. No one knows what his wife's name was, when he arrived, or where, what ship he came on, or under whose authority or command.

But he came to the new world to make a life for himself and his family. He begins to show up in town records in 1635. These records begin to show him as a productive member of society. He was a surveyor and became a leading citizen in town. His sons likewise became productive and leading members of the society they adopted and that in turn adopted them.

Mr. Sweeney's supporters like to complain at length (ad nauseum frankly) about his competitor Kirsten Gillibrand holding fund raisers in New York City. Last I checked New York City is still a part of New York State. It may seem like another world but it is still an integral part of the state.

Sweeney prefers to hold his fund raisers with lobbyists in place like Park City, Utah and Buffalo Billiards in Washington, DC.

And there are no signs it is going to get any better for him in the coming month or the remaining 220 days.

Kirsten Gillibrand, Sweeney's challenger in this years election...

Two weeks ago Kirsten made a pledge to all the people of New York's 20th Congressional District. This pledge goes far beyond an currently proposed standards or reforms. It is her statement of the kind of congresswoman she will be if elected.

I want to share this with you and then ask for your help in getting Kirsten elected.

Information are part of the argument that was denied can be found here.

Background information on the case can be found here.

The original diary and additional commentary below the fold....

When I got back to my office after lunch today, I found out the government had submitted their "response" to our wiretap motion - it said, in its entirety:  "classified." Their entire legal memo was classified! I got a call from the NYCLU immediately, and spoke to [snip], who said this is completely unprecedented and wrong and illegal. So then we were talking about objecting to it, etc, and THEN the order came in from Judge McAvoy summarily denying the whole motion! No hearing, no amicus, no reply, NOTHING! AND the actual order was classified!! [snip] wasn't there and then I had to leave, but I just spoke to him on the phone. He said the NYT already called him and he told them what happened. He definitely wants to fight this very strongly - it's just so insane that it's hard to know exactly what to do next. But we want to let people know. At this point any ideas would be appreciated. Thanks, [snip]"

More information on the case can be found in some of my old posts here and at The 10,000 Things.

More to come....

Peace,

Andrew

In other news brought to you via me and me via my father...

Hi Mom and Dad -

If you've been watching or reading the news online you know that there were some terrorist bombings in Benares tonight.  I wanted you to know that I just spoke with [my niece] and she and her roommates are okay, but don't know very much about what happened or what may happen in terms of plans for those in the program. They have not had any contact with the program director, and were having difficulty understanding the newscast they watched on their landlord's TV.  

According to the NY Times,  there were two explosions at the train station and another at a temple (which [my niece] thought was near the U of Wisc. program house).  Apparently there were 12 people killed and numerous people injured.  Some bombs were found in some other locations in Benares but defused, thank God.

[My Brother] and I are going to contact the U. of Wisc. and the State Dept. and try to get a read on what the situation is and what we should do. We'll keep you posted.

Would you please share this with other family members?  We'll update you as we know more.

Love,
[My sister-in-law]

And via the New York Times

Peace,

Andrew