The US President says he’s the decider. Congress and the Federal courts seem generally to agree. US military forces occupy Iraq and Afghanistan, among other countries. A national police state keeps watch on tens of millions of Americans. As the Federal government consolidates power further and further away from the people of the United States, now is a moment that evermore, to borrow from Thomas Paine, tries our souls.
Across the United States, and around the world, the verdict is coming in: People are choosing local democracy over global oligarchy. The local alternative is becoming a movement:
Did you know that . . .
- Voters in 40 Vermont towns and 24 Wisconsin municipalities have put their communities on record for immediate withdrawal from Iraq? And that the war and presidential impeachment will be on the ballot nationwide come November?
- The people of Humboldt County, California, as well as several Pennsylvania townships, have ruled corporate personhood unconstitutional?
- The people of Venezuela have established direct economic aid programs for a growing number of major US cities?
- The “Participatory Budgeting” process developed in Brazil is now on the agenda for community organizers across the US?
- Voting rights advocates nationwide have succeeded
in implementing Instant Runoff Voting, public financing of elections, and non-US-citizen voting rights in local elections? - US cities, large and small, have reinvested in public
power, community cable, wireless, and cooperative
development? - Local democracy initiatives have taken root across the globe, offering models for democratization here in the US?
This Autumn, Sept. 28 through Oct. 1, gather with organizers and activists in beautiful Madison to share and learn from these and other important democratic successes. Network with others working on common issues. Strategize together about building the democracy movement in this country, from the grassroots, up.
International Presenters:
• Sérgio Gregório Baierle, Workers Party, Brazil
• Daniel Chavez, Transnational Institute, Uruguay/Netherlands
• Jude Esguerra, Institute for Popular Democracy, Philippines
• Gábor Scheiring, Protect the Future, Hungary
• Hilary Wainwright, Red Pepper, UK
US Presenters:
• Professor Gar Alperovitz
• Barbara Alvarado*
• Patrick Barrett, Havens Center
• Alder Brian Benford, Madison
• Pabitra Benjamin, Liberty Tree
• Phyllis Bennis, Institute
for Policy Studies*
• David Cobb, Liberty Tree
• Brent Denzin, Midwest
Environmental Advocates
• Karen Dolan, Cities for Peace
• Council Pres. Austin King, Madison
• Alder Brenda Konkel, Madison
• Josh Lerner, Planners Network
. . . US continued . . .
• Paul Malischke, Fair
Elections Wisconsin
• Ben Manski, Liberty Tree
• Dr. Jane Anne Morris
• Bertell Ollman, International
Endowment for Democracy*
• Evan Paul, America Speaks
• Reverend Edward Pinkney
• Malik Rahim, Common
Ground, New Orleans*
• Satya Rhodes-Conway,
New Cities Project
• Juscha Robinson, Liberty Tree
• Marsha Rummel, President, Marquette
Neighborhood Association
• Kaitlin Sopoci-Belknap, Liberty Tree
• Charlene Spretnak, Green Institute*
• Norm Stockwell, WORT 89.9 FM
• Carl Williams, Liberty Tree
• Alfonso Zepeda-Capistran, LUChA
and the songs of David Rovics!
Asterisked (*) presenters yet to be confirmed
Get all the details on the Local Democracy Convention at http://www.LocalDemocracy.org and register today!
The Local Democracy Convention is sponsored by
Liberty Tree: Foundation for the Democratic Revolution
A. E. Havens Center for the Study of Social Structure and Social Change
Cities for Progress
Transnational Institute
Community Action on Latin America
Green Institute
Progressive Dane
Shays 2: Western Mass Committee on Corporations and Democracy
Wisconsin Coordinating Council on Nicaragua
Alliance for Democracy
Democracy Unlimited
Madison Arcatao Sister City Project
New England Alliance for Democracy
Program on Corporations, Law & Democracy
Progressive Populist Journal
Social Justice Center
UW Student Labor Action Coalition
UW-Madison Global Studies Program
UW-Madison Greens
UW-Madison National Lawyers Guild
WORT: Madison Community Radio
UW Madison Latin American Caribbean and Iberian Studies Program