From: harelb@math.cornell.edu (Harel Barzilai)
Subject: The 3rd CONVENTION (Aug 21-23) -- PEOPLE'S PROGRESSIVE CONVENTION 
Followup-To: alt.activism.d
Originator: daemon@pencil.cs.missouri.edu
Organization: misc.activism.progressive on UseNet ; ACTIV-L@UMCVMB
Date: Thu, 20 Aug 1992 03:39:54 GMT

*Subject: The 3rd CONVENTION (Aug 21-23) -- PEOPLE'S PROGRESSIVE CONVENTION 

    "And with the collapse of the Soviet "evil empire" why do both
    parties continue to pour hundreds of billions of dollars down
    Defense Department ratholes? It is clear that the greatest threats
    to our national security are right here at home, in the boardrooms
    of the giant corporations and banks and in the halls of government
    in Washington, D.C.
 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
    "In order to maintain this state of affairs, those in power keep
    us weak and divided. They pit white people against people of color
    and immigrants, who are scapegoated for all the problems faced by
    working people. Similarly men are divided from women by portraying
    the struggle of women for equality as a "threat." Lesbians and
    gays are blamed for the corruption of "moral values", workers are
    blamed for inflation, farmers for food price increases, consumers
    for pollution, etc. The victims--the many-- are blamed, and blame
    one another, while the real culprits, the monopoly corporations
    and their political servants, get off free.
 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
[Via misc.activism.progressive from PeaceNet's labor.newsline]
 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
[Inquiries by email, please, to harelb@math.cornell.edu, for more
information about PeaceNet/EcoNet or about misc.activism.progressive;
 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Topic 32        calendar as of 8/18 
events  labor.calendar   7:10 am  Aug 18, 1992 
 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Friday 08/21/92 - 08/23/92    Ypsilanti, MI (USA) 

    =============================================================
    P E O P L E ' S   P R O G R E S S I V E   C O N V E N T I O N
    =============================================================

Location: Eastern Michigan University 
Sponsored by: Committee for a People's Progressive Convention 

For more information: (202)726-0726, (412)242-2690 

Keywords: grassroots, politics 

      Many grassroots & labor groups organizing alternatives       
      to the two-party system.                                     

      For full description & registration info, see gen.racism.    

##################################################################
Topic 163       A PEOPLE'S PROGRESSIVE CONVENTION 
fscofi  gen.racism       4:31 pm  Jun  8, 1992 
##################################################################

                ***************************** 
                A NATIONAL CALL TO A PEOPLE'S 
                   PROGRESSIVE CONVENTION 
                ***************************** 

        AUGUST 21-23, 1992       YPSILANTI, MICHIGAN 


     Out of the work of Project New Tomorrow and the independent 
Presidential candidacy of Ron Daniel's during this election season 
has come the concept of a People's Progressive Convention. With an 
understanding that the convention will not endorse his or others' 
candidacies, a broad array of organizations, third party formations 
and progressive leaders have embraced the People's Progressive 
Convention Concept. The following call emanates from this 
developing initiative. 

****************************************************************** 

    Every four years the Democratic and Republican parties tell us 
that by electing one of their Presidential candidates we will be 
making a real choice. Every four years we are bombarded by media 
campaigns that only the rich can afford. And every four years we 
hear the same promises and platitudes which seem to evaporate right 
after election day. 

    It has become clear to a majority of people in the United 
States that no matter which establishment party candidate wins, we 
will get at best the "lesser of the two evils." We don't get what 
our country desperately needs. We need fundamental change in the 
economic and political structures of our society. A flawed 
Presidential sweepstakes is a much too narrow prescription for 
solving our nation's ills. For no matter who wins, the quality of 
our life continues to deteriorate. We cannot depend on those in 
power to solve the problems of our society and promote policies 
which are in the best interests of the American people. We must do 
it ourselves.  

    Twice in recent memory people of color, led by Jesse Jackson 
and the Rainbow Coalition, have come to the brink of breaking with 
the Democratic Party because of its refusal to embrace platforms, 
programs, and candidates that  truly represent the interests of 
communities of color, the poor, and the working people of this 
nation. Given the depth of the crisis we now face, it is crystal 
clear that we must create our own independent movement. 

     Therefore, we are calling for people from all over the country 
to come to Ypsilanti, Michigan on August 21-23 for a massive 
People's Progressive Convention. There we will proclaim that we 
will no longer tolerate our disenfranchisement by those in power, 
and we will take steps to unify into an ongoing, independent, 
permanent, grassroots movement. We will show the country and the 
world that in this election year, 1992, we are not only disgusted 
and angry at the corruption, hypocrisy, oppression and injustice 
coming out of Washington, D.C., state and local governments, and 
the transnational corporate establishment. We will take concrete 
steps to do something at this national gathering. 


OUR COUNTRY IS IN DEEP TROUBLE 

     Under a Republican President and a Democratic-controlled 
Congress we have been experiencing a growing series of attacks on 
our rights, our incomes and our environment which are making life 
increasingly intolerable for everyone. 

    Things which have become part of the basic fabric of our way of 
life for most people--adequate food, clothing, shelter, 
transportation, education, health care--are now the source of many 
bitter choices. Which comes first: rent, utility bills, food, gas, 
a trip to the doctor, a new coat, or getting the kid's teeth fixed? 

The reality of poverty that many African Americans, Native 
Americans, Latinos, poor whites, and women have always had to deal 
with  is becoming the reality for many more people. "Full 
employment" is a thing of the past, as permanent structural 
unemployment becomes a growing reality for an increasing number of 
Americans who thought they were economically secure. Particularly 
abused are low-income communities of color, especially young people 
of color. What future do they have to look forward to under this 
system?!?! Farmers continue to be thrown off the land; by the year 
2000 there will be virtually no African American farmers. And all 
the while the super rich are getting richer and richer while for 
most of us our standard of living is going down. 

     Affirmative action programs, the right to abortion, basic 
civil and constitutional rights - all are seriously threatened. 
Plants are closing down and moving to other countries where labor 
is oppressed, cheap, and unorganized. Neighborhoods and even the 
very homes of working class people in the inner  cities are being 
grabbed by real estate speculators with the backing and cooperation 
of banks and government. Our environment is in serious danger  as 
the ozone hole grows, winters are the warmest on record as the 
greenhouse effect threatens our children's and our grand children's 
future, and our air and water become increasingly dangerous. The 
scourge of AIDS continues unabated as the politicians sit back and 
act as if they can just continue with business as usual. The Klan, 
Nazis and other hate groups are alive and well. Police brutality is 
a national epidemic with the Rodney King beating only the tip of a 
huge iceberg. And prison construction seems to be the only "growth 
industry" in the U.S. 

     And with the collapse of the Soviet "evil empire" why do both 
parties continue to pour hundreds of billions of dollars down 
Defense Department ratholes? It is clear that the greatest threats 
to our national security are right here at home, in the boardrooms 
of the giant corporations and banks and in the halls of government 
in Washington, D.C. 

   In order to maintain this state of affairs, those in power keep 
us weak and divided. They pit white people against people of color 
and immigrants, who are scapegoated for all the problems faced by 
working people. Similarly men are divided from women by portraying 
the struggle of women for equality as a "threat." Lesbians and gays 
are blamed for the corruption of "moral values", workers are blamed 
for inflation, farmers for food price increases, consumers for 
pollution, etc. The victims--the many-- are blamed, and blame one 
another, while the real culprits, the monopoly corporations and 
their political servants, get off free. 


RESPONSES GROWING 

    But in spite of all these problems and the many obstacles 
placed in our path, something new is taking shape, emerging, 
struggling to be born. We see it being forged in the heat of 
principled commitment. We see it taking a tough and practical 
shape, emerging through organizations and groups all over the 
country. It is clear that across the country people have been 
fighting back, organizing to defend themselves against the lies and 
profit-taking that are getting more and more out of hand. There is 
probably more organizing at the grass roots of the society than at 
any time in the past 40 years. 

  While our struggles are many and our issues are numerous, we 
believe that the grassroots movements are inherently united because 
of the nature of the common enemy we face and the vision of a 
better life we struggle to hold onto. But we must make that unity 
real and practical so that we can bring about the major changes so 
desperately needed in this country. 

    We must hold high the principle that the most oppressed 
segments of our society, the Native and African Americans, Latinos, 
and Asian American peoples, must be at the center of the leadership 
core of any new political formation that seeks to compete for power 
and represent the people who have been the most abused by the 
current two-party system. All successful progressive social 
movements have been led by or involved significant elements of 
those communities. Therefore our goal is that the People's 
Progressive Convention will be fully 50% people of color. A new 
vision of our society, must be a multi-cultural one. 

   We believe that a People's Progressive Convention this August 
21-23, happening after the two establishment parties have had 
theirs, can show the country that there is hope! It will be an 
opportunity for all people who are tired of wasting their votes in 
the current political system to show with our presence our 
intention to walk away from the so-called "two-party" system and 
create a real people's alternative.

While the People's Progressive Convention cannot be expected to launch
a third party, it can be a vehicle to demonstrate our intention to
come together and build a movement capable of uniting around a
collective program and taking action to bring about real change. It
can be a place where we can examine various new/labor/third/Green
party initiatives, local models of successful coalition building,
independent candidacies and election campaign strategies (although
there would be no endorsements at the Convention). We can learn about
one anothers organizing efforts to change unjust and oppressive
conditions in our respective localities. We can build the mutual
support and trust among our diverse movements which is so essential if
we are to realize the strength created through unity. We can begin to
build a movement from the bottom up so that by 1996 we are in a
position to seriously contend for power. The choice is up to each of
us.

    The time is ripe: the need is great. Let's join together to 
make the People's Progressive Convention the historic, powerful 
event it can be! 

******************************************************************
[List of signatories and Convention info follows in next post]
******************************************************************
Newsgroups: misc.activism.progressive