Progressives

We had an awesome time and the PACT conference on Saturday. More photos are below the fold. Highlights of the conference:

• TDP SDEC Campaign Finance Committee proposal meeting - Linda Perez spoke about the efforts of some SDEC members to create a Camapign Finance Committee to give SDEC a voic in how the TDP spends campaign funds. In 2006, the TDP spent $400k on campaigns throughout the state, and we will probably never see an accountng of that.
• PPC Annual meeting - in which yours truly was re-elected as Membership chair. The caucus approved some rules changes and the Vice Chair, John Behrman delivered awards.
• Whistle Stop Tour – David Van Os shared a slideshow of his campaign Whistle Stop tour. It was awe inspiring to see how people statewide responded to David's message of bringing the government back to the people.
• Charles Soechting, past Chair, Texas Democratic Party spoke about how the Texas Democratic Party can move forward.
  
• Impacts of Free Trade on the Progressive Agenda - Panel led by Charlie Urbina Jones in a very interesting discussion of the effects of free trade and what can be done about it. Much of the discussion surrounded the evils of the Trans Texas Corridor. If you're reading this, you probably already know that the TTC will rob good people of their land and be a boondoggle to corrupt corporations, not to mention the adverse environmental impact. Just in case you're from another state or a troll, go here for more information..
• American Civil Liberties Union of Texas - Marti Garza, Associate Director spoke
• Progressive Action Alliance – Bill Crosier spoke about how we as progressives need to build alliances and aggregate our efforts to be more effective.
• Placido Salazar - (pictured, left) Agent Orange has decimated this veteran's health. But he's more concerned about the effects of others, including residents of Houston and Beaumont who may have been exposed to an Agent Orange release in the sixties. And the veterans who are coming home now having been forced to take vaccines that may be detrimental to their health, and exposure to even worse chemicals including depleted uranium. When Dennis Kucinich took questions from the group, Placido gave him some documentation to take back and begin an investigation. Dennis promised to pass it along to the Veterans Affairs committee chair and follow up
• Progressive Populist Caucus of the Texas Democratic Party - Sheril Smith, Immediate Past State Chair introduced Dennis Kucinich
• Congressman Dennis Kucinich gave a superb keynote address. It's no secret that I have still not decided who I am going to support for the presidential nomination, but I have all of the admiration in the world for Dennis. He spoke of his and his wife Elizabeth's trip to Lebanon after Israel bombed it, and there was not a dry eye in the house. The PACT conference was followed by a fund raiser. More on that here.
  
  Dennis took questions from the crowd, including John Behrman, who's son Robert had just called him to tell him the bad news that he'd been called up for another tour in Iraq. Many of the attendees met Robert at the convention in June in Fort Worth and we all wish him the best.