Written by: Jim Hansen
Sunday, June 17, 2007

I am in the DC area today, spending father's day with my Dad. I came out here a few days ago to attend a board meeting of USAction, the national group that United Action for Idaho is affiliated with. The board meeting was timed so we could stay on and attend the annual "Take Back America" conference of progressives from across the country. I have never attended in the past but am intrigued by the agenda and all the hot shots who are supposed to be there.

Take a look at the agenda on the Take Back America website. Lots of familiar national speakers including a few folks who want to be our next President. It will be interesting to see how rooted they are to the need to organize ordinary people to help change their community, state and nation. Much of the country is often written off by national groups (Idaho included) and the rest gets more of a barrage of advertising, polling and talking heads rather that long-term sustainable capacity building.

This unending occupation of Iraq (and the huge toll it is taking on America's families, finances and moral standing in the world) is, of course of central concern. We knew that before polls and before the big poll called teh 2006 election, but they've caught on in a bigger way in DC now. We'll apparently be talking about health care. Again, local folks have been experiencing the health care crisis long before it got back on the national agenda. Global warming, public education, check out the amazing array of topics.

Send me your comments. Anyone you want me to try to contact? Any questions you'd like me to ask? Anyone else from Idaho you know might be here? Will fill you in as I figure out how to get to a computer each evening.

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