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CLINTON COUNTY DEMOCRATIC PARTY NEWSLETTER

 

PEARL HARBOR DAY

 

 “Yesterday, December 7, 1941, a date which will live in infamy --- the

United States of America was suddenly and deliberately attacked by naval

and air forces of the Empire of Japan.”  (President Franklin Delano Roosevelt)

 

THE RESULTS:  The United States declared war on the nation that had attacked us.  President Roosevelt thoroughly prepared the people of the United States for total war.  In less than four years allied forces unconditionally defeated one the mightiest and most ruthless nations on earth.

 

November 22, 2002:  President George W. Bush, spokesman for the Republican Party, eased clean air rules to allow utilities, refineries and manufacturers to avoid having to install new anti-pollution equipment when they modernized their plants.

ONLY 414 DAYS LEFT!

 

December 3, 2007

COMING EVENTS

 

Friday, December 14 – 5:30 P.M.

Scott County Democrats’ – “Red, White and Blue Dinner”

Starlight Ballroom --  2815 West Locust Street at the

Mississippi Valley Fair Grounds  --  Davenport

Special Honored Guests:  Conressmen Bruce Braley and Philip Hare

All the Presidential Candidates have been invited.

 

DEMOCRATIC CENTRAL COMMITTEE

The Clinton County Democratic Central Committee will not meet in December.  Instead we will have our annual Christmas Party on Sunday, December 9.

 

POLLY'S ANNUAL PRE-SESSION CHILI SUPPER FUND RAISER

Wednesday, January 9  –  4:30 – 7:00 P.M.  --  Lyons Depot

Suggested Donation $10.00

State Representative and House Speaker pro-tempore Polly Bukta’s annual chili supper and pre-legislative session review and fund raiser will have all the chili (mild, moderate or hot) you care to eat plus many toppings, corn bread,  dessert, coffee, milk, beer etc.   Polly will give her assessment of the 2008 Iowa Legislative session which starts Monday, January 14.

 

Visitors are welcome at all Democratic events.

Unlike the Dick Cheney Republicans, we don’t conduct our business in top secret meetings.

 

For more information about Democratic events go to our website http://www.clintoncountydemocrats.org

 

 

BUILDING THE PLATFORM OF THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY

 

Building the party platform that guides our elected officials begins at the precinct caucuses in January.  Resolutions must be submitted in written form.  We advise people to come with their resolutions already written so that they can be submitted to the county platform committee whose members will work up the draft platform to be proposed to the county convention on Saturday, March 15.  Most precincts plan to take the resolutions and forward all of them to the platform committee where they will be sorted and worked into an organized form.  There will be time for discussion after the formation of presidential preference groups and the selection of precinct committee people to the central committee and delegates to the county convention.  A representative to the platform committee will be selected in each precinct.

 

CAUCUS TRAINING

We have conducted training sessions for leaders of the precinct caucuses at the County administration building on November 3 and before the last Central Committee meeting.  We plan to hold additional training sessions for those Democrats who were unable to attend one of those two sessions.  We plan to have one at our headquarters during the first two weeks in December and another in DeWitt.  Caucus kits will be handed out at those sessions.  Everybody who would like to have more information on the caucuses is welcome to attend.  

We can use all the help we can get.

 

DEMOCRATIC CONVENTIONS

 

Saturday, March 15, 2008                      Clinton County Convention
Saturday, April 26, 2008                         First Congressional  District Convention
Saturday, June 14, 2008                        Iowa State Convention
Monday, August 25 - 28, 2008                Democratic National Convention in Denver

 

 

 

THE GUANTANAMO BAY PRISON HAS DAMAGED

THE WORLD IMAGE OF THE UNITED STATES

 

“There is no meaningful court in which to sort out what the truth is versus what fictions the government has come up with. It’s ultimately the court of public opinion that has had more influence than the court of law.  We have bounties paid to [informants] all around Pakistan and Afghanistan. You have those euphemistic ‘enhanced interrogation techniques’—just another word for torture. You’ve got zealous prosecutors with no opponents. You’ve got unreliable evidence, often if not bought out by bounties then by abuse of prisoners. And you’ve got hand-selected military officers judging their enemies. That’s a recipe for disaster. It’s not to say everyone at Guantánamo is innocent, but the odds of making a mistake in Guantánamo are vastly greater than in Mississippi. That’s very worrying.

 

“I was very surprised when I started going to Guantánamo and meeting people how few of them had been seized in Afghanistan.  I had believed the government when they said everyone was captured on the battlefield. My experience now, with well over 60 prisoners in Guantánamo, is that the proportion involved in any fighting is very, very small. I’m confident the vast majority of my clients would be acquitted.

 

 “The damage that betraying America’s principles does to the United States is extensive. When you have an open society, you make mistakes. But when you have a secret, closed society, you make a thousand times more mistakes. And the justification by the Bush administration for all its secrecy—the only legal term for that is bullshit. The secrecy stuff is so insidious, so wrong.  It reflects hostility toward lawyers, the rule of law, and the media—and it’s quintessentially what America is not about.” (Excerpted from an interview by Emma Schwartz with Clive Stafford Smith as reported in U.S. News & World Report 11-26-07)

 

 

“THE GUANTANAMO BAY PRISON SHOULD BE CLOSED YESTERDAY.”

--General Colin Powell—

 

 

 

                                                                                            CLINTON COUNTY DEMOCRATIC PARTY NEWSLETTER

“Democracy works when lots of people work together.  They generate great ideas and

accomplish great goals. That's why we need your help.”  (MoveOn)

The Democratic Party is the political party with a heart.

 

December 10, 2007

 

COMING EVENTS

 

Tuesday, December 11 --  12:30 P.M.

Eagle Point Lodge  --  3900 North 3rd Street, Clinton

SENATOR JOHN EDWARDS WILL BE IN CLINTON

Join Senator Edwards in Clinton Tuesday, December 11th for part of his 8-day "Main Street Express" bus tour through Iowa.  John Edwards believes that America belongs to us, and he'll spend this tour talking about his commitment to taking on powerful interests and standing up for regular Iowans.  From universal health care to ending the war in Iraq, he'll share his ideas for change and take your questions.   (David Koch – Edwards Campaign Staffer)


 

Friday, December 14 – 5:30 P.M.

Scott County Democrats’ – “Red, White and Blue Dinner”

Starlight Ballroom --  2815 West Locust Street at the

Mississippi Valley Fairgrounds  --  Davenport

Special Honored Guests:  Conressmen Bruce Braley and Philip Hare

Senators Dodd and Biden have confirmed that they will be there. 

All the Presidential candidates have been invited.

Ticket prices are $50.00 for choice seating and 30.00 for general seating. 

Cocktails will start at 5:30.  Dinner and program start at 6:30.

 

Wednesday, January 9  –  4:30 – 7:00 P.M.  --  Lyons Depot

POLLY'S ANNUAL PRE-SESSION CHILI SUPPER FUND RAISER

Suggested Donation $10.00

State Representative and House Speaker pro-tempore Polly Bukta’s annual chili supper and pre-legislative session review and fund raiser will have all the chili (mild, moderate or hot) you care to eat plus many toppings, corn bread,  dessert, coffee, milk, beer etc.   Polly will give her assessment of the 2008 Iowa Legislative session which starts Monday, January 14.


Visitors are welcome at all Democratic events.

 

 

 WHAT YOU HAVE TO BELIEVE TO BE A REPUBLICAN TODAY...               Government should limit itself to the powers named in the Constitution, which include banning gay marriages and censoring the Internet.

 

 

CHOOSING PRECINCT REPRESENTATIVES

 

An important responsibility of the Democrats who attend their precinct caucuses is choosing representatives to the Clinton County Central Committee.  These representatives will guide the County Party during the next two years.  The strength, success, activities and growth of the Party depends on these representatives.  The Clinton County Democratic Party is a permanent community service organization.  We have an important role not just during elections, but an on going responsibility to keep voters informed and fairly represented.  We continue to encourage our elected officials to follow the guidelines set up by the Democratic Party Platform and to keep people informed through news releases, guest editorials, newsletters and public forums.

 

CAUCUS LEADERSHIP TRAINING

 

We have conducted training sessions for leaders of the precinct caucuses at the County administration building on November 3, before the last Central Committee meeting and at the DeWitt Community Center on Thursday, December 6.  We plan to hold additional training sessions (listed below) for those Democrats who were unable to attend one of those three sessions.  Caucus kits will be handed out at those sessions.  Everybody who would like to have more information on the caucuses is welcome to attend.  

We can use all the help we can get.

Saturday December 8   10:00 A.M. --12:00 P.M.  Clinton County Democratic Headquarters

      Saturday, December 15  10:00 A.M. -- 12:00 P.M.    Clinton Community College

 

SITES FOR THE 2008 CLINTON COUNTY DEMOCRATIC CAUCUSES

 

Bloomfield Township (Delmar)               Delmar Community School

DeWitt First Precinct                           Central High School

Brookfield Township          Lost Nation Catholic Church Hall

DeWitt Second Precinct                     Central High School

Camanche First Precinct              Camanche High School

Eden Township (Low Moor)                        Camanche High School

Camanche Second Precinct                        Camanche High School

Elk River Township (Andover)                      Northeast High School

Camanche Township                   Camanche High School

Grant Township                 Lost Nation Catholic Church Hall

Center Township                            Northeast High School

Hampshire Township                     Northeast High School

Clinton First Ward First Precinct  Clinton Historical Museum

Liberty Township (Toronto)      Lost Nation Catholic Church Hall 

Clinton First Ward Second Precinct   Bluff Elementary  Sch.                    

Olive Township (Calamus)  Calamus Elementary School

Clinton Second Ward First Precinct      Jefferson El. School

Orange Township (Grand Mound)                  Grand Mound Community Center

Clinton Second Ward Second Precinct        CHS Commons

Sharon Township (Lost Nation)            Lost Nation Catholic Church Hall

Clinton Third Ward First Precinct     Whittier El. School gym

Spring Rock Township (Wheatland)  Calamus – Wheatland H. S. Commons

Clinton Third Ward Second PrecinctWhittier Sch. commons

Washington Township         Charlotte Area Activities Center

Clinton Fourth Ward First Precinct      Eagle Heights School

Waterford Township (Charlotte)      Charlotte Area Activities  Center

Clinton Fourth Ward Second Precinct           Clinton County            Administration Building

Welton                                    Delwood Community School

DeWitt Township                                Central High School

 

 

For more information about the Democratic caucuses go to our website: http://www.clintoncountydemocrats.org

http://www.clintoncountydemocrats.org/caucus2008.mht

 

The above page has links to some Iowa Secretary of State sites where you can find your precinct.  Also maps showing the precinct boundaries are posted at:

http://www.clintoncountydemocrats.org/Maplist.html

 

 

MY VALUES?  FREE SPEECH. EQUALITY. LIBERTY. EDUCATION. TOLERANCE

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                                                                                  CLINTON COUNTY DEMOCRATIC PARTY BULLETIN

“The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.”

(Eleanor Roosevelt)

 

http://www.clintoncountydemocrats.org

 

 

Tuesday, December 11, 2007

11:30 A.M.

 

Due to the ice storm the John Edward’s campaign event scheduled for

12:30 P.M. today at Eagle Point Lodge has been cancelled, but will be rescheduled.

 

 

COMING EVENTS

 

Friday, December 14, 2007  --  noon

Clinton Historical Museum --  601 South First Street

YOU  ARE INVITED TO VISIT WITH

DR. JILL BIDEN

Jill and Presidential candidate U.S. Senator Joe Biden have been married for more than 30 years.   For the last three decades Jill has been involved in education. She is currently in her 15th year teaching English composition at Delaware Technical and Community College. She spent 13 years teaching in the public schools where she was a reading specialist and English teacher.  Jill has always been actively engaged in issues that relate to healthcare.  (For more information contact Andy Amsler at (563) 322-8908 or ANDY@JOEBIDEN.COM)

 

 




 

 

                                                                                               CLINTON COUNTY DEMOCRATIC PARTY NEWSLETTER

“The whites are always trying to make the Indians give up their life and live like white men---go to farming, work hard and do as they did—and the Indians did not know how to do that and did not want to anyway.  If the Indians had tried to make the whites live like them, the whites would have resisted and it was the same way with many Indians.”  (The words of Wamditanka or Big Eagle in the 1880s as preserved in the Aka Lakota Museum in Chamberlain, South, Dakota)

Do we respect diverse customs and life styles?

 

December 13, 2007

 

COMING EVENTS

 

Thursday, December 13  --  6:30 P.M.

PRECINCT PARTIES FOR SENATOR BARACK OBAMA

 

The precinct teams for Barack Obama will be hosting house parties in each of the eight precincts in the City of Clinton.   We hope that you will be able to attend one of these parties.  This will be a great way to learn more about Barack Obama before you make your final decision.  You’ll get to meet Obama supporters in your precinct and learn more about the caucuses.   If you would like to attend, please call John Keig at 563-321-8592, so that he can coordinate with the party hosts and tell you where the party is in your precinct.

 

 

Friday, December 14, 2007  --  noon

Clinton Historical Museum --  601 South First Street

YOU  ARE INVITED TO VISIT WITH

DR. JILL BIDEN

 

 

Saturday, December 15  --  10:00 A.M. – 12:00 (noon)

Clinton Community College

CAUCUS LEADERSHIP TRAINING

If you were unable to attend one of our four previous training sessions for leaders of the precinct caucuses you’ll want to attend this session.  Caucus kits will be handed out. Everybody who would like to have more information on the caucuses is welcome to attend.  

We can use all the help we can get.

 

Friday, December 28  --  5:00 – 8:00 P.M.

Eagle Point Lodge

(Alternate site: The Erickson Community Center)

A TRIBUTE TO A WONDERFUL LADY

There will be a community ‘farewell’ to LaMetta Wynn honoring her for her many years as our mayor and member of the Clinton School Board.  There will be a scrolling video showing the events during her tenure as mayor.  This event will be open to everyone who would like to thank her for her dedicated service.  LaMetta has served the community graciously for many years and we want to show our appreciation.  We will serve cookies and punch and have many conversations.  (Jennifer Graf)

 

 

 

 

Wednesday, January 9  –  4:30 – 7:00 P.M.  --  Lyons Depot

POLLY'S ANNUAL PRE-SESSION CHILI SUPPER FUND RAISER

Suggested Donation $10.00

State Representative and House Speaker pro-tempore Polly Bukta’s annual chili supper and pre-legislative session review and fund raiser will have all the chili (mild, moderate or hot) you care to eat plus many toppings, corn bread,  dessert, coffee, milk, beer etc.   Polly will give her assessment of the 2008 Iowa Legislative session which starts Monday, January 14.

 

 

GUIDE TO AN ENJOYABLE AND SUCCESSFUL PRECINCT CAUCUS

 

Before going to your caucus:  Check the accuracy of your precinct designation.   Caucus sites were listed in our December 10 email newsletter and can also be found on our website:  http://www.clintoncountydemocrats.org  Our website has a link to the County Auditor’s website.  Information about the caucuses will be printed in the Clinton Herald, the DeWitt Observer and the Quad City Times.

 

v      If you are still unsure of your precinct, there will be maps and precinct finders at the entrance to each caucus site.  If you’re in the wrong place, we’ll phone ahead so that you can meet the 7:00 P.M. deadline for registration.

v      AM I ELIGIBLE TO ATTEND THE CAUCUS?   Anyone who is registered as a Democrat in the precinct in which the caucus is held can attend as a voting participant of the Democratic caucus.  Also, if you are not yet old enough to register to vote, but if you will be 18 by the date of the general election, November 4, 2008, then you can attend as a voting participant of the caucus.  Simply show up at the caucus site at 6:30 PM (or a little before) on January 3, 2008.

v      You can register to vote or change your registration at the caucus site when you arrive.  You might have to change your registration to Democrat.  Also, if any of your information that affects your voting status has changed since you last registered, then you need to register again.  This type of information could include changes in your address, your name and so forth.

v    YOUNG DEMOCRATS:  If you are more than six months away from your 18th birthday but will be 18 by Election Day, you can still fill out the voter registration form and participate in the caucus.

v    REGISTERING TO VOTE IN ADVANCE:  Although you can register to vote at the caucus site, that process could consume a lot of time when many people are trying to sign in to the caucus.  So it would be helpful if you would choose to take care of the voter registration in advance.  A form for voter registration can be downloaded from the county auditor's office or on our website.  Bring the registration form to the caucus all filled out.  It is too late for the auditor to process it and get it to the caucus site.

v      QUESTIONS ABOUT REGISTRATION are best directed to the county auditor.  You may use our website which has a precinct finder and a link to the County Auditor’s website.  You can also check your registration status at the Iowa Secretary of State’s web site.  

v      VISITORS TO THE CAUCUS:   Anyone who is not eligible to vote in the caucus can attend as a non-voting guest.  If you do this, you might be asked to sit in a separate area in order to make sure that the vote count is clear.

v      WHAT TIME SHOULD I BE THERE?  6:30 P.M.  This is the time when the registration is scheduled to open, so you should plan to arrive at 6:30 PM to register for the caucus.  In fact, it would be a good idea to arrive a few minutes before that, because in some cases the registration tables could open a little early, and there will probably be a lot of people to take care of.  We don’t like to stand in line either. The leaders of the caucus will start to organize the site at 5:30 P.M.

 

 

WE PLAN TO HAVE MORE CAUCUS INFORMATION NEXT WEEK.

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                                                                              CLINTON COUNTY DEMOCRATIC PARTY NEWSLETTER

“Last time religion was mixed with politics, people got burned at the stake.” 

(Daily Kos – IrishWitch.org)


 

December 17, 2007

 

COMING EVENTS

 

Monday, December 17, 2007  --  5:45 P.M.

Meet with New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson

Democratic Candidate for President

At the home of Sally Nelson

1012 5th Ave. S  Clinton

The event is free and open to the public.

For more information phone Scott Burns, Richardson Campaign staffer at

641-781-9280 (cell) or email sburns@richardsonforpresident.com