Fellow Liberal Drinkers-

As most of you surely know, this coming Thursday is both the next scheduled meeting of DL: Mount Airy + the night when Barack Obama officially accepts the Presidential nomination of the Democratic Party. As such, DL is joining up with Sen. Obama's Philadelphia campaign offices to watch the convention at North by Northwest, 7165 Germantown Ave.

The event officially begins at 5:00 PM, is expected to start picking up at around 7:00 PM (which is, conveniently enough, the usual time when we start imbibing), and Sen. Obama is set to accept the nomination at ~ 10:00 PM. We're hoping for a good turnout, from Liberal Drinkers, Obama volunteers (I suspect that this list will overlap considerably, as it does in my case), and for newcomers as well.

One some level, it's always nice to have a far Right Winger in office. That way, he'll speak up from time to time and you'll know what that set is thinking. It's easy to forget. We don't go to dinner parties together very often and when we do it's uncomfortable for everyone.

One of PA's right-wingers recently spoke up after Berry Friesen, Public Affairs Manager for the Pennsylvania Health Access Network (a coalition PUP helped get started), wrote this op-ed in The Patriot-News, Sen. Mike Folmer wrote a letter to the editor in response.

Here's my favorite part of Folmer's little missive:

Fellow Liberal Drinkers-

Please join us at the Mermaid Inn (7673 Germantown Ave.) as we discuss the news of the day. To wit...

* How much does Obama's mid-east trip help his campaign?
* Does McCain really *want* to make us think that he's an older, somewhat dimmer George W. Bush?
* Will someone actually wake McCain before September?
* What October Surprise does the GOP have in store for us this year?

All this and more, Thursday (7/24) at 7:00. Be there, or be a tesseract.

Drink to Democracy!
-Z

Fellow Liberal Drinkers-

Come one, come all, and come thirsty to the Mermaid Inn (7673 Germantown Ave.) Thurs. at 7:00 and kick off the 4th of July a few hours early with your favorite liberal friends. Provide yourself with reinforcement of your liberal understanding that the Declaration of Independence is one of the best liberal statements of principle in human history. And get ammo to shove in the faces of conservatives who try to tell you that the US is a fundamentally conservative nation, rather than the inherently revolutionary one it was and needs to be again.

Drink to Democracy!
-Z

Fellow Liberal Drinkers-

Join us at the Mermaid Inn (7673 Germantown Ave.) tonight at 7:00 PM as we drink a toast to Dennis Kucinich for bringing articles of impeachment against George W. Bush. Remember: be there, or be a rhombus.

Drink to Democracy!
-Z

Fellow Liberal Drinkers-

Please join us Thurs., 6/5, at 7:00 PM at the Mermaid Inn, 7673 Germantown Ave., for the latest installment of Drinking Liberally, Mount Airy. I intend to distribute for discussion Chalmers Johnson's article "Our 'Managed Democracy,'" on the recommendation of DL member Christiaan Morssink. The implications of this article should, at the very least, deeply trouble any patriotic American, and its warnings should definitely be heeded. I figure we'll also kick around more ideas for a Democratic VP nominee.

So, come one, come all. And, as always...

Drink to Democracy!
-Z

Fellow Liberal Drinkers-

Please join us at the Mermaid Inn (7673 Germantown Ave.) Thurs. at 7:00 PM as the national Living Liberally organization celebrates its 5th anniversary. Who knows, maybe one of us will wind up as Obama's VP nominee. OK, probably not, but you won't know unless you show up, will you?

Please join us and...

Drink to Democracy!
-Z

Fellow Liberal Drinkers-

OK, I've sent out enough stuff this week, so I'll keep this short + sweet. Please join DL at the Mermaid Inn (7673 Germantown Ave.) at 7:00 PM as we discuss the never-ending Democratic primary season, local politics, + whatever else floats your collective boat.

Drink to Democracy!
-Z

That's been the question that has rattled my mind for about a year now . I thought that people had the right to have the freedom of opinion . Especially without having someone look at you funny or think your stupid for how you feel. But I guess thats not the case when I stated that Obama wasn't ready for the White House or this country isn't ready for a African American President .

As I stood and watched the press conference for the up coming A Call To Action : 10,000 men event, I was a little proud to see all the elected officials who attended the event. Some wanted to make the news, some really wanted to make a difference. But as I stood by a proud Charlie Mack standing high near Kenny Gamble, a yell "It's A New Day" filled the room. Even though the crowd wasn't that big , the message was echoed from the Liacouras Center down Broad Street, its time for A New Day. But how long will this last and will 10,000 men be enough to save our streets from the crime and violence that have made Phila home?

When Linda Soffer and Jeanne Kohl of the group Mothers Against SugarHouse (MASH) received news that Thomas "Tad" Decker would be co-chairing a fundraiser for Democratic mayoral nominee Michael Nutter, they were confused and outraged. Decker is the former chair of the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board, the governmental body that authorized the construction of two casinos along Philadelphia's Delaware riverfront and within a couple hundred feet of people's homes.

"I couldn't understand why Nutter would be taking money from a man who worked to deny Philadelphians a vote on where to put casinos" said Linda Soffer of MASH.