Cheyenne Liberal Examiner weighs in on Randall Terry and Dem caucuses

Cheyenne Liberal Examiner David Neil Dibble writes more about Randall Terry's efforts to hijack the Wyoming Democratic cauucuses. Read it at http://www.examiner.com/liberal-in-cheyenne/randall-terry-operation-rescue-and-the-wyoming-caucuses

Author Tim Wise guest on tonight's Cognitive Dissonance radio show

Shepard Symposium keynote speaker Tim Wise will be on Meg's show tonight

Laramie's Meg Lanker-Simons, currently numero uno in the Netroots Nation scholarship sweepstakes, sends this out about tonight's radio show:

Tune into 93.5 KOCA tonight, 10PM-1 AM and keep your dial locked for fab music + Legit Conservative + d-bag o' the week. Our special guest tonight is Tim Wise, author of "White Like Me" and "Dear White America: Letter to a New Minority." He'll be live in-studio! Have a question? Post it here! Still taking your requests for songs, dedications & d-bag nods til 8 p.m. Laramie Civic Center, rm #255

CLTP unveils new season April 5

Cheyenne Little Theatre Players'

2012-2013 Season Announcement

Thursday, April 5, 2012

6:30pm

Historic Atlas Theatre

Enjoy Hors d'oeuvres and desserts while listening to our directors talk about their productions.

as long as you're there, why not purchase your Season Membership that evening?

Anyone who purchases their membership, and pays in full that evening, will also receive a coupon to bring a friend to a show of their choice during our 2012-2013 Season.

Make a donation of $251.00 or greater that evening and receive a 2nd coupon!

So, mark your calendar now,

and we'll see you at the Atlas!

** If you cannot attend our event,

Season Memberships may also

be purchased online at www.cheyennelittletheatre.org

or by calling our Box Office at

307-638-6543.

Casper Star-Trib: Randall Terry halts illegal Wyoming robo-calls

Wyoming Secretary of State's office warns Randall Terry to halt illegal robo-calls. He complies (with a few snarky comments). Read story and comments in today's Casper Star-Tribune: http://trib.com/news/state-and-regional/govt-and-politics/presidential-candidate-randall-terry-halts-illegal-robocalls-in-wyoming/article_d0a34664-b1a9-56d7-973b-ef63b48ba0ee.html

Attention Wyoming Democrats: GOP extremists attempting to hijack April 14 caucuses

Received this urgent message from the Laramie County Democrats and wanted to relay it ASAP (and please pass it on via social media and e-mail and word of mouth and any other means at your disposal):

Laramie County Democrats:

Action Alert: Extremists in the GOP are attempting to hijack and make a mockery of our Democratic Caucus on April 14, 2012. TODAY MARCH 30 IS THE LAST DAY TO REGISTER FOR THE DEMOCRATIC CAUCUS ON APRIL 14! IF YOU ARE UNSURE OF YOUR REGISTRATION STATUS OR DID NOT VOTE IN 2010 YOU MUST REGISTER WITH THE LARAMIE COUNTY CLERK IN PERSON. ELECTION CLERK PHONE: 633-4204

Apparently not content with turning their own presidential primary into a circus act, the GOP is sending out the clowns to try to disrupt our democratic process.

Anti-abortion activist Randall Terry hopes to seize control of the Wyoming Democratic Caucus. He's motivating Tea Party activists and followers to attend the Caucus. This is just another example of the obstructionist tactics the GOP resorts to when they don't have answers.

While the GOP continues to play games with politics, Wyoming Democrats are focused on addressing the real problems citizens in our great state face, and we will not be distracted by jesters or fools.

We NEED every registered Democrat in Laramie County to cast a ballot on April 14th. Please come to the Laramie County Community College Training Center. Registration begins at 9:30 AM, and the caucus will begin promptly at 11:00 AM.

Let's turn out in great numbers and show Randall Terry, and the rest of America, that Wyoming Democrats are tired of these charades and tactics. Let's continue the momentum of the 2008 election and continue to support our party as it struggles to make the changes that benefit all Americans.

If you have questions, please call:

Linda Stowers, Laramie County Chair 307.220.1219
Ken McCauley, Vice-Chair, 307.530.4970
Lori Brand, Communications Director, 307.631.3410

Cheyenne Winter Farmers' Market moved up to March 31

Cheyenne Winter Farmers' Market this Saturday, March 31, 10 am-2 pm, Inside the Historic Train Depot Museum, 121 W. 15th Street. The normally scheduled market would be April 7 but has been switched due to Easter weekend.

Cheyenne Winter Farmers’ Market is held inside the sunny and cozy lobby of the Historic Cheyenne Depot Museum in downtown Cheyenne, featuring farm and hand-crafted products from Wyoming and the local region.

 At the Cheyenne Winter Farmers' Market this Saturday, March 31:

·         Farm-fresh eggs and cheese

·         Grass-fed beef, lamb, and bison, pork, goat's meat, smoked wild-caught salmon

·         Gourmet local mushrooms

·         Local honey

·         Gourmet pastas, flavored oils and vinegars

·         Fresh breads, home-baked treats, chocolates and candies

·         Locally produced jams and Amish-style peanut butter

·         Sugar-free jams and gluten-free baked goods

·         Locally roasted fair-trade coffee

·         Take-home BBQ, bratwurst, chowders and bisque

·         Natural, locally-produced body care products

·         Hand-crafted jewelry, sewing crafts, photo cards, and other hand-made crafts

·         Sip coffee, tea, cider, and hot chocolate while you shop!

 Remaining markets this season: May 5, 10 a.m.-2 p.m.            

For more information, please contact Kim Porter, kim.porter@wyo.gov, or Cindy Ridenour, cindyr@meadowmaidfoods.com.

Randall Terry isn't a "bona fide Democrat" so can't claim any Wyoming delegates

This man ain't bona fide

Democrats may hear a strange name being batted around during the April 14 county caucuses.

According to the Casper Star-Tribune, anti-abortion zealot and wingnut Republican Randall Terry is trying to get 1,000 Wyoming Republicans to register as Democrats next month in the state Democratic caucuses and vote for him in a guerrilla campaign to oust President Barack Obama.

The Wyoming county parties will hold conventions on April 14 to elect delegates to the state convention. Those people will be vying for a spot in Wyoming’s delegation to the Democratic National Convention in September in Charlotte, N.C.

Wyoming Democratic Party Executive Director Robin Van Ausdall said Terry has filed the necessary letter for participation in the Democratic caucus and will be allowed to make speeches, but he will not collect any delegates. “We’re instructing our counties to not award delegates to him,” she said Monday, noting Terry is not a bona fide Democratic candidate.

On March 6, Terry’s weird campaign received a boost when he won 18 percent of the vote in Oklahoma’s Democratic presidential primary. Last week, in a move similar to what Wyoming party officials have planned, Oklahoma party officials said they wouldn’t give Terry his share of delegates because he didn’t follow the required procedures and because he’s not a bona fide Democrat.

Terry complained he was the victim of “political insider trading.”

But he did get plenty of media attention. On Monday in Casper, he described the fallout from Oklahoma as “rage from the [Democratic National Committee], excitement from the pro-life community, awe from the press.” He labeled the vote a “disaster for a sitting president.”

Terry recently qualified for next month’s Alaska caucus, but Kansas Democratic Party officials banned him from their state’s caucus. Terry told the Wichita Eagle he will go to court to challenge the Kansas decision. Kansas Democratic Party attorney Joe Sandler told the Wichita Eagle that Terry failed to meet two mandatory deadlines. In addition, Sandler said, Terry “is not a bona fide Democrat, as determined by his actions.”

Read more: http://trib.com/news/state-and-regional/govt-and-politics/insurgent-democratic-presidential-candidate-targets-wyoming-caucus/article_4ea77799-2aeb-57e8-8ab5-a624f2bb464f.html#ixzz1qSFguj7V

Shay & Hernandez co-host open mic

My favorite daughter (O.K. -- my only daughter) and one of my favorite spoken-word performers will be co-hosting an open mic session at the Laramie County Public Library this evening in Cheyenne. Annie Shay and Mikey Hernandez invite you to bring your poems, stories, songs, comedy routines and snappy patter to the library's Cottonwood Room beginning at 6 p.m. Snacks provided! More info at 307-514-1131.

New to the WY Progressives' blogroll: The Bucking Jenny

Pleased to add The Bucking Jenny to hummingbirdminds' Wyoming Progressives blogroll (see right sidebar). She launched the blog in February, tackling the big topics: the Republican war on women, the state legislature's weird need to drug-test everyone but themselves, controversy over the Trayvon Martin shooting, the GOP's vengeful God fixation, etc. Especially liked her exploration of the spirituality in Norman Maclean's "A River Runs Through It." Jenny, I wish you many thoughtful comments. 

We're number three! -- on the list of most corrupt states

At least we're not number one: States with the most lax anti-corruption laws

Help send Meg to blogger summer camp

Blogger, DJ, activist and perennial hell-raiser Meg Lanker of Cognitive Dissonance in Laramie seeks your vote in the annual Netroots Nation scholarship competition sponsored by Democracy for America. I nominated Meg and am proud as punch of my fave blogger. She's sixth in the standings now and rising fast. Cast your vote at http://democracyforamerica.com/netroots_nation_scholarships/1681-meg-lanker-cognitive-dissonance

Job fair for veterans March 27 in Casper

From Wyofile:

The Wyoming Department of Workforce Services will host a veterans job fair in Casper on Tuesday, March 27, from 9 a.m. to noon at the McMurry Training Center, 2220 N. Bryan Stock Trail.

Employers in the fields of construction, energy, manufacturing and government are scheduled to participate. There is no fee to attend the job fair. Job seekers are encouraged to bring resumes and dress for potential interviews.

“I strongly encourage veterans seeking employment opportunities to take advantage of this job fair which has had a great turn out in previous years. We are expecting that tradition to continue this year,” said Joan Evans, director of the Wyoming Department of Workforce Services.

Biased statements (and proposed legislation) don't just scare away gay people -- they scare away everyone

Some Republican Legislators talk up economic development but also sponsor and support anti-gay legislation. They may want to rethink that strategy.

Interesting article by Melissa Maynard in stateline.org about the crucial role that businesses play when it comes to the gay marriage debate.

Washington state recently passed a gay marriage bill that had support of the governor, key Republican legislators and high-profile businesses such as Microsoft, Boeing and Nike. Bill sponsor Sen. Ed Murray, a Democrats, said this is "how we got moderate Republicans and conservative Democrats to vote for this."

LGBT activists have been successfully lining up business support for years. It's paid off in Washington, Maryland and New York. There's now a looming battle over the issue in North Carolina. On May 8, voters will decide whether to further codify the state's gay marriage ban by putting it in the state constitution.

These are all big states with a strong corporate presence. These businesses want to attract the young workforce and "fear being left behind in places seen as backward by gay workers and other young employees who feel strongly about the issue."

While Wyoming is not exactly a hipster destination (with the possible exception of Jackson), it runs a risk that its biased attitudes may hinder attempts to land new businesses. None of us lives in a vacuum. Outrageous statements travel like wildfire in our social media age.

Stephen Dull V.P. with North Carolina-based VF Corp. (a Fortune 500 company) put it this way: "If you're sending a signal to the world that you're biased, it just doesn't scare away gay people. It scares away everyone."

Laramie County Democrats hold convention on April 14 at LCCC

The Laramie County Democratic Party wil hold its county convention on Saturday, April 14.

The event beguins at 11 a.m., with registration at 9:30 a.m., at the Training Center, Laramie County Community College, Cheyenne.

On April 14, Dems will vote for their preffered presidential candidate and elect delegates to the state convention. The list of candidates is a lot shorter than the one in 2008.

Anyone registered as a Democrat no later than March 30 is eligible to vote at the convention and to seek election as a delegate to the state convention.

REMINDER: Open Mic Night March 28

Laramie County Community College students Annie Shay (music) and Mikey Hernandez (theatre) have put together this open mic night March 28, 6-8:50 p.m., at the Laramie County Public Library in Cheyenne. Bring your poetry and and prose and scripts and music to the library for a fine time.

Wyoming DemoCatz take a page from Woody Guthrie's songbook

Wyoming DemoCatz -- "Party Brave" by Alan O'Hashi. Filmed at the Historic Atlas Theatre in downtown Cheyenne. See if you can spy some familiar faces.

Grassroots Coalition holds casino night and costume party fund-raiser March 24

Don't forget - This Saturday, March 24, is the Mardi Gras Casino Night & Costume Party! 

Where: In Cheyenne at Suite 1901, 1901 Central Avenue 

When: 7:30-11:30 p.m.

The cost is $20.00 per person, which includes hors d'ouvres and $20,000 in 
play money. Bring a friend and get an extra $10,000 in play money to enjoy the casino 
games. 

This is a big fund-raiser, so come out and support your Laramie County Democratic Grassroots Coalition!

Occupy Jackson Hole addresses the Teton County Democrats

Small business owner, veteran and Occupy Jackson Hole activist Pete Muldoon gave a speech recently to the Teton County Democrats. It eloquently sums up the motives and beliefs of many of us in the Occupy movement. I was tempted to print the entire speech or provide excerpts, but it's best to read it all in context on the Occupy Jackson Hole blog.

Check out Nancy Sindelar's e-newsletter for progressive happenings around Wyoming

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On a South Dakota St. Patrick's Day, I toast Sen. George McGovern and his populist legacy

Book jacket from the shelves of the
bookstore at the McGovern Center
at Dakota Wesleyan University.

When in South Dakota last weekend, I kept thinking of Sen. George McGovern.

Bomber pilot, U.S. Senator, anti-war presidential candidate, international champion of hunger relief, writer, friend of the working man -- Sen. McGovern has led a long, rich life (he'll be 90 this year) and remains one of my heroes.

I looked out on that yawning open pit mine in Lead and thought about McGovern's book on the West's coalfield wars, the era that gave us the Ludlow Massacre and strong labor unions. It's called "The Great Coalfield War" and represents McGovern's commitment to labor unions. McGovern was born in Avon and grew up in Mitchell where his father was a conservative Methodist minister (and a staunch Republican). He grew up with farmers and small town people and reflected their Prairie Populist values, honed during the Great Depression and the Dust Bowl. His World War II experience allowed him to look at the Vietnam War through a warrior's eyes and he didn't like what he saw. Nixon clobbered him in the 1972 election. I'm proud to say that I cast my first vote for president for McGovern. I lived in Massachusetts at the time, the only state (along with D.C.) that went McGovern's way. Boston is a long way from the West's wide-open spaces where I now make my home. But I still remember that day almost 40 years ago. The loss was tough but it felt good to be 21 and voting for someone you really believed in.

South Dakota is a bigger and more complicated place these days. I don't pretend to know the details, but Prairie Populism has turned to Tea Party Populism and the results aren't pretty. Still, there's a feistiness behind the Tea Party that one can see in the small towns that gave birth to McGovern and his family and his politics.

Before we leave South Dakota, I have a few things to say about Rapid City. We spent a couple days wandering around and I liked what I saw. The downtown is vital and filled with cool shops. On each corner is a sculpture of a president. That reflects its "City of Presidents" motto taken from nearby Mount Rushmore, the granite mountain that looks down on Rapid City. Funny to think that favorite son McGovern could have been one of the corner statues. Nixon is there instead. Someday, a statue to our first black president will rise from a corner.

Rapid City has the great Firehouse Brewery, home to the Smoke Jumper Stout that I quaffed on St. Patrick's Day. It's housed in what once was the city's main fire house. The food's good, too, and it boasts its own theatre for plays, comedians and musicians. When we were at the mall on Friday, we came upon the Black Hills Community Theatre. When the 43-year-old theatre company lost its old home, it found a new spot at the mall next to J.C. Penney and Radio Shack. The evening we were there, patrons were pouring in to see the classic "Our Town." The Firehouse Theatre's next play is "39 Steps" which, coincidentally, is the show that opens this weekend at Cheyenne's Historic Atlas Theatre. The Dahl Arts Center downtown offers a full slate or art shows and classes.I didn't get to it, but I hear that the South Dakota School of Mines has a nifty art gallery.

We spent Saturday at the St. Patrick's Day parade downtown, and then drove off to Mount Rushmore. You can see a long way from up there, all the way to the Dakota prairie, all the way back to McGovern's roots.

That night, over corned beef and cabbage at the Firehouse, I toasted Sen. McGovern. Here's to you -- one of the good ones. Your like may never be seen again.