Monthly Newsletter of the Alice B. Toklas Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender Democratic Club
May 2006

Table of Contents

• Dates With Alice
• Alice Endorsements
• Co-Chairs' Report: "Gearing Up For Another Election, Alice Style!"
• Alice PAC Hard at Work
• Reese's World: Perspectives from the Editor: "Our Own Anti-Arnold"
• On the Mark in Sacramento with Assemblyman Mark Leno
• The Military Education Initiative in Transition
• Alice Membership Form
  

Dates With Alice

Alice Endorsements for June Election

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May Co-Chairs' Report
Gearing Up For Another Election, Alice Style!

Just when you thought you were safe . . . . It seems like we just finished our demolition of the Governor's special election last November. We should be in the middle of a long break from electioneering, right? Wrong. It's California, so there's always an election around the corner, and now is no exception.

We have a very important Democratic primary on June 6, and as we have done so many times in the past, Alice will play a big role in educating voters about our candidates and issues and achieving a huge LGBT turnout. Here are just a few of the key races for the club:

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Alice PAC Hard At Work

The Alice B. Toklas LGBT Democratic Club Board and PAC met in an all-day session on March 25th to interview candidates, hear from proposition campaigns, and make recommendations to the membership for the endorsement vote in April. Alice Board Members pictured below at the March 25th meeting are (l-r) Co-Chair Scott Wiener, Endorsements Chair Rafael Mandelman, Jim Illig, Dan Bernal, John Lazar, Luke Klipp, Co-Chair Rebecca Prozan, Newsletter Editor Reese Aaron Isbell, Secretary Richard Allman, Miguel Bustos, and Tia Martinez.

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Reese's World: Perspectives from the Editor
Our Own Anti-Arnold
by Reese Aaron Isbell, M.P.P.

I'm writing while riding the train from Sacramento to San Francisco. I've just attended the state Democratic Convention where Alice's endorsed candidate Phil Angelides received the crowning achievement of the endorsement of the convention's delegates. It was a strong showing of support by the Party for the candidate those of us who are Party stalwarts and diehard true-blue Democrats want to move forward past June 6th, onto November, and beyond.

There is tremendous energy and hope among our Party brethren for taking the governorship back from Arnold. No matter how Arnold might try to position himself, once again, in order to win over the voters, our Party members know that we must defeat him come November. And we LGBT people will forever remember his veto of Assemblyman Leno's marriage equality legislation in 2005. He will forever be on the wrong side of history with that veto and he will forever have to deal with our enmity.

No matter how warm and fuzzy Arnold tries to make himself this year; no matter how much he tries to warm over the electorate and everyone's hearts; no matter how he might try to pretend he's a moderate; no matter how many times he will say he has 'no problem with gays' or that he supposedly is pro-choice---we will all remember.

We remember that he supported the anti-choice Proposition 73 last year. We remember he called Democrats 'girlie-men' in order to try to emasculate us and to taunt us. We remember he pushed a barrage of anti-union, anti-teachers, anti-nurses, anti-women, anti-progressive ballot and legislative proposals last year. We remember how he broke his promises continually. We remember how he said he was going to be the "Collectinator" to get money from Bush and the federal government, but hasn't done anything of the sort. And we remember the Veto.

We have a real fight on our hands, my friends. Whatever happens this June when we as a Party formally decide who are nominee is-whatever happens-we have a real fight against this man named Arnold. He will have tons of money. He will have Bush's own political campaign team members who helped Bush win elections-however dishonestly, antagonistically, divisively, homophobically, and with much disenfranchisement. He will have his fake Hollywood charm. He will have the name ID of which most candidates can only dream. And he will have another new image that will be poll-tested and poll-approved---one which he hopes will make him all warm and fuzzy to the electorate.

We will have the hard part. We will have to remind the voters of how wrong he has been for our state, our families, our children, and our lives. We will have to remind them of their anger from 2005-even if they want to lull themselves back into a rosey outlook with Arnold. We will have to remind them that he's a politician-a right-wing politician-who is playing them for their votes, and not the actor they may want to think they like. And all of this will be very difficult.

Angelides likes to call himself the Anti-Arnold. It's a good fit for him as he has done so much in fighting against Arnold from the beginning, even when everyone else in the state's political establishment was falling all over themselves to join with Arnold because of his high poll numbers. Fighting against Arnold during those early days was not easy and Angelides deserves much respect for doing so.

During this year of 2006, as we gear up for the November election to take out Arnold and reclaim the governorship, we will all have to join Angelides in being our own Anti-Arnold. We will need to be talking to our friends, our families, and our communities and remind them all of why Arnold needs to lose come November. We will need to spread the Anti-Arnold message throughout the state. It will not be easy; but we never entered these fights for our lives at the ballot box thinking it would be. Join me as we all become the Anti-Arnold.

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On the Mark in Sacramento
From the Desk of Assemblyman Mark Leno

From the Editor: Assemblyman Mark Leno was given the honor of presenting the keynote address for Speaker Fabian Núñez at the Democratic Leadership Luncheon at the 2006 California Democratic Convention in Sacramento on April 29th. Below are his remarks:


It is my great pleasure to be here today among Democratic friends and to stand in for Speaker Fabian Núñez who unfortunately cannot be with us.

Let me say unequivocally, California is in strong and capable hands with Fabian Núñez as our Speaker. A gifted, talented and caring man, Fabian will lead this state for many years to come.

I am often asked what the most surprising fact of life is in Sacramento.

My sincere and ready answer is the severity of the partisanship. Coming from San Francisco, I never had to work with Republicans before so it is all new to me.

But it is true. My Republican colleagues are convinced that my Democratic colleagues and I are completely, totally, absolutely out of our minds.

We, of course, think the same of them. The difference being that we are right and they are wrong.

Certainly, I understand that our job as legislators is to find common ground so that we can move our great state forward for the benefit of all Californians.

But the challenge is so great because of the stark differences between the two parties.

It is the difference between believing that health care is a basic human right and not a privilege for the wealthy few.

It is the difference between believing that marriage is a fundamental right for all citizens, or NOT.

It is the difference between believing that the wealthiest individuals and corporations should pay their fair share, or NOT.

It is the difference between believing that all immigrants are human beings deserving of respect and dignity or NOT.

Of course, there are shades of differences of opinion among all of us gathered here this weekend as well.

In fact, that is the purpose of our convening - to debate those differences and reach some resolution as a party.

But let's remember that after the primary battles of June 6th, when we wake up on the morning of June 7th, we regroup as a strong and united Democratic front.

As such, we will do everything necessary to ensure that our values and our candidates prevail this November.

I think we all realize that these are perilous times in America.

With an ever growing Culture of Corruption in Washington, an illegal, unending war, mounting federal deficits, the de-funding of our social safety net and the quality of our air and water under assault, we need bold and courageous leadership.

The damage done to our precious democracy by this one party domination in our nation's capitol directly impacts the health and wellbeing of Californians.

Ten years ago we received over 95 cents per federal tax dollar sent to Washington. Today, we get only 79 cents back. The self-proclaimed "Collectinator" has failed miserably as we are perpetually shortchanged by his own party.

When Governor Schwarzenegger, channeling the words of Grover Norquest declared that we need to "starve the beast of government," we said "NO, Governor, you're wrong!"

When this Governor praised Richard Nixon as his personal hero and traveled to Ohio to ensure the re-election of a criminal George W. Bush, we said "NO, Governor, you're wrong!"

When this Governor assaulted the livelihoods of our nurses, teachers, police officers, firefighters and all the honest and hardworking public employees of this state, we said "NO, Governor, you're wrong!"

As we approach the general election, it is important that we as Democrats reflect upon the values we share with California voters.

When government has no proper role in a given situation because to have a role would violate individual rights, the progressive value is freedom.

Freedom is a deeply held American value. But conservatives are destroying our freedoms - the freedom of every woman to her own reproductive choices, the freedom to marry whom we choose and freedom from warrantless government searches. Remember the Terri Schiavo case when conservatives imposed government where it does not belong, denying her family their freedom to choose.

When government acts as an arbitrator to settle disputes between private, unequal interests, the progressive value is opportunity.

Opportunity is another firmly held American value. We believe that if one works hard and plays by the rules, the American dream should be within reach.

A level playing field is all about equal opportunity which means eliminating discrimination. Opportunity is the provision of a quality, public education for everyone so that dreams can be realistically pursued.

Of course, conservatives are opposed to equal opportunity. You don't see them on the front lines fighting to end discrimination. Their tax breaks for multi-millionaires, no-bid contracts and privatization of education and health care are all intended to keep the playing field imbalanced.

We fight for consumer protections, for worker protections and for anti-monopoly policies. They continually fight against these equal opportunity efforts.

When government acts to protect those who cannot protect themselves, the progressive value is security.

But security means more than protection from disasters and criminals, foreign or domestic. Americans know that security also means the public protection of our health, wellbeing and of our environment.

Conservatives work to dismantle Social Security and pension benefits. We fight to preserve the safety of the products that we use, the food that we eat, the water that we drink and the air that we breathe.

Security is a progressive value. It is no secret that our one party government has made this country much less secure than it was a decade ago.

Finally, the underlying progressive value is responsibility. Democrats believe that it is our responsibility to create policies which promote freedom, opportunity and security.

We believe that it is our responsibility to end discrimination, to feed the hungry and to assist the unemployed.

Conservatives don't believe that these are societal problems. They are all about "personal responsibility" meaning each one for him or herself which in reality means avoiding any responsibility for one another.

With our values clearly in our mind and in our hearts, it is now time to go on the offensive.

They took the governor's office. We want it back.

They took the Secretary of State's office. We want it back.

And the CA Democratic Party will be present and battling in every county in the state this year.

Yes, we'll be in Los Angeles and the SF Bay Area. But we will also be in the Central Valley and the Inland Empire and in Orange County sharing our American values with voters.

So, tell me, are you ready to organize and mobilize? Are you ready to educate and motivate?

Are you ready to say good bye to Governor Schwarzenegger and to say hello to Speaker of the House Pelosi?

Together we can win and secure freedom, opportunity and security for everyone.

Yours,

Mark Leno
Assemblyman, 13th District

From the Editor: You can see the webcast of his remarks here

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The Military Education Initiative in Transition
by Jim Maloney, Alice B. Toklas Treasurer

Many of you know I have directed the Military Education Initiative (MEI), a project of the Center for the Study of Sexual Minorities in the Military (CSSMM) at UC Santa Barbara, since May of 2004. MEI is now in the process of being transformed into an independent nonprofit.

MEI was formed in November of 2003 as an effort to reach out to America's 27+ million veterans in order to open a dialog on the "don't ask, don't tell" law and LGBTs in the military. We have disseminated research, spoken at events, participated in panel discussions, and written op-ed pieces, among other activities. Our efforts have helped to broaden the discussion of this issue in the public realm.

The focus on outreach and education of veterans and their organizations was undertaken for several reasons: veterans have a good deal of influence over the military and their policies; their organizations were instrumental in blocking President Clinton from lifting the ban completely in 1993; and no other organization was targeting this audience. MEI sought to neutralize veteran opposition to lifting the ban and to gain veteran allies to advocate for ending "Don't Ask, Don't Tell."

Since MEI's founding some important new developments have taken place. The Log Cabin Republicans and Servicemembers Legal Defense Network (SLDN) have both filed lawsuits directly challenging "don't ask, don't tell;" unfortunately both have recently been dismissed. Perhaps most importantly, legislation has been introduced for the first time to end discrimination in the military on the basis of sexual orientation, called the "Military Readiness Enhancement Act," or HR 1059. Congressman Martin Meehan (D-MA) introduced the legislation in March 2005.

Based on these developments we feel our educational and outreach efforts are best directed at gaining support for passage of HR 1059 and its eventual Senate companion bill. For this reason MEI has made a strategic decision to separate from CSSMM and form our own nonprofit organization. We are now in the process of transforming MEI into a grassroots mobilization effort at the state and local levels. The new organization will be called the "Military Equality Association" (MEA), and Equality California has agreed to support it as its fiscal agent.

Why MEA is Needed: Currently, there is no organization entirely focused on grassroots lobbying to lift the gay military ban. Participants on the recent "Call to Duty" Tour report that individuals frequently approached them to ask how they could help. It is important not to lose the momentum that CTD has set in motion. Recruiting and training effective grassroots activists requires considerable one-on-one contact, and is likely to be ineffective if a prospective activist is merely pointed in the direction of a website. Moreover, grassroots activism is much more effective when organized by local activists within their community, rather than initiated by outside visitors. In addition, there are key Congressional districts and states in which none of our organizations working on this issue appear to have any viable LGBT activist contacts who are devoting a significant amount of time to the issue of DADT.

The Plan: The plan is to choose a select number of cities to do initial grassroots outreach. In most cities, this should happen in conjunction with their 2006 Pride festivals. MEA volunteers will staff booths at Pride festivals with petitions targeted at particular Congressional districts (which can then be presented to members of Congress as appropriate). MEA will then follow up with petition signatories afterwards, gauging their level of interest in doing grassroots activism and soliciting ideas from them on how to maintain a sustained grassroots effort in that area. As a committee of interested local activists grows, MEA will host conference calls and possibly make follow-up trips to those cities in furtherance of executing a "kick-off event" in that area that garners local publicity. Afterwards, volunteers will be encouraged to put ever-increasing political pressure on their Congressional representatives to support H.1059. MEA will also publish a grassroots activist handbook, set forth guidelines and create a hierarchy of regional and local grassroots team leaders who can supervise and assist each other. In addition, volunteers will be strongly encouraged to attend Lobby Days and related training sessions conducted by SLDN, HRC and/or other organizations.

MEA is taking a long-range view with regard to recruitment of grassroots activists. MEA seeks to ensure that, when HR 1059 finally goes into subcommittee hearings, there is not a single member of the Senate Armed Services Committee or HASC Military Personnel Subcommittee who has not heard from his or her constituents on the issue of Don't Ask, Don't Tell. The grassroots networks needed for this upcoming phase of our efforts cannot be built overnight and needs to be kick-started as soon as possible.

For more information, please refer to the MEI website at www.military-education.org or speak with me directly. My email is director@military-education.org. We of course will be looking for contributions. Thank you for your interest!

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Alice Membership Form

Alice B Toklas LGBT Democratic Club
1800 Market Street PMB#18
San Francisco, CA 94102
Tel: 415-707-2010
www.alicebtoklas.org
Alice Reports Editor: Reese Aaron Isbell, M.P.P.

General Membership Meeting 2nd Monday of each month

Month of May:
Monday, May 8, 2006
6:30 PM - 8:00 PM

LGBT Community Center
1800 Market Street @ Octavia

You can now join online www.alicebtoklas.org/abt/joinonline.asp, or fill out the application below

Membership Application

Yes, I want to join the Alice B. Toklas Democratic Club!

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__$250 Sponsor
__$500 Champion
__$20 Special Needs
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__I am renewing my membership        __I will be a new member

__I am a registered Democrat

Name ______________________________________________________________

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Phone: Day __________________________Eve: _____________________________

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Please send checks payable to “Alice B. Toklas LGBT Democratic Club” and mail to:

Alice B. Toklas LGBT Democratic Club
1800 Market Street, PMB#18
San Francisco, CA 94102

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