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Arizona Politicians Join Forces in Bi-Partisan “Democracy Forum”

Arizona Politicians Join Forces in Bi-Partisan “Democracy Forum”











Tucson, Arizona (PRWEB) October 25, 2010

Congressman Raul Grijalva (D-AZ) and Arizona’s Secretary of State Ken Bennett (R) will team up at a “Democracy Forum” on October 30 in Tucson to promote civil discourse on the key national issues of immigration and the economy. Dr. Peter Likins, President Emeritus of the University of Arizona, will emcee the free, public event taking place from 1:30 until 4 p.m. at the Arizona Historical Society/Museum.

At the Forum, Secretary Bennett and Congressman Grijalva, who are from differing political parties, will each present their position on immigration and the economy then the audience will ask questions, discuss the issues and vote on them. The National Student/Parent Mock Election is spearheading the Democracy Forum, which is designed to bring parents, grandparents, children and public officials together in a bipartisan, intergenerational, multi-ethnic forum.

“Recent heated public debates on vital national issues – including immigration here in Arizona – have centered on much hate and vitriol, manifested in public protests, in the media and in our schools. Our forum’s purpose is to counter that trend, exemplifying how bipartisan discussions and disagreement can exist within a content of decency,” said Gloria Kirshner, president of the National Student/Parent Mock Election.

Other event highlights include:

Borderlands Theaters will present excerpts from its hit show “Arizona: No Roosters in the Desert,” a play about four women’s trek toward the American dream.
A patriotic/ historic costume contest for all ages.
Professor Emeritus at Arizona State University, Bruce Mason, will speak about the right to petition the government for a redress of grievances and explore the history of protest movements in America since colonial days.
Dr. Rudy Byrd from the Sons of the American Revolution will explain why Spanish soldiers voluntarily sent parts of their salary to the Revolutionary army and how, records show, teenagers and minorities endured extreme hardships to win America’s democracy.
Video of former Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor and other celebrities including Morgan Freeman, Reese Witherspoon, and Whoopi Goldberg heralding the Declaration of Independence and current American freedoms.
“We hope that by increasing their understanding of the past and evoking empathy for the current predicaments of their fellow human beings, we can help today’s young Americans envision and work toward the common good, using civil discourse and respect as tools to achieve their goal.

We want to prepare Americans of all ages to pass the torch of democracy – still burning brightly with the values for which the founding fathers fought,” added Kirshner.

The National Student/Parent Mock Election’s Democracy Forum planning committee includes Arizona Secretary of State Ken Bennett; Congressman Raul Grijalva; Dr. John Pedicone, currently a candidate for superintendent of Tucson Unified School District, vice president of the Southern Arizona Leadership Council and senior fellow at the University of Arizona; Dr. June Web-Vignery, executive director of the Metropolitan Education Commission, historian and author; and Dr. Peter Likins, president emeritus of the University of Arizona. Pearson, the education services and technology company, is a sponsor of the National Student/Parent Mock Election.

The event is free and open to the public, but seating is limited. Please call (520) 797-7590 or email nspme(at)aol(dot)com to reserve a seat.

About the National Student/Parent Mock Election

The NSPME is the nation’s oldest, largest and most successful voter-education project, dating from 1980. Since the first Mock Election in 1980, nearly 50 million young voters have cast their ballots and, in the process, discovered what it means to be an American citizen and the value of citizenship in our democracy. Visit http://www.nationalmockelection.org for more information.

Contact:

Gloria Kirshner

520.742.9943

NSPME(at)aol(dot)com

http://www.nationalmockelection.org

Kate Miller

kate(dot)miller(at)pearson(dot)com

800-745-8489

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Posted on December 10, 2011 by , Reply

Need freedom from self-serving politicians: RTI activist

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The urgent need of the country is freedom from self-serving leaders who run politics as commercial shops, prominent Right To Information (RTI) activist Subash Chandra Aggarwal wrote in an article on the eve of the Independence Day.

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Posted on August 16, 2010 by , Reply

Why are powerful liberal politicians so afraid of grassroots Democrats understanding “KELO VS NEW LONDON” case?

Why are they fearful of allowing grass roots Democrats understanding the significance of powerful politicians colluding with rich businesses and taking property from middle class families?

Will the Democrats suffer a hemorrraging of voters once regular Obama-voters undersand how his Supreme Court Jutice nominees will destroy their freedom?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kelo_v._City_of_New_London#Dissenting_opinions

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On June 25, 2005, Justice Sandra Day O’Connor wrote the principal dissent, joined by Chief Justice William Rehnquist, Justice Antonin Scalia and Justice Clarence Thomas. The dissenting opinion suggested that the use of this taking power in a reverse Robin Hood fashion— take from the poor, give to the rich— would become the norm, not the exception:

“ Any property may now be taken for the benefit of another private party, but the fallout from this decision will not be random. The beneficiaries are likely to be those citizens with disproportionate influence and power in the political process, including large corporations and development firms. ”

She argued that the decision eliminates “any distinction between private and public use of property — and thereby effectively delete[s] the words ‘for public use’ from the Takings Clause of the Fifth Amendment.” 125 S.Ct. 2655, 2671

Clarence Thomas also penned a separate originalist dissent, in which he argued that the precedents the court’s decision relied upon were flawed and that “something has gone seriously awry with this Court’s interpretation of the Constitution.” He accuses the majority of replacing the Fifth Amendment’s “Public Use” clause with a very different “public purpose” test:

“ This deferential shift in phraseology enables the Court to hold, against all common sense, that a costly urban-renewal project whose stated purpose is a vague promise of new jobs and increased tax revenue, but which is also suspiciously agreeable to the Pfizer Corporation, is for a ‘public use.’ ”

Thomas also made use of the argument presented in the NAACP/AARP/SCLC/SJLS amicus brief on behalf of three low-income residents’ groups fighting redevelopment in New Jersey, noting:

“ Allowing the government to take property solely for public purposes is bad enough, but extending the concept of public purpose to encompass any economically beneficial goal guarantees that these losses will fall disproportionately on poor communities. Those communities are not only systematically less likely to put their lands to the highest and best social use, but are also the least politically powerful.[11]
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Posted on July 5, 2010 by , 2 comments