Fw: The Rolling Thunder Down-Home Democracy Tour

[Guest guest]

Attening this 'Tour' will be worth the time & effort just to hear Molly

Ivins & Jim Hightower speak!

From: " Dolan " <mdolan@...>

Sent: Sunday, March 17, 2002 2:43 PM

Subject: The Rolling Thunder Down-Home Democracy Tour

www.rollingthundertour.org

On Saturday, March 23, Austin, Texas, will host the kickoff stop on the

nationwide Rolling Thunder Down-Home Democracy Tour, a traveling

extravaganza of grassroots political activism, music, speakers, workshops,

and good food & drink. Down the road, we'll be coming to Tucson, Atlanta,

Chicago, New Orleans, Oakland, Seattle, Madison, Colorado Springs,

Minneapolis, Your Town and maybe Hawaii!

The daylong event will be held at the County Expo Center from noon to

10 p.m. and feature a lineup of nationally prominent speakers including

, author of the current #1 bestseller, Stupid White Men, U.S.

Rep. Jr. of Illinois, Ben Cohen, the ice-cream guy, columnists

Jim Hightower and Molly Ivins and 92-year-old activist Granny D (Doris

Haddock), who walked across America in 1999 to promote campaign finance

reform.

IT'S A COUNTY FAIR WITH GUTS, A REVIVAL WITH A REASON, A CONCERT WITH

CONSCIOUSNESS.

Motivated by the grassroots energy of individuals and groups working all

over this nation to fight for justice and democratic rights, the Rolling

Thunder Down-Home Democracy Tour is a series of local gatherings or

" Chautauquas " with pizzazz and festivity, as well as seriousness of

purpose - a sort of travelling democracy organizing festival. Held in

various cities across the country, the Chautauquas will help broaden,

connect and strengthen the phenomenal progressive activism that is already

out there.

What these travelling citizenfests aim to foster is the essential next step

of " connection. " Individuals and groups understandably have been intently

focused on their own particular fight, scrambling to contend with whatever

issue they have in front of them at the time. However, if we are to succeed

we must find ways to join together the existing movements making our

progressive whole greater than our separate parts, increasing our grassroots

ability to take back the power from the elite, the wealthy and the

corporate, placing it back in the hands of the people.

What makes these Chautauquas unique is that they come from the very heart of

" We the People. " Each Chautauqua must belong to the community - this is not

someone else's tour - this is YOUR tour. The Chautauquas will work with

cities where local organizing folks want to broaden their movement and

augment their shared power base, localities that show a commitment to

reaching beyond the obvious progressive allies to include young activists,

people of color, elderly, immigrants, farm laborers, etc. Equally important

is that these events be filled with community life and FUN, meaning music,

games, food and drink and other entertainment to put the party back in

politics!

The Austin Kick-off event will also include musical performances by

Ramos, Shocked, Marcia Ball, Garza, MC Overlord, Medusa,

Nook, Grupo Fantasma, Lee Ann Atherton, Shade (w/ Bishop), The

Therapy Sisters, Foscoe and Dwarf Nebula. Future chautauquas will

include other great performers, , many of whom you've heard of, donating

their talent to the great and good grassroots.

Stay tuned. Meantime, check out our down-home page, make an online donation

to the new populist chautauqua movement, and keep organizing. Pass it on.

/s/Mike Dolan

Public Citizen West

Oakland CA

510-645-1027

fax 663-8569

http://www.citizen.org/california/

Tickled & Proud to be helping out Jim Hightower

on the Rolling Thunder Downhome Democracy Tour

www.rollingthundertour.org