Declare Yourself Independent From Junk Mail!

And just think of how much you'll reduce waste and demand for same, thereby protecting the environment For Kids' Sake!

Local Mamas to participate in final senatorial visit as part of Occupation Project.

MAU will again have a presence at this final scheduled visit to Tennessee Senators Alexander and Corker as part of the Peaceable Assembly and Instruction Project, itself a part of the nationalOccupation Project. If you'd like to visit as a sister participant to represent your faith community or other group and want to bring your child, we welcome you to sit with us, or to holler for tips on how to put a visit together. If you are doing comparative visits in your home state OR would like to, I'd love to hear from you!

You may well have heard or read of members of organizations being arrested in other states as part of the Occupation Project. As that is NOT an option for those of raising small children, our presence is not that of taking over the office of elected officials at any cost, but in arranging scheduled visits to share our thoughts, feelings, and requests. To join with other parents in expressing our concerns around the war, armed with a few basic facts and speaking with spirit from the heart is an empowering experience.

On our last visit earlier this month in Nashville, we had 4 local MAU mamas and a passel of kids-- let me tell you: having the babies and children present is POWERFUL. My own toddler has nursed, played cars with other concerned citizens, and cuddled and talked with me as I have addressed our leaders on these MAU visits. Those of us with small children in tow speak first, and exit early, so's to make our points and have a good showing, without over-testing the limits of our children and without distracting from other folks who've come to speak.

On previous visits our children ran around tables, laughed, cried, snacked, poked each other and in general had a merry old time. Without exception, the children have been warmly welcome and seen as a most positive part of the process and not as a hindrance, so if you'd like to come (OR plan something similar in your own state capitol) but are concerned about a child's presence, please know that this is an OK place for them to be. Additionally, should there be concern, the way we do our visits is NOT a forum for debate or anything other than peaceful witness, testimony and sharing. For our elected officials-- our public *servants*-- to see their constituency in action as families is very important and wonderful thing.

If you do plan to come, and I'm hoping to DOUBLE the number of mothers with children present, bring snacks, water, small toys and arrange to carpool if possible. In Nashville, I encourage mothers to wear aprons (a symbol of taking the work from our home & hearth to the public) and bring cookies, muffins, or cake to share with everyone. The below missive from our friends at the Peaceable Assembly and Instruction Project gives details of our scheduled visit.

If you'd like to join us and have questions about talking points or any other practicalities, please feel free to give me a shout: paige@mothersactingup.org

Dear Friends,
FRIDAY, MAY 4, we'll go for the last of eight scheduled visits to local Congressional offices. On April 10, forty people from twenty-two organizations attended a joint meeting with the State Directors for Senators Alexander and Corker. This time we'd like to have eighty. We've delivered about 460 support statements from Peaceable Assembly signers.
President Bush has promised to veto the current bill, because of partial troop withdrawal deadlines. We'll be asking the Senators to send him a bill mandating disengagement of all U.S. troops from combat in Iraq, and withwdrawal of all U.S. troops within a year. Neither the Senators, nor Congressman Cooper, have voted the way we asked them to, but most of us who participated in the earlier visits believe that we made them feel the heat of growing public opposition. Please join us for a mass turnout on Friday.
This is the last of the pre-scheduled visits, but as debate develops in Congress in future months on funding for the War, we may call on you again for ad hoc manifestations of public pressure.
Karl Meyer , Pam Beziat, Christina VanRegenmorter , for Peaceable Assembly project

LAST SCHEDULED LOBBYING VISIT

END THE IRAQ WAR NOW

=================================================================================

May 4 Friday 11:30 a.m. -1:30 p.m.

SENATORS CORKER and ALEXANDER 3322 West End Avenue – Building Conference Room #109

( we have cancelled the previously announced Alexander meeting for April 27 )

*Parking and assembly at 3322 West End Avenue for Alexander and Corker visits:

The building is set back from West End Avenue , at the corner of West End and Murphy Road . Heading west on West End, turn right onto Acklen Park Drive. Take immediate left onto Park Drive (inner drive).Continue to underground parking entrance of 3322 Building at corner. Free visitor parking for two hours is available near the entrance to the garage, but security desk tries to limit us to using six spaces, so you may help by finding on-the-street parking nearby, leaving these spaces for those with physical disabilities. Around the corner, to the northwest of the building entrances there are lots of open spaces in parking areas in front of several apartment buildings.

If you know in advance, please let us know which visits you will attend.

Organized by Nashville Greenlands/War Resisters League, 2407 Heiman St., Nashville 37208

615-322-9523 peaceableassembly@gmail.com

Endorse our common statement on line at http://www.petitiononline.com/tnpeace/petition.html

We Heart You, Madam Speaker of the House!!

A great quote from Nancy Pelosi in the Scholastic News for Kids, March 5, 2007 Edition 4:

“When people ask me what are the three most important issues today in Congress, I always say the same thing: our children, our children, our children. Their health, their education, their economic security, their families, their environment...and, of course, a world at peace in which they can thrive.”

MAU at Compass Conference this weekend.

This weekend I’ll be leading the workshop MAU Now: The Joy of Activism—Mobilizing the Mamas. You can see below for a full on description of my workshop and a number of other wonderful workshops and events of the Tennessee Alliance for Progress annual Compass Conference. Nashville's Mothers Acting Up community organizers will be providing childcare w/ snacks and activities for the smalls so mamas and papas can do some activating. Childcare will be available from 9 AM – 2:30 PM with the understanding that parents will check in and take their children during breaks and mealtime. If you require childcare or intend to take my workshop, please holler at me, as it will allow better planning on my part.

More on Mothers Acting Up: www.mothersactingup.org

More on Nashville Mothers Acting Up: www.nashvillemau.blogspot.com

I hope to see some of y’all this weekend!!

In peace,

Paige La Grone Babcock

paige@mothersactingup.org

How would you like to spend this Saturday day listening to inspired speakers, networking with like-minded people, engaging in passionate discussion about pressing social issues, watching informative documentary films, grooving to great music and browsing a unique bookshop with hard-to-find books you've been looking for?

If this is your cup of tea, you need to attend the Compass IV Conference this Saturday, April 14, 9 am to 4 pm at Cohn Adult Learning Center, 4805 Park Avenue in West Nashville. The action packed agenda includes 12 workshops, including a free workshop on Global Warming, films, music, a bookshop and Keynote Speakers David Sirota and Paul Waldman. You can register at www.tennesseeallian ceforprogress.org. Cost is $25 per day. If you need financial assistance in order to attend, contact nellrose@earthlink.net.

Here's the agenda for Saturday.

Compass IV Workshops – Saturday, April 14, 2007, Cohn Adult Learning Center

Registration: 8 AM to 9 AM

Welcome and Report from Friday’s Strategy Session: 9 AM - AUDITORIUM – Dan Joranko, Tennessee Alliance for Progress Board Chair

Keynote Address: 9:15 AM – AUDITORIUM – Paul Waldman, of Media Matters for America, author of Being Right Is Not Enough: What Progressives Must Learn From Conservative Success.

Break and Paul Waldman Booksigning: 10:15 AM

Morning Workshops: 10:30 to 11:50 AM

Doing Justly – LIBRARY – a workshop on faith, spirituality, morality and politics organized by TAP’s Doing Justly Project: Integrating Our Deepest Spiritual Beliefs Into Our Professional and Public Lives. Presenters: Dan Joranko, Tamara Ambar Losel, Ted Parks, Melissa Spas, and Harmon Wray.

Reducing Poverty and Inequality in Tennessee: What Works - ROOM 209. This workshop will look at successful programs and policies that are being used here and abroad. Presenters: Martha Wettemann of Tennessee State Employees Association, Rebekah Jordan, Midsouth Interfaith Network for Economic Justice, Jerry Lee of Tennessee AFL/CIO, and a representative of the Vanderbilt employee living wage movement.

Activism 101 - ROOM 201. Want to get active and make a difference but don’t know where to start? This workshop is for you. Presenters: Keith Caldwell, Coordinator, Nashville Peace and Justice Center, Jen Cartwright, former Education Director, Nashville Peace and Justice Center, and Megan Mecaraeg, Organizer, Jobs with Justice.

MAU Now: The Joy of Activism— Mobilizing the Mamas – ROOM – tbd.
(Fathers and all others who care about & for children are warmly welcome).

Mothers Acting Up will facilitate a conversation about parental activism: where are we on our current journey? What are the barriers and obstacles to parental activism? How can we overcome them? We will view Mothers Acting Up, the movie and participants will receive a copy of the Mothers Acting Up 2007 Mother Leadership Handbook and Engagement calendar. The Mother Agenda will be addressed and issues of the workshop include community building, Mother’s Day Reclamation, tabling, and advocacy for children in the offices of our representatives. Children’s activities and daycare provided.

Please contact nellrose@earthlink.net if you will need childcare. Presenter: Paige La Grone Babcock. paige@mothersactingup.org

Media Reform – ROOM 203- Learn what’s wrong with the corporate media and how you can become a media activist. Presenters: Ginny Welsch of Radio Free Nashville, Mary Mancini of Liberadio(!) and Elliott Mitchell is of Metropolitan Educational Access Corporation.

How to Write Op-Eds That Get Published - ROOM 204. - Get read! Get heard! Get blogged! Learn how to bring your activism onto the opinion pages of Tennessee’s newspapers, on airwaves, and into cyberspace. This workshop that will show you how to leverage your activism through the commentary continuum. The Forum is working to increase progressive voices in the mainstream media. Presenters: American Forum Executive Director Denice Zeck and Elizabeth Barger Chair of the Tennessee Editorial Forum.

Lunch: Noon to 1 PM – DOWNSTAIRS CAFETERIA

Films: 12:10 PM to 1:00 PM – DOWNSTAIRS CAFETERIA.
Collateral Damage: Bad Medicine in Tennessee
Scenes from Eternal Vigilance: The Fight To Save Our Election System, Q&A with filmmaker David Earnhardt.

Afternoon Workshops: 1:00 to 2:30 PM

Global Climate Change – AUDITORIUM - A Powerpoint presentation based on Al Gore’s An Inconvenient Truth. Presenters: Jennifer Tlumak, a graduate of Al Gore’s Climate Project and Rev. Jim Deming of Tennessee Interfaith Power and Light and Northwest Earth Institute. FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC. Part of the Step-It-Up April 14 Campaign.

Afternoon Workshops: 1:10 to 2:30 PM

Passing the Torch: Youth Activism – LIBRARY - This workshop will be led by youth and adult staff working with Oasis Community IMPACT (OCI). OCI works with young people from two East Nashville High Schools, Stratford and Maplewood, to promote educational and economic equity for urban students, schools, and neighborhoods by cultivating grassroots leadership through a youth organizing strategy. This workshop will provide participants the opportunity to learn more about this work, to better understand why working with youth is critical, and some effective strategies for working with a new generation of change-makers.

Progressive Blogging – ROOM 121 - Sandy Smith Madsen of the award-winning blog, Tennessee Guerilla Women will bring together bloggers to share the secrets of their craft. Presenters: Chiara at Thoughts of an Average Woman, Callie at Red State Exile, and Rick at Coyote Chronicles.

Election 2008 – ROOM 203. Discussion of local, state and national candidates, voter suppression, paper-trail ballot boxes and other issues. Presenters: Dr. Sekou Franklin, MTSU Political Science Department, Jim Grinstead, Democracy for Tennessee, Chick Westover, Gathering to Save Our Democracy, and Seanna Brandmeir, President Tennessee Young Democrats.

Tennesseee’s Health Care Crisis – ROOM 201 - Discussion of uninsured problem, TennCare, single payer proposals and other options. Presenters: Dr. Jim Powers of Vanderbilt Medical Center, with Lori Smith of Tennessee Health Care Campaign, Jim Hudson of Physicians NAT Health Plan and Dr. Richard Braun.

The Politics of Crime and Punishment in Tennessee – ROOM 204 - Topics will include prison privatization, death penalty, racism in the criminal justice system, and restorative transformative justice as an alternative to our present retributive system. Presenters: Harmon Wray of Vanderbilt Program on Faith and Criminal Justice, Stacy Rector of Tennessee Coalition to Abolish State Killing and Gail Tyree of Grassroots Leadership of Memphis.

Break: 2:30 to 2:45 PM

Music: 2:45 PM - AUDITORIUM - Renown Songwriter/Artist Robert Ellis Orrall will perform his hit “Al Gore” and other selections.

Keynote Address: 3:00 PM – AUDITORIUM – Activist and Media Commentator David Sirota, author of Hostile Takeover: How Big Money & Corruption Conquered Our Government – and How We Take It Back.

David Sirota Book Signing: 4:00 – 4:20 PM

MAU on Mothering chat tomorrow!!

I'll be the guest on Mothering magazine's online chat schedule Wednesday April 11 at Noon Central, representing Mothers Acting Up. This is the first of monthly scheduled visits to chat about MAU & mama activism. This month I expect to address building community, reclaiming Mother’s Day, and the Mother Agenda.

More here, including chat instructions.

If you’re up to it, stop by to lend some support and ask a question or make a comment, and please DO pass this reminder along to folks you suspect might be interested.

Of noses, bums, and tall trees.

As women and mothers, we're the largest consumers for our households and families. Where we put the money speaks volumes about what we value. Which is why, when I look around my own home at the tail end of colds, pollen takeover, ear and upper respiratory infections, I see just how much tissue we've been using.

Adhering to the MAU principle of following the money and affirming with support, I look for ways to throw my monetary and ethical weight behind the Mother Agenda, looking away from Kleenex and toward products that are kind on my wallet, my baby's nose, and ancient forests.

For forest friendly tissue products, when cloth just won't do, I'll be printing this list for handy fridge reference where it can nestle up to my running grocery and household list. I encourage you mamas to do same.

Speaking to the call for a Mother Agenda.

THIS IS NOT A CANDIDATE ENDORSEMENT, it’s a hopeful sign that when one leads others will follow!

John Edwards is listening to our call for a *Mother Agenda:

Yesterday, I delivered a speech in New Hampshire where I laid out a transformational change agenda to guarantee universal health care, stop global warming, close the education gap, end poverty at home, and make America more secure through an historic effort to reduce poverty across the globe.

Some Highlights:

• I outlined a plan I call "College for Everyone" that will pay for the first year of college for any student in America who needs it and is willing to work part-time.
  
• We need transformational change to stop global warming and create a new energy economy that helps fuel the growth of a secure middle class in the 21st century. By changing our energy infrastructure and investing in research, development and deployment of alternative energy technologies, we can create more than a million new jobs in America. We must set an example for the world by implementing a cap on carbon emissions and through dramatically increasing our national and individual energy efficiency.
  
• There's one other subject I talked about yesterday that is very important to me personally—and to the security of America. And that's global poverty. So yesterday I outlined my plan to tackle global poverty head on. We will launch a worldwide effort to bring primary education to every corner of the globe. We will invest in preventive health care through clean water and sanitation systems to give poor families a chance at healthy lives. We will provide the tools of local entrepreneurship and active citizenry that are the cornerstones of stable prosperity. And we will create a cabinet level position in the White House to elevate all our national efforts at eradicating poverty worldwide.

You can link to Edwards' full speech here.


* MAU is mobilizing the mamas in 2007 to build three major campaigns, collectively called the Mother Agenda: 1) Protect our global family: Champion the MDGs 2) For children’s sake: Preserve our planet, and 3) The true cost of war: Measure the impact on children . We are working in coalition with groups and mamas like YOU to educate our communities and decision makers about these three campaigns and build the political will to shape policies and redistribute money to care for our global family & planet. These three campaigns will run through all MAU’s Web actions, collective actions and field trips — the first action being a letter to our Congressional leaders, introducing ourselves and the Mother Agenda. Sign on to a part of the Mother Agenda here.