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Tx const</title></head><body>
<div>Saturday night, I and many others across Texas, who want to keep
discrimination and bigotry out of the state Constitution, are doing a
large voter outreach effort to make sure people know about amendment
2, the marriage bigotry amendment.</div>
<div><br></div>
<div>If you have not already signed up to volunteer a few hours for
this very worthwhile effort, or missed the earlier announcements, I
urge you to read the note below, written by John Grothues, and hope
you'll join me in this.</div>
<div><br></div>
<div>John G and John Ibanez, both with Democracy for Houston, are
organizing this effort here in Houston, in conjunction with the No
Nonsense in November campaign www.nononsenseinnovember.com</div>
<div><br></div>
<div>John & John have already contacted gay bars here in Houston,
and have found ten who are willing to let us have tables with info
about amendment 2 and for voter registration. They have lined up
about 3/4 of the number of people needed for those tables Saturday
night, but still need about 10 more folks. Can you join me and
some other PAA'ers and other progressives who have already
volunteered? You can do this after dinner and whatever else
you're planning for Saturday -- they only need people during the peak
bar times. You can sign up for the 8PM-11PM slot, or 11PM-2AM
slot, or for just part of one of those time intervals. Remember,
this is for one night only - Saturday Oct. 8.</div>
<div><br></div>
<div>If you are a voter registrar, bring your voter registration
materials. And feel free to tell interested folks about PAA, our
web site, our e-mail lists, and our meetings. (It probably won't
be a good time to push other issues, though.)</div>
<div><br></div>
<div>If we can get the people who are opposed to discrimination out to
vote on this, we can defeat this amendment and show that the people of
Texas are willing to stand up to the bigots and hate-mongers who are
using this issue just to try to get the right-wingers out to vote next
month. But people who wait until they get to the ballots, to try
to figure out what this (and other) constitutional amendment would do,
won't have a clue, thanks to the way the Texas legislature likes to
obfuscate the ballot language.</div>
<div><br></div>
<div>Contact John or John (the Houston coordinators for this) -- see
contact info below -- if you can help.</div>
<div><br></div>
<div>Thanks!</div>
<div><br></div>
<div>Remember -- Vote NO on amendment 2. See below for the note
from John Grothues.</div>
<div><br></div>
<div>Bill</div>
<div><br></div>
<div>- - - - - - - -</div>
<div><br></div>
<div>Subject: Volunteer to Change the World Saturday</div>
<div>Date: Tue, 04 Oct 2005 07:49:13 -0500</div>
<div><br></div>
<div>Most people never in their lives get the chance to participate in
something that has the potential to change the world. But I believe
that we will have that chance, that opportunity, this Saturday.</div>
<div><br></div>
<div>We all see how powerful, well-financed, and well-executed the
radical right political machine is right now. We see it as an
oppressive force here and around the world. It seems almost
omnipotent.</div>
<div><br></div>
<div>But what if they made a<b> blunder</b>?</div>
<div><br></div>
<div>And what if that blunder provided us with an<b>
opportunity</b>?</div>
<div><br></div>
<div>And what if the opportunity was available<b> only</b> to us here
in<b> Houston</b>, and only<b> right now</b>?</div>
<div><br></div>
<div>That is what I see happening with the November 8 Texas
constitutional election. Proposition 2 would encode discrimination
into the Texas Bill of Rights by changing the Texas Constitution to
read that marriage in Texas shall consist only of a union between one
man and one woman. For the radical right this is just another maneuver
to augment their already oppressive power.</div>
<div><br></div>
<div>Here is where they made the<b> blunder</b>. This is an off year
election. Only 8-12% of the people, statewide, will vote. But<b>
one</b> major city has city elections –<b> Houston</b>! That is
our<b> opportunity</b>!</div>
<div><br></div>
<div>If we can get out the vote here –<b> in large numbers</b> –
we can swing the state. If Texas, one of the reddest of the red,
defeats the proposition this year, that will throw confusion and fear
into the forces of discrimination that have plans to change the
constitutions of 11 other states next year.</div>
<div><br></div>
<div>If we can defeat them here,<b> we will defeat them</b> in other
places. This can be the catalyst that starts the counter wave of
progressive politics that this country and this world so desperately
needs.</div>
<div><br></div>
<div>Here is how you can help. NoNonsenseInNovember.com is conducting
a state-wide bar outreach this Saturday, October 8 - from 8:00 p.m. -
1:00 a.m. About ten bars here in Houston, as well as dozens throughout
the state have committed to participate in this voter education
project. NoNonsenseInNovember will then use the names gathered
Saturday to contact even more people.</div>
<div><br></div>
<div>John Ibanez and I are organizing much of the Houston bar outreach
effort. Many people have already volunteered -<b> but we still need
lots of volunteers!</b> We need people to<b> register voters</b>,<b>
take donations</b>, and<b> fill-out pledge cards</b> - at least 3
people per bar, per shift.</div>
<div><br></div>
<div><b>Can you help?</b> Before I close with the details, I would
like to leave you with one more image.</div>
<div><br></div>
<div>Thirty years from now:</div>
<div><br></div>
<div>· when all people have the right to marry the person they
love,</div>
<div><br></div>
<div>· and everyone is kind of confused about why so many people
thought it so important to try to limit marriage to only heterosexual
people,</div>
<div><br></div>
<div>· and a progressive political agenda has swept the world and is
making it a better place for all people;</div>
<div><br></div>
<div>Someone may ask you if you did anything in the fight against the
radical right. Wouldn't be wonderful if you could say, "I stood
up and in Houston we turned the tide."?</div>
<div><br></div>
<div>Thank you, and please help,</div>
<div><br></div>
<div>John Grothues</div>
<div><br></div>
<div><br></div>
<div><b>How to get involved: Sign-up at</b>
www.nononsenseinnovember.com/calendar/index.php?page=6&by=1</div>
<div><br></div>
<div><b>And?or contact the captains indicated below.</b></div>
<div><br></div>
<div> </div>
<div><br></div>
<div><b>THE DETAILS:</b></div>
<div><br></div>
<div><b>When: Saturday, October 8, from 8:00 p.m. - 1:00
a.m.</b></div>
<div><br></div>
<div><b>1. Brazos River Bottom</b> - team captain John Grothues -
713-516-6728 johngrothues@yahoo.com </div>
<div><br></div>
<div><b>2. Guava Lamp</b> - team captain Robert Gallegos -
713-256-3953 gallegosrt@sbcglobal.net</div>
<div><br></div>
<div><b>3. Keys West</b> - team captain Michael Fleming
713-213-8318 michaelfleming1700@sbcglobal.net</div>
<div><br></div>
<div><b>4. JR's/South Beach/The Mine</b> - team captain John G. Ibanez
713-516-7047 johngibanez1@yahoo.com</div>
<div><br></div>
<div><b>5. Chances/the New Barn/G-Spot</b> - Jennifer Poche
832-661-3467 jengg@yahoo.com</div>
<div><br></div>
<div><b>6. Decades</b> - team captain John Grothues -
713-516-6728 johngrothues@yahoo.com</div>
<div><br></div>
<div><b>7. Meteor</b> - team captain- Jeffrey Crews 713-645-8939
jcrews@pdq.net</div>
<div><br></div>
<div><b>8. Rich's</b> - team captain - Max Beauregard
713-864-0549 mbeauregard@houston.rr.com</div>
<div><br></div>
<div><b>9. Inergy</b> - team captian - Max Beauregard
713-864-0549 <a
href=
"'"http://by107fd.bay107.hotmail.msn.com/cgi-bin/compose?mailto=1&msg=243D240F-6116-4943-AE92-002B92814610&start=0&len=20902&src=&type=x&to=mbeauregard@houston.rr.com&cc=&bcc=&subject=&body=&curmbox=00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000001&a=a4ce5af7a21c57099e"><span
></span>mbeauregard@houston.rr.com</a></div>
<div><br></div>
<div> EJ's is still pending.</div>
<div><br></div>
<div><br></div>
<x-sigsep><pre>--
</pre></x-sigsep>
<div>Bill Crosier<br>
Progressive Action Alliance http://paa-tx.org/
http://progressiveactionalliance.org/<br>
paa@crosierbiomed.com 713-641-4941<br>
Tell Bush: WE WANT THE TRUTH!
http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/</div>
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