On April 3, radical human rights attorney Lynne Stewart spoke at New York's Riverside Church at an event sponsored by Riverside's Global Justice and Peace Ministry. On February 10, Stewart was convicted for providing material aid to terrorism and for lying to the government. Like many Americans, I was only vaguely familiar with the case from the headlines and it was both fascinating and alarming to hear her side of the story and to realize the implications for all of us.

I brought a camera to the TroopsOutNow.org rally in Central Park on Saturday so you could share the experience HERE.

If you've never been to one in New York, contrary to the impression often created by sensationalist news reporting, these things tend to be rather chaotic, boring affairs that are more like really crowded afternoons in the park than earth-changing events. As a rapid-fire succession of around 50 well-intentioned speakers, rappers and singers screamed on the main stage for three hours, the surrounding areas had a festive atmosphere that seemed almost oblivious to central event. The speakers addressed not only the war, but a panoply of liberal causes that were often only tangentally related to Iraq: the Cuban five, Mumia Abu-Jamal, Hugo Chavez, Korean militarization, Puerto Rican statehood, the Hatian coup, AIDS funding, Palestinian liberation.

There is certainly some intrisic edification to be gained from gathering with a group of like-minded individuals. But a question should be asked about how much good this does toward achieving the larger goals. The illusion of progress given by these protests may be a distraction from work that could yield more tangible results. While there are certainly examples of marches that changed history, events like the '65 Selma march and the 1979 protests in Iran were manifestations of deeper social unrest and not transformative events in and of themselves. Today, most protests do not get any significant news coverage. The unprecedented worldwide protests in 2003 didn't stop the Iraq invasion and the massive 2004 NYC RNC march could not prevent Bush's 2nd term. Calls for impeachment of the President are pointless when the Congress is firmly controlled by a well-organized right-wing machine.

Unfortunately, the hearts and minds of America cannot be won in the streets. As Howard Dean has said, they will be won at the grassroots by individuals talking to individuals, by people running for city councils and school boards. They will be won with the creative use of old and new media. But until the passion for stopping the American empire machine truly comes from a broad spectrum of the public, public protest will be little more than a heartfelt sideshow.

Lost in the hysteria of March Madness and the congressional investigation of doping in baseball is the quiet story that that the New York Yankees have hired a female color announcer for their radio network. In fact, Suzyn Waldman is the first full-time female radio announcer in major-league baseball, an item made even more significant since New York is America's largest broadcast market (not counting additional nationwide affiliates, the Internet and XM Radio) and the Yankees are perhaps the most popular (and reviled) baseball team in the world. This and other stories from "America's Pastime" offer both hope and vision to Progressives...

Score one for the little guy, kinda. The New York Times is reporting that...

Neither Wal-Mart nor the developer (Vornado Realty Trust) are saying much, and the whole plan from the start was shrouded in mystery and rumor. But that was enough to energize labor and neighborhood groups against the anti-worker beheamoth. Action by the City Council's Land Use Committee stopping a B.J.'s Wholesale Club in the Bronx a couple of weeks ago seems to have finally nixed the deal.

It would be nice to have hope that strong labor and community activism can stop Wal-Mart's destruction of small-businesses and living-wage retail jobs. But Wal-Mart's recent acquisition of Germany and their closing of a Wal-Mart in Quebec in the face of unionization shows these folks will never surrender. The suburbs surrounding the Big Apple are filled with Wal-Marts and happy shoppers buying the detritus of Chinese sweatshops. The battle has been won, but the war is far from over. Vigilance!

As bubblin' crude continues to toggle around $50 per barrel and our brave soldiers sadly prepare to wipe yet another Iraqi town off the map, it might be helpful to remember that many of the problems in the Middle East and other parts of the world have their roots in oil. The corruption associated with oil development fuels and funds our domestic political quagmire, our support for despotic regimes and the resulting reactionary religious extremism. Global warming is being caused by the release of centuries of buried carbon into the atmosphere. Soaring rates of childhood asthma are associated with motor-vehicle emissions, not to mention developmental deficiencies linked to mercury from coal-fired plants.

For Progressives, the issue of energy should be a fundamental pillar of the message we bring to America in the coming campaigns. Although it is probably not in the foreground of consciousness for most Americans, the indirect effect that energy policy has and will have on our lives is huge.

One EXTREMELY promising technology is thermal depolymerization, which mimics the geological processes that transformed the prehistoric inhabitants of Iraq into crude oil we covet today. The tragedy is that, as Fortune Magazine reported this week, American businesses and all levels of our government (blue and red) are letting this American invention slip away as the Europeans begin to realize its potential. And it's Progressive potential is almost unbelievable...

With the prominance that the Republicans have placed on the role of values and faith in politics, it seems fair to look at elements of the President's proposed budget from a Biblical context. While there is certainly a significant question even in Christian circles over whether the Bible should be used as a determinant of public policy rather than individual morality, In the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. (Matthew 7:2). In the process, we find a religious document that is more Progressive than our Red State brothers might have us believe.

Hidden by the debate over the neocon death cult's plan to destroy social security is the their plan to destroy Amtrak. Amtrak gets around a third of it's $3 billion budget from a federal subsidy. By including no money for Amtrak in their proposed 2006 budget, the administration is trying to fulfill the longtime conservative dream of ending a 150-year tradition of long-distance passenger rail service in the U.S.

America needs Amtrak both to satisfy existing transportation needs and to provide a foundation for future demands that air and highway transportation will not be able to deal with effectively on their own. This essay details the numerous Progressive virtues of intercity passenger rail transportation and debunks the some of the myths about Amtrak propagated by the right-wing noise machine.

Although it appears that Howard Dean has the DNC chair wrapped up, last year's primary and election clearly demonstrated Yogi's $10M truism "It ain't over 'til it's over." So I'll do a little more piling on.

With Democrats in a minority, it is no longer possible to focus on the tactics of Turnout (Fowler's specialty) to win elections. Future victories will be won with the strategy of Message that connects both with existing Democratic voters and voters that are a natural Democratic constituency but currently vote Republican. Message is not Fowler's strength, as demonstrated by some excerpts from Fowler's 2/1/05 appearance on Air America's Morning Sedition (archived on AirAmericaPlace.com).