OFA Open House & Volunteer Training

Tuesday, December 8, 6:30 - 8:30 p.m. SAAPAC Office, 7122 San Pedro Suite 114
Organizing for America welcomes you to join us at the SAAPAC office to meet our new Deputy Field Director Michael Apodaca and learn how to get involved with OFA in the last weeks of the Health Insurance Reform debate and in 2010. Sign up on MyBO at: my.barackobama.com/page/event/detail/neighborhoodteammeeting/gpc859

alamObama Reunion - November 12, 2009
Photos by Bob Scott - view the complete album at
http://picasaweb.google.com/alamobama12/AlamObamaReunion

SAAPAC to Show President Obama's Speech Tuesday Evening

Please spread this news! The San Antonio Area Progressive Action Coalition (SAAPAC) invites all students and parents, as well as the general public, to view President Obama's address to America's students at its office Tuesday evening, September 8, at 7:00 p.m. 7122 San Pedro Ave, Suite 114 (in the San Pedro Towne Center, in back, facing the Kaplan Career Institute). A discussion will follow the speech, which is expected to last 15-20 minutes.

NEBCD Labor Day Picnic and Rally to Support President Obama

A great turnout at MacArthur County Park for the Northeast Bexar County Democrats Labor Day Picnic and Rally to support the viewing of President Obama's speech to students in our schools. The rally was covered by several English and Spanish language TV stations, and speeches were given by Carla Vela, Bexar County Democratic Party Chair, and Scott Simpson, President of the NEBCD.

Among the many in attendance were 2008 alamObama campaign co-coordinators Judy Hall and Fred Tawil, Lainey Melnick, candidate for US House of Representatives District 21, John Courage, candidate for Texas Senate District 25, and many candidates for countywide offices. View photos at this Facebook public link: www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2033417&id=1382783158&l=a2163983dc - Video of rally below.

NEBCD Rally to Support President Obama and Labor Day Picnic

Monday, September 7,
11:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.

MacArthur County Park, Pavillion #4
1611 NE Loop 410 (westbound access road between Harry Wurzbach and Nacogdoches)

Honoring Labor, AFL-CIO, and TSTA, with special recognition for Bob Salvator and Connie DeLuna.

A rally for the broadcast of President Obama's Tuesday address to schoolchildren will be held at 12:00 High Noon as part of the festivities.

· Enjoy Ice Cold Sodas, Iced Tea, Hot Dogs, Beans, Chili, and Chips
· Hear from Democratic Party Elected Officials and Candidates
· Meet People and Join the Democratic Cause
· Everyone is Welcome to Come and Have Fun in the Sun (or Shade)!

Sign up at: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=128921503860

Banning the President's Speech to Kids

Most school districts in the San Antonio area have forbidden teachers to show the President's speech to students in their classrooms next Tuesday morning, September 8. Only Edgewood ISD has had the courage to considers this an educational event and not a political one. We believe that political decisions should be made by elected representatives. Therefore, we urge citizens to contact their elected representatives, members of the various school boards, to express their dismay over the banning of the President's speech. The board members work for US, the voters, and the school administrators, who made these decisions, work for them. We should remind our elected representatives that they are the ones who are supposed to make political decisions that are subject to approval or disapproval by US, the voters. They should not abandon this responsibility to the superintendents, who are, after all, just the people they hire to run the schools. Here are links to the board web pages of some of the largest districts in the SA area:

San Antonio ISD: http://www.saisd.net/main/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=50&Itemid=84
(put the burden on teachers, allowing to show the speech but only if they have parent permission, and they have to provide an alternative lesson to any student withouth permission)

Northside ISD: http://www.nisd.net/general/board/
(banned all teachers from showing the speech)

North East ISD: http://www.neisd.net/regs/Boardpage/Board.htm
(banned all teachers from showing the speech)

Judson ISD: http://www.judsonisd.org/district/schoolBoard/SchoolBoardMembers.cfm (no information posted)

Scherz Cibolo Universal City ISD: http://www.scuc.txed.net/board_members.cfm?master=1 (is showing the speech later in the school day, with parents allowed to prevent their kids from watching it)

Harlandale ISD: http://www.harlandale.net/pio_BOARD/schoolBoard.html
(the superintendent's statement is a broken link)

Edgewood ISD: http://www.eisd.net/20141061594531287/site/default.asp (allowing the speech to be shown in Social Studies classes- YEAH! Call to congratulate them!!!!)

South San Antonio ISD: http://www.southsanisd.net/board_members.cfm (no information posted)

Fort Sam Houston ISD: http://www.fshisd.net/site_res_view_template.aspx?id=18d6e374-d72b-4dac-82ba-1be6fbc54bf4 (banned all teachers from showing the speech)

Comal ISD: http://www.comalisd.org/Board_of_Trustees/ (banned all teachers from showing the speech)

New Braunfels ISD: http://fc.newbraunfels.txed.net/~sferguson/Board_News.htm (will not show the speech, but will broadcast it on their cable TV channel at 7 p.m.)

Boerne ISD: http://www.boerne-isd.net/page.cfm?p=6087 (will not show the speech live, but teachers may show it later if curriculum appropriate, with parents allowed to opt their kids out of viewing it)

If your own children are prevented from viewing the speech live at 11:00 a.m. on Tuesday, watch it with them after school at http://www.whitehouse.gov.

Encourage Ciro Rodrígeuz to Support the Public Option!

Angie Drake wrote Sunday morning 8/30: " Just heard that in an interview on the Sunday morning shows here in SA that Ciro Rodriguez waffled - he supports reform but does not support a public option. We need to write letters to the editor (letters@express-news.net) and send a copy of letter to Ciro at link below."
http://www.rodriguez.house.gov/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=70&Itemid=46

My 2c worth: We still need to convince Ciro that he should be listening to his supporters - those who will vote for him and/or work on his re-election campaign - more than to the negative people who will never support him under any circumstances. A useful alternative to email is to phone Ciro's local office at (210) 561-9421; they are literally counting the calls for and against, and right now we are *losing* that poll!
Joel