Democracy, deschmocracy First it was citizens overturning the majority vote of Michigan citizens to overturn our state’s anti-democratic Emergency Manager law. Then it was rape insurance. Then it was a drive to ban wolf hunting. Then it was the effort to raise Michigan’s minimum wage. In each instance, Republicans in the Michigan legislature decided that it wasn’t appropriate for us […]

This week Michigan legislators passed a package of bills dubbed “The Grand Bargain” that will help our state’s largest city, Detroit, get back on its feet. Missing from that package was a bill that would have prevented regional municipalities from renewing the existing voter-approved 10-year millage or the levying a new millage to fund the Detroit Institute of Arts. (Details […]

Rekindling Democracy

This past Sunday, the group Metropolitan Organizing Strategy Enabling Strength (MOSES) held a rally titled “Fire of Faith: Rekindling Democracy” at the Greater Grace Temple in Detroit. MOSES is a group of faith communities from around the state that is working on social justice issues. They are an affiliate of the Gamaliel Foundation where President Barack Obama was a trainer and consultant for a time in Chicago and their approach to community organizing is very evident in the Obama For America (OFA) approach. (For more information about the Gamaliel approach, check out this post from just after the 2008 election: “I Want POWER and I Will Be Ruthless”.)

Sunday’s event involved nearly a dozen faith communities from around Michigan. Christian churches. Muslim mosques. Jewish synagogues. All were represented and all had a common goal of engaging their congregations in the democratic process. Young people from Crossing Boundaries, Building Bridges (CB3), a youth outreach effort by MOSES were well represented, as well.

Much more after the jump.

Speaking truth

My good friend Brit Satchwell, educator and president of the Ann Arbor Education Association, is always on the forefront of fighting for workers and for those in Michigan who are most acutely impacted by the Republicans that currently have control of our state government. Whether it’s circulating petitions for the repeal of Public Act 4 — Michigan’s vile Emergency Manager law — or to recall Governor Rick Snyder or to enshrine collective bargaining rights in our state constitution, Brit is there, defending our democracy.

When the Board of State Canvassers met last week and two Republican men betrayed and silenced the voice of nearly a quarter million Michigan citizens with a vote based on a concocted lie, Brit was there and on his feet shouting “Traitor!” at those men. Detroit News photographer captured the moment exquisitely (you can see it HERE.)

Brit took pen to paper recently and composed a heartfelt and perfectly-worded response to this egregious act which he then sent to the Board. I am reprinting here from the blog of Michigan Forward with permission…

Breathe deep and think about what you are doing Tomorrow is the Michigan primary. A significant number of Dem-leaning pundits and commentators are encouraging Democrats to cross over and vote for Rick Santorum in the GOP primary. You can do that. It’s totally legal. I’m asking you not to. I’ve already gone on record as to why I think this […]