Fall service projects the topic of Aug. 3 V4CF General Meeting

The whys and wherefores of three planned Volunteers For Change-Fresno service projects will be the topic of our next General Meeting, scheduled 7-8:30 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 3, in the large community room of the Fig Garden Library, 3071 W. Bullard Ave. in Fresno. The library is on the southwest corner of Bullard and Marks, in the shopping center.

At the meeting, members and guests will be invited and encouraged to commit to participating in one of three service projects, each intended to draw additional attention to a serious issue affecting our community. The projects will fall into the areas of combating hunger, homelessness, and air pollution leading to climate change, and each will take place between Sept. 15 and Election Day.

To make this work, we'll need the participation and commitment of every V4CF member. Expect the finest in 'pleasant persistence' from your fellow V4CFers in gaining that commitment. And stay tuned... we hope to see you Tuesday!

And now, some words of encouragement: A reaffirmation from President Obama

From our friends at the Huffington Post: 

President Barack Obama is urging liberal activists and bloggers to "keep up the fight" to bring change to Washington.

In a video played Saturday at the annual Netroots Nation convention, the president acknowledged that some in the party's left wing have been unhappy with the pace of change. Liberals have been disenchanted on issues from the ongoing wars in Iraq and Afghanistan to the failure to create a government-run insurance option in the health care overhaul.

The president says in the brief video that the combat mission in Iraq will end in August.

It's a tough election year for Democrats, but Obama warned about returning to Republican policies "that got us into the mess."

He says "change is hard," and he urged hundreds of activists and bloggers in the audience to "keep making your voices heard."

Obama urged the crowd to "consider what we've accomplished," then rolled a clip of Rachel Maddow laying out some of the administration's legislative victories.

Here, see for yourself. (If the viewscreen is not visible below, watch President Obama's statement on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=so-Uuooz-Zo.):



From our member Ruth Afifi comes a great recap of these accomplishments, as seen on the Daily Kos website. A good list to be sure, but no reason to stop working for the Change we've demanded.

Sierra Club: 'Pick up the phones July 28 for clean-energy legislation'

In the wake of Chip Ashley's 'Path to Clean Energy' presentation, Senator Harry Reid has announced -- unfortunately -- that none of the clean energy bills under Senate consideration will be brought to a vote this year. Not the CLEAR Act, not Kerry-Leiberman, not any of the bills Chip discussed at our last General Meeting.

After Sen. Reid's announcement, our friends at the Sierra Club made a call for those concerned to participate in a 'Day of Action' Wednesday, July 28, during which time people will be asked to call their Senators,  'express dismay at this decision and push for a vote.'

Want to participate? Pick up the phone sometime Wednesday, July 28, and let Senators Feinstein and Boxer know your thoughts. The numbers to call?

Senator Barbara Boxer: (202) 224-3553
Senator Dianne Feinstein: (202) 224-2501

Need talking points? Here you go:

• Taking on the climate change challenge NOW will create more economic opportunities than risks for the U.S. economy--will require innovation and products that drive energy efficiency and create new markets. Right now, Germany is producing 86% of the gear boxes used in wind turbines. China has surpassed the US in the manufacture of solar panels.

• Each year we delay action to control emissions increases the risk of unavoidable consequences that could necessitate even steeper reductions in the future, at potentially greater economic cost and social disruption