Netroots Nation

Netroots Nation Interview: Jeff Merkley (D-OR) On Health Care

In my ePluribus Media Journal article, I write about my meeting with Jeff Merkley, Speaker of Oregon House of Representatives. Merkley has a history of backing progressive legislation to improve access to health care. He ushered The Healthy Kids Act (HB 2201), a universal access bill for children, through the Oregon House despite resistance from the tobacco industry. The payment source for the program would have been an increase in cigarette taxes, a policy proven by research to discourage youth from smoking. In the industry's euphemism, cigarette taxes hinder efforts to generate "replacement smokers," the new young addicts needed to take the place of older ranks killed by lung and heart disease. Read the full interview on the Journal. You can learn more about Jeff Merkley by visiting his website and donate to his campaign. Don't forget to add a penny to your donation to identify yourself as a member of our growing netroots nation.

The NFTT Shopping List For Care Packages!

That is, what we've got, what we're waiting for, and what we can still use. After the flip, I’m going to start with the list of things that we’re still waiting to get, followed by items that we’ve already purchased, and the things that have been promised but are still awaiting arrival. And while I’m talking about purchasing, let me note that we’re still taking donations and currently have about $1,300 left in the bank awaiting our big shopping day on Friday.
GreyHawk's picture

Who, What, Where, When, Why and How: Conventions, Meet-Ups, Travel and Thou

The typical tools for writing a good news story, as imparted years ago in elementary school, were to develop the key answers to six basic questions:
Who did the story involve,
What happened,
Where did it (or will it) take place,
When did it or will it occur,
Why did it happen (and why should anyone care) and
How did it happen (and how does that change or affect anything)?
ePluribus Media is
... a cooperative of citizen volunteers dedicated to researching issues of common concern and encouraging the highest standards of ethics and journalism.

The ePluribus Media community is chartered as 501(c)(4) tax-exempt, non-partisan organization. We are a board run cooperative of citizen volunteers dedicated to researching issues of common concern and encouraging the highest standards of ethics and journalism. Our incorporation papers are public and available upon request.

(from the About Us page) As such, it behooves us to do our best to cover what events of significance that we can -- directly, if possible. We have done and continue to do this, with our efforts to bring people reports in a variety of ways, using a variety of sources and methods. One of the old tried-and-true methods: on-the-scene reporting and representation. There are two items coming up in the relatively short term which we should discuss having representation at: the Democratic National Convention in Denver, and Netroots Nation in Austin. We may also want to consider the Republican National Convention, if it isn't closed to "non-members" (i.e., all Americans who haven't sworn a loyalty oath). Use the comment section below to indicate whether or not you will be attending any of the above, and whether or not (and how) the issue of credentialling ePluribus Media representatives for possible representation at national party conventions can and should be accomplished. As citizen journalists, we are the future of journalism -- that's not only something we must believe, but strive to achieve. So, let's make sure we put our ducks in a row and spread our eggs across several baskets. Who can attend (and who can help get the credentialling ball rolling, in general and specifically for the DNC),
What will we hope to achieve (and what needs to happen to enable that),
Where will we be going,
When will it happen (and when should any credentialling efforts begin?),
Why should we try to ensure representation at certain events (and what other ones should we shoot for?) and
How are we going to accomplish these goals?