PROGRESSIVE INFORMATION SOURCES

We all need to become more informed about the issues and politics of the day. We would like to be better able to speak intelligently and effectively with our family, friends, neighbors, and co-workers about important issues in “our democracy”. Election integrity, media/framing of issues, healthcare, peace/justice, environment/global warming, and corporatism/democracy are some of those important issues.

A. Progressive Advocacy Organizations (many have good email newsletters and alerts)

1. Center for American Progress at http://www.AmericanProgress.org is a think tank dedicated to improving the lives of Americans through ideas and action. They combine bold policy ideas with a modern communications platform to help shape the national debate, expose the hollowness of conservative governing philosophy, and challenge the media to cover the issues that truly matter.
2. Media Matters at http://www.mediamatters.org/ is a progressive research and information center dedicated to comprehensively monitoring, analyzing, and correcting conservative misinformation in the U.S. media.
3. Campaign for America's Future at http://www.ourfuture.org/ with talking points is working to forge the enduring progressive majority needed to realize the America of shared prosperity and equal opportunity that our country was meant to be.
4. FreePress.Net at http://www.freepress.net/ is working to reform the media and promote diverse/independent media ownership, strong public media, quality journalism, and universal access to communications.
5. Military Religious Freedom Foundation at http://www.militaryreligiousfreedom.org/ supports the concept and practice of religious freedom in the United States Armed Forces.
6. Public Citizen at http://www.citizen.org is an advocacy organization to represent consumer interests in Congress, the executive branch and the courts.
7. American Civil Liberties Union at http://www.ACLU.org is working daily in courts, legislatures and communities to defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties that the Constitution and laws of the United States guarantee everyone in this country.
8. Public Campaign at http://www.publiccampaign.org is dedicated to sweeping campaign reform that aims to dramatically reduce the role of big special interest money in American politics. http://CleanElections101.blogspot.com is also a site with information & links on this issue.
9. Common Cause at http://www.CommonCause.org is a citizen's lobbying organization promoting open, honest and accountable government.
10. Vote Smart at http://www.VoteSmart.org is a good site to use to contact your elected officials and see their voting records.
11. MoveOn at http://www.MoveOn.org has many take actions things going on.
12. Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington at http://www.CitizensForEthics.org is for ethics and accountability in governement.
13. Congressional Progressive Caucus at http://cpc.grijalva.house.gov/
14. Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington at http://www.CitizensForEthics.org
15. National Priorities Project at http://www.nationalpriorities.org/ & http://costofwar.com/
16. Color of Change at http://colorofchange.org/ has good action alerts. Their goal is to empower our members to make government more responsive to the concerns of Black Americans and to bring about positive political and social change for everyone.
17. Human Rights Campaign at http://www.HRC.org is America’s largest civil rights organization working to achieve lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender equality.
18. Consumers Union at http://www.ConsumersUnion.org works for a fair, just, and safe marketplace for all consumers and to empower consumers to protect themselves.
19. Democracy Matters at http://www.DemocracyMatters.org works to give college students a voice in the pro-democracy movement and an active role in the national dialogue on money in politics


B. Progressive Op-Ed Articles Web Sites

1. Common Dreams - http://www.CommonDreams.org
2. Truthout - http://www.Truthout.org
3. Alternet - http://www.Alternet.org
4. The Nation - http://www.TheNation.com
5. Op-Ed News - http://www.OpEdNews.com
6. The Progressive - http://www.Progressive.org
7. Consortium News - http://www.ConsortiumNews.com/
8. In These Times - http://www.InTheseTimes.com/
9. The American Prospect - http://www.Prospect.org
10.The Progressive Populist - http://www.Populist.com
11. Huffington Post - http://www.huffingtonpost.com/
12. Talking Points Memo - http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/
13. The Public Record - http://www.pubrecord.org/
14. Velvet Revolution - http://velvetrevolution.us/
15. Brad's Blog - http://www.bradblog.com/

C. Radio & TV

1. Air America - http://www.AirAmerica.com
2. "Democracy Now" with Amy Goodman - Every evening on WYBE-TV
(20 or 35 in some Phila areas). Listen daily online at http://www.DemocracyNow.org
3. "Countdown" with Keith Olbermann - Every evening on MSNBC at 8 PM
4. "Rachel Maddow Show" - Every evening on MSNBC at 9 PM
5. "Bill Moyers Journal" on PBS on Fri at 9:00 PM- http://www.PBS.org/moyers/
6. "Now" on PBS on Fri at 8:30 - http://www.PBS.org/now/
7. Thom Hartmann at http://www.ThomHartmann.com gets you to his daily radio program, books he has written, and his newsletter.

D. Issue Related Web Sites

1. Election Integrity Issues -
- Public Campaign at http://www.PublicCampaign.org
- Voters Unite at http://www.VotersUnite.Org
- Vote Trust USA at http://www.VoteTrustUSA.org (weekly email),
- Black Box Voting at http://www.BlackBoxVoting.org,
- Velvet Revolution at http://www.VelvetRevolution.us,
- Coalition for Voting Integrity at http://www.CoalitionforVotingIntegrity.org
- Election Reform Network at http://www.ElectionReformNetwork.us/ (PA group)
- Clean Elections 101 at http://www.CleanElections101.blogspot.com

2. Media and Framing of Issues
- Free Press at http://www.FreePress.net - is working to reform the media.
- Media Matters at http://www.MediaMatters.org - daily email that corrects inaccurate and misleading comments by conservatives.
- http://www.FAIR.org (Fairness & Accuracy in Reporting) &
- http://www.FactCheck.org - truth telling about the media.
- http://www.Newshounds.us - says “we watch Fox so you don’t have to”.
- http://www.ProjectCensored.org - gives the Top 25 underreported of the year.
- Media Access Project - http://www.mediaaccess.org works on behalf of the public to promote freedom of expression, independent media, and low-cost, universal access to communications services.

3. Peace/Justice Issues -
- Coalition for Peace Action at http://www.PeaceCoalition.org
- local PA chapters at http://www.CFPABuxMont.org
- Penn Action is local at http://www.pennaction.org
- Brandywine Peace Community at http://www.BrandywinePeace.org
- United for Peace and Justice at http://www.UnitedForPeace.org
- Chester County Peace Movement at http://www.CCPeace.org
- LEPOCO in Lehigh Valley at http://www.Lepoco.org
- Human Rights Campaign at http://www.hrc.org/

4. Health Care Issues
- Health Care 4 All PA at http://www.HealthCare4AllPA.org
- Healthcare for America Now at http://www.Healthcare-Now.org
- Physicians for a National Healthcare Program at http://www.PNHP.org
- Families USA at http://www.FamiliesUSA.org/
- Kaiser Foundation at http://healthreform.kff.org/ plus side by side comparison at http://www.kff.org/healthreform/sidebyside.cfm
- Bucks County Healthcare group at http://www.buckshealthcare.org/

5. Environmental/Global Warming -
- Union of Concerned Scientists at http://www.ucsusa.org
- http://www.ClimateCrisis.Net, http://www.GlobalWarming101.Com,
- Clean Water Action at http://www.CleanWaterAction.org,
- League of Conservation Voters at http://www.LCV.org (report card)
- Penn Future at http://www.pennfuture.org
- PA Sierra Club at http://www.Pennsylvania.sierrraclub.org
http://www.earth-policy.org,
http://www.genesisfarm.org,
http://www.earthcharter.org

6. Corportism/Democracy -
- Reclaiming Democracy at http://www.reclaimdemocracy.org/ works to create a representative democracy with an actively participating public, where citizens don't merely choose from a menu of options determined by elites, but play an active role in guiding the country and its political agenda.
- Community Environmental Legal Defense Fund at http://www.celdf.org/ was formed to provide free and affordable legal services to community based groups and local governments working to protect their quality of life and the natural environment through building sustainable communities.
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E. Progressive Library

1. Unequal Protection: The Rise of Corporate Dominance and the Theft of Human Rights by Thom Hartmann (2002)
2. Blinded by the Right by David Brock (2002)
3. Repulican Noise Machine by David Brock (2004)
4. Conservatives Without Concscience by John Dean (2006)
5. The Conscience of a Liberal by Paul Krugman (2007)
6. Broken Government: How Republican Rule Destroyed the Legislative, Executive, and Judicial Branches by John Dean (2007)
7. The Wrecking Crew: How Conservatives Rule by Thomas Frank (2008)
8. Great American Hypocrites by Glenn Greenwald (2008)
9. Framing The Future: How Progressive Values Can Win Elections and Influence People by Bernie Horn (2008)
10. Agenda for A New Economy by David Korten (2009)
11. So Damn Much Money: The Triumph of Lobbying and The Corrosion of American Government by Robert Kaiser (2009)
12. The Progressive Revolution: How the Best in America Came to Be by Michael Lux (2009)
13. Crazy for God: How I Grew Up as One of the Elect, Helped Found the Religious Right, and Lived to Take All (or Almost All) of It Back by Frank Schaeffer (2009)