Rock County Progressives
promoting education and
activism around progressive issues
2013 Past Events...
We organize a free public forum, generally monthly. Join us to listen and discuss current issues with our knowledgeable speakers.
See our next event here.
December 11, 2013 Forum:
First Amendment Remedies
Speaker:
- Rep Chris Taylor
- 76th Assembly District Rep
- Biography
- Former public policy director for Planned Parenthood
- Taylor statement on passage of AB 139 and the gutting of patient-centered informed consent law
Part 1 Rep Taylor at the Forum :
Part 2 Rep Taylor at the Forum :
November 13, 2013 Forum:
Defending Wisconsin's
Air and Water through Citizen Action...
Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow
Speakers:
- Kimberlee Wright
- Executive Director, Midwest Environmental Advocates
- Kimberlee's Biography
- Wis State Journal interview
Q&A from the forum:
September 22, 2013 Forum:
Promoting a Progressive Agenda
Speakers:
- US Congressman Mark Pocan
Mark Pocan at the Forum:
Aug. 14, 2013 Picnic Forum:
Celebrating Progressive Values
Speakers:
- John "Sly" Sylvester
- Progressive radio voice for Wisconsin
- Afternoon radio DJ at 93.7 FM
- Andy Jorgensen
- State Assembly rep. for 43th dist.
- The 43rd includes the town of Koshkonong, Sumner, and Albion township
- One of our best Pogressive represenatives
- Judith Detert-Moriarty
- Regular participant in the Capitol Rotunda sing-along
- Updating us on the Solidarity Singers protest
Judith Detert-Moriarty at the picnic
Rep. Andy Jorgensen at the picnic
July 10, 2013 Forum:
Update from the Wisconsin Capitol
Speakers:
- Assemblyman Peter Barca
- 64th District State Represenative
- Wisconsin Assembly Minority Leader
- Cap Times article on WI budget by Barca
- Peter Barca for Govenor? by Blue Cheddar
- Forum review at Rock Netroots
Part 1 - Peter Barca
Part 2 - Rep. Peter Barca
June 12, 2013 Forum:
"Frankenfood:"
Monsanto GMOs versus Sustainable Family Farms
Speakers:
- Proffesor Warren Porter
- Professor of zoology research UW Madison
- Professor Porter's UW website
- Dela Ends
- Owner and operator of Scotch Hill Farm an organic CSA in Broadhead, WI.
- Producer of natural skin care products
- active in Citizens for Clean Water, Wisconsin Farmers Union & the Green-Rock Audubon Society.
Prof. Warren Porter's presentation
Dela Ends' presentation
All forum videos:
Part 1
Prof. Porter.
Part 2
Della Ends.
Part 3
Question & answer.
May 8, 2013 Forum:
"Media Influences"
How the Right Wing Shapes the Political Agenda
Speaker:
- Mary Bottari
- Director of the Center for Media and Democracy's Real Economy Project.
- Editor of the www.BanksterUSA.org
- Mary's most recent Huff Post article on ALEC actions
-
Mary's articles and Bio from Huffington Post:
Mary Bottari is the Director of the Center for Media and Democracy's Real Economy Project and editor of the www.BanksterUSA.org site for bank busting activists. She is an experienced policy wonk and public interest advocate. For the last ten years she has served as a senior analyst for the Washington, D.C.-based consumer group Public Citizen in its Global Trade Watch division. She has investigated and documented the impact of international trade agreements on public policy including in the areas of financial services, health care, toxics regulation, food safety, and the environment. Prior to her stint at Public Citizen, Mary was press secretary for U.S. Senator Russ Feingold and worked for many years in the Wisconsin State Senate. She has an M.A. from the University of Chicago and a B.A. from Bryn Mawr College. She lives in Madison, Wisconsin with her family. Her favorite Wisconsin cheese is Prairie Ridge Reserve.
April 10, 2013 Forum:
The Impact of Walker's Budget on Education
Speakers:
- Senator Chris Larson
- The WI Senate Democratic leader
- Senator Larson's home page.
-
Senator Larson's
statement on
Gov. Walker's Misplaced Education Priorities - Sen. Larson's weekly report
- Sen. Larson's report on Vouchers
Sen. Chris Larson
See part 2 here.
March 13, 2013 Forum:
The Importance of the Supreme Court Election
on April 2, 2013
Speakers:
- Rep. Janis Ringhand
-
Rep. for Wisconsin's 45th Assembly District
(Evansville, Broadhead) - Rep. Ringhand's website
-
Rep. for Wisconsin's 45th Assembly District
- Lisa Subeck
- Executive Director of United Wisconsin
- Lisa's United Wisconsin
bio:
Lisa has been active in state and local politics, both personally and professionally, for nearly 20 years. She is a graduate of University of Wisconsin – Madison, and most recently served as the Executive Director of a women's health organization fighting for reproductive justice. Previously, Lisa worked in the social services field focused on issues of poverty, homelessness, and affordable housing. She began her career in child care, working for several years with Head Start programs and also teaching technical college courses for child care providers. In addition to her position as Executive Director of United Wisconsin, Lisa currently serves on Madison's City Council.
Rep. Janis Ringhand
Lisa Subeck
Feb. 13, 2013 Forum:
Stopping the Proposed Taconite Mine
in the Penokee Range of Wisconsin
Speakers:
- Paula Albers
- Rock County Proggressive Steering Comittee member
- Former Montana resident with experience fighting the after effects of open pit mines
- Dave Blouin
-
Mining Committee Chair,
for the John Muir Chapter of the Sierra Club
Event co-sponsor:
Sierra Club - 4 Lakes Group
The Four Lakes Group is your local branch of the Sierra Club. We are an all volunteer organization dedicated to environmental education and conservation. We are one of nine Groups in the Wisconsin John Muir Chapter.
INFO (from the Sierra Club):
The company Gogebic Taconite (GTAC) purchased the mineral rights for a vast area in northwestern Wisconsin-- 21,000 acres along 22 miles of the beautiful Penokee Range in Ashland and Iron Counties. In 2011, GTAC proposed to build what could become the largest open-pit iron-ore mine in the world (4 1/2 miles long, 1.5 miles wide and up 1,000 feet deep) to extract taconite, a type of low-grade iron ore. Although they claimed to have no interest in circumventing Wisconsin's safe-guard mining laws, they ended up working behind the scenes for months to gut the same mining laws that they supposedly were not interested in changing. AB 426 demolished environmental safeguards related to mining, eliminated public input, reduced revenues to local communities, and rushed the permit review process.
Paula Albers
Dave Blouin part 1
See Dave Blouin part 2
See Q&A section.
Jan. 9, 2013 Forum:
Wisconsin's Healthcare Exchange
Speaker:
- Kathleen Vinehout
- Wisconsin State senator
- Check out her views on state issues
- Kathleen writes an article every month check it out here.
- Watch the RCP forum below (2 parts)
See part 2 here.
Jefferson
Calls Us to Action
You can find these words of
his inside the Memorial.
"I am not an advocate for frequent changes in laws and constitutions, but laws and institutions must go hand in hand with the progress of the human mind. As that becomes more developed, more enlightened, more discoveries are made, new truths discovered and manners and opinions change, with the change of circumstances, institutions must advance also to keep pace with the times. We might as well require a man to wear still the coat which fitted him when a boy, as civilized society to remain even under the regiment of their barbarous ancestors."