THREE Sweet Victories in California battling Citizens United.
I'm taking a much needed break from DU these days but since I've been involved with the 99Rise! Movement (these are the guys that marched almost 500 miles from Los Angeles to Sacramento) and began posting a few weeks back about our efforts, I wanted to give everyone an update (they're not covering this in the mainstream media).
The three bills that we were advocating have ALL PASSED in California State Legislature! ALL OF THEM!:
AJR1, the formal call for a federal Constitutional Convention to propose an Amendment outlawing big money corruption (California was the second state, behind Vermont, to pass a call for a Convention)
SB1272, letting Californians vote to instruct Congress & our CA legislature to propose & ratify such an Amendment
SB52, the DISCLOSE ACT, to start to require top donors to be prominently reveled in every political ad they fund.
Here is the letter that was sent out to all the activists:
After the vote, after 480 miles of marching, 12 days of occupation, 47 arrests, and 3 legislative wins, we gathered to announce the end of the #SACsitin. We celebrated our victories and shared a vision for where we go from here. I want to share those things with you and invite you to join our celebration.
When we set out from Los Angeles 48 days ago, we were determined to make the sacrifice of walking almost 500 miles across California, occupying our state capitol for days, and going to jail because we believed it would do two things. First, we believed our bold action would challenge our elected leaders to acknowledge and act to end the crisis of corruption. The journey was indeed very difficult, the sacrifice real - marked by pain, stress, and fatigue - but our faith in its power has been dramatically confirmed by win after win.
The very first day after our arrival rally & first sit-in at the Capitol, California became the 2nd state in the union to pass a resolution calling for an Article V Convention to propose a money-out 28th Amendment. In the 1st week of our occupation, we joined other democracy activists in filling a hearing room with our bodies & stories and a once-uncertain committee passed the California Disclose Act. And on Monday, as we stood watch in the gallery and held high the new symbol of our movement - one finger raised high, signifying "one person, one vote" political equality - the Assembly passed SB1272.
Over the course of our occupation and this series of successful votes, we met with a growing show of solidarity and respect from California's elected leaders. One by one, legislators came down from their offices to meet with us in the rotunda and voice their gratitude & support for our cause. Yesterday, in a very rare exception to strict scheduling practices, the Governor's office arranged a meeting for us to share our story and demands with senior staff. Finally, today, as the Senate voted to send SB1272 to the Governor's desk, Senator Ted Lieu stood on the Senate floor and raised his finger in the air in beautiful, common cause with our movement.
These victories are significant, even historic steps toward reform. But, tonight we celebrate also the victory of a dramatically strengthened movement. Indeed, we marched and occupied not only to move our leaders but also for a second and in some ways much more important purpose: to move you, our supporters, and the public. We know that our ultimate victory - a 28th Amendment and federal legislation that abolish the relationship between economic wealth and political power once and for all - will only come through a nationwide mass movement of nonviolent civil resistance.
As we end the occupation today, we do so with thousands of new supporters, dozens of empowered new leaders and allies, and an untold number of citizens newly aware of both the crisis of corruption and a growing movement determined to end it. Help us celebrate this victory and spread the good news of hope and a rising movement by sharing this graphic right now.
As we go forward from this day, we are determined to build on this moment by empowering those who walked with us, joined the occupation, or were inspired by it - wherever you are - to lead your own marches, your own campaigns. Stay tuned. Soon we will announce new training opportunities and bold next steps. For tonight, we thank you for your support and celebrate a hard-won, sweet victory.
Join us in celebrating and sharing the good news.
With hope,
Kai & the 99Rise family
http://www.99rise.org/
THIS is what Democracy looks like and THIS is how it's done. Tired of the status quo? Then DO something about it.
LTH
= new reply since forum marked as read
See your posts! Thank you.
Love, Peace and Shelter.
littlemissmartypants
Congratulations to all of you! Now that is putting your feet where your mouth is.
Democracy is a verb!
Have a great 4th of July! 
