[Imc-chicago-audio] David Swanson -- can anyone record Tuesday evening?

[Mitchell Szczepanczyk]

FYI.  Rita is looking to see if we can get a recording of the speech 
tomorrow night for Chicago Indymedia radio.  Is anyone planning to 
record?  Can anyone record?

Rita Sand wrote:
> Mitchell--Here is the info about the event and Swanson's new book.
> Dale Lehman is a member of the group sponsoring the event.  I have put
> in a call and email to see if he is going to be there and tape it
> anyway.  I have yet to hear back from him.
>
> --Rita
>
> Chicago, IL
> February 23, 2010
> 7 p.m. - 9:30 p.m.
> Northwestern University, the Evanston Campus
> The Tech Institute on 2145 Sheridan Road, First Floor, Lecture Room No. 2.
> SPONSORED BY: Neighbors for Peace
> CONTACT THE ORGANIZER:
> Karen Pallist
> pallist3 at gmail dot com
>
>  New Book: Daybreak: Undoing the Imperial Presidency and Forming a More
> Perfect Union
>
> BOOK TOPIC: Daybreak is a prescription for political reform that
> literally ends with a to-do list for citizens, and draws inspiration
> from the misdeeds and missteps of the Bush and Obama presidencies. What
> powers were stripped from Congress and handed to the White House while
> George W. Bush lived there, and what would it take to permanently move
> them back? Which of these powers is Barack Obama making use of or even
> expanding upon? And in the future, how can we expand our rights, create
> democratic representation in Congress, and make presidents into
> executives rather than emperors? This is a citizens' guide to the
> long-term task of removing power from the hands of one person, placing
> it in a body of representatives, and (here's the hard part) making that
> body truly representative of the American people. Swanson's analysis
> makes clear that the imperial presidency, which advanced so dramatically
> during the Bush-Cheney era, will not be stopped merely by electing
> better presidents. Major structural changes are needed in our system of
> government to rein in both the imperial presidency and, at the same
> time, the presidential empire. Only through the active efforts of
> citizens, Swanson argues, can we restore and protect our rights, and
> expand our conception of political rights to meet new challenges.
>
> AUTHOR BIO: David Swanson is the author of the new bestselling book
> "Daybreak: Undoing the Imperial Presidency and Forming a More Perfect
> Union" by Seven Stories Press and of the introduction to "The 35
> Articles of Impeachment and the Case for Prosecuting George W. Bush"
> published by Feral House and available at Amazon.com. Swanson holds a
> master's degree in philosophy from the University of Virginia. He has
> worked as a newspaper reporter and as a communications director, with
> jobs including press secretary for Dennis Kucinich's 2004 presidential
> campaign, media coordinator for the International Labor Communications
> Association, and three years as communications coordinator for ACORN,
> the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now. Swanson is
> Co-Founder of AfterDowningStreet.org, creator of ConvictBushCheney.org
> and Washington Director of Democrats.com, a board member of Progressive
> Democrats of America, the Backbone Campaign, and Voters for Peace. Full
> bio here.
>
> PRAISE: "David Swanson's Daybreak impressively exposes all the ways our
> government has changed for the worse under the Bush administration, and
> makes clear that we need to do far more than elect a new president to
> see our tattered Democracy restored." -- Vincent Bugliosi, author,
> former federal prosecutor
>
> "Daybreak offers a powerful and compelling picture of what real change
> in America could look like. The world needs more true advocates of
> democracy like David Swanson!" -- Thom Hartmann, Author, The Last Hours
> of Ancient Sunlight
>
> "David Swanson's masterful exposure of the emergence of a monarch-like
> president coupled with an effete, irresponsible, and constitutionally
> ignorant Congress is well worth the price of admission. An aroused
> public with a litmus test of honoring the Constitution is urgently
> needed to prevent the Republic from capsizing." -- Bruce Fein, Associate
> Deputy Attorney General under President Reagan
>
> "Daybreak is an eyeopener about how our nation was hijacked by the Bush
> administration and how much repair work we, as citizens, must do. David
> Swanson, who has been a one-man wonder leading the charge for
> accountability, writes a compelling narrative that inspires not just
> outrage, but ACTION." --Medea Benjamin, CoFounder of Code Pink and
> Global Exchange
>
> "David Swanson is the most thoughtful, determined, and energetic
> progressive activist in America, and one of the most important voices of
> his generation. He's also a unique bridge between traditional real-world
> organizing and the brand new world of online activism. His combination
> of cheerful organizing, passionate speaking, and brilliant blogging is
> an inspiration to everyone who craves a more just, peaceful, and
> sustainable world." -- Bob Fertik, President of Democrats.com
>
> "In this important book, David Swanson carefully documents the myriad
> ways in which Bush-Cheney has amassed unprecedented imperial power,
> while Congress has abdicated its constitutional duty to check and
> balance the executive. A useful guide to restore the balance of powers
> and reclaim our constitutional system of government." -- Marjorie Cohn,
> President of National Lawyers Guild
>
> "Our times cry out for a smart, witty and courageous Populist who hasn’t
> forgotten how to play offense. Luckily we have David Swanson." -- Mike
> Ferner, National President of Veterans For Peace, author of "Inside the
> Red Zone: A Veteran For Peace Reports from Iraq."
>
> "Swanson has been an indefatigable commentator and activist tirelessly
> advocating for the dismantling of the imperial presidency and the
> restoration of the principles of our Constitution. His energy and
> passion are infectious, as is his cogent reasoning. 'Daybreak' urgently
> reminds us that good political intentions are not sufficient to ensure
> the continuation of our democracy; informed vigilance is vital to that
> task." -- Mark Karlin, Editor and Publisher, BuzzFlash.com
>
> "If Tom Jefferson were with us today, he would be saying that we still
> must burst the chains of monkish ignorance and superstition and break
> the bindings that strangle our liberty. But Jefferson - like Paine - is
> gone. So it falls to another from Virginia to sound the signal for a
> rising on behalf of the republic and our own freedom. That man is David
> Swanson, and this remarkable book is his - and America's - call to
> arms." -- John Nichols, from the Introduction
>
> "David Swanson writes faster than anyone I know, and is always worth
> reading. He wields a wicked pen (well, technically a wicked keyboard), a
> la Swift or Twain. He thinks with precision and intelligence, with the
> powerful logic of an undefeated chess-playing computer program. He is
> fearless, speaking truth to both power all the time. He bears daily
> witness to the decomposition of our would-be democracy, and he carries
> that same crusading spirit into this book. Read it. Buy it for your
> friends, especially your younger ones. Get together and argue about it.
> Ask John Stewart and Stephen Colbert to have him on their shows. Because
> a better world is still possible, and to get there, a more democratic
> America is necessary." -- Steve Cobble
>
> "There have now been many books written which chronicle the imperial,
> lawless presidency of the Bush era, but Swanson’s superb new book --
> Daybreak: Undoing the Imperial Presidency and Forming a More Perfect
> Union -- is one of the very few to examine how we can recover from it
> and reverse its pernicious trends. Many Bush books, given the horrific
> subject matter, have been dark and gloomy, even somewhat depressing.  To
> be sure, there are parts of Swanson's book that documents in gruesome
> detail all of the liberties abridged and damage done during the last
> eight years.  This book also does not shy away from highlighting those
> areas in which the Obama presidency has, much to the dismay of many,
> come to replicate some (though by no means all) of the worst Bush
> abuses.  But Daybreak is far more uplifting and inspiring than virtually
> any other book in its genre, as it devotes itself to laying out a
> detailed plan for how American citizens -- through the activism to which
> he has devoted himself -- can bring about a rejuvenation of our
> political values." -- Glenn Greenwald
>