Outside the Ballot Box
Election 2004 & Beyond

Author Forum and Discussion
October 16, 2004 — Arlington, Va.

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(Aired on Saturday, October 23 at 4:30 p.m E.S.T.)

Featured speakers:

Mickey Z., author of The Seven Deadly Spins: Exposing the Lies Behind War Propaganda (Common Courage Press)

Elaine Cassel, author of The War on Civil Liberties: How Bush and Ashcroft Have Dismantled the Bill of Rights (Lawrence Hill Books)

Mark Andersen, author of All the Power: Revolution Without Illusion (Akashic Books)

"Too many people mistakenly believe either that it is not possible for any degree of civic energy to affect the powers that be, or that it takes multitudes and a great disruption of regular living practices to do so."
— Ralph Nader, Crashing the Party

Three panelists — each a dynamic speaker and author of a recent book — will examine many issues related to the current election season, including the Anybody But Bush voting strategy, the two-party political monopoly, and the benefits and pitfalls of participation in the electoral process. The panelists also will focus on strategies for social change outside the voting booth.

The forum, which promises to go beyond the political clichés used by television and newspaper pundits every election season, also will feature an extensive question-and-answer session with the audience, along with special guests.

Admission is free to the event.

Where: Lyon Park Community Center, 414 North Fillmore Street, Arlington, Va. The center is a five-minute drive from Washington, D.C., and a 10-minute walk from the Clarendon Metro station in the heart of Arlington.

When: Saturday, October 16, 2004. Doors open at 4:30 p.m. for book sales and signings. Forum begins at 5 p.m. Refreshments and discussion will follow forum around 7:30 p.m.

"Our democracy is but a name. We vote? What does that mean? It means that we choose between two bodies of real, though not avowed, autocrats. We choose between Tweedledum and Tweedledee."
— Helen Keller

More about the panelists:

Mickey ZMickey Z., a New York City-based writer of books, essays and poetry and astute observer of the American political and social scene. Mickey is the author of four books, including his latest, The Seven Deadly Spins: Exposing the Lies Behind War Propaganda. He's an engaging and witty speaker who promises to entertain as well as challenge your most firmly held political beliefs. He has a website at MickeyZ.net.

What people are saying about Mickey Z.:

"Acerbic wit and dogged interrogation of accepted wisdom...matches Chomsky in breadth of source material and in the scalding heat of his moral outrage..." — New Internationalist

"Iconoclastic and bold..." — Howard Zinn

"How can one be so sweet and yet so fierce?" — Sander Hicks, founder of Soft Skull Press


Elaine CasselElaine Cassel, law professor, practicing D.C.-area attorney and author of the new book, The War on Civil Liberties: How Bush and Ashcroft Have Dismantled the Bill of Rights. Cassel is a popular legal commentator, who writes regularly for online publications, including Counterpunch and her own website, Civil Liberties Watch.

What people are saying about Elaine Cassel:

"In clear, accessible language, Elaine Cassel shows how this assault on constitutional law affects everyone — not just Arabs, Muslims, immigrants, anti-war activists, and all the usual suspects — and alerts readers as to what they can do to defend our freedoms." — Roger Lancaster, author of The Trouble With Nature

"In the wake of 9/11, many Americans have been willing to sacrifice some of their freedoms in exchange for national security. But in this edifying volume, Cassel, a practicing attorney and law professor, contends that the Bush administration has eroded our rights without necessarily making us safer. Offering sharp critiques of the Patriot and Homeland Security Acts, Cassel argues that Bush and Ashcroft have dangerously curtailed Americans' freedom of speech and religion, their right to a fair trial, and their protection from torture and unreasonable search and seizure. She astutely criticizes the 'continued expansion of the word terrorism,' which now encompasses, she says, 'any opponent of government policy.' She also provides numerous examples of the Bush administration's use of secrecy, declaring that 'secret evidence and secret trials are the most dangerous threats to our civil liberties' --the stuff of despotism not democracy." — Publishers Weekly, 9/20/2004

"Elaine … is a hero of mine." — Press Action reader


Mark AndersenMark Andersen, a prominent Washington, D.C. political and social activist and author of the new book, All the Power: Revolution Without Illusion. Andersen also is co-author of Dance of Days: Two Decades of Punk in the Nation’s Capital and co-founder of the Positive Force music and activist collective in the D.C. area. He is outreach coordinator for Emmaus Services for the Aging, an advocacy group that assists inner-city seniors in Washington, D.C.

What people are saying about Mark Andersen:

"Mark Andersen is the living Holden Caulfield, committed to making the world a better place for all its children." — Elaine Brown, former chairman of the Black Panther Party

"Mark's decency and vision are both appealing and effective in suggesting practical strategies to make systemic change." — Heather Booth, Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee

"Mark's alternative is to believe in the country, to believe in the flawed middle class, and to believe in the radical punk rock scene that gave him his most profound arena in which to be an activist." — Jennifer Baumgardner, author, editor and activist

Top 10 Reason to Attend:

  1. Challenge your political beliefs.
  2. Learn new things.
  3. Meet authors committed to social change.
  4. Share your views.
  5. Enjoy Clarendon's street festival on Oct. 16th.
  6. Discover artist John Aaron's Arlington Museum of Mondern ARF, which will be showing an exhibit "Breaking the Silence II: Questioning Power Now More Than Ever".
  7. Demonstrate your solidarity at the Million Worker March in D.C. the next day.
  8. Get Extra Credit for AP Government.
  9. Eat at great restaurants in Arlington.
  10. Support Press Action and independent thinking.


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