Activist Report on how the Texas Democratic Party Resolution passed
It is final in Texas. The MAI is not welcome here!
On Saturday, November 14, 1998, in Austin, Texas, the Democratic Party SDEC (State Democratic Executive Committee) passed the attached resolution opposing the MAI.
To my knowledge, the Texas Democratic Party is the first political party passing a resolution opposing the MAI. If anyone knows information to the contrary, please inform me.
I owe much gratitude to Dr. Campbell Read, Professor of Statistical Sciences at SMU, for drafting the Resolution Opposing the MAI. After he did so, I brought it before my local voting precinct convention, before the electoral district convention, and subsequently the state Democratic Party Convention in San Antonio, TX in June, 1998. It passed after much "shepherding" and lobbying by me. I learned so much about our political process during the pursuit of passage of this resolution. I also have to thank John Duke, a fellow North Texas Alliance for Democracy member, who "held my hand" during the state convention process. Thank you both Campbell and John.
I spent all day "lobbying" the members of the resolutions committee at the state convention for passage of the resolution and was successful in getting it passed through the committee. The resolution did not make it before the general assembly at the state convention, (the convention was adjourned early before all resolutions could be brought to a floor vote) and was therefore referred to the SDEC for vote at the meeting in Austin on November 14th. I was determined to not let this effort, and further exposure of the MAI, die it's potential death.
I made some calls to the state party office in Austin prior to the SDEC meeting and found support from Mary Morey, who educated me in how to get support from the SDEC committee members. Thank you Mary Morey. As you can see, the effort involved many individuals, all willing to assist me in my effort.
I found a "friend" on the SDEC Resolutions Committee and he brought the resolution to a vote at the meeting, after all resolutions were tabled at the meeting.
Thank you once again to Darby Riley, of San Antonio, Texas, a leader of the Texas Green Democrats. Darby informed me in our conversation last Friday evening, the eve of the SDEC meeting, he had just read David Korten's "When Corporations Rule the World". An instant rapport was inherent in our ensuing communication.
I truly learned a lot about our democracy during this experience and found that if one human being is determined to make a difference, it is possible to do so within our current system, even though it seems the odds are against success and the cards are stacked against us. Additionally, I found as I suspected, many rather knowledgable and astute individuals (already working within the system), had no idea of MAI and what it is about. So, I facilitated their education to the issue of MAI and its threats to our democracy, our sovereignty, labor rights, environment, small business programs and human rights.
Thanks to all of you who were key in our Dallas MAI Conference, our MAI website, and to all who are working so intensely on the defeat of the MAI.