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Build-A-Meme Project:  Meetup Follow-up

That’s all it was, just the nine of us.  One married middle-aged couple, four thirty-something men, a middle-aged mother and her college-aged daughter, and yours truly.

 

But man, was it intense!!  When was the last time you met with eight other people who felt exactly the same way you did???  Doesn’t happen often, that’s for sure, at least not in this neck of the woods!!!  So very nice to meet with folks who were against this war in Iraq, who are concerned about our economic future and our Constitutional rights, who are as scared about the prospects for future health care, who really feel that we need a big change in 2004 or we’ll be in a serious world of hurt.

 

After learning a little about our individual reasons for supporting Dean and sharing our beefs with the current administration, we are now ready to start to build momentum and start working on deliverables:

 

·         Each of us agreed we would bring two more people with them to the next Meetup, at a minimum.

·         We agreed to vote on the venue through Meetup.com.

·         We’re also going to try to stimulate local interest by wearing our Dean buttons and t-shirts.

 

 

And of course, dopey me, I agreed to do a little more stuff for the cause, like:

 

·         write a letter to the editor local newspaper acknowledging the attendees, thanking them, and encouraging more attendees for the next Meetup;

·         create a website for this local group of Dean-ites (Dean-ies?  What are we? Hmm…)

·         blog about the Meetup and other local activities

 

Yeah, pretty grassroots stuff.  Not rocket science so far, no demographics studies or lobbying Super Delegates in person.  Doesn’t sound really glamorous at all.

 

But then, look where grassroots efforts have gotten Mr. Dean so far; hitting the “trifecta” this week with covers of Newsweek, TIME and U.S. News and World Report is a pretty good indication of the momentum built to date.  Seeing Howard on CNN in the afternoon following an interview in the morning on the Today Show isn’t too shabby, either.  The message is starting to catch on in a big way.

 

It’s nice to actually go to bed this evening thinking there might be a light at the end of the tunnel after all.

 

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What can you do?

 

If you’re just curious, be sure to check out the Dean for America website and Dean’s blog; you could also check out the next Meetup on 03-SEP-03.

 

If you think you’d like to help, check out the action items my fellow Dean Meetup members and I have agreed to tackle.  You’re needed to do the same thing in your locale.

 

If you just want to talk about it for now because you’re still undecided, feel free to drop a comment here or join us in the Freedom 2004 Forums.  Be glad to hear from you; exploring all the issues is vital to our vision of removing George Bush from office in 2004.

 

And by all means, if you're firmly behind another candidate, contact their campaign and do what you can to support them.  Register to vote, too, if you haven't done so.  It's the American Way -- exercise your rights before someone takes them away from you!

 

  11:23:29 PM    comment []

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Build-A-Meme Project:  Meetup Tonight!!!

 

Yup, I’m going to my first Meetup tonight – going to join other registered participants who’re supporting Dean for America.  There’s only nine of us in the area that are reserved for this event; wonder who might show up that isn’t reserved?

 

I’ll be sure to blog about the outcome of tonight’s Meetup.  Could be a lot of fun; as of noon today there were 78,000 attendees reserved for 561 Meetups being held across the U.S. this evening.  This is sure to be a more exciting event in other locations and venues.  Will you be there?  Would you like to?  Check it out!  Maybe I’ll see you there!

 

If you aren’t going to a Meetup, what are you doing these days for the cause?  What are you working on these days to help remove Bush from office in 2004?  Drop us a note either here in comments or over at the Freedom 2004 Forums, fill us in!

 

  5:01:47 PM    comment []

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Post-9/11 Intrauterine Growth Retardation: Flawed Study?

 

CNN features an article today on a study that noted an increase in the number of below-normal birth weights affecting infants born to women who lived near the WTC site following 9/11.

 

Admittedly, I’ve not read the study in its entirety.  But I am puzzled that the study could make the conclusion that air pollution from the WTC site alone was responsible for the increased incidence of  intrauterine growth retardation (IUGR).

 

The article pointedly says, “Stress, age and cigarette smoking were ruled out as other potential factors”, yet maternal stress and cigarette smoking are both known IUGR agents.

 

How could maternal stress be ruled out at all among any of the mothers within ½ miles of the WTC site?  Even women far away from NYC and even New York State felt stress following 9/11; how could the researchers rule out a factor that was incredibly immense and most likely highly disruptive to the subject mothers’ living conditions for months immediately following 9/11?  Were not many of the people living in the immediate area of the WTC barred from entering the area for weeks and months after 9/11?  Would this not have reduced exposure to some degree while increasing maternal stress?

 

How could cigarette smoke be completely ruled out?  The 9/11 attacks took place before cigarette smoking in public venues (like restaurants) had been outlawed by local government; it would have been pervasive in a densely populated area like NYC.  Are we to believe that the mothers studied were never exposed to cigarette smoke during their pregnancies, that they might not have had additional exposures due to stress or poor local conditions post-9/11?  Are we to believe that cigarette-smoking mothers under the enormity of stress post-9/11 would have smoked less?  This is not a small issue since it is estimated that cigarette smoke is causal in 40% of IUGR cases.

 

Not mentioned in this article are miscarriage and stillborn death rates as well as stillborn IUGR rates.  Data on these outcomes would also be important to the overall conclusion.

 

A possible flaw in either the study or the article is the definition of IUGR.  This syndrome is a collection of traits or defects, not limited to low birth weight (LBW); documentation of the types of  traits/defects present among the affected infants might also provide a better indication of the actual cause.

 

It’s not that I don’t believe that air quality near the WTC site wasn’t contributory; I’m not convinced yet that it was the primary cause of increased IUGR.  Until I actually read the study for myself, I’ll be very skeptical.

 

  12:12:26 PM    comment []