February 04, 2005
Greet our glorious leader this afternoon
UPDATE: There is now one demonstration - at Curtis Hixon Park. FCAN is part of this one along with many other groups.
At least two demonstrations will be happening in Tampa this afternoon as W arrives to sell his plan to kill Social Security. Details follow:
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MoveOn.org:
Democrats in congress are standing united against George W. Bush's plan to cut benefits in order to pay for private accounts, and Bush is getting nervous. So after his State of the Union address, the President will launch a divide and conquer approach by trying to break Democratic ranks through a five state PR tour of red states with Democratic Senators.
This week we must show that the people of Florida will not be divided, and will not be deceived by the President's plan to jeopardize Social Security. Our friends at USACTION are organizing a rally in Tampa to counter Bush's visits, and have asked MoveOn members to join them.
The details for the rally are below.
WHEN:
Friday, February 4
4:30PM, Arrive at 3:30PM
WHERE:
Curtis Hixon Park , 600 N. Ashley St., between Polk St. & Zack St.
The park is on the Hillsborough River in downtown Tampa
Directions: from I-275 take the Downtown - West / a.k.a. Ashley St. / Tampa St. exit.
Bear right at fork of Ashley & Tampa Streets; go past Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center, past light at Cass St., & Tampa Library.
Park is before Tampa Art Museum. Park & these 3 venues will all be on your right.
Parking is available in Poe Garage next to the park, as well as surface parking in the North downtown area.
Curtis Hixon Park is 8 blocks north on Ashley St. from Tampa Convention Center venue where President Bush will speak at 6:00 p.m.
In order to be sure the rally has a clear, consistent message, signs will be handed out at the event. For the best press coverage, the organizers have asked you use these these rather than bring your own.
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FCAN:
BUSH in Tampa, FL at 6:05 PM: Bush will participate in a conversation on Social Security reform at the Tampa Convention Center, Tampa, Florida, before returning back to Washington. [White House, 1/30/05]
President Bush will be in Tampa this Friday afternoon to push his Social Security privatization scheme. Please pass the word. FCAN is coordinating with local allies like AFL-CIO, ACORN, AFSCME (and other groups whose names don't start with an "A") to put together a press event Friday, at which a new report on SS will be released, and stage a MASS demonstration in downtown Tampa near the Tampa Convention Center venue where Bush will speak at 6:00 p.m. Tentative plans are to hold our rally at 4:30 p.m. Friday at Lykes Gaslight Park, corner of Kennedy & Franklin, 4 blocks from the convention center. (See details for MoveOn.org above - FCAN has joined.)
Here's where you come in: we need to quickly let every progressive, Democrat, and all those just generally suspicious of Bush's plan to privatize our Social Security know what's going on, and what we're doing. We need your help this week to get a massive turnout Friday afternoon to show the nation that President Bush does not have the support of Floridians to do away with our Social Security.
Even if preservation of Social Security is not your top priority issue, recognize that it is now the #1 priority for Bush. A show of force here & now will go a long ways to demonstrate the opposition is large and organized, keeping those on the fence on the side of maintaining the most successful anti-poverty government program ever created. There is no crisis - it's just another fabricated threat, like WMD's. A defeat for Bush here could really hurt his ability to push the rest of his agenda in his 2nd term.
Let's get together this week to mark the beginning of the end of the Bush administration. Let's defend Social Security and turn George W. Bush into a lame duck, several years early. This Friday in Tampa, the lines are drawn between those who believe in "me" or "we the people". You can help now to get the people out to show where the majority stand.
To find out how you can help, call us at 813-877-6712. If we're tied up on another line & don't answer, leave your name, number & email address, and we'll get with you right away. Thanks - looking forward to working with you in what can become, with your help, a historic moment in Florida!
Philip Compton
Program Organizer
Florida Consumer Action Network & FCAN Foundation
2005 Pan Am Circle, Ste. 200
Tampa, FL 33607
813-877-6712
fax: 813-877-6651
