The star of NBC’s Heroes Hayden Panettiere and U.S. “Shadow” Senator encourage DC taxpayers to “think inside the box” and support the DC Statehood Delegation Fund via their District of Columbia tax filings this year.You can see the video here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f8dR7rqrEGA

Apparently she starting lobbying Strauss about the need to save the whales, and he was supportive but reminded her that he couldn’t vote. So she agreed to do this. She’s my hero!

If you don’t live in DC, but still want to help you can donate to the Free and Equal DC Fund here: https://secure.actblue.com/contribute/entity/18798

I just got the news this morning that true fighter for DC voting rights, and for all progressive causes, Mike Shor, died of a heart attack in New Mexico over the weekend. Mike was a really great person and I wish we all had more time with him. I’ll always the remember the encouragement he gave me (and the rest of the group I was leading) last summer during our Hill visits to lobby for the DC Voting Rights Act. He was full of sound advise, delivered in his unique soft-spoken approach. Each of our lobby visits were stronger because of this…and that’s just one of dozens of stories about his impact that we’ll hear more of in the coming days.

One of the great things about the role I play as Shadow Representative is that I’ve meet so many wonderful people I otherwise would have not had the opportunity to get to know. Mike was definitely one of those people. We’re all better after knowing a guy like Mike — he’ll be sorely missed.

Below is some more information from Kesh Ladduwahetty, of DC for Democracy:

Our dear friend and colleague, Mike Shor, died of a heart attack this weekend in Taos, New Mexico. He was struck down in full stride. When I last spoke with Mike about a week ago, he was having a whale of a time skiing and enjoying fine southwestern cuisine. It’s very, very hard to imagine he’s gone.

There is no replacing Mike. I first met him in 2004, when he was training Howard Dean supporters on door-to-door canvassing for the DC primary. After DC for Democracy was founded in 2005, Mike became my closest comrade in grassroots politics, as well as my very dear friend. His stature in our small community of grassroots activists is difficult to exaggerate. A founding member of DC for Dean, DC for Democracy, and most recently, DC for Obama, he thought on a grand level, and he backed up those big ideas with tactical brilliance and unequalled stamina. His passing leaves a void that will be felt for a very long time.

No one of us can do justice to Mike’s memory; we will have to pool our efforts. Our meetup this Wednesday, April 2nd will be the first opportunity for many of us who knew and loved Mike to meet since his passing. We will accordingly devote the latter part of the meetup to a collective remembrance. As usual, we will meet in the back room of Ben’s Chili Bowl at 1213 U Street. Please note that the meetup will start at 7:30PM, a little later than usual. Our main topic of discussion at the meetup will be our plans for the presidential primary campaign (more on that very soon).

If you would like to make a suggestion regarding our meetup, please email us at dcfordemocracy@gmail.com

If you would like to send a card or gift to Mike’s family, please mail to the following address:

Mike Shor c/o Susan Clampitt
13 9th Street, SE
Washington, DC 20003

A memorial service for Mike is expected sometime in May, and we will let you know the details as they emerge. And rest assured, we will remain in close touch with Irmgard Hunt, Mike’s longtime partner, to give her the help and support that she needs in this difficult time.

Sincerely,
Kesh Ladduwahetty
Chair

This is from my friends at DC Vote. Personally, I’d rather throw Mitch McConnell in the Potomac River, but I’d likely get tossed in the clink for that. This does look like fun though, I’ll certainly be there:

DC Vote Tea Party: The Revolution is Still Brewing

Join DC Vote as we commemorate the 234th Anniversary of the Boston Tea Party by calling for an end to Taxation Without Representation.

When: Sunday, December 16, 1:30 - 2:30 PM

Where: Georgetown Waterfront Park

What: Rally, speeches, and a reenactment of the Boston Tea Party

Plus, free tea bags that say ‘End Taxation Without Representation.’

According to our friends at DC Vote, Senator Lieberman has announced that the mark-up in the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs will very likely be Wednesday, June 13 at 10:00 AM in 342 Dirksen. This information is subject to change, so check back for updates.

They also ask to keep up pressure on Senator Susan Collins from Maine, as she is seen as a swing vote on the committee. How Collins votes on this bill next week will be very telling on a number of levels.

First, she’s seen as a very “gettable” Republican, so it will be an instant barometer of support from moderate GOP Senators - as will the votes of Warner, Voinovich and Coleman. So, if you know anyone in Maine, please send them to http://www.freeandequaldc.com

Second, it will say a lot about the actual clout Senator Lieberman has on this bill. Lieberman has endorsed Collins for re-election in 2008 over Maine Democratic Congressman Tom Allen (who did vote for the bill in the House and has been a friend to the District). If Lieberman can’t deliver Collin’s vote, then it calls into question what votes he can actually deliver. On this issue, Lieberman is a good friend to have, so let’s hope he can close the deal on some GOP members.

See you at the hearing next week….

I’m swamped today, so I’m just lifting this right off of DCist.com as there is no need to re-invent the wheel….thanks guys

After passing the House and getting a hearing in the Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee last week, The D.C. Voting Rights Act moves to the Senate Judiciary Committee tomorrow. The committee has scheduled a full hearing on Wednesday called “Ending Taxation Without Representation: The Constitutionality of S.1257,” which will address, natch, the constitutionality of the bill. Sen. Russ Feingold (D-WI), chairman of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution, is a supporter of the bill and will preside over the hearing.

Tomorrow’s hearing is scheduled to begin at 1:30 p.m. in room 226 of the Dirksen Senate Office Building – which means if you’re willing to take a late lunch, you could be there to lend your support for the legislation that would grant a full voting member in the House to the District of Columbia, and an additional member for Utah. There’s a long list of witnesses set to testify: Rep. Chris Cannon (R-UT), D.C. Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton, Mark Shurtleff, Attorney General of the State of Utah, Richard Bress, an attorney at Latham & Watkins, John Elwood, Deputy Assistant Attorney General in the Office of Legal Counsel for DOJ, Charles J. Ogletree, Harvard Law School professor, Kenneth R. Thomas from Congressional Research Service, Jonathan Turley, George Washington University Law School professor, and Patricia Wald, a Former Chief Judge for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit.