In this Newsletter

• Chair’s Message
• Upcoming Events
• ICYMI
• Volunteer Opportunities
• DAGR News and Views
• On our RADAR - DA Priorities

Dear friends,

We have ushered in the New Year 2025. I hope that the next twelve months will bring you and your families love, joy, money, and time to enjoy and to build. Plus, patience, hope, and eternal curiosity about the world we share.

This is my last Corner. Since 2008 I've done various tasks for Democrats Abroad, as database manager, media coordinator, Secretary, Counsel, Vice Chair and now as Chair.  I've done, as best I can, the things you've asked me for. Lots of us cast our votes from Greece. Now it's time for new ideas and energy.

You should have received an email from our nominations and elections committee giving a list of candidates for the 2025-2027 ExCom. There is still room to add your name as a candidate, and your ideas and energy are welcome. The vote will take place at our Annual General Meeting on Wednesday, January 29 at 6 pm.  I hope to see you there at the Demos Center in Plaka, or else online. We will cut our New Year's pitta and set a course for the years ahead.  

Thank you for your membership. Please continue to support Democrats Abroad Greece as one important element in a community of American citizens committed to the best ideals of both our countries.

Brady

Brady Kiesling
Chair, Democrats Abroad Greece

Saturday, JAN 04 - 15:00 EET
DPCA Town Hall - What is the DNC?
The Democratic National Committee’s new term and election of new Party Chair and leadership team will take place in February. To help us all understand what that means in action, Dems Abroad global leadership team will give an overview of the DNC and answer questions in what’s developing into a major web event. RSVP!

Wednesday, JAN 08 - 21:00 - 22:00 EET
Bluesky Social Storm Training
Join Field Team 6 for an hour of Bluesky how-to’s! Over 20 million have signed on to this platform, sick of the disinformation on Musk’s X/Twitter. Or just sick of Musk. Topics in this 1-hr webinar: How to create and set up a Bluesky account, find followers and enjoy the platform. RSVP to attend.

Monday, JAN 13 - 19:30 EET
DAGR ExCom Meeting
The Dems Abroad Greece board, aka ExCom, meets every month. Members are welcome to sit in and come up to speed on the many things your board has to handle. Get a leg up on upcoming events in planning, and much more. Reply on this email for the Zoom link.

Monday, JAN 20 - 19:00 EET
MLK Day Celebration
A lot of folks will not be tuning in to the crowning ceremony in DC on the 20th. Instead they’ll be celebrating the legacy left by true leaders, in this case, Martin Luther King. DA’s Global Black Caucus has a stellar program planned! RSVP for the link.

Sunday, JAN 26 - 17:00 EET
Monthly GBC Cafe
The Global Black Caucus Cafe starts up again, where members get together, talk about what's going on, make plans, and more. RSVP here.

Wednesday, JAN 29 - 18:00 EET sign in, 18:30 meeting starts
DAGR Annual General Meeting (AGM)
This is a DA country committee election year. The meeting will hybrid, that is, online as well as in-person at the Demos Center, 17 Ipitou Str. in Plaka, Athens. Watch for more information, announcements, formal calls for nominations, etc.  

And that’s not all …
See what other country committees and global caucuses are doing, on the DA website Events page.

President Biden Inducted into US Labor Dept’s Hall of Honor
Dec. 16, 2024 - "History will record Joe Biden as the most pro-worker, pro-union president this nation has had," Acting Secretary of Labor Julie Su said during the event honoring Biden, as she touted his more than 50 years of public service and contributions to improve working conditions and wages. 

An Unelected Tech Bro Has Taken Over America (w/ Heather Cox Richardson)
A super-well-informed and info-packed conversation: HCR in a Bullwark podcast with Tim Miller. They cover the ground, just a day or so before the CR was finally passed and the government was pulled back from the brink. Again. Also again, Elon Musk takes another beating here. It’s uncanny! He keeps saying the unbelievable part out loud. But, really, doesn’t it beg the question: Is Elon Musk a Democrat sleeper cell?

The Best Written Jimmy Carter Obit on the Web!
Columnist Robert Hubbell – no slouch in his own right! – recommends Heather Cox Richardson’s work up on Jimmy Carter, and we have to agree. It is long, straight from the heart and soul of democracy, and full of details you won’t find elsewhere. 

The Best Video Jimmy Carter Obit on the Web!
Maybe. We haven’t seen them all, but this early coverage with Wolf Blitzer is fine. It covers a wide range of Carter’s service both in and out of office. Blitzer thinks he’ll be most revered for his brokering of the Camp David Accords.

Travellin’ Music
Kate Smith introduced what became her signature song, “God Bless America,” in 1938, just as the US was shaking off the attempt by Nazi sympathizers to throw in with Hitler. Remember that infamous rally at Madison Square Garden that brought it back to mind in 2024? As WWII looked grim for the Allies, but before Pearl Harbor drew the US into the ‘hot war,’ Smith’s intro, linked above, was reprised in the 1943 docu-drama, This is the Army. Whether you’re God-fearing, Deity-denying or just Judgment-juggling in between, “God Bless America” recalls a time when such things seemed simple but were no less debated than now. It was, as now, generosity vs greed, equity vs disparity, democracy vs oligarchy, the many vs the few. It looks like a hard road ahead again, but, as before, the lady hasn’t sung yet!

Membership Clean-up
We just did a prodigious phone bank campaign before the elections. BUT, hey, it’s January, and we have to verify our membership. It’s another time we hit the phones and try to reach anyone we haven’t heard from in the last four years. Volunteers, experienced and new, are always welcome. Training provided! Also, it’s fun. Interested? Reply on this newsletter and Secretary Jan will hook you up. 

DAGR’s Statement on the death of former President Jimmy Carter
Addressing our deep sorrow at the death of a great man, this press release was sent out to Greek journalists and posted on the DAGR News Page on the DA website. Read it there if you missed it in the local press!

The Nation Brand of Greece
Published on eKathimerini, this is our Press Coordinator Alkman Granitisas’ take on the current image of Greece in the world view. Erudite, accurate. An insider’s view. Worth a closer look!

Engage Voters - #1 Hands Across the WatersA new short series on how we activate, compared to and in conjunction with our stateside counterparts, starts here. We’re hoping members will pick up the thread, see what they can do – a little or a lot – to get the word out, connect with allies in home states and abroad, and get this puppy back on the treadmill! 

DAGR’s Weekly Reader
Starts with December w1 and has weeks 2, 3, and 4 following. These are mostly the longer ones favored by political wonks (like us), but there are a few shorter videos mixed in. Have a look over each week’s offerings. And feel free to send us articles you think might fit here in the month ahead!

New Residency Based Tax Bill Introduced in the House of Representatives
Democrats Abroad has been advocating for tax fairness for Americans abroad for over a decade. In recent years, our Taxation Task Force has become even more focused on helping Congress members understand the needed corrections. The GOP is understandably eager to take credit and on Dec 17th filed a bill that DA and allied organizations have contributed to writing. Read the details, FAQs and more on the DA website.

History Lesson: Non-Citizen Voting
Billed as ‘AOC Was In DISBELIEF Over This MAGA Rep's Absurd Theory, Worst Of 2024,’ this video contains an excellent history of non-citizen voting by constitutional scholar and US Rep. Jamie Raskin. Raskin points out that non-citizen voting is prohibited at the federal, and ergo state, level, but is allowed and defensible at the local level (land use commissions, school boards, etc). In this case, Congress is looking at the 1/10th of 1% of DC voters who are registered permanent residents. A number of arguments are assayed here.

Earthjustice: Looking Back at 2024, a Year with Many Wins
If you like excellent photos, plus the chance to ‘click on and learn more,’ this one’s for you. Earthjustice, the public interest legal group for nature, wildlife, health and more has put together an online album of some major victories and a few losses. Founded as a branch of the Sierra Club, Earthjustice’s slogan is: Because the Earth needs a good lawyer. They’re not the only one, but they’re one of the best.

The Little-Known Federal Agency That’s Primed to Crack Down on Dissent
The Federal Protective Service, created to guard federal buildings, has broad powers and inadequate limitations. It was already used in 45’s first term to crack down on dissent. Op-ed, by Spencer Reynolds, Senior Counsel, Brennan Center for Justice, Liberty and National Security Program, Dec 9, 2024. Consider yourself forewarned.

New California Laws for 2025
A good wrap-up of new state laws with commentary from politicians and impacted business & labor reps and a few consumers. It would be wonderful if we had this for every state, although a few of the red states would turn into marathon docu-dramas. Still, California is bigger than a lot of countries, and what state laws demand there often have economic repercussions that cause other states to follow. One to watch!

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That’s it. Fast away the old year passed. And the one ahead looks to be a challenge, too. But as our best leaders have shown in the past, the measure of what we do depends on where we stand when times are a little tougher than we’d like. It’s up to us to carry on the tradition!

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Better yet? Get on board, apply your skills and energy, and help lead the way to the future we all hope for!