As you may have noticed from a few of our recent blog entries, we are in the midst of our annual Fall Fundraising Campaign.  This year's campaign is especially important, because the work we do these next couple months will determine whether we are able to meet the ambitious goals we set for ourselves three years ago to increase the size and capacity of our organization.  Chief among these goals was to increase our membership from ~2,000 members to 5,000 members, and in increase our  grassroots fundraising to $200,000 a year by the end of 2007.  These changes would allow for us to become a much larger political force in the state, especially when we push for good legislation in Frankfort.

We have since met incremental goals in the last two years, vastly expanding our member and fundraising base, building up our final push this year.  Our Fall Fundraising Campaign this year will include a mailing to all of our members, asking for a donation beyond their normal membership dues.  We will also be hosting a number of house parties and friendraisers around the state. 

We urge anyone who wants to agrees with our vision to make a donation of whatever you can afford to Kentuckians for the Commonwealth.  Tell your friends about our work, encourage them to become members also.  Our strength grows with each new member.  Let's go to Frankfort next year with 5,000 members at our backs!
 

Our ally Appalshop filmed some of the testimony by KFTC members from the Stream Buffer Zone rule change hearing last Wednesday.  Take a moment to watch some of them.  They are relatively short, but quite powerful.

"I came from Central Kentucky, but I have friends here from Eastern Kentucky from Jefferson County from all of our chapter areas.  We came a long way to be here tonight.  We are all in opposition to this rule change.  We are in this with our hearts."

KFTC members from all 10 chapter areas came out in force to oppose proposed changes to the Stream Buffer Zone rule at a public hearing held by the Office of Surface Mining (OSM) on October 24th in Hazard, KY.

135 people attended the hearing to make and listen to public comments on the Bush Administration’s proposed rule change.   Simultaneous hearings were held in the coal producing states of West Virginia, Pennsylvania and Tennessee.  Virginia was denied a hearing. This was the only opportunity residents of coalfield states had to address OSM officials personally and make public comments.  KFTC members took the opportunity to not only oppose the Stream Buffer Zone rule but raise concerns over mountaintop removal mining and general stream health in Kentucky.

Of the 135 people in attendance, 34  people spoke.  29 of those were comments from people that opposed the change to the Stream Buffer Zone and 27 of those voices of opposition came from KFTC members!

KFTC would like to recognize and thank our members who made public comments:   Russell Oliver,  Ellis Keyes, Wallace McMullens, Beverly May, Rick Handshoe, Carl Shoupe, Jeff Chapman-Crane, Lyle Snyder, Jason Strange, Gregg Wagner, Paul Flemming, Cari Moore, McKinley Sumner, Roy Silver, Teri Blanton, Herb E. Smith, Pam Maggard, Barbara Bailey, Susan Williams, Whit Forrester, Erica Urias, Brenda Urias, John Roark, Truman Hurt, Ka'Seana Jones, Doug Doerrfeld.  And we'd like to thank the many others who came in car loads and bus loads from Eastern Kentucky, Louisville, Berea and Lexington to show their support!

It was a great night, but action is still needed!  Visit our Stream Buffer Zone pages to learn how you can take action by submitting a written comment to the OSM before November 23rd and writing a letter to the editor of your local paper on the importance of protecting Kentucky's headwaters and mountains!

Last weekend the Jefferson County Chapter held an open house at their new office in Butchertown to meet with their neighbors and introduce them to KFTC.  Here is a report from Jessica G.:

The Louisville Open House was really amazing. We had tons of free chili (with grass-fed, all natural, local beef and organic ingredients from a local health food store that was prepared by the locally acclaimed chef program at the Salvation Army), pimento cheese and crackers (from a local butchertown deli that uses local cheese), Havana Cola (a local Butchertown Cola company that uses natural ingredients) and coffee from a Butchertown coffeeshop (Jackson's Organic Coffee). We also had a Latin musician, a Folk musican, a Hip-Hop artist and a bluegrass band. We had booths and information from allies, Local Butchertown artists sold their stuff, we had a Greese Car that served as the street blockade, a flameworking glass demonstration and a Cornhole Tournament with a trophy.

We raised about $450 in memberships and merch sales and signed up 14 new members. There was a really good mix of people who were already members who just wanted to see the office and local Butchertown folks who we met at their door. Several people raved about the Voter Guide.

We've uploaded some photos of the open house that you can look at here.  We hope to have some more up soon.

View more photos from the BBQ

Harlan County KFTC members raised $1,400  and recruited 27 new members at a KFTC Bar-B-Q grassroots fundraiser on Saturday.  Benny Massey fixed some great food and music was provided by Benny, Ann Schertz and John Craft along with others.  Ann and Benny were joined by Carl Shoupe and Roy Silver on stage to talk about why they joined KFTC and what the KFTC chapter is doing in the community.  Approximately 75 people came out and had a great time.  Many thanks to the Harlan County KFTC Chapter for a great event!

Despite falling on a dreary, rainy day, the Concert For The Commonwealth was a big hit on the University of Kentucky's campus last night. 

Around 150 students came out over the course of the evening to enjoy great bands, free food, great company, and to learn about local issues from grassroots campus and community organizations.

“I’m really pleased with how this turned out… I’m happy so many people came out despite the cold and rain,” said UK KFTC member Jessica Bookout.

Organizations that helped bring the event together included the Latino American Student Organization, Amnesty International, WRFL 88.1, UK Student Government, UK Green Thumb, Transy Progress, and the Catholic Newman Center. 

Acts included The Sepia Tones, Charlie Denison & Friends, Hambone, Fitch Lane, Eyes and Arms of Smoke, and The Dialectics.

“The music rocked… it just rocked,” remarked KFTC member Danny Cotton. “It’s so great to see so many bands coming out and playing for free for a good cause.”

Outcomes of the event included recruiting 40 new KFTC Members and passing out over a hundred KFTC Voter Guides about the Election on November 6th. 

One of the most impressive things about the membership recruitment work that night was the degree to which around ten Members intentionally struck up conversations and made great asks to join to a handful of people each. 

UK KFTC members say they’re interested in having another Concert For The Commonwealth concert next year and that they learned a lot from planning this one.

“I expect the state to do what you are hired to do,” Floyd County resident Dolvin Ratliff told representatives from the Miller Brothers Coal Company and the Division of Mine Reclamation and Enforcement (DMRE) during a permit hearing on Wednesday.

Supporting Ratliff at the hearing were 20 KFTC members in attendance who also gave personal testimonies about coal company abuses and lack of enforcement by local inspectors.

The hearing held at the DMRE office in Prestonsburg was in response to a new amendment to an existing permit on the west side of Route 7. The permit would increase the size of one valley fill and add two new valley fills to an existing Miller Brothers mountaintop removal operation. This amendment moves the operation down the west side of Raccoon Creek and is near where KFTC members Dolvin and Charlene Ratliff live.

Floyd County KFTC members took the opportunity to ask the DMRE and Miller Brothers directly why their complaints were not being heard by the company or the state. To date, there have been countless complaints about blasting, dust, mud and ashes from burning tires, but zero violations have been issued.

Barbara Bailey, a KFTC member from Raccoon Valley told the group that what she once considered her “paradise” has turned into “a danger zone.”  She reported problems with dust and harassment from coal truck drivers.  Rick Handshoe of Hueysville asked what progress had been made on complaints and violations in his neighborhood.

Dolvin Rattlif told the DMRE that community complaints are falling on deaf ears with reports of  inspectors telling community members to stop complaining about blasting. In two cases, state inspectors told both Dolvin and KFTC member Lowell Shepherd that the state will no longer respond to their complaints about blasting. Ratliff said this will not keep him from speaking the truth, “I’m a pastor and I do not lie.  I will not give up my salvation for a lie.”   He then took the coal company to task, “And this is to the coal company- you don’t have my property and you’re not going to get my property.”

KFTC members in Floyd County left the hearing determined to keep speaking out until their complaints are answered and violations issued. Read more about this and other Floyd County updates in the next balancing the scales.

UK student  KFTC members are organizing a huge concert set for next Tuesday with lots of ally organizations, music acts, free Kentucky food, fun, and a chance to get involved in democracy!

Co-sponsoring organizations include Kentuckians For The Commonwealth, Green Thumb, Amnesty International, UK Newman Center, Latino American Student Organization, Transy Progress, UK Student Government, WRFL, and others

There will be a variety of musical acts, including:

• The Sepia Tones

• Richard Becker

• Charlie Denison & Friends

• Hambone

• Fitch Lane

• Eyes and Arms of Smoke

• The Dialectics

Come out and join us for a fun evening! 

Watch a slideshow of the weekend's photos here

We've recently uploaded a bunch of photos from our Annual Membership Meeting to our Flickr account.  It was a really successful weekend with over one hundred members attending.  Many of our members stepped up to help lead workshops or participate in panel discussions.  The silent auction raised a lot of money towards our grassroots fund raising goals.  And the weather was beautiful.  All in all, it was an exciting weekend of fellowship and skills building.

We've been hard at work these past couple weeks surveying the candidates running for Governor and the other statewide executive offices in this year's election.  As a result of our efforts we've received responses from all but two of the campaigns.  All of the questions and the candidate's responses have been put up on KentuckyElection.org for anyone to read. 

We surveyed them on a wide range of topics important to Kentuckians from mountaintop removal to immigration to tax reform to felon disenfranchisement.  If you want to know more about the candidates and their stances on the issues KentuckyElection.org is a great place to start. 

Also, please take a moment to tell your friends and family about the website.