Concerned about our democracy? Join us on Wednesday, January 13, at 7 pm for a Zoom meeting to learn why we need to pay serious attention to Republicans’ proposed amendments to our state Constitution. These will be on the ballot this year during a general election, possibly as early as May. Like most people, you probably ignored the Public Notices of these initiatives (called “Joint Resolutions”) when they appeared in full-page announcements on the first of August, September, and October in our local paper.

In a September op-ed in the Observer Reporter, Washington attorney Gary Stout declared that the Pennsylvania Republicans’ proposed Constitutional amendments are “entirely political and that their implications are profound.” One is a “brazen Republican attempt to gain additional power through the judiciary” and another seeks to strip the Governor of important powers. Together they would alter the balance of power among the different branches of state government. And they would do nothing to improve state government or the health and welfare of Pennsylvania citizens.

We are privileged to have Constitutional law expert Christine Kellett walk us through these dangerous proposed amendments in our January meetup. A retired professor from Dickinson School of Law at Penn State, she will help us become informed voters. Her synopsis of the amendments will be helpful to review before/during the meet-up.

What can you do to improve the chances of returning citizens, to help them become productive members of society? Attend an information breakfast on January 28th, snow date January 30th. The “Coming Home” breakfast will present information about the barriers that cause folks to return to jail, and about ways that local groups are already helping to prevent this. We are a county rich in people who care, from court and corrections officials to social service groups and volunteers. Like our neighbors in Franklin and other counties, we can pull together to form a ReEntry Coalition in order to better coordinate this help. Come on the 28th to hear what is possible for the future, and to better understand what is needed, as we hear from a panel of those who have experienced both the barriers and the successes of their return to society.

The free Coming Home Breakfast will take place from 7:30 to 9:00 am on 1/28/2020, snow date 1/30, at the 911 Emergency Services Building, at 230 Greenamyer Lane in Gettysburg, 17325. Please register so that your full breakfast will be waiting for you, either by going online at https://forms.gle/BvQayNLYd5UrrxbX9 or by emailing Chad Collie at chadcollie1@gmail.com or Dennis Murphy at murphtones72@comcast.net In this New Year we can indeed make music in the heart.

BACKGROUND:

In Adams County we do indeed “release the prisoner” in the New Year. In fact every month returning citizens are released from the Adams County Adult Correctional Complex (ACACC). In November, 151 people returned to Adams County from jail. But what help do they receive in order to give them, and all of us, a better chance of their not returning to jail? It matters profoundly to those directly affected. A return to jail drains the spirit and the income of local families. It also drains each of us as taxpayers, who pay $81 a day for the incarceration or reincarceration of our fellow citizens. So far this year, ACACC has held an average of 322 people daily. Last year, we as taxpayers covered the cost of a total of 116,830 inmate days. It is in everyone’s best interest to reduce the high rate at which people return to jail. Those who return to illegal drugs or crime reduce public safety, as well as leading to an additional drain on the public purse, on themselves, and on their families. And frequently, people return to jail because of non-criminal parole violations. Lack of access to reliable transportation can cause someone to violate parole by losing their job, or by missing a probation appointment. Lack of access to affordable housing, or the inability to find a job, or to get needed treatment, are all things that put people at risk of reoffending.

Don’t forget the DFA potluck at Valentine Hall at the Seminary, at 5:30 p.m. on December 4. Join us for an evening of eating, reunion, thinking back about 2019, and looking forward to 2020.

As usual, we will also use the event as a chance to help the less fortunate. Everyone is encouraged to bring a gift bag of personal care items that families trying to transition from poverty to self sufficiency need. Any of the following items would be most appreciated.

Diapers

Sanitary underwear and pads

Tampons

Toilet paper

Bar soap

Deodorant

Tooth paste

Shampoo

Conditioner

Hand soap

Lotion

Dish soap

Laundry detergent

Fabric softener sheets

Bleach

Paper towels

All-purpose cleaner

Trash bags

Disposable razors

“Poverty in Adams County: Causes, Consequences and Climbing Out” will be the topic of a roundtable discussion among community leaders on Wednesday, November 6 at 7:00 PM in Valentine Hall at the United Lutheran Seminary in Gettysburg.  Gettysburg Democracy for America and the South Central Community Action Agency (SCCAP) are cohosting the event.  The public is encouraged to attend.

Panelists for the evening include Megan Shreve, Director of SCCAP; Yeimi Gagliardi from Manos Unidas; Bill Gilmartin, from the Housing Authority; Harriet Marritz from the Prison Society; and Jenine Weaver, a Poverty Initiative team member.  Gettysburg DFA member and Poverty Initiative leader Leon Reed will moderate the discussion.

“Over a third of Adams County residents do not earn enough to afford the basic necessities,” Reed commented. “There aren’t enough jobs that pay a living wage and rental housing is scarce. Lack of access to affordable child care, transportation, and other factors add to the challenges of being poor. Recognizing these problems is an important step toward beginning to address them.”

Join us at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, October 2 at United Lutheran Seminary for an evening of talking about redistricting!

• Tom Deloe will provide information on the bills currently before the General Assembly and the latest status on their progress through committees.

• Justin Villere, of Draw the Lines, will discuss the PA Redistricting Reform Commissions report.

• Justin will also brief us on Draw the Lines, the mapping software (DistrictBuilder), lead us in a demonstration of District Builder (on the large auditorium screen), answer questions, and assist those who have brought their laptops and have questions.  

Draw the Lines is the type of cutting edge mapping software that political pros use to gerrymander. This demonstration shows how easily gerrymandering can be done and how the data embedded in the mapping software makes it such a potent tool.

If you also want to try your hand at drawing a map, bring your laptop! It’s easy!

Gettysburg Rising is sponsoring a chat with Environmental Studies Professor Dr. Rudd Platt on Thursday September 12 from 6:30-7:30 at the Sterner Building at the Gettysburg Rec Park.

The brand new film Paris to Pittsburgh is an energetic look at what states and municipalities are doing to keep the US on track with the Paris Accords on climate. It’s an inspiring and hopeful film, full of practical ideas for making progress.

The Human Element looks at the work of National Geographic photographer James Balog. This film documents the already occurring impact of climate change on Americans across the country. If you have not seen it, this is an opportunity not to be missed, especially on the big screen in Joseph Theater. First year seminar students, new to the film, will be the primary audience, but the public is invited to attend as well.

On Sunday, August 4, the Creation Care Task Force of St. James Lutheran Church and Green Gettysburg are hosting a team of four climate scientists from Climate Up Close (https://www.climateupclose.org/). They will be speaking both at St. James (corner of York and Stratton) and the Unitarian Universalists of Gettysburg (136 South Stratton Street.) The four presenters are graduate students and fellows from Princeton, Harvard and UC Berkely who are spending the summer traveling the United States talking with communities about climate science.

From 9:30-10:30 a.m. they will be presenting at St. James. Then, at 12:15 the conversation will continue as they join us at a pot-luck lunch at UUG and lead a discussion on “how to talk about climate change in rural communities.”

The public—and Gettysburg DFA members, especially—are encouraged to participate in both events. Please come and bring a friend!

On Sunday, August 4, the Creation Care Task Force of St. James Lutheran Church and Green Gettysburg are hosting a team of four climate scientists from Climate Up Close (https://www.climateupclose.org/). They will be speaking both at St. James (corner of York and Stratton) and the Unitarian Universalists of Gettysburg (136 South Stratton Street.) The four presenters are graduate students and fellows from Princeton, Harvard and UC Berkely who are spending the summer traveling the United States talking with communities about climate science.

From 9:30-10:30 a.m. they will be presenting at St. James. Then, at 12:15 the conversation will continue as they join us at a pot-luck lunch at UUG and lead a discussion on “how to talk about climate change in rural communities.”

The public—and Gettysburg DFA members, especially—are encouraged to participate in both events. Please come and bring a friend!

If you missed The Human Element, the powerful documentary about the already occurring impact of climate change on everyday Americans, when we showed it here in Gettysburg, you can catch it now on two different days at the Brethren Home Complex near New Oxford.  Sponsored by the Peace and Justice Committee there at the Brethren Home, the film will be shown on Tuesday, June 11 at 10:00 AM and Wednesday, June 12 at 1:00 PM in the Encore Room in the Harmony Apartments on the Brethren Home campus.

To arrive at the Harmony Apartments, turn right off of Route 30 at Cross Keys (directly opposite the McDonalds on the left) and proceed about a hundred yards to Harmony Drive and turn right again. On your left you will see The Harmony Apartments.  Look for a large wooden canopy and park nearby. The entrance is through the canopy to the Encore Room where the film is being shown.

If you missed The Human Element, the powerful documentary about the already occurring impact of climate change on everyday Americans, when we showed it here in Gettysburg, you can catch it now on two different days at the Brethren Home Complex near New Oxford.  Sponsored by the Peace and Justice Committee there at the Brethren Home, the film will be shown on Tuesday, June 11 at 10:00 AM and Wednesday, June 12 at 1:00 PM in the Encore Room in the Harmony Apartments on the Brethren Home campus.

To arrive at the Harmony Apartments, turn right off of Route 30 at Cross Keys (directly opposite the McDonalds on the left) and proceed about a hundred yards to Harmony Drive and turn right again. On your left you will see The Harmony Apartments.  Look for a large wooden canopy and park nearby. The entrance is through the canopy to the Encore Room where the film is being shown.

Gettysburg DFA, Gettysburg Rising, Green Gettysburg and the St. James Lutheran Church Creation Care Task force are sponsoring a panel on “The Plastics Problem: Where do we go from here?” on Wednesday, June 5 at 7:00 PM in the auditorium at Valentine Hall at the United Lutheran Seminary.  Bicky Redman, a senior analyst for the Adams County planning office  will be the featured speaker along with Jenny Dumont, chair of Rising Above Plastic, Gettysburg Rising’s effort to curb single-use plastics in the borough of Gettysburg, and Emily Kurtz, a Gettysburg College biology and environmental studies major who is serving as a summer intern with Green Gettysburg. 

As many people across the country and here in our own county have begun to realize, plastics break up before they break down and persist in the environment as smaller and smaller particles easily consumed by fish and birds. Toxic chemicals of all kinds are often hitchhikers on these micro-particles and end up in the food chain, potentially consumed by humans in fresh water fish and sea food of various kinds.

Among the questions we will be asking: How can we reduce the impact of single-use plastic—bags, cups, straws and more—on our streams, rivers, oceans and landscape?  Can a different approach to recycling help?  What role should government play? What can consumers and citizens do,  here and now, to keep harmful plastics out of the natural world?

After a brief presentation by each panelist, a discussion focused on next steps for action on the plastics problem will be facilitated by Gettysburg DFA Chair Will Lane.

The Gettysburg Green Gathering will take place at the Gettysburg Rec Park off Long Lane on Saturday, June 1 from 11:30-3:30 PM.  This event is a “gathering of local musicians, food vendors and environmental educators promoting environmental stewardship.”  It is also a lot fun!  A great place to meet bee keepers and worm wranglers bent on reinventing America agriculture.  Green Gettysburg will have a table there.  Please come see us!

Please join us for a free map-a-thon at Harrisburg Area Community College-Gettysburg Campus (731 Old Harrisburg Road, meet in the Commons Area for pizza/snacks).

We will use the HACC Computer Lab to learn how to draw Congressional maps and enter them in our Spring and Fall semester contests. Prizes up to $5,000 for each of three categories (secondary students, college, and adult).

Register at  www.drawthelinespa.org (go to events).

This semesters contest closes on May 31, 2019, so there is ample time to draw maps and enter them. You can enter as an individual, with teams, or from a school class.

If you want to participate to see what this is like, please do so. We can also arrange for a map-a-thon at computer labs in schools, either in class or after school, early in the Fall semester. This will give the students time to learn about redistricting/gerrymandering, drawing maps, and entering the contest.

(Gettysburg College is doing a map-a-thon on April 18, but this is for the College community only)

If you have any questions, please email jcooper1973@comcast.net).

Will recent cuts in funding force the closure of the Emergency Family Shelter in Gettysburg?  What would the impact of a closure be on area social services?  What can be done to better address the problem of homelessness in Adams County?

To address these and other questions, Gettysburg Democracy for America welcomes Megan Shreve, Director of SCCAP, and CARES board member Chris Kellet to the auditorium in Valentine Hall at the United Lutheran Seminary on Wednesday, April 3 at 7:00 PM. 

“SCCAP is trying to figure out how to keep our Emergency Family Shelter open despite the 74% cut to shelter funding, but that may not be possible,” according  to Shreve. “Our community must figure out how we will deal with homelessness. The real answer is housing, but with so little affordable housing available, it is likely that we will see more homeless families not less until we, as a community, figure this out.”

The closure of the shelter, or further cuts to its ability to serve the community, could have a severe impact. "If SCCAP closes its doors, our community is in a pickle,”  commented CARES board member Kellet. Drawing on support from area churches, Gettysburg CARES provides cold weather shelter and a Resource Center for its guests. “CARES has been running full since the first of the year,” Kellet continued. “If the SCCAP shelter is forced to cut services further, we are not sure how we will cope.” 

Information on what area residents can do to help address these issues will be provided in a discussion following the presentation.

The Human Element focuses on the work of Jame Balog, a longtime photographer for National Geographic who has documented the impact of climate change on Americans across the country: fisherman in the Chesapeake Bay whose island home is disappearing under rising water, firefighters in the west, coal miners in the east, and children in many places suffering from chronic asthma. More information on the film is available at https://thehumanelementmovie.com/

The showing of the film will also be the occasion of a reboot of Green Gettysburg, a local effort to support the work of existing environmental organizations in the community and to help them better connect with one another. Green Gettysburg will also focus on advocating for action on climate change and on practical problem solving on environmental issues.

Gettysburg Democracy for America brings several local office-holders to Valentine Hall at the United Lutheran Seminary on Wednesday, February 6 at 7:00 PM to::

• Reflect on their own experience and the issues that motivated them to run

• Help us motivate others to consider running

• Provide information to these potential candidates about what they need to do in order to run and what they are likely to experience as candidates and office holders

Panelists currently include: Commissioner Marty Qually,  Borough Council President Susan Naugle, Borough Council Member Patti Lawson, and Sara Laird, Political Action Coordinator of the Adams County Democratic Party.

See you there!

Gettysburg DFA's annual holiday gathering is coming up soon on Wednesday, December 5 at 6:00 PM in the cafe behind the auditorium in Valentine Hall on the United Lutheran Seminary campus.

Please come and bring a dish to share: casserole, meat, salad, or dessert. Please also include any necessary serving utensils. Plates, forks, spoons, napkins, cups, iced tea, water will be provided. Feel free to bring wine, etc. to share and of course your shopping bag of goodies for SCCAP. Like last year, there is a great need for personal and household items not covered by food stamps.

SCCAP Director Megan Shreve will be with us to offer brief remarks, and Will Lane will say a few words about what DFA members have accomplished over the course of this year. We will also be honoring retiring DFA steering committee members Lou and Pat Hammann.

Please join us on the 5th as we share food and drink and strengthen ourselves for the year ahead.

On Wednesday evening, November 14, Gettysburg Rising and Gettysburg DFA are co-sponsoring a program on the Trump Administration’s recently proposed changes to existing “Public Charge” policy. The new rules are intended to create fear in immigrant communities—fear of being cut off from the path to citizenship if they make use of any safety net programs including food, healthcare, and housing. Many recently arrived immigrants depend on such services to give them their start in this country. Lawful immigrants and mixed-status families are specially at risk. 

We have an opportunity to stop these rule changes, but we need to come together now. The program, open to the public, begins at 7 pm in Classroom 206 of Valentine Hall at the United Lutheran Seminary in Gettysburg. Yeimi Gagliardi of Healthy Adams County and the Latino Task Force will be speaking, and the program will include instructions on how to write and submit a public comment on proposed rule changes. The deadline for submission is December 10. Bring a pen or pencil, and we will supply the paper for practice.

Entrance to Valentine Hall on Seminary Ridge is in the rear of the building, where there is a parking lot most easily accessed from Spring Street. Signs will be posted to direct you from the entrance to Classroom 206.

No matter how it turns out when the votes are counted, starting on November 6th, it’s likely that you will not have absorbed it all 24 hours after the first polls close. DFA will host a “first impressions” discussion about the 2018 election at its November meetup.

This is one you won’t want to miss. DFA members Bill Gilmartin and Leon Reed, both veterans of Capitol Hill, will host a lively discussion of what happened in the 2018 election and what these results suggest for the future. They will give factual reports on topics such as: 

• Which party will control the House and Senate? 

• Who won important races such as the Florida and Georgia governor’s races, the Texas Senate race, etc.?

• How did George Scott and Brent Ottaway do in their races for Congress? 

They will also analyze trends that could affect public policy in the next two years as well as future elections, such as:

• What accounted for the election result? Was it turnout? Which categories of voters did or didn’t turn out? (If information is available, we will look in particular at key demographics such as young voters, suburban women, Latinos, white males over 50, and African American women).

• Whichever party controls the House and Senate, what are the implications of this continuity or change in control? Who will chair key committees? What issues are they likely to pursue?

• How did first-time women candidates do as a whole and what does this suggest about future elections?

All too often, network coverage neglects election returns at the state level. Yet the results in Harrisburg – and Madison, Tallahassee, Austin, Columbus, and Richmond – affect vital issues such as funding for schools, roads, and rural broadband; who’s eligible to vote; and, starting with the candidates elected this year, how election districts get drawn.  DFA’s meetup will also report on vital state election results in Pennsylvania and around the country.

The November meetup will start at 7 pm on Wednesday, November 7 and will be held in Room 206 in Valentine Hall at United Lutheran Seminary.

The Adams County Democratic Committee is honoring Elaine Jones with our 2018 “Heroes Among Us Award” to be presented on October 27th at the Refectory of Lutheran Theological Seminary, located at 148 Seminary Ridge in Gettysburg.

Starting at 6:30 PM, featuring a more informal setting than a dinner, with stations of delicious foods by Biggerstaff Catering throughout the room;  you may bring your own alcoholic beverages for your group or to share.

Musical entertainment by well-known local artist Ray Owen; Keynote speaker Nancy Mills Patton, Chair of PA Democratic Party;

Invited candidates: John Fetterman, Brent Ottaway, Marty Qually & Matt Nelson.

Elaine Jones

• Founding member of the Interfaith Center for Peace and Justice

• Founding member of the Family Planning and Health Center of Adams County

• Founding member and long-term Chair of the local Democracy for America group

• Former president and current member of Upper Adams School Board

• Recipient of the PA School Boards Association Timothy Alwin Advocacy Award

• Active for many years with Adams County Democratic Committee, serving as Vice Chair and originating the 21st Century Leadership Circle as a major fundraising effort of the Committee

• Often called a “force of nature” because of her skills at debate, public speaking, and fundraising.

Deadline to reserve your space at the Democratic Committee Fall Fundraiser is Saturday, October 20! Don't miss out on a wonderful evening with Nancy Patton Mills, PA Democratic Party Chair. Our own Elaine Jones will receive the 2018 Hero Among Us award this year.

Reserve your seat at adamsdemocrats.com.

Please take two hours out of your evenings and attend this upcoming debate.  It’s one of the most important contributions you can make in these final weeks leading into the election, and a chance to hear Matt Nelson and his opponent.    

Wear a button or a sticker or some other insignia to identify yourself as a Democratic supporter of the candidates – look for others so identified and sit with them – give our candidates friendly faces in the crowd!

You do not have to speak at debates – one new volunteer thought she had to have questions to ask in order to attend – you simply attend and applaud our candidates and be that visible Democratic presence! 

Questions are almost always determined in advance by the moderator, but there may be opportunity for attendees to submit written questions for consideration – optional, not mandatory.

Adams County Democrats 

Please take two hours out of your evenings and attend this upcoming debate.  It’s one of the most important contributions you can make in these final weeks leading into the election, and a chance to hear Marty Qually and his opponent..    

Wear a button or a sticker or some other insignia to identify yourself as a Democratic supporter of the candidates – look for others so identified and sit with them – give our candidates friendly faces in the crowd!

You do not have to speak at debates – one new volunteer thought she had to have questions to ask in order to attend – you simply attend and applaud our candidates and be that visible Democratic presence! 

Questions are almost always determined in advance by the moderator, but there may be opportunity for attendees to submit written questions for consideration – optional, not mandatory.

 Adams County Democrats

Please take two hours out of your evenings and attend this upcoming debate.  It’s one of the most important contributions you can make in these final weeks leading into the election, and a chance to hear Brent Ottaway and his opponent.    

Wear a button or a sticker or some other insignia to identify yourself as a Democratic supporter of the candidates – look for others so identified and sit with them – give our candidates friendly faces in the crowd!

You do not have to speak at debates – one new volunteer thought she had to have questions to ask in order to attend – you simply attend and applaud our candidates and be that visible Democratic presence! 

Questions are almost always determined in advance by the moderator, but there may be opportunity for attendees to submit written questions for consideration – optional, not mandatory.

Adams County Democrats

Sponsored by Gettysburg Rising. The two candidates for the PA House 91st District, Dan Moul (R) and Marty Qually (D) will be present, along with Matt Nelson (D) for the 193rd. The Republican candidate for the 193rd, Torren Ecker, has been invited but has not confirmed his attendance at this time. Be an informed voter on November 6th!

Gettysburg Democracy for America brings three Democratic candidates to Valentine Hall at the United Lutheran Seminary on Wednesday, October 3 at 7:00 PM for a conversation about what’s at stake in the coming election.  Bill Gilmartin, retired congressional legislative aid and chair of Gettysburg DFA’s Government Accountability Task Force, will moderate the program.

Candidates include Brent Ottaway, who is running for Congress against Dr. John Joyce in the newly formed 13th Congressional District;  Adams County Commissioner Marty Qually, who is running against State Representative Dan Moul in the 91rd District; and Matt Nelson, Democratic candidate in the 193rd.

After remarks from each candidate, Bill Gilmartin will take questions from the audience and moderate a discussion with the candidates.  

We’re hoping for a conversation that will allow us to go a little deeper into the issues that we often can in candidate forums.  Please come and bring your questions!

Participants in skills workshops learn how to communicate more effectively with people holding political views different from their own. These workshops provide instruction and practice in listening to others and in speaking in ways that encourage others to listen to them. This skills workshop is open to the public but requires preregistration. Anyone wishing to attend should send an email to kerr@polifactsncivility.com.

Better Angels, which developed the red-blue and skills workshops, is a national citizens' movement uniting red and blue Americans in a working alliance to depolarize America. The organization’s website (www.better-angels.org) explains: “As individuals, we try to understand the other side's point of view, even if we don't agree. In our communities, we engage those we disagree with, looking for common ground and ways to work together. In politics we support principles that bring us together rather than divide us.”

Join us to hear from Congressional candidate Brent Ottaway (D), who is running for the new PA 13th District. We have also invited his Republican opponent, Dr. James Joyce, who has yet to confirm his attendance.