Democrats, retreating on troop withdrawal, impeachment, don't deserve votes in 2008

Green Party of the United States
www.gp.org

Thursday, July 26, 2007

Contacts:
Scott McLarty, Media Coordinator, 202-518-5624, mclarty@greens.org
Starlene Rankin, Media Coordinator, 916-995-3805, starlene@gp.org

By refusing to impeach, Democrats acquiesce to Bush-Cheney high crimes and misdemeanors, say Greens. Greens criticize Congress's silence on Bush executive order criminalizing antiwar protest and demand repeal of the order

WASHINGTON, DC -- Green Party leaders reaffirmed the party's support for impeachment of President Bush and Vice President Cheney and demand for immediate withdrawal of US forces from Iraq, and sharply criticized Democratic Party leaders for retreating on impeachment and troop withdrawal.

Greens also demanded that Congress act to repeal President Bush's July 17 executive order titled "Blocking Property of Certain Persons Who Threaten Stabilization Efforts in Iraq," which effectively outlaws antiwar protest by allowing the White House to confiscate the financial assets of anyone who openly opposes the war.



* Carl Romanelli, Pennsylvania Green candidate for the US Senate in 2006: "Democrats are pretending to be the party of opposition to the Bush agenda. They have pretended to oppose the war, while joining Republicans in Congress to pass recent legislation for renewed war funding. They refuse to consider impeachment for the Bush Administration's numerous high crimes and misdemeanors. Much of the Bush agenda will remain in place even if Democrats retake the White House and prevail again in Congress in 2008. The only hope for changing the political direction of our country is for the Green Party to advance, with a few Green victories for congressional seats. Voters who support troop withdrawal and impeachment are throwing away their votes if they vote Democrat in 2008."


* Daniel Brezenoff, Green candidate for Congress in California's 37th District <http://www.danielforcongress.com>: "House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and other top Democrats have opposed the Iraq War only in their rhetoric. They've ignored widespread public demands for a rapid pullout of US troops, and only favor bills for delayed withdrawal plans and leaving some troops in Iraq to protect US interests. Democratic leaders have endorsed benchmarks like passage of the Iraqi oil law, which would place 2/3 of Iraq's oil resources under the control of ExxonMobil, ChevronTexaco, BP, and other western corporations. Rep. Pelosi and her fellow Dems know that these companies will need a strong US military presence in Iraq as they plunder Iraq's oil reserves. Greens have declared their support for Iraqi labor unions and the tens of thousands of Iraqis calling for defeat of the oil law and an end to the US occupation."


* Sedinam Kinamo Christin Moyowasifza-Curry, Green vice presidential hopeful for 2008: "Despite direct entreaties by Cindy Sheehan, Greens, and other antiwar Americans, Rep. John Conyers [Mich.], Rep. Nancy Pelosi [Calif.], and other Democratic leaders are refusing to initiate impeachment proceedings against President Bush and Vice President Cheney. Democrats are rebuffing the call to hold Bush and Cheney accountable for some of the most worst abuses of power in US history. The Democrats' refusal to impeach can only mean acquiescence to the Bush-Cheney-Rove crimes. That's why we Greens have taken the lead, on projects like the opening of the National Impeachment Center in Los Angeles <http://www.gp.org/press/states/ca/ca_2007_07_18.shtml>, to ensure the American people have a place, program, and plan to get heard. Some Green Party members have joined Cindy Sheehan in peaceful civil disobedience, for which they were arrested on Monday. In December, 2006, the Green Party endorsed an impeachment motion introduced in the House by Rep. Cynthia McKinney [D-Ga.] <http://www.gp.org/press/pr_2006_12_11.shtml>."


* Peter L. Thottam, Executive Director of the Los Angeles National Impeachment Center <http://www.bcimpeach.com>, former Green candidate for the California Assembly: "The National Impeachment Center is appalled by Speaker Pelosi's and Congressman Conyers' categorical rejection of a growing majority of American voters, a majority of whom are now insisting that Congress fulfill its constitutional oversight responsibilities and begin immediate hearings on impeaching Bush and Cheney. We are now calling upon American citizens everywhere not to fund or support support any elected officials who do not support HR 333 and/or the impeachment of Bush and Cheney."


* Kristen Olson, co-chair of the Green Party of the United States: "Why have Congress members who claim to oppose the Iraq War remained silent on President Bush's July 17 executive order giving the White House the authority to confiscate the assets of whoever engages in antiwar activity? The order potentially criminalizes anyone who protests the war. For instance, language targeting of persons who undermine "efforts to promote economic reconstruction" can be used against anyone who criticizes the Iraq oil law, enabling the pillage of Iraqi oil by US and UK oil companies. The executive order is a vicious assault on the US Constitution. We demand that Congress act to overturn the order immediately."

MORE INFORMATION

Green Party of the United States
http://www.gp.org
202-319-7191, 866-41GREEN
Fax 202-319-7193
o Green Party News Center http://www.gp.org/newscenter.shtml
o Green Party Speakers Bureau http://www.gp.org/speakers
o 2007 national Green Party meeting in Reading, Pa.: video footage, blog and media coverage http://www.gp.org/meeting2007/

Green Party Peace Action Committee (GPAX)
http://www.gp.org/committees/peace/

Presidential Executive Order: Blocking Property of Certain Persons Who Threaten Stabilization Efforts in Iraq
http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2007/07/20070717-3.html
http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2007/07/20070717-4.html

"Iraq War is Impeachable, Not Just a 'Strategic Blunder'"
Green Party press release, February 20, 2007
http://www.gp.org/press/pr_2007_02_20.shtml

Impeachment resolution passed at Green Party National Meeting, July 2003
http://www.gp.org/position/st_2003_07_impeach.shtml

"Impeachment now -- as a defensive tactic"
By Alan Kobrin [Florida Green Party], OpEdNews.com, July 19, 200
http://www.opednews.com

"Bush Executive Order: Criminalizing the Antiwar Movement"
By Prof. Michel Chossudovsky, Global Research, July 20, 2007
http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=6377




search: elct, irq, rgt

___

Disclaimer: State, local, and candidate press releases made available here represent the opinions of the original source only. Opinions expressed by a state party or candidate do not necessarily represent the views of the Green Party of the United States. State party contact information, when provided with candidate releases, does not imply state party endorsement of the opinions expressed nor of the candidate (prior to gaining formal nomination by the party).
___

Office: PO Box 57065 Washington, D.C. 20037
Email: office@gp.org 202-319-7191 or toll-free (US): 866-41GREEN

Did Bush Criminalize the Anti-War Movement?

...nor be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law...

Greens demand that Congress act to repeal President Bush's July 17 executive order titled "Blocking Property of Certain Persons Who Threaten Stabilization Efforts in Iraq," which effectively outlaws antiwar protest by allowing the White House to confiscate the financial assets of anyone who openly opposes the war.
http://www.gp.org/press/pr_2007_07_26.shtml


“The "Executive Order Blocking Property of Certain Persons Who Threaten Stabilization Efforts in Iraq" authorizes the Treasury Department to freeze and confiscate the assets of anyone determined "to have committed, or to pose a significant risk of committing" acts of violence with the "purpose or effect" of hindering the Iraqi government or reconstruction efforts. But it also authorizes the freezing of assets of anyone who provides "material support" to such a person or group, whether or not the person's support was knowing or intentional. Further, many of the Executive Order's terms are left undefined, creating ambiguity about what kinds of donations and services could be considered to constitute material support.” –ACLU http://www.aclu.org/natsec/warpowers/31113prs20070727.html

Executive Order: Blocking Property of Certain Persons Who Threaten Stabilization Efforts in Iraq

McKinney and Nader speak at National Green Meeting

Ralph Nader, Green Party presidential candidate in 1996 and 2000 addressed members of the Green Party in attendance at the lively Ballot Access Super Rally on Saturday night. Nader has not committed to run again but has not ruled it our either. See his speech at http://www.gp.org/meeting2007/.


On Sunday afternoon, Cynthia McKinney spoke to members of the Green Party at a screening of the film "American Blackout" and hinted at a possible run for president on the Green Party ticket in 2008. She has not committed to run but has not ruled it out either. See the video at
http://www.gp.org/meeting2007/.




Both speakers view the Green Party as playing an important role in the 2008 presidential election and both recognize the need for the Green Party to get at least 5% of the vote and would view that as a victory for the Green Party. The 5% would make the Green Party eligible for federal funds for the 2012 election cycle and would also make the Green Party Candidates eligible to be in the debates.


Dismantling Racism Workshop Held by Green Party at National Meeting

Extracted from a report by Isabelle Buonocore who attended the workshop.
For the full report, email: isabellebuonocore@hotmail.com

The Green Party of the United States offered a Dismantling Racism Workshop, July 11-13, 2007, at its annual national meeting in Reading, Pennsylvania. It was an intensive 18-hour workshop, held over 3 consecutive days, with attendees working together and having meals together. There were 29 participants, 45 percent of whom were people of color, and 39 percent were non-Green Party members who came from places in Pennsylvania as close as Reading and as far as Harrisburg.

Rita Harris, a woman of color from Tennessee, and Bill Price, a white man from West Virginia, facilitated the workshop. They took turns providing information and facilitating group sharing and discussion. In one of the workshop sessions, Rita and Bill facilitated separate color and white
caucuses giving people a chance to "work" within their own identity group. Rita and Bill are professionals who work for the Environmental Justice Program of the Sierra Club.

The workshop began on a Wednesday with a private dinner buffet in the same room that cloistered the participants for all their workshop sessions till noon on Friday.

The workshop dealt with individuals' experience, lack of experience, consciousness, and denial of racism. It examined racism in assumptions, communication, and practices from the personal to the cultural and institutional. The cycle of oppression and "white privilege" were concepts that we explored. We also discussed the meaning of "white allies" and what white people and people of color might do on a personal and organizational level to confront racism. The grinding effect of racism on the lives of people of color, the lack of awareness of white privilege by whites, and the impact of both was discussed.

One of the Dismantling Racism Workshop sessions addressed the subject of "white allies" for people of color (white persons who do not remain silent but confront racism). We shared our experience of how people of color and white people are treated when they bring up the need to address racism in predominantly white organizations. When a person of color brings up racism it is seen by whites as self-serving. To be a white ally for people of color is to risk having other white people not like you.

The last workshop session was about actions Greens could take toward dismantling racism, and how we could work to transform our organizations to be fully inclusive. The list of some of what we could do is long, but here are a few things. Become better educated about people of color. Read publications by people of color - outside the white canon of writers. Listen to what people of color have to say. Interrupt "jokes" about people of color and ethnic groups. At all future Green Party Annual National Meetings, have racism on the agenda either as a workshop or a panel presentation. Have strategic meetings with Greens who think "we don't have a problem." Don't stifle anger, it represents something that needs to be heard; determine what that is. Primarily we must keep in mind that we cannot expect change if we keep doing things the same way.


The Green Party Black Caucus gets new acting Co-Chairs

Martina Robinson, a disability rights activist, freelance writer, integrated dance instructor, and choreographer from Belchertown, MA has been named as Acting Co-Chair of the Green Party Black Caucus. Serving with her as Acting Co-Chair is Alfred Molison a National Delegate and 2007 Green Party City Council Candidate from Houston, Texas and current co-chair of the Harris County Green Party and is the outgoing co-chair of the Green Party of Texas. Alfred is pushing for healthy jobs, healthy lives, and healthy futures!

For more information on the Green Party Black Caucus go here: http://gpblackcaucus.blogspot.com


Co-Chairs elected at National Meeting

Steve Kramer, Rebecca Rotzler and Katey Culver did not run for re-election and the following new Steering Committee members were elected as Co-Chairs: Phil Huckelberry (IL), Jason Nabewaniec (NY) and Kisten Olson(MN). Budd Dickinson (CA) ran for re-election and won. The Secretary seat was up for election and Holly Hart (IA) was re-elected for a second term.

Thanks and commemorative plaques were presented to Steve Kramer, Rebecca Rotzler and Katey Culver for service to the Party.


Montana and West Virginia join National Green Party

Congratulations to Montana and West Virginia on their recent affiliation with the Green Party of the United States. Only 4 more States to go to have full accredited membership: North and South Dakota, New Hampshire and Kentucky.


Green Party National Committee to decide location of 2008 Convention

We provide the following 4 options with links to each to help you in this important decision making process. Please click on the links to get the full information on each option.

The Green Party of Alameda County has two different sites for you to consider. 1)The Marriott/Oakland Convention Center, located in downtown Oakland. Available Dates for the Convention July 1-7, 2008 or July 8-14, 2008. (The following convention dates are also available, except that the meeting space for Wednesdays is currently being held, pending a decision by another group: *June 3-9, 2008 or *July 15-21, 2008; 2)The Berkeley Community Theater, located in downtown Berkeley. Available Dates for the Convention - June 24-30, 2008, July 1-7, 2008 or July 15-21, 2008. In addition, the following dates for the convention are currently being held for decisions by other groups - June 10-16, 2008, June 17-23, 2008 or July 8-14, 2008. Both of these sites are located within two blocks of the BART rail line, with easy access to the Oakland and San Francisco airports. Berkeley/Oakland: http://rachel.cagreens.org/oakland/html/2008_convention.html

The Detroit Greens and the Green Party of Michigan submit this proposal to host the GPUS 2008 Annual National Meeting and Nominating Convention in Detroit. The host committee is currently looking at 2 union facilities with some availability during June & July of 2008. Each facility has hosted conventions of the size of our Nominating Convention. One is located downtown on the riverfront. The other is located between the airport and downtown in the adjacent city of Dearborn, home of the largest Arab American community outside the Middle East. Detroit/Dearborn: http://www.detroitgreens.org/anm08/

Minneapolis now has space reserved for two weekends: July 9/10-14 and July 23/24-28, 2008 We have these on hold until Sept. 1st: 1)A Ballroom in the Convention Center for Friday and Saturday. Hotel rooms and all other convention functions will occur at The Millennium Hotel (rates below). Another block of rooms (100) at the nearby Ramada Inn. 50 singles and 50 doubles at $99 is on hold until Sept. 1st. See further below for other accommodation options; 2)The Millennium is the closest hotel to the convention center, just 125 steps away. The hotel features 322 comfortably equipped guestrooms inclusive of ten suites. We also provide an indoor pool, sauna and workout suite with state of the art exercise equipment. Parking is available in our ramp adjacent to the hotel and Thrifty Car Rental is onsite for easy convenience. Minneapolis: http://www.gpus2008.mngreens.org/

Chicago offers a wide range of venue options, and it was difficult to narrow the options down to just one. Because there is such a range of possibilities , we are offering one option that comprises two of the city's highest-profile, elegant venues, and one option that would provide for a more functional, budget-conscious convention. 1)Blackstone Hotel/Chicago Theatre; If high-profile guest speakers, media coverage and an unmistakable presence in downtown Chicago is what the Green Party wants from its 2008 convention, there is no better venue combination than the restored Blackstone Hotel and the historic Chicago Theatre. Dates available: June 12-15, July 3-6, July 10-13, July 17-20 or August 7-10. 2)Hilton Chicago; The Hilton Chicago offers massive, yet elegant, meeting spaces and reasonably priced hotel rooms. Available July 31-Aug.3. 3)Hyatt Regency; Located at McCormick Place, the city's world-class convention center, the Hyatt offers everything you'd expect from a modern convention facility, including ample space to totally accommodating to our needs and ample, affordable hotel rooms. Available July 10-13 or July 17-20. Chicago: http://www.greenconvention2008.com


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Green Party vows to get 51 ballot lines in 2008

Green Party of the United States
www.gp.org

Monday, July 16, 2007
Originally Released Sunday, July 15, 2007

Contacts:
Scott McLarty, Media Coordinator, 202-518-5624, mclarty@greens.org
Starlene Rankin, Media Coordinator, 916-995-3805, starlene@gp.org

*

Media coverage
*

Q & A with Nader & Romanelli (Video)

Greens at national party meeting pledge to seek 51 ballot lines for 2008

*

West Virginia's Mountain Party joins the Green Party
*

More updates from the Green Party's 2007 meeting in Reading, Pa., July 12-15

READING, PA. -- The 2007 national meeting of the Green Party of the United States <http://www.gp.org/meeting2007> is underway in Reading, Pennsylvania, with over 300 state delegates, party leaders, and other Greens from nearly every state convening for party business, workshops, and preparations for the 2008 national election.

The meeting was hosted by Reading Greens, Berks County Greens <http://www.berksgreenparty.org>, and the Green Party of Pennsylvania <http://www.greenpartypa.org>. Jennaro Pullano, Green candidate for Mayor of Reading <http://www.pullanoformayor.org>, was on hand to welcome Greens from all over the US.

Former Georgia Rep. Cynthia McKinney will screen the movie 'American Blackout' <http://www.americanblackout.com> and take questions from Greens on Sunday afternoon at the Green Party's meeting site, the Abraham Lincoln Wyndham Historic Hotel, in the Presidential Ballroom at 2:00 pm today (Sunday, July 15). The address of the hotel is 100 North Fifth Street in downtown Reading, 877-999-3223 <http://www.wyndham.com/hotels/RDGHT/main.wnt>.

Highlights of the 2007 Green Party National Meeting:

The Green Party of the United States announced its goal of 51 ballot lines in every state and the District of Columbia in preparation for the 2008 election, with a pledge to commit party resources for this purpose. 19 states (including DC) currently have ballot access. More information:

The West Virginia Mountain Party was admitted to the Green Party as a state affiliate. There are now 46 state parties (including the District of Columbia) affiliated with the Green Party of the United States.

On Saturday, July 14, consumer advocate and former presidential candidate Ralph Nader and former Green candidate Carl Romanelli, who ran for the US Senate in 2006, spoke at a press conference and party rally about Pennsylvania's grossly unfair and antidemocratic election laws, and about how state Democratic politicians and lawyers have abused the court system to block them from running and even penalized them for submitting ballots. The Green Party will post links to video clips of speeches by Mr. Nader and Mr. Romanelli, as well as other party events, at the party's web site <http://www.gp.org>.

Dr. Janet Eaton of the Green Party of Canada spoke to US Greens at length on the "Security and Prosperity Partnership of North America" (SPP), calling it a secretive deal between Presidents George W. Bush (US), Prime Minister Stephen Harper (Canada), and President Vicente Fox (Mexico) to create an international trade alliance with no congressional oversight or public scrutiny. Dr. Eaton warned that SPP, which is built on the foundation established by NAFTA, is a dire threat to environmental, labor, and economic protections and that it would expand global corporate power at the expense of democracy. Dr. Eaton recommended transnational Green political opposition to SPP, with a special effort to inform the public about the deal, since it has received minimal mainstream media coverage, especially in the US.
http://www.greenparty.ca/en/policy/documents/deeper_look_spp
http://www.greenparty.ca/en/policy/spp_FAQ
Green Party International Committee: http://www.gp.org/committees/intl/

The Green National Committee (GNC) elected new members of the party's steering committee: Phil Huckelberry (Illinois), Jason Nabewaniec (New York), and Kristen Olsen (Minnesota). Jim Coplen (Indiana) and Budd Dickinson (California) were reelected, as was secretary Holly Hart (Iowa). Steering committee members who will keep their seats until the 2008 national meeting are Liz Arnone (New Jersey), Sarah 'echo' Steiner (Florida), and treasurer Jody Grage (Washington).

On Friday evening, July 13, the Green Party hosted a forum for candidates for the Green Party's 2008 presidential nomination. The following candidates spoke:
Jared Ball http://www.voxunion.com
Sheila Bilyeu (web site TBA)
Dan Imperato (web site TBA)
Michael "Jingo" Jingozian http://www.resetamerica.com
Jesse Johnson (web site TBA)
Jerry Kann http://kannforpresident.net
Kent Mesplay http://www.mesplay.org
Sedinam Kinamo Christin Moyawaisifza-Curry (for Vice President) (web site TBA)
Gail Parker http://www.gailparker.us
Joe Schriner http://www.voteforjoe.com
Kat Swift http://www.prezkat.info

The following candidates did not attend the event, but are still seeking the nomination:
Elaine Brown http://www.elainebrown.org
Paul Kangas (web site TBA)
Anita Rios (web site TBA)


MORE INFORMATION

Green Party of the United States
http://www.gp.org
1700 Connecticut Avenue NW, Suite 404
Washington, DC 20009.
202-319-7191, 866-41GREEN
Fax 202-319-7193
Green Party News Center http://www.gp.org/newscenter.shtml
Green Party Speakers Bureau http://www.gp.org/speakers

'Green for a Change': 2007 Green Party National Meeting in Reading, Pennsylvania, July 12-15
http://www.gp.org/meeting2007
http://www.gpanc.org

'Open Letter to Michael Moore' from the Green Party on 'Sicko,' health care reform
http://www.gp.org/press/pr_2007_07_09.shtml
http://www.commondreams.org/news2007/0710-03.htm


search: prty, cmp

___

Disclaimer: State, local, and candidate press releases made available here represent the opinions of the original source only. Opinions expressed by a state party or candidate do not necessarily represent the views of the Green Party of the United States. State party contact information, when provided with candidate releases, does not imply state party endorsement of the opinions expressed nor of the candidate (prior to gaining formal nomination by the party).
___

Office: PO Box 57065 Washington, D.C. 20037
Email: office@gp.org 202-319-7191 or toll-free (US): 866-41GREEN

17th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act

Thursday, July 26th, marks the 17th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act. To commemorate the signing of our Civil Rights law, the Center for Disability Rights has arranged a series of events.

On Thursday July 26th, CDR will have a wheelchair rugby demonstration featuring paralympic medalist Mark Zupan. That evening Mark will be the featured speaker at our formal dinner. For more information on these two events, please visit www.rochestercdr.org/ada_dinner.html. Tickets for the dinner are sold out! You can still sign up for the rugby demonstration by calling Mary Ann Price at (585) 546-7510.

Also on Thursday the 26th, Chris Hilderbrant will be appearing on the Bob Smith radio show on WXXI 1370 AM. They will be discussing the ADA, what it means, what progress has been made and what barriers remain. Please tune in and call in with your thoughts.

Rounding out the week we will be showing the film "Murderball". Murderball features Mark Zupan and is a documentary of Mark and his teammates, their personal stories and the team's efforts to win gold in the 2004 paralympic games. For information on location, time and tickets please call Liz at (585) 546-7510.

We hope you can join us in one or more of these events!

The Green Party Enters the Presidential Election

The Green Party held a candidates forum last weekend at the Green Party’s Annual National Meeting. I’ve linked videos from this weekend of the opening statements of 4 Greens seeking our nomination. I have also included videos from this weekend of 2 potential candidates, Ralph Nader and Cynthia McKinney. You should watch the convention highlights first, it’s a great compilation of past Green presidential tickets put together by Mike Feinstein of Santa Monica, California.


Green Party convention highlights - 1996, 2000 2004
Video






Jesse Johnson – West Virginia
Video
(web site TBA)







kat swift – Texas
Video
http://www.prezkat.info








Kent Mesplay – California
Video
http://www.mesplay.org









Jared Ball – Washington, D.C.
Video
http://www.voxunion.com







Cynthia McKinney on American Blackout
Video
http://www.allthingscynthiamckinney.com/





Ralph Nader on Ballot Access
Video
http://www.nader.org/







There were other candidates seeking our nomination or speaking on behalf of other candidates, check out http://www.youtube.com/user/mfeinsteintube if you wish to view all of the videos.

Aloha, Rochester

I'm sorry I didn't get a chance to post this until now, but I wanted to take a moment to say goodbye to everyone in my Rochester Green family. In case you haven't heard, I recently was hired to teach in a Charter School in Hawaii. I'm currently in Portland, Oregon visiting family, but I'm making my way to Maui where I start my new job on July 25th.

I just want to make sure that I told everyone connected to the Greens in Rochester just how important and special my time with you has been. In fact, it was my work with all of you that has prepared me for this adventure in Maui.

All of the long hours we've spent in meetings, going door-to-door, campaigning at the Public Market, getting ignored by the news media, I wouldn't trade it for anything in the world.

For everyone in Rochester who considers herself/himself a progressive, I implore you to continue the fight. Yes, our town is a bit reactionary and there isn't much in terms of vision or leadership, but this is the exact reason we need to continue to push to make Rochester what it can be.

Rochester is my home town and will always have a special place in my heart and so will all of you. Please feel free to keep in touch with me. I've started a blog for friends and family to know what I'm up to. Check out http://daveinmaui.blogspot.com

Dave Atias

NY Green Fest 2007 - For Immediate Release: July 18, 2007

Build A Small Wind Turbine, Local Food Networks and Liberation Ecology at NY Green Fest, Aug. 10-12, Ithaca and Cayutaville

Fri. , Aug. 10, 6:30-9:00 pm at the Community School, 330 E. State St., Ithaca
Sat., Aug. 11, all day at Cayuta Sun, 2962 Swamp Rd., Cayutaville
Sun., Aug. 12, 10:00 am-4:00 pm at Bernie Milton Pavilion, Ithaca Commons, Ithaca

July 18, 2007. NY Green Fest, a festival of sustainability with programs and exhibitors on how to build a small wind turbine, bake in an earth oven, practice liberation ecology, live off the grid, build local food networks and much more will take place Fri.-Sun., Aug. 10-12 in Ithaca and Cayutaville. The weekend festival has been organized by an ad-hoc group interested in promoting sustainability. The festival is a benefit for the Green Party of New York and is open to all who are interested in sustainable living and sustainable politics.

NY Green Fest kicks off Friday evening, August 10, with a program on the politics of sustainability at the Community School auditorium, 330 E. State St., Ithaca from 6:30 to 9:00 pm. The speakers are Art Weaver from Renovus Energy in Ithaca who will speak on social change and its connection to renewable energy, Virginia Rasmussen, a founder of the Program on Corporations, Law and Democracy from Alfred, who will speak on the politics of sustainability, and Dan Hill, the Cayuga Nation representative to the Haudenosaunee Environmental Task Force, who will speak on sustainability for the long term.

Saturday’s programs take place at Cayuta Sun, an off-the-grid permaculture homestead in Cayutaville, 15 miles southwest of Ithaca. Saturday starts with a bread baking workshop in the earth oven at Cayuta Sun lead by Lois Hilton from Tickletown Trust & Trade in Humphrey, New York. Lois will also participate in Saturday’s panel on building a local food network, along with Matthew Glenn from Muddy Fingers Farm in Hector, editor of Southern Tier Farm to You Local Food Directory and Gwen Quigley from Keuka Cookin’ in Bath.

Michael Burns and Steve Gabriel from the Finger Lakes Permaculture Institute will lead an introduction to permaculture workshop. A discussion on grass roots organizing for sustainability will be lead by Gay Nicholson who has led Sustainable Tompkins since 2003, Mike Sellars, the Mayor of Cobleskill and a founder of Sustainable Cobleskill, and Tony and Mary Lipnicki, the founders of a monthly discussion group on sustainability issues in Andover, NY. Two off-grid pioneers, Steve Nicholson from Ithaca and Tony Moretti from Hammondsport will offer advice on living off-the-grid.

Saturday afternoon Barry Miller from Hinsdale, New York will show how to build a small wind turbine. Barry is a mechanical engineer and has spent 20 years in the wind energy business. For nine years he operated a wind farm in Altamont Pass west of San Franciso. Barry recently taught a class at Olean BOCES on how to build your own small wind turbine. Three experienced cable access TV producers will discuss getting media access for alternative viewpoints, Bill Huston from Binghamton, Carl Lawrence from Brooklyn and Deborah Magone from Greece, NY.

Rafter Sass will speak Saturday evening on Liberation Ecology: Refusing to Choose between Social Justice and Sustainability. Rafter lives and works at the Germantown Community Farm, a collectively-run community food security project in the Hudson River Valley.

A Cob for Kids workshop will run throughout the day on Saturday. Lunch and dinner prepared from local foods will be served on Saturday. Sunrise yoga begins the day. Exhibitors on Saturday include renewable energy suppliers, booksellers, farmers with local produce, local craftspeople, grassroots organizations and non-profit groups.

On Sunday, August 12, Green Fest moves to the Ithaca Commons with a series of speakers and musicians at the Bernie Milton Pavilion in the center of the Commons. Peacesmiths from New York City will perform political songs. Lexie Hain from Motherplants will show how to make a green roof. Ilonka Wloch, the editor of Positive News in Ithaca, Craig Seeman from Third Planet Video in Brooklyn, and Cyril Mychalejko from Upside Down World in Vermont will discuss building new media outlets that address sustainability issues.

Howie Hawkins, SKCM Curry, Tony Gronowicz, and Jason Nabewaniec will discuss how third party electoral activism is essential in fostering social change and challenging the underpinnings of corporate power. Howie was the 2006 Green Party candidate for US Senate from New York and a current candidate for Syracuse Common Council. Tony Gronowicz, the 2005 Green Party candidate for Mayor of New York City, teaches at the City University of New York. His most recent book is Grand Illusion: American Democracy from its Roots to the Present. Jason Nabewaniec from Batavia is a Co-Chair of the Green Party US. Sedinam Kinamo Christin Moyowasifza-Curry from Los Angeles is a Green Party candidate for Vice President of the US.

Sunday’s program concludes with a discussion on campus organizing for sustainability led by Peter LaVenia from the Albany University Campus Greens, and Krista Carlson from the Alfred University Campus Greens.

$35 admission for Friday and Saturday, includes Saturday lunch and dinner, Sunday free. Camping available for an additional charge. Green Fest is a benefit for the Green Party of New York. No fees for those who help during the festival or in advance. For a detailed schedule, directions, registration forms and more information, visit nygreenfest.blogspot.com or call 607-569-2114

Rally for the Crowne Plaza workers' right to organize!

Thursday, July 19th, 4:30 PM, In front of the Crowne Plaza Hotel; 70 State Street, Rochester, NY.

ROCHESTER HOTEL WORKERS NEED A UNION! PLEASE COME TO SUPPORT THEM AND BRING YOUR FRIENDS.

This Friday - Music with Deb Magone

Music with Deb Magone
http://www.deborahmagone.com/

"Whimsical to whalloping, Blues, Boogie & More" - LA Reader, Los Angeles, CA "...a holistic spiritual gutbucket organic blues goddess...and quite possibly the only one in the world . " - Paul Blackburn , Rochester, NY "Janis Joplin with a guitar." M.

Friday, July 20th,7 to 9 pm. No Cover.

Sponsored by Peace Action & Education


THE STOREFRONT
ANTI-WAR CRISIS CENTER on Monroe

658 Monroe Avenue (near Oxford St.) 436-1786

"A locus of Rochester's anti-war commitment"

Goodbye Stephanie Miller Show

I have just turned off my radio and will now be bidding adieu to the Stephanie Miller Show. After just hearing you blame people who voted for third party candidates for the deaths in Iraq I wanted to throw my radio out the window. You should be ashamed. This wasn't some joke that I "didn't get" you blamed people of conscience, who believe in non-violence for thousands of innocents being killed. But let's look at the facts:

*It was YOUR precious democrats who allowed Bush & Co. to steal the election in Florida in 2000.

*It was YOUR precious Al Gore who ran the worst presidential campaign this side of Michael Dukakis, who didn't even use a popular sitting president to help him carry Arkansas!

*It was YOUR precious Dennis Kucinich who led all the progressive democrats by the nose to the 2004 convention only to bail on them and have the democrats go with that pathetic excuse for a platform (which he will do again in 2008)

*It was YOUR John Kerry who...well...is John Kerry, but he also quit when there was obvious voter fraud in Ohio. You remember Ohio. That's where the Green & Libertarian candidates have sued over the voting practices there. Not a peep from the dems. Actually, your own party embarrassed your VP candidate who an hour before Kerry quit, told reporters that they would never back down.

You bitch and whine about the two-party system (which is really one party) then you castigate anyone who tries to change it. You talk about what a bad idea it is for Cindy Sheehan to run against Pelosi, but of course you'll kiss Cindy's ass when she's on the radio with you the next day.

And just for the record, while I did work on Ralph Nader's campaigns in 1996 and 2000 I worked for the Green Party's candidate, David Cobb, in 2004. I've run for office myself trying to create a better system and save lives here and in Iraq. I've been in war protests and have worked countless hours on progressive causes. So I'm not a Nader jocksniffer. I actually think for myself and have my own opinions based on facts.

Goodbye Stephanie Miller Show. Good riddance.

Dave Atias
Rochester, NY

Open Letter from Green Party to Michael Moore on Sicko, health reform

Green Party of the United States
www.gp.org

Tuesday, July 10, 2007

Contacts:
Scott McLarty, Media Coordinator, 202-518-5624, mclarty@greens.org
Starlene Rankin, Media Coordinator, 916-995-3805, starlene@gp.org

Green Party to Michael Moore, as 'Sicko' opens nationwide:

*Democrats are a lost cause on health care, while the Green Party's candidates and platform demand a single-payer national health plan

*Americans will only get a true universal health plan (Single-Payer / Medicare For All) when Greens are elected

WASHINGTON, DC -- The Green Party of the United States sent an open letter to Michael Moore, whose movie 'Sicko' opened in theaters last week, urging him to join the efforts of the Green Party and its candidates and officeholders to enact a single-payer national health plan (also called Medicare For All).

The Green Party agrees with Michael Moore's premise that the US's private insurance system must be dismantled, and that the country must convert to a single-payer plan similar to the Canadian system.

Greens warned Mr. Moore that the Democratic Party (like the Republican Party) is too awash in corporate money to end the stranglehold of the private HMO-insurance industry and enact genuine coverage for all Americans. Congress will only seriously consider a single-payer plan when Greens begin to win seats in the US House and Senate.

The Green Party letter encourages Mr. Moore to help Greens get elected to Congress, as well as state legislatures and city councils, and predicts that the Green Party's 2008 nominee and national slate will be the only candidates on most ballots who support single-payer.

The text of the letter follows below.

Dear Mike,

Congratulations on the opening of 'Sicko' and all the glowing reviews!

We in the Green Party hope that millions of Americans will see 'Sicko' and understand that America has a choice: we can either have quality health care guaranteed for everyone, or we can maintain a system based on corporate insurance and HMO coverage. We can't have both. And we hope that the American people will realize that it's time to demand a single-payer national health plan and stop privileging corporate profits over the health -- the very lives -- of the American people.

Here's the problem: we're not going to get a national health plan as long as the political landscape remains limited to two parties addicted to corporate contributions. Republican and Democratic politicians alike refuse to consider any plan that doesn't leave private HMOs and insurance corporations in charge.

There are some exceptions among Dems, like Reps. John Conyers (Mich.) and Dennis Kucinich (Oh.), but Rep. Conyers' single-payer bill has as little chance of passage as Rep. Kucinich has of getting nominated. Once upon a time, the Democratic Party supported national health coverage and even endorsed it in the Democratic national platform in 1948. But they deleted it from the platform in the 1990s to make room for President Clinton's 'managed-care' phony reform scheme, which would have enlarged the power of major insurance firms. In the 2000 and 2004 elections, Democratic presidential candidates Al Gore and John Kerry both rejected national health insurance. (Mr. Gore saw the light and endorsed it a couple of years later.)

There's only one prominent national party that supports single-payer/Medicare For All -- the Green Party. The Green Party and its candidates have demanded single-payer ever since we were founded, and we don't accept corporate contributions from HMOs, insurance firms, pharmaceutical manufacturers, or any other corporate lobby.

Let's be honest, Mike. The USA will never have a national health insurance program until we break the two-party stranglehold and see the emergence of a new party that's free of corporate influence.

If we can get a few Greens into Congress, as well as into state legislatures and city halls all across America, and if our presidential candidates can draw significant percentages on Election Day, it'll change the political landscape. When Democratic politicians have to compete with Greens as well as Republicans, more of them will embrace single-payer. (And some maverick Republicans will support it, too!)

When the 2004 election season began, you and Bill Maher got down on your knees in front of 2000 Green presidential candidate Ralph Nader and begged him not to run again in 2004. You and Bill insisted that 2004 wasn't the time for a third-party challenge, and that the priority of every rational American should be the removal of George W. Bush from the White House.

Millions of Americans who support a national health plan -- as well as an end to the Iraq War -- agreed with you and Bill and voted for John Kerry, a candidate awash in corporate money. Mr. Kerry dismissed national health care and declared himself solidly in support of the Iraq War.

What was the outcome? John Kerry and his fellow Dems (again, with a couple of exceptions like Rep. Conyers) sat on their thumbs when reports of Election Day irregularities surfaced in Ohio and other states. Thousands, perhaps tens of thousands of African American and student votes were obstructed or not counted. Mr. Bush's election in 2004 was as illegitimate as his 2000 victory!

Mike, I'm sure you remember that it was two third-party presidential candidates -- the Green Party's David Cobb and Libertarian Michael Badnarik -- who demanded an investigation and led the Ohio recount. It was Greens who raised the money for legal expenses in the Ohio and New Mexico recounts. While John Kerry and his buddies kept mum (maybe they feared that the Democrats' own election shenanigans would be exposed), Greens fought for fair and accurate elections and the right to vote.

A few months later, the Conyers hearings proved that the Green Party was right. Republicans in Ohio not only rigged the election, they also tried to influence the recount. In January, 2007, two Republican election operatives were convicted in Cuyahoga County for their role in fixing the recount.

Here's the kicker, Mike. When Republicans in Florida failed to hand in petitions for George W. Bush before the deadline for the 2004 election, Democrats gave them a pass and placed Mr. Bush on the ballot anyway!

Imagine the movie you could make about how Republicans and Democrats have shredded our election system!

We can only conclude that the Democratic Party would rather lose elections to the GOP than tolerate third parties and independents -- with a special hostility towards anyone whose campaign brings a noncorporate antiwar message to the American people.

That's why we can't get a national health program. The Democratic and Republican leadership doesn't even want Americans to discuss the single-payer option, although they'll have a hard time censoring the debate now that 'Sicko' is in theaters.

We know that the private insurance industry, mainstream Democratic and Republican politicians, and the corporate media are already trying to undermine the message of 'Sicko.' They're calling national health care 'liberal elitism' and 'creeping socialism' and other names. As FAIR reported on June 25, CBS's Jeff Greenfield ignored polls in a June 22 story on 'Sicko' with an erroneous claim that national health coverage has minimal popular support.

We know that Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, and most of the other Democratic presidential hopefuls are offering corporate-friendly health care reform plans. We can predict that they'll claim their plans will solve the crisis depicted in 'Sicko,' just as the Clinton Administration dishonestly called its managed-care proposal 'universal health care' back in 1993.

On June 26, 2007 six Democratic US Senators spoke at an SEIU-sponsored 'universal health care' rally on Capitol Hill in which single-payer and Medicare For All were never mentioned. When Dems say 'universal health care,' they really mean "For God's sake, anything but single-payer!"

The Green Party will be the ONLY PARTY in 2008 that demands single-payer. The Green nominee will be the ONLY PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE who talks about single-payer.

We'll be the only party supporting what Michael Moore supports!

The argument that our first priority must be the defeat of the GOP no longer holds water. Regardless of whether Democrats or Republicans get into public office, the real winners are powerful corporate lobbies: insurance, HMO, pharmaceutical, oil, defense, credit card, real estate, you name it. And if the Republicans manipulate the vote again and engineer their own victory, blocking African Americans, young voters, poor voters, and voters serving overseas in the US Armed Forces, we can be sure that the Democratic leadership will again roll over, scratch their butts, and say "Let's not be divisive! It's time to move on!"

'Sicko' will not change the Democratic Party agenda. MoveOn, Progressive Democrats for America, and terrific pro-single-payer candidates like Dennis Kucinich will not influence the Democratic platform in 2008.

It's a safe bet that MoveOn & Co. will place party loyalty ahead of their own stated ideals and endorse whichever corporate candidate gets the 2008 Democratic nomination. These Pied Piper Progressives will lure voters who want single-payer, voters who want US troops out of Iraq, voters who want a White House and Congress free of insurance, oil, and defense industry influence into voting for a Democrat who flushes their agenda down the drain.

As David Cobb observed during his 2004 Green presidential campaign, the Democratic Party is the "graveyard of progressive politics." It's the graveyard of national health care.

The Green Party is growing. We've continued to face down antidemocratic challenges from the old parties. In 2006, Green candidate Rich Whitney drew 11% in the race for Governor of Illinois and achieved ballot status in his state for the Green Party, after Gov. Rod Blagojevich spent $800,000 in taxpayers' money trying to keep Greens off the ballot. Nationally, we won more votes than ever before in the 2006 election. But we have a long way to go.

Hey, Mike, do you really want to see a national health plan enacted? Do you really want the message of 'Sicko' to be part of the public debate over health care in the 2008 election and beyond?

Then let's stop wasting time. Help us run a Green candidate for president in 2008. Help us get Greens elected to Congress. Help us place Greens in statehouses and county commissions and city halls and school boards. (Yes, we know you have supported Green candidates in the past!) Help us get ballot access in every state. Help us bring the Green message to the American people. Help us make the Greens a major political US party. Help us spark the kind of revolution in US politics that will make a single-payer national health plan a reality!

Yours truly,
The Green Party of the United States

MORE INFORMATION

Green Party of the United States
http://www.gp.org
1700 Connecticut Avenue NW, Suite 404
Washington, DC 20009.
202-319-7191, 866-41GREEN
Fax 202-319-7193
Green Party News Center
http://www.gp.org/newscenter.shtml
Green Party Speakers Bureau
http://www.gp.org/speakers

'Green for a Change': 2007 Green Party National Meeting in Reading, Pennsylvania, July 12-15
http://www.gp.org/meeting2007/
Media credentialing page http://www.gp.org/forms/media

Archives from the 2004 Cobb-LaMarche presidential campaign, including information on the Ohio and New Mexico recounts
http://www.iwantmyvote.com/

The Green Party and Single-Payer National Health Insurance:

"Sen. Hillary Clinton and other Democratic leaders are obstacles to real health care reform, say Greens" (press release, February 26, 2007)
http://www.gp.org/press/pr_2007_02_26.shtml

"Democrats and Republicans Downplay Health Care Crisis" (press release, August 24, 2006)
http://www.gp.org/press/pr_2006_08_24.shtml

Video: Pennsylvania Green gubernatorial candidate Marakay Rogers discusses national health insurance http://gp.org/video/2006stateofunion/video2.shtml

Green Party Platform: Universal Health Care
http://www.gp.org/platform/2004/socjustice.html#1004214

Physicians for a National Health Program http://www.pnhp.org

Frequently Asked Questions
http://www.pnhp.org/facts/singlepayer_faq.php

"CBS's 'Sicko' Spin: Americans Don't Want Single-Payer Health? Except They Do"
FAIR Action Alert, June 25, 2007
http://www.fair.org/index.php?page=3124

Information on rigged US elections:

"The GOP's Cyber Election Hit Squad"
By Steven Rosenfeld and Bob Fitrakis, The Free Press, April 23, 2007
http://www.freepress.org/departments/display/19/2007/2553

"Will The Next Election Be Hacked? Fresh disasters at the polls -- and new evidence from an industry insider -- prove that electronic voting machines can't be trusted"
By Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., Rolling Stone, October 5, 2006 issue
http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/story/...

"Our Rigged Elections: The Elephant in the Polling Booth"
By Mark Crispin Miller, The Washington Spectator, October 3, 2006
http://www.washingtonspectator.com/articles/20061001elephant_1.cfm

"Was the 2004 Election Stolen? Republicans prevented more than 350,000 voters in Ohio from casting ballots or having their votes counted -- enough to have put John Kerry in the White House."
By Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., Rolling Stone, posted June 1, 2006
http://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/10432334/was_the_2004_election_stolen

"None Dare Call It Stolen: Ohio, the election, and America's servile press"
By Mark Crispin Miller, Harper's Magazine, August 2005
http://harpers.org/ExcerptNoneDare.html

"New Florida vote scandal feared"
By Greg Palast, BBC, October 26, 2004
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/newsnight/3956129.stm

"Did Bush camp err on ballot papers? Democrats say the president may have missed Florida's filing deadline, but say they don't plan a challenge."
St. Petersburg Times, September 11, 2004
http://www.sptimes.com/2004/09/11/Decision2004/Did_Bush_camp_err_on_.shtml

Richard Stallman: Who controls your computer?

Green Party of the United States
Annual National Meeting, Reading, PA
Thursday evening program, July 12th, 2007
Washington Room
7:45 PM Doors Open
8:00 PM Program Begins

Who controls your computer?

Featuring Richard Stallman,
Founder of the Free Software Movement


======================================

Topic:

Whoever controls the software in your computer controls what you can do
with it -- and what it does to you. There are two choices: free
software, controlled by the user community, and proprietary software,
controlled by a single developer (often a megacorporation).

Free software is democratic software, developed and controlled by its
users. You can change it yourself, or pay any programmer to change it
for you.

A proprietary program or system, such as MacOS or Microsoft Windows,
is under the sole control of the company that distributes it, and
subjects its users to the power of that company. Often these
companies use that power to spy on users or restrict them.

Our computers are essential for writing, communication, education, and
political activity. We must control our own computers, which means
we need free software.

Biography of Richard Stallman:

Richard Stallman launched the development of the GNU operating system
(http://www.gnu.org) in 1984. GNU is free software: everyone has the
freedom to copy it and redistribute it, as well as to make changes
either large or small. The GNU/Linux system, basically the GNU
operating system with Linux added, is used on tens of millions of
computers today. Stallman has received the ACM Grace Hopper Award, a
MacArthur Foundation fellowship, the Electronic Frontier Foundation's
Pioneer award, the Takeda Award for Social/Economic Betterment, and
the Premio Extremadura al Conocimiento Libre, as well as several
honorary doctorates.

Quote from Stallman:

You have probably noticed that many Americans are uncomfortable talking
about right and wrong in political questions. It feels so much more
comfortable to change the subject to one of how to make progress. And
most people go with the flow--so the ethical issues get buried.

I founded the Free Software Movement as a movement for computer users'
freedom. (http://gnu.org/philosophy.) Many years later, people who
wanted to co-opt our work started calling it "open source" so that
they could cause our ideals to be forgotten. I support open source as
much as I support the Democratic Party.

If you care about freedom for computer users, please don't help amoral
businesses co-opt the Free Software Movement. Please call it "free
software". See
http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/open-source-misses-the-point.html.
_______________________________________________

Pride Picnic - Sunday, July 15 from 1-7pm at Genesee Valley Park

Advance sale tickets will be $5 for students and seniors (62 and older), $10 for pre-purchase, and the at the gate price will be $15. I will be in Reading, PA for the Green Party Annual National Meeting, but I ussualy go to the picnic and it is a great time.

Also if you can the Gay Alliance needs volunters for pre-picnic set-up (the morning of the event), parking lot attendants, family pavilion volunteers, park maintenance, information/volunteer booth, and post-event tear-down/clean-up. HELP TO MAKE IT ALL HAPPEN! Volunteer by contacting the GAGV at 585-244-8640 ext. 24. ALL volunteers receive FREE admission to the picnic!

Check out "The Picnic: everything you need to know" article in the Empty Closet

Democracy is Coming to Arizona - Come be part of it.

Unless the US Justice Dept disagrees, the date for turning in Arizona
sigs for Green Party ballot status is March 6, 2008, at the County
Recorders of the appropriate counties. [The DOJ clears Arizona election
laws before they are effective-- thanks to our state's racist misbehavior
in the past.]

However, if we were to turn in our sigs by November 3, 2007, we would be
eligible to participate in the state-paid-for February presidential
primaries. [Assuming that they are held on Feb 26. The governor can set
them at a different date, and that would move that deadline forward or
back. She has to do it within 150 days of the date she set.] It would be
wonderful to have our presidential primary paid for by the state of
Arizona.

We are trying to recruit Greens to come to AZ and help. You'd have to
pairs with us, to be legal, so we need to plan. Give us 4+ hours a day,
and we'll put you up. Anytime is good, but I have dates and events, in
Tucson, Phoenix, Prescott-- that would be worth pulling in folks from
other states. Will you come?

Of the 30,000 sigs we need, we have over 5000. We have been at it for
several months, but we are now battling record heat, over 100 degrees,
every day. Our volunteers are willing to stand in the heat, but folks
who might sign are not, and most indoor possibilities have been done.
But the summer rains should be here before the Annual National Meeting is
over, and things will cool down, and we will be at it again.

We are targeting Maricopa County [where Phoenix is], because it has two
thirds of the state's population, and each signature gathered there will
count as ballot status for both state races and county races. Pima
County [where Tucson is] is the other large metro area [one fifth of the
state's population], but it already has county ballot status, so we lose
the 2 for 1 pay-off. However, if you have connections here, come on
down--we'll welcome you!

Phoenix is a hub city for airlines, so may be cheaper traveling. Come
now, we'll transport you up to the mountains--Prescott, where it is
cooler. You can help with the ballot drive for Yavapai County.
[Remember Leenie Halbert, from Louisiana? She is in Prescott now, has a
baby and another on the way.] Driving? Bus? Train? Phoenix and Tucson
are on I-10, and Flagstaff [where we can meet you] is on I-40. Amtrak to
Tucson and to Flagstaff.

Contact Claudia Ellquist [Tucson] or Richard Scott [Phoenix] for more
information. Claudia is at and ellquist.co.atty at juno.com.
Richard is at or rscotttoo at hotmail.com

Can't come, but want to help? We can get folks to gather signatures here
for $12, who are good enough to make a living wage at it. Make checks to
AzGP, with memo line "ballot status campaign, and send to PO Box 6014
Tucson AZ 85703.
___________________

Green Party Meeting, Monday July 9th at 7:00pm

The Green Party of Monroe County
July monthy general meeting

MONDAY, July 9th at 7:00pm

Washington Square Park
30 Marshall St
Rochester, NY 14607

www.gpomc.org
585-234-3437 voice mail

Green Party supports a National Health Care Plan for all

The United States is the only industrialized nation in the world without a national health care system. The current system's high costs and widely recognized failures demand that bold steps be taken. The Green Party supports a universal, comprehensive, national single-payer health insurance program as the only solution to the current disastrous for-profit system.

Under a universal national single-payer health care system, the administrative waste of private insurance corporations would be redirected to patient care. If the U.S. were to shift to a system of universal coverage and a single payer plan, as in Canada, the savings in administrative costs would be more than enough to offset the cost. Expenses for businesses currently providing coverage would be reduced. State and local governments would pay less because they would receive reimbursement for services provided to the previously uninsured, and because public programs would cease to be the "dumping ground" for high-risk patients and those rejected by HMOs when they become disabled and unemployed.

It is no secret that each year more and more Americans go without health care. 11 million children and 35 million adults have no medical insurance, up six million from six years ago while our health care system ranks only 37th in performance worldwide, outranked by Morocco and Costa Rica.

That's why the Green Party and Green candidates have consistently called for universal health insurance. Big drug manufacturers and insurance firms have killed all attempts to have America join the rest of the industrial world and provide health care to all Americans. Too many Washington politicians, both Democrats and Republicans, have been bought off by their big corporate checks while millions more Americas lose all hope of ever being able to afford quality health care. The Green Party does not accept contributions from corporations including any of those mentioned above.

In July 2006, San Francisco made history by becoming the first jurisdiction in the nation to provide universal health insurance to each uninsured man, woman and child regardless of income or pre-existing conditions. The Green Party has promoted such a system for the entire nation and asks you to join us in our efforts to make Medicare For All a reality in the United States.

You can help by going to the Take Action link at www.gp.org and send an automated letter to the editor of your local newspaper and also, send a letter to your Congressperson supporting the Green Party position.

The Green Party does not accept corporate donations and depends on people like you to support our efforts. Please donate to the Green Party and help us wage a campaign for healthcare for all.

We are changing the political landscape. We can do more, but we need more help from you. With your help, we can change the world. Will you please help us out today? Tell your friends and please donate to the Green Party.


The future of the Green Party is in your hands. If you want to see a powerful and progressive Green Party for years to come, please act today. We must be the change we want to see.

Email: office@gp.org
Green Party of the United States
PO Box 57065 Washington, D.C. 20037 202-319-7191 or toll-free (US): 866-41GREEN

Nader, Head-Roc, McKinney headline events at Green Party National Meeting in Reading, PA July 12-15

GREEN FOR A CHANGE: The 2007 Green Party National Meeting (July 12-15) will feature events with Ralph Nader, hip-hop artist Head-Roc and former Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney.
> Register for the Meeting
> Purchase tickets for the Nader/Head-Roc event

Contacts:
Scott McLarty, Media Coordinator, 202-518-5624, mclarty@greens.org
Starlene Rankin, Media Coordinator, 916-995-3805, starlene@gp.org
Green Party of Pennsylvania:
Hillary Aisenstein, 267-971-3559, hillarya@pobox.upenn.edu
Dave Kurzweg, 610-823-5770

Tentative schedule of Green Party press conferences, presidential candidates' forum, and other media events at the party's 2007 annual national meeting in Reading, Pennsylvania

*

Former Georgia Rep. Cynthia McKinney will attend on Sunday, July 15, show film 'American Blackout'
*

Meeting site: The Abraham Lincoln Wyndham Hotel in downtown Reading
*

Media credentialing: http://www.gp.org/forms/media
*

Ralph Nader, 2004 independent candidate for President, will speak at a Saturday evening press conference on ballot access in Pennsylvania and other states across the US.

WASHINGTON, DC -- The Green Party has announced its schedule of press conferences to take place during 'Green for a Change,' the party's 2007 annual national meeting , set to take place in Reading, Pennsylvania, July 12-15.

Greens will meet at the Abraham Lincoln Wyndham Historic Hotel, 100 North Fifth Street in downtown Reading, 877-999-3223.

Reporters interested in covering the meeting may sign up at the Green Party's Media credentialing page .

The Friday press conferences will feature Green candidates for the party's presidential and vice presidential nomination and candidates for local and state office.

Ralph Nader, 2004 independent candidate for President, will speak at a Saturday evening press conference on ballot access in Pennsylvania and other states across the US. Former Georgia Rep. Cynthia McKinney will attend on Sunday, July 15, and answer questions after a screening of the film 'American Blackout'.

The schedule is tentative and subject to change:

*

Thursday, July 12, 4 pm: Press Conference: Welcome to Reading and to the Green Party Annual Meeting Press conference room
*

Friday, July 13, 11 am: Press Conference: Candidates for the Green Party's 2008 presidential, vice presidential nomination
Names to be announced; see also <http://www.gp.org/press/pr_2007_06_27.shtml>
Press conference room
*

Friday, July 13, 1 pm Press Conference: 2007 Green candidates for local and state office Confirmed: Jennaro Pullano, for Mayor of Reading, Pa. Other candidates to be announced
Press conference room
*

Friday, July 13, 5:30-7 pm: Forum featuring Green presidential, vice presidential candidates
Moderator: Barbara Rodgers-Hendricks
Presidential Ballroom
*

Saturday, July 14, 11 am Press Conference room reserved for interviews with International Greens
Green Party leaders from Canada, the European Union, and other nations (to be announced)
*

Saturday, July 14, 5 pm Press conference on Ballot Access
Moderator: Marakay Rogers
Ralph Nader, 2004 independent presidential candidate
Carl Romanelli, 2006 Pennsylvania Green candidate for US Senate
Phil Huckelberry, co-chair, Green Party Ballot Access Committee representative
Others to be announced
Press conference room
*

Saturday, July 14, 7:30 pm: Ballot Access Rally, with entertainment, music, and guest speakers
Open to the public
Speakers: Ralph Nader, Carl Romanelli
Musicians: Hip-Hop artist Head-Roc and his DJ's Eurock and Noyeek; Reggae band Unbroken; musician Tom Nielson
Sovereign Performing Arts Center
http://www.gpanc.org
*

Sunday, July 15, afternoon (time to be announced): Former Georgia Representative Cynthia McKinney will show the film 'American Blackout' and participate in a Q&A session immediately afterward.

MORE INFORMATION

Green Party of the United States
http://www.gp.org
1700 Connecticut Avenue NW, Suite 404
Washington, DC 20009.
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'Green for a Change': 2007 Green Party National Meeting in Reading, Pennsylvania, July 12-15
http://www.gp.org/meeting2007
http://www.gpanc.org
Media credentialing page http://www.gp.org/forms/media

Community Conversation with Dr. William Cala

A.R.M (Anti Racism Movement)

Please join A.R.M. on Thursday, July 5, 2007 for a community conversation with Rochester City School District Interim Superintendent Dr. William Cala. The event will begin at 6:00 P.M., and will be held at Spiritus Christi Church (Neilson Room), located inside the Downtown United Presbyterian Church (directly across the street from City Hall).

Welcome to New Orleans

“Welcome to New Orleans” is a 58 minute documentary about the city of New Orleans during the first year after Katrina.

This film depicts ... all the violence and racism in the impoverished American South. This is a story about the bottom-side of United States--a society that has been left to fend for itself. But more importantly, this film is about hope, in the face of overwhelming adversity.

“Welcome to New Orleans” depicts the ravaged city through the eyes of Malik Rahim, a 58-year-old former member of the Black Panthers, who stayed during and after Hurricane Katrina, in order to help residents. He has become a local hero, as he has built up his grassroots organization, Common Ground Collective, over the past two years. Common Ground has served over 170,000 residents with the help of over 12,000 volunteers, who have traveled from all 50 states and 40 different countries. But there is still plenty of work to be done.

Malik Rahim was the Green Party Candidate for New Orleans City Council in 2002.

Augustson Drops Out of the '08 Presidential Race

GREEN CANDIDATE DROPS '08 PRESIDENTIAL BID

Augustson to Target Emanuel's Seat House Seat

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Dear Greens, Friends and Allies:

As the heading above should make somewhat obvious, as of the time of this writing I will cease to actively pursue the 2008 Green Party nomination for President of the United States.

This is not an action I take lightly. The conditions that, I felt, forced me to run have not changed: Green Presidential candidates exist, but they are not waging visible, effective, issue-based campaigns. Some appear to be waiting for the endorsement of a bigger name; others for a big-name candidate to enter the race. I charge these people to remember: a big-name candidate may not endorse the whole Green Party platform. S/he may not be willing to run without the aid of PAC or lobby money.

And, worst of all, s/he may not run to win. I have said from the very beginning that a candidate who does not have an intention to win, nor a plan to govern thereafter, is not helping the Green Party. The time for symbolic campaigns is long past; there is simply too much at stake. There is no hope in the Green message if we concede that it is a losing message. The voters, the media, and your fellow Party members will not respect, contribute to, or vote for a candidate without the intellect, persuasive power or strength of will to win an election. I charge my fellow candidates to consider their commitment to change, and redouble their efforts as befits a Presidential candidate.

I may re-visit the possibility of a Presidential bid at some later time. For now, I am turning my attention to the pursuit of a different target: the Fifth Congressional District of Illinois. This, my home district, is currently represented by Mr. Rahm Emanuel (D), who is scheduled to run unopposed in 2008. Mr. Emanuel has also, unfortunately, failed to heed and obey the mandate of the American people in the mid-term elections. He has supported the reprehensible so-called “USA PATRIOT Act� through which we are made less free, though not one bit safer, with each passing day. He has also callously failed to support a timetable for withdrawal from Iraq, and has not given Universal Healthcare the support it deserves.

This is a more manageable target, and a smarter, more efficient use of my time and energy. I believe the people of Illinois will stand up for a real alternative, and from this position I will be able to push the Green point of view more visibly and effectively than as a severely-underfunded presidential candidate.

I remain grateful for the friends I have made throughout this process, and hope that they will stay tuned as the Green Party continues the quest to heal America. You have all my best wishes.

Respectfully,


Alan Augustson, MPP

Alan Augustson
Green Party Candidate for President
alan@augustson2008.us
http://augustson2008.us