Click here to watch the video!
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
Dalai Lama Supports the Green Party
The Dalai Lama gives his endorsement of the Green Party here in the United States, and across the planet!
Click here to watch the video!
Click here to watch the video!
Monday, June 23, 2008
Green Party of Arkansas to run a record number of candidates in 2008
Arkansas Democrat Gazette
June 22, 2008
Railroader to oppose Dobbins for House
Green Party picks slate at convention
By Charlie Frago
LITTLE ROCK - There's another surprise in the House District 39 campaign
this year: The Green Party of Arkansas unexpectedly nominated a
candidate Saturday to oppose former Rep. Dwayne Dobbins of North Little
Rock.
Dobbins later Saturday said he wants to run a positive campaign and
refuses to be ashamed for stepping down from the Legislature in 2005
after prosecutors said he fondled a 17-year-old girl.
Richard Carroll, 51, of North Little Rock, a boilermaker for the Union
Pacific railroad and a four-year resident of the district, called the
Green Party on Friday after reading an Arkansas Democrat-Gazette article
about the lack of opposition to Dobbins, who filed just before the close
of the March filing period, surprising Democratic Party leaders who
expected his wife, Sharon, to run for re-election.
No Republican is on the ballot.
Dwayne Dobbins, 45, resigned from the Legislature as part of a plea
agreement that reduced a felony sexual assault charge to misdemeanor
harassment.
State Democratic Party Chairman Bill Gwatney said he felt betrayed by
the Dobbinses' actions and would try to find someone to oppose him.
Dobbins said Saturday that he plans to emphasize his experience as a
city alderman and twoterm state representative.
He said he has avoided talking to the media because "in a situation that
I found myself in ... it is best to not try to overexplain because I
know the truth."
He declined to comment on his own party's opposition to his candidacy.
He thanked his supporters for remaining loyal. And he said his wife's
explanation in March that she didn't know he planned to file was accurate.
"Whatever she said is true. ... Looking at that part of my life. It had
been dead. [Deciding to file] was a resurrection as far as I'm
concerned," Dobbins said.
Pleading guilty "had an impact" on his life, he said. "But I don't look
at it as a negative. I refuse to hold my head down."
A technology consultant, Dobbins said he wants to focus on state budget
issues, how the high price of gasoline affects working families and
getting more jobs into his district.
He pleaded guilty, he said, "because sometimes innocent people go to
prison. I took the advice of my lawyer. I can't live in the past."
Carroll said Saturday that he first called state Democrats about running
as a write-in candidate earlier last week. They promised to call him
back, he said, but he decided to accept the Green Party nomination
because it would be easier to win with his name on the ballot than as a
write-in candidate.
Although he has been active in union politics, this is Carroll's first
run for public office. Dobbins' "morally unjust" actions prompted him to
run, he said.
Former state Rep. Jim Lendall, D-Mabelvale, who is a member of the Green
Party's state executive committee, said he was thrilled Carroll had called.
"I think he's got a very good shot to win," said Lendall, who served
four terms in the House, including three as a Democrat. "It's a very
good first step for the party. It's been a long time coming and it's
about time we had a third party in the Legislature."
Carroll said he had considered himself to be a Democrat, but he read the
Green Party platformand agrees with its principles. He said he has
"qualified support" for a state lottery. Extra money for education is
good, he said, but that money is disproportionately supplied by
low-income lottery players.
"I feel like I'm my own person. I'm sure I'll be given suggestions from
the Green Party, but it takes a coalition to get things done. You can't
ramrod things through. George Bush has proven that," Carroll said.
He said he would be opposed to raising taxes. Instead he wants to find a
way to spend existing funds to improve schools, lower the crime rate
through prevention and after-school programs and make recycling more
efficient.
Carroll, a graduate of Catholic High School, is married with five
children. He has worked at Union Pacific since 1993.
Running against Dobbins, who is black, in a predominantly black district
shouldn't be a factor, said Carroll, who is white.
"It shouldn't be an issue. It's not the reason I'm running," Carroll said.
Dobbins agreed, saying that race should play no role in the campaign.
Darinda Sharp, state Democratic Party spokesman, couldn't confirm
whether Carroll had contacted the party.
"As it stands now, we're not supporting any candidate, including the
Democrat, in that race," Sharp said.
Several people have contacted the state Democratic Party about running
as a write-in candidate, Sharp said, and they're responsible for their
own filing fees and announcement. The deadline for becoming a write-in
candidate is Aug. 6.
Elizabeth Aymond, state Republican Party spokesman, welcomed Carroll's
entrance into the race.
"I think it's great that the Green Party found somebody to take part in
the process that's so important to all of us," Aymond said. She declined
comment on whether Republicans would offer support to Carroll. State
party Chairman Dennis Milligan, along with Gwatney, had earlier
announced an effort to recruit a write-in candidate.
Carroll said he might try to organize fundraisers, but hasn't yet
planned one. He plans to attend neighborhood watch group meetings and
other public eventsin the district to spread the word about his candidacy.
"We're going to do the best we can," he said.
The Green Party also nominated Rebekah Kennedy of Fort Smith to oppose
U.S. Sen. Mark Pryor. Kennedy ran for attorney general in 2006, getting
33,386 votes - or 4.4 percent.
She said she'd be happy to tally 3 percent against Pryor, but would love
to top 10 percent.
Party Treasurer Mark Swaney said this year's list of candidates is the
party's largest so far.
In addition to Carroll and Kennedy, the Green Party has nominated Deb
McFarland, 55, of Guy for the 2nd Congressional District; Joshua Drake,
39, of Hot Springs for the 4th Congressional District; Abel Tomlinson,
27, of Fayetteville for the 3rd Congressional District.
Nominations for the state Legislature, aside from Carroll, are Conrad
Harvin for House District 33; Gene Mason for District 42; Brian Barnett
for House District 50; Mary Boley for House District 68, and Wendy Crow
for House District 90.
This article was published Sunday, June 22, 2008.
Cynthia McKinney Joins Forces With Cindy Sheehan!
(San Francisco) Former Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney Joins Cindy for Congress as Honorary Co-Chair as No-Strings Occupation and War Funding, Telecom Immunity Bills Are Ushered Through Democrat-controlled Congress
McKinney: "The point was to change Washington, DC, but instead Washington, DC changed Nancy Pelosi"
As a sign of tightening opposition to the string of hope-reversing policies being put forward by Speaker Pelosi, Green Party Presidential and pro-peace candidate Cynthia McKinney agreed to serve as an Honorary Co-Chair of Cindy Sheehan's campaign to oust Nancy Pelosi from Congress. "Nancy Pelosi needs to phone home, because it's clear that she's forgotten the values of the people of California who sent her to Congress. The point was to change Washington, DC, but instead Washington, DC changed Nancy Pelosi," commented McKinney, a former colleague of Pelosi.
McKinney first declared her independence from the national leadership that voted its complicity
in war crimes, torture, crimes against humanity, and crimes against the peace at an anti-war demonstration in front of the Pentagon in March of 2007. At that time, McKinney lamented that the Democratic majority in Congress had failed to repeal the Patriot Acts and the Bush tax cuts, introduce and pass legislation for a livable wage and investigate the Pentagon's admitted "loss" of $2.3 trillion. McKinney bolted the Democratic Party afterwards, declaring her candidacy for the Green Party's nomination in December 2007. Today, McKinney adds to that list Democratic leadership's failure to pass legislation providing for a single payer health care system in our country and its inaction on the foreclosure crisis gripping homeowners.
McKinney first publicly endorsed Cindy's Congressional campaign last year in Kennebunkport, Maine near the home of George Herbert Walker Bush. According to McKinney, "Cindy's campaign is increasingly important today as the only way left to put peace, impeachment, and our values back on the table." McKinney added, "Cindy continues to show us the power of one, the power that is within every one of us. Moreover, Cindy Sheehan can win."
"Having Cynthia on board is a significant gain for my campaign. She has experience in tough campaigns and brings a wealth of knowledge. I am running to win, we have already raised close to $200,000 and everyday we get more and more support as people get more fed up with Pelosi's mis-leadership," says Sheehan.
Since the Democrats assumed control of Congress, according to some reports, an additional 1,200 U.S. troops have died and nearly 10,000 more have been wounded, with tens of thousands more Iraqi civilians killed. Hundreds of billions of additional dollars have been appropriated for war and occupation under Pelosi's watch and she took impeachment "off the table." Both Cindy and Cynthia are members of the New Broom Coalition, founded by Dr. Carol Wolman, the California Green Party's First Congressional District candidate, a Coalition that seeks to empower the people by putting a clean sweep to Congress.
Currently, McKinney is preparing to head to Chicago for the Green Party Convention July 10 - July 13. Sheehan is anchored in San Francisco campaigning for the first hurdle of collecting 10,198 signatures needed to get on the ballot in November as a "Decline to State / Independent" candidate.
More information is available at www.CindyForCongress.org or www.RunCynthiaRun.org
McKinney: "The point was to change Washington, DC, but instead Washington, DC changed Nancy Pelosi"
As a sign of tightening opposition to the string of hope-reversing policies being put forward by Speaker Pelosi, Green Party Presidential and pro-peace candidate Cynthia McKinney agreed to serve as an Honorary Co-Chair of Cindy Sheehan's campaign to oust Nancy Pelosi from Congress. "Nancy Pelosi needs to phone home, because it's clear that she's forgotten the values of the people of California who sent her to Congress. The point was to change Washington, DC, but instead Washington, DC changed Nancy Pelosi," commented McKinney, a former colleague of Pelosi.
McKinney first declared her independence from the national leadership that voted its complicity
in war crimes, torture, crimes against humanity, and crimes against the peace at an anti-war demonstration in front of the Pentagon in March of 2007. At that time, McKinney lamented that the Democratic majority in Congress had failed to repeal the Patriot Acts and the Bush tax cuts, introduce and pass legislation for a livable wage and investigate the Pentagon's admitted "loss" of $2.3 trillion. McKinney bolted the Democratic Party afterwards, declaring her candidacy for the Green Party's nomination in December 2007. Today, McKinney adds to that list Democratic leadership's failure to pass legislation providing for a single payer health care system in our country and its inaction on the foreclosure crisis gripping homeowners.McKinney first publicly endorsed Cindy's Congressional campaign last year in Kennebunkport, Maine near the home of George Herbert Walker Bush. According to McKinney, "Cindy's campaign is increasingly important today as the only way left to put peace, impeachment, and our values back on the table." McKinney added, "Cindy continues to show us the power of one, the power that is within every one of us. Moreover, Cindy Sheehan can win."
"Having Cynthia on board is a significant gain for my campaign. She has experience in tough campaigns and brings a wealth of knowledge. I am running to win, we have already raised close to $200,000 and everyday we get more and more support as people get more fed up with Pelosi's mis-leadership," says Sheehan.
Since the Democrats assumed control of Congress, according to some reports, an additional 1,200 U.S. troops have died and nearly 10,000 more have been wounded, with tens of thousands more Iraqi civilians killed. Hundreds of billions of additional dollars have been appropriated for war and occupation under Pelosi's watch and she took impeachment "off the table." Both Cindy and Cynthia are members of the New Broom Coalition, founded by Dr. Carol Wolman, the California Green Party's First Congressional District candidate, a Coalition that seeks to empower the people by putting a clean sweep to Congress.
Currently, McKinney is preparing to head to Chicago for the Green Party Convention July 10 - July 13. Sheehan is anchored in San Francisco campaigning for the first hurdle of collecting 10,198 signatures needed to get on the ballot in November as a "Decline to State / Independent" candidate.
More information is available at www.CindyForCongress.org or www.RunCynthiaRun.org
Sunday, June 22, 2008
The time for the 'Audacity of Truth' is Now
Important Message from Jesse Johnson 08 Campaign
In today's political climate, given that it's an election year, how often are you asked to contribute to candidates that only marginally represent you?
How many times do you give your support or your money to a candidate promising "change" or "hope", knowing that the check you are about to write will, for the most part, only secure the status quo and marginally impact the things that really matter?
How many times have you wished for a candidate who wouldn't have so many downsides...whom you could trust once they got elected...who wouldn't have an aftertaste?
Very often, we'd suspect.
And when - now really think about it - when will that all change? We mean really change?
We're happy to say that the answer to the question is right now.
We represent Jesse Johnson for President. Jesse shares your ideals. He's for protecting our precious natural resources. He's been walking the walk, and talking the talk, speaking to citizens and lobbying lawmakers in the Capitol of his beloved West Virginia. He's against the war - not just this one, but the next ones being planned as well. Jesse stands for education and single-payer health care for all Americans, and against big pharmaceutical companies and the un-constitutional Patriot Act - and he won't tolerate Americans using torture. He shares your values, and he's willing to risk everything to fight for them.
The list of our common commitments and goals goes on and on. Know that Jesse is serious about his commitment to real change in our country - because he refuses to accept corporate contributions. He doesn't accept the PAC money of Washington insiders. And consequently, he won't need to be lobbied to do the right thing. He is spreading his message - our message - across this country during his campaign to be the Green Party's Presidential candidate for 2008.
But to do this, he'll need the support of real people - average Americans like you and me...because all the money we collect has a name attached to it.
And while we can't all be CEOs or celebrities, we can all be a part of this campaign. We can all be part of spreading the messages we share in common, and we can all start today.
Please become an active partner in spreading not only Jesse's vision for a better tomorrow, but also your vision. This is a shared vision, a real mandate for change that comes from the people - and it starts with you - today.
You can give any amount, $10 up to $2,300. Or you can offer us some good old-fashioned American elbow grease, to work for the campaign and help us reach as many people with the Green message as we can. But please, give all that you can...and know that we will give back once in office.
To donate, go to www.jesse08.org and click the "donate" tab, or simply click here. You can make a secure online donation using Paypal or you can send a check, along with your name and address, to:
Committee to Elect Jesse Johnson
PO Box 893
Charleston, WV 25323
Thanks for your support!
In solidarity,
Committee to Elect Jesse Johnson
www.jesse08.org
In today's political climate, given that it's an election year, how often are you asked to contribute to candidates that only marginally represent you?
How many times do you give your support or your money to a candidate promising "change" or "hope", knowing that the check you are about to write will, for the most part, only secure the status quo and marginally impact the things that really matter?
How many times have you wished for a candidate who wouldn't have so many downsides...whom you could trust once they got elected...who wouldn't have an aftertaste?
Very often, we'd suspect.
And when - now really think about it - when will that all change? We mean really change?
We're happy to say that the answer to the question is right now.
We represent Jesse Johnson for President. Jesse shares your ideals. He's for protecting our precious natural resources. He's been walking the walk, and talking the talk, speaking to citizens and lobbying lawmakers in the Capitol of his beloved West Virginia. He's against the war - not just this one, but the next ones being planned as well. Jesse stands for education and single-payer health care for all Americans, and against big pharmaceutical companies and the un-constitutional Patriot Act - and he won't tolerate Americans using torture. He shares your values, and he's willing to risk everything to fight for them.
The list of our common commitments and goals goes on and on. Know that Jesse is serious about his commitment to real change in our country - because he refuses to accept corporate contributions. He doesn't accept the PAC money of Washington insiders. And consequently, he won't need to be lobbied to do the right thing. He is spreading his message - our message - across this country during his campaign to be the Green Party's Presidential candidate for 2008.
But to do this, he'll need the support of real people - average Americans like you and me...because all the money we collect has a name attached to it.
And while we can't all be CEOs or celebrities, we can all be a part of this campaign. We can all be part of spreading the messages we share in common, and we can all start today.
Please become an active partner in spreading not only Jesse's vision for a better tomorrow, but also your vision. This is a shared vision, a real mandate for change that comes from the people - and it starts with you - today.
You can give any amount, $10 up to $2,300. Or you can offer us some good old-fashioned American elbow grease, to work for the campaign and help us reach as many people with the Green message as we can. But please, give all that you can...and know that we will give back once in office.
To donate, go to www.jesse08.org and click the "donate" tab, or simply click here. You can make a secure online donation using Paypal or you can send a check, along with your name and address, to:
Committee to Elect Jesse Johnson
PO Box 893
Charleston, WV 25323
Thanks for your support!
In solidarity,
Committee to Elect Jesse Johnson
www.jesse08.org
VIDEO & ESSAY: German Green Party history in the 1980s
Many of us look to the 1980s and how the German Greens evolved, as oneof the more interesting stories in our international history.
Here is a video of Mike Feinstein interviewing Jürgen Maier (West German Green Party Int'l Secretary from 1987-1991) about what the Green Party in Germany was like back then and how it has turned out today.
German Green Party - Jürgen Maier, Int'l Secretary 1987-1991
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bob8gA74F5k
The Green Parties in Western Europe
A Brief History, Their Successes and Their Problems
By Jürgen Maier, Federal Executive Committee, Die Grünen, Germany
May 13th, 1990
http://www.globalgreens.info/literature/maier/westerneurope.html
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
Letter to National Archivist
On June 10. 2008 the following letter was sent to the Archivist of the United States.
To learn more about the circumstances around this please attend Asa Gordon's workshops at the annual national meeting in Chicago.
In service:
Brent McMillan, Political Director
Green Party of the United States
202-319-7191
brent@gp.org
June 10, 2008
Dr. Allen Weinstein
Archivist of the United States
National Archives and Records Administration (NARA)
c/o Office of the Federal Register(NF)
700 Pennsylvania Ave., NW
Washington, DC 20408-0001
Dear Dr. Weinstein,
As the Archivist of the United States you are advised of the following:
On April 10th, 2008, Asa Gordon, Chair of the DC Statehood Green Party Electoral College Task Force was invited to address The NARA Afro-American History Society on the subject "A More Perfect Union?: The Constitutional Franchise for Racial Quotas". Gordon's lecture provided an historical context and examined how the legacy of the compromise over the issue of slavery impacted the Constitutional design of 1787 or effecting the franchise and its contemporary impact on Presidential elections. In the course of the lecture Gordon offered the following observations that delineate our concern of misfeasance by your agency.
The Office of the Federal Register coordinates the functions of the Electoral College on behalf of the Archivist of the United States, the States, the Congress, and the American People.
In October of each Presidential election year, the Archivist sends a letter to the Governor of each State and the Mayor of the District of Columbia along with an instruction package prepared by the Office of the Federal Register (OFR) that sets out the States' responsibilities regarding the electoral college. The package also includes a quantity of booklets containing applicable Federal Constitutional and statutory provisions regarding presidential elections to be distributed to each elector.
The Green Party of the United States writes to inform you and register our strong objection to the OFR's grievous failure to include Section 2 of the 14th Amendment (Amend.14?2) and its enabling statutory code section 6 of title 2 of the United States Code (2U.S.C.?6) directly bearing on the citizens right to vote in the agency pamphlet entitled "Provisions of the Constitution and United States Code relating to Presidential Elections."
We also call for this correction to be made to the NARA_OFR Electoral College web site:
http://www.archives.gov/federal-register/electoral-college/provisions.html #provisions
[For State Officials : Presidential Election Laws : Provisions of the Constitution : United States Code ]
We find these omissions to be an unconscionable and insensitive insult to the legacy of those amendments to the Constitution that represent the crowning achievement of the ultimate sacrifice made in the Civil War by that "band of brothers" of Americans of European and African descent to effect "a new birth of freedom" and forge "a more perfect union".
Please inform us of your intention to make the needed corrections. If we do not receive an affirmative response within 10 days, we will be compelled to file a mandamus to secure proper action by your agency in this matter.
Sincerely,
Holly Hart
Secretary, GPUS
cc:
Brent McMillan, Political Director, Green Party of the U.S.;
Asa Gordon, Chair,DC Statehood Greens Electoral Task Force
Attachments:
Full text of (Amend.14?2) & (2U.S.C.?6)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ATTACHMENT:
United States Constitution
Amendment 14 :
Section 2. Representatives shall be apportioned among the several States according to their respective numbers, counting the whole number of persons in each State, excluding Indians not taxed. But when the right to vote at any election for the choice of electors for President and Vice-President of the United States, Representatives in Congress, the Executive and Judicial officers of a State, or the members of the Legislature thereof, is denied to any of the male inhabitants of such State, being twenty-one years of age, and citizens of the United States, or in any way abridged, except for participation in rebellion, or other crime, the basis of representation therein shall be reduced in the proportion which the number of such male citizens shall bear to the whole number of male citizens twenty-one years of age in such State.
United States Code
{2USC?6} Reduction of representation:
Should any State deny or abridge the right of any of the male inhabitants thereof, being twenty-one years of age, and citizens of the United States, to vote at any election named in the amendment to the Constitution, article 14, section 2, except for participation in the rebellion or other crime, the number of Representatives apportioned to such State shall be reduced in the proportion which the number of such male citizens shall have to the whole number of male citizens twenty-one years of age in such State.
To learn more about the circumstances around this please attend Asa Gordon's workshops at the annual national meeting in Chicago.
In service:
Brent McMillan, Political Director
Green Party of the United States
202-319-7191
brent@gp.org
June 10, 2008
Dr. Allen Weinstein
Archivist of the United States
National Archives and Records Administration (NARA)
c/o Office of the Federal Register(NF)
700 Pennsylvania Ave., NW
Washington, DC 20408-0001
Dear Dr. Weinstein,
As the Archivist of the United States you are advised of the following:
On April 10th, 2008, Asa Gordon, Chair of the DC Statehood Green Party Electoral College Task Force was invited to address The NARA Afro-American History Society on the subject "A More Perfect Union?: The Constitutional Franchise for Racial Quotas". Gordon's lecture provided an historical context and examined how the legacy of the compromise over the issue of slavery impacted the Constitutional design of 1787 or effecting the franchise and its contemporary impact on Presidential elections. In the course of the lecture Gordon offered the following observations that delineate our concern of misfeasance by your agency.
The Office of the Federal Register coordinates the functions of the Electoral College on behalf of the Archivist of the United States, the States, the Congress, and the American People.
In October of each Presidential election year, the Archivist sends a letter to the Governor of each State and the Mayor of the District of Columbia along with an instruction package prepared by the Office of the Federal Register (OFR) that sets out the States' responsibilities regarding the electoral college. The package also includes a quantity of booklets containing applicable Federal Constitutional and statutory provisions regarding presidential elections to be distributed to each elector.
The Green Party of the United States writes to inform you and register our strong objection to the OFR's grievous failure to include Section 2 of the 14th Amendment (Amend.14?2) and its enabling statutory code section 6 of title 2 of the United States Code (2U.S.C.?6) directly bearing on the citizens right to vote in the agency pamphlet entitled "Provisions of the Constitution and United States Code relating to Presidential Elections."
We also call for this correction to be made to the NARA_OFR Electoral College web site:
http://www.archives.gov/federal-register/electoral-college/provisions.html #provisions
[For State Officials : Presidential Election Laws : Provisions of the Constitution : United States Code ]
We find these omissions to be an unconscionable and insensitive insult to the legacy of those amendments to the Constitution that represent the crowning achievement of the ultimate sacrifice made in the Civil War by that "band of brothers" of Americans of European and African descent to effect "a new birth of freedom" and forge "a more perfect union".
Please inform us of your intention to make the needed corrections. If we do not receive an affirmative response within 10 days, we will be compelled to file a mandamus to secure proper action by your agency in this matter.
Sincerely,
Holly Hart
Secretary, GPUS
cc:
Brent McMillan, Political Director, Green Party of the U.S.;
Asa Gordon, Chair,DC Statehood Greens Electoral Task Force
Attachments:
Full text of (Amend.14?2) & (2U.S.C.?6)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ATTACHMENT:
United States Constitution
Amendment 14 :
Section 2. Representatives shall be apportioned among the several States according to their respective numbers, counting the whole number of persons in each State, excluding Indians not taxed. But when the right to vote at any election for the choice of electors for President and Vice-President of the United States, Representatives in Congress, the Executive and Judicial officers of a State, or the members of the Legislature thereof, is denied to any of the male inhabitants of such State, being twenty-one years of age, and citizens of the United States, or in any way abridged, except for participation in rebellion, or other crime, the basis of representation therein shall be reduced in the proportion which the number of such male citizens shall bear to the whole number of male citizens twenty-one years of age in such State.
United States Code
{2USC?6} Reduction of representation:
Should any State deny or abridge the right of any of the male inhabitants thereof, being twenty-one years of age, and citizens of the United States, to vote at any election named in the amendment to the Constitution, article 14, section 2, except for participation in the rebellion or other crime, the number of Representatives apportioned to such State shall be reduced in the proportion which the number of such male citizens shall have to the whole number of male citizens twenty-one years of age in such State.
Impeachment: Cynthia McKinney's Call to Action
Cynthia McKinney's Call to Action
in Support of Dennis Kucinich's Articles of Impeachment Against Bush
With great satisfaction I learned of the courageous action taken by Congressman Dennis Kucinich on Monday, June 9th. On that day, on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives, he rose to introduce House Resolution 1258, containing 35 Articles of Impeachment against President George W. Bush. The litany of documented High Crimes and constitutional abuses by the Bush administration took over five hours to recite.
I wish to take this opportunity to thank and commend Rep. Kucinich for his courage and tenacity, for the comprehensiveness of his research, and for the leadership he exhibited to press forward the democratic demands of the People for accountability and justice.
Under House Rule 9, which Rep. Kucinich invoked in introducing H.Res. 1258--"a question of the privileges of the House"-- the full House of Representatives was compelled within 48 hours to bring the matter to a vote. Consequently, two days later, on Wednesday, June 11th, our Congressional Representatives voted overwhelmingly (by a 251-166 margin) to refer the matter to the House Judiciary Committee, chaired by Congressman John Conyers.
Kucinich's Articles of Impeachment effectively lay out the case against a lawless, degenerate regime that places corporate power and profits above the good and welfare of the U.S. Citizenry. In great detail they show that Bush & Co.:
* manufactured a fraudulent case for the Iraq war, lying to Congress and the American People;
* invaded Iraq illegally for the purpose of occupying a sovereign nation indefinitely and expropriating its public oil reserves and other natural resources for their billionaire cronies of corporate America;
* negligently failed to provide protective gear to our troops;
* outsourced the functions of the U.S. military and created a no-bid, private-contractor mercenary force which killed Iraqis with impunity and looted the treasuries of both the Iraqi and U.S. governments;
* tore up the United Nations Charter, the Geneva Conventions, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and other binding international treaties to which the U.S. is signatory;
* retaliated against government whistleblowers attempting to shine a light on corruption, malfeasance and unconstitutional abuse of power;
* began illegal detentions without trial or access to counsel of U.S. citizens and foreign nationals alike;
* countenanced kidnapping and torture;
* created secret laws;
* unconstitutionally spied on American citizens without a court order;
and the list goes on and on.
Each fact exhibited in Rep. Kucinich's 35 Articles of Impeachment is true beyond dispute, and each by itself is sufficient to demonstrate the need to remove this criminal President and his gang of thugs from the Executive Branch--not least of all because most if not all of the crimes are still ongoing.
But, as a Black woman from the South familiar with the struggle against discrimination and racism, I am moved most profoundly, in particular, by three of the Articles of Impeachment that I think serve to point out the real sickness of this regime -- the fact that for Blacks, for Latinos, for Native Americans, for all peoples of color, and for much of the white working
class, democracy has never really existed in the United States, and that today the limited gains in the direction of "a more perfect Union" that were won in struggle two generations ago are now being reversed through the deliberate, illegal policies of the gang that has taken over the government. I'm referring to:
* Article 28--Tampering with Free and Fair Elections, Corruption of the Administration of Justice;
* Article 29--Conspiracy to Violate the Voting Rights Act of 1965; and
* Article 31--Katrina: Failure to Plan for the Predicted Disaster of Hurricane Katrina, Failure to Respond to a Civil Emergency.
Therefore, I am hereby putting out an urgent call to all the progressive forces throughout this country--including first and foremost the democratic forces of the Black community, together with my supporters in the Green Party, organizers of the Reconstruction Party, and most especially Katrina survivors--to mobilize specifically around these three Articles.
During the 2008 presidential campaign, one thing we have learned through Barack Obama's success in capturing the Democratic Party nomination--when everyone knows Hillary Clinton had been anointed by the Democratic Party apparatus --is that the People, when they mobilize at the grassroots, can "flip the script" on the Power Structure.
This past Monday, backed up by the sustained pressure of a persistent mass movement for impeachment, Dennis Kucinich succeeded in "flipping the script" on the House Democratic leadership, and now the Articles of Impeachment are before the Judiciary Committee--precisely the result that the impeachment movement has been fighting for over the last five years!
Today we find that the ball is back in our court. It's up to the People now to "flip the script" once again. A massive grassroots movement of the People must coalesce very quickly, which can move Chairman Conyers and the House Judiciary Committee to hold hearings on H.Res. 1258.
I call upon all the forces of the Black movement nationwide--whether they currently support my presidential bid or the candidacy of Senator Obama--along with all my Green and Reconstructionist supporters, Katrina survivors and their supporters, the election protection movement, and all progressive forces, to organize a mass mobilization to push the House Judiciary Committee to move on the 35 Articles of Impeachment, with an explicit emphasis on the Black demands for fairness, equality and justice as laid out in Articles 28, 29 and 31.
I propose that all these social movements immediately combine in their local Congressional districts to organize street demonstrations, send delegations to their Congress members, and take any and all other steps necessary, including the formation of ad hoc action committees, to publicize Articles 28, 29 and 31 and convince their representatives to co-sponsor H.Res. 1258. Time is of the essence, brothers and sisters; it's necessary that we all swing into motion now.
Such efforts must especially focus on our Black members of Congress. Most important, activists in districts represented by the Black members of the House Judiciary Committee must most energetically target their representatives: Chairman John Conyers of Detroit; Bobby Scott of Richmond, Virginia; Mel Watt of Western North Carolina; Sheila Jackson-Lee of Houston; Maxine Waters of Los Angeles; my own distinguished successor in office, Hank Johnson of Atlanta; Luis Gutirrez of Chicago; Artur Davis of Black-Belt Alabama; and Keith Ellison of Minneapolis-St. Paul.
In the coming days and weeks, I will be announcing some concrete steps I intend to take to assist in the development of the mass movement it will take to ensure that accountability and justice are imposed upon the lawless Bush gang. Immediately, I am instructing my campaign staff to assist by setting up internet resources through my campaign website, RunCynthiaRun.org, that will be useful to local activists in conducting their organizing.
We have seen in this very election cycle how the mobilized masses, with Black America as their indispensable animating force, can "flip the script" on the Powers That Be. The time is now for us to do it again.
Keep the faith, my beautiful, powerful People!
in Support of Dennis Kucinich's Articles of Impeachment Against Bush
With great satisfaction I learned of the courageous action taken by Congressman Dennis Kucinich on Monday, June 9th. On that day, on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives, he rose to introduce House Resolution 1258, containing 35 Articles of Impeachment against President George W. Bush. The litany of documented High Crimes and constitutional abuses by the Bush administration took over five hours to recite.
I wish to take this opportunity to thank and commend Rep. Kucinich for his courage and tenacity, for the comprehensiveness of his research, and for the leadership he exhibited to press forward the democratic demands of the People for accountability and justice.
Under House Rule 9, which Rep. Kucinich invoked in introducing H.Res. 1258--"a question of the privileges of the House"-- the full House of Representatives was compelled within 48 hours to bring the matter to a vote. Consequently, two days later, on Wednesday, June 11th, our Congressional Representatives voted overwhelmingly (by a 251-166 margin) to refer the matter to the House Judiciary Committee, chaired by Congressman John Conyers.
Kucinich's Articles of Impeachment effectively lay out the case against a lawless, degenerate regime that places corporate power and profits above the good and welfare of the U.S. Citizenry. In great detail they show that Bush & Co.:
* manufactured a fraudulent case for the Iraq war, lying to Congress and the American People;
* invaded Iraq illegally for the purpose of occupying a sovereign nation indefinitely and expropriating its public oil reserves and other natural resources for their billionaire cronies of corporate America;
* negligently failed to provide protective gear to our troops;
* outsourced the functions of the U.S. military and created a no-bid, private-contractor mercenary force which killed Iraqis with impunity and looted the treasuries of both the Iraqi and U.S. governments;
* tore up the United Nations Charter, the Geneva Conventions, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and other binding international treaties to which the U.S. is signatory;
* retaliated against government whistleblowers attempting to shine a light on corruption, malfeasance and unconstitutional abuse of power;
* began illegal detentions without trial or access to counsel of U.S. citizens and foreign nationals alike;
* countenanced kidnapping and torture;
* created secret laws;
* unconstitutionally spied on American citizens without a court order;
and the list goes on and on.
Each fact exhibited in Rep. Kucinich's 35 Articles of Impeachment is true beyond dispute, and each by itself is sufficient to demonstrate the need to remove this criminal President and his gang of thugs from the Executive Branch--not least of all because most if not all of the crimes are still ongoing.
But, as a Black woman from the South familiar with the struggle against discrimination and racism, I am moved most profoundly, in particular, by three of the Articles of Impeachment that I think serve to point out the real sickness of this regime -- the fact that for Blacks, for Latinos, for Native Americans, for all peoples of color, and for much of the white working
class, democracy has never really existed in the United States, and that today the limited gains in the direction of "a more perfect Union" that were won in struggle two generations ago are now being reversed through the deliberate, illegal policies of the gang that has taken over the government. I'm referring to:
* Article 28--Tampering with Free and Fair Elections, Corruption of the Administration of Justice;
* Article 29--Conspiracy to Violate the Voting Rights Act of 1965; and
* Article 31--Katrina: Failure to Plan for the Predicted Disaster of Hurricane Katrina, Failure to Respond to a Civil Emergency.
Therefore, I am hereby putting out an urgent call to all the progressive forces throughout this country--including first and foremost the democratic forces of the Black community, together with my supporters in the Green Party, organizers of the Reconstruction Party, and most especially Katrina survivors--to mobilize specifically around these three Articles.
During the 2008 presidential campaign, one thing we have learned through Barack Obama's success in capturing the Democratic Party nomination--when everyone knows Hillary Clinton had been anointed by the Democratic Party apparatus --is that the People, when they mobilize at the grassroots, can "flip the script" on the Power Structure.
This past Monday, backed up by the sustained pressure of a persistent mass movement for impeachment, Dennis Kucinich succeeded in "flipping the script" on the House Democratic leadership, and now the Articles of Impeachment are before the Judiciary Committee--precisely the result that the impeachment movement has been fighting for over the last five years!
Today we find that the ball is back in our court. It's up to the People now to "flip the script" once again. A massive grassroots movement of the People must coalesce very quickly, which can move Chairman Conyers and the House Judiciary Committee to hold hearings on H.Res. 1258.
I call upon all the forces of the Black movement nationwide--whether they currently support my presidential bid or the candidacy of Senator Obama--along with all my Green and Reconstructionist supporters, Katrina survivors and their supporters, the election protection movement, and all progressive forces, to organize a mass mobilization to push the House Judiciary Committee to move on the 35 Articles of Impeachment, with an explicit emphasis on the Black demands for fairness, equality and justice as laid out in Articles 28, 29 and 31.
I propose that all these social movements immediately combine in their local Congressional districts to organize street demonstrations, send delegations to their Congress members, and take any and all other steps necessary, including the formation of ad hoc action committees, to publicize Articles 28, 29 and 31 and convince their representatives to co-sponsor H.Res. 1258. Time is of the essence, brothers and sisters; it's necessary that we all swing into motion now.
Such efforts must especially focus on our Black members of Congress. Most important, activists in districts represented by the Black members of the House Judiciary Committee must most energetically target their representatives: Chairman John Conyers of Detroit; Bobby Scott of Richmond, Virginia; Mel Watt of Western North Carolina; Sheila Jackson-Lee of Houston; Maxine Waters of Los Angeles; my own distinguished successor in office, Hank Johnson of Atlanta; Luis Gutirrez of Chicago; Artur Davis of Black-Belt Alabama; and Keith Ellison of Minneapolis-St. Paul.
In the coming days and weeks, I will be announcing some concrete steps I intend to take to assist in the development of the mass movement it will take to ensure that accountability and justice are imposed upon the lawless Bush gang. Immediately, I am instructing my campaign staff to assist by setting up internet resources through my campaign website, RunCynthiaRun.org, that will be useful to local activists in conducting their organizing.
We have seen in this very election cycle how the mobilized masses, with Black America as their indispensable animating force, can "flip the script" on the Powers That Be. The time is now for us to do it again.
Keep the faith, my beautiful, powerful People!
Saturday: Green Party Presidential Candidates Debate
WHEN: Saturday, June 21, 2008, 8:00 PM (ET), lasting approximately 90 minutes
WHERE: http://www.blogtlkradio.com/millerpolitics.
____
From: Miller Politics
Subject: Re: Green Party Presidential Candidates Debate
Three of the four candidates for the 2008 Green Party presidential
nomination will debate this Saturday online.
Cynthia McKinney, Kat Swift and Kent Mesplay will be taking part in the
debate hosted by Miller Politics. The debate will air from
http://www.blogtlkradio.com/millerpolitics.
If you have a question can email it in advance to millerpolitics@gmail or
call in or use the webchat during the debate.
MORE:
Saturday, June 21, 2008, starting at 8:00 PM (ET), lasting approximately
90 minutes. This will be the second Green Party presidential candidates
debate that I have moderated and the 12th over all presidential debate I
have moderated this campaign season, you can find the other debates by
going
HERE : http://www.millerpolitics.com/presidential-debates.html.
The debate will air live from http://www.blogtalkradio.com/millerpolitics.
The debate will focus on the issues and there will be no strict time limit
to how long each candidate will have to respond to questions but it is asked
that the candidates keep answers as short as possible to allow for the most
issues to be covered. There will be no opening statements but each
candidate will receive time at the end for closing comments.
The phone lines will be open for call in questions as well and questions
from listeners will also be able to be sent in via the BlogTalkRadio webchat
or in advanced by emailing questions to millerpolitics@gmail.com.
**
Sincerely,
Ben Miller
Host, Miller Politics Radio
WHERE: http://www.blogtlkradio.com/millerpolitics.
____
From: Miller Politics
Subject: Re: Green Party Presidential Candidates Debate
Three of the four candidates for the 2008 Green Party presidential
nomination will debate this Saturday online.
Cynthia McKinney, Kat Swift and Kent Mesplay will be taking part in the
debate hosted by Miller Politics. The debate will air from
http://www.blogtlkradio.com/millerpolitics.
If you have a question can email it in advance to millerpolitics@gmail or
call in or use the webchat during the debate.
MORE:
Saturday, June 21, 2008, starting at 8:00 PM (ET), lasting approximately
90 minutes. This will be the second Green Party presidential candidates
debate that I have moderated and the 12th over all presidential debate I
have moderated this campaign season, you can find the other debates by
going
HERE : http://www.millerpolitics.com/presidential-debates.html.
The debate will air live from http://www.blogtalkradio.com/millerpolitics.
The debate will focus on the issues and there will be no strict time limit
to how long each candidate will have to respond to questions but it is asked
that the candidates keep answers as short as possible to allow for the most
issues to be covered. There will be no opening statements but each
candidate will receive time at the end for closing comments.
The phone lines will be open for call in questions as well and questions
from listeners will also be able to be sent in via the BlogTalkRadio webchat
or in advanced by emailing questions to millerpolitics@gmail.com.
**
Sincerely,
Ben Miller
Host, Miller Politics Radio
From Cynthia McKinney: Please help me qualify for matching funds
Hello my friends,
I am writing to thank you for your sustained support for my campaign and to urge you to give me an extra boost in the next three weeks to help me qualify for federal matching campaign funds.
I have long supported public funding in all aspects of our campaigns, but now we really have the opportunity to participate in the power of public funding. However, that participation can only happen when the Power to the People Campaign has demonstrated its broad appeal in at least 20 states with each having raised $5,000 where the first $250 of each contribution is matchable. In other words, in order to qualify for public matching funds, you've got to qualify me.
I have traveled to 24 states and I've heard from many of you. I've tried to put a foundation in place for the Power to the People Committee. But the fact is that I want to be able to give you the kind of campaign that you all deserve and that I envisioned, but that takes money to buy the yard signs and handbills, pay the airfare necessary for my travels, and to meet the payroll necessary to staff the campaign.
To meet our campaign needs in the new and exciting period ahead, we have to turn the corner on our finances -- and the first step in this direction is raising at least $5,000 in each of at least 20 states to qualify for federal matching funds. So far, we have only met this objective in seven states -- though 11 additional states are well on their way toward that goal. The deadline for raising these funds is July 12th.
My campaign is not funded by the military-industrial-financial-media complex, nor the energy, pharmaceutical or other corporate interests that bankroll the parties of war: the Democrats and Republicans. I can only count on you, the people who produce the wealth in this country, to finance my campaign.
I need your support to get out the political message of our Power to the People campaign to voters all across the country.
The message of our campaign is necessary now, more than ever: Congress is on the verge of caving in on more funding for the occupations of Iraq and Afghanistan; our country bombs Somalia and Pakistan with impunity and none of the major party contenders mentions it; the American people are losing their homes at a record pace, Congress is yet to offer a solution; and our country is even more mired in debt. Our platform is the only one that genuinely addresses the needs and aspirations for real change that have been expressed by voters nationwide.
With your help, we can achieve our goal of raising the $100,000 in 20 states needed to obtain the federal matching funds. Please go to our website today (http://www.runcynthiarun.org) and make as generous a donation as you can. Then send all your friends, coworkers, and neighbors to this site, asking that they match or exceed your donation. I do believe in the power of the people.
Please help me put this first campaign milestone behind us, so we can get the Power to the People campaign on every ballot possible nationwide -- so that we can provide a genuine alternative to the No Impeachment, War Parties and their candidates. Our communities deserve so much more and the Power to the People campaign is ready to deliver. Your donation now will help us deliver with an impact. Thank you in advance for your contribution to this effort.
In struggle and solidarity,
Cynthia McKinney,
Presidential Candidate,
Power to the People Campaign
I am writing to thank you for your sustained support for my campaign and to urge you to give me an extra boost in the next three weeks to help me qualify for federal matching campaign funds.
I have long supported public funding in all aspects of our campaigns, but now we really have the opportunity to participate in the power of public funding. However, that participation can only happen when the Power to the People Campaign has demonstrated its broad appeal in at least 20 states with each having raised $5,000 where the first $250 of each contribution is matchable. In other words, in order to qualify for public matching funds, you've got to qualify me.I have traveled to 24 states and I've heard from many of you. I've tried to put a foundation in place for the Power to the People Committee. But the fact is that I want to be able to give you the kind of campaign that you all deserve and that I envisioned, but that takes money to buy the yard signs and handbills, pay the airfare necessary for my travels, and to meet the payroll necessary to staff the campaign.
To meet our campaign needs in the new and exciting period ahead, we have to turn the corner on our finances -- and the first step in this direction is raising at least $5,000 in each of at least 20 states to qualify for federal matching funds. So far, we have only met this objective in seven states -- though 11 additional states are well on their way toward that goal. The deadline for raising these funds is July 12th.
My campaign is not funded by the military-industrial-financial-media complex, nor the energy, pharmaceutical or other corporate interests that bankroll the parties of war: the Democrats and Republicans. I can only count on you, the people who produce the wealth in this country, to finance my campaign.
I need your support to get out the political message of our Power to the People campaign to voters all across the country.
The message of our campaign is necessary now, more than ever: Congress is on the verge of caving in on more funding for the occupations of Iraq and Afghanistan; our country bombs Somalia and Pakistan with impunity and none of the major party contenders mentions it; the American people are losing their homes at a record pace, Congress is yet to offer a solution; and our country is even more mired in debt. Our platform is the only one that genuinely addresses the needs and aspirations for real change that have been expressed by voters nationwide.
With your help, we can achieve our goal of raising the $100,000 in 20 states needed to obtain the federal matching funds. Please go to our website today (http://www.runcynthiarun.org) and make as generous a donation as you can. Then send all your friends, coworkers, and neighbors to this site, asking that they match or exceed your donation. I do believe in the power of the people.
Please help me put this first campaign milestone behind us, so we can get the Power to the People campaign on every ballot possible nationwide -- so that we can provide a genuine alternative to the No Impeachment, War Parties and their candidates. Our communities deserve so much more and the Power to the People campaign is ready to deliver. Your donation now will help us deliver with an impact. Thank you in advance for your contribution to this effort.
In struggle and solidarity,
Cynthia McKinney,
Presidential Candidate,
Power to the People Campaign
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
New York State Green Primary Results - McKinney wins 75% of Delegates
Statewide Totals:
30 delegates to Cynthia McKinney
4 Delegates to Kent Mesplay
2 Delegate to Ralph Nader
2 Delegate to Jesse Johnson
2 Delegate to Uncommitted
Results by Region:
Region 1 - (Nassau County)
1 Delegate to Cynthia McKinney
1 Delegate to Kent Mesplay
Region 1 - (Suffolk County)
1 Delegate to Cynthia McKinney
1 Delegate to Ralph Nader
1 Delegate Uncommitted
Region 2 - New York City
9 Delegate to Cynthia McKinney
2 Delegate to Jesse Johnson
1 Delegate to Kent Mesplay
Region 3 - Mid Hudson
5 delegates to Cynthia McKinney
Region 4 - Capital District and the North Country
4 delegates to Cynthia McKinney
1 Delegate to Kent Mesplay
1 Delegate to Ralph Nader
Region 5 - Central New York
5 delegates to Cynthia McKinney
Region 6 - Western New York and the Southern Tier
5 delegates to Cynthia McKinney
1 Delegate to Kent Mesplay
1 Delegate to Uncommitted
About the Voteing
Meet the candidates
About the Convention
30 delegates to Cynthia McKinney
4 Delegates to Kent Mesplay
2 Delegate to Ralph Nader
2 Delegate to Jesse Johnson
2 Delegate to Uncommitted
Results by Region:
Region 1 - (Nassau County)
1 Delegate to Cynthia McKinney
1 Delegate to Kent Mesplay
Region 1 - (Suffolk County)
1 Delegate to Cynthia McKinney
1 Delegate to Ralph Nader
1 Delegate Uncommitted
Region 2 - New York City
9 Delegate to Cynthia McKinney
2 Delegate to Jesse Johnson
1 Delegate to Kent Mesplay
Region 3 - Mid Hudson
5 delegates to Cynthia McKinney
Region 4 - Capital District and the North Country
4 delegates to Cynthia McKinney
1 Delegate to Kent Mesplay
1 Delegate to Ralph Nader
Region 5 - Central New York
5 delegates to Cynthia McKinney
Region 6 - Western New York and the Southern Tier
5 delegates to Cynthia McKinney
1 Delegate to Kent Mesplay
1 Delegate to Uncommitted
About the Voteing
Meet the candidates
About the Convention
Monday, June 09, 2008
Maine Greens urge town resolutions against US attack on Iran
MAINE GREEN INDEPENDENT PARTY
http://www.mainegreens.org/
Press Release:
June 8, 2008
contact: Lynne Williams, MGIP chair, lwilliamslaw@earthlink.net
Maine Green Independent Party Urges Towns to Pass Resolutions Opposing Unauthorized Attack on Iran
For Further Information: Lynne Williams, Esq., State Chair, (207) 266-6327, LWILLIAMSLAW@earthlink.net
Following the Bar Harbor Town Meeting's passage of a resolution opposing a war with Iran unless expressly authorized by Congress, the Maine Green Independent Party is calling on towns and cities throughout the state to pass similar resolutions, and asking the party members to initiate and support such efforts.
The Bar Harbor effort was initiated by citizen peace and justice activist, Susan Murphy, who was very concerned by evidence put forth by Seymour Hersh, and other investigative journalists, that the Bush administration was preparing to launch an invasion of Iran.
Mount Desert Island Peace and Justice asked the Town Council to hold a special town meeting to consider a resolution, but were told that they needed to gather 234 signatures of voters on a petition and present the signatures to the Council. When the activists did so, the Council declined to accept the signatures, incorrectly arguing that the town charter prevented town meeting from considering anything that does not concern "town business."
Yet the activists persevered and eventually the June 3, 2008 Bar Harbor Town Meeting passed a resolution, simply worded as follows: Resolved that the Town of Bar Harbor, through its annual town meeting, opposes any military action by the United States against the Islamic Republic of Iran without express Congressional authorization in accordance with the War Powers Act.
What was particularly persuasive for many residents was the link between spending on the Iraq war and what the town might do with the same amount of tax dollars. This data comes from the National Priorities Project (http://www.nationalpriorities.org), which calculates not only the cost of the Iraq war borne by each town, but also illustrates what could have been achieved with that amount of money if it had not been squandered on the war. To date, Bar Harbor is one of only 11 cities nationally to pass an Iran resolution, according to "Cities for Peace" (http://www.citiesfor progress.org). One of the other towns to pass such a resolution is Harpswell, Maine.
The Maine Green Independent Party is calling on all Maine towns and cities to pass similar resolutions and calling on its membership to support such efforts.
"This issue is critically important. We are at a point where we can be proactive rather than reactive, and can organize around preventing a unilateral war, rather than protesting a war that has already begun," according to Bar Harbor attorney Lynne Williams, state chair of the Maine Green Independent Party. http://www.mainegreens.org
http://www.mainegreens.org/
Press Release:
June 8, 2008
contact: Lynne Williams, MGIP chair, lwilliamslaw@earthlink.net
Maine Green Independent Party Urges Towns to Pass Resolutions Opposing Unauthorized Attack on Iran
For Further Information: Lynne Williams, Esq., State Chair, (207) 266-6327, LWILLIAMSLAW@earthlink.net
Following the Bar Harbor Town Meeting's passage of a resolution opposing a war with Iran unless expressly authorized by Congress, the Maine Green Independent Party is calling on towns and cities throughout the state to pass similar resolutions, and asking the party members to initiate and support such efforts.The Bar Harbor effort was initiated by citizen peace and justice activist, Susan Murphy, who was very concerned by evidence put forth by Seymour Hersh, and other investigative journalists, that the Bush administration was preparing to launch an invasion of Iran.
Mount Desert Island Peace and Justice asked the Town Council to hold a special town meeting to consider a resolution, but were told that they needed to gather 234 signatures of voters on a petition and present the signatures to the Council. When the activists did so, the Council declined to accept the signatures, incorrectly arguing that the town charter prevented town meeting from considering anything that does not concern "town business."
Yet the activists persevered and eventually the June 3, 2008 Bar Harbor Town Meeting passed a resolution, simply worded as follows: Resolved that the Town of Bar Harbor, through its annual town meeting, opposes any military action by the United States against the Islamic Republic of Iran without express Congressional authorization in accordance with the War Powers Act.
What was particularly persuasive for many residents was the link between spending on the Iraq war and what the town might do with the same amount of tax dollars. This data comes from the National Priorities Project (http://www.nationalpriorities.org), which calculates not only the cost of the Iraq war borne by each town, but also illustrates what could have been achieved with that amount of money if it had not been squandered on the war. To date, Bar Harbor is one of only 11 cities nationally to pass an Iran resolution, according to "Cities for Peace" (http://www.citiesfor progress.org). One of the other towns to pass such a resolution is Harpswell, Maine.
The Maine Green Independent Party is calling on all Maine towns and cities to pass similar resolutions and calling on its membership to support such efforts.
"This issue is critically important. We are at a point where we can be proactive rather than reactive, and can organize around preventing a unilateral war, rather than protesting a war that has already begun," according to Bar Harbor attorney Lynne Williams, state chair of the Maine Green Independent Party. http://www.mainegreens.org
Democrats attack Green candidate ballot lines in Illinois
Dennis, other Greens removed from ballot
http://www.pantagraph.com/articles/2008/06/09/news/doc484dbbdab7e86793490814.txt
By Kenneth Lowe
Kenneth.lowe@lee.net
SPRINGFIELD -- Four Green Party candidates running for Congress were
booted off the ballot by state election officials Monday.
Troy Dennis of Mount Zion, the Green Party candidate in the 17th
Congressional District, was among those removed from the November
ballot. The other three were Iain Abernathy of Round Lake Beach in the
8th district, David Kalbfleisch of Arlington Heights in the 10th and
Robert Hill of DeKalb in the 14th district.
The four candidates did not run in the primary, but were slated by the
Green Party — a process which objectors claim was not handled properly.
Maurice Doyle, a Democratic precinct committeeman in Macon County,
objected to Dennis’ campaign, alleging that the Green Party did not
slate their candidates using proper party officials.
The other objectors, all members of the Democratic Party, made similar
allegations against the other three candidates.
Attorney Mike Kasper represented Doyle.
“In all four of these cases, the people who purported to nominate
someone to run in November were not the proper party officials,” said
Kasper.
Speaking after the ruling, Dennis said the Democratic Party targeted the
candidates.
“This was really run by the Democratic machine,” Dennis said. “This
wasn’t a concerned citizen. This was actually the Democratic machine
really coming after four different Green Party candidates.”
Steve Brown, spokesman for Democratic Party Chairman Mike Madigan, said
established parties should be expected to follow election laws.
“If Illinois has a set of election laws, we expect the Democrats and
Republicans and anyone else who wants to be a candidate to obey those
laws,” Brown said. “Usually this group whines every year when they fail
to follow the law and get tossed off the ballot.”
The four candidates have the option of appealing the decision in the
courts. Dennis said he will consider doing so, and failing that, will
sign up as a write-in candidate in the 23 counties in the 17th district,
which stretches from the Quad-Cities to Decatur.
Scott Summers, attorney for the candidates and himself the Green Party
candidate for the 16th District, said despite this setback, the Green
Party remains a strong presence in the November election.
“We remain a very good choice for the voters come November,” Summers
said. “For a new party coming straight out of the blocks we’ve got a
good presence.”
The ruling does not affect candidates such as Jason Wallace of Normal,
who is running in the 11th district, or Vic Roberts who is running in
the 19th Congressional District.
The American Electoral Charade
A Black Agenda Radio commentary by Glen Ford
Two candidates with almost identical positions on virtually every issue fight to exhaustion over non-substantial concerns for months, and will doubtless soon celebrate having achieved "unity." Tweedle-dum Hillary Clinton and Tweedle-dee Barack Obama may or may not emerge from the primary battles as friends - but what does that matter? "Their policies are interchangeable, as are their advisors.... All serve the same masters: the financial corporations." The general election campaign, already begun, will see Obama and McCain draw politically closer each day, until at the end "the voters' choice will be just a matter of personality and individual taste" - and race.
"Very little of the general election campaign action will have anything to do with policy, just as in the primary campaign."
If all goes as scripted, the Democrats hope to spend from now to November congratulating themselves on their ability to forge unity out of the seeming chaos of the excruciating primary election season, now thankfully over. "Unity" will join "change" as a meaningless buzzword in the vapid Democratic vocabulary. The fact is, corporate Democrats have been unified all along, joined at the hip in grim determination to ultimately plant themselves so microscopically to the left of the Republicans that the voters' choice will be just a matter of personality and individual taste. So, who do you like - Barack Obama or John McCain? At the end of the general election campaign, that's what it will boil down to for millions of voters, as the two corporate dancers draw ever closer together.
To be sure, there will be lots of manufactured drama, but very little of the action will have anything to do with policy, just as in the primary campaign. McCain's age will be a constant undercurrent, as will Obama's race. But the actual conduct of the war in Iraq, for example, and precisely when it is to be brought to an end, will be buried as the candidates battle over who loves "the troops" the most, and which standard bearer's personality is best suited to waging never-ending war on "terror."
It does not really matter if Senators Obama and Clinton ever develop a fondness for one another, now that the pay-for-play primary charade is over. Their policies are interchangeable, as are their advisers, most of whom will wind up drawing big fat checks from some section or another of the larger Democratic campaign effort. All serve the same masters: the financial corporations that this season definitively redirected their infinitely corrupting campaign contributions to the Democrats. Hedge funds are reported to be backing Democrats, nine to one. They are betting that, whatever "change" occurs, it will not alter basic power relationships in ways that threaten the rule of the rich one iota.
"Whatever ‘change' occurs, it will not alter basic power relationships in ways that threaten the rule of the rich."
Those citizens that want to abolish the American oligarchic form of government should vote for the Green Party, and put Cynthia McKinney at the head of the ticket. That's the very least one can do; the real task is to create multiple people's movements that will force an end to imperial warfare - a prerequisite for all the other tasks that face humanity. But opposition to oligarchy operates in a state of invisibility in America. Corporate media, through whose bizarre, distorted lenses most people view their nation and world, can make the opposition disappear, in an instant. Remember Dennis Kucinich? Most people don't, thanks to private media corporations that stage-manage and slick-package cosmetic versions of U.S. public discourse and call it "democracy."
The New York Times this week sneered at Russian television executives for causing critics of the government to disappear from the small screen. The Times presents this as proof of the superiority of the American political system. They're wrong. U.S. corporate censorship is just as heavy-handed as the Russian kind - and it's a lot more expensive.
For Black Agenda Radio, I'm Glen Ford.
BAR executive editor
Glen Ford can be contacted at
Glen.Ford@BlackAgendaReport.com
Two candidates with almost identical positions on virtually every issue fight to exhaustion over non-substantial concerns for months, and will doubtless soon celebrate having achieved "unity." Tweedle-dum Hillary Clinton and Tweedle-dee Barack Obama may or may not emerge from the primary battles as friends - but what does that matter? "Their policies are interchangeable, as are their advisors.... All serve the same masters: the financial corporations." The general election campaign, already begun, will see Obama and McCain draw politically closer each day, until at the end "the voters' choice will be just a matter of personality and individual taste" - and race.
"Very little of the general election campaign action will have anything to do with policy, just as in the primary campaign."
If all goes as scripted, the Democrats hope to spend from now to November congratulating themselves on their ability to forge unity out of the seeming chaos of the excruciating primary election season, now thankfully over. "Unity" will join "change" as a meaningless buzzword in the vapid Democratic vocabulary. The fact is, corporate Democrats have been unified all along, joined at the hip in grim determination to ultimately plant themselves so microscopically to the left of the Republicans that the voters' choice will be just a matter of personality and individual taste. So, who do you like - Barack Obama or John McCain? At the end of the general election campaign, that's what it will boil down to for millions of voters, as the two corporate dancers draw ever closer together.
To be sure, there will be lots of manufactured drama, but very little of the action will have anything to do with policy, just as in the primary campaign. McCain's age will be a constant undercurrent, as will Obama's race. But the actual conduct of the war in Iraq, for example, and precisely when it is to be brought to an end, will be buried as the candidates battle over who loves "the troops" the most, and which standard bearer's personality is best suited to waging never-ending war on "terror."
It does not really matter if Senators Obama and Clinton ever develop a fondness for one another, now that the pay-for-play primary charade is over. Their policies are interchangeable, as are their advisers, most of whom will wind up drawing big fat checks from some section or another of the larger Democratic campaign effort. All serve the same masters: the financial corporations that this season definitively redirected their infinitely corrupting campaign contributions to the Democrats. Hedge funds are reported to be backing Democrats, nine to one. They are betting that, whatever "change" occurs, it will not alter basic power relationships in ways that threaten the rule of the rich one iota.
"Whatever ‘change' occurs, it will not alter basic power relationships in ways that threaten the rule of the rich."
Those citizens that want to abolish the American oligarchic form of government should vote for the Green Party, and put Cynthia McKinney at the head of the ticket. That's the very least one can do; the real task is to create multiple people's movements that will force an end to imperial warfare - a prerequisite for all the other tasks that face humanity. But opposition to oligarchy operates in a state of invisibility in America. Corporate media, through whose bizarre, distorted lenses most people view their nation and world, can make the opposition disappear, in an instant. Remember Dennis Kucinich? Most people don't, thanks to private media corporations that stage-manage and slick-package cosmetic versions of U.S. public discourse and call it "democracy."The New York Times this week sneered at Russian television executives for causing critics of the government to disappear from the small screen. The Times presents this as proof of the superiority of the American political system. They're wrong. U.S. corporate censorship is just as heavy-handed as the Russian kind - and it's a lot more expensive.
For Black Agenda Radio, I'm Glen Ford.
BAR executive editor
Glen Ford can be contacted at
Glen.Ford@BlackAgendaReport.com
Saturday, June 07, 2008
Green Paper on Climate Change and Energy Options For the State of Florida
Released 4/17/2008
By Green Party of Florida and Palm Beach County Environmental Coalition
www.FloridaGreens.org
www.pbcec.blogspot.com
[Now that our green paper is a public document, we consider it a work in progress, an opening to the deeper public conversation about what we must do to recreate a truly sustainable energy regime, in the short amount of time we have to do it. Wider input is invited to develop it into a rich public resource document, in the spirit of democratic community enterprise.]
"…With such enlarging crises of energy and growth, we must accomplish a vital feat in record time. That feat is to determine the acceptable limits of development within regions of the State—both those limits which are inherent in its natural resources, and those more elevated limits which we are able to attain through inputs of energy and tax dollars…The survival of Florida’s unique natural resources, the conditions of life for it’s people, the viability of its cities…depend on it."
Arthur R. Marshall, Director, Division of Applied Ecology, University of Miami, 1973, speech on ‘Energy and Growth’
"We have at most ten years—not ten years to decide upon action, but ten years to fundamentally alter the trajectory of global greenhouse emissions."
James Hansen, NASA climatologist, 2006
Introduction
Floridians have long been aware of a growing environmental crisis in our state. Arthur Marshall’s speech could be delivered today and it would ring truer than he might have ever imagined. Florida’s citizens are now coming to accept that life as they know it may soon change in the densely populated areas of this peninsula. According to NASA climatologist Hansen, within the next decade our current direction will result in irreversible climate change across the planet, including specific consequences in Florida: rising sea levels, the end of the Gulf Stream, increased storm ferocity, droughts, flooding and uncontrollable wildfires. These changes are already underway.
The global scientific community has reached consensus that the rapid pace of climate change is the result of human activity. Industrialized society has extracted millions of years of stored energy from the earth in a single century, releasing globally harmful emissions into the atmosphere. For the public, the real and relevant debate is what we will do with this information.
Purpose
The primary intent of this Green Paper is to outline the mounting global crisis of human-created climate change from the unique geographical and political perspective that exists in Florida. Scientists, scholars and activists have shown us that several significant areas of endeavor are driving climate change including transportation, manufacturing, agriculture and the energy industry. This paper will focus on the last factor: the generation and consumption of electrical power.
We choose to focus on electricity because (1) fossil fuel power plants represent the largest source of greenhouse gas (GHG) pollution and (2) power generation is the engine that allows us to drive industrial and residential development along an unsustainable path. Energy companies are among the largest, most powerful economic and political forces in Florida (as they are nationally and internationally.) We live in an energy empire, where the leverage of industry interests has far exceeded that of public interest. Recent changes in energy-related policy are being supported by Governor Crist and by emboldened grassroots groups. These changes present opportunities to alter the very foundations of our society. We are enthusiastically committed to being a part of that change—for the survival and betterment of our peninsula and our planet.
During the past year, Florida has made great strides toward addressing issues related to climate and energy with a refreshingly broad approach that encompasses international policy. In July 2007, at the Serve to Preserve Global Summit on Climate Change, Gov Crist committed to partnering with foreign countries to discuss and promote initiatives that broaden the Kyoto Protocol and reduce the emission of greenhouse gases beyond 2012. This is especially appropriate considering that the 2007 Florida Energy Commission’s Report to the Legislature acknowledged that Florida, as an individual entity, ranks as the world’s 26th worst GHG source.
This Green Paper will explore the following questions utilizing current data and documents:
I. What needs to be done?
II. What is now being done at the policy level in Florida?
III. What is possible?
IV. How can we achieve our goals?
V. What are some obstacles?
VI. How can we prepare for what’s coming?
VII. What do we have to gain?
We will provide examples of communities in Florida that are addressing these questions on a local level. We hope to offer guidance and encouragement to grassroots political activists, public employees and elected officials across Florida so they may guide industry leaders along our path to a sustainable future.
Read the entire paper here
Mesplay on Education
Kent Mesplay for President!http://mesplay.org/education.html
MISSION: To improve our security and to reform politics.
Education
Excellent education is vital for citizens to be active members of society,
as well as for them to realize their full potential. However, public
education has been neglected for decades, undermining its purpose and
further perpetrating race and class divides. Despite being one of the
wealthiest countries, America spends less on education than most other
industrialized countries. Republicans and Democrats frequently talk of
education reform, but while in office either do not conduct any major
reforms or create misdirected reforms.
Schools are underfunded and usually funded mostly through property taxes.
This creates a system where schools in poorer districts (where property
values are lower), while needing funding the most, are at a funding
disadvantage to schools in wealthier districts.
The No Child Left Behind Act, rather than helping schools, has done the
opposite. No Child Left Behind mandates funding cuts for fine arts
curriculum, an already neglected yet vital subject that is usually cut
first when schools face budgetary constraints. The act also overemphasizes
standardized testing as a measure of success, placing the careers of
teachers as well as the retentions and graduations of students on the line
based upon test scores.
Republican and Democratic candidates, while frequently proposing education
reform, ignore the issue of dwindling fine arts programs in school,
instead focusing on increased funding and test scores. In fact, fine arts
programs have been shown to increase test scores overall. None of the
presidential candidates from the two 'major parties' in this election
cycle have taken on the problem of the diminishing role of fine arts in
our schools.
Kent Mesplay?s Education Platform
Major Goals:
? Equalize school funding
? Incorporate arts programs and funding within schools
? Incorporate environmental education into the core curriculum at all levels
? Incorporate peace and multi-cultural education into school curriculum
? Decentralize school administration
? End high-stakes testing
? Maximum class sizes no greater than 20
? Better and safer transport to schools
? More support and funding for special needs children
? Achievable Individual Education Plans for children with special needs
? Improve early childhood services
? Free higher education
Equalize school funding: To solve the problem of unequal funding through
property taxes, schools must receive federal financing. This will help
ensure equal educational opportunities for all students. Federal funding
should also be increased for schools in poorer areas which have greater
need of aid to improve school quality and student performance.
Incorporate arts programs and funding within schools: Arts programs are
vital to our education. Fine arts study builds creativity, memory,
expression, and self-confidence. It also introduces engaging activities to
the classroom, and allow students to open their minds in ways other
subjects cannot. These skills endure well after the student is done with
their fine arts course work. Teachers can incorporate various arts
activities (music, drama, dance, creative writing) within their daily
lesson plans to provide a basic arts program of study. Implementing the
arts in after school programs also keeps students occupied and off the
streets. When the arts are included in the curriculum students are more
willing to come to school and are actually excited about learning.
Incorporate environmental education into the core curriculum at all
levels: The environmental crisis we face today is one of the most decisive
crises facing humanity in our history. In order to exercise ecological
wisdom throughout our future, students must be taught the importance of
protecting the environment and what they can do to conserve nature.
Teachers can revise their lesson plans to include learning activities that
deal with our environment and how we contribute to it. This can go as far
as simply expanding the science core curriculum in the classroom and
revising it so that it teaches ecological wisdom.
Incorporate peace and multi-cultural education into school curriculum: To
deal with school violence, policies and programs must be implemented to
create a school culture that is inclusive and supports the elimination of
prejudice, racism, bullying, violence, and ethnocentrism. Again, the arts
provide an outlet that would minimize school violence and expand
understanding of multiple cultures. If children have an alternative to
violence they will embrace the opportunities. If the arts were implemented
into the education system nationally the government would be correcting
many problems with one solution.
Decentralize school administration: Schools currently have to work through
stifling centralized bureaucracy that impose regulations upon them that do
not necessarily provide for the needs of local communities. Schools should
be allowed more freedom in their local administration, and elicit
participation from parents and teachers in the administrative process.
Central administration should then be made available when needed to aid
local schools with achieving their goals.
End High-Stakes Testing: The careers of teachers, futures of entire
schools, and increasingly the ability to get high school diplomas rely on
so-called ?standardizes? testing. Teachers have to spend time preparing
for tests rather than teaching the material. This is especially
problematic for students who are involved in learning but are not good
test takers. Education cannot be represented by multiple-choice testing.
Teachers should be placed back in charge of teaching and classroom
assessment so that this assessment is more representative of each
individual class.
Maximum class sizes no greater than 20: Smaller class sizes allow for a
more personalized and less stressful learning environment both for
teachers and students. To lessen class sizes, measures need to be taken to
reduce school overcrowding and more teachers need to be hired. This can be
done by 1) giving the schools funding in order to expand and by 2)
increasing the number of credible teachers in the school system. There
must first be better screenings to provide for more exceptional teachers
in our school systems, and then more funding to expand our schools.
Decreasing the class sizes and increasing the teacher to student ratio
will focus more on the students and help them to get the attention they
need to be more successful.
Better and safer transport to schools: We need to provide a safer way for
children to make it to and from school on a daily basis. Through this,
school attendance rates will increase, and schools can receive more
funding. This can be achieved by hiring more efficient and credible bus
drivers and providing a free service for students to use.
More support and funding for special needs children: Students with special
needs are an important part of the diverse learners in America?s
educational system. Instead of trying to push them to keep up with the
regular learning students they should be provided with their own lesson
plans modifications. These Achievable Individual Education Plans will be
the same as the other lesson plans, only with proper modifications for the
student with special needs as decided by the student?s parents, teachers,
and other paraprofessionals. Keeping the content the same as the rest of
the class will make minimal complications for the teacher who is trying to
accommodate all of the student?s different learning needs. Lastly, with
extra funding schools can also hire more efficient teacher aides to help
teachers in classrooms with diverse learners.
Improve early childhood services: If early childhood services are provided
for children they are more likely to get the extra push they need to
succeed. It gives them a heads up and prepares them for the higher level
of schooling if they start off earlier. The classroom for the younger
school-aged children will not be all about playing and taking a nap, but
it will be about learning the basic fundamentals in an interesting way
involving the arts and about getting a better start in a more proficient
classroom.
Free higher education: Financing should be provided for public
universities and technical schools to make higher education available to
anyone who seeks it, rather than the privileged few. Everyone deserves the
opportunity to pursue higher education and a professional career, yet this
remains only a dream for many lower income families. Free higher education
will give us a more educated society, uplift minorities and poorer
families, and provide a better economy through professional training.
Mesplay for President!
More Debate, More Action, Less Rhetoric. Mesplay for President
kat swift on the Issues
kat swift delegates and supporters, please come join us at
kat for President! on Green Party Nexus:
http://greenexus.ning.com/group/katforpesident?xgi=fqtqrw8
where we'll be organizing ourselves for Chicago and beyond!
kat 4 Prez!
Drew Johnson
CoCoordinator Kat Swift for President 08
& Kent Mesplay for President '08 campaigns
http://www.voteswift.org
COordN8@voteswift.org
408.469.6093
http://voteswift.org/?page_id=5
kat swift on the Issues
Short Takes
Capital Punishment - Blatant disregard for life especially in our unjust
legal system? also more expensive than life in prison or a college
education.
Global Warming - Yes it would likely happen even without us pesky humans,
but that doesn?t mean we need not address our blatant disregard for the
commons out of immediate greed gratification.
Marijuana Legalization - If a doctor can proscribe a synthetic version of
Marijuana to patients for a variety of ailments, then why is the herb
illegal? It?s a plant people, it is proven to not kill you and is less
addictive than caffeine, sugar, coffee, tobacco, alcohol, etc. Granted i
don?t want the cigarette companies making a fortune off of marijuana so
maybe decriminalization a la Switzerland and Netherlands is a better idea
Right to Die - Everyone is going to die, some say we all choose when. What
right do we have to stop someone from dying?
School Prayer - If you want to pray at school, fine. If not, fine. No one
should be forced to do something they personally don?t believe in. Freedom
of religion is also freedom from religion.
Abortion - A choice no one likes to make and would be better off having
been educated about sex and sexuality before pregnancy became an option as
well as being provided with access to birth control.
Cuba - I?ve always wanted to go. With the cold war over, why do we
continue to have an embargo against Cuba? They aren?t doing anything that
China doesn?t do to its citizens and we love China so much we gave them
permanent trade relations!
Education - Seriously lacking except to create mindless drones who will
work for slave wages because they want to eat and not live on the street
holding a fantasy that they can work their way up the class ladder? IT
RARELY HAPPENS!
Flag Burning - If it belongs to the person burning it, then so what? No
theft or destruction of another?s property is involved. Nationalism breeds
hatred and violence.
Separation of Church and State - If the church and state practiced what
they preached this would be a non-issue.
Taxes - Eliminate regressive taxation, institute a peace tax also known as
religious freedom tax, require corporations to pay their fair share of
income tax, create a progressive income tax with a minimum based on a
living wage. If you make less than a living wage, you pay no tax, if you
make $2 million a year, you pay a larger percentage of your income than
someone making $50k/yr.
Welfare - End Corporate welfare today!
United Nations - It might work too if Eleanor Roosevelt was still alive
and whipping those boys into shape!
Electoral College - In its present form, outdated and unconstitutional. If
we bound them to vote for the publics choices in proportion to the popular
vote as spelled out in Article XIV Section 2 of the constitution, it might
be okay.
Foreign Policy - Build trust that has not occurred in my lifetime with
other countries and work to raise the quality of life of all humans on the
planet? clean water and air for all!
Free Trade - People over profits; Fair Trade not Free Trade!
Gay Rights - Gay, lesbian, bisexual, intersexual, and trans gendered
rights - if one class of people has rights that another class of people do
not, we are not a just society. It used to be your skin color, gender,
ethnicity, property ownership, etc. Sexual orientation and gender identity
are a class of people still without equal access to government benefits
and privileges because those in power deem them immoral, unworthy, etc.
They used to say that black people were not human, women weren?t capable
of the responsibility of voting, and neither were polish, irish, italian,
etc., or men who didn?t own property.
Gun Control - The purpose of the bill of rights article was to prevent the
government from being able to establish military might over the citizenry
in order to overthrow a duly elected government. Now the government has
nukes and what all else, there is not much we citizens can do in this
regard any longer. we can stop providing guns to dictators and
governments. And I still don?t think someone needs a machine gun to hunt
with? come on, what kind of hunting are you doing? Not the kind to get
sustenance for your family with regard to the life you are taking.
Illegal Immigration - Address the why: Why are people risking their lives
to come here illegally? See globalization and free trade. If you want to
militarize the border with Mexico only, start thinking about how you would
feel if you had little choice but to leave your family and go to Canada in
order to get a job so you could feed your kids. Would you want to go?
Would you do whatever it took? Would you wish daily that you could just go
back and live a comfortable life in your home country? Likely.
Minimum Wage - Living wage! [universallivingwage.org]
Concerns
Address abuses and violence against women and children, including
trafficking, sexual, emotional and physical abuse.
True Democracy - Give us: proportional representation in the electoral
college as ratified in the US Constitution Article XIV Section 2; unbiased
and independent media; Net Neutrality.
Ending the war on drugs, corporate control of government and classism.
Voting machines owned by the people not some company who refuses to give
data to the public - computers are not infallible, let us have a paper
receipt to recount and open source software!
Having the option of voting for ?none of the above? in every election
Affordable single payer healthcare with a drug plan that is easy to use
Raising the minimum wage to a livable wage
IRV and Proportional voting methods and redistricting reform
Iraq/Iran aka Colonial style War & Invasion
A Peace Tax Fund and Department of Peace cabinet position; Why should we
pay for wars we are morally opposed to when that money can go for
infrastructure (levees), education, health care, protecting the
environment, etc.
Moratorium on Death Penalty
kat for President! on Green Party Nexus:
http://greenexus.ning.com/group/katforpesident?xgi=fqtqrw8
where we'll be organizing ourselves for Chicago and beyond!
kat 4 Prez!
Drew Johnson
CoCoordinator Kat Swift for President 08
& Kent Mesplay for President '08 campaigns
http://www.voteswift.org
COordN8@voteswift.org
408.469.6093
http://voteswift.org/?page_id=5
kat swift on the IssuesShort Takes
Capital Punishment - Blatant disregard for life especially in our unjust
legal system? also more expensive than life in prison or a college
education.
Global Warming - Yes it would likely happen even without us pesky humans,
but that doesn?t mean we need not address our blatant disregard for the
commons out of immediate greed gratification.
Marijuana Legalization - If a doctor can proscribe a synthetic version of
Marijuana to patients for a variety of ailments, then why is the herb
illegal? It?s a plant people, it is proven to not kill you and is less
addictive than caffeine, sugar, coffee, tobacco, alcohol, etc. Granted i
don?t want the cigarette companies making a fortune off of marijuana so
maybe decriminalization a la Switzerland and Netherlands is a better idea
Right to Die - Everyone is going to die, some say we all choose when. What
right do we have to stop someone from dying?
School Prayer - If you want to pray at school, fine. If not, fine. No one
should be forced to do something they personally don?t believe in. Freedom
of religion is also freedom from religion.
Abortion - A choice no one likes to make and would be better off having
been educated about sex and sexuality before pregnancy became an option as
well as being provided with access to birth control.
Cuba - I?ve always wanted to go. With the cold war over, why do we
continue to have an embargo against Cuba? They aren?t doing anything that
China doesn?t do to its citizens and we love China so much we gave them
permanent trade relations!
Education - Seriously lacking except to create mindless drones who will
work for slave wages because they want to eat and not live on the street
holding a fantasy that they can work their way up the class ladder? IT
RARELY HAPPENS!
Flag Burning - If it belongs to the person burning it, then so what? No
theft or destruction of another?s property is involved. Nationalism breeds
hatred and violence.
Separation of Church and State - If the church and state practiced what
they preached this would be a non-issue.
Taxes - Eliminate regressive taxation, institute a peace tax also known as
religious freedom tax, require corporations to pay their fair share of
income tax, create a progressive income tax with a minimum based on a
living wage. If you make less than a living wage, you pay no tax, if you
make $2 million a year, you pay a larger percentage of your income than
someone making $50k/yr.
Welfare - End Corporate welfare today!
United Nations - It might work too if Eleanor Roosevelt was still alive
and whipping those boys into shape!
Electoral College - In its present form, outdated and unconstitutional. If
we bound them to vote for the publics choices in proportion to the popular
vote as spelled out in Article XIV Section 2 of the constitution, it might
be okay.
Foreign Policy - Build trust that has not occurred in my lifetime with
other countries and work to raise the quality of life of all humans on the
planet? clean water and air for all!
Free Trade - People over profits; Fair Trade not Free Trade!
Gay Rights - Gay, lesbian, bisexual, intersexual, and trans gendered
rights - if one class of people has rights that another class of people do
not, we are not a just society. It used to be your skin color, gender,
ethnicity, property ownership, etc. Sexual orientation and gender identity
are a class of people still without equal access to government benefits
and privileges because those in power deem them immoral, unworthy, etc.
They used to say that black people were not human, women weren?t capable
of the responsibility of voting, and neither were polish, irish, italian,
etc., or men who didn?t own property.
Gun Control - The purpose of the bill of rights article was to prevent the
government from being able to establish military might over the citizenry
in order to overthrow a duly elected government. Now the government has
nukes and what all else, there is not much we citizens can do in this
regard any longer. we can stop providing guns to dictators and
governments. And I still don?t think someone needs a machine gun to hunt
with? come on, what kind of hunting are you doing? Not the kind to get
sustenance for your family with regard to the life you are taking.
Illegal Immigration - Address the why: Why are people risking their lives
to come here illegally? See globalization and free trade. If you want to
militarize the border with Mexico only, start thinking about how you would
feel if you had little choice but to leave your family and go to Canada in
order to get a job so you could feed your kids. Would you want to go?
Would you do whatever it took? Would you wish daily that you could just go
back and live a comfortable life in your home country? Likely.
Minimum Wage - Living wage! [universallivingwage.org]
Concerns
Address abuses and violence against women and children, including
trafficking, sexual, emotional and physical abuse.
True Democracy - Give us: proportional representation in the electoral
college as ratified in the US Constitution Article XIV Section 2; unbiased
and independent media; Net Neutrality.
Ending the war on drugs, corporate control of government and classism.
Voting machines owned by the people not some company who refuses to give
data to the public - computers are not infallible, let us have a paper
receipt to recount and open source software!
Having the option of voting for ?none of the above? in every election
Affordable single payer healthcare with a drug plan that is easy to use
Raising the minimum wage to a livable wage
IRV and Proportional voting methods and redistricting reform
Iraq/Iran aka Colonial style War & Invasion
A Peace Tax Fund and Department of Peace cabinet position; Why should we
pay for wars we are morally opposed to when that money can go for
infrastructure (levees), education, health care, protecting the
environment, etc.
Moratorium on Death Penalty
Kent Mesplay 4 Prez!: Health 4 America!
http://mesplay.org/healthcare.html
MISSION: To improve our security and to reform politics.
HEALTH CARE
Mesplay for President
I recently took the following pledge, initiated by
www.healthcarepromise.org
I promise that I will:
1. Make developing a universal, non-profit healthcare system a priority
during my elected term.
2. Support legislation for a non-profit healthcare system for all Americans.
3. Avoid delays in providing the non-profit healthcare system that
Americans urgently need.
4. Accept accountability for this pledge, knowing that my re-election is
at stake if I do not uphold it.
Medical attention is a human right not yet recognized by the United States
government. Nearly every other industrialized country on the planet has
National Health Care. We are tied with South Africa for last place. In
the same manner that we have a socialized military that at best provides
for some aspects of our physical security, single payer health insurance
is necessary to ENSURE THAT ALL PEOPLE WITHIN OUR BORDERS RECEIVE AT LEAST
A BASIC LEVEL OF MEDICAL AND DENTAL CARE. Quality care can be accomplished
in a cost-effective manner guaranteeing high salaries for practitioners
without burdening the middle class any more than we already are by high
costs, poor performance and by having to contribute both to private
(company health insurance) and public plans (social security). Our current
system of treating health care as a commodity is failing tens of millions
of citizens. Haphazard coverage renders us all susceptible to
transmittable diseases.
The cost of current health care is attributable to advertising and
administrative costs (think "many forms to fill out") that can be
streamlined and reduced, as well as the actual cost of medical attention
in terms of supplies and salaries. Legal suits, or the threat thereof,
also add to the cost in terms of malpractice insurance. Medical attention
will still cost us, in terms of taxes and perhaps fewer choices, but we
already pay literally and figuratively in terms of anxiety over the high
cost of coverage when it is needed. Moreover, small and medium-sized
businesses, which are the work-engine of any economy, are already forced
into providing privatized coverage or passing the charges onto their
employees. The private sector, treating health care as a lucrative
industry, is not interested in providing coverage to all.
Green Party advocacy of National Health Care is one issue in which we are
on the political "left." Health care is a basic service that more
properly ought not be left up to the whims of market forces. Even in old
age one is forced with a dizzying array of alternate plans and
exclusionary clauses (fine print). Moneyed interests, be they private
insurance companies, pharmaceutical companies, or other exclusively
profit-driven players in our current system dominate the "debate" as there
is no medium though which disenfranchised citizens can communicate their
concerns. The political field could provide a venue for such discussion,
but it is currently dominated by big money and snap-shot analyses. I
really do believe that the only way we will have more adequate health
coverage in this country is for physicians who are truly interested in
living the Hippocratic Oath to become politically aware and active and to
donate their services when they can.
Figuring out exactly what to do about health care in this country is an
on-going issue of debate. I recently read an interesting article in Green
Horizon Quarterly, to which I subscribe (GREEN HORIZON QUARTERLY: Welcome)
on the American Health Care System (A Disaster: What must be Done? by
Thomas H. Naylor, GHQ, Spring/Summer 2006. Naylor is Professor Emeritus
of ECONOMICS at Duke University). In his insightful article Naylor says,
"[i]f there are any solutions to our health care problems, they will only
be found at the local community level not in Washington or in the State
House." In Green circles when we talk about different ways of improving
health care the emphasis is too much on centralized control. The author,
from Vermont, argues for delivery of health care services decentralized to
the town level. I've also had a look at health care proposed for the
somewhat rural state of Maine. Local control is especially key to any
success in remote areas. Pat LaMarche, who ran for Governor of Maine, had
a program deserving of further review (
www.pat2006.com/issues/healthcare/plan.php ). Pat was the Green Party
Vice Presidential candidate, last time around.
WITH CHANGES TO THE CLIMATE AND THE LIKELY INCREASE OF DISEASE VECTORS
SUCH AS INSECTS WE WILL WANT TO HAVE A GOOD PUBLIC HEALTH PROGRAM IN PLACE
AT THE LOCAL, COMMUNITY LEVEL. To not do so will be costly in human terms.
The future economic cost of such care can be mitigated now by designing
communities better able to, at a ground level, meet anticipated
catastrophic challenges. Indeed, when disaster strikes (hurricanes,
tsunamis, earthquakes, terrorism) within days the number killed due to
hunger, thirst, exposure and disease propagation can match or exceed the
number killed by the "initial" event. Helping societies become as
self-reliant and self-sufficient as possible means that people are
prepared and know what to do after their three-day supplies of canned
goods run out. Sustainability is a security issue with a health
component. This is not understood by our so-called leaders with their
sheltered outlook and their emphasis upon centralizing power and rewarding
campaign contributors by ear-marking bills and granting favors with little
regard for the common good. Waiting for the feds to help during time of
extreme crisis is the wrong approach. Got water? Got a place to go to the
bathroom if the water is cut off? (and how about your neighbors?). Poor
post-catastrophe hygiene causes misery (almost as much as political
commercials).
For an example of simple techniques that can make a big difference to
public health see also http://www.coughsafe.com
Mesplay for President
Create healthy government: Register Green. Vote Mesplay.
Kent Mesplay delegates and supporters, please come join us at
Kent Mesplay for President! on Green Party Nexus:
http://greenexus.ning.com/group/kent?xgi=giv9iOB
where we'll be organizing ourselves for Chicago and beyond!
Mesplay 4 Prez!
http://www.mesplay.org
MISSION: To improve our security and to reform politics.
HEALTH CARE
Mesplay for President
I recently took the following pledge, initiated by
www.healthcarepromise.org
I promise that I will:1. Make developing a universal, non-profit healthcare system a priority
during my elected term.
2. Support legislation for a non-profit healthcare system for all Americans.
3. Avoid delays in providing the non-profit healthcare system that
Americans urgently need.
4. Accept accountability for this pledge, knowing that my re-election is
at stake if I do not uphold it.
Medical attention is a human right not yet recognized by the United States
government. Nearly every other industrialized country on the planet has
National Health Care. We are tied with South Africa for last place. In
the same manner that we have a socialized military that at best provides
for some aspects of our physical security, single payer health insurance
is necessary to ENSURE THAT ALL PEOPLE WITHIN OUR BORDERS RECEIVE AT LEAST
A BASIC LEVEL OF MEDICAL AND DENTAL CARE. Quality care can be accomplished
in a cost-effective manner guaranteeing high salaries for practitioners
without burdening the middle class any more than we already are by high
costs, poor performance and by having to contribute both to private
(company health insurance) and public plans (social security). Our current
system of treating health care as a commodity is failing tens of millions
of citizens. Haphazard coverage renders us all susceptible to
transmittable diseases.
The cost of current health care is attributable to advertising and
administrative costs (think "many forms to fill out") that can be
streamlined and reduced, as well as the actual cost of medical attention
in terms of supplies and salaries. Legal suits, or the threat thereof,
also add to the cost in terms of malpractice insurance. Medical attention
will still cost us, in terms of taxes and perhaps fewer choices, but we
already pay literally and figuratively in terms of anxiety over the high
cost of coverage when it is needed. Moreover, small and medium-sized
businesses, which are the work-engine of any economy, are already forced
into providing privatized coverage or passing the charges onto their
employees. The private sector, treating health care as a lucrative
industry, is not interested in providing coverage to all.
Green Party advocacy of National Health Care is one issue in which we are
on the political "left." Health care is a basic service that more
properly ought not be left up to the whims of market forces. Even in old
age one is forced with a dizzying array of alternate plans and
exclusionary clauses (fine print). Moneyed interests, be they private
insurance companies, pharmaceutical companies, or other exclusively
profit-driven players in our current system dominate the "debate" as there
is no medium though which disenfranchised citizens can communicate their
concerns. The political field could provide a venue for such discussion,
but it is currently dominated by big money and snap-shot analyses. I
really do believe that the only way we will have more adequate health
coverage in this country is for physicians who are truly interested in
living the Hippocratic Oath to become politically aware and active and to
donate their services when they can.
Figuring out exactly what to do about health care in this country is an
on-going issue of debate. I recently read an interesting article in Green
Horizon Quarterly, to which I subscribe (GREEN HORIZON QUARTERLY: Welcome)
on the American Health Care System (A Disaster: What must be Done? by
Thomas H. Naylor, GHQ, Spring/Summer 2006. Naylor is Professor Emeritus
of ECONOMICS at Duke University). In his insightful article Naylor says,
"[i]f there are any solutions to our health care problems, they will only
be found at the local community level not in Washington or in the State
House." In Green circles when we talk about different ways of improving
health care the emphasis is too much on centralized control. The author,
from Vermont, argues for delivery of health care services decentralized to
the town level. I've also had a look at health care proposed for the
somewhat rural state of Maine. Local control is especially key to any
success in remote areas. Pat LaMarche, who ran for Governor of Maine, had
a program deserving of further review (
www.pat2006.com/issues/healthcare/plan.php ). Pat was the Green Party
Vice Presidential candidate, last time around.
WITH CHANGES TO THE CLIMATE AND THE LIKELY INCREASE OF DISEASE VECTORS
SUCH AS INSECTS WE WILL WANT TO HAVE A GOOD PUBLIC HEALTH PROGRAM IN PLACE
AT THE LOCAL, COMMUNITY LEVEL. To not do so will be costly in human terms.
The future economic cost of such care can be mitigated now by designing
communities better able to, at a ground level, meet anticipated
catastrophic challenges. Indeed, when disaster strikes (hurricanes,
tsunamis, earthquakes, terrorism) within days the number killed due to
hunger, thirst, exposure and disease propagation can match or exceed the
number killed by the "initial" event. Helping societies become as
self-reliant and self-sufficient as possible means that people are
prepared and know what to do after their three-day supplies of canned
goods run out. Sustainability is a security issue with a health
component. This is not understood by our so-called leaders with their
sheltered outlook and their emphasis upon centralizing power and rewarding
campaign contributors by ear-marking bills and granting favors with little
regard for the common good. Waiting for the feds to help during time of
extreme crisis is the wrong approach. Got water? Got a place to go to the
bathroom if the water is cut off? (and how about your neighbors?). Poor
post-catastrophe hygiene causes misery (almost as much as political
commercials).
For an example of simple techniques that can make a big difference to
public health see also http://www.coughsafe.com
Mesplay for President
Create healthy government: Register Green. Vote Mesplay.
Kent Mesplay delegates and supporters, please come join us at
Kent Mesplay for President! on Green Party Nexus:
http://greenexus.ning.com/group/kent?xgi=giv9iOB
where we'll be organizing ourselves for Chicago and beyond!
Mesplay 4 Prez!
http://www.mesplay.org
Cynthia McKinney leads delegate count
Hello All!!! I can safely say now that recently released preliminary results show that I have a clear lead in the delegate count for the upcoming Presidential Nominating Convention of the Green Party!!! Yay!!! I'd like to take this opportunity to say thank you to all of you who have worked to make this so. We still have a long way to go, and we take nothing for granted, but we've reached a great place to be in as far as delegate-counting goes! For more information, please visit www.runcynthiarun.org!
I've visited 24 states (counting DC!!) and I would very much like to visit the rest. Intensifying our fundraising efforts will make that possible. If you're not onboard in some fundraising capacity, please think about what you can do to help us qualify for matching funds by the end of this month. And contact us at www.runcynthiarun.org to volunteer and for more information!
I've met some wonderful folks along this journey with whom I've done highway blogging in Texas, stood up for people's water rights in Michigan (can you imagine), rallied with Reverend Pinkney of Benton Harbor who is in jail because he fights to protect that city from the greedy clutches of gentrifiers bent on stealing the people's land. In Oregon, I went on my first-ever trek through an old-growth forest and I actually got to hug a tree! Gosh, I now see what I've been missing. Tim drove me over 1,000 miles in northern California and showed me the very trees saved by Julia Butterfly, a heroine of mine, for sure!
I've had the chance to reconnect with old friends and to make new ones. And as candidates before me can attest, that is truly a heart-warming aspect of this effort. To see the many people in our country who are completely comfortable with the political space afforded them by the values of the Green Party. We don't see those values at all in the other two major parties. And just imagine, the current Democratic Party morass that we're all watching get played out better than any daytime soap opera, began because of a desire by certain leaders of that Party, to maintain the "integrity" of the Party's nominating process that is kicked off by states that don't reflect one whit the richly diverse human fabric that now marks the political reality of our country. I think we need to remember that as we watch the drama unfold.
Our country is still at war. The Patriot Acts, the Secret Evidence Act, the Military Commissions Act are all still on the books. Even the Bush tax cuts are still on the books. Our country is even more a debtor country since the Democrats became the majority Party in the Congress and the foreclosure crisis has not yet even been address--except that in the Wall Street Journal I read that at least one influential Democrat wants cities to demolish "excess" housing stock. That's an interesting notion as people are losing their homes through unregulated and unscrupulous banking practices, and homelessness is on the rise. Our children are not even graduating from high school!
What are our national leaders thinking?
Which brings us to why I'm running. And our charge must be to help voters understand that we're running to fundamentally change the structure of our country's politics. Five percent of the national vote puts the Green Party at the table of public policy making. When I first ran for Congress, it was dubbed the Year of the Woman, and we would say "We want our seat at the table." And when I got to Washington, I saw that it really is a table. And public policy is made at that table. Only thing is, because someone slipped the corporate lobbyists the keys to the room where the table is located, the lobbyists are inside the process and the public--in whose name and with whose resources the policy is made--are locked out. Achieving that 5% with the Green Party, will add another seat at that table of public policy making and the people who occupy that third seat (Green Party members like me!) will remove the doors from the rooms and invite the public to come in and see public policy made in the Sunshine.
Then we won't get these anomalies like politicians telling us they are against the war, but then vote to fund the war because they think no one is watching.
5% is not only victory for the Green Party, it represents a true victory for our country. And could be the beginning of the movement that our country so desperately needs. However, with ballot access being difficult for parties other than the major parties, it becomes increasingly difficult to get that 5%. And I'll tell you, I suspect that the majors like it just fine and dandy this way. Which is why I'm taking the lead in doing something I've never done before in order to have some election integrity for our country and values in public policy making that we've rarely had before. We need volunteers and fundraising so we can ensure ballot access that will bring us that 5%. Please visit us at www.runcynthiarun.org and inquire about how you can help us and the Party achieve ballot access in your or other targeted states.
Lastly, we've posted a new video on www.runcynthiarun.org. Please visit our website and view it. It is emotional and moving and reflects the seriousness of our engagement in the political process and what it means and can mean for all of us. It is the work of one of the many change agents sent my way: Todd Laracuenta of Maralex Designs. This video is worthy of youtube honors and we can make that happen. Please post the youtube URL on every list and everywhere you visit online: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aSN61d5-q6c. By doing so, you will help this video get seen by the tens of thousands of people who really do need to see it. Again, that URL is:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aSN61d5-q6c
Finally, many thank yous are in order. Thank you to those who built a Party that has so warmly welcomed me and that is dedicated to truth and justice and liberty for all, where the public policy result that we advocate is consistent with our stated values. Thank you to those who have signed up to be delegates at the Party's convention in Chicago. Thank you to those who have never fundraised in a campaign before, but are doing so! We must not let up! Let's get those matching funds this month!
Onward to Chicago!
-Cynthia McKinney
I've visited 24 states (counting DC!!) and I would very much like to visit the rest. Intensifying our fundraising efforts will make that possible. If you're not onboard in some fundraising capacity, please think about what you can do to help us qualify for matching funds by the end of this month. And contact us at www.runcynthiarun.org to volunteer and for more information!
I've met some wonderful folks along this journey with whom I've done highway blogging in Texas, stood up for people's water rights in Michigan (can you imagine), rallied with Reverend Pinkney of Benton Harbor who is in jail because he fights to protect that city from the greedy clutches of gentrifiers bent on stealing the people's land. In Oregon, I went on my first-ever trek through an old-growth forest and I actually got to hug a tree! Gosh, I now see what I've been missing. Tim drove me over 1,000 miles in northern California and showed me the very trees saved by Julia Butterfly, a heroine of mine, for sure!
I've had the chance to reconnect with old friends and to make new ones. And as candidates before me can attest, that is truly a heart-warming aspect of this effort. To see the many people in our country who are completely comfortable with the political space afforded them by the values of the Green Party. We don't see those values at all in the other two major parties. And just imagine, the current Democratic Party morass that we're all watching get played out better than any daytime soap opera, began because of a desire by certain leaders of that Party, to maintain the "integrity" of the Party's nominating process that is kicked off by states that don't reflect one whit the richly diverse human fabric that now marks the political reality of our country. I think we need to remember that as we watch the drama unfold.Our country is still at war. The Patriot Acts, the Secret Evidence Act, the Military Commissions Act are all still on the books. Even the Bush tax cuts are still on the books. Our country is even more a debtor country since the Democrats became the majority Party in the Congress and the foreclosure crisis has not yet even been address--except that in the Wall Street Journal I read that at least one influential Democrat wants cities to demolish "excess" housing stock. That's an interesting notion as people are losing their homes through unregulated and unscrupulous banking practices, and homelessness is on the rise. Our children are not even graduating from high school!
What are our national leaders thinking?
Which brings us to why I'm running. And our charge must be to help voters understand that we're running to fundamentally change the structure of our country's politics. Five percent of the national vote puts the Green Party at the table of public policy making. When I first ran for Congress, it was dubbed the Year of the Woman, and we would say "We want our seat at the table." And when I got to Washington, I saw that it really is a table. And public policy is made at that table. Only thing is, because someone slipped the corporate lobbyists the keys to the room where the table is located, the lobbyists are inside the process and the public--in whose name and with whose resources the policy is made--are locked out. Achieving that 5% with the Green Party, will add another seat at that table of public policy making and the people who occupy that third seat (Green Party members like me!) will remove the doors from the rooms and invite the public to come in and see public policy made in the Sunshine.
Then we won't get these anomalies like politicians telling us they are against the war, but then vote to fund the war because they think no one is watching.
5% is not only victory for the Green Party, it represents a true victory for our country. And could be the beginning of the movement that our country so desperately needs. However, with ballot access being difficult for parties other than the major parties, it becomes increasingly difficult to get that 5%. And I'll tell you, I suspect that the majors like it just fine and dandy this way. Which is why I'm taking the lead in doing something I've never done before in order to have some election integrity for our country and values in public policy making that we've rarely had before. We need volunteers and fundraising so we can ensure ballot access that will bring us that 5%. Please visit us at www.runcynthiarun.org and inquire about how you can help us and the Party achieve ballot access in your or other targeted states.
Lastly, we've posted a new video on www.runcynthiarun.org. Please visit our website and view it. It is emotional and moving and reflects the seriousness of our engagement in the political process and what it means and can mean for all of us. It is the work of one of the many change agents sent my way: Todd Laracuenta of Maralex Designs. This video is worthy of youtube honors and we can make that happen. Please post the youtube URL on every list and everywhere you visit online: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aSN61d5-q6c. By doing so, you will help this video get seen by the tens of thousands of people who really do need to see it. Again, that URL is:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aSN61d5-q6c
Finally, many thank yous are in order. Thank you to those who built a Party that has so warmly welcomed me and that is dedicated to truth and justice and liberty for all, where the public policy result that we advocate is consistent with our stated values. Thank you to those who have signed up to be delegates at the Party's convention in Chicago. Thank you to those who have never fundraised in a campaign before, but are doing so! We must not let up! Let's get those matching funds this month!
Onward to Chicago!
-Cynthia McKinney
“Green on Green.” The Green Party has their day in the upcoming 2008 elections.
I just wanted to let you know about an interesting video we just produced entitled “Green on Green.” The video is an interesting look at the Green Party, and it’s been getting a great response from our viewers. I thought you might consider commenting on the video on your blog. Let me know what you think and definitely feel free to embed or link to the video. Here it is:
http://current.com/items/88991013_green_on_green
Thanks a lot!
....
Kai Hasson
Coordinator, Online Outreach
CURRENT TV, LLC
PHONE: 415 995 7220
khasson@current.com
www.current.com
http://current.com/items/88991013_green_on_green
Thanks a lot!
....
Kai Hasson
Coordinator, Online Outreach
CURRENT TV, LLC
PHONE: 415 995 7220
khasson@current.com
www.current.com
Sunday, June 01, 2008
Help States achieve Ballot Access
Summer is here and its time to hit the streets to get the Green Party on the ballot! Now is the time to gather signatures and dollars to help our ballot access efforts.
Virginia is working hard. They need to collect 10,000 signatures by August 22 and they have about half in hand. Check out http://vagreenparty.org/petitions.html to download petitions, get in touch with the petition drive coordinators, and HELP THE Green Party of Virginia achieve Ballot Access.
The Ballot Access Committee continues to try and raise funds to make more grants to Virginia and other states. Greens can make on-line donations at http://www.gp.org/committees/ballot/fundraising.shtml. You can also find a volunteer link to help with your State's petition drive or a neighboring state. The Green Party relies on word of mouth advertising so please use the "Spread the Word" link on the same page.
Other states currently petitioning include:
Pennsylvania (25,000 signatures needed by August 1)
Iowa (1,500 signatures needed by August 15)
New Jersey (800 signatures needed by July 28)
We need as much help as possible in the following states:
Ohio (5,000 signatures needed by August 21)
Kansas (17,000 signatures needed by August 4)
Kentucky (5,000 signatures needed by September 2)
New York (15,000 signatures between July 8 - August 19)
If you can contribute anything - any thing at all - to these state petition drives please contact the Ballot Access Committee co-chairs: Brian Bittner (brian at brianbittner dot org) or Phil Huckelberry (phil dot huckelberry at gmail dot com)
Virginia is working hard. They need to collect 10,000 signatures by August 22 and they have about half in hand. Check out http://vagreenparty.org/petitions.html to download petitions, get in touch with the petition drive coordinators, and HELP THE Green Party of Virginia achieve Ballot Access.
The Ballot Access Committee continues to try and raise funds to make more grants to Virginia and other states. Greens can make on-line donations at http://www.gp.org/committees/ballot/fundraising.shtml. You can also find a volunteer link to help with your State's petition drive or a neighboring state. The Green Party relies on word of mouth advertising so please use the "Spread the Word" link on the same page.
Other states currently petitioning include:
Pennsylvania (25,000 signatures needed by August 1)
Iowa (1,500 signatures needed by August 15)
New Jersey (800 signatures needed by July 28)
We need as much help as possible in the following states:
Ohio (5,000 signatures needed by August 21)
Kansas (17,000 signatures needed by August 4)
Kentucky (5,000 signatures needed by September 2)
New York (15,000 signatures between July 8 - August 19)
If you can contribute anything - any thing at all - to these state petition drives please contact the Ballot Access Committee co-chairs: Brian Bittner (brian at brianbittner dot org) or Phil Huckelberry (phil dot huckelberry at gmail dot com)
Feedback wanted on New/Revised Platform Planks
The Green Party is different from the corporate parties and the difference becomes obvious when reading the Platform. The Platform is a dynamic document voted on at the quadrennial convention and reveals the heart of the party including further illumination of the ten key values. Efforts have been underway to revise and improve the 2004 Platform.
You can review new amendments to the 2004 Platform by going to the following link: http://www.gp.org/committees/platform/draft/work/index.html. Please examine and submit to your State Committees for further consideration. All comments or objections can be submitted to the Platform Committee until the final deadline of July 6th.
There are 4 chapters to the Platform. One of the Platform Committee's aims was to produce a tight Platform that candidates can use as a handy reference, distribute at campaigns and give to other Greens. Also, when Greens go to events, forums, protests, etc. they can use the Platform to recruit new Greens.
Some suggested new additions to Platform 2008 are 1) Labor - Greens support the EFCA (Employees Free Choice Act) bill - passing through the Congress; 2) Foreign Affairs. - Military. See under Nuclear Weapons: Greens strongly oppose research and development of the US RRW (Reliable Replacement Warhead). In reality the RRW is a new nuclear weapon and not in compliance with NPT; 3) Energy - (see in column 2 under Chapter III) an upgraded as well as updated Energy plank; 4) Population - first time we have had a plank on population other than Women's Right to Choose. Some of the changes have already proven to be controversial so please check on the platform amendments to make sure you and your State can support the revisions.
The editors of the draft are:
Chapter I: Jenefer Ellingston Jellingston at greens dot org and Jane Zara jjzara at aol dot com
Chapter II: Jack Ailey jjailey at comcast dot net, John Ely johnbethany at earthlink dot net and
Gene Hunter hunter at pjsnet dot de
Chapter III: Wes Rolley wrolley at charter.net and Mike Ewall catalyst at actionPA dot org
Chapter IV: Erik Douglas politicaltao at taotetao dot com and Jon Olsen joliyoka at gwi dot net
You are encouraged to review the proposed changes and send comments or objections to the Platform Committee editors listed above. Also, please distribute this article widely.
You can review new amendments to the 2004 Platform by going to the following link: http://www.gp.org/committees/platform/draft/work/index.html. Please examine and submit to your State Committees for further consideration. All comments or objections can be submitted to the Platform Committee until the final deadline of July 6th.
There are 4 chapters to the Platform. One of the Platform Committee's aims was to produce a tight Platform that candidates can use as a handy reference, distribute at campaigns and give to other Greens. Also, when Greens go to events, forums, protests, etc. they can use the Platform to recruit new Greens.
Some suggested new additions to Platform 2008 are 1) Labor - Greens support the EFCA (Employees Free Choice Act) bill - passing through the Congress; 2) Foreign Affairs. - Military. See under Nuclear Weapons: Greens strongly oppose research and development of the US RRW (Reliable Replacement Warhead). In reality the RRW is a new nuclear weapon and not in compliance with NPT; 3) Energy - (see in column 2 under Chapter III) an upgraded as well as updated Energy plank; 4) Population - first time we have had a plank on population other than Women's Right to Choose. Some of the changes have already proven to be controversial so please check on the platform amendments to make sure you and your State can support the revisions.
The editors of the draft are:
Chapter I: Jenefer Ellingston Jellingston at greens dot org and Jane Zara jjzara at aol dot com
Chapter II: Jack Ailey jjailey at comcast dot net, John Ely johnbethany at earthlink dot net and
Gene Hunter hunter at pjsnet dot de
Chapter III: Wes Rolley wrolley at charter.net and Mike Ewall catalyst at actionPA dot org
Chapter IV: Erik Douglas politicaltao at taotetao dot com and Jon Olsen joliyoka at gwi dot net
You are encouraged to review the proposed changes and send comments or objections to the Platform Committee editors listed above. Also, please distribute this article widely.
Cynthia McKinney Wins NY Primary
The mail-in presidential preference ballots for New York State have been counted, providing guidance for 25 of New York's 40 delegates to the Green Presidential Nominating Convention this July in Chicago, IL. Delegates from New York City(12) and Suffolk County(3) will be determined separately. Thank you to the Green Party volunteers who participated in counting the ballots.
Results for Region 6 - Western New York and the Southern Tier
5 delegates to Cynthia McKinney (61% of first place votes, 71% after all rounds)
1 Delegate to Kent Mesplay (14% of first place votes, 17% after all rounds)
1 Delegate to Uncommitted (1% of first place votes, 13% after all rounds)
Totals for the mail in primary:
20 delegates to Cynthia McKinney
3 Delegates to Kent Mesplay
1 Delegate to Ralph Nader
1 Delegate to Uncommitted
Results for other regions:
Region 1 - Nassau County
1 Delegate to Cynthia McKinney
1 Delegate to Kent Mesplay
Region 3 - Mid Hudson
5 delegates to Cynthia McKinney
Region 4 - Capital District and the North Country
4 delegates to Cynthia McKinney
1 Delegate to Kent Mesplay
1 Delegate to Ralph Nader
Region 5 - Central New York
5 delegates to Cynthia McKinney
Follow the delegate count here
Donate to help cover the cost of the primary mailing here
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