Spring 2005

FEATURES

A fresh new look for Green Pages
By Deirdre Helfferich and Ryan Stoy
Green Pages Board
Readers familiar with past issues of Green Pages can hardly fail to notice our new look. The website design inspired a fresh and professional look in keeping with our status as the party of the future.

Progressives rally for peace, equality, honesty
Arkansas Greens organize Inaugural Day protest
By Mary Coll
Green Party of Arkansas
Not content to let Jan. 20, 2005 pass into history without a demonstration against the policies of the Bush administration, Arkansas Greens spurred other progressives into joining them in lining the city's main thoroughfare to make their sentiments known.

Inauguration and all that jazz
By Michael J. Dixon
Secretary, Green Party of Mississippi
Members of the Green Parties of Louisiana and Mississippi arrived at Congo Square in Louis Armstrong Park, New Orleans, to attend the Jazz Funeral for Democracy. In pre-Civil War America, Congo Square was a slave-trading block: an appropriate place to meet, since our freedoms are being bought and sold by corporate greed.

L.A., L.A., Doo Dah!
L.A. Greens' cure for post-election blues
By Linda Piera-Avila and Lisa Taylor
Green Party of California
Outrageous costumes, irreverent themes, wacky floats, and the Green Party: it all adds up to the Doo Dah Parade—your cure for Post-Partisan Depression!

Witnessing the recount, testifying for the future
By Tim Kettler
Green Party of Ohio
Just as the outcome of the 2000 presidential election revolved around the results in Florida, the crucial outcome on and after election day 2004 revolved around Ohio.

Ohio, recounted: A Green timeline
By Blair Bobier

La lucha continua: The struggle continues
The formation of the Puerto Rican Green Party
By Chris Torres

Go, West! A Green mayor, one year later
By Joanne Cvar

Illinois human rights
By Dan Rodiguez Schlorff

ELECTIONS

Today San Francisco, tomorrow Oakland!
Bay Area Greens undaunted by Bush "re-election"
By Khurshid Khoja
Green Party of Alameda County
Despite the enormous setback of the 2004 elections, San Francisco Greens look to the future: Ross Mirkarimi, Aimee Allison, a new Green Party local in the South Bay area, and more exciting developments promise a Green future.

Spring Greens running in 2005
By Brent McMillan
GP-US Political Director

Driscoll's moral victory
by Cris Vellucci
Green Party of California

Vote Vic! Gonzalez gains campaign experience
By Mike Feinstein
Green Party of California

Back in office again
By Steve Krulick
Green Party of New York State

WORLD

European Greens support E.U. Constitution, with caveats
By Mike Feinstein
Advisor to U.S. Green International Committee
In a specially called council meeting of the European Green Party, representatives from national Green Parties across Europe came together Feb. 17 in Brussels, Belgium, to vote on the proposed European Union Constitution.

New Paltz officials pay respects to sister city
By Rebecca Rotzler
Green Party of New York
February 2005 found New Paltz, N.Y.'s Mayor, Jason West, and myself, Deputy Mayor, venturing off to our sister city, Osa-Cho, located in the mountainous Okayama Prefecture in northwestern Japan.

Sowing Green seeds in the Asia-Pacific region
By Mike Feinstein
Green Party of California
The breadth and depth of the Global Green movement was on display in Kyoto, Japan, as the Asia-Pacific Green Network formally organized into an ongoing network of Greens, from Pakistan to the Pacific, from Mongolia to the Tasmanian Sea. Just days before the effective start date of the Kyoto Protocol Treaty on Climate Change, more than 400 Greens gathered from 23 Asian and Pacific nations.

A country in crisis: Why Haiti?
By Logan Martinez and Karen Reed
Green Party of Ohio and Haiti Solidarity Action
Why should we care about this little-known country, the land of Voodoo (Vodun) and place of mystery? I know some of Haiti's history, its central role in the struggle of African-Americans and its link to the mother continent of Africa. Haiti's slave rebellion was not surprising, but the fact that it was successful makes it unique.

OPINION

The nonviolence of U.N. Peacekeepers
By Dan Rodriguez Schlorff
Green Pages Editorial Board
United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan released new information in early February: children in Liberia no longer have to fear being kidnapped for military service or sexual slavery by Liberian rebels. No longer do Liberian streets reek of gunpowder or fresh wounds. No longer do Liberian rebels inflame the shrill cry of children suffering under the power of military force or sexual assault. Instead, Liberia and the world now fear that U.N. Peacekeepers will rape their children.

A call to order
One Green's plea for solidarity
By Thomas Marti
Green Party of Pennsylvania

Principle, no compromise
By David Larson
Green Party of Iowa

Political independence is the lesson of 2004 for progressives
By Howie Hawkins
Green Party of New York State

Bring civility back to politics
By Hosanna Broderick
Pacific Green Party of Oregon

Letters

How can I get some, Good info, Crash that party, Maathai scoop

Comics

Instead of Social Security
By Mike Hurwitt
www.hurwittgraphics.com/

Swearing-In
By Keith Knight
www.kchronicles.com

Mad Cows
By John Jonik
mindfully.org/Jonik/index.html

Review

A must-read for Green organizers
Greenpeace: How a group of ecologists, journalists, and visionaries changed the world
By Rex Weyler, Rodale Press, 2004
Review by Lisa Taylor
Green Party of California

PARTY REPORTS

State Reports
By various
Green parties on the East Coast, the West Coast, and from the North describe the challenges of the last quarter of 2004, and the hope arising in the first quarter of 2005.

Caucus & Committee Reports
By various
Ongoing work, a caucus accredited, a forming caucus, and a new network.

EVERGREEN

In search of community
Commentary by Joanne Cvar
Pacific Green Party of Oregon
The Green Party platform places great value on diversity, cooperation and community. Yet we are all indoctrinated by a culture that values competition and self reliance. Many of us are Greens because we see ourselves as independent thinkers, willing to look beyond current paradigms to seek solutions to the issues that threaten our democracy and the very planet we inhabit. Are there ways to reconcile independent thinking and self-reliance within a sense of community?

A working dialogue on Sebastopol's city council
By Sam Spooner
Green Party of California
A former councilman reflects on his time in office and what changed for Sebastopol citizens as a result of a different approach to politics.

Bicycle activism!
By Deirdre Helfferich
Green Party of Alaska
Consider the bicycle: a simple, lightweight, portable, easily maintained and repaired vehicle powered by human muscle—and an instrument of social and political change.