Vol. 1, No. 10
Monday, October 27, 2003
Green news
Upcoming events
Green Action: call Congress; write a letter
Good reads
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GREEN NEWS
CAMPAIGN ALERTS: On Election Day 2003 (Tuesday,
November 4), quick results for Green campaigns will be posted at <http://www.gp.org/patience.html>.
The Green Party's Coordinated Campaign Committee (CCC)
has identified two 'flagship' campaigns that deserve special attention and
support from Greens and friends:
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Matt Ahearn for New Jersey State
Assemblyman, 38th District: Polls conducted by Republicans and the
Democrats show Ahearn in a tie for second place. Since the top two
vote-getters will win seats in the Assembly, Ahearn's reelection on
November 4 is a very real possibility. The Repubs & Dems are
raising huge sums of corporate money in their effort to win in this
swing district, so Ahearn's campaign needs all the help it can get:
send a check to Matt Ahearn for Assembly, 6 Beekman Place, Fair Lawn,
NJ 07410. (Large donations, especially $250 and up, are especially
needed.) If you can volunteer, call 201-314-9747 or 201-805-0353.
More: http://www.mattahearn.com/
-
Matt Gonzalez, (current President of the San
Francisco Board of Supervisors) for SF Mayor in the November 4
election. Read a profile of Gonzalez in SF Weekly <http://www.sfweekly.com/issues/2003-10-08/feature.html/1/index.html>.
Make checks payable to Matt Gonzalez for Mayor and send them to the
San Francisco Green Party, Attn: Matt Gonzalez Campaign, 1028A Howard
St, San Francisco, CA 94103.
More:
http://www.mattgonzalez.com
http://www.sfgreenparty.org.
Campaign Hotline: The CCC now offers a campaign
management hotline for all Green campaigns in needof quick advice.
Any Green candidate, campaign manager, press secretary, treasurer, or
other campaign worker who needs guidance about strategy, tactics,
fundraising, message, media, volunteers, get-out-the-vote efforts, etc.
can leave a message at (202) 319-7194 and the CCC will respond within 24
hours with direct advice or a referral to an appropriate expert. (Please
note that the national CCC cannot advise about state and local election
law.) This service will be available year round; beginning in January, the
hotline will be staffed by a live person at certain times.
CALIFORNIA: Tom Hutchings, 33rd District Assembly Green
Party candidate, has announced his support for the United Food and
Commercial Workers International Local 1036 in their strike to protect
their healthcare benefits. Hutchings, a former union member who lives in
San Luis Obispo, says he won't cross picket lines, and will instead join
the strikers. More: http://www.votetom.org tom@votetom.org
CONNECTICUT: Jean de Smet is making her second bid for
the office of First Selectman (mayor) of Windham on the Green ticket. The
former Democrat received 27% in a previous election. De Smet has served as
president of a community land trust and board member of the local food
co-op, YMCA, and recycling program. She is also recording secretary
of Local 35 of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers. The
national CCC is helping to promote de Snet's campaign. To contribute, make
checks payable to Jean de Smet for First Selectman and send them to Tom
McNally, PO Box 161, Windham, CT 06280. To volunteer, call 860-456-2188.
More: http://www.ctgreens.org/candidates/desmet.html
FLORIDA: The Sarasota County Green Party was part of
Sarasota Alliance for Voter Education (SAVE), the coalition that persuaded
Sarasota City Commission tonight passed a resolution requesting the
Florida legislative and congressional delegations "to work to repeal
certain provisions of USA Patriot Act and to oppose the adoption of any
new laws which may limit or violate fundamental rights and liberties.
Sarasota is now the 191st community to take a stand against the USA
Patriot Act. The resolution passed by a 3-2 margin. More: Jason Boehk,
(941) 362-3869 http://www.sarasotagreenparty.org
FLORIDA: A US District Court in Tampa struck down
criminal charges against Green Party peace activist and veteran William
McLean, who was found not guilty of disorderly conduct and unauthorized
demonstration for promoting peace outside the Bay Pines Veterans
Administration Medical Complex in Pinellas County on March 27, 2003.
McLean challenged the constitutionality of the regulations under which he
was charged, and was defended by St. Petersburg attorney Mark S.
Kamleiter, who called the ruling "a victory for constitutionally
protected free speech." Kamleiter is co-chair of the Green Party of
Florida. More: http://www.pinellasgreens.org/news.php?articleid=89
http://www.pinellasgreens.org/
http://www.floridagreens.org/
INDIANA: The Indiana Green Party held its annual
membership Congress September 20-21, 2003. IGP has doubled in size over
the past year and has announced the affiliation of three new Green Party
locals, Brown Co. Green Party, Marion Co. Green Party, and Northwest
Indiana Green Party. The new co-coordinators for the coming year are Pam
Raider and William Stant, both from Brown County. The new secretary is
Steps to Freedom/Sean Bagley from Monroe Co. and Maureen Barlock returns
as IGP treasurer. IGP's outreach efforts include a video
conferencing system, and a mandate to coordinate dues collection. IGP will
also be participating in the 2004 Green Party US Presidential nominating
convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. More: http://www.indianagreenparty.org/
http://www.sjvgreens.org/
INDIANA: The St. Joe Valley Greens chapter in South
Bend is launching its first 'GreenTV' show on cable access (Comcast),
channel 03. The first shows feature SJVGreen members speaking about the
South Bend chapter's history and its current focus on Combined Sewer
Overflow (CSO's) and water quality for the St. Joe River. Airtime for
GreenTV will be 4 pm EST Thursdays on Channel 03. More: http://www.sjvgreens.org/
MARYLAND: Green Party activists Kevin Zeese and Linda
Schade have launched the Campaign for Verifiable Voting in Maryland, an
initiative to protect Maryland elections and voters from the flawed
electronic voting machines currently being purchased by the state and
ensure an independent paper audit trail for recounts. The Campaign issued
its first 'Action Alert', urging citizens to visit
<http://www.TrueVoteMD.org> and write web-based letters urging the
State Board of Elections and other elected officials to require recount
and a paper trail audit capacity for Maryland's voting machines.
More on ensuring e-vote accuracy:
http://truthout.org/docs_03/102003A.shtml
http://www.verifiedvoting.com/fair_elections.asp
http://why-war.com/features/diebold_pr.txt
MONTANA: The Montana Green Party, at its 2003 Annual
Meeting in Billings, unanimously passed a resolution to seek formal
accreditation with the Green Party of the United States. Montana Greens
gained ballot access in 2000 when presidential candidate Ralph Nader
received %6. Montana's election law requires that at least one candidate
in a state-wide race receives %5 or more of the total number of votes cast
for the winning candidate in the last gubernatorial election every 4 years
to maintain ballot status. More:
http://www.mtgreens.org
NEW JERSEY: An October 27 Asbury Park Press editorial
<http://www.app.com/app2001/story/0,21133,839562,00.html>
endorsed Brian Unger, Green Party candidate for the New Jersey State
Senate (District 11), over incumbent Sen. Joseph A. Palaia. "Unger
has debated issues logically and forthrightly during the campaign. He was
especially strong on the ethics issues that have dominated legislative
campaigns this year." More: http://www.ungerforsenate.com/
WISCONSIN: At its October 17-19 meeting on the
University of Wisconsin-Whitewater campus, the Wisconsin Green Party made
several decisions to position the party for the 2004 election cycle,
endorsing a statement calling on the Green Party of the United
States to run a strong presidential campaign in 2004, while also
maintaining focus on races at the local, state, and federal levels.
Wisconsin Greens continued preparations for the 2004 national Green
convention, set for June 24-27 in Milwaukee, at which Greens will nominate
a candidate for President. The party also passed a platform amendment
clarifying its strong support for the rights of the gay, lesbian,
bisexual, and transgender community in all areas of life, including the
right to marry; and passed a resolution against the implementation of the
Help America Vote Act (HAVA), out of concern over the use of electronic
voting machines that leave no paper trail and do not allow for recounts or
vote verification. More: http://www.wisconsingreenparty.org
NATIONAL: In his latest election update, Mike Feinstein
reports that 555 Green candidates competed in 2002, with 77 victories. 178
Green candidates are competing in the November 4, 2003 elections (177 in
the regularly scheduled general elections and one in a special election).
More:
http://www.gp.org/patience.html
http://www.feinstein.org/greenparty/electionhistory.html
NATIONAL: Greens from all over participated in the
first Grassroots America Defends the Bill Of Rights Conference in Silver
Spring, Maryland during the weekend of October 18, which met to organize
opposition to the USA Patriot Act. Several Greens led or spoke on panels,
including Dave Meserve (council member of Arcata, California), Gwen
Sanchirico (Boise, Idaho), and Jason Boehk (Sarasota, Florida). Vanessa
Bliss (Greenfield, Massachusetts) was one of the conference organizers.
More: http://www.grassroots-america.org/
NATIONAL: An October 22 USA Today article claimed that
23% of voters want Ralph Nader to run in 2004, according to a USA
Today/CNN/Gallup Poll. The article also said that Green Party officials,
who were unnamed, called Erin Brockovich a "likely choice" for
Vice Presidential candidate, news that left officers of the Green Party of
the United States scratching their heads.
http://www.commondreams.org/headlines03/1022-11.htm
NATIONAL: The new pre-election issue of Greenpages, the
national Green Party newspaper, is now available. Order a sample copy for
free or bundles of 100 for $25 (includes shipping) at <http://www.gp.org/greenpages/index.html>.
The issue includes reports on local campaigns around the country, the
groundbreaking campaign of Peter Camejo in the California recall election,
and an update on the 2004 presidential race.
NATIONAL: The Coordinated Campaign Committee is hiring
a Political Director to support the CCC in its work for Green Party
campaigns. More: http://www.gp.org/committees/campaign/poldir03.html
AUSTRALIA: Bob Brown and other Australian Green
Senators stood up and voiced their loud objections to the US invasion of
Iraq and the White House's imperial foreign policy and blatant deceit when
President Bush addressed the Australian Senate on October 23. Parliament
voted to suspend Brown and Green colleague Kerry Nettle for 24 hours as
punishment. Bush also faced widespread street protests in Canberra. More:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A4555-2003Oct23.html
http://www.greens.org.au/bobbrown.htm
UPCOMING EVENTS
UPCOMING EVENTS
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 15: Visiting Florida for FTAA
Ministerial Meetings in November? John Howes <humanbeing@webtv.net>,
chair of the Green Party of Florida's Blue/Green Alliance Building
Committee, invites you to a 'Globalize This!' rally in protest of the
FTAA's antidemocratic and destructive 'free trade' policies, to be held in
Williams Park, Saint Petersburg, from noon to 3 pm on November 15. For
more information, click on this e-flyer: (front page)
http://community-2.webtv.net/humanbeing/flyer0/
(back page)
http://community-2.webtv.net/humanbeing/flyer/
NOVEMBER 22-23 The Santa Fe County Chapter of the New
Mexico Green Party is sponsoring a community forum, "Issues and
Elections: Organizing for a Better New Mexico", at Capshaw Jr. High
School in Santa Fe. Topics: water, living wages (Santa Fe recently passed
a living wage ordinance applicable to any business with 25 or more
employees; the city already has one for its own employees and
contractors.), achieving universal health care for NM, local energy
options, etc. Election workshops will focus on schools for candidates,
campaign managers, treasurers, PR people, etc. More: NMGP national rep
Rick Lass 505-920-0540.
NOVEMBER 22-23: Claim Democracy Conference, sponsored
by the Center for Voting and Democracy, featuring a large coalition of
pro-democracy groups, at the Washington, DC. Securing, Enhancing and
Exercising the Vote is the centerpiece of the Center's new Democracy USA
initiative. Register at <http://www.democracyusa.org/events/registration.html>.
More: http://www.fairvote.org/
DECEMBER 5-7: The Green Party of Kenosha/Racine will
host the Great Lakes Campaign School to help progressive candidates and
campaign staff prepare for the 2004 elections. Kenosha/Racine Greens are
planning a weekend of training sessions for folks from Minnesota, Iowa,
Illinois, Wisconsin, Indiana, Ohio, and Michigan. The event will be held
at the DeKoven Center in Racine, on the shores of Lake Michigan. A small
fee is required; scholarships are available. The Green Party of the United
States is co-sponsoring the Campaign School, to make it more affordable to
aspiring candidates. Speakers, including elected Greens and those with
Green campaign experience, will be announced soon. Sessions will include
how to develop a campaign plan, raise funds, attract volunteers, develop a
'Green" message, and work with the media.
More:
262-633-7133, petekaras@yahoo.com,
http://www.GreatLakesGreens.org
GREEN ACTION
CALL CONGRESS
* Call, fax, write a letter, or pay a visit
* Contact information: Congressional switchboard: (202) 224-3121
US House of Representatives: http://www.house.gov/
US Senate: http://www.senate.gov
* Write a letter to the editor, a guest op-ed column, essay, or article
GOOD READS
Recommended articles, books, web sites.
The UK Greens have been running ads on global warming
and other topics over the past few years. Here are some in
Quicktime, which can be downloaded played from your computer:
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