Vol. 1, No. 17
Tuesday, December 16, 2003.
Greensweek will go on vacation until the week of
December 29. Happy Green holidays, everyone!
Green News
Upcoming Events
Green Action: call Congress; write a letter
Good reads
_________________
GREEN NEWS
IMMEDIATE GREEN ACTION ALERT: A Democratic
Party-affiliated PAC calling itself the 'Progressive Majority' is working
overtime to interfere in the Green Party's presidential primaries. This
PAC has launched a website intended to bombard Ralph Nader with emails
urging him not to run for President. Regardless of whom Greens support now
or will nominate at party's national convention in Milwaukee in June, this
PAC's actions are clearly designed to limit the choices available to Green
voters. Is this what democracy looks like?
Action: Call and/or write to 'Progressive Majority'
today and let them know how you feel. Greens don't interfere in the
primaries of other political parties. PACs affiliated with the
establishment parties should not interfere in our primaries either.
Call or fax the PAC today: (tel) 202-408-8603 (Fax)
202-289-1530.
Visit the web site: http://involve.progressivemajority.org/
CALIFORNIA: Greens across the US were disappointed in
the San Francisco mayoral runoff election results, which Matt Gonzalez
lost with 47% to Democrat Gavin Newsom's 53%, but praised Gonzalez, the
Gonzalez campaign, and SF Greens for the high percentage and model Green
campaign. Newsom's $3.6 million campaign, much of it from real estate,
developers, and other corporate interests, with a paid staff of
professional campaign organizers, and with 54% of the city registered
Democrat, spent about $31 for each vote.
Gonzalez, in a $400,000 campaign that refused corporate
contributions, with an all volunteer campaign, and with 3% of the city
registered Green, spent about $4 for each vote. Much of Gonzalez's support
came from Democrats alienated by the pro-corporate 'centrism' of
millionaire Newsom and outgoing Mayor Willie Brown. Gonzalez maintains his
seat as president of the Board of Supervisors.
More:
http://www.mattgonzalez.com/
Some recommended post-election articles:
http://www.sfexaminer.com/121003stories/gonzalez.htm
http://www.alternet.org/print.html?StoryID=17362
http://www.sanfranciscosentinel.com/id264.htm
http://www.tompaine.com/feature2.cfm/ID/9583
CALIFORNIA: The Green Party of California voted
unanimously to endorse Tom Hutchings in his bid for the 33rd Assembly
District, during the party's General Assembly held at California State
University-Fullerton on December 6 and 7, an event hosted by Campus Greens
there. The election is in November 2004. Hutchings' other endorsements
include: Building and Construction Trades Council, Santa Barbara-San Luis
Obispo County AFL-CIO; Progressive Student Alliance-Cal Poly; Green
candidate for Governor Peter Camejo; Emmy-award winning actor Ed Asner;
Emmy-nominee actor and environmentalist Ed Begley, Jr., and many others.
More: http://www.votetom.org http://www.cagreens.org
MARYLAND: Read a Washington Post profile of the
Campaign for Verifiable Voting http://www.truevotemd.org
and its effort to have votes cast on Diebold computer machines verified
with an independent paper record, led by Maryland Greens Linda Schade and
Kevin Zeese. Zeese observes, "Republicans think the Democrats are out
to steal votes. The Democrats think the Republicans are out to steal
votes. And the Greens know they're both right." According to December
10 news reports, an internal Diebold e-mail message revealed that the firm
plans to charge Maryland "out the yin-yang" if the state
requires paper verification. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A62759-2003Dec13.html
http://www.gazette.net/200350/montgomerycty/state/191617-1.html
PENNSYLVANIA: Philadelphia Green activists from
Chestnut Hill, Germantown, and Mount Airy gathered on Tuesday, December 10
and founded 'Northwest Greens.' The 18 creators of the new group see
intend to promote important political issues in the northwest section of
Philadelphia. While membership is open to all northwest Philadelphia
residents without regard to political party, Northwest Greens took root in
the political issues raised by Tom Hutt, Green candidate for City Council.
High on the list of topics will be changing the racist nature of the local
legal system, which sends too many young, African American men to jail,
improving SEPTA's services in northwest Philadelphia (including saving the
R-8 train line), and bringing free, accessible and quality health care to
all residents of Philadelphia. More: contact Chris Robinson, chrisrecon@netzero.net
or (215)-843-4256
CHESAPEAKE REGION: The national Coordinated Campaign
Committee and Greens in Maryland, Delaware, and Pennsylvania are
organizing a two-day Campaign School in Baltimore, at the University of
Baltimore on January 31 and February 1, 2004. See the listing under
Upcoming Events below.
NATIONAL: Peter Camejo, Green candidate for governor of
California in 2002 and in the 2003 recall race, announced his candidacy
for the Green Party's nomination for President of the United States.
Camejo made the announcement during the California Green Party's General
Assembly at California State University-Fullerton on December 6 and 7.
More: http://dailytitan.fullerton.edu/issues/fall_03/12_09/news/camejo.html
UPCOMING EVENTS
U P C O M I N G
E V E N T S
JANUARY 31 - FEBRUARY 1, 2004: The national Coordinated
Campaign Committee and Greens in Maryland, Delaware, and Pennsylvania are
organizing a two-day Campaign School in Baltimore. Intensive workshops,
classes and training exercises will be held at the University of
Baltimore. Who should attend: any Greens, anywhere, planning to run
for office or serve as a campaign manager, press secretary, fundraiser,
volunteer coordinator or other campaign principal in 2004. There will be a
fee for materials, but no Greens with serious plans to be involved in a
2004 campaign will be turned away for lack of funds. Save the dates and
stay tuned for more information. To subscribe to a weekly announcement
list or to sign up for overnight homestays with local Greens, contact Ann
Forno, <annforno@jhu.edu>.
SATURDAY, MARCH 20: Global Day of Action: The World
Still Says No to War. On the one-year anniversary of the U.S. bombing and
invasion of Iraq. Millions around the globe will take to the streets to
say YES to peace and NO to pre-emptive war and occupation. Joining with
growing numbers of military families and soldiers, United For Peace and
Justice and other groups will call for an end to the occupation of Iraq
and Bush's militaristic foreign policies. To endorse, e-mail m20endorse@unitedforpeace.org
or call UFPJ at 212-868-5545 to let UFPJ know your group is on board.
More: http://www.unitedforpeace.org/article.php?id=2136
GREEN ACTION
CALL CONGRESS
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
-
Tell Senators to vote NO on Bush's plan to take
overtime pay away from millions of American working people by
reclassifying their jobs. The bill already passed in the House and
faces a Senate vote on January 20. 8 million workers, including police
officers, nurses, retail managers, insurance claims adjusters,
medical therapists, and many others, face big cuts in their paychecks.
The AFL-CIO has a petition against Senate Bill 317, at <http://www.saveovertimepay.org/index.cfm>.
If you sign it, mention that you're a Green Party member.
More: http://www.saveovertimepay.org/bushproposal.htm
Repeated from earlier Greensweeks but still current....
-
Tell your Senators to vote NO on the Senate's
version of HR 1904, the Healthy Forests Restoration Act of 2003 and
instead to support efforts that protect communities from forest fires
without weakening environmental protections. More: http://wildforests.com/wildforests.asp?id=181&id3=wildforests&id4=ES&
-
House Republican leaders are trying to block a
resolution overturning the FCC's media deregulation plan from reach
the floor for a vote. Urge Reps to force the vote and pass the
resolution.
More: http://www.mediareform.net
http://www.commondreams.org/views03/1010-13.htm
-
Tell Congress to support a $215 million increase
for the AIDS Drug
Assistance Program (ADAP). More: The Save ADAP Committee, a working
group
of the AIDS Treatment Activists Coalition (ATAC)
http://www.atac-usa.org
-
Tell Senators to keep student information private!
Under a little known provision of the 'No Child Left Behind' Act,
schools are required to turn over their entire student rolls,
including confidential contact information, to military recruiters.
The only way to prevent military recruiters from getting this student
information is if a parent 'opts-out' -- but the unfunded No Child
Left Behind Act has no allocated budget to tell parents about this
option.
-
Tell Senators and Reps to respect Indian claims:
The House has put into serious jeopardy billions of dollars in
American Indian Trust Funds, when members of the House Appropriations
Subcommittee on the Interior put last minute language into the HR 2691
conference report on Interior appropriations.
More:
http://capwiz.com/fconl/issues/alert/?alertid=3937026&type=CO
-
Tell Representatives to support Rush Holt's bill HR
2239, which would require paper records for all votes cast on
electronic voting machines.
More:
http://www.verifiedvoting.com
http://www.verifiedvoting.com/fair_elections.asp http://www.nytimes.com/2003/12/02/opinion/02KRUG.html?pagewanted=print&position=
-
Tell Senators to use their influence to see that
the US Fish and Wildlife Service calls off proposed changes to the
Endangered Species Act of 1973 that would make it easier for circuses,
pet importers, and leather importers to capture, exploit, and kill
certain endangered species.
More:
http://www.capitolconnect.com/audubon/summary.asp?subject=269
GOOD READS
Recommended articles, books, web sites
----------------------------------------
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