Vol. 2, No. 14
Friday, April 23, 2004
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GREEN NEWS
NOTE TO GREEN CANDIDATES & CAMPAIGNERS: Need
a quick consultation with a campaign professional? Contact the
Campaign Hotline. Make your question specific and clear so that the
hotline can be as helpful as possible. Someone will get back to you
as quickly as possible, usually in a few days. Coming soon: Answers
to Frequently Asked Questions. Brought to you by the Coordinated
Campaign Committee. Campaign Hotline Phone Number:
202-319-7194. Online hotline: http://www.gp.org/committees/campaign/hotline.html
CALIFORNIA: The Green Party of California has
endorsed a measure to place on the ballot a state constitutional amendment
to allow 17-year-olds to vote in primaries - if they will have turned
18 by the time of the general election. In the 11 other states
(Arizona, Delaware, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Mississippi, Nebraska,
North Carolina, Ohio, Virginia & West Virginia) which have approved
similar changes, there has been an increase youth voting turnout. In
2000, youth turnout in California was below 48 percent, but was 60
percent in Virginia. More: http://www.cagreens.org
CALIFORNIA: Terry Baum, a write-in congressional
candidate (8th District) on the Green ballot in March, was one of four
arrested at a sit-in at the San Francisco Department of Elections on April
12. The four were participating in a protest against voting
irregularities during the March vote, with many protesters claiming their
votes were not counted. All were cited and released. On April
19, Baum filed a motion asked Superior Court to overturn the decision by
the City Dept. of Elections and rule that she has won her party's
nomination to Congress in the 8th District. A week after the
primary, city election officials told Baum she had won the Green
nomination with 1,659 valid write-in votes; but a week later, the city
invalidated hundreds of ballots, claiming voters, despite hand-writing in
Baum's name, had failed to fill in an "arrow" on the ballot
correctly, thus technicality violating a state code. In a brief, SF
elections attorney Arlo Hale Smith urged the court to overrule the city
because the state elections code used to invalidate hundreds of write-in
ballots for Baum is 'unconstitutional'. The brief noted several
California and US cases very similar to the Baum case, including the 2000
presidential race in Florida. More: http://www.terrybaum.com
DELAWARE: At a Joint Sunset Committee hearing in
Wilmington on April 13, J. Roy Cannon, Green candidate for the 9th
District NCC Council seat, addressed the failures of the Delaware Solid
Waste Authority and called for it to be 'recycled.' Cannon was
especially critical of the siting of trash incineration, which he called a
health threat. More: jcannon11@comcast.net
http://www.gpde.org
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA: DC Statehood Green
activists and candidates criticized Mayor Anthony Williams' proposed FY
2005 budget, and offered an alternate that relieves working and low-income
DC taxpayers and preserves human services. David Schwartzman, chair
of the Statehood Green Party's Tax and Budget Working Group, testified
before DC Council on April 19. The trial of seven DC democracy
activists (including several Statehood Greens) was postponed from April 19
when the defense asked for a continuance; the activists were charged for
trying to deliver a petition for DC budget autonomy to Trent Lott's
office. More: http://www.dcstatehoodgreen.org
IOWA: Iowa Greens met for their state convention
in Waterloo on April 10, with Greens traveling from around the state to
participate. Presidential candidate David Cobb received the majority
of delegate endorsements. Winning election as co-chairs were Linn
County's Wendy Barth and Joannes Pool of Johnson County. Holly Hart
won a second term as state party secretary. Ted Pfeiff of Scott County was
chosen as party treasurer. National Convention delegates and their
alternates were also selected. Daryl Northrop, Iowa Green candidate
for the US Senate, articulated his support for grassroots democratic
policies like Instant Runoff Voting, universal healthcare, sustainable
development and greater reliance on alternative energy technologies.
Iowa Greens also discussed the effort by Ames Greens to oppose the USA
Patriot Act. In March, the Ames City Council adopted the proposed
resolution condemning the Patriot Act and affirming citizens'
constitutional rights.
LOUISIANA: The Green Party of Louisiana held its
presidential caucus on April 18. Results (not yet officially certified): 3
for Dr. Jonathan Farley; 3 for Peter Miguel Camejo; 2 for David Cobb; 1
Committed to voting for a Green Party member as candidate. More: http://www.lagreens.org
MAINE: The Maine Green Independent Party
criticized Democrats and Republicans in the state legislature for proposed
budget cuts in Medicaid for Maine's most vulnerable citizens, while
refusing to discuss raising revenues through fair taxation of wealthy
citizens and multinational corporations. More: http://www.mainegreens.org
MARYLAND: Greens and other registered Maryland
voters announced on April 21 that they have filed a lawsuit against the
Maryland State Board of Elections and its Administrator, charging that the
new Diebold AccuVote-TS electronic voting machines recently purchased by
Maryland fail to comply with both state and federal law. The lawsuit
would force state election officials to decertify the electronic machines
until the manufacturer, Ohio-based Diebold Election Systems, remedies
well-publicized security vulnerabilities in the new machines and
institutes a voter-verified paper audit trail. More: http://www.truevotemd.org/litigation_complaint.html.asp
MASSACHUSETTS: The Federal Elections Commission
had issued an Advisory Opinion granting the Green-Rainbow Party of
Massachusetts State Committee Status. ADVISORY OPINION 2004-09 can be
found at http://www.fec.gov/aos/aopdf/ao2004-09.pdf.
More:http://www.massgreens.org
NEBRASKA: Writer, historian ('A People's History
of the United States'), and social justice advocate Howard Zinn has
endorsed Steve Larrick, Green congressional candidate in Nebraska's 1st
district. Zinn announced his endorsement during a speech titled 'The Uses
of History' at Nebraska Wesleyan University on April 22. More: http://www.votelarrick.org
http://www.nebraskagreens.org
NEW JERSEY: The Green Party of New Jersey held
its Annual Convention on April 18 at Rutgers University in New Brunswick.
75 people attended (total dues-paying membership: approximately 280).
Party officers for 2004 were elected. Beresford Jones of Bloomfield will
take over from Jane Hunter as Chair. Representatives to USGP national
committees were selected. Delegates to the Milwaukee national convention
were elected: 9 pro-Nader; 4 pro-Cobb; 3 Uncommitted; 1 for 'No
Candidate'. More: http://www.gpnj.org
WASHINGTON: Greens attending the state
party convention in Olympia on Sunday, April 18 chose delegates to
the Green Party's national convention, with a majority of support going to
David Cobb, who spoke at the meeting. The 21 delegates don't have to
abide by the straw poll that showed support for Cobb, and have the choice
of nominating Cobb or another candidate, endorsing Nader, or doing
nothing. More: http://www.wagreens.us
http://www.theolympian.com/home/specialsections/Election2004
WISCONSIN: On April 6, 12 Greens were elected to
office on county, school, and town boards in seven counties around
Wisconsin. The top vote-getter was Madison School Board incumbent
Shwaw Vang, who received 19,987 votes, 70% of the vote. 33 Green
candidates have so far declared their candidacy for office in Wisconsin,
surpassing the number in any prior year, with 40-50 expected by the end of
the 2004 election year. This is the highest number of Green
candidates running in any state so far in 2004. The Madison Common
Council passed two ordinances introduced and championed by Green
alderpeople: Ald. Brenda Konkel succeeded in winning approval for an
Inclusionary Zoning housing ordinance, requiring that all new developments
contain a minimum percentage of affordable housing. Ald. Austin King
won passage of a new citywide minimum wage of $7.75 an hour. Konkel
has now been elected president of Madison city council. The Teaching
Assistants Association (AFT 3220, AFL-CIO), representing over 2900 workers
at the University of Wisconsin at Madison, is in the midst of a strike
vote. The local Green Party became the first non-union, off-campus
body to pass a statement of unconditional support for the TAA. This
union has consistently endorsed Green candidates for office. More: http://www.wisconsingreenparty.org
NATIONAL: Greg Gerritt, secretary of the Green
Party of the United States, has announced the opening of the period for
nominations for the offices of Co-chair and Treasurer of the national
party: "There will be elections for Steering Committee at the
Coordinating Committee meeting in Milwaukee that will be held prior to the
Presidential Nominating Convention.... We shall be electing a
Treasurer and 5 Co-chairs. Only delegates are eligible to run for
Co-chair, while any Green that is endorsed by their state party may run
for Treasurer. All open seats are for 2 year terms." Greg notes
that any delegate may nominate; delegates may nominate themselves, and May
24 is the deadline for nominations. If the party doesn't
have sufficient nominations to fill the available seats, nominations will
be taken from the floor at the meeting. All candidates should post
bios and statements to the votes list and engage in dialogue with
delegates about their qualifications and vision. For more information,
contact Greg at <gerritt@mindspring.com>.
NATIONAL: The Green Party of the United States is
holding a logo contest to choose a Green Party logo in time for the
party's 2004 national convention in Milwaukee. Design professionals
are invited to enter the 'LET'S loGO CONTEST!' The deadline for
submissions is April 25; the winner will be announced on May 5. The
winning logo will be featured on the party's website, merchandise,
letterhead, brochures, and other marketing materials. The winner of
the contest will be featured with a link to his or her website from the
Green Party web site (gp.org). The first place winner will also
receive a Green Party tee shirt and a one-year subscription to Green
Pages. More: http://www.gp.org
NATIONAL: Greens called Democratic presidential
candidate John Kerry indistinguishable from President Bush on Middle East
policy, noting Kerry's support for Israeli Prime Minister Sharon's
targeted extra-judicial assassinations, maintenance of illegal settlements
on the West Bank (a reversal of earlier policy), and denial of the right
of return for Palestinians. Read the press release: http://www.gp.org/press/pr_04_22_04.html
NATIONAL: The Lavender Green Caucus of the Green
Party of the United States has endorsed the candidacy of Bob Kinsey for
the US House of Representatives in Colorado's 4th Congressional
District. The caucus noted Kinsey's commitment to Green values and
justice for gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender people in his race to
unseat Congresswoman Marilyn Musgrave (R-Col.), author of the antigay
Constitutional Amendment to Define Marriage (HJ Res 56).
More: http://www.lavendergreens.org/
http://www.kinseyforcongress.org
NATIONAL: Green presidential candidate David
Cobb, in an April 15 statement, called for an end to the US occupation of
Iraq by June 30, citing the recent deaths of over 800 Iraqis and 70
Americans. Cobb called the Bush Administration incapable of leading
a transition to a just and democratic society in Iraq. The Cobb web site
now has a page featuring a list of endorsers. More: http://www.votecobb.org
NATIONAL: Ralph Nader, whom many Greens are
supporting and hope to win the party's endorsement at the national Green
convention, issued a strong statement on April 13 calling the invasion and
occupation of Iraq an unconstitutional, illegal war. Citing five major
points of deception from the Bush Administration, Nader recommended that
Congress begin an impeachment inquiry of Bush and Cheney. The Nader
campaign raised about $600,000 in the 2 months since he announced his
candidacy, enough to qualify for federal matching funds and well ahead of
the fund-raising pace he set 4 years ago. In papers filed with the
FEC, Nader said roughly 60% of that amount had been donated over the
Internet.
More: http://www.votenader.org
NATIONAL: Essential links for the Green Party's 2004
National Nominating Convention (titled Forward! 2004) in Milwaukee,
Wisconsin from June 23 to 28, 2004, and for Green presidential candidates:
INTERNATIONAL: The European Green Party will
launch its transnational election campaign for the European elections on
April 28. 32 European Green parties joined forces in February 2004
to found the European Green Party. The first Europe-wide force will
run a common campaign and platform for the elections to the EU parliament
in June. The creation of a single party at a congress in Rome
follows long mediation and efforts to find common ground. The
members still want to recognise the national identities of individual
Green parties but hope that pooling resources may make the difference in
Europe.
Reminder for all Greens running for public office: make
sure you're in the database at http://www.gp.org/patience.html.
E-mail your information and corrections using the form on the web or by
sending it to juscha@greens.org.
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UPCOMING EVENTS
MAY 1-2: The Green Party of Florida will hold its
Presidential Nominating Convention and Annual Membership Meeting and
Dinner in St. Petersburg. The meeting will begin at the Palm Bay Hotel,
711 3rd Avenue South in downtown St. Petersburg. The GPF Presidential
Nominating Convention will be called into session Saturday afternoon at
the State Theater, 687 Central Avenue, within walking distance of the Palm
Bay Hotel. Green presidential candidates David Cobb and Lorna Salzman will
address the convention, as well as others yet to be announced. The GPF
Annual Dinner will be held Saturday evening in the tropical patio of the
Palm Bay Hotel. More: http://www.floridagreens.org
SUNDAY, MAY 2: Brooklyn, New York Green Candidates
Kick-off Campaign and Barbecue, featuring Mark Borino for State Assembly
in District 53 and Rebecca White for State Senate in District 17. At
Artland, 609 Grand Street, Brooklyn, NY (between Lorimer & Leonard in
Williamsburg) at 2 pm. More: http://www.northbrooklyngreens.org
THURSDAY, MAY 6: Fund Raising event with PressurePoint
for their work in Colombia. Featuring great music from their world music
CD 'And if the world...' and a video screening of 'Destroying Communities
for Coal', which documents the Wayuu Indigenous and Afro Colombian
communities struggle with the expansion of the world's largest open pit
coal mine, El Cerrejon Norte, on their land in Colombia. Food and drinks
provided. 6-9 pm at the Sangha Fair Trade Store and Cultural Center, 7019
Westmoreland Avenue, Takoma Park, Maryland. More: http://www.pressurepoing.org
301-891-3214 ajgoeke@igc.org
FRIDAY, MAY 7: Jason West, Green Party Mayor of New
Paltz, New York, will appear in Chicago at a marriage-rights event titled
'The Battle For Equal Marriage', 7 pm at the Preston Bradley Center, 941
West Lawrence Ave. Other speakers at this event include Patricia Ireland,
Former President of NOW, activist Robin Tyler, and Illinois Green
candidate for US Senate, Scott Summers. West made news as the first Green
Party Mayor in New York history, and made news again when he defied New
York State law and became one of only three mayors nationwide to issue
same-sex marriage licenses. More: http://www.ilgreenparty.org
SATURDAY, MAY 15: Meet, Mingle and Empower Mixer with
Jason West 7-9:30 pm at Cafi Citron, 1343 Connecticut Avenue NW south of
Dupont Circle in Washington, DC. Tickets: $25. This intimate
gathering in the popular Latin Bistro will provide guests with an
opportunity to speak with Green Mayor Jason West, who made international
headlines when he performed a marriage ceremony for 25 same-sex couples in
New Paltz, NY. Guests will hear from Attorney Anthony Brown of the
organization, The Wedding Party, about some simple steps for marriage
equality activism and how to fight the proposed Federal Marriage
Amendment. More:
http://www.gp.org/fundraiser.html
http://www.lavendergreens.org
SUNDAY, MAY 16: Fundraiser for Equal Rights, featuring
Green New Paltz Mayor Jason West in Gramercy Park. At Rocky Sullivan's,
129 Lexington Avenue (at 29th Street) in Manhattan (New York), 7 pm till
late. This is a fundraiser for the Generation Project with a sliding-scale
donation. The Generation Project is a group for equal rights started by
Mayor West in New Paltz. More: 718-919-4893 http://www.northbrooklyngreens.org
WEDNESDAY, MAY 19: CODEPINK urges everyone to speak out
against war profiteering in a protest at the Halliburton Shareholder's
Meeting in Houston, Texas. Meet 8 am at Root Memorial Park, 1400
Clay Street and March to the Four Seasons Hotel, 1300 Lamar Street in
Houston. Vice President Cheney's former company Halliburton has been the
number one beneficiary of the invasion of Iraq, raking in $9 billion in
contracts to rebuild Iraq's oil industry and service the US troops. Every
other week, news reports document Halliburton's pattern of fraud, waste,
and corruption, from alleged overcharges of $61 million for fuel and $24.7
million for meals to confirmed kickbacks worth $6.3 million. It's
time to revoke Halliburton's Iraq contracts.
More: http://www.codepinkalert.org
andrea@globalexchange.org
hgac@riseup.net
832-725-6220.
MAY 21-23: The Georgia Green Party's Coordinating
Council reset the date for the Party's Annual Nominating Convention.
Previously scheduled for mid-April, the executive committee reset the
Convention for the weekend of May 21-23. The weekend long event will still
take place at the Little Ocmulgee State Park, two miles North of McRae
Georgia on US 441, in North Telfair County. The convention is empowered to
amend the state Party Platform, consider proposed by-laws amendments
submitted by the Council, elect the Party's internal state leadership,
endorse candidates for non-partisan races and nominate candidates in
partisan elections. The convention will nominate 15 candidates for
Presidential Elector and both name and instruct 12 delegates to the Green
Party's 2004 national convention in Milwaukee, June 23-28.
More: http://www.greens.org/georgia/
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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
-
Urge Congress to respond to the humanitarian crisis
in the Sudan's Darfur region: reports from the UN, USAID, and Amnesty
International state that thousands of innocent women and children are
being killed in 'ethnic cleansing' by members of the Sudanese
military. The UN has begun supplying emergency aid to some of those
affected by the Darfur fighting, but many areas are inaccessible by
road. House Concurrent Resolution 403 and Senate Concurrent
Resolution 99 condemn the involvement of the government of Sudan in
the Darfur conflict and call on the UN to conduct an official
investigation. Urge Reps & Senators to support these resolutions;
call the US Representative to the UN, Amb. John Negroponte, at
212-415-4000 and ask for the establishment of a peacekeeping force by
an international body (the UN and/or the African Union) to restore
order. Insist that the Bush Administration push the government of
Sudan to provide full access to humanitarian groups to Darfur, and to
facilitate humanitarian assistance. More: Church World Service
http://www.cwserp.org/reportview.php?entry=424
-
Tell your Senators & Reps to close the US Army
School of the Americas (SOA), a combat training school for Latin
American soldiers located in Fort Benning, Georgia. SOA graduates have
been responsible for some of the worst human rights atrocities in
Latin American history. Originally set up as a counterinsurgency
training school in 1946, the SOA has claimed numerous reforms in the
way it selects and trains its students over the years, culminating in
a name change to the Western Hemisphere Institute for Security
Cooperation (WHISC) in 2001, but all these reforms have proven to be
cosmetic.
Take action: http://go.sojo.net/campaign/...
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GOOD READS
Recommended articles, books, web sites:
(From last week)
Petra Kelly's Legacy
Couldn't make it to 'Petra Kelly's Legacy', the Los Angeles
Greens Women's History Month Event (in March) featuring guest speaker,
Claire Greensfelder?
Listen to the audio archive:
http://www.losangelesgreens.org/audio_archives.html
Utopian Legacies: A History of Conquest and
Oppression in the Western World.
Book by John Mohawk (Clear Light Books, 1999). Paperback, $14.95. The
road to hell, they say, is paved with good intentions. This book is the
travelogue of Western Civilization's trip along that road. The last two
millennia of Western history, Mohawk says, have been a story of lofty
thoughts pressed into the service of base actions. Utopian ideals --
Christianity early, materialistic notions of progress late - have
justified uniformly dystopian results, particularly from the point of view
of those on the receiving end. Mohawk's book is both an illuminating look
under some rocks that mainstream history refuses to lift, and a cautionary
tale for the present and future. Those who might believe that the present
ascendancy of imperial capitalism or the retrograde direction of American
politics are the product of calculated cynicism would do well to consider
those trends in light of Mohawk's thesis. [Review from Yes Magazine]
----------------------------------------
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