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Vol. 2, No. 15
Friday, May 14, 2004

Green News
Upcoming Events
Green Action
Good Reads

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GREEN NEWS

ALERT: Green Party ballot access appeals from Georgia and Illinois....

The Georgia Green Party is in the process of a major ballot drive. A supporter has pledged $40,000 to help place the party on the ballot if funding is found. Georgia Greens need to gather a minimum of 37,153 valid signatures by July 13 So far they have gathered 5,000 and are still on target, but desperately need money and volunteers to make the ballot effort a success. Learn more about the Georgia Green Party's Ballot Access Plan and the Give up a Meal a Month to Feed the Greens Appeal at <http://www.greens.org/georgia/pdf/FeedTheGreens.pdf>. Send donations to Georgia Green Party, PO Box 5332, Atlanta, GA 31107. Questions, offers to volunteers: call petition drive coordinator Melody Powell at 404-806-0480
The Illinois Green Party has started its ballot access effort and needs to gather a minimum of 25,000 valid signatures by June 21. So far, Illinois Greens have gathered 2,000. They are preparing to send out a fundraising solicitation to their membership to support the petitioning effort, but are also requesting assistance from Greens nationally for seed money. Small and large donations from Greens across the country will guarantee that the Illinois Green Party's strong slate of candidates gets the ballot line they deserve. Furthermore, Illinois state law has recently changed allowing non-residents to collect signatures. Send donations to: Illinois Green Party, PO Box 623, Urbana IL 61803. Questions, offers to volunteer: contact Phil Huckelberry at <huckleberry@softhome.net> or 309-268-9974.

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

ARKANSAS: The Arkansas Green Party's 7 delegates to the national convention will be committed to David Cobb, as a result of voting at the party's state convention on May 9. The decision was unanimous.
More: http://web.greens.org/arkansas/

CALIFORNIA: Tom Hutchings, Green Party candidate for 33rd Assembly District (San Luis Obispo), accused the California Assembly acted cowardly in addressing the subject of marriage between same sex couples after the Assembly Judiciary Committee approved a bill that is expected to die in the Assembly Appropriations Committee later this year. Hutchings, decorated two tour veteran of the American War in Viet Nam, spoke out against a proposed return of the draft, at a forum on May 13. Hutchings is also supporting United Domestic Workers of America and the union's local efforts to represent in-home health care workers. More: http://www.votetom.org

DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA: The DC Statehood Green Party, at its May 6 general membership meeting, selected 11 delegates and 4 alternates for the national Green convention in Milwaukee in June. The apportionment of DC delegates remains uncertain, since the DC Board of Elections and Ethics has refused to release the names and vote counts of write-in candidates (31% of the January primary vote). On February 6, David Best, one of the write-in voters affected, filed a legal complaint; the case will be argued before the DC Court of Appeals on May 25. Party members also endorsed a statement in support of same-sex couples who will apply for marriage licenses on May 17. Two Statehood Green candidates will be on the ballot: Arturo Griffiths for DC City Council at-large, and Michele Tingling-Clemmons for Ward 7.
More: http://www.dcstatehoodgreen.org & http://www.votearturo2004.org

FLORIDA: Florida Greens counted 384 ballots cast by mail and at their convention in St. Petersburg on May 1, after hearing David Cobb, Lorna Salzman, Mark Kamleiter speaking for Ralph Nader, and Tammy Harman for No Nominee. The results: Do Not Run - 10 delegates; Ralph Nader - 9 delegates; Dennis Kucinich - 4 delegates; David Cobb - 2 delegates; Peter Camejo - 1 delegate. More: http://www.floridagreens.org

GEORGIA: Noting that the California Secretary of State has decertified computer voting machines that are also used in Georgia, Greens and other members of the Voter Choice coalition demanded that Georgia votes also be protected and that voter verified paper audits be implemented to ensure the integrity of Georgia elections.
More:
http://www.greens.org/georgia
http://www.ss.ca.gov/executive/press_releases/2004/04_030.pdf
http://www.ss.ca.gov/elections/ks_dre_papers/decert.pdf
http://www.ss.ca.gov/elections/ks_dre_papers/decert1.pdf
http://www.ss.ca.gov/elections/touchscreen.htm

ILLINOIS: New Paltz, NY Mayor Jason West was featured guest and speaker at a 'Battle Over Equal Marriage' forum at Preston Bradley Center in Chicago on May 7. (Sen. Hillary Clinton and Patricia Ireland missed it.) MC Robin Tyler encouraged Chicagoans to file marriage lawsuits and attend the noon rally at City Hall Monday, May 17, coinciding with rallies across the country to mark the start of marriage in Massachusetts. The event was sponsored by the Illinois Green Party, DontAmend.com, and Chicago Anti-Bashing Network.
More: http://www.ilgreenparty.org & http://www.dontamend.com

LOUISIANA: The Green Party of Louisiana and the Louisiana Libertarian Party are working to increase support in the Louisiana House of Representatives for a bill, HB 1605, that would allow any party in the state to gain ballot access if they have 1,000 or more registered members, if two of the party's candidates receive 5% of the vote in districts of 35,000 people, or if the party's candidate receives 5% in any statewide race, including the presidential election.
More:
http://www.lagreens.org
http://house.legis.state.la.us/H-Reps/hgcommittee.asp
http://house.legis.state.la.us/H-Reps/members-by-name.htm

MICHIGAN: The Green Party of Michigan endorsed a lawsuit filed in Lansing in April to gain formal recognition that everyone in Michigan has a constitutional right to health care. The suit was filed by Michigan Legal Services in Ingham Circuit Court on behalf of several individuals and groups, citing Michigan's 1963 Constitution and a 1978 law requiring statewide health plans.
More:
gbenjamin@michiganlegal.org (attorney Gary Benjamin )
http://www.migreens.org

NEW JERSEY: On May 11, Cedric Hunter, Green candidate for Irvington town council, received 23% of the vote against a Democratic incumbent (who was found by a state court to have a conflict of interest as an employee of the town government) in a town with no organized Green local. Voter turnout was around 12%, about 800 votes. Hunter is the first candidate in 2004 to be selected by the Coordinated Campaign Committee to receive matching funds and other targeted support from the national party. Hunter is a civic activist: president of his block association and founder of the Kraal Society, a nonprofit group promoting educational and economic opportunities. (Kraal is a Zulu word for community; Hunter, like 75% of the voters in his ward, is African-American.) More: http://hunterforcouncil.org

NEW YORK: Region 2 of the Green Party of New York State held its nominating convention April 28 in New York City to elect 14 delegates to the Green Party National Convention in Milwaukee. (Enrolled Greens in the five boroughs were eligible to run and vote for delegates in person or by mail.) A separate vote was taken for the Green Party's presidential candidate and those results will be used to mandate the delegates at the convention. More: http://www.gpnys.org info@greenpartyoffice.org

OREGON: (1) On Earth Day 2004, members of the Pacific Green Party of Oregon reflected on the meaning and importance of sustainability, one of the Green Party's Ten Key Values, and issued a statement supporting sustainability. The Pacific Green Party also issued a statement condemning rules from the BushAdministration that would make millions of people ineligible for overtime pay. (2) The Pacific Green Party will consider a resolution at its June convention (see Upcoming Events below) calling for immediate withdrawal of all US military forces from Iraq. Due to recent revelations about rape, torture and murder of Iraqi detainees conducted by American soldiers, intelligence officers and private contractors at Saddam Hussein's former torture facility, the Abu Ghraib prison, Greens will also call for holding the Bush administration and other government leaders responsible for crimes against humanity.
More: http://www.pacificgreens.org

PENNSYLVANIA: On April 24, Pennsylvania Greens around the state held local caucuses to determine Pennsylvania's 37 delegates for the national Green convention. After the results were tallied, David Cobb received 16 delegates, Ralph Nader 12, and No Candidate received 9.
More: http://www.pagreenparty.org/caucus2004/

PENNSYLVANIA: Northwest Greens (Philadelphia) was one of 16 local groups to form the NW Peace Federation on May 4 at Saint Vincent's Church in Germantown, at a meeting called by Northwest Greens. The NW Peace Foundation is planning a rally at the end of June to coincide with President Bush's June 30 handover of Iraqi government. More: nwgreens@yahoo.com 215-843-4256

UTAH: Diana Lee Hirschi has announced her candidacy for Salt Lake County Mayor on the Green Party ticket. Supporters are invited to join Hirschi's People-to-People 10/10 Campaign. Hirschi is not accepting donations from political action committees or businesses, and is relying on the support of individual citizens, with a contribution limit of $100. Make checks payable to Diana Lee Hirschi Campaign Fund and mail to: 1434 East 1700 South, SLC, UT 84105. More: http://greenpartyofutah.org/dlh.html

VERMONT: The Vermont Green Party, at its spring convention on May 1, is the first political party in Vermont to call for the withdrawal of US troops from Iraq. The attendees strongly endorsed this resolution at their spring convention on May 1 in Montpelier. Vermont Greens also chose 'None of the Above' in their presidential caucus voting, opening the door for Ralph Nader as the potential national Green Candidate. The vote was taken using instant run-off voting. More: http://www.vermontgreens.org

WASHINGTON: The petitioning effort is now underway for a state initiative (I-318) to introduce instant run-off voting and get it on the ballot by 2005. Greens in Washington can get involved by visiting <http://www.irvwa.org>.
More: http://www.wagreens.us

WISCONSIN: At its state convention, Wisconsin Green Party chose 33 delegates to national Green convention in Milwaukee, with 22 delegates instructed to vote for David Cobb. The delegates were chosen by mail and at the party's spring gathering in Madison. Also, the Wisconsin Green Party and the Wisconsin Libertarian Party held a joint press conference at the Oshkosh Public Library on May 1 to announce their joint resolution condemning the USA Patriot Act. More: http://www.wisconsingreenparty.org

NATIONAL PARTY NEWS:

The national media committee of the Green Party has set up a new web page authored by New York Green Craig Seeman that explains how to create effective VNRs (video news releases) and distribute them to the news media, at <http://www.gp.org/committees/media/vnr2004.html>.
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>.
The Green Party of the United States issued a press release repeating the call for an independent 9/11 commission to be led by surviving 9/11 families, citing fatal flaws and conflicts of interest in the current commission. Read also New York Green Mark Dunlea's Albany Times Union guest column "The 9/11 Commission Avoids the Hard Questions". Two organizations responded to the release:
- The National 9/11 Visibility Project is planning to create 50,000 signs to send to the GOP national convention on August 30, and encourages Greens and Green Parties to get involved. Call Bill Douglas at 913-648-2256 (Kansas City); visit <http://www.911visibility.org>. You can sign up for actions and have local groups and actions listed at the site.
- 911 Citizens Watch <http://www.911citizenswatch.org> is campaigning for a Citizens' tribunal. Call 202-583-5347 for more information. Other releases: Greens call the 9/11 Commission deeply flawed and support an investigatory commission led by surviving family members (April 28) <http://www.gp.org/press/pr_04_28_04.html>.
Greens called for the resignation of Secretary of State Donald Rumsfeld, CIA chief George Tenet, and Iraq administrator Paul Bremer, citing the revelations of torture, humiliation, and murder of Iraqi prisoners in Abu Ghraib and numerous abuses of power <http://www.gp.org/press/pr_05_10_04.html>.
Green Party candidates have a 44% win rate for elections in which they participated between January 1 and April 30, 2004. 39 Greens ran for office in the first four months of 2004, with 17 victories, which translates to 43.6%. The Green Party of the United States currently counts at least 255 candidates in this year's races; more are expected to announce.
More:
http://www.feinstein.org/greenparty/electionhistory.html
http://www.feinstein.org/greenparty/mostgreenslegbody.html
http://www.feinstein.org/greenparty/mostyearselected.html
http://www.feinstein.org/greenparty/mostconseqyearswgrn.html

PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN NEWS:

Green presidential contender David Cobb has been endorsed by David Korten, author of "When Corporations Rule the World" and "The Post-Corporate World: Life After Capitalism"; Art Goodtimes, County Commissioner (Green) in San Miguel County, Colorado; Mike Morrill, 2002 Green Party candidate for Governor of Pennsylvania. Cobb called on Congress to reject Bush's bill limiting overtime pay and to repeal the Taft-Hartley Act limiting union organizing; and pledged his support to the Green Party of Georgia's ballot access drive, one of the most difficult in the nation. More: http://www.votecobb.org
On Earth Day 2004, presidential candidate Ralph Nader (running as an Independent, with many Green supporters urging a party endorsement) highlighted two priorities: ending the Iraqi occupation and facing up to the immediate crisis of global climate change. "Future geopolitical crises involving oil resources and environmental problems will be diminished by finding alternatives to fossil fuels," said Nader, who is urging a new clean energy policy that no longer subsidizes entrenched oil, nuclear, electric and coal mining interests. On May 10, Nader filed a suit against Texas after failing to collect the signatures required to put him on the state ballot. His suit against Texas' secretary of state came after his campaign collected more than 50,000 signatures, short of the required 64,076 in time to meet the May 10 deadline. More: http://www.VoteNader.org
Green presidential candidate Lorna Salzman issued a statement on April 27 announcing that "I have been giving serious thought to my candidacy, and have come to the conclusion that I do indeed want to run for the Green Party presidential nomination on my own behalf.... I have decided to go for it because it offers the possibility of articulating my environmental concerns and platform to a wider audience. I also realize that many Greens consider it very important to have a Green Party candidate in the running, especially those running for local office. That was in fact one of the main reasons I originally announced my candidacy. While I am a great admirer of Ralph Nader and strongly support his independent campaign, I believe that my candidacy would complement rather than compete with his message, which is an anti-corporate message rather than an environmental one. ...I believe that it is incumbent on the Green Party to assume a strong public leadership on environmental issues, especially global warming and energy policy. As someone with many decades of experience and knowledge in this field, I believe I can help bring the Green Party into the forefront of environmental activism." More: http://www.lornasalzman.com 718-522-0253 631-653-3387 lsalzman@rcn.com
Medea Benjamin is running for President -- on "American Candidate", coming on Showtime in Summer 2004. On the show, viewers will identify a People's Candidate that they would like to see run for the White House. Vote for Medea at americancandidate.com (click on "Support Me").

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:

Convention information: http://www.gp.org/convention/process.html
Registration https://secure.gpus.org/convention/
Media credentialing for the convention http://www.gp.org/forms/media/
Presidential candidates, nomination process http://www.gp.org/convention/process.html
- David Cobb for President
  http://www.votecobb.org
  http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Cobb4President
  http://cobb2004.meetup.com/
- Lorna Salzman for President
  http://www.lornasalzman.com
  http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Lorna4President/
- Redraft Ralph Nader
  http://groups.yahoo.com/group/RalphNader2004/
  http://www.votenader.org
- Draft Peter Camejo
  http://www.DraftCamejo.org
  http://groups.yahoo.com/group/camejoforpresident/
  http://www.petitiononline.com/pcfp1234/petition.html
- Carol Miller: contact carolmiller@newmexico.com
- Kent Mesplay for President http://www.presidentkent.org

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UPCOMING EVENTS

SATURDAY, MAY 15: The Green Party of Delaware will host a presidential campaign strategy discussion, with speakers representing various Green Party presidential campaign strategies including 'no candidate', 'safe states', 'all out' campaigning and 'back Nader', in preparation for State convention. The debate will be moderated by Dana Garrett, member of the GPDE Wilmington Local, and will take place 1-3 pm at the University of Delaware's 100 Kirkbride Hall. More: http://www.gp.org

SATURDAY, MAY 15: Meet, Mingle and Empower Mixer with Jason West 7-9:30 pm at Café Citron, 1343 Connecticut Avenue NW south of Dupont Circle in Washington, DC. Tickets: $25 (5$ discount for those who reserve ahead of time at <http://www.gp.org/fundraiser.html>). 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 willhear 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, and from Brandon Lacy Campos, chair of the Lavender Green Caucus and DC Statehood Green Party candidates Arturo Griffiths (running for DC City Council At-Large) and Michele Tingling-Clemmons (for Council Ward 7).
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

TUESDAY, MAY 18: Arturo Griffiths, running for an at-large seat on DC City Council, will announce his campaign formally on May 18, on a 'DC for Everyone!' platform calling for restoration of a full-service public hospital (the last one was dismantled and privatized by Mayor Anthony Williams), full funding of the housing trust fund, and other ways to strengthen the social safety net and local democracy.
More: http://votearturo2004.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/

WEDNESDAY, MAY 26: Forum: The Origins of Green Parties in Global Perspective, 8:30am - 6:30pm at the German Historical Institute 1607 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington DC, 20009. Sponsored by the Heinrich Boell Foundation North America. This day-long event will feature prominent Green Party activists and analysts from the US, Germany, the UK, Finland, and Australia. No cost to attend, but please RSVP no later than Wednesday, May 19: call, fax, or email Christa Brown, <c.brown@ghi-dc.org>, 202-387-3355,
fax 202-483-3430.

JUNE 4-6: Georgia Green Party has rescheduled the Party's Annual Nominating Convention for the weekend of June 4-6, moving the venue to Brunswick Georgia, location to be announced. The annual 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. This year's Convention will nominate fifteen candidates for Presidential Elector and both name and instruct 12 delegates to the national Green Party convention.
More: http://www.greens.org/georgia

JUNE 5-6: State convention of the Pacific Green Party of Oregon, at Portland State University in Portland, Cramer Hall #071. To vote, party members must have been registered as a Pacific Green Party member as of April 28, 2004. Members will select nominees for partisan offices and vote on Oregon's preference for the Green nominee for President. Balloting will take place on Saturday, June 5, with registration scheduled to begin at 8:30 am in Room 071, Cramer Hall. On Sunday, June 6 the convention will begin at 9 am. For early-comers to the convention, the Metro chapter will host a welcoming reception on Friday, June 4 at 7 pm at the Rose and Raindrop Pub, 532 SE Grand Avenue. More: http://www.pacificgreens.org 503-235-0300

JUNE 23-28: The Green Party's 2004 National Nominating Convention (titled Forward! 2004) in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Convention information: http://www.gp.org/convention/process.html
Registration https://secure.gpus.org/convention/

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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

Support Amnesty International's call for independent investigations into torture allegations in Iraq. Urge President Bush and Congress to support a thorough, independent and public investigation to hold accountable all who have committed acts of torture, cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment, and also those who have contributed to a command culture that condones such abuses.
More: http://takeaction.amnestyusa.org/action/...
Let your state legislators know that laws and policies like the Conscientious Objector Policy Act passed in the Michigan House are discriminatory, murderous, and damaging to public health. The Michigan law allows physicians and other health care professionals who object to homosexuality to deny treatment or prescription drugs on the basis of sexual orientation. Similar laws are now being considered in six states.
More: http://www.365gay.com/newscon04/04/042904mob.htm
Tell Congress to stop the transfer of Catepillar bulldozers to Israel. In Bethlehem, and throughout the West Bank and Gaza, Israel has used Caterpillar bulldozers to raze the homes of nearly 13,000 Palestinians. The US government buys Caterpillar bulldozers and sends them to Israel as part of its annual foreign military assistance package.
More: http://go.sojo.net/campaign/bulldozers...
(Sojourners and Jewish Voice for Peace)

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GOOD READS