The tabling at this year's SOAW Border Incuentro was at best "o.k." I was able to hand out some literature and talk to people about our work and platform. However the tabling on the Mexico side (where we were) was tucked into a corner under an outdoor roof of the school and I the people that visited tables honestly were there by default since that is where the bathrooms were! So note for future: I'm not sure tabling is the best use of resources at this event, at least in my experience. Continue reading

By now, many of you will know that ranked choice voting (RCV) was used significantly and successfully in Maine's 2nd Congressional District election. Republican incumbent Bruce Poliquin and Democrat challenger Jared Golden were virtually tied on election night at 46%, with a slight lead for Poliquin. But there were two other independent candidates in the race who combined for the remaining 8%. Poliquin and his allies in the Republican party have vigorously attacked RCV itself all along, and their rhetoric and behavior have only increased in recent weeks, fearing the outcome. Sure enough, most of the 2nd round votes went to Golden, who was declared the winner roughly 50.5% to 49.5%. Poliquin is challenging the law itself in court, but from my perspective, it will not progress, since RCV for his race IS state law, and states set their own laws for elections. Continue reading

The United Nations last month announced that we have 12 years left for an emergency worldwide mobilization - unprecedented in human history - to halt the use of fossil fuels and eliminate greenhouse gas emissions. Failure to take such dramatic action increases the likelihood that human civilization as we presently know it will cease to exist. Floods, sea level rise, wildfires, heat waves and droughts will make parts of the planet uninhabitable. Climate refugees will likely be in the hundreds of millions. Support systems involving energy, food and water will break down, leading to wars over such resources. Hundreds of millions, if not billions, could die. Continue reading

North Brunswick, NJ – There is a fascist regime running our country. Donald Trump must be stopped. This year, more than any year in my life I feel strongly that there is a great divide between this man and everyone else. As a pastor who has lost many members to his racial and ethnic cleansing policies, carried out under immigration reform, I know first hand that he must be stopped. My advice to voters, this year, is to go into the polls and do whatever you believe is best to end this madness. Continue reading

At high noon, October 3, 2018, over a hundred underpaid, fast food workers, their families, union supporters, and community members including Greater Milwaukee Greens marched on a Milwaukee McDonald's to demand a $15/hr minimum wage. With the Fight for $15, many of us had demonstrated there over the last couple of years. We exposed the injustice of McDonald's making billions of dollars in profit while the people who do the real work are struggling to survive. This time would be different. Continue reading

Restricting Our Right To Protest Shows We Are Winning The radical attack on our constitutional right to protest in Washington, DC needs to be stopped. The National Park Service (NPS) has published proposed rules that would curtail First Amendment rights to assemble, petition the government and exercise free speech in the nation's capital. Together, we can stop this proposal from going forward. Continue reading

In Upstate New York a limousine carrying 18 people crashed and killed all 18 plus 2 bystanders. The limousine was driven by a man who did not have a license to drive it. The limousine failed inspections and was not supposed to be on the road. The owner of the limousine company was a man named Shahed "Malik" Hussain. This man was caught by the FBI several years ago selling fake drivers licenses to people. The FBI told him that this was a felony and that he would go to jail and be deported unless he helped them set up and entrap other Muslims. Malik, his fake FBI name, agreed and charges were dropped.  Continue reading

Benton Harbor, the city of no return, is among 71 water districts in Michigan that have higher lead levels in the drinking water than Flint, says the Michigan Department of Environment Quality (MDEQ). Benton Harbor joins Grand Rapids as the worst cities in Michigan for child lead poisoning, according to the Detroit Free Press. According to MDEQ, a study in 2015 shows Benton Harbor had lead levels in its water in two locations of 38 parts per billion, and 12 parts per billion overall for the city. Some of the areas with high concentrations of children with high levels of lead in their poor Black areas. Some say it is a result of lead paint in older homes. Continue reading

The National Women's Caucus of the Green Party of the United States thanks Professor Christine Blasey Ford for coming forward to offer her testimony about the wisdom of not choosing Judge Brett Kavanaugh to fill a vacancy on the US Supreme Court. This testimony has not only demonstrated indelibly why Judge Kavanaugh should not be confirmed to this position, it clarifies for the nation the societal issues involved, in denial of harm and of victim shaming, that should inform any future candidate for the bench, or for any positions of power and judgment. Continue reading