Protesters say, “No War in Iran”
MADISON, Wi. – At least 100 people gathered at the Wisconsin State Capitol this weekend to protest what they perceive to be an escalation into war with Iran. Last Friday, President Donald Trump ordered an airstrike to kill Iranian General Qassem Soleimani.
Nine groups who helped organize Saturday’s strike against the assassination characterized the President’s actions as “illegal,” but speakers at the protest also took aim at the United States’ military complex.
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Could the Green Party’s exile swing Franklin County prosecutor’s race?
How the absence of the traditional spoiler could affect Ron O’Brien’s reign
Editor’s note: This story originally ran in the December issue of Columbus Monthly. Democrat Gary Tyack filed a petition to challenge O’Brien last month, after the article was published.
COLUMBUS, Oh – Voters and political strategists often give little weight to third parties in Ohio. But in 2020, the absence of one could have a major impact on a local Republican stronghold—the Franklin County prosecutor’s office
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Maine protestors voice concern following air strike in Iraq
PORTLAND (WGME) -- Dozens of Mainers are voicing anger following the air strike in Iraq. More than 40 people gathered in Congress Square to demonstrate early Saturday afternoon.
Bruce Gagnon, who opposes the air strike in Baghdad which killed Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani , believes it was a bad call. "Our country has just done something that I think is incredibly insane and provocative," said Gagnon.
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Keeping Green Party candidates off ballots
The United States Green Party issued a press release Thursday announcing it is seeking “to get ballot lines for all 50 states and DC and the U.S. territories in 2020.” This would be an improvement over the 2016 US general election. The press release states that the party had ballot access in 47 states then, with access in three of those states just for write-in votes.
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Green Party, Libertarian team up to fight new election rules
NEW YORK, NY (WCBS 880) — There's an unlikely alliance between the Libertarian and the Green Parties in New York State, both fighting new rules they think might box them out of future elections.
It's not often you see leaders of the Libertarian Party and the Green Party sharing a podium, but that’s exactly what happened recently, according to WCBS 880’s Steve Burns.
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Local media ignore peace effort, to our peril
LANSING, Mi. – This fall a coalition of organizations from around the state hosted an all-day conference here in East Lansing on "Building a Peace Economy" where instead of spending $100 million dollars for a single jet fighter we invest it in schools, medical care for all, or renewable energy.
More than 100 gave up their Saturday to learn from several nationally recognized speakers as well as state and local activists, why and how the money pit that has grown for military spending might be redirected towards true community well-being and security. More than 300 others watched online and hundreds more have viewed it since.
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The Green Party was a minor force in Maine politics. This activist could help revive it.
PORTLAND, Maine — It has been 13 years since a Green Party candidate qualified for a statewide election in Maine, the first state to enshrine such a party in 1984. It has seen some local success in Portland, though just one Green has been elected to the Legislature and the party lists six local officeholders of the hundreds across the state.
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How third party candidates could upset US presidential election
WHITE HOUSE – In next year’s U.S. presidential election, most voters will have one or more additional choice beyond the nominees of the Democratic and Republican parties. And there are indications that a relatively obscure third-party candidate has the potential to decide the election’s outcome.
That happened in 2016 when a smattering of votes in key battleground states in the Midwest enabled Donald Trump to defeat Hillary Clinton, who won the overall popular vote, thus capturing the tabulation for the Electoral College.
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Jill Stein sues to reopen election security case in Pennsylvania
Issues flagged by election security experts when the settlement was reached a year ago figure prominently in the filing to reopen the case.
The plaintiffs in the lawsuit that prompted Pennsylvania’s mass voting machine upgrade want a federal judge to reopen the case because they say state officials are violating the settlement.
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Worried about social media and elections? What about our public media?
The recent controversy over Facebook’s decision not to fact-check political ads by politicians — combined with Twitter’s decision not to run any — has shown how intertwined our political culture is with what are de-facto privately-owned, public information utilities.
Whether and how to regulate social media giants - including whether to break them up and more - is a critical debate. But lost in this is that social media should be complementing what we do in the public domain, not replacing it nor filling its void.
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