Sunday, July 12, 2009
July 2009
The Green Party of NJ Bulletin - July 2009
* Report on the Annual Convention
* 2009 Campaigns
* County local reports
* Cynthia McKinney's ordeal
* Greens elected to office
* GPUS Annual National Meeting
* Green Fest 2009
* Book recommendation
* DC Rally for single-payer healthcare
* GPUS Tele-Workshop series
* Open letter to Bill Maher
============ ========= ========= ========= ====
REPORT ON THE 2009 GPNJ ANNUAL CONVENTION
(based on draft minutes of the convention
as submitted by our former Secretary Ed Fanning)
The Green Party of New Jersey's 13th Annual Convention
was held on May 23 in Vineland. About 30 members,
friends, and observers attended.
The meeting began with a moment of silence for
deceased members of GPNJ. Then county local reports
were presented for Bergen, Burlington, Camden,
Cumberland, Essex, Monmouth, Mercer, and Ocean.
Highlights:
* The Bergen local hosted a very successful forum on
Palestinian- Israeli relations last fall which included
Prof. Norman Finkelstein. They were active with Earth Day
activities and in providing support for a number of local
Green candidates in 2008.
* Rich Fuller of the Monmouth local was acknowledged for
his efforts (along with party chair Nick Mellis) in
communicating with Earl Gray's family to facilitate
Earl's desire to make a large bequeathal to GPNJ and to
the Monmouth County Greens. During 2008-2009 the local
participated in a plastic cap reclamation project,
anti-war activities and Clean Ocean Action's anti-LNG
campaign.
* The Green Party of Ocean County has established a Facebook page:
www.facebook. com/group. php?sid=64d735b9 6a90d3c1a7810fbe 037d16d4&gid=33904545473
* The Essex County Greens have been focusing on
a Clean Energy Campaign and have also been hosting
a successful film/speaker series.
After the convention's lunch break (featuring much-
appreciated provision from the Cumberland County Greens)
guest speaker David Petrovich, Executive Director of the
Society for the Preservation of Continued Home Ownership,
gave a talk on the current foreclosure crisis in New
Jersey and the country. He described blatant abuses by
the financial industry to provide loans to those who
could not possibly afford them. He also pointed out that
most credit counselors are paid by the lenders. His
presentation was well-received and generated an
interesting Q&A discussion afterward.
Highlights of voting on proposals:
* A proposal was passed to establish a link on GPNJ's Web
site to the national party's GNC (Green National
Committee) Votes page: www.GP.org/vote (this was done
immediately after the convention; the link is called "GNC
Voting Records" on www.gpnj.org).
* A proposal to have the Green Council determine how our
GNC representatives will vote was rejected.
* A proposal was approved specifying that the Green
Council has the right to censure a member of any of
the national Green Party committees.
* A proposal to establish a GPNJ Coordinator position
was approved.
* A proposal to have GPNJ endorse "a constitutional
amendment to ban the manufacture, sale, and possession
all types of guns except for law enforcement and military
personnel" was voted down.
* A three-part proposal regarding organizational dues
had the following outcomes:
(a) reduce dues to $1 annually for unemployed
members: passed;
(b) reduce GPNJ annual dues to $20: referred back to
the Green Council for deliberation;
(c) establish a special one-time $250 dues payment
to become a lifetime GPNJ member: failed.
Officer and representative elections
Chair: Nick Mellis
Vice Chair: Matt Theike
Second Vice Chair: Scott Baier
Secretary: vacancy
Treasurer: Lynn Petrovich
Coordinator: Ed Fanning
Mark Heacock, Roger Merle and Steve Welzer were elected
to represent GPNJ on the Green National Committee of GPUS.
Alternates will be Gary Novosielski and Nick Mellis.
- - - - - - - - - - - -
In the weeks following the convention, Lynn Petrovich
completed the Political Party Committee Treasurer
Training Program with the New Jersey Election Law
Enforcement Commission.
Ed Fanning sent this for inclusion in the GreenGram:
"My objectives as State Coordinator will be to:
. work with the state leadership and members to execute plans;
. maintain status of efforts;
. encourage members to follow through on commitments;
. report to the Green Council the status of efforts;
. get things accomplished in 2009!"
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ELECTORAL CAMPAIGNS
Steven Welzer of the Mercer County Greens will be running
for State Assembly in the 12th Legislative District (LD).
The district covers parts of Mercer and Monmouth
counties. Welzer ran for the 4th District Congressional
seat last year and garnered almost 3,400 votes.
Campaign contributions can be sent to:
Welzer for Assembly 2009
PO Box 2029, Princeton, NJ 08543
Jason Koralja of the Ocean County Greens will be running
for Borough Council in Surf City. For information or to
help out (or to make a contribution) contact Jason:
jklbi01 [at] hotmail.com
Holdmel resident Sean Dunne will be running for State
Assembly in the 13th District as an Independent (ballot
slogan: "Fight Corruption") . He was a Green Party member
in Ireland and assisted Green candidates there. Since
moving to New Jersey he has attended a number of Monmouth
County Green Party meetings and has established good
relations with the local members. On this basis the
Monmouth Greens have decided to endorse his independent
candidacy.
- - - - - - - -
Letter to the Lawrence Ledger from Ken Wolski
July 1
To the editor:
Nick Mellis and I regret that we were forced from the
ballot before we ever had a chance to run for the office
of Lawrence Township Council as Green Party candidates.
Nick and I were given inaccurate information on three
separate occasions that directly led to our petition for
the council election being deemed invalid.
We were quite excited about representing the Green Party
platform, which is available in its entirety at
www.gp.org. We were also quite pleased with the show of
support that we received from random samples of the
Lawrence Township electorate. Lawrence Township is a
progressive, well-educated and hard-working community
that seemed ripe for the kind of transformative platform
that the Greens represent.
The Green platform is transformative because at its heart
it represents Grassroots Democracy - in this case, the
people of Lawrence Township. The Greens refuse all
corporate money and only accept small donations from
individual voters. This funding principle represents a
sea change in American politics by which the Greens avoid
the inherently corrupting influence of corporate money.
Politicians who accept corporate donations no longer owe
primary allegiance to the American people - they
represent their corporate funders.
The Greens have many exciting proposals for a sustainable
future in the face of this institutionally corrupt
political system that has led to a collapsed economy, a
broken health care system, and a bloated and ineffective
criminal justice system.
The Green platform goes far beyond bike paths and
recycling. The Greens have outlined broad principles that
encourage a focus on the future - the lives of your
children's children - rather than the acquisitiveness of
the here and now. The Green platform includes:
* Universal, single payer health care - we are already
paying for it, we are simply not getting it;
* An end to the War on Drugs - this would enable a 1/3
increase in every other budget item - health, education,
welfare, transportation, etc.;
* Respect for diversity and women's rights;
* Non-violence - what Gandhi called the most powerful
weapon in the world.
These truly are local issues - all politics is local. By
voting for the Green Party, Lawrence residents would have
the opportunity to show that they are ready for a viable
third party to present exciting new options. By electing
Green candidates, Lawrence residents have the power to
transform not only our community, but our country and
hence, our world. But it is not to be, at least not in
the upcoming election.
We want to thank all those who supported our effort, and
who gave us such strong words of encouragement. We'll be
back. In the meantime, visit www.gpnj.org and consider
going Green.
- - - - - - - -
Greens in the northern part of the state are encouraged
to go in to New York City to help with the petition drive
to get "Reverend Billy" Talen on the ballot as the Green
Party candidate for Mayor. About 20,000 signatures are
needed by August 16. The campaign headquarters is at
250 Lafayette Street in Manhattan between Prince and Spring
(in SoHo). Contact Sean Haugh: 919-402-3489.
There will be a major fundraiser for the campaign on
Monday, July 27, 7:00 to 11:30pm - at the Highline
Ballroom, 431 W 16th Street in Manhattan. Appearing (in
addition to the Rev. and his "Life After Shopping Gospel
Choir") will be: Jollyship the Whiz-Bang, Greta Gaines,
the New York Street Vendors Chorus, Yetta Kurland, and
special guest: Joan Baez.
Tickets on sale now:
http://bit.ly/ vrbtix
www.voterevbilly. org
http://twitter. com/revbillytale n
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COUNTY LOCAL REPORTS
Bergen County
Submitted by Pat Alessandrini
Members of the Bergen County Greens joined a large group
in Englewood on June 20 for a march for Single Payer
healthcare and a demonstration with some wonderful
speakers. We had a good showing in spite of the rain!
- - - - - - - - - - - - -
Essex County
Submitted by Jane Califf
Single Payer health care was explained at a public
meeting at Bloomfield College on May 27th, sponsored by
the Essex County Greens. The speaker was Winthrop C.
Dillaway, M.D., who is a member of Physicians for a
National Health Program (PNHP) which has 16,000 members.
Dr. Dillaway stated that the reason for the loud silence
on Single Payer is that it would do away with insurance
companies and their huge profits. These companies have
lobbyists all over Congress doing their best to keep
Single Payer off the table and giving donations to
Congressmembers to help influence their votes. (At recent
hearings in Washington D.C., doctors who tried to speak
out for Single Payer were told it was not on the agenda,
and when they protested, they were arrested. You can see
this on a recent Bill Moyers program on www.pbs.org.)
The term "Single Payer" means there would be one system,
managed by our government, in place of the 1,300 paying
entities we have now that are run by profit-driven
companies. It would improve and expand on Medicare -
making it "Medicare for All."
Under a Single Payer system, you would not have to apply
for health care; you would get it automatically as a U.S.
citizen. You would choose your own doctors and hospitals.
In the other words, it would be publicly run but
privately delivered.
According to PNHP the country would save at least $350
billion annually because the insurance companies would
not be spending 31% of every health care dollar on
paperwork and administration costs. A not-for-profit,
government-run system would be able to cover all of the
uninsured and upgrade coverage for every American without
premiums, deductibles or copays. Dr. Dillaway is outraged
that more than 18,000 adults in the U.S. die annually
from lack of coverage. He says there is no excuse for the
richest country in the world to have 47 million uninsured
and another 50 million who are underinsured.
For more information, go to the website of PNHP: www.pnhp.org
- - - - - - - - - - - - -
Mercer County
The Mercer County local will host a Green Party Summer
Picnic on Saturday, August 22, 3:00 to 7:00pm (rain date
Aug. 23). Location: 58 Brooktree Road, East Windsor
08520. It will be a pot-luck, so please bring something
to share. Info: stevewelzer [at] msn.com.
The picnic will be preceded by a brief meeting of the
Green Council.
- - - - - - - - - - - - -
Monmouth County
In May, Coordinator Rich Fuller gave a presentation to
the Mayor and Council of Union Beach seeking their
support for Clean Ocean Action's opposition to any
Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) facilities off the New
Jersey-New York coastline. Happily for all ocean
advocates, at its June 18 meeting the Borough of Union
Beach passed Resolution 2009-110 stating that the Mayor
and Council "do strongly oppose any and all industrial
port facilities for Liquefied Natural Gas in the ocean
off New Jersey and New York and are in full support of
the Clean Ocean Zone which would prohibit these polluting
and destructive activities and facilities." The
resolution specified support for Clean Ocean Action by
name. The County Clerk consulted with Rich as to what the
preferred language of the resolution should be. Rich is
the Liaison between the Green Party of New Jersey and
Clean Ocean Action.
In another clean ocean issue, a public meeting sponsored
by the NY/NJ Baykeeper and the Bayshore Regional
Watershed Council was held at Keyport Borough Hall on
June 11 to update the public on nearby Superfund Sites.
Metallic deposits from the late 1960s and early '70s
had left shoreline areas along Laurence Harbor and
Cheesequake Creek contaminated with very dangerous levels
of lead, antimony, arsenic and copper. State and federal
experts were on hand to answer questions. They included
people from the EPA, the NJ Dept. of Environmental
Protection, NJ Dept. of Health and Senior Services,
and the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease
Registry. Rich Fuller asked two questions about whether
the environmental commissions of the nearby shoreline
communities had been informed of the situation and
whether the Association of NJ Environmental Commissiions
(ANJEC) had been informed. The moderator said 'no' but
indicated that those suggestions were worthwhile.
The Monmouth local has endorsed the candidacy of Holdmel
resident Sean Dunne for State Assembly in the 13th
Legislative District. Sean, a friend of the Greens,
will be running as an Independent.
Submitted by Rich Fuller
------------ --------- --------- --------- ----
THE ORDEAL OF CYNTHIA MCKINNEY
The Free Gaza Movement has organized eight boat trips
to Gaza since August 2008, defying a blockade imposed by
Israel after Hamas won the June 2007 Palestinian
elections. Five of the Free Gaza trips have successfully
gotten through with their cargo. Two attempts were
stopped by Israeli warships last winter (Cynthia McKinney
was aboard the Dignity when it was rammed in December).
The most recent attempt was launched on June 29. A Greek-
registered freighter, the Arion (renamed the "Spirit of
Humanity") left the Cypriot port of Larnaca bound for
Gaza with three tons of medical supplies, building
materials, and children's toys. There were 21 passengers
aboard, including Cynthia McKinney, Nobel Peace Prize
laureate Mairead Corrigan Maguire, and other activists
from Britain, Ireland, Bahrain and Jamaica.
The Israeli navy intercepted the ship on June 30.
Israeli naval personnel boarded the small vessel without
any shots being fired and forced it to sail to the Israeli
port of Ashdod. The passengers were taken into custody
and their ship was seized. The Greek government issued a
statement saying it sent a message to Israel demanding
that it release the ship, crew and passengers.
The Spirit of Humanity was in international waters nearly
40 kilometres off the Gaza coast when it was intercepted.
"The Israelis hijacked us because we wanted to give
crayons to the children of Gaza!" said McKinney.
Israel sought to avoid international culpability for its
criminal conduct against the Spirit of Humanity group by
getting its victims to sign a statement agreeing that
they violated Israeli territorial waters. All the
abducted passengers refused. Cynthia's mother said her
daughter did not sign the document because it was in
Hebrew. "She didn't know what she would be signing,"
Leola McKinney said.
Two months ago Richard Falk, the United Nations special
reporter on human rights in the Palestinian territories,
condemned Israel's two-year blockade of Gaza: "Such a
pattern of continuing blockade under these conditions
amounts to such a serious violation of the Geneva
Conventions as to constitute a continuing crime against
humanity." In July Falk called Israel's seizure of the
Spirit of Humanity "unlawful." He said the move was in
violation of the Fourth Geneva Convention prohibiting any
form of collective punishment against "an occupied people".
Ramzi Kysia, a spokesman for the Free Gaza Movement,
said: "On this trip, we had one boat and 21 activists.
On our next trip, we'll have more boats, more journalists
and more dignitaries. "
Green Party reception for Cynthia upon her release
After the Spirit of Humanity was captured, the passengers
were detained in a prison in Ramle, Israel. Cynthia was
released on July 6 and flown to New York. On the evening
of July 8 she joined DC Statehood Green Party members for
a reception in Washington, DC. Approximately 50 people
showed up on very short notice. Reporters were invited
and attended.
At the event Cynthia presented her account of what took
place and then opened up for questions. She patiently
responded to each, no small feat considering how sleep-
deprived she was at that point. Among those asking
questions was Stokely Carmichael's sister, Asantewaa.
Look for posting of the video of the event at:
www.slepton. com/slepton/ index.pl
- - - - - - - - - - - -
Cynthia McKinney - "I'm back home, thanks to all of you"
July 9, 2009
Well, all I can say is "Thank you!" Your calls, faxes,
protests, and prayers all made a huge difference and
helped to secure our protection and our release.
I just got off the phone with George Galloway who
extended a personal invitation to join him and the U.S.
convoy in Viva Palestina. I'm certainly excited about
that. Maybe I will finally make it to Gaza!
Below is the statement I put out from the Israeli prison:
7/2/09 (excerpts)
Before I left for the trip, there was a last-minute, but
urgent request: Please bring crayons for the children.
When I told people that I was going shopping to buy
crayons for the children of Gaza, everyone wanted to
donate. By the time I left, my suitcase could hold no
more. So, full of expectation, I entered the airport in
the U.S. headed once again to Larnaca, Cyprus where the
Hope Flotilla, consisting of the "Free Gaza" and the
"Spirit of Humanity" were to embark to Gaza. The "Free
Gaza" was to be donated to the people of Gaza so they
could replace some of the boats confiscated or bombed by
the Israelis during Operation Cast Lead.
I am now known as Israeli Prisoner #88794. I am in cell
number 5, Ramle Prison. If Israel fears for its security
because Gaza's children have crayons, then not only has
Israel lost its last shred of legitimacy, but Israel must
be declared a failed state. I am being held in this
prison because I had a dream that Gaza's children could
color and paint, that Gaza's wounded could be healed, and
that Gaza's bombed-out houses could be rebuilt.
But I've learned an interesting thing by being inside
this prison. First of all, it's incredibly Black:
populated mostly by Ethiopians who also had a dream. My
five cellmates have been here for about six months each.
One is pregnant; they are all in their twenties. They
thought they were coming to the Holy Land. They had a
dream that their lives would be better. The CIA-installed
puppet in Addis Ababa, President Meles, has put the once-
proud, never-colonized Ethiopia into the back pocket of
the United States. It has become a place of torture,
rendition, and occupation. Ethiopians must flee their
country because superpower politics became more important
than human rights and self-determination.
My cellmates came to the Holy Land so they could be free
from the exigencies of superpower politics. They came to
Israel because they thought that Israel held promise for
them.
They made their way to the United Nations High
Commission for Refugees. They got their yellow paper
of identification. They got their certificate for police
protection. They are refugees from tragedy, and they made
it to Israel. Only, after they arrived, Israel told them,
"There is no UN in Israel."
The police have license to pick them up and suck them
into the black hole of a farce for a justice system.
These beautiful, industrious, proud young women represent
the hopes of entire families. The idea of Israel tricked
them and the rest of us. In a widely propagandized slick
marketing campaign, Israel represented itself as a place
of refuge and safety for the world's Jews and Christians.
One of my cellmates cried today. She has been here for
six months. As an American, crying with them is not
enough. The policy of the United States must be better,
and while we watch President Obama give trillions of
dollars to the financial elite of the United States, it
ought now be clear that "hope," "change," and "yes we
can" were powerfully presented images of dignity and
self-fulfillment, individually and nationally, that
besieged people everywhere truly believed in. It was a
slick marketing campaign, as slickly put to the world and
to the voters of America as was Israel's marketing to the
world. It tricked all of us but, more tragically, these
young women.
We must cast an informed vote about better candidates
seeking to represent us.
I'm lucky. I will leave this place. Has Israel become the
place where dreams die? Ask the people of Palestine. Ask
the stream of Black and Asian men whom I've seen being
processed at Ramle. Ask the women on my cellblock.
Ask yourself: what are you willing to do? Let's change
the world together and reclaim what we all need as human
beings: Dignity.
I appeal to the United Nations to get these women of
Ramle resettled in safe homes - women who have done
nothing wrong other than to believe in Israel as the
guardian of the Holy Land. I appeal, once again, to
President Obama to go to Gaza: send your special envoy,
George Mitchell there and engage Hamas as the elected
choice of the Palestinian people.
I dedicate this message to those who struggle to achieve
a free Palestine, and to the women I've met at Ramle.
Full text at:
http://freegaza. org/en/home/ testimonies- from-israeli- jail/989- letter-from- an-israeli- jail-by-cynthia- mckinney
Video of Cynthia McKinney arriving at JFK after Israeli
prison release, talking about capture, prison treatment,
conditions in the prison:
www.youtube. com/watch? v=EQIC9wOh- 1I
Democracy Now! July 8:
www.democracynow. org/2009/ 7/8/fmr_congress member_cynthia_ mckinney_ back_in
Also:
http://dignity. ning.com/
http://www.twitter. com/dignityactio n
http://www.twitter. com/cynthiamckin ney
http://www.facebook .com/CynthiaMcKi nney
UPDATE!
From the Viva Palestina Convoy
July 12, 2009, 7 pm Cairo time
The Viva Palestina members who spent the night
in their buses at the Suez Crossing after they
were stopped by Egyptian authorities on July 11
are now making their way to the nearby city of
Ismailia and are preparing to resume their travels
toward Gaza imminently.
British Member of Parliament George Galloway,
who has met up with former U.S. Congresswoman
Cynthia McKinney in Cairo, was working with
Egyptian and U.S. authorities to expedite the
passage of the convoy over the Suez Canal
and into Gaza.
New York City Councilmember Charles Barron,
who led the group at the Suez Canal, said:
"Whether these requirements are genuine
or not, we will get around these obstacles.
We are going to Gaza."
------------ --------- --------- --------- ---
GREENS ELECTED TO OFFICE
Some states held local elections on June 9. In Portland,
Maine, Greens Ben Chipman and Anna Trevorrow were elected
to the Charter Commission. In Whately, Massachusetts, Nat
Fortune was re-elected to the School Committee while
Joyce Palmer-Fortune was elected to the Select Board
(both ran unopposed).
------------ --------- --------- --------- ---
2009 GREEN PARTY ANNUAL NATIONAL MEETING
This year's national meeting, hosted by the North
Carolina Green Party, will be held in Durham, NC, July
23-July 26 at the North Carolina Central University
campus in downtown Durham.
Information and registration:
www.gp.org/2009- ANM
Join Green Party leaders and activists to participate in
23 workshops and committee meetings. Workshops are
categorized into five different tracks and will take
place from mid-day Thursday to mid-day Friday. The tracks
are: Issues, Party-Building, Strategizing/ Future Focus,
and a Campaign School.
Details at:
http://docs. google.com/ View?id=dcmtq7fw _30cb44rphp
On Friday afternoon there will be a special panel
discussion on the merits of a national single-payer
health care system featuring: *Dr. Jonathan Kotch,
Board Chair of Health Care for All NC and senior faculty
member at the UNC Chapel Hill School of Public Health;
*Justine McCabe, Co-Chair of the GPUS International
Committee, Ph.D. alumna of Duke University; *Pat LaMarche,
2004 Green Party Vice-Presidential candidate, 2006
candidate for Governor of Maine; *Carl Romanelli,
2006 Green Party Candidate for U.S. Senate from Pennsylvania,
founding member of Luzerne County Green Coalition.
------------ --------- --------- --------- ---
GREEN FEST 2009
http://nygreenfest. org
Greens will be gathering in Alfred, NY, Aug. 7-9,
for a weekend of fun, education, networking, and
skills-sharing.
Green Fest is open to all who are interested in
sustainable living and Green politics. More than 75
presenters are confirmed, including Joel Kovel, Virginia
Rasmussen, Bill Kauffman, Steve Welzer, Lois Hilton, Carl
Romanelli, Sander Hicks, Art Weaver, Dan Miner, Jason
Nabewaniec, Ismail Mehr and Lyn Gerry; 26 exhibitors will
exhibit in the Green Fair.
This event is a benefit for the Green Party of New York
and other state Green parties in our region. GPNJ will
receive a percentage of the proceeds based on the number
of attendees from New Jersey.
Green Fest 2009 will be held on the campus of Alfred
University in rural Allegheny County near the
Pennsylvania border. The Short Line Bus runs three buses
daily between New York City and Alfred. The bus stop in
Alfred is just a few blocks from Green Fest.
Driving directions:
http://nygreenfest. org/directions. html
Offers and requests for rides:
http://nygreenfest. org/rideshare. html
Meals and lodging on the Alfred University campus and
Foster Lake campground must be reserved before August
1st. You may register and reserve camping spaces, dorm
rooms and meals online at:
http://nygreenfest. org/registration .html
Registration in advance is $85 for the weekend. An
additional $20 fee will be charged for walk-in
registrations. Meals prepared from locally-grown food are
available in the Alfred University dining hall. Three
different meal-plan options are available. Lodging and
meals for children are discounted.
For more information:
http://nygreenfest. org/ or call 607-569-2114.
SCHEDULE:
Friday, August 7
10:00 am, Registration opens
12:00 noon, Exhibits open
1:45 pm, Afternoon Workshops and Panels begin
4:15 pm, Swimming, hiking, yoga
5:30-6:30 pm, Dinner in Dining Hall
7:00 pm, Forum on the Politics of Sustainability
Saturday, August 8
7:30-8:30 am, Breakfast in Dining Hall
8:30 am, Workshops and Panels
9:45 am, Forum on Sustainable Energy
11:15 am, Workshops and Panels
12:30-1:30 pm, Lunch in Dining Hall
1:45 pm, Afternoon Workshops and Panels begin
4:15 pm, Swimming, hiking, yoga, drumming
5:30-6:30 pm, Dinner in Dining Hall
7:00 pm, Forum on Politics and Nature
9:30 pm, Music and Dancing
Sunday, August 9
7:30-8:30 am, Breakfast in Dining Hall
8:30 am, Workshops and Panels
9:45 am, Forum on Regionalism and Sustainability
11:30 am, Workshops and Panels
12:30-1:30 pm, Lunch in Dining Hall
1:45 pm, Forum on Visioning a Green Future
3:30 pm, Adjourn
WORKSHOPS, PANELS, FORUMS AND ACTIVITIES:
Allegheny Anti-Nuclear Campaign; Approaches to Landscape
for Food; Build Your Own Wind Turbine; Drawing Political
Cartoons; Drumming Circle; Economics as a Cultural
System; Empire to Earth Community; Gaza's Dilemma; Green
Campaign Lessons; Green Media Panels; Hatha Yoga;
Importance of Political Theory; Liberation Ecology
Workshop; Living off the Grid; Local Food Supply Systems;
Nature Walks; Organizing for Peace; Out of Time: Global
Warming; Post Carbon Economies; Poetry from Place
Workshop; Political Organizing on Campus; Sovereignty and
Sustainability; Spiritual Basis for Green Living;
Sustainable Cities Panel; Swimming; Third Party Ballot
Access; Third Parties in the U.S. Experience; Visioning
a Green Future; Watershed Protection; Why Localism
Matters; Zero Waste Workshop
------------ --------- --------- --------- ---
Green Pages, the official publication of record of the
Green Party of the United States, is now online:
www.gp.org/greenpag es-blog
Vol. 13, No. 1 is the latest issue available. The online
version is downloadable for easy printing if you need hard copies.
------------ --------- --------- --------- ---
BOOK RECOMMENDATION
Submitted by Alvin Meyer of the Bergen County Greens
I have just finished reading the recently published book:
"Mirrors" published by Nation Books and written by
Eduardo Galeano. I found the book to be delightfully
entertaining and insightful.
Here is an excerpt:
Only Human
Darwin told us we are cousins of the apes, not the
angels. Later on, we learned we emerged from Africa's
jungle and that no stork ever carried us from Paris.
And not long ago we discovered that our genes are almost
identical to those of mice.
Now we can't tell if we are God's masterpiece or the
devil's bad joke.
We puny humans:
. exterminators of everything,
. hunters of our own,
. creators of the atom bomb, the hydrogen bomb, and the neutron bomb,
. the only animals who invent machines,
. the only ones who live at the service of the machines they invent,
. the only ones who devour their own home,
. the only ones who poison the water they drink and the earth that feeds them,
. the only ones capable of renting or selling themselves, or renting or selling their fellow humans,
. the only ones who kill for fun,
. the only ones who torture,
. the only ones who rape.
And also:
. the only ones who laugh,
. the only ones who daydream,
. the ones who make silk from the spit of a worm,
. the ones who find beauty in rubbish,
. the ones who discover colors beyond the rainbow,
. the ones who furnish the voices of the world with new music,
. and who create words so that neither reality nor memory will be mute.
------------ --------- --------- --------- ---
DC LOBBY DAY AND RALLY FOR SINGLE-PAYER HEALTHCARE
"Medicare: Made in America"
Hosted by Healthcare-NOW!
July 30 in Washington, DC
Celebrate Medicare's 44th birthday by showing Congress
and President Obama the people, unions, doctors, nurses,
seniors, faith groups, and Americans of every stripe
support a single-payer system.
As President Obama says, "We must build on what works and
leave out what doesn't." Medicare has successfully
provided care to seniors and people with disabilities for
almost half a century.
The best way to save this system is to expand it and make
it a truly single-payer system by removing the for-profit
interests and guaranteeing healthcare as a right for all.
Info: 800-453-1305 or info@healthcare- now.org
www.healthcare- now.org/campaign s/single- payer-rally
- - - - - - - -
GREEN PARTY OF THE UNITED STATES
www.gp.org
For Immediate Release: June 4, 2009
Green Party leaders challenge Sen. Baucus and defenders
of private insurance to debate Single-Payer advocates
Greens challenge major media to air the debate
Green leaders available to speak on health care:
www.gp.org/speakers /speakers- health-care. php
WASHINGTON, DC - Green Party leaders challenged Sen. Max
Baucus (D-Mont.) and other defenders of health care
reform based on private insurance to debate advocates
of Single-Payer national health care in a public forum.
Greens also challenged the major media to broadcast
the debate.
"Americans deserve to hear a debate on the merits of
Single-Payer/ Medicare For All versus the merits of a
health care system dominated by for-profit insurance
companies and HMOs," said Angel Torres, co-chair of the
Green Party of Maricopa County (www.maricopagreens. org),
which organized a rally for Single-Payer in front of the
office of Congressman Harry Mitchell (D-Ariz.) on May 30.
"Greens are prepared to defend Single-Payer publicly. We
also challenge groups like Physicians for a National
Health Program, the Healthcare-Now Coalition, Single-
Payer Action, and the California Nurses Association to
represent the Single-Payer side. Single-Payer supporters
have been fighting to get public attention, especially
for Rep. John Conyers' Single-Payer bill, HR 676," said
Mr. Torres.
Greens participated in national Day of Action for Single-
Payer events throughout the U.S. on May 30. In Augusta,
Maine, 2004 Green vice presidential candidate Pat
LaMarche hosted a Single-Payer rally at the statehouse:
http://morningsenti nel.mainetoday. com/news/ local/6407921. html
According to the Center for Responsive Politics,
Democrats and Republicans accepted over $46 million
in insurance industry donations in 2008:
www.opensecrets. org/industries/ indus.php? ind=F09
According to Consumer Watchdog, Sen. Baucus has taken
more campaign contributions from health insurance firms
($183,750 in the last two election cycles) and
pharmaceutical companies ($229,020) than any other
Democratic member of the House and Senate.
Greens blast misleading TV ads
Green Party health care activists warned that private
insurance defenders are placing ads to mislead the public
about health care reform, even to the point of confusing
private insurance-based plans favored by President Obama
and Democratic leaders with Single-Payer.
Recent TV ads have featured Rick Scott, chair of
Conservatives for Patients' Rights, who was fired from
his position as CEO of Columbia/HCA in 1997 after he was
caught trying defraud the federal and state governments
for hundreds of millions of taxpayers' dollars in false
Medicare and Medicaid payments, the largest
Medicare/Medicaid fraud in history. The company had to
pay back $1.7 billion, but Mr. Scott, instead of facing
prosecution, received $10 million in severance pay and
$300 million worth of stock.
Greens argue that for-profit health insurance adds high
costs (administrative overhead, demand for profit) but no
value (medical treatment). All other industrial nations
guarantee their citizens health care; no one in Canada,
which has a Single-Payer system, faces financial ruin
because of illness or injury.
Single-Payer, based on Medicare (administrative costs:
about 3%), eliminates the inefficiency of private
coverage, drastically cutting costs while covering all
Americans ("everyone in, no one out") and allowing full
choice of physician and hospital. Greens said that the
reforms favored by President Obama and many Democrats
don't curb inefficiency, because they leave the
insurance/HMO gatekeepers in charge.
Green leaders noted that polls have shown widespread
popular support for a national health care program that
guarantees universal coverage:
www.wpasinglepayer. org/PollResults. html
In 2008, the US Conference of Mayors endorsed Single-Payer:
www.usmayors. org/resolutions/ 76th_conference/ chhs_03.asp
Green Party information page on Single-Payer
www.gp.org/organize /sicko.html
Single-Payer advocates:
Physicians for a National Health Program www.pnhp.org
Healthcare-Now Coalition www.healthcare- now.org
Leadership Conference for Guaranteed Health Care http://guaranteedhe althcare4all. org
Single-Payer Action http://singlepayera ction.org
California Nurses Association www.calnurses. org
------------ --------- --------- --------- ---
GPUS TELE-WORKSHOP SERIES
The subject of the next program with be: "Outreach." It
is scheduled for July 14 (9 p.m. EDT). It will feature
GPUS webmaster, Dave Doonan, with a "webinar" on using
internet tools to reach out to the media and increase
awareness of Green candidates, campaigns and issues.
If you wish to participate in this program please send an
e-mail to Holly Hart: hhart11 [at] gmail.com. (These
teleconferences are not conducted on an "800" number, so
if you don't have an unlimited calling plan you will be
charged long distance charges by your telephone carrier,
as applicable).
The first Tele-Workshop (June 3) featured Brent McMillan,
GPUS Executive Director, speaking about:
* An overview of the 2008 presidential campaign from the
perspective of the National Office.
* Security issues. There have been Green candidates
targeted by other parties, sometimes using the FBI as a
political tool, in Minneapolis and Connecticut. Problems
in this area have picked up in the last few years
(especially during the presidential campaign) and have
not decreased under the Obama administration.
* Brent said we need more party members, especially
younger people, involved with fundraising. Celebrity
outreach should be considered in this regard.
Time was allocated after each section of his presentation
for Q&A from the listeners.
------------ --------- --------- --------- ---
GPUS SENDS AN OPEN LETTER TO BILL MAHER
For Immediate Release: Wednesday, July 1, 2009
A Real Party for 'Real Time'
WASHINGTON, DC - The Green Party of the United States
(GPUS) has sent an open letter to Bill Maher after a June
19 broadcast of 'Real Time' in which Mr. Maher said,
"[W]hat we need is an actual progressive party to
represent the millions of Americans who aren't being
served by the Democrats. Because, bottom line, Democrats
are the new Republicans. "
See:
www.youtube. com/watch? v=DtUAHPYYzeM
(the relevant section comes about 2 minutes into the video)
The Green Party's reply to Mr. Maher: "Hey, Bill,
we're over here! What you described is the GREEN PARTY!
We already exist!"
The progressive party sought by Bill Maher describes the
Green Party: "Shouldn't there be one party that
unambiguously supports cutting the military budget, a
party that is straight up in favor of gun control, gay
marriage, higher taxes on the rich, universal health care
- legalizing pot - and steep, direct taxing of polluters?"
The open letter urges Mr. Maher to acknowledge the Green
Party and have a Green candidate or leader on the show.
The text of the letter is appended below.
The Green Party is currently preparing for its annual
national meeting, to take place in Durham, North
Carolina, from July 23 to July 26 (www.gp.org/2009- ANM).
Reporters are invited to cover the meeting (www.gp.org/forms/ media).
- - - - - - - - - - - -
"America's First Party"
An Open Letter to Bill Maher from the Green Party
Dear Mr. Maher,
We were thrilled to hear you talk about us when you
discussed the need for a new party - a "first party" -
during the June 19 broadcast of 'Real Time.'
The only part you left out were the words "Green Party."
Here's what you said:
"We don't need a third party. We need a first party. You
go to the polls and your choices are the guy who voted
for the first Wall Street bailout, or the guy who voted
for the next ten."
"Shouldn't there be one party that unambiguously supports
cutting the military budget, a party that is straight up
in favor of gun control, gay marriage, higher taxes on
the rich, universal health care - legalizing pot - and
steep, direct taxing of polluters? These aren't radical
ideas. A majority of Americans are either already for them
or would be if they were properly argued and defended."
"[W]hat we need is an actual progressive party to
represent the millions of Americans who aren't being
served by the Democrats. Because, bottom line, Democrats
are the new Republicans. "
Hey, Bill, we're over here! What you described is the
GREEN PARTY! We already exist!
Maybe you forgot about us because the major media have an
aversion to mentioning the Green Party and our
candidates. Maybe the FCC has banned "Green Party" along
with the late George Carlin's seven dirty words,
"Chomsky," "End the Drug War," and other language that
offends delicate sensibilities.
For the major networks, and apparently PBS and NPR too,
the very idea of more than two candidates in an election
makes talking heads explode.
If Green candidates started getting elected to higher
office, the radical ideas that aren't really radical
would get a fair hearing and a chance of passage.
Imagine if a few Greens got seated in Congress. Greens
don't take corporate contributions, so they'd be immune
to the influence of Exxon-Mobil, Goldman Sachs, Bank of
America, Raytheon, Monsanto, etc. When Rep. Nancy Pelosi
sends out orders not to seek a probe of Bush-Cheney
officials who authorized torture dungeons, Greens could
tell her to take a hike.
A few Green congressional victories would cause a seismic
shock to the political landscape. Democrats would no
longer have Republicans as their sole competition. The
scope of national debate would no longer be Dems on the
left, Repubs on the right, a phony middle ground between
them, and a narrow range of political ideas (comparable
to the corner grocery limiting your choice of beverage to
Coke or Pepsi).
With some Greens in Congress:
Democrats couldn't pretend to be the antiwar party while
voting for more war funding.
Single-payer national health care would be on the table
and might even pass. President Obama and most Democrats
already know single-payer is the best proposal. But
they feel compelled to appease the health insurance,
pharmaceutical, and other lobbies and find common
ground with Republicans who believe the free market
has sufficient mojo to cure every illness and injury.
We'd hear the truth: that "emissions trading" is a
license for corporate polluters to keep polluting, that
"clean coal" is a plot to turn West Virginia into a
crater, that the trillion-dollar Wall Street bailout and
confiscation of savings and pension money are the
greatest transfer of wealth from working people to big
banks in history. There's a bipartisan consensus that
corporate profit margins always take precedent over
Americans facing financial ruin due to a health emergency
or credit card debt or a mortgage or a lost job. Whenever
you hear the word "bipartisan" on the evening news, check
the silverware.
What are we going to do about this situation, Bill? If
you really want a "first party" for America, will you
throw us a bone on your show? Will you have a Green
candidate or Green leader on once in a while? (Ralph
Nader doesn't count - he's not a member of the Green Party.)
How about Rev. Billy Talen of the Church of Life
After Shopping? Rev. Billy is now a Green candidate
for Mayor of New York City (www.voterevbilly. org).
Rosa Clemente, our 2008 vice-presidential candidate,
said that the Green Party "is more than an alternative,
it's an imperative." Based on your comments, Bill,
it sounds like you might agree with Rosa.
We look forward to hearing back from you. You can see
what we're up to on our web site (www.gp.org).
Sincerely,
The Green Party
- - - - - - - - - - - - - -
We need to urge Bill Maher and the producers to have
Green Party representatives on the show.
Call 323-575-2345 and ask for the production office of
Real Time with Bill Maher.
Or you can email the HBO producers:
www.hbo.com/ apps/submitinfo/ contactus/ submit.do? title=Real% 20Time%20with% 20Bill%20Maher&questiontype= realtimewithbill maher
============ ========= ========= ========= ====
The GreenGram is circulated bi-monthly in an effort
to keep all GPNJ members informed about party news,
Green-related activities, and upcoming events.
Members are encouraged to submit articles and
event announcements.
The deadline for the next issue will be August 15.
Please submit material for inclusion to:
SteveWelzer [at] msn.com
* Report on the Annual Convention
* 2009 Campaigns
* County local reports
* Cynthia McKinney's ordeal
* Greens elected to office
* GPUS Annual National Meeting
* Green Fest 2009
* Book recommendation
* DC Rally for single-payer healthcare
* GPUS Tele-Workshop series
* Open letter to Bill Maher
============ ========= ========= ========= ====
REPORT ON THE 2009 GPNJ ANNUAL CONVENTION
(based on draft minutes of the convention
as submitted by our former Secretary Ed Fanning)
The Green Party of New Jersey's 13th Annual Convention
was held on May 23 in Vineland. About 30 members,
friends, and observers attended.
The meeting began with a moment of silence for
deceased members of GPNJ. Then county local reports
were presented for Bergen, Burlington, Camden,
Cumberland, Essex, Monmouth, Mercer, and Ocean.
Highlights:
* The Bergen local hosted a very successful forum on
Palestinian- Israeli relations last fall which included
Prof. Norman Finkelstein. They were active with Earth Day
activities and in providing support for a number of local
Green candidates in 2008.
* Rich Fuller of the Monmouth local was acknowledged for
his efforts (along with party chair Nick Mellis) in
communicating with Earl Gray's family to facilitate
Earl's desire to make a large bequeathal to GPNJ and to
the Monmouth County Greens. During 2008-2009 the local
participated in a plastic cap reclamation project,
anti-war activities and Clean Ocean Action's anti-LNG
campaign.
* The Green Party of Ocean County has established a Facebook page:
www.facebook. com/group. php?sid=64d735b9 6a90d3c1a7810fbe 037d16d4&gid=33904545473
* The Essex County Greens have been focusing on
a Clean Energy Campaign and have also been hosting
a successful film/speaker series.
After the convention's lunch break (featuring much-
appreciated provision from the Cumberland County Greens)
guest speaker David Petrovich, Executive Director of the
Society for the Preservation of Continued Home Ownership,
gave a talk on the current foreclosure crisis in New
Jersey and the country. He described blatant abuses by
the financial industry to provide loans to those who
could not possibly afford them. He also pointed out that
most credit counselors are paid by the lenders. His
presentation was well-received and generated an
interesting Q&A discussion afterward.
Highlights of voting on proposals:
* A proposal was passed to establish a link on GPNJ's Web
site to the national party's GNC (Green National
Committee) Votes page: www.GP.org/vote (this was done
immediately after the convention; the link is called "GNC
Voting Records" on www.gpnj.org).
* A proposal to have the Green Council determine how our
GNC representatives will vote was rejected.
* A proposal was approved specifying that the Green
Council has the right to censure a member of any of
the national Green Party committees.
* A proposal to establish a GPNJ Coordinator position
was approved.
* A proposal to have GPNJ endorse "a constitutional
amendment to ban the manufacture, sale, and possession
all types of guns except for law enforcement and military
personnel" was voted down.
* A three-part proposal regarding organizational dues
had the following outcomes:
(a) reduce dues to $1 annually for unemployed
members: passed;
(b) reduce GPNJ annual dues to $20: referred back to
the Green Council for deliberation;
(c) establish a special one-time $250 dues payment
to become a lifetime GPNJ member: failed.
Officer and representative elections
Chair: Nick Mellis
Vice Chair: Matt Theike
Second Vice Chair: Scott Baier
Secretary: vacancy
Treasurer: Lynn Petrovich
Coordinator: Ed Fanning
Mark Heacock, Roger Merle and Steve Welzer were elected
to represent GPNJ on the Green National Committee of GPUS.
Alternates will be Gary Novosielski and Nick Mellis.
- - - - - - - - - - - -
In the weeks following the convention, Lynn Petrovich
completed the Political Party Committee Treasurer
Training Program with the New Jersey Election Law
Enforcement Commission.
Ed Fanning sent this for inclusion in the GreenGram:
"My objectives as State Coordinator will be to:
. work with the state leadership and members to execute plans;
. maintain status of efforts;
. encourage members to follow through on commitments;
. report to the Green Council the status of efforts;
. get things accomplished in 2009!"
------------ --------- --------- --------- ---
ELECTORAL CAMPAIGNS
Steven Welzer of the Mercer County Greens will be running
for State Assembly in the 12th Legislative District (LD).
The district covers parts of Mercer and Monmouth
counties. Welzer ran for the 4th District Congressional
seat last year and garnered almost 3,400 votes.
Campaign contributions can be sent to:
Welzer for Assembly 2009
PO Box 2029, Princeton, NJ 08543
Jason Koralja of the Ocean County Greens will be running
for Borough Council in Surf City. For information or to
help out (or to make a contribution) contact Jason:
jklbi01 [at] hotmail.com
Holdmel resident Sean Dunne will be running for State
Assembly in the 13th District as an Independent (ballot
slogan: "Fight Corruption") . He was a Green Party member
in Ireland and assisted Green candidates there. Since
moving to New Jersey he has attended a number of Monmouth
County Green Party meetings and has established good
relations with the local members. On this basis the
Monmouth Greens have decided to endorse his independent
candidacy.
- - - - - - - -
Letter to the Lawrence Ledger from Ken Wolski
July 1
To the editor:
Nick Mellis and I regret that we were forced from the
ballot before we ever had a chance to run for the office
of Lawrence Township Council as Green Party candidates.
Nick and I were given inaccurate information on three
separate occasions that directly led to our petition for
the council election being deemed invalid.
We were quite excited about representing the Green Party
platform, which is available in its entirety at
www.gp.org. We were also quite pleased with the show of
support that we received from random samples of the
Lawrence Township electorate. Lawrence Township is a
progressive, well-educated and hard-working community
that seemed ripe for the kind of transformative platform
that the Greens represent.
The Green platform is transformative because at its heart
it represents Grassroots Democracy - in this case, the
people of Lawrence Township. The Greens refuse all
corporate money and only accept small donations from
individual voters. This funding principle represents a
sea change in American politics by which the Greens avoid
the inherently corrupting influence of corporate money.
Politicians who accept corporate donations no longer owe
primary allegiance to the American people - they
represent their corporate funders.
The Greens have many exciting proposals for a sustainable
future in the face of this institutionally corrupt
political system that has led to a collapsed economy, a
broken health care system, and a bloated and ineffective
criminal justice system.
The Green platform goes far beyond bike paths and
recycling. The Greens have outlined broad principles that
encourage a focus on the future - the lives of your
children's children - rather than the acquisitiveness of
the here and now. The Green platform includes:
* Universal, single payer health care - we are already
paying for it, we are simply not getting it;
* An end to the War on Drugs - this would enable a 1/3
increase in every other budget item - health, education,
welfare, transportation, etc.;
* Respect for diversity and women's rights;
* Non-violence - what Gandhi called the most powerful
weapon in the world.
These truly are local issues - all politics is local. By
voting for the Green Party, Lawrence residents would have
the opportunity to show that they are ready for a viable
third party to present exciting new options. By electing
Green candidates, Lawrence residents have the power to
transform not only our community, but our country and
hence, our world. But it is not to be, at least not in
the upcoming election.
We want to thank all those who supported our effort, and
who gave us such strong words of encouragement. We'll be
back. In the meantime, visit www.gpnj.org and consider
going Green.
- - - - - - - -
Greens in the northern part of the state are encouraged
to go in to New York City to help with the petition drive
to get "Reverend Billy" Talen on the ballot as the Green
Party candidate for Mayor. About 20,000 signatures are
needed by August 16. The campaign headquarters is at
250 Lafayette Street in Manhattan between Prince and Spring
(in SoHo). Contact Sean Haugh: 919-402-3489.
There will be a major fundraiser for the campaign on
Monday, July 27, 7:00 to 11:30pm - at the Highline
Ballroom, 431 W 16th Street in Manhattan. Appearing (in
addition to the Rev. and his "Life After Shopping Gospel
Choir") will be: Jollyship the Whiz-Bang, Greta Gaines,
the New York Street Vendors Chorus, Yetta Kurland, and
special guest: Joan Baez.
Tickets on sale now:
http://bit.ly/ vrbtix
www.voterevbilly. org
http://twitter. com/revbillytale n
------------ --------- --------- --------- ----
COUNTY LOCAL REPORTS
Bergen County
Submitted by Pat Alessandrini
Members of the Bergen County Greens joined a large group
in Englewood on June 20 for a march for Single Payer
healthcare and a demonstration with some wonderful
speakers. We had a good showing in spite of the rain!
- - - - - - - - - - - - -
Essex County
Submitted by Jane Califf
Single Payer health care was explained at a public
meeting at Bloomfield College on May 27th, sponsored by
the Essex County Greens. The speaker was Winthrop C.
Dillaway, M.D., who is a member of Physicians for a
National Health Program (PNHP) which has 16,000 members.
Dr. Dillaway stated that the reason for the loud silence
on Single Payer is that it would do away with insurance
companies and their huge profits. These companies have
lobbyists all over Congress doing their best to keep
Single Payer off the table and giving donations to
Congressmembers to help influence their votes. (At recent
hearings in Washington D.C., doctors who tried to speak
out for Single Payer were told it was not on the agenda,
and when they protested, they were arrested. You can see
this on a recent Bill Moyers program on www.pbs.org.)
The term "Single Payer" means there would be one system,
managed by our government, in place of the 1,300 paying
entities we have now that are run by profit-driven
companies. It would improve and expand on Medicare -
making it "Medicare for All."
Under a Single Payer system, you would not have to apply
for health care; you would get it automatically as a U.S.
citizen. You would choose your own doctors and hospitals.
In the other words, it would be publicly run but
privately delivered.
According to PNHP the country would save at least $350
billion annually because the insurance companies would
not be spending 31% of every health care dollar on
paperwork and administration costs. A not-for-profit,
government-run system would be able to cover all of the
uninsured and upgrade coverage for every American without
premiums, deductibles or copays. Dr. Dillaway is outraged
that more than 18,000 adults in the U.S. die annually
from lack of coverage. He says there is no excuse for the
richest country in the world to have 47 million uninsured
and another 50 million who are underinsured.
For more information, go to the website of PNHP: www.pnhp.org
- - - - - - - - - - - - -
Mercer County
The Mercer County local will host a Green Party Summer
Picnic on Saturday, August 22, 3:00 to 7:00pm (rain date
Aug. 23). Location: 58 Brooktree Road, East Windsor
08520. It will be a pot-luck, so please bring something
to share. Info: stevewelzer [at] msn.com.
The picnic will be preceded by a brief meeting of the
Green Council.
- - - - - - - - - - - - -
Monmouth County
In May, Coordinator Rich Fuller gave a presentation to
the Mayor and Council of Union Beach seeking their
support for Clean Ocean Action's opposition to any
Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) facilities off the New
Jersey-New York coastline. Happily for all ocean
advocates, at its June 18 meeting the Borough of Union
Beach passed Resolution 2009-110 stating that the Mayor
and Council "do strongly oppose any and all industrial
port facilities for Liquefied Natural Gas in the ocean
off New Jersey and New York and are in full support of
the Clean Ocean Zone which would prohibit these polluting
and destructive activities and facilities." The
resolution specified support for Clean Ocean Action by
name. The County Clerk consulted with Rich as to what the
preferred language of the resolution should be. Rich is
the Liaison between the Green Party of New Jersey and
Clean Ocean Action.
In another clean ocean issue, a public meeting sponsored
by the NY/NJ Baykeeper and the Bayshore Regional
Watershed Council was held at Keyport Borough Hall on
June 11 to update the public on nearby Superfund Sites.
Metallic deposits from the late 1960s and early '70s
had left shoreline areas along Laurence Harbor and
Cheesequake Creek contaminated with very dangerous levels
of lead, antimony, arsenic and copper. State and federal
experts were on hand to answer questions. They included
people from the EPA, the NJ Dept. of Environmental
Protection, NJ Dept. of Health and Senior Services,
and the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease
Registry. Rich Fuller asked two questions about whether
the environmental commissions of the nearby shoreline
communities had been informed of the situation and
whether the Association of NJ Environmental Commissiions
(ANJEC) had been informed. The moderator said 'no' but
indicated that those suggestions were worthwhile.
The Monmouth local has endorsed the candidacy of Holdmel
resident Sean Dunne for State Assembly in the 13th
Legislative District. Sean, a friend of the Greens,
will be running as an Independent.
Submitted by Rich Fuller
------------ --------- --------- --------- ----
THE ORDEAL OF CYNTHIA MCKINNEY
The Free Gaza Movement has organized eight boat trips
to Gaza since August 2008, defying a blockade imposed by
Israel after Hamas won the June 2007 Palestinian
elections. Five of the Free Gaza trips have successfully
gotten through with their cargo. Two attempts were
stopped by Israeli warships last winter (Cynthia McKinney
was aboard the Dignity when it was rammed in December).
The most recent attempt was launched on June 29. A Greek-
registered freighter, the Arion (renamed the "Spirit of
Humanity") left the Cypriot port of Larnaca bound for
Gaza with three tons of medical supplies, building
materials, and children's toys. There were 21 passengers
aboard, including Cynthia McKinney, Nobel Peace Prize
laureate Mairead Corrigan Maguire, and other activists
from Britain, Ireland, Bahrain and Jamaica.
The Israeli navy intercepted the ship on June 30.
Israeli naval personnel boarded the small vessel without
any shots being fired and forced it to sail to the Israeli
port of Ashdod. The passengers were taken into custody
and their ship was seized. The Greek government issued a
statement saying it sent a message to Israel demanding
that it release the ship, crew and passengers.
The Spirit of Humanity was in international waters nearly
40 kilometres off the Gaza coast when it was intercepted.
"The Israelis hijacked us because we wanted to give
crayons to the children of Gaza!" said McKinney.
Israel sought to avoid international culpability for its
criminal conduct against the Spirit of Humanity group by
getting its victims to sign a statement agreeing that
they violated Israeli territorial waters. All the
abducted passengers refused. Cynthia's mother said her
daughter did not sign the document because it was in
Hebrew. "She didn't know what she would be signing,"
Leola McKinney said.
Two months ago Richard Falk, the United Nations special
reporter on human rights in the Palestinian territories,
condemned Israel's two-year blockade of Gaza: "Such a
pattern of continuing blockade under these conditions
amounts to such a serious violation of the Geneva
Conventions as to constitute a continuing crime against
humanity." In July Falk called Israel's seizure of the
Spirit of Humanity "unlawful." He said the move was in
violation of the Fourth Geneva Convention prohibiting any
form of collective punishment against "an occupied people".
Ramzi Kysia, a spokesman for the Free Gaza Movement,
said: "On this trip, we had one boat and 21 activists.
On our next trip, we'll have more boats, more journalists
and more dignitaries. "
Green Party reception for Cynthia upon her release
After the Spirit of Humanity was captured, the passengers
were detained in a prison in Ramle, Israel. Cynthia was
released on July 6 and flown to New York. On the evening
of July 8 she joined DC Statehood Green Party members for
a reception in Washington, DC. Approximately 50 people
showed up on very short notice. Reporters were invited
and attended.
At the event Cynthia presented her account of what took
place and then opened up for questions. She patiently
responded to each, no small feat considering how sleep-
deprived she was at that point. Among those asking
questions was Stokely Carmichael's sister, Asantewaa.
Look for posting of the video of the event at:
www.slepton. com/slepton/ index.pl
- - - - - - - - - - - -
Cynthia McKinney - "I'm back home, thanks to all of you"
July 9, 2009
Well, all I can say is "Thank you!" Your calls, faxes,
protests, and prayers all made a huge difference and
helped to secure our protection and our release.
I just got off the phone with George Galloway who
extended a personal invitation to join him and the U.S.
convoy in Viva Palestina. I'm certainly excited about
that. Maybe I will finally make it to Gaza!
Below is the statement I put out from the Israeli prison:
7/2/09 (excerpts)
Before I left for the trip, there was a last-minute, but
urgent request: Please bring crayons for the children.
When I told people that I was going shopping to buy
crayons for the children of Gaza, everyone wanted to
donate. By the time I left, my suitcase could hold no
more. So, full of expectation, I entered the airport in
the U.S. headed once again to Larnaca, Cyprus where the
Hope Flotilla, consisting of the "Free Gaza" and the
"Spirit of Humanity" were to embark to Gaza. The "Free
Gaza" was to be donated to the people of Gaza so they
could replace some of the boats confiscated or bombed by
the Israelis during Operation Cast Lead.
I am now known as Israeli Prisoner #88794. I am in cell
number 5, Ramle Prison. If Israel fears for its security
because Gaza's children have crayons, then not only has
Israel lost its last shred of legitimacy, but Israel must
be declared a failed state. I am being held in this
prison because I had a dream that Gaza's children could
color and paint, that Gaza's wounded could be healed, and
that Gaza's bombed-out houses could be rebuilt.
But I've learned an interesting thing by being inside
this prison. First of all, it's incredibly Black:
populated mostly by Ethiopians who also had a dream. My
five cellmates have been here for about six months each.
One is pregnant; they are all in their twenties. They
thought they were coming to the Holy Land. They had a
dream that their lives would be better. The CIA-installed
puppet in Addis Ababa, President Meles, has put the once-
proud, never-colonized Ethiopia into the back pocket of
the United States. It has become a place of torture,
rendition, and occupation. Ethiopians must flee their
country because superpower politics became more important
than human rights and self-determination.
My cellmates came to the Holy Land so they could be free
from the exigencies of superpower politics. They came to
Israel because they thought that Israel held promise for
them.
They made their way to the United Nations High
Commission for Refugees. They got their yellow paper
of identification. They got their certificate for police
protection. They are refugees from tragedy, and they made
it to Israel. Only, after they arrived, Israel told them,
"There is no UN in Israel."
The police have license to pick them up and suck them
into the black hole of a farce for a justice system.
These beautiful, industrious, proud young women represent
the hopes of entire families. The idea of Israel tricked
them and the rest of us. In a widely propagandized slick
marketing campaign, Israel represented itself as a place
of refuge and safety for the world's Jews and Christians.
One of my cellmates cried today. She has been here for
six months. As an American, crying with them is not
enough. The policy of the United States must be better,
and while we watch President Obama give trillions of
dollars to the financial elite of the United States, it
ought now be clear that "hope," "change," and "yes we
can" were powerfully presented images of dignity and
self-fulfillment, individually and nationally, that
besieged people everywhere truly believed in. It was a
slick marketing campaign, as slickly put to the world and
to the voters of America as was Israel's marketing to the
world. It tricked all of us but, more tragically, these
young women.
We must cast an informed vote about better candidates
seeking to represent us.
I'm lucky. I will leave this place. Has Israel become the
place where dreams die? Ask the people of Palestine. Ask
the stream of Black and Asian men whom I've seen being
processed at Ramle. Ask the women on my cellblock.
Ask yourself: what are you willing to do? Let's change
the world together and reclaim what we all need as human
beings: Dignity.
I appeal to the United Nations to get these women of
Ramle resettled in safe homes - women who have done
nothing wrong other than to believe in Israel as the
guardian of the Holy Land. I appeal, once again, to
President Obama to go to Gaza: send your special envoy,
George Mitchell there and engage Hamas as the elected
choice of the Palestinian people.
I dedicate this message to those who struggle to achieve
a free Palestine, and to the women I've met at Ramle.
Full text at:
http://freegaza. org/en/home/ testimonies- from-israeli- jail/989- letter-from- an-israeli- jail-by-cynthia- mckinney
Video of Cynthia McKinney arriving at JFK after Israeli
prison release, talking about capture, prison treatment,
conditions in the prison:
www.youtube. com/watch? v=EQIC9wOh- 1I
Democracy Now! July 8:
www.democracynow. org/2009/ 7/8/fmr_congress member_cynthia_ mckinney_ back_in
Also:
http://dignity. ning.com/
http://www.twitter. com/dignityactio n
http://www.twitter. com/cynthiamckin ney
http://www.facebook .com/CynthiaMcKi nney
UPDATE!
From the Viva Palestina Convoy
July 12, 2009, 7 pm Cairo time
The Viva Palestina members who spent the night
in their buses at the Suez Crossing after they
were stopped by Egyptian authorities on July 11
are now making their way to the nearby city of
Ismailia and are preparing to resume their travels
toward Gaza imminently.
British Member of Parliament George Galloway,
who has met up with former U.S. Congresswoman
Cynthia McKinney in Cairo, was working with
Egyptian and U.S. authorities to expedite the
passage of the convoy over the Suez Canal
and into Gaza.
New York City Councilmember Charles Barron,
who led the group at the Suez Canal, said:
"Whether these requirements are genuine
or not, we will get around these obstacles.
We are going to Gaza."
------------ --------- --------- --------- ---
GREENS ELECTED TO OFFICE
Some states held local elections on June 9. In Portland,
Maine, Greens Ben Chipman and Anna Trevorrow were elected
to the Charter Commission. In Whately, Massachusetts, Nat
Fortune was re-elected to the School Committee while
Joyce Palmer-Fortune was elected to the Select Board
(both ran unopposed).
------------ --------- --------- --------- ---
2009 GREEN PARTY ANNUAL NATIONAL MEETING
This year's national meeting, hosted by the North
Carolina Green Party, will be held in Durham, NC, July
23-July 26 at the North Carolina Central University
campus in downtown Durham.
Information and registration:
www.gp.org/2009- ANM
Join Green Party leaders and activists to participate in
23 workshops and committee meetings. Workshops are
categorized into five different tracks and will take
place from mid-day Thursday to mid-day Friday. The tracks
are: Issues, Party-Building, Strategizing/ Future Focus,
and a Campaign School.
Details at:
http://docs. google.com/ View?id=dcmtq7fw _30cb44rphp
On Friday afternoon there will be a special panel
discussion on the merits of a national single-payer
health care system featuring: *Dr. Jonathan Kotch,
Board Chair of Health Care for All NC and senior faculty
member at the UNC Chapel Hill School of Public Health;
*Justine McCabe, Co-Chair of the GPUS International
Committee, Ph.D. alumna of Duke University; *Pat LaMarche,
2004 Green Party Vice-Presidential candidate, 2006
candidate for Governor of Maine; *Carl Romanelli,
2006 Green Party Candidate for U.S. Senate from Pennsylvania,
founding member of Luzerne County Green Coalition.
------------ --------- --------- --------- ---
GREEN FEST 2009
http://nygreenfest. org
Greens will be gathering in Alfred, NY, Aug. 7-9,
for a weekend of fun, education, networking, and
skills-sharing.
Green Fest is open to all who are interested in
sustainable living and Green politics. More than 75
presenters are confirmed, including Joel Kovel, Virginia
Rasmussen, Bill Kauffman, Steve Welzer, Lois Hilton, Carl
Romanelli, Sander Hicks, Art Weaver, Dan Miner, Jason
Nabewaniec, Ismail Mehr and Lyn Gerry; 26 exhibitors will
exhibit in the Green Fair.
This event is a benefit for the Green Party of New York
and other state Green parties in our region. GPNJ will
receive a percentage of the proceeds based on the number
of attendees from New Jersey.
Green Fest 2009 will be held on the campus of Alfred
University in rural Allegheny County near the
Pennsylvania border. The Short Line Bus runs three buses
daily between New York City and Alfred. The bus stop in
Alfred is just a few blocks from Green Fest.
Driving directions:
http://nygreenfest. org/directions. html
Offers and requests for rides:
http://nygreenfest. org/rideshare. html
Meals and lodging on the Alfred University campus and
Foster Lake campground must be reserved before August
1st. You may register and reserve camping spaces, dorm
rooms and meals online at:
http://nygreenfest. org/registration .html
Registration in advance is $85 for the weekend. An
additional $20 fee will be charged for walk-in
registrations. Meals prepared from locally-grown food are
available in the Alfred University dining hall. Three
different meal-plan options are available. Lodging and
meals for children are discounted.
For more information:
http://nygreenfest. org/ or call 607-569-2114.
SCHEDULE:
Friday, August 7
10:00 am, Registration opens
12:00 noon, Exhibits open
1:45 pm, Afternoon Workshops and Panels begin
4:15 pm, Swimming, hiking, yoga
5:30-6:30 pm, Dinner in Dining Hall
7:00 pm, Forum on the Politics of Sustainability
Saturday, August 8
7:30-8:30 am, Breakfast in Dining Hall
8:30 am, Workshops and Panels
9:45 am, Forum on Sustainable Energy
11:15 am, Workshops and Panels
12:30-1:30 pm, Lunch in Dining Hall
1:45 pm, Afternoon Workshops and Panels begin
4:15 pm, Swimming, hiking, yoga, drumming
5:30-6:30 pm, Dinner in Dining Hall
7:00 pm, Forum on Politics and Nature
9:30 pm, Music and Dancing
Sunday, August 9
7:30-8:30 am, Breakfast in Dining Hall
8:30 am, Workshops and Panels
9:45 am, Forum on Regionalism and Sustainability
11:30 am, Workshops and Panels
12:30-1:30 pm, Lunch in Dining Hall
1:45 pm, Forum on Visioning a Green Future
3:30 pm, Adjourn
WORKSHOPS, PANELS, FORUMS AND ACTIVITIES:
Allegheny Anti-Nuclear Campaign; Approaches to Landscape
for Food; Build Your Own Wind Turbine; Drawing Political
Cartoons; Drumming Circle; Economics as a Cultural
System; Empire to Earth Community; Gaza's Dilemma; Green
Campaign Lessons; Green Media Panels; Hatha Yoga;
Importance of Political Theory; Liberation Ecology
Workshop; Living off the Grid; Local Food Supply Systems;
Nature Walks; Organizing for Peace; Out of Time: Global
Warming; Post Carbon Economies; Poetry from Place
Workshop; Political Organizing on Campus; Sovereignty and
Sustainability; Spiritual Basis for Green Living;
Sustainable Cities Panel; Swimming; Third Party Ballot
Access; Third Parties in the U.S. Experience; Visioning
a Green Future; Watershed Protection; Why Localism
Matters; Zero Waste Workshop
------------ --------- --------- --------- ---
Green Pages, the official publication of record of the
Green Party of the United States, is now online:
www.gp.org/greenpag es-blog
Vol. 13, No. 1 is the latest issue available. The online
version is downloadable for easy printing if you need hard copies.
------------ --------- --------- --------- ---
BOOK RECOMMENDATION
Submitted by Alvin Meyer of the Bergen County Greens
I have just finished reading the recently published book:
"Mirrors" published by Nation Books and written by
Eduardo Galeano. I found the book to be delightfully
entertaining and insightful.
Here is an excerpt:
Only Human
Darwin told us we are cousins of the apes, not the
angels. Later on, we learned we emerged from Africa's
jungle and that no stork ever carried us from Paris.
And not long ago we discovered that our genes are almost
identical to those of mice.
Now we can't tell if we are God's masterpiece or the
devil's bad joke.
We puny humans:
. exterminators of everything,
. hunters of our own,
. creators of the atom bomb, the hydrogen bomb, and the neutron bomb,
. the only animals who invent machines,
. the only ones who live at the service of the machines they invent,
. the only ones who devour their own home,
. the only ones who poison the water they drink and the earth that feeds them,
. the only ones capable of renting or selling themselves, or renting or selling their fellow humans,
. the only ones who kill for fun,
. the only ones who torture,
. the only ones who rape.
And also:
. the only ones who laugh,
. the only ones who daydream,
. the ones who make silk from the spit of a worm,
. the ones who find beauty in rubbish,
. the ones who discover colors beyond the rainbow,
. the ones who furnish the voices of the world with new music,
. and who create words so that neither reality nor memory will be mute.
------------ --------- --------- --------- ---
DC LOBBY DAY AND RALLY FOR SINGLE-PAYER HEALTHCARE
"Medicare: Made in America"
Hosted by Healthcare-NOW!
July 30 in Washington, DC
Celebrate Medicare's 44th birthday by showing Congress
and President Obama the people, unions, doctors, nurses,
seniors, faith groups, and Americans of every stripe
support a single-payer system.
As President Obama says, "We must build on what works and
leave out what doesn't." Medicare has successfully
provided care to seniors and people with disabilities for
almost half a century.
The best way to save this system is to expand it and make
it a truly single-payer system by removing the for-profit
interests and guaranteeing healthcare as a right for all.
Info: 800-453-1305 or info@healthcare- now.org
www.healthcare- now.org/campaign s/single- payer-rally
- - - - - - - -
GREEN PARTY OF THE UNITED STATES
www.gp.org
For Immediate Release: June 4, 2009
Green Party leaders challenge Sen. Baucus and defenders
of private insurance to debate Single-Payer advocates
Greens challenge major media to air the debate
Green leaders available to speak on health care:
www.gp.org/speakers /speakers- health-care. php
WASHINGTON, DC - Green Party leaders challenged Sen. Max
Baucus (D-Mont.) and other defenders of health care
reform based on private insurance to debate advocates
of Single-Payer national health care in a public forum.
Greens also challenged the major media to broadcast
the debate.
"Americans deserve to hear a debate on the merits of
Single-Payer/ Medicare For All versus the merits of a
health care system dominated by for-profit insurance
companies and HMOs," said Angel Torres, co-chair of the
Green Party of Maricopa County (www.maricopagreens. org),
which organized a rally for Single-Payer in front of the
office of Congressman Harry Mitchell (D-Ariz.) on May 30.
"Greens are prepared to defend Single-Payer publicly. We
also challenge groups like Physicians for a National
Health Program, the Healthcare-Now Coalition, Single-
Payer Action, and the California Nurses Association to
represent the Single-Payer side. Single-Payer supporters
have been fighting to get public attention, especially
for Rep. John Conyers' Single-Payer bill, HR 676," said
Mr. Torres.
Greens participated in national Day of Action for Single-
Payer events throughout the U.S. on May 30. In Augusta,
Maine, 2004 Green vice presidential candidate Pat
LaMarche hosted a Single-Payer rally at the statehouse:
http://morningsenti nel.mainetoday. com/news/ local/6407921. html
According to the Center for Responsive Politics,
Democrats and Republicans accepted over $46 million
in insurance industry donations in 2008:
www.opensecrets. org/industries/ indus.php? ind=F09
According to Consumer Watchdog, Sen. Baucus has taken
more campaign contributions from health insurance firms
($183,750 in the last two election cycles) and
pharmaceutical companies ($229,020) than any other
Democratic member of the House and Senate.
Greens blast misleading TV ads
Green Party health care activists warned that private
insurance defenders are placing ads to mislead the public
about health care reform, even to the point of confusing
private insurance-based plans favored by President Obama
and Democratic leaders with Single-Payer.
Recent TV ads have featured Rick Scott, chair of
Conservatives for Patients' Rights, who was fired from
his position as CEO of Columbia/HCA in 1997 after he was
caught trying defraud the federal and state governments
for hundreds of millions of taxpayers' dollars in false
Medicare and Medicaid payments, the largest
Medicare/Medicaid fraud in history. The company had to
pay back $1.7 billion, but Mr. Scott, instead of facing
prosecution, received $10 million in severance pay and
$300 million worth of stock.
Greens argue that for-profit health insurance adds high
costs (administrative overhead, demand for profit) but no
value (medical treatment). All other industrial nations
guarantee their citizens health care; no one in Canada,
which has a Single-Payer system, faces financial ruin
because of illness or injury.
Single-Payer, based on Medicare (administrative costs:
about 3%), eliminates the inefficiency of private
coverage, drastically cutting costs while covering all
Americans ("everyone in, no one out") and allowing full
choice of physician and hospital. Greens said that the
reforms favored by President Obama and many Democrats
don't curb inefficiency, because they leave the
insurance/HMO gatekeepers in charge.
Green leaders noted that polls have shown widespread
popular support for a national health care program that
guarantees universal coverage:
www.wpasinglepayer. org/PollResults. html
In 2008, the US Conference of Mayors endorsed Single-Payer:
www.usmayors. org/resolutions/ 76th_conference/ chhs_03.asp
Green Party information page on Single-Payer
www.gp.org/organize /sicko.html
Single-Payer advocates:
Physicians for a National Health Program www.pnhp.org
Healthcare-Now Coalition www.healthcare- now.org
Leadership Conference for Guaranteed Health Care http://guaranteedhe althcare4all. org
Single-Payer Action http://singlepayera ction.org
California Nurses Association www.calnurses. org
------------ --------- --------- --------- ---
GPUS TELE-WORKSHOP SERIES
The subject of the next program with be: "Outreach." It
is scheduled for July 14 (9 p.m. EDT). It will feature
GPUS webmaster, Dave Doonan, with a "webinar" on using
internet tools to reach out to the media and increase
awareness of Green candidates, campaigns and issues.
If you wish to participate in this program please send an
e-mail to Holly Hart: hhart11 [at] gmail.com. (These
teleconferences are not conducted on an "800" number, so
if you don't have an unlimited calling plan you will be
charged long distance charges by your telephone carrier,
as applicable).
The first Tele-Workshop (June 3) featured Brent McMillan,
GPUS Executive Director, speaking about:
* An overview of the 2008 presidential campaign from the
perspective of the National Office.
* Security issues. There have been Green candidates
targeted by other parties, sometimes using the FBI as a
political tool, in Minneapolis and Connecticut. Problems
in this area have picked up in the last few years
(especially during the presidential campaign) and have
not decreased under the Obama administration.
* Brent said we need more party members, especially
younger people, involved with fundraising. Celebrity
outreach should be considered in this regard.
Time was allocated after each section of his presentation
for Q&A from the listeners.
------------ --------- --------- --------- ---
GPUS SENDS AN OPEN LETTER TO BILL MAHER
For Immediate Release: Wednesday, July 1, 2009
A Real Party for 'Real Time'
WASHINGTON, DC - The Green Party of the United States
(GPUS) has sent an open letter to Bill Maher after a June
19 broadcast of 'Real Time' in which Mr. Maher said,
"[W]hat we need is an actual progressive party to
represent the millions of Americans who aren't being
served by the Democrats. Because, bottom line, Democrats
are the new Republicans. "
See:
www.youtube. com/watch? v=DtUAHPYYzeM
(the relevant section comes about 2 minutes into the video)
The Green Party's reply to Mr. Maher: "Hey, Bill,
we're over here! What you described is the GREEN PARTY!
We already exist!"
The progressive party sought by Bill Maher describes the
Green Party: "Shouldn't there be one party that
unambiguously supports cutting the military budget, a
party that is straight up in favor of gun control, gay
marriage, higher taxes on the rich, universal health care
- legalizing pot - and steep, direct taxing of polluters?"
The open letter urges Mr. Maher to acknowledge the Green
Party and have a Green candidate or leader on the show.
The text of the letter is appended below.
The Green Party is currently preparing for its annual
national meeting, to take place in Durham, North
Carolina, from July 23 to July 26 (www.gp.org/2009- ANM).
Reporters are invited to cover the meeting (www.gp.org/forms/ media).
- - - - - - - - - - - -
"America's First Party"
An Open Letter to Bill Maher from the Green Party
Dear Mr. Maher,
We were thrilled to hear you talk about us when you
discussed the need for a new party - a "first party" -
during the June 19 broadcast of 'Real Time.'
The only part you left out were the words "Green Party."
Here's what you said:
"We don't need a third party. We need a first party. You
go to the polls and your choices are the guy who voted
for the first Wall Street bailout, or the guy who voted
for the next ten."
"Shouldn't there be one party that unambiguously supports
cutting the military budget, a party that is straight up
in favor of gun control, gay marriage, higher taxes on
the rich, universal health care - legalizing pot - and
steep, direct taxing of polluters? These aren't radical
ideas. A majority of Americans are either already for them
or would be if they were properly argued and defended."
"[W]hat we need is an actual progressive party to
represent the millions of Americans who aren't being
served by the Democrats. Because, bottom line, Democrats
are the new Republicans. "
Hey, Bill, we're over here! What you described is the
GREEN PARTY! We already exist!
Maybe you forgot about us because the major media have an
aversion to mentioning the Green Party and our
candidates. Maybe the FCC has banned "Green Party" along
with the late George Carlin's seven dirty words,
"Chomsky," "End the Drug War," and other language that
offends delicate sensibilities.
For the major networks, and apparently PBS and NPR too,
the very idea of more than two candidates in an election
makes talking heads explode.
If Green candidates started getting elected to higher
office, the radical ideas that aren't really radical
would get a fair hearing and a chance of passage.
Imagine if a few Greens got seated in Congress. Greens
don't take corporate contributions, so they'd be immune
to the influence of Exxon-Mobil, Goldman Sachs, Bank of
America, Raytheon, Monsanto, etc. When Rep. Nancy Pelosi
sends out orders not to seek a probe of Bush-Cheney
officials who authorized torture dungeons, Greens could
tell her to take a hike.
A few Green congressional victories would cause a seismic
shock to the political landscape. Democrats would no
longer have Republicans as their sole competition. The
scope of national debate would no longer be Dems on the
left, Repubs on the right, a phony middle ground between
them, and a narrow range of political ideas (comparable
to the corner grocery limiting your choice of beverage to
Coke or Pepsi).
With some Greens in Congress:
Democrats couldn't pretend to be the antiwar party while
voting for more war funding.
Single-payer national health care would be on the table
and might even pass. President Obama and most Democrats
already know single-payer is the best proposal. But
they feel compelled to appease the health insurance,
pharmaceutical, and other lobbies and find common
ground with Republicans who believe the free market
has sufficient mojo to cure every illness and injury.
We'd hear the truth: that "emissions trading" is a
license for corporate polluters to keep polluting, that
"clean coal" is a plot to turn West Virginia into a
crater, that the trillion-dollar Wall Street bailout and
confiscation of savings and pension money are the
greatest transfer of wealth from working people to big
banks in history. There's a bipartisan consensus that
corporate profit margins always take precedent over
Americans facing financial ruin due to a health emergency
or credit card debt or a mortgage or a lost job. Whenever
you hear the word "bipartisan" on the evening news, check
the silverware.
What are we going to do about this situation, Bill? If
you really want a "first party" for America, will you
throw us a bone on your show? Will you have a Green
candidate or Green leader on once in a while? (Ralph
Nader doesn't count - he's not a member of the Green Party.)
How about Rev. Billy Talen of the Church of Life
After Shopping? Rev. Billy is now a Green candidate
for Mayor of New York City (www.voterevbilly. org).
Rosa Clemente, our 2008 vice-presidential candidate,
said that the Green Party "is more than an alternative,
it's an imperative." Based on your comments, Bill,
it sounds like you might agree with Rosa.
We look forward to hearing back from you. You can see
what we're up to on our web site (www.gp.org).
Sincerely,
The Green Party
- - - - - - - - - - - - - -
We need to urge Bill Maher and the producers to have
Green Party representatives on the show.
Call 323-575-2345 and ask for the production office of
Real Time with Bill Maher.
Or you can email the HBO producers:
www.hbo.com/ apps/submitinfo/ contactus/ submit.do? title=Real% 20Time%20with% 20Bill%20Maher&questiontype= realtimewithbill maher
============ ========= ========= ========= ====
The GreenGram is circulated bi-monthly in an effort
to keep all GPNJ members informed about party news,
Green-related activities, and upcoming events.
Members are encouraged to submit articles and
event announcements.
The deadline for the next issue will be August 15.
Please submit material for inclusion to:
SteveWelzer [at] msn.com
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