GREENSWEEK
A national Green bulletin
Vol. 2, No. 3
Tuesday, January 20, 2004
http://www.gp.org/greensweek/index.html
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Contents:
- Green news
- Upcoming events
- Green Action: call Congress; write a letter
- Good reads
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G R E E N
N E W S
CALIFORNIA: (1) Terry Baum is running for
Congress in the 8th District (San Francisco) as a
write-in candidate. She will need about 1,600
write-ins to get on the ballot in November. Baum
cites Nancy Pelosi's support for the invasion of
Iraq and the USA Patriot Act as motivations for
her campaign. More:
http://www.greencampaigns.org/articles/Baum_01_16_04.htm
(2) Also running for Congress on a strong
antiwar platform is Sacramento software
consultant Pat Driscoll, who is attempting to
unseat 13-term Democrat Robert Matsui
(D-Sacramento) in the 5th Congressional District.
More: http://www.driscollforcongress.org
http://www.greencampaigns.org/articles/Driscoll_01_16_04.htm
(3) Tom Hutchings, 33rd Assembly District Green
Party candidate and Democratic write-in candidate
on the March Primary Ballot, has received the
endorsement of the Central Coast Chapter of the
Mexican-American Political Association (MAPA).
Hutchings delivered a bilingual speech at the
monthly chapter meeting on January 18.
Afterwards, the vote was unanimous to endorse
Hutchings for the primary election on March 2.
More: http://www.votetom.org
DELAWARE: The Delaware Green Party denounced
plans by DuPont to process the highly toxic nerve
gas agent, VX hydrolysate, at its Chambers Works,
New Jersey facility, calling it the result of
programs to create weapons of mass destruction.
Delaware Greens endorsed a resolution prepared by
the Delaware Clean Air Council against DuPont's
project and urged Delaware citizens to oppose it
strenuously. More: http://www.gpde.org
DELAWARE: The Green Party of Delaware's
leadership endorsed the Global Day of Action
peace demonstrations, set for March 20 to mark
the one-year anniversary of the US invasion of
Iraq. Working closely with the national group
United for Peace and Justice, Greens plan to join
protests set for New York, San Francisco, and
Chicago among other worldwide cites. Delaware
Greens, including UofD Campus Greens, expect to
join other concerned Delaware citizens by
supporting local peace demonstrations in unity
with worldwide peace actions. (More about the
March 20 protest below under Schedule.) More:
http://www.gpde.org amc@UDel.Edu (University of
Delaware Campus Greens contact)
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA: DC Statehood Greens
participated in DC's 'First in the Nation'
presidential primary on January 13, with David
Cobb winning with 37% of the votes cast. The
only other candidate on the ballot was Sheila
Bilyeu, about whom little is known. Write-ins
(not specified in the published DC Board of
Elections and Ethics count) also captured a large
percentage. More:
http://www.dcstatehoodgreen.org
GEORGIA: Launching its 2004 Ballot Access
campaign under the theme, 'Democracy Starts
Here!', the Georgia Green Party today announced
plans to hold a monthly 'Orientation for Greens
Committeed to Ballot Access.' The meetings will
take place starting at 10 am, the third Saturday
of each month at the new state Party office, on
the Third Floor of the Little Five Points
Community Center, 1083 Austin Avenue NE Ste
203-A, in Atlanta. More:
http://www.greens.org/georgia/
GEORGIA & SOUTH CAROLINA: Greens were invited to
meet Ralph Nader in Clemson, South Carolina, as
2000 Georgians signed on to a Draft Nader effort
for 2004. Nader will attend two events in
Clemson (two hours from Athens and Atlanta,
Georgia) on Wednesday, January 21. At 7 pm, he
will speak at Clemson University, and then meet
with supporters at the Joint, a Clemson night
club, at 9 pm. More:
gpga-nader04draft@greens.org
http://www.greens.org/georgia/
http://www.scgreenparty.org
http://www.thejointlive.com/directions.html
INDIANA The St. Joe Valley Greens in South Bend
have endorsed the Near Northwest Neighborhood
Association's petition urging legislators to find
more equitable ways to allocate the costs of city
services among all the county's residents.
Greens charge that the current tax assessment
system places the burden of supporting
institutions that serve the entire County on the
backs of City residents while allowing those who
use the Cities and their institutions to avoid
paying their fair share, and noted that many
individuals and small business owners have found
their property taxes going up as much as 300%.
More: http://www.sjvgreens.org/
MAINE: The Biddeford Green Independent Committee
has nominated local celebrity Dorothy Lafortune
to be the Green Independent candidate in the
February 3rd special election for House District
18. Lafortune, in November 2003, received 43% of
the vote when she ran for a Biddeford City
Council seat. Lafortune also ran for State
Senate in 2002. A special election was set by
Governor Baldacci last week for House District 18
after State Representative Marie
Laverriere-Boucher resigned. The winner of the
February 3rd election will represent District 18
through the end of this year. More:
http://www.mainegreens.org
NEBRASKA: Steve Larrick of Lincoln, a member of
the Lower Platte South Natural Resources District
board and the first Green to be elected to office
in Nebraska, has announced his candidacy for the
open House seat as a member of the Green Party.
Larrick said he chose Martin Luther King Jr.'s
birthday to announce his candidacy to emphasize
the need to "reduce the scale of violence being
projected by the Bush administration in the
Middle East, in the environment and throughout
the world." Larrick has more than 20 years of
experience working with communities and
neighborhoods in Nebraska, including five years
with the Nebraska Department of Economic
Development, 13 years at the University of
Nebraska-Lincoln College of Architecture and
one-year stints with the Lincoln Action Program
and the federal Farmers Home Administration.
More:
http://journalstar.com/local.php?story_id=114884
http://www.nebraska.greens.org
RHODE ISLAND: The Green party of Rhode Island
will host a live Green Presidential Candidates
debate to benefit Rhode Island's first Green
Party Presidential Primary ballot. The debate
will take place on Wednesday evening, January 28
at the Synod Hall at 271 N Main Street in
Providence. The debate will be the first in a
series of such debates across the northeastern US
between candidates David Cobb and Kent Mesplay,
with a Massachusetts debate set for January 29
and weekend appearances in Ohio and Pennsylvania.
More: http://www.greens.org/ri 401-490-7602
WISCONSIN: The Wisconsin Green Party denounced
the 'Jobs Creation Bill', recently passed in the
Assembly (84-14) by Democrats and Republicans,
saying that it erodes the state's ability to
ensure that waterways and air quality will be
adequately protected and that its intent is to
attract businesses looking for shortcuts to set
up shop in Wisconsin. The bill, which still
needs to pass in the Wisconsin Senate, would
diminish the opportunity for the public and
Wisconsin regulatory agencies to examine and
prohibit detrimental activities. Wisconsin
Greens called the bill an example of the dangers
of the bipartisan corporate agenda and compared
it to the loss of jobs and labor and
environmental protections caused by NAFTA, WTO,
and other trade agreements. More:
http://www.wisconsingreenparty.org
NATIONAL: Former Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney,
long the subject of a draft effort among Green
Party activists, ended speculation on her Green
presidential ambitions for 2004. McKinney
informed the co-chairs of the Presidential
Exploratory Committee and co-chairs of the
Georgia Green Party that "a national campaign is
not in the cards for me at this time." According
to news reports, McKinney intends to run for her
old House seat in 2004. More:
http://www.greens.org/georgia/
http://www.ajc.com/metro/content/metro/dekalb/0104/12mckinney.html
CHESAPEAKE REGION: The national Coordinated
Campaign Committee and Greens in Maryland, DC,
Delaware, and Pennsylvania are organizing a
two-day Campaign School in Baltimore, at the
University of Baltimore on January 31 and
February 1, 2004. See the listing under Upcoming
Events below.
NATIONAL: A reminder for all Greens running for
public office.... Make sure you're in the
database at <http://www.greens.org/elections>.
You can e-mail your information and corrections
using the form on the web or by sending it to
<juscha@greens.org>.
NATIONAL: In a letter dated January 15, 2004,
Peter Camejo authorized Greens to place his name
before nominating conventions or primaries where
possible across the US as a candidate for
president, saying he wants delegates to go to the
convention with full freedom to vote according to
their best judgment. Camejo added, "I will not
bind any delegate who votes for me but will make
it clear at the convention that they should vote
their conscience. A new web site has been set up
for Camejo supporters: http://www.DraftCamejo.org
NATIONAL: Essential information about the Green
Party's 2004 National Nominating Convention, in
Milwaukee, Wisconsin from June 23 to 28, 2004,
and presidential candidates:
- Convention information:
http://www.gp.org/convention/process.html
- Registration
https://secure.gpus.org/convention/
- Presidential candidates, nomination process
http://www.gp.org/convention/process.html
- David Cobb for President
http://www.votecobb.org (may be under
construction)
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Cobb4President
- Lorna Salzman for President
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Lorna4President/
- Redraft Nader
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/RalphNader2004/
- Draft Camejo http://www.DraftCamejo.org
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/camejoforpresident/
- Carol Miller: contact carolmiller@newmexico.com
//\//\//\//\//\//
U P C O M I N G
E V E N T S
THURSDAY, JANUARY 29: Norman Solomon and and
Peter Camejo will debate what direction the Green
Party and progressives should take in the 2004
election season. Camejo supports Nader, even as
an independent, and hopes Ralph Nader can be
persuaded to run with the Greens. Were Nader not
to run, Camejo would like the Greens to run a
candidate. Solomon says Nader should not run,
and that the Greens should work to defeat Bush.
The debate is a benefit for listener-sponsored
KVMR radio. If any Greens can help at a table,
contact <jbarton@greens.org>. 7:30 pm at the
Crest Theatre, On the K Street mall (at 10th
Street) in downtown Sacramento. $12 general, $10
KVMR members, $6 low income. More:
http:/www.thecrest.com http://www.kvmr.org
JANUARY 31 - FEBRUARY 1, 2004: The national
Coordinated Campaign Committee and Greens in
Maryland, DC, Delaware, and Pennsylvania are
organizing a 2-day Campaign School at the
University of Baltimore, with intensive
workshops, classes, and training exercises. Who
should attend: Greens (from anywhere) planning to
run for office or serve as a campaign manager,
press secretary, fundraiser, volunteer
coordinator or other campaign principal in 2004.
Speakers: CCC members Masada Disenhouse, Dan
Kinney, Mike Livingston, Gray Newman; national
Media Committee members Stacy Malkan, Scott
McLarty, Linda Schade, Kevin Zeese; national
Green organizers Dean Myerson, Jason Ravin, Lynne
Serpe. Workshops will be held from 12:30-5 pm
Saturday and 9:45 am-4:30 pm Sunday. To
register, contact Ann Forno <annforno@jhu.edu>.
Registration is $15 (but no Greens will be turned
away).
MARCH 19-21: Prairie Region Campaign School, at
Concepcion Abbey, Concepcion, Missouri (near
Kansas City). For Greens interested in running
for public office, working on a campaign, or
building electioneering skills is encouraged to
attend. Cost to be determined, probably around
$80 for the weekend, including room, board and
tuition; some scholarships will also be
available, based on need and availability of
funds. Preregistration: Dee Berry at
816-942-3081 or <deeberry@kc.rr.com>. Questions:
Phil Huckelberry at 309-268-9974 or
<huckelberry@softhome.net>.
SATURDAY, MARCH 20: Global Day of Action: The
World Still Says No to War. On the one-year
anniversary of the U.S. bombing and invasion of
Iraq. Millions around the globe will take to the
streets to say YES to peace and NO to pre-emptive
war and occupation. Joining with growing numbers
of military families and soldiers, United For
Peace and Justice and other groups will call for
an end to the occupation of Iraq and Bush’s
militaristic foreign policies. To endorse,
e-mail m20endorse@unitedforpeace.org or call UFPJ
at 212-868-5545 to let UFPJ know your group is on
board. More:
http://www.unitedforpeace.org/article.php?id=2136
//\//\//\//\//\//
G R E E N
A C T I O N
CALL CONGRESS
* Call, fax, write a letter, or pay a visit
* Contact information: Congressional switchboard:
(202) 224-3121
US House of Representatives:
http://www.house.gov/
US Senate: http://www.senate.gov
* Write a letter to the editor, a guest op-ed
column, essay, or article
==> Contact your Congress members about the
police treatment of protestors at the FTAA
Ministerial in Miami in November and call for
charges to be dropped. On November 20 and 21,
during the Free Trade Area of the Americas
Ministerial in Miami, the Miami police, known for
brutalizing poor and immigrant communities in
Miami for years, brutally attacked and arrested
over 250 people and used excessive force to
squash the demonstrations. Dozens of charges
have already been dropped, but the City of Miami
continues to harass people in the legal system.
They recently announced that they would not seek
jail time, thereby making it impossible for
defendants to access public defenders. Lawyers
in the Miami are working to insure that everyone
is represented, but a nationwide demand has been
launched to urge the city to drop all charges.
To send an e-mail to any Representative, enter
the state and zip code at
<http://www.house.gov/writerep/>. More contacts,
sample letters, information:
http://www.citizenstrade.org/
http://www.saveourcivilliberties.org/en/static/packet.shtml
http://www.saveourcivilliberties.org/misc/sample_letter.html
Repeated from earlier Greensweeks but still
current....
==> Tell your Senators to vote NO on the Senate's
version of HR 1904, the Healthy Forests
Restoration Act of 2003 and instead to support
efforts that protect communities from forest
fires without weakening environmental
protections. More:
http://wildforests.com/wildforests.asp?id=181&id3=wildforests&id4=ES&
==> House Republican leaders are trying to block
a resolution overturning the FCC's media
deregulation plan from reach the floor for a
vote. Urge Reps to force the vote and pass the
resolution. More: http://www.mediareform.net
http://www.commondreams.org/views03/1010-13.htm
==> Tell Congress to support a $215 million
increase for the AIDS Drug Assistance Program
(ADAP). More: The Save ADAP Committee, a working
group of the AIDS Treatment Activists Coalition
(ATAC) http://www.atac-usa.org
==> Tell Senators to keep student information
private! Under a little known provision of the
'No Child Left Behind' Act, schools are required
to turn over their entire student rolls,
including confidential contact information, to
military recruiters. The only way to prevent
military recruiters from getting this student
information is if a parent 'opts-out' -- but the
unfunded No Child Left Behind Act has no
allocated budget to tell parents about this
option.
==> Tell Senators and Reps to respect Indian
claims: The House has put into serious jeopardy
billions of dollars in American Indian Trust
Funds, when members of the House Appropriations
Subcommittee on the Interior put last minute
language into the HR 2691 conference report on
Interior appropriations. More:
http://capwiz.com/fconl/issues/alert/?alertid=3937026&type=CO
==> Tell Reprepresentatives to support Rush
Holt's bill HR 2239, which would require paper
records for all votes cast on electronic voting
machines. More: http://www.verifiedvoting.com
http://www.verifiedvoting.com/fair_elections.asp
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/12/02/opinion/02KRUG.html?pagewanted=print&pos
ition=
==> Tell Senators to use their influence to see
that the US Fish and Wildlife Service calls off
proposed changes to the Endangered Species Act of
1973 that would make it easier for circuses, pet
importers, and leather importers to capture,
exploit, and kill certain endangered species.
More:
http://www.capitolconnect.com/audubon/summary.asp?subject=269
==> Tell Senators to vote NO on Bush's plan to
take overtime pay away from millions of American
working people by reclassifying their jobs. The
bill already passed in the House and faces a
Senate vote on January 20. More:
http://www.saveovertimepay.org/bushproposal.htm
==> Tell Senators to order the Justice Department
to stop spying on innocent Americans now! On
November 23, the New York Times disclosed a
confidential FBI memorandum detailing FBI efforts
to engage in coordinated, nationwide surveillance
of United for Peace and Justice and other
organizations in the peace movement. Sign a
petition:
http://www.unitedforpeace.org/petition/index.php?id=5
//\//\//\//\//\//
GOOD READS
Recommended articles, books, web sites
"New Report: The State of the Dream. Black-White
Gaps Still Wide — Some Even Widening — Since Dr.
King's Death." Press Release from United for a
Fair Economy. "There is nothing new about
poverty. What is new is that we now have the
techniques and the resources to get rid of
poverty. The real question is whether we have
the will." -- Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
http://www.faireconomy.org/press/2004/StateoftheDream2004_pr.html
Text of the report:
http://www.faireconomy.org/press/2004/StateoftheDream2004.pdf
//\//\//\//\//\//
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