Monthly Archives: July 2008

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National and states prioritize ballot access

July 11, 2008 in 2008 Spring

Presidential campaign ignites many state ballot drives

By Brian Bittner, member of the GPUS Ballot Access Committee

Ballot accessóthe ability to organize a political party, claim to represent a membership, run candidates for office, and have votes for those candidates countedóis like running water or electric lights. We depend on it for much of what we do without even thinking about it. Only in its absence do we stop to think about where it comes from and how we can live without it. Most of us have constant access to water, light, and ballot access, but some of us do not.

Just as our commitment to social and economic justice inspires us to work to provide universal access to basic daily needs, our commitment to political justice ought to inspire all of us to contribute to ballot access for all of the state affiliates of the Green Party of the United States (GP-US).

The Ballot Access Committee of the GP-US has taken on the challenge of winning ballot access for Green Parties in as many states as possible in 2008, not only to give our presidential candidate a chance at setting new records, but also establishing the groundwork for mid-term ballot access drives in 2010.

Ballot Access History

In 2000, the Green Party presidential candidate appeared on the ballot in 22 states. In 2004, the Green Party presidential candidate appeared on 28 state ballots. The Green Party currently holds ballot access in 21 states and the District of Columbia. The Green Party allocated only $1,000 to winning more ballot lines in 2004. Since then the standing Ballot Access Committee has been created and the Green Party has committed to raising funds for 2008. GP-US has established a fundraising goal of $100,000 for ballot access efforts in 2008. Only about 5 percent has been raised thus far.

GP-USís 2008 ballot access drives illustrate both the variety of barriers that have been set up to keep minor parties off state ballots and how the grassroots efforts of Greens from across the country have helped overcome those barriers. Four of this yearís ballot access drivesóin Arizona, Hawaii, Virginia, and Pennsylvaniaóshow how Greens have contributed to a successful national ballot access plan.

While many state parties faced and met ballot access deadlines in 2006 and safely enjoy ballot access throughout the 2008 election season, other state partiesí deadlines are set based on presidential elections and will come throughout 2008.

Each state party sets its own legal requirements and allows a party to win or maintain ballot access through different measures, some by registering a certain number of party members, others by earning a certain percentage of the vote. Most states require groups to petition the state government to form a new party or extend the ballot access of an existing party by gathering the signatures of a particular number of citizens to show that public support for that party exists.

Arizona

The first state to face a requirement this year was Arizona. Because of this unusually early deadline (similar early deadlines have been overturned as unconstitutional by other state courts) and high number of signatures required (20,449) the situation looked particularly grim. ìWith just three or four weeks to go and only 13,000 signatures in hand, I thought we were doomed to failure!î said Richard Scott, co-chair of the Arizona Ballot Access Committee. With many potential volunteers and donors not checking the ballot access radar be cause of the early deadline, a handful of volunteers in a geographically imposing state were overwhelmed. Because of state laws that required petitions to be sorted by county and turned in at county boards of election, the few volunteers who were collecting signatures on a regular basis were busy simply transporting petitions to the proper office.

Because no other drives had started, the Ballot Access Committee was able to make a sizable donation of funds to the Arizona Green Party to entice new volunteers to get involved, employ a few professional petitioners to work at high-volume events, and show national support for Arizonaís efforts. More importantly, state and local organizations from all over the country took the initiative to raise funds and send volunteers of their own. All of the candidates for the Green Partyís presidential nomination visited or sent volunteers to help collect petitions. On March 6th, the Arizona Green Party handed in almost 30,000 signatures, well above the legal requirement of 20,449. ìI canít thank all the helpers and contributors enoughî Scott concluded. ìThis shows just what we can do when we pull together.î

Hawaii

The Green Party of Hawaii (GPH) faced a whole new set of challenges in April of this year. The party there had been on the ballot continually since 1992, having worked to establish state law that granted ten years of ballot access for parties that either successfully petitioned or held a ballot line through election results for three consecutive elections. Perhaps because of the lack of need to work for ballot access for the past ten years, the GPH found itself in need of assistance to make the ballot in 2008.

Because of its low population, Hawaii state law required only 663 valid signatures (one tenth of one percent of the stateís registered voters). The party had to collect several times that number, however, to ensure their petition endured strict verification procedures. As the party was collecting signatures, the campaign of the 2004 Constitution Party presidential candidate and the 2004 independent campaign of Ralph Nader were in court arguing that Hawaiiís verification procedures were overly strict. They lost, but help from the Ballot Access Committee helped the Green Party of Hawaii win ballot access in 2008.
The major difficulty the GPH faced was geographyómost party organizers lived on the least populated of the stateís eight major islands, making mass signature collection difficult. Again, the Ballot Access Committee was able to provide a major financial grant to the party to provide stipends for volunteers and arrange help from experienced petitioners from the mainland. The Green Party was also to cooperate with petitioning teams from the Libertarian Party and the independent campaign of Ralph Nader to share petitioning duties, find popular spots, and share housing for volunteers. At the beginning of April the Green Party of Hawaii was able to turn in more than 1500 valid signatures to maintain ballot access and are awaiting certification from the state elections board.

Virginia

The Green Party of Virginia (GPVA) is on its way to becoming the third success story of 2008. The state of Virginia requires 10,000 valid signatures to earn four years of ballot access. While this is a modest requirement compared to Arizonaís, the standard is toughened by the fact that the GPVA must ensure that each of the stateís congressional districts are represented by a certain number of signatures.

As of June 1, GPVA had already reached over half of its petitioning goal, well before the August 22 deadline. The party plans to have completed its ballot access drive by the start of the Green Party national convention in July and be ready to send volunteers to other states to complete their drives.

Pennsylvania

The Green Party of Pennsylvania (GPPA) strives to win a spot on Novemberís ballot in one of the nationís most restrictive political environments. Courts in Penn sylvania have cooperated with major parties to create a system in which parties and candidates attempting to win ballot access have been forced to pay tens of thousands of dollars in legal penalties for merely presenting a ballot access petition to the state. The GPPA has engaged hundreds of volunteers in petitioning and have already collected several thousand signatures, which it is preparing to defend in court if a challenge arises.

The Ballot Access Committee is collecting funds to provide legal defense for ballot access drives and to challenge hundreds of restrictive, outdated, and unconstitutional ballot access laws on the books across the country and are working with the Green Partyís legal advisors and new contacts with the American Civil Liberties Union and other civil rights and liberties organizations to be prepared to defend state Green Parties when a lawsuit should arise.

Each of these statesóin their ability to overcome long odds or their ability simply to stand up to themórepresents a 2008 success story. There are many others to be told.

Connecticut (5,000 signatures needed by August 6th), Iowa (1,500 by Aug. 15), Kansas (5,000 Aug. 4th), Kentucky (5,000 Aug 4), and New Jersey (800 by July 28) are currently in the midst of petitioning drives. New York (15,000 Aug. 19), New Hamp shire (3,000 by Aug. 6), Ohio (5,000 by Aug. 21), Rhode Island (1,000 by Sept. 5), and Utah (1,000 by Sept. 2) are currently planning petition drives and waiting for state boards of election to let them begin working. As the successes of early 2008 showed, they can expect success if all Greens make these ballot access drives a national effort.

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Ballot Access Requirements

July 11, 2008 in 2008 Spring

Minimum Number of Signatures Necessary to List
a Green Party Candidate for President in November
State Deadline
Alabama 5,000 September 8
Alaska 3,128 August 6
Conn. 7,500 August 6
Idaho 5,984 August 25
Iowa 1,500 August 15
Kansas 5,000 August 4
Kentucky 5,000 September 2
Minnesota 2,000 September 9
Missouri 10,000 July 28
Montana 5,000 July 30
New Hampshire 3,000 August 6
New Jersey 800 July 28
New York 15,000 August 19
North Dakota 4,000 September 5
Ohio 5,000 August 21
Penn. 24,666 August 1
Rhode Island 1,000 September 5
Utah 1,000 September 2

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How I won the mayor’s office

July 11, 2008 in 2008 Spring

By David Doonan, Mayor of the Village of Greenwich, New York

Being a public elected official was never a recurring dream that haunted my sleep. While interested in politics and current affairs, in recent years the interest was more an intellectual exercise than an active pursuit. That began to change after listening to a talk in Glens Falls, New York by Ralph Nader in May 2007.

David Doonan with Ralph Nader

David Doonan with Ralph Nader

I sat in the audience as. Nader spoke at length about the need for citizen involvement at the local level. He talked about the example his parents set and told us to attend local government meetings to ensure our elected officials were acting responsibly. But when he said, “I’m going to tell you a Chinese proverb that youíll never forget,” I rolled my eyes and silently said, “yeah, right.” Instead that proverb: “Those who know, and don’t do, don’t know,” struck home and continued to haunt me for weeks, until I finally decided to accept the challenge and run for office.

The Village of Greenwich in Washington County is where I’ve lived for the past 17 years. Located about 50 miles north of the state capital Albany, it has a population of 1,900 and is located within the boundaries of two different towns; the more developed portion lies within the Town of Greenwich (population 5,000) and the less developed lies within the Town of Easton (population 2260) on the other side of the Battenkill River. Washington County has no four-lane roads, no enclosed shopping malls, no big box stores, no movie theatres and no television or radio stations, or even a daily newspaper. It wasn’t until the 1980 census that the human population surpassed the bovine population. In other words, the Village of Greenwich, NY has nothing in common with Greenwich Village in New York City.

There were four positions I could have run for, Town Supervisor, Town Councilor, Village Mayor or Village Trustee. Ultimately my decision was made for me when the Village Mayor was quoted as saying that decisions are easier to make when the public isn’t present.

Village elections in Greenwich have been officially non-partisan for the past 20 years. But in New York State Village elections, non-partisan can be a misleading term. In essence, it means that one has the choice of running for office under the party to which you’re registered or one can run under the name of a non-existing party, pretending that the actual state recognized party system doesn’t exist. For instance, in the nearby town of White Creek, a local Democrat has been twice elected to office on the Woodpecker Party. When choosing a non-partisan party name, candidates must be careful that they don’t pick the same name as their opponents. That happened in this election when three candidates choose to run on the Greenwich Party; the public saw them as a slate, which they weren’t. Finally, to make matters even more confusing, if a candidate chooses to run non-partisan but does not write a party name on the petitions, then by State law, the village clerk has to assign a party name.

I could have run as a Green. But instead I decided to run a non-partisan campaign. Most residents were upset at how the local government has been run and I knew they were looking for someone who would provide answers and a direction. For most voters, partisan politics was purely a secondary concern at best. My original intention was to run on a slate with one Democrat and one Republican, but I ended up with two Democrats. Why did I choose to run on a slate? Quite simply, I was hoping to influence who would end up serving on the board with me.

We chose the name “Open Government” for our slate. However I did not hide my affiliation with the Green Party. At the initial volunteers meeting I made it very clear how committed to the Green Party I was (and still am). Every time I went door-to-door, my Green Party button was worn prominently and the local press repeatedly mentioned my membership in both the Green Party and the Industrial Workers of the World. Many lifelong Republicans who had probably never voted for a Democrat, told me that they were not only going to be voting for me, but that their entire families would be as well.

This was a very winnable race – one neighbor described the general attitude as ‘throw the bums out.’ However, I decided not to run against the then current administration, but to put forward a positive message and attempt to provide realistic solutions for improving the community.

Real estate was among the issues facing the community. Six years ago the Village Board secretly voted to purchase the largest piece of commercial property in the Village, the site of a former IGA food store. Today it still sits empty. Also our Village Hall is on the National Register of His toric Places by the United States Department of the Interior, but has been allowed to deteriorate since its purchase 40 years ago. The building lacks handicapped access and bricks are literally falling out of the buildings exterior walls. The Fire Department is housed in the Village Hall, and is only allowed to operate because of very sympathetic inspectors.

James “Kim” Gannon, who wrote the words to the 1943 American classic “I’ll Be Home for Christmas,” left a bequest together with his wife of $750,000 to be used for the youth of the Village. A commission of community members spent countless hours conducting surveys and interviews to determine the best way to go forward. A report was submitted to the Village Board, which said “thank you” and promptly put it in a drawer. It was only during this past March 2008 that the community finally saw something tangible happen, half a decade since the Village received the bequest.

The costs for a new firehouse, rehabilitating Village Hall, and repairing or replacing the Village Water Tower, are expensive propositions, which is why none of the previous administrations dealt with them. Before beginning to actively campaign, I met with a local administrator of the Rural Communities Program of the U.S. Department of Agriculture to get a handle on what types of grants and low interest loans might be available. I also attended a monthly meeting of the fire department, not just to put myself forward, but also to listen to them.

In the 17 years we’ve lived in Greenwich, there have only been two contested elections for Trustee positions; the Mayor was never challenged. This year there were two of us running for Mayor and six candidates running for two open Trustee positions.

While two weeklies and a bi-weekly serve our community, the daily papers in nearby Saratoga Springs and Glens Falls ignored the election. Because of the lack of daily coverage and the absence of a League of Women Voters willing to organize a debate, I decided to get the ball rolling on a candidate’s forum. I proposed a format to the high school principal and the rest of the candidates, which they all agreed to.

In essence, meeting with the USDA, an aide to our local congresswoman, the fire department and organizing a candidate’s forum, I was acting as if I were already in office.

For my campaign I held an open house to kick off the ballot petitioning and three supporters hosted meet the candidate events. Greenwich requires 50 signatures to be listed on the ballot for village elections. The final weekend was spent going door-to-door. Money was donated by the state and national Green Party, as well as by the Greenwich Democrat Committee (my wife is vice president of the committee) and used to purchase advertisements in the local weeklies, lawn signs and palm & post cards. I also created a campaign web site from which I linked videos of the campaign forum.

Throughout the course of the month-long campaign, I tried to focus on three main issues: 1) Resolving the IGA property, determining the site of a new Fire House and repair of the Village Hall. 2) Seeking additional revenue streams to finance the above without burdening the taxpayers. 3) Opening up the government, allowing citizens a voice in shaping our communityís future.

On Election Day, March 18th, it was pretty strange walking into the voting booth and seeing my name on the ballot. When the votes were counted, our slate swept the results, with myself receiving 74 percent of the votes for Mayor.

To their credit, the outgoing administration received offers from two real estate brokers in January interested in purchasing the former IGA property, but decided to put off the matter until after the election. Unlike the secret decision to purchase the property six years ago, at the first Board Meeting I presided over, both brokers made presentations in public session. Rather than acting upon either offer, the Board decided to seek an independent appraisal of the property at my urging before proceeding.

David Doonan holding office as Greenwich Mayor

David Doonan holding office as Greenwich Mayor

Three other items of note also happened at our first meeting. The meeting was videotaped for the first time, as will be all future board meetings, in anticipation of being uploaded to a future Village web site. Second, I submitted a written Mayor’s report of my activities. The Mayor is a public servant. Since the heads of the police, fire and public works departments are required to issue written reports, then so should the Mayor. It was a simple and effective way of demonstrating my desire to be held accountable for my actions. Thirdly, when the Trustees were given their committee assignments, I assigned them a list of tasks to accomplish. I wanted it clear to everyone that the new administration was not going to be a one-person show; that everyone had a voice.

Since the election, the number of people who have stepped forward to volunteer their time or offer constructive suggestions has been remarkable. While I have ultimate responsibility for the Village, I see my primary role as being that of a facilitator, finding a way to harness the energy of our citizens to improve the community.

What I am attempting to do in this little corner of the world is to build an environment in which grassroots democracy can take root and flourish.

 

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Peace slate offers Oregonians a chance

July 11, 2008 in 2008 Spring

by Joanne Cvar, Pacific Green Party of Oregon and Green Party Peace Network

The Pacific Green Party of Oregon (PGP) is currently fielding a ìpeace slate,î with candidates for nomination in four of the five congressional districts in Oregon. All are committed to ending the war in Iraq, and all have pledged never to vote for funding the continued occupation through supplemental funding bills or for an increase in the basic military budget.

ìImagine, for a moment, real leaders for peace in Congress, added to the few already there, who are not beholden to the existing party leadership,î says Charles New lin, PGP Coordinating Committee member.

The party is hoping to complete its slate with a candidate for the remaining House district prior to its nominating convention on June 7. The PGP has maintained ballot access, so their candidates are guaranteed places on the November ballot.

ìWe are hopeful that this strategy will be adopted by other state Green parties that have ballot access,ì said Mike Beilstein, a two-term Corvallis, Oregon city councilor, who is planning his campaign against Rep. Peter DeFazio in District 4. (www.newmenu.org/mikebeilsteinforcongress.)

Alex Polikoff, a professional engineer and also from Corvallis, is running for the hotly contested seat which will be vacated next term by long-term incumbent Rep. Darlene Hooley in District 5. (www.votepolikoff.org/index.html.)

ìAt this point in time, both major parties seem more concerned with appeasing their corporate donors than in dealing with the threats of our ballooning public debt, job and health insecurity, world instability, the energy crisis and global warming,î said Polikoff. As with all Green candidates, Polikoff will accept no corporate contributions.†ìMy allegiance will be strictly to ordinary citizens, whose voices have been largely ignored by our representatives in Washington.î

John Olmsted, an activist in the fight for social justice for the past 40 years, plans to run against Rep. Earl Blumenauer in Portlandís District 3. Olmsted has been an organizer of the anti-war movement, the fight for immigrant rights, for educational reform and for civil and human rights.

ìThe overwhelming majority of the damage done, from war to attacks on democratic rights, came with the votes of the Democrats in Washington,î Olmsted points out. ìIt is time for the building of a party that can be the voice of the majority to fight for our interests. Then we have a chance for real change.î (www.newmenu.org/ore gongreens4congress.)

Eastern Oregon Tristin Mock agrees on the need for change. She is taking Mahatma Gandhiís maxim, ìYou must be the change you want to see in the worldî as her inspiration to run against four-term incumbent Greg Walden in District 2, which covers all of Oregon east of the Cascades, plus some counties in the southwest corner of the state.

ìItís time for a change in congress,î says Mock. She would be a refreshing change indeed. Before earning her degree as a doctor of naturopathic medicine, she studied history, biology, international relations, and gerontology.

ìThe occupation of Iraq needs to be ended immediately,î Mock said. ìSup porting our troops does not mean sending them on a suicide mission, and abandoning them if/when they return.î (www.vote mock.com)

Green candidates on the ballot who pledge never to vote to fund overseas military adventures give voters an ethical choice in the 2008 election. Every voter in Oregon and in the country should have the opportunity to vote against the war. Since 2006, itís been clear that voting for Democrats is almost universally voting to continue the war.

Mike Beilstein, 4th CD; John Olmsted, 3rd CD; Tristin Mock, 2nd CD, Cynthia McKinney, GP presidential candidate; Alex Polikoff, 5th CD. Photo by Pat Driscoll, PGP Coordinating Committee

Peace Slate Reception, Eugene Oreregon March 7. From left: Mike Beilstein, 4th CD; John Olmsted, 3rd CD; Tristin Mock, 2nd CD, Cynthia McKinney, GP presidential candidate; Alex Polikoff, 5th CD. Photo by Pat Driscoll, PGP Coordinating Committee

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Ingrid Betancourt Dedication

July 11, 2008 in 2008 Spring

One of the more spellbinding moments of the Global Greens Congress was the Friday morning special plenary session dedicated to former Colombian Green Presidential Candidate Ingrid Betancourt, who has been held captive since February 23rd, 2001 when she was kidnapped in the Colom bian jungle by the FARC (Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia).

Betancourt was a plenary speaker at the First Global Greens Congress in 2001 and a tape of her speech was replayed to this yearís Congress attendees. Then came an extensive and often emotional panel discussion, featuring former Colombian Senator Luis Eladio Perez, who was held hostage along with Betancourt for four years; Adair Lamprea (former Colombian Environment and Health Secretary who was driving the car when Ingrid was kidnapped); Penna of Brazil and Betancourtís husband Juan Carlos Lecompte, who also contributed powerfully to a well-attended press conference held Friday afternoon and attended by representatives of over 40 media organizations, including Brazilís biggest television station Globo, and international agencies like Reuters and AFP.

On Sunday morning, the Congress passed a resolution denouncing the use of hostages, calling for an end to armed conflict, the release of Betancourt and all hostages in Colombia through non-violent means and a negotiated political settlement, and declaring Betancourt ìPresident of Honor of the Global Greens and of the Coordination of the Global Green parties.î

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Global Greens meet in S„o Paulo

July 11, 2008 in 2008 Spring

Second Congress focuses on climate change

world

By Mike Feinstein, Advisor, International†Committee†of the Green Party of the United States

For the second time ever, Green Parties from around the world gathered together for a decision-making Congress. The first Global Greens Congress took place in April 2001 in Canberra, Australia. This time, with 625 delegates and observers participating from 88 countries, the Second Congress took place May 1-4 in S„o Paulo, Brazil.

In 2001, one of the key objectives of the Congress was to approve the first ever Global Greens Charter. In 2008, the political content was driven by the planetary need to respond to the ever-worsening global climate crisis. One of the reasons S„o Paulo was chosen as the Congress location was that as a traffic-clogged, sprawling metropolitan area of more than 18 million people, it highlights the challenges that ëmega-citiesí present in dealing with the climate crisis.

The Congress took place at the Memorial da AmÈrica Latina. Designed by world-famous architect Oscar Niemeyer, it is a center for Latin American studies and culture, and is based upon the idea of uniting Latin America through the arts and science. The site of numerous large-scale events and concerts, the Memorial provided a perfect environmentósymbolically and practicallyófor worldwide Greens to gather.

Taiwanese Young Green Ting Chenge addresses the Global Greens Congress during opening ceremony.
Sri Lankan Young Green Sanka Chandima Abayawardena addresses the Global Greens Congress during opening ceremony.Photograph by Taiwanese Green Ting Chenge.

Opening Ceremony

In a Thursday evening opening ceremony reminiscent of the Parade of Nations at the Olympics, representatives from each of the participating national Green parties and political groups came to the podium to make a welcoming statement, then stayed on stage, stretched from one side of the auditorium to the other, to present a virtual United Nations of Greens from around the world.

As U.S. Green alternate delegate John Rensenbrink (Maine) observed, ìIt was a deeply moving ceremony. You catch your heart in your throat at the sheer fact that gathered here are Greens from every continent and from most every land on earth, from so many different places and customs and languages, and yet all together united on powerful fundamentals about life and politicsóunited in a fierce determination to help save our species and achieve well-being for all.î

Opening comments were made by Greens from each of the four Federations or Networks that make up the Global GreensóAfrica, Asia-Pacific, Europe and the Americas: Jose Luiz de FranÁa Penna, Pres ident of the host party, the Partido Verde do Brasil, Dr. Fadimata Bintou Toure espe Diallo, Parti Ecologiste du Mali, Kazumi Inamura, Co-Chair, Greens Japan and Prefectural member, Hyogo Prefec ture; and Ulrike Lunacek (Austria) and Philippe Lamberts (Belgium), co-spokespersons of the Euro pean Green Party.† The evening was capped by a music and dance performance by one of Brazilís well known Grupo de Capo eira Mizinga.

Despite the fact that people came from so many different cultures and backgrounds, a strong effort was made to ensure that the plenary proceedings were understandable to all. Simultaneous translation was provided in Portuguese, Spanish, French, German, and English. In order to respect their origins and enable them to speak most expressively, speakers were invited to present in their native tongues.

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Political Process

Friday was spent in workshops going over the initial set of five draft Congress declarations, which were prepared by the Global Greens Congress Steering Group (a group of 20 Greens from around the globe that planned and organized the Con gress and posted for comment before the Congress at plan21.globalgreens.org.

More than 100 amendments were submitted on the Congress documents. Mem bers of the Global Greens Congress Steer ing Group and others integrated the amendments and brought them back before the plenary session on Sunday.

Sundayís session was moderated by Johan Hamels (Belgium), one of three Eur opean members of the Global Green Co ordination, the 12-member coordinating body for the Global Greens, and Louise Crossley (Australia), who played a key role in coordinating the drafting process for the Global Greens Charter in 2001.

The decision-making process was based upon giving speaking and voting rights to up to three delegates from each Green party and/or political movement recognized by their respective federation/network as able to take part in decision-making at the Congress. If a country sent at least two delegates, one had to be a woman and one a man. If a country sent three delegates, it was strongly recommended that the third be under the age of 36, and, where possible, indigenous representatives be included.

Political Declarations

The Congress approved four issue-based, action-oriented Declarations. With an eye towards the 2009 United Nations climate change conference in Copenhagen, which aims to produce a follow up agreement to the Kyoto Protocol, the ìClimate Change óTime for Transformationî declaration stated that ìGlobal Greens consider it im perative that global greenhouse gas emissions peak no later than 2015, and that emissions thereafter decline to a level below the absorption capacity of natural sinks.î

To achieve this, the declaration called for developed countries to commit to domestic reductions of at least 40 percent by 2020 and reductions of at least 90 percent by 2050, compared with 1990 levels, through phasing out all government subsidies on coal, oil and natural gas; promoting investment in renewable energy and sustainable transport; energy conservation and efficiency; and adopting a ìpolluter paysî principle.

The Biodiversity and Climate Change declaration proposed a common protocol under the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity and the Framework Convention on Climate Change: The Biodiversity and Climate Protocol. Among other things, this Protocol would exclude carbon offsets from emission trading systems in favor of the establishment of a very large global biodiversity fund, which would be funded in part from carbon taxes, a proportion of the proceeds of emissions trading schemes, and from the redirection of fossil fuel subsidies. The declaration also opposed mandatory targets and subsidies for agro-fuels ìexcept where their production is demonstrably greenhouse positive, does not impact on biodiversity, and does not compete against food production for land and water.î

Recognizing the ecological problems and social dislocation that rapid, ongoing urbanization brings, the Sustainable Cities declaration not only focused on green buildings, public transport and land use, but upon addressing poverty, economic op portunity and building community-based democracy.

Finally, the ì21 Commitments for the 21st Centuryî Declaration demonstrated how Greens would comprehensively change policy world-wide, including the adoption of the Tobin Tax (which would tax currency speculation worldwide) in order to help finance the Millennium Goals of the United Nations; fundamental reform of the World Trade Organization around fair trade principles; creating of a World Environmental Organization; and a global ban on the death penalty.

African Greens

One of the other highlights of Greens coming together in S„o Paulo was the two-day meeting of 43 African Greens, which occurred before the Congress officially began. In past years, the challenges of organizing on limited resources across vast distances, and across a Francophone-Anglophone divide, have made it difficult in sustaining a Green Federation on the African level.

But the S„o Paulo meeting brought African Greens together in a unified way and led to their choosing new representatives to the Global Greens CoordinationóAdamou Garba (Niger Parti Vert), Frank Habineza (Rwanda Green Society) and Juliana Mugure (Mazingira Green Party/ Green Belt Movement, Kenya.) A bi-lingual English/French website for African Greens was also established as a result of this meeting, accessible both through www.africangreens.org and www.vertsafricain.org.

Global Young Greens

The Global Young Greens met for two days preceding the Global Greens Congress

The Global Young Greens met for two days preceding the Global Greens Congress

Approximately 60 Global Young Greens (GYG) also chose to meet for two days before the official Congress proceedings began.

based workshops focused on post-Kyoto/post-Bali climate-based concerns like carbon trading, sustainable forestry, agro-fuels and the energy de mands of accelerating economies like China, India and Brazil, and attendees shared their best practices in dealing with these issues.

There was also a focus on the methodology of ìwhat it is to be a Young Greenî. Participants addressed questions like ìhow radical can political youth be?î and ìwho should Young Greens addressó media or real people?î Through this process, they compared and contrasted the cultural differences of being a Young Green in different parts of the world

The GYG also discussed the proposed ì21 Points for the 21st Centuryî at the impending Global Greens Congress, hoping to influence that debate with a united voice of youth. During Saturdayís Congress plenary session, GYG Steering Committee member Janna Schˆnfeld (Germany) challenged the Global Greens to insist on more open and participatory structures within some of its member national parties.

The largest group of Young Greens, 12 females and 10 males, came from Taiwan, while the youngest GYG participant was Hannah Aulby of Hobart, Tasmania, Australia, who had just turned 18. Several 16- and 17-year-old Brazilian Greens attended the Congress but not the GYG, and more than 20 Brazilian Young Greens provided volunteer support for the registration and organization of the Congress.

Completing the Young Greens gathering were the essentials of being young in the 21st centuryócomputers and dancing. During the daytime they discussed and traded free software. Then on Saturday night, Roberta Moreno (Brazilian Green Secretary for International Youth Relations) organized a well-attended party at a S„o Paulo club that kept Young Greens dancing until 5 am.

Foundations Play Key Role

Almir Surui, Leader of the Surui tribe from Rondonia, Brasil, addresses the Biodiversity plenary.

Almir Surui, Leader of the Surui tribe from Rondonia, Brasil, addresses the Biodiversity plenary.

In addition to being an electoral force, the Green Party has always had its roots in issue-based activism and education. As part of that, Green Party-affiliated foundations have played an important educational role, and this was certainly the case in S„o Paolo with the Heinrich Bˆll Foundation (Ger many) and the Green Forum (Sweden).

As has been the case at many major international Green Party meetings over the last ten years, the Heinrich Bˆll Foundation (HBF) hosted an issue-based educational forum preceding the formal opening of the Global Greens Congress. Recog nizing that over half of the worldís population now lives in cities, and that while cities cover only a small portion of the Earthís surface, they generate the bulk of the world’s carbon emissions, the first session focused on ìSustainable Cities with regard to Climate Change, Poverty and Urban Governance.î It included Greens Alfredo Sirkis (Former Director of Urban Planning and Environmental Minister, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil), Denis Baupin (Vice-Mayor, Paris, France) and Juan Manuel Velasco (Former Environmental Minister, Buenos Aires, Argentina). Then followed a panel discussion, moderated by former Swedish Green MP and MEP Per Gahrton, on the role of Greens in elected office, including in places where theyíve moved from an opposition force to part of the ruling government.

HBF also played a critical supportive role for the Congress, by supporting translation and venue costs, as well as the travel and participation of more than 40 Congress participants, and HBF President Ralf F¸cks and its Brazil coordinator Thomas Fatheuer both were part of the Congress Steering Committee.

The Green Forum, a Swedish democracy & aid foundation also affiliated with the Green Party, also played many key roles, especially with Africa. In 2007, it supported capacity building of the African Greens through regional meetings in Africa. In 2008, it supported the highly successful two-day African Greens meeting in S„o Paulo, as well as the travel and participation at the Global Greens Congress by about 35 African Greens.

As evidenced by the highly successful two-day African Greens meeting in S„o Paulo, this support resulted in strengthened capacity for Green politics in Africa, increased networking and mutual support amongst African Green parties and movements, and strong African participation in the political and strategic Global Greens Congress debates.

Green Forum also supported Greens from Eastern Europe and the Western Balkans, while Eva GoÎs, chairperson of Green Forum, took an active part in the Congress Steering Committee. Lena Lindstrˆm, Green Forum chief accountant, managed the account of Global Greens Congress. Overall, the Green Forum contributed one million Swedish Kronor, a US dollar equivalent of $167,000.

Party Leaders

In addition to those already mentioned, other party leaders or national spokespersons in attendance at the Congress included Reinhard B¸tikofer (B¸ndnis 90/ Die Gr¸nen, Germany) Senator Isabelle Durant (Ecolo, Belgium), Peter Eriksson (Miljˆpartiet de Grˆna, Sweden), Eliza beth May (Green Party of Canada), Senator Jorge Emilio Gonz·lez MartÌnez (Partido Verde EcoligÌsta de MÈxico) and Claudia Moy PeÒa (Iniciativa Verde, Argentina), as well as Rebecca Harms, German Green Member of the European Parliament.

Closing Ceremony

The Closing Ceremony featured Tsewang Phuntso (Tibet), the Dalai Lamaís Liaison Officer for Latin America. Phuntso shared developments in Tibet this year and urged the Global Greens to press for immediate remedies for the suffering of the Tibetan people. He also said that the position of the Dalai Lama remains unchanged, whether it is his commitment to the Middle-Way approach, non-violence, or a policy of engagement with China to resolve the issue of Tibet.

In response, delegates approved a resolution sponsored by Green Parties from France, Germany and Taiwan, condemning Chinaís brutal repression of the Tibetan demonstrators, expressing serious concern about its policy of assimilation within Tibet, calling for an independent international inquiry into the tragic events there and urging the Chinese authorities to grant foreign reporters full access to Tibet and the bordering regions. Affirming the Daliai Lamaís call for direct talks with China, the resolution also stressed the need for both sides to ìenter into a substantive and constructive dialogue with a view to reach a sustainable solution acceptable to all that would fully respect Tibetan culture, religion and identityî, and called on the Chinese authorities ìto invite the Dalai Lama to the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games as a sign of goodwillî.

Next Steps

Along with the issue-based political declarations and resolutions passed by the Congress, delegates and observers, there was consideration given to the future of the Global Greens as an organization.

Greens met globally for the first time at the First Planetary Meeting of Greens in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in May 1992, immediately preceding the United National Conference on Environment and Development, but did not form themselves into an actual global body until Canberra in 2001.† At that time, focus was on approving the Charter, along with creating the Global Green Coordination and Global Green Network, the latter of which is a body of three representatives per national Green body established to promote communication among Green parties and movements worldwide.

But after seven years, it had become clear to Greens around the planet that the absence of ongoing financial support and staff was limiting what the Global Greens could accomplish. With this in mind, a draft declaration tit led ìNext Steps for Global Greensî, which stimulated the Australian Greens to submit a complementary pro posal to host a Global Greens Secretariat (of f ice) in Australia, which was presented by Australian Green Senator Bob Brown.

The debate over Next Steps was one of the more spirited, with some Greens feeling that a commitment to the resources necessary for an office on the global level might be premature and not sustainable, while others argued that time was of the essence and the Global Greens could not sustain more years of underachieving.

In the end, the Congress approved a Declaration that assigned the Coordination the task of creating a draft Secretariat Work Plan proposal by October 1st, 2008. That draft would be then circulated to the four Green Federa tions and Networks for input, and then re-circulated back as a final proposal by Jan uary 1, 2009. At that point, the Coordination would be empowered to make a final decision by April 1, 2009, with direction from their respective Federations or Networks.

Among Work Plan tasks to consider are: scheduling and organizing further Global Greens Conferences; promoting the Greensí common presence at global events; facilitating agreed statements on matters of global urgency; urging and supporting internal, inter-federation communications; helping to grow the Global Greens website; cooperating with the Global Greens Network; and developing close liaison with the Global Young Greens óand the staff resources and funding mechanisms necessary to carry these out.† In addition, the Work Plan would review the structure, working practices, accountability, election procedures and terms of office for the Coordination, and the role of Congress.

A voluntary funding mechanism was discussed of 1 percent of the salaries of Greens elected on the state, federal and international level.† This conceptówhich goes back to the early days of the West German Greens in parliament in the 1980s óhas gained support among Green officeholders within Australia, who have indicated their willingness to contribute.

Next Global Congress

Although a firm date and location will not be established until the Work Plan is approved, the offer from the European Greens to host the next Global Greens Congress in 2013 was well received.

For more information, including all videos and documents from the Global Greens Congress: www.globalgreens.org

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U.S. Greens participate

July 11, 2008 in 2008 Spring

Sixteen Greens from the United States were in. The Green Party of the United States was formally represented at the Congress by three delegates: Mike Feinstein (California), Marnie Glickman (Oregon) and Julia Willebrand (New York); and three alternates: Justine McCabe (Connecticut), John Rensenbrink (Maine) and Bahram Zandi (Maryland). Fein stein and Willebrand also participated for the last two years in the Global Greens Congress Steering Group, which planned the Congress.

Julia Willebrand and Mike Feinstein

Julia Willebrand and Mike Feinstein

Bruce Gagnon (Maine) of the Global Network Against Weapons gave a plenary presentation connecting the massive amounts of money and resources devoted to militarism and imperial policies, especially in the U.S., and to the resulting inability of the world to deal effectively with climate change, ecological destruction, and worldwide poverty. He proposed an amendment to the ì21 Pointsî, emphasizing these connections; it was partially accepted.

Also giving plenary presentations were Willebrand (Sustainable Cities), Feinstein (Global Greens web site) and San Francisco Green Supervisor Ross Mirkarimi, who was invited by the Heinrich Bˆll Foundation to highlight work he is doing around issues of climate change in the city/county of San Francisco.

Willebrand, McCabe and Rensenbrink hosted a workshop on the topic of relations between the GPUS and other Green Parties in the World, while Glickman co-hosted a workshop on on-line organizing and strategies together with former Green Party of Canada Leader Jim Harris. Lynne Serpe (New York)ówho helped organize the U.S. Greens 1996, 2000 and 2004 Presidential Conventions and the 2001 Global Greens Congressóarrived early to coordinate the Congress registration and volunteer effort.

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Reports

July 11, 2008 in 2008 Spring

Platform Committee

Alert to all GreensóPlease review the platform draft at www.gp.org/platform.shtml

Every four years Green Party members are asked to review and update the Green Platform. Greens are invited to submit amendments to the Platform Committee (Platcom) whose job it is to integrate the amendments into the 2004 Platform and produce the draft of the 2008 Green Platform.

Amendments have been received from October 2006 to April 1, 2008. During that time, editors were asked to take on the job of compiling, replacing and re-ordering where necessary, to produce a smooth, coherent, consistent draft. The editors are engaged in that task now. The Platform has four Chapters: Democracy, Social Justice, Sustainable Ecology and Sustainable Economy.

The draft is mostly a shortened version of the 2004 Platform. The principles and polices have not changed. Certain subjects have been expanded or revised, such as sections on Immigration, Pop ulation, Energy, Waste Management, Global Warming, Taxes and Corporations.

Editors of the four Chapters of the Draft Platform are:

I J. Ellingston (jellingston@greens.org) and Jane Zara†(jjzara@aol.com)

II John Ely (johnbethany@earthlink.net) and Jack Ailey (jjailey@comcast.net)

III Mike Ewall (catalyst@actionpa.org) and Wes Rolley (wrolley@charter.net)

IV Erik Douglas (politicaltao@taotetao.com) and Jon Olsen (joliyoka@gwi.net).

Once the draft is ready, Mike Ewall, PlatCom secretary puts it on a website for everyone to review and comment up until July 5. The hope and expectation is that any serious objections to the text will be presented and resolved before the meeting in Chicago, on July 11. To reach the Platcom go to: platform-work@lists.gp-us.

Massachusetts

The Green-Rainbow Party (GRP) in Massachusetts saw an 81% increase in turn-out in its February 5 presidential primary compared to 2004, and is currently assembling a delegation to the National Convention in Chicago. The percentage breakdown of the vote was, in descending order: Ralph Nader (39.9%), Cynthia McKinney (25.4%), unidentified write-ins (14.6%), no preference (10.4%), Kat Swift (3.2%), Jared Ball (2.3%), Kent Mesplay (2.1%), and Elaine Brown (2.0%). Jesse Johnson was not included on the Massa chu setts ballot.

It is at the local level, however, where Party members feel they can make the most difference. Last year, the Rainbow Coalition Caucus of the GRP helped form a coalition against the escalating foreclosure crisis in Massachusetts. Taking the lead on networking direct action and more sweeping legislative strategies, the Mass Alliance Against Predatory Lending (MAAPL) formalized its existence this March, filing three pieces of legislation during a well-received press conference.
The Green-Rainbow Party is also developing a local ballot initiative drive, readying various ballot questions for local members and chapters to take to their communities. One of the questions being discussed is an emergency adoption of a single-payer healthcare system to replace the already-troubled bipartisan healthcare reform that went into effect in 2007.

Another ballot initiative question, called A Secure Green Future, would shift state subsidies of greenhouse gas emitting industries towards community-based green jobs programs in conservation, renewables, and sustainable agriculture. Other questions being considered include a just response to the foreclosure crisis, progressive taxation, and ranked-choice voting.

The GRP has also formed a fossil fuels subcommittee to work out a program to address the developing crises of global warming, peak oil, food security, etc.

Nebraska

Since January of 2008, District 1 Greens have been coordinating a new Coalition for the Environment and Earth Day (CEED) with local groups, organizations, agencies, and businesses. ìEarth Day, Every Dayî was held Sunday, April 20, at the Cityís Antelope Park. More than 70 Exhibitors displayed educational, artistic, and interactive work. Childrenís activities focused on the world of nature; local musicians performed, and under pressure from CEED, the Mayorís remarks announced two new environmental initiatives for local government.

CEED was spearheaded by Greens, but the diversity of groups involved demonstrates that public concern is far ahead of political action. No event had been planned by the City to celebrate the 38th anniversary of Earth Day.

Omaha Greens were instrumental in planning the ìGlobal Network Against Weapons & Nuclear Power in Space Annual Organizing Conference and Protest at StratCom: The Most Dangerous Place on the Face of the Earth,î April 11-13, 2008. As the United States Strategic Com mand is located in Omaha, it would be command central for a nuclear war. Since 9/11, itís expanded mission is the ìWar on Terror,î and U.S. domination of space. This ìNew StratComî is responsible for overseeing Global ìFirst Strikes,î the National Security Agencyís ìwarrantless wiretaps,î and Ballistic Missile Defense. Speakers and participants gathered in Omaha from around the world, but no mainstream media covered the international event.

Regular Peace Vigils are held in all three congressional districts. Greater Nebraska Greens are resisting an expanded coal-fired plant in Hastings. Greens statewide are preparing for the 2008 Convention, June 7, in Omaha at the PS Collective.

Green Party candidates filing for 2008 elections in partisan races are Steve Larrick, U.S. Senate; and for Douglas County Board, District 1: Scott Hoffman; District 3: Tom Foster, and Derek Glaser; District 5: Susan Koneck. LaVerne Thraen filed for the Non-Partisan OPPD Board of Directors, and Doug Paterson is on the ballot for Omaha Public Service Commission.

Utah

In March 2008 the Green Party of Utah Desert Greens approved the formation of the Local of Moab (MLGP) as well as by-laws and list of coordinators. The MLGP coordinators are Harold Shepherd, John Weisheit and Bob Lippman. To date, the MLGP has had several coordinator meetings and meetings with other entities.

March 11, Harold Shep herd met with the Native American activists who are trying to bring attention to environmental issues through the cross country, ìLongest Walkî. During this meeting Harold discussed with walk leaders plans by Transition Power Development, LLC to construct two nuclear power plants in Green River and other Utah uranium mining and milling issues.

MLGP Coordinators have met with other community activists to discuss development of a coalition that will address environmental and social issues related to energy development in south east Utah. This coalition will compile data on locations of existing oil and gas well parcel permits and leases, and lobby congress to extend funding limitation barring the federal government from issuing commercial leases on federal lands, before meaningful analysis of oil shale projects is completed.

The MLGP is also working with Grand County to develop a Hazardous Waste Ordinance and with the City of Moab and Grand County on a municipal watershed protection ordinance, both of which will include language regarding oil and gas development.

Finally, the MLGP is working with other conservationists: to protest water rights permits for the proposed nuclear power plants and a uranium mill in Green River; Grand County Water Board to develop legislation to protecting instream flows in rivers and streams rather than leasing water for energy production; and the Grand County Water Board and City of Moab on a proposal to limit federal funding for oil shale development in Utah and researching current legal issues related to conflicts between development and water availability in the Moab area.

New York

New York Greens have more than a few reasons to be proud. On March 18 David Doonan, co-chair of the tri-county Greens (Southern Adirondacks† Region

4), was elected Mayor of the Village of Greenwich in a landslide victory with Doonan garnering 74% of the vote. In the Village of Schuylerville, Green Party member Roger Sherman ran unopposed to fill a vacated trustee position.

Many NY Greens participated in and organized peace marches and vigils all across the state denoting the passing of five years since ìShock and Aweî signaled the beginning of the illegal U.S. occupation of Iraq.

Former Green mayor of New Paltz, Jason West, graced the front page of the state section of the New York Times. West is best known for marrying same sex couples in New Paltz. The article states: ìHe recently enjoyed some measure of vindication when a state appellate court ruled that same-sex marriages performed out of state must be recognized in New York State. ìItís a tremendous victory,î said Mr. West, who is heterosexual. ëI think itís only a matter of time before we have equal rights for same-sex couples.î

The Green Party of New York State (GPNYS) offered condolences to the family of Sean Bell, when the police officers who killed him where exonerated. GPNYS also made a public statement rejecting the judgeís decision in the killing of Bell, an unarmed black man who was killed on the eve of his wedding.

fight for single payer health care is still being waged in New York State. Greens are working with health care activists (Physicians for a National Health Plan and Health Care Now) and unions to try and elevate voter awareness of single-payer bill at the national level (HR 676). As an incremental step, Greens are also working with state legislators to craft legislation broadening the availability of current state-run plans.

GPNYS does not have ballot status and fell just short of regaining it in the 2006 interim elections. Thus the party reached out to enrolled Greens to give them a voice concerning the partyís presidential primary by sending a paper ballot to every enrolled Green. A successful fund drive was held to facilitate the mailing.

West Virginia

At its state convention on April 27, the Mountain Party again nominated Jesse Johnson as its candidate for governor in this fallís election. Johnson ran four years ago and garnered 3% of the vote, one of the highest percentages of votes for a third-party candidate in the country.† Two candidates have filed for the WV House of Delegates, Robin Mills for the 51st and John Wel borne for the 30th districts. Also running are James ìAndyî Waddell for the 11th Senate District and Klaus Heitmann for the Berkeley County Commission.

ìWe conducted a cordial and successful convention,î said MP Chair, Bob Henry Baber. ìWe are proud to offer both local and national alternatives to the broken two party system. We are also pleased to be the only party in West Virginia that opposes Moun tain top Removal, and that supports an impressive array of progressive stances on issues such as healthcare, workerís rights, environmental issues, and human rights. If youíre fed up with the status quo, the Mountain/Green Party offers real alternatives for real peopleó people such as you!î

Officers elected for two-year terms were: Chair, Bob Henry Baber, Vice-Chair, Bill Price; Secretary, Karen Grubb; Treasurer, Frank Young; and Deputy Com misioners, Lesia Null, Greg Carroll, and Eric McLaughlin. Karen Grubb and Jesse Johnson, with Frank Young and Eric McLaughlin as alternates, were re-appointed as delegates to the National Committee. The Mountain Party approved the appointment of Jesse Johnson to the International Committee and Bill Price to the Diversity Committee.

North Carolina

In 2005 the North Carolina Green Party joined the Libertarian Party in a lawsuit against the State of North Carolina challenging the stateís ballot access laws as unconstitutional. The case was heard in superior court in early May. After three days of convincing testimony including an appearance by Richard Winger as an expert witness, the judge found against the plaintiffs. The case will be appealed.

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ìChangeî In 2008?

July 11, 2008 in 2008 Spring

By David Cyr, state committee member of the Green Party of New York State

In ìThe†Change†You Deserveî†Republicans have selected a slyly subliminal slogan for 2008. Only the too few whoíve long been clear-eyed and paying attention will realize that whether a smirking Republicanís or a smiley Democratís face is put upon it, the next†corporate state†administration will have, as all those before it, inherently sociopathic corporations determine all the†what, when, where and how of the ìchangeîÖ and†who will ìdeserveî it.

The regressive Republican wing of the Corporate Party was of course responding to the disingenuous Democrat wing†of the corporate Partyís†ìChange†We Can Believe Inî†slogan; which, given their ìelectableî candidates, is a ìchangeî that only the most gullible, or those willfully wishing to be deceived could ever possibly ìbelieve inî either.

And so, as the Corporate Partyís longest-ever primary campaign coasts towards its finish, a truly dark comedy is presented, in which Republicans are rhetorically positioning themselves to be perceived as being like Democrats, while Democrats are now what Republicans were.

As proof for the old maxim, that the more things ìchangeî the more they stay the same, with Obamamania on the rise, the Clinton campaign†laid†bare the basest racist Klan roots of the Democratic Party. The Clintons themselves quite consciously and deliberately sought the white†supremacist†vote with verbal associations like that of: ìhard workingî workers being ìwhiteî workers; the [White]†Womenís Voices, Women Vote organizationís†robocall and mailing efforts to suppress black voter turnout; and the timely, convenient-for-Clinton distribution of various ìObama Monkey í08î campaign†paraphernalia.

Thereís been a liberal guilt vote surge in the other wing of that wing, being the ìDemocraticî wing of the Democratic wing of the Republican-Democratic Corporate Party. It demonstrates a dedication to the liberalsí duplicitous form of racism by voting†another kind of ABB this timefor a black eager to disassociate himself with his own blackness. For liberals desperate to prove that they are not the racist Democrats, Obamaówhoís clearly more comfortable as the only dark-skinned one there, lying among lying light-skinned Senators, than he ever was sitting in a pew of a black church with a pastor who speaks too truthfullyóis a perfect liberal racist ABB choice for 2008: an Acceptable Black Boy.

The primary focus of the Democratsí primary having been upon choosing a candidate based solely upon skin color is most ironically appropriate, since the alleged progressiveness of either Clinton or†Obama†is, in the†very best light possible, only skin deep.

It wonít matter at all whether the Green Partyís candidate for president is old or young; male, female or transgendered; black, white or any other skin color. No matter who the Green Partyís candidate will be, he or she will be someone who has been, and will continue to be, an honest advocate for† substantive changes benefitting actual people more than corporations and ensuring human survival (a degree of change neither the Republican nor the Democrat candidate will support). This is change that we and all the rest of the world donít merely wish to seeóit is The Real Change We All Really Need.

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Time for Bolder Leadership

July 11, 2008 in 2008 Spring

By Brent McMillan, Political Director, Green Party of the United States

Is the Green Party in danger of becoming irrelevant? What both the Green Party and America needs now is a bolder form of leadership. The American people are becoming radicalized. They are angry! Neither major party is representing the majoritarian values of the American People. Zogby exit polling after the 2006 Election cycle looked like a list of Green Party programs: ending the war in Iraq, concern about global warming, and universal health care for all, etc.

When people come to Washington I tell them that DC is occupied territory. The federal level of our government has been taken over by corporate interests and no longer acts in the interest of the American people. Our laws are written by lobbyist on K Street and are walked over to Congress to be voted on without them even being read.

Brent McMillian

Brent McMillian

Typical of the end of any cultural era is that whatever was characteristic of it gets taken to gigantic proportions right before it collapses. This being the end of a 500 year cycle of Empire building, the dinosaurs are getting bigger and bigger as corporations gobble each other up for global dominance. In the process, the cracks in the system are getting bigger and bigger. People who never thought it would happen to them are being dropped from basic services.

Years ago the U.N. said that the biggest need in the 21st century would be for people capable of going into communities that had lost basic services and help pick them back up. Whether from the disaster of privatization or the impacts of global warming there is a great need for this work.

Over the last couple of years I have been involved in working as part of a trans-partisan network that cuts across political lines and looks for common interests to work on. One of these interests is stopping the invasion of Iran. Many worked to get the National Intelligence Estimate to the public phase without being gutted by the White House. This was key to pulling the rug out from under the Bush Administration for now. Our work is not done though. U.S. troops continue to mass on the Iranian border. Our naval force in the Persian Gulf is as large as it was prior to the invasion of Iraq.

As a part of that trans-partisan network I was ap proached this last Fall about forming a Sustainability Caucus in Congress and staffing it. Itís not that easy to work across the political spectrum to build support for the issues under the umbrella of sustainability but the work is very important.

Itís time to think bigger. Greens are being invited to the table. Here are some ideas about where there are great opportunities:

Form an Emergency Response Team ó a kind of shadow government made up of non-governmental organizations that is capable of assisting impacted communities. Malik Rahim has done some great work in the Lower Ninth Ward in addressing the impact of Hurricane Katrina. He could have used a lot more support from Greens across the country though. There will be plenty more opportunities. Of note and to her credit, Sarah ìEchoî Steiner, current GPUS co-chair from Florida led an impromptu ef fort to get supplies to New Orleans quickly.

Form a Green Leadership Institute ó Greens clearly have leaders. Itís disingenuous to claim otherwise. But Greens are different. How are we different? Much of the leadership in the Green Party is already self-empowered. How can we consciously bring forward those who are not? See the history of The Highlander Center as a good example.

Lead the discussion on Immigration ó The Major Parties are ignoring a real discussion about immigration, big time! What if Greens worked toward holding town hall forums across the country about this important issue?

Work to rebuild Public Health Care ó Form cooperatives in rural areas that have been decimated by privatization. Look to the work of Horace Mann on public education for examples.

Work to build organizations such as Empower DC, †which was co-founded by registered DC State hood Green Parisa Norouzi. One of its more popular campaigns is the Peopleís Property Campaign which seeks to end the sale, transfer and giveaway of valuable public property in DC. Con tact her at: parisa@ empowerdc.org.

It would be naÔve to think that helping people in these ways can happen without obstruction. Check out The War at Home: Covert Action Against U.S. Activists and What We Can Do About It (Boston: South End Press, 1989) by Brian Glick. Anyone who has any success at all in bringing about cultural change will find that there are those who will hate you for it and will want you dead. That is another topic, perhaps for a future column. Greens need to be more supportive of each other as we learn how to develop new leadership.

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