From dbedellgreen at hotmail.com Sat Oct 2 02:56:19 2004 From: dbedellgreen at hotmail.com (David Bedell) Date: Sat, 02 Oct 2004 06:56:19 +0000 Subject: {news} Joyce Chen in New Haven Advocate Message-ID: http://newhavenadvocate.com/gbase/News/content?oid=oid:83670 When Progs Collide Joyce Chen and Toni Walker butt heads in the 93rd District. by Carole Bass - September 30, 2004 When you hear that New Haven Alderwoman Joyce Chen is challenging state Rep. Toni Walker, one question leaps to mind: Why? Not "why" as in, why run an underfinanced, late-starting--Chen announced in August--race against a popular incumbent? There are plenty of reasons to do that: raising issues, raising one's profile, forcing an incumbent to get out and talk to constituents. The "why" here is simpler: Why take on Walker? Toni Edmonds Walker is a liberal Democrat, probably one of the most progressive legislators at the Capitol. She fights for health care for poor kids and old folks. She wants higher taxes for millionaires and corporations. She urged fellow Dems to take control of the legislative agenda away from corruption-soaked Republican Gov. John Rowland. She sponsored clean-air legislation and a bill to strip Yale University's "super exemption" from local property taxes. And that was all just in the last session. Chen is New Haven's lone elected Green Party politician. That progressive organization stands for taxing the rich, cleaning the air, providing health care to poor people, rooting out corruption, making Yale pay its fair share. So why is Chen trying to knock Walker out of the 93rd District seat? "A lot of the idea came from my own Ward 2 constituents," Chen says. "People feel Walker is not accessible." In a way, the campaign is a classic insider vs. outsider contest. Walker, the incumbent, is middle-aged and middle-class, the polished daughter of a prominent politico, and she lives in the comfortable Beaver Hills neighborhood. Chen, a radical young Yale graduate, grew up in Harlem and recently bought a house on Kensington Street, which is synonymous with drugs and violence. "This campaign is about two very different types of candidates," Chen asserts. "One opens up her home, has little kids running around at all hours, lets young people drive her car to learn how to drive, is always out on the streets." That would be Chen, according to Chen. "I cut down my work hours" to 20 a week to spend more time helping constituents, she says. If elected to the House, with its part-time legislative salary, she could afford to cut back even further, she says. The Green candidate does mention some issues: state money to fix up rundown houses; universal health care; instant runoff voting, an electoral system that, she says, "gives voters more voice." (Chen doesn't mention her unfortunate history of opposing pro-gay legislation.) But her main talking point is that people in the district--a long, narrow slice of New Haven that starts in the upper Hill neighborhood and stretches northwest out to West Rock--don't see or hear from Walker. "I've never gotten a phone call from her. She's never reached out to me," Chen complains. "A lot of people don't know what's going on in Hartford." Walker sure sounds like a political insider when she talks about Chen's campaign. She calls the challenge "unfortunate." (Whatever happened to competition?) "Being a very active member and a part of the core group of the Democratic Party in Hartford," she says, "I can represent the community. Being a member of the Green Party or an independent, you don't have the support of the Democratic Party." And Walker dismisses the charge that she's remote by saying, essentially, that she's supposed to be. "The way that government works--I have to be in contact with the aldermen" and can't "supercede" them by going into neighborhoods, she says. "My job is to be in Hartford advocating. It's not necessarily being in every community meeting; that's what the aldermen are supposed to do." Get her going on what she wants to accomplish, though, and Walker sounds like a progressive's dream. She wants to reform the juvenile justice system--site of tragedies ranging from teen suicide to staff beatings--so that kids, especially poor kids, don't keep getting "bounced" around. She wants to restore the health coverage for poor people that got cut last session. She wants to eliminate corporate welfare and move away from Connecticut's heavy reliance on property taxes for funding schools. And without realizing it, Walker demonstrates why having to actually run for re-election is good for her--and her constituents. "It was a slow startup, because I didn't realize I had to go out and campaign," she says. "Now that people heard I'm being challenged, I got calls from all over the state from people saying they would like to help. All the hard work I have been doing, people have actually noticed." And she's actually started to visit people in her district. Now that's democracy--with a small "d." _________________________________________________________________ Get ready for school! Find articles, homework help and more in the Back to School Guide! http://special.msn.com/network/04backtoschool.armx From dbedellgreen at hotmail.com Sun Oct 3 13:03:38 2004 From: dbedellgreen at hotmail.com (David Bedell) Date: Sun, 3 Oct 2004 13:03:38 -0400 Subject: {news} John Amarilios launches campaign Message-ID: The following story ran in the New Canaan News-Review, part of the Brooks chain. The bizarre thing is, an almost identical story ran in the sister paper Westport News, but said John is running in the 26th District opposing Republican Judith Freedman and Democrat Arlo Ellison. Same byline, but an editor must have introduced the error and gained us the extra publicity. We will issue a correction and apologize to the Democrats and Republicans of Westport, who are probably now running scared. NEW CANAAN NEWS-REVIEW, THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 30, 2004 New Canaan's Amarilios Launches State Senate Run BY JOHN MORDECAI jmordecai @ bcnnew.com The Green Party made its presence known in the senate race for the 36th district Tuesday, when candidate John Amarilios announced his running at Mead Park. He will oppose Republican incumbent William Nickerson. Under a green canopy on a rainy day that made the lush greenery more appropriate, Amarilios addressed the issues he felt were lacking in the state and country. "Power always thinks it has a great soul," he said, quoting John Adams to describe the present nature of American politics, specifically criticizing what he sees as a "greed is good" philosophy of the Republican Party. He likened the country's and state's current fiscal and ethical situation following scandals and poor financial decisions to the captain of the Titanic realizing his ship was inadequate. 'The Iceberg of societal chaos looms before us," he said. "Decades of greed, governmental larceny disguised as privatization, neglect and willful aloofness with regard to the vanishing middle class, and the elimination of any semblance of civic responsibility by corporate entities has yielded a steady and relentless drop in the standard of living for most Americans." A 33-year resident of New Canaan, Amarilios stands on a platform of five main points. The first being universal healthcare statewide, particularly covering the uninsured, a policy he points out that Maine has already enacted. He also proposes vehicle taxes based on automobile size and fuel consumption, and to stop the building of more casinos, referring to state-endorsed gambling as the promotion of "an insidious and damaging practice which ruins families." He also proposes laws to keep banks and credit card companies from charging high interest rates, especially from those in tighter financial situations, and changing foreclosure laws to allow families five years to restructure mortgage debts. "[In the future] I'd like to see us regain our productive position in the country," he said. "And I'd like us to do it through prudent policy without sacrificing environmental concerns or risking the health of the public." Amarilios promised if elected to stick to the principles and initiatives of the Green Party, which is committed to environmentalism, non-violence and social justice. He also denounced private funding of political campaigns, stating that all running parties should be given equal resources. Supporter Hector Lopez Rodriguez, a native of Puerto Rico and New Canaan resident for 13 years, said he wished more politicians would take on Amarilios' views. "He's progressive, and has a good platform and programs," he said. "A progressive government responds to the will of the people. If that's not taken into account, then they are aliens to the well-being of the people." Amarilios has been a practicing attorney since 1989, a past commander of the Darien Power Squadron and communications officer in the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary. He hopes that as a member of the Green Party, he can be the alternative to the two dominant political parties. "Hopefully we can awaken people in the district and tell them they have an alternative to what's going on," he said. "We want to give hope to those who feel there is no choice." -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From dbedellgreen at hotmail.com Sun Oct 3 13:02:57 2004 From: dbedellgreen at hotmail.com (David Bedell) Date: Sun, 3 Oct 2004 13:02:57 -0400 Subject: {news} Green Party designates Burton's campaign as one of 39 'strategic races' it will support Message-ID: The Redding Pilot, Sept. 30, 2004 Green Party designates Burton's campaign as one of 39 'strategic races' it will support The national Green Party has designated Nancy Burton's campaign for the state House of Representatives as one of 39 "strategic races" it will support. Ms. Burton, who is running against incumbent Republican John Stripp for the 135th District (Redding, Weston, Easton) seat, was selected from a field of 414 Greens who have declared their candidacy for public office in 40 states across the U.S. so far in 2004. "The candidates we've selected are those who are running high-profile campaigns, who are exceptional in their ability to represent the Green Party, and who are likely to make a strong showing on Election Day -- with possible victories," said Amy Heart, co-chair of the Green Party's Coordinated Campaign Committee. The Green Party is promoting and assisting all 39 candidates through donor lists, media outreach, web site help, enlistment of volunteers, and other organizational support. "It is gratifying to know that our confidence in Nancy is affirmed by the national Green Party," said David Bedell, Burton's campaign manager and secretary of the Party's Fairfield County Chapter. "We are very pleased to have Nancy as a Green Party candidate this year," he said. "She has a proven track record of fighting for the issues important to the Green Party: public safety and public health, smart development instead of unfettered sprawl, and challenging corruption in high places." "If elected to the legislature, we know she will work hard to advance these issues," Mr. Bedell said. From justinemccabe at earthlink.net Mon Oct 4 14:46:09 2004 From: justinemccabe at earthlink.net (Justine McCabe) Date: Mon, 4 Oct 2004 14:46:09 -0400 Subject: {news} Fw: Green platform, NYT, 10/4/04, "Two Peoples, One State" Message-ID: <00aa01c4aa42$6c8e8720$0402a8c0@JUSTINE> FYI, Interest in creating one, secular democratic state for Israel-Palestine has been growing internationally as a solution to this conflict. This view is reflected in our 2004 USGP platform plank which calls for a reconsideration of this solution given our 10 key values and the facts on the ground. (http://www.gp.org/platform/2004/democracy.html#310677 ) Also, CT Green, Mazin Qumsiyeh has just published a book on this solution Sharing the Land of Canaan as the best way to achieve justice and peace for both peoples and the region. Today, the NY Times published an op-ed (below) by Michael Tarazi, a Palestinian-American legal advisor to the PLO, which elaborates this position. Peace, Justine ------------------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------------------------------------------------- http://www.nytimes.com/2004/10/04/opinion/04tarazi.html?oref=login&pagewanted=print&position= October 4, 2004 OP-ED CONTRIBUTOR Two Peoples, One State By MICHAEL TARAZI srael's untenable policy in the Middle East was more obvious than usual last week, as the Israeli Army made repeated incursions into Gaza, killing dozens of Palestinians in the deadliest attacks in more than two years, even as Prime Minister Ariel Sharon reiterated his plans to withdraw from the territory. Israel's overall strategy toward the Palestinians is ultimately self-defeating: it wants Palestinian land but not the Palestinians who live on that land. As Christians and Muslims, the millions of Palestinians under occupation are not welcome in the Jewish state. Many Palestinians are now convinced that Israeli support for a Palestinian state is motivated not by a hope for reconciliation, but by a desire to segregate non-Jews while taking as much of their land and resources as possible. They are increasingly questioning the most commonly accepted solution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict - "two states living side by side in peace and security," in the words of President Bush - and are being forced to consider a one-state solution. To Palestinians, the strategy behind Israel's two-state solution is clear. More than 400,000 Israelis live illegally in more than 150 colonies, many of which are atop Palestinian water sources. Mr. Sharon is prepared to evacuate settlers from Gaza - but only in exchange for expanding settlements in the West Bank. And Israel is building a barrier wall not on its land but rather inside occupied Palestinian territory. The wall's route maximizes the amount of Palestinian farmland and water on one side and the number of Palestinians on the other. Yet while Israelis try to allay a demographic threat, they are creating a democratic threat. After years of negotiations, coupled with incessant building of settlements and now the construction of the wall, Palestinians finally understand that Israel is offering "independence" on a reservation stripped of water and arable soil, economically dependent on Israel and even lacking the right to self-defense. As a result, many Palestinians are contemplating whether the quest for equal statehood should now be superseded by a struggle for equal citizenship. In other words, a one-state solution in which citizens of all faiths and ethnicities live together as equals. Recent polls indicate that a quarter of Palestinians favor the secular one-state solution - a surprisingly high number given that it is not officially advocated by any senior Palestinian leader. Support for one state is hardly a radical idea; it is simply the recognition of the uncomfortable reality that Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories already function as a single state. They share the same aquifers, the same highway network, the same electricity grid and the same international borders. There are no road signs reading "Welcome to Occupied Territory" when one drives into East Jerusalem. Some government maps of Israel do not delineate Israel's 1967 pre-occupation border. Settlers in the occupied West Bank (including East Jerusalem) are interspersed among Palestinian towns and now constitute nearly a fifth of the population. In the words of one Palestinian farmer, you can't unscramble an egg. But in this de facto state, 3.5 million Palestinian Christians and Muslims are denied the same political and civil rights as Jews. These Palestinians must drive on separate roads, in cars bearing distinctive license plates, and only to and from designated Palestinian areas. It is illegal for a Palestinian to drive a car with an Israeli license plate. These Palestinians, as non-Jews, neither qualify for Israeli citizenship nor have the right to vote in Israeli elections. In South Africa, such an allocation of rights and privileges based on ethnic or religious affiliation was called apartheid. In Israel, it is called the Middle East's only democracy. Most Israelis recoil at the thought of giving Palestinians equal rights, understandably fearing that a possible Palestinian majority will treat Jews the way Jews have treated Palestinians. They fear the destruction of the never-defined "Jewish state." The one-state solution, however, neither destroys the Jewish character of the Holy Land nor negates the Jewish historical and religious attachment (although it would destroy the superior status of Jews in that state). Rather, it affirms that the Holy Land has an equal Christian and Muslim character. For those who believe in equality, this is a good thing. In theory, Zionism is the movement of Jewish national liberation. In practice, it has been a movement of Jewish supremacy. It is this domination of one ethnic or religious group over another that must be defeated before we can meaningfully speak of a new era of peace; neither Jews nor Muslims nor Christians have a unique claim on this sacred land. The struggle for Palestinian equality will not be easy. Power is never voluntarily shared by those who wield it. Palestinians will have to capture the world's imagination, organize the international community and refuse to be seduced into negotiating for their rights. But the struggle against South African apartheid proves the battle can be won. The only question is how long it will take, and how much all sides will have to suffer, before Israeli Jews can view Palestinian Christians and Muslims not as demographic threats but as fellow citizens. Michael Tarazi is a legal adviser to the Palestine Liberation Organization. Copyright 2004 The New York Times Company | Home | Privacy Policy | Search | Corrections | RSS | Help | Back to Top -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: logoprinter.gif Type: image/gif Size: 1810 bytes Desc: not available URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: huckabees_pf_2.gif Type: image/gif Size: 1994 bytes Desc: not available URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: i.gif Type: image/gif Size: 185 bytes Desc: not available URL: From dbedellgreen at hotmail.com Mon Oct 4 23:57:56 2004 From: dbedellgreen at hotmail.com (David Bedell) Date: Tue, 05 Oct 2004 03:57:56 +0000 Subject: {news} Into the Quagmire: Congressman Shays' Westport Town Meeting revisited Message-ID: CONGRESSMAN SHAYS' WAR POSITIONS TO BE REVIEWED For Immediate Release October 4, 2004 Contact: David Bedell - 203-972-7194 Nick Pasquariello - 203-371-8384 Many residents of Westport and Fairfield County will remember the Town Meeting on Iraq that Congressman Christopher Shays convened in February 2003 on the eve of the invasion of Iraq. The meeting, held at Bedford Middle School, produced heated exchanges with angry constituents who felt the Congressman was either misleading or misled in his attempt to justify the invasion. At the time, Shays was quoted as promising, "We will find weapons in Iraq." On Thursday, October 7, the Connecticut Green Party is sponsoring a viewing and discussion of the videotape of that event. The program will be in the McManus Room of the Westport Public Library and is titled, "Into the Quagmire: Congressman Shays' Westport Town Meeting on Iraq, February 23, 2003." Supporters and opponents of Mr. Shays are invited to attend and review the video in light of the events of the past two years. CT Green Party www.ctgreens.org _________________________________________________________________ Express yourself instantly with MSN Messenger! Download today - it's FREE! http://messenger.msn.click-url.com/go/onm00200471ave/direct/01/ From capeconn at comcast.net Tue Oct 5 13:37:40 2004 From: capeconn at comcast.net (Tom Sevigny) Date: Tue, 5 Oct 2004 13:37:40 -0400 Subject: {news} In Today's Courant Message-ID: <00d301c4ab02$03482300$1906a543@sevigny8wcbjrd> You are not going to believe this one: Hartford Courant Editorial Switch To Mr. Sevigny October 5, 2004 8th SENATE -- Towns in the 8th Senatorial District, which includes Avon, Barkhamsted, Simsbury, Canton, Colebrook, Hartland, New Hartford, Norfolk and parts of Granby, Harwinton and Torrington, have a difficult time controlling sprawl and property tax increases. Residents would be best served by electing Green Party candidate Thomas J. Sevigny of Canton to replace Republican incumbent Thomas J. Herlihy of Simsbury. Mr. Sevigny, a 38-year-old police dispatcher in Farmington and a Trinity College graduate, has a good grasp of key issues and realistic solutions for the district's problems. A member of Canton Advocates for Responsible Expansion, he understands that towns are trapped in a vicious cycle. They allow large retail complexes to offset property tax increases and are then beset with more residential development that eats up the revenue from the malls. Mr. Sevigny has ideas to counter sprawl such as allowing towns to limit residential development and a smart-growth plan that would impose more regional cooperation and cost sharing among towns. He also favors increased support for mass transit. Mr. Herlihy, a 47-year-old insurance executive with three terms in the Senate and one in the House, has been responsive to narrow local needs. However, other than giving state arbiters more latitude in settling municipal labor contracts, his solution to rising property taxes is to reduce state spending and limit debt so that more money is available for aid to municipalities. Mr. Herlihy's allegiance to home rule appears to limit his willingness to consider development sprawl as a regional concern. Two other candidates in the race are Democrat Israel I. Gordon, 59, an accountant from Simsbury who wants to modernize the tax system, and Working Families Party nominee Caitlin Reid Sullivan of Barkhamsted. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From TDayan at aol.com Tue Oct 5 23:14:25 2004 From: TDayan at aol.com (TDayan at aol.com) Date: Tue, 5 Oct 2004 23:14:25 EDT Subject: {news} In Today's Courant Message-ID: <1a6.2982cfa6.2e94bd11@aol.com> WOW!! Finally a newspaper gets it! congratulations!! -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From edubrule at sbcglobal.net Wed Oct 6 21:42:40 2004 From: edubrule at sbcglobal.net (edubrule) Date: Wed, 6 Oct 2004 21:42:40 -0400 Subject: {news} Executive Committee meeting Sun. 10/10/04 Hartford office 2pm Message-ID: <005e01c4ac11$2aa2f280$fa95f504@edgn2b574u14bi> The Connecticut Green Party Executive Committee (three co-chairs, treasurer, and secretary) will meet Sunday October 10 at 2:00 pm at the Hartford office. Any Green is invited to attend Executive Committee meetings as an observer. ------------------------------------------------ The office is at 418-A New Britain Ave., Hartford. The office is just east of the intersection of Hillside Ave. with New Britain Ave. It's next to Roma's Bakery on the north side of New Britain Ave, across from Piolin Restaurant. The office phone is 860-524-9448. For a map, go to www.ctgreens.org; on the left of the homepage click on "Hartford" (Hartford chapter), then click where it says "click here for directions". If coming from the west on I-84: Take exit 44 (Prospect Ave.). At the end of the exit ramp are two stop signs--take a left onto a road (Caya Ave) that quickly brings you to Prospect Ave. Take a right onto Prospect Ave. **When Prospect Ave. meets New Park Ave. (you'll see a Crowley Chevrolet dealership) take a right onto New Park Ave. Take a left onto Flatbush Ave. (a Shell Gas Station and a Volkswagen dealership are on the corner of New Park and Flatbush). Travel past Hartford State Technical College (now a branch of Capital Community College) and you'll reach Hillside Ave (a small grocery store is on the corner of Flatbush Ave. and Hillside Ave). Take a right onto Hillside Ave. When Hillside Ave. intersects New Britain Ave. (see another small grocery store) take a left. The Greens office and Roma's Bakery can be seen on the left. If coming from the east on I-84: Take exit 44 (Prospect and Oakwood Avenues). At the end of the exit ramp you'll see Prospect Plaza (a shopping center that includes Home Town Buffet). Take a right onto Kane St. Take a right onto Prospect Ave. (a Shell Gas Station and a Burger King are at the corner of Prospect Ave. and Kane St.) Continue along Prospect Ave. until you reach New Park Ave (you'll see Crowley Chevrolet dealership). Then follow the directions at ** above. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From chapillsbury at igc.org Thu Oct 7 00:02:21 2004 From: chapillsbury at igc.org (Charlie Pillsbury) Date: Thu, 7 Oct 2004 00:02:21 -0400 Subject: {news} Green Party Candidate for United States Representative from the Third Congressional District References: <005e01c4ac11$2aa2f280$fa95f504@edgn2b574u14bi> Message-ID: <008301c4ac22$7287e270$574ffea9@S0031616584> Date: Wednesday, October 6, 2004 Time: 6:00 p.m. - 7:30 p.m. Location: 608 Whitney Avenue New Haven (first floor - The First Unitarian Universalist Society of New Haven) Purpose: Nominate Green Party Candidate for United States Representative from the Third Congressional District to fill the vacancy left by the withdrawal of previously nominated Green Party candidate Ralph Ferrucci. At this meeting, duly called, registered Greens from the Third Congressional District nominated again and elected Ralph Ferrucci as the Green Party Candidate for United States Representative from the Third Congressional District to fill the vacancy left by the withdrawal of previously nominated Green Party candidate Ralph Ferrucci. Ralph agreed to accept the nomination and support of the Green Party, and thanked those present for renominating him. Note to the Executive Committee: Please ask our designated representatives to file the appropriate form with the Secretary of State's Office, so Ralph's name will appear as such on the ballot on 11/2. thanks, Charlie Pillsbury Co-Chair, New Haven Green Party 247 Saint Ronan Street New Haven CT 06511 203-865-6575 chapillsbury at igc.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From timmckee at sbcglobal.net Fri Oct 8 17:08:58 2004 From: timmckee at sbcglobal.net (Tim McKee) Date: Fri, 8 Oct 2004 14:08:58 -0700 (PDT) Subject: {news} Questions to Dodd on verified voting Message-ID: <20041008210858.53109.qmail@web81104.mail.yahoo.com> passing this along,,,, Dear Verified Voting supporters, We have a special request to make of you folks in Connecticut. Your Senator, Chris Dodd, who is up for re-election right now, is a major player in Washington on the success of our national bill to require every electronic voting machine to have a voter-verified paper audit trail. We need just the following question asked of him again and again, as many times as possible, to him directly, at the many events he'll be attending in the next three weeks: "Have you seen these "voter-verified paper audit trail" machines? You know Senator Ensign of Nevada has one right in his office, near your office on Capitol Hill. You really should look at it ....". That's it. The number to call to find out where he will be showing up for local area events is at his district office: 860-258-6940. As you all know, and as Dr. David Dill said, it's up to the people to make this issue happen. There's no big infrastructure or power group that's pushing this, it's just you and me and thousands of regular people all over the country. So - let's make it happen on this special Dodd assignment. For more detailed info, please email Nancy Wallace, at nwallace2 at csc.com Cheers, Pam Pamela Smith Nationwide Coordinator VerifiedVoting.org and The Verified Voting Foundation pam at verifiedvoting.org Register to Vote! http://www.yourvotematters.org/VerifiedVoting -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From dbedellgreen at hotmail.com Sat Oct 9 02:40:38 2004 From: dbedellgreen at hotmail.com (David Bedell) Date: Sat, 09 Oct 2004 06:40:38 +0000 Subject: {news} Burton challenges Stripp to debate Message-ID: Burton challenges Stripp to debate, criticizes his voting record in House The Redding Pilot, October 7, 2004 Nancy Burton, Green Party candidate for the state 135th House District seat has challenged the incumbent, John Stripp, a Republican, to a debate on the issues. ?My opponent has spent 11 years in Hartford joining a minority of extremists to vote against healthy food for our children, voting rights and campaign finance reform,? Ms. Burton said in a prepared release. ?My opponent?s voting record reflects true loyalty to what he regards as his constituency: the big banking, insurance and utility industries,? Ms. Burton said. ?When elected, my voting record will reflect true loyalty to the public interest.? An analysis of Mr. Stripp?s voting record, she said, ?reveals that Stripp has voted along Republican Party line on most issues ? except where he has veered off and taken extreme positions eschewed even by the Republicans,? Ms. Burton said. She cited the following examples: ?(1) He voted against healthy food for schoolchildren! (Public Act No. 04-224); (2) He voted against a bill that would have allowed election-day voter registration, a reform which other states have enacted and which has brought more people to the polls!; (3) He repeatedly voted against campaign finance reform!; (4) He used his leadership position repeatedly, but unsuccessfully, to squelch General Assembly debate! ?Over all, my opponent has compiled one of the worst records in the House of Representatives on health care, voter rights, corporate responsibility, labor and consumer issues,? Ms. Burton said. ?He always votes against increasing the minimum wage, just as he favors electric utility companies against consumers. He voted against requiring companies receiving economic development funds to be accountable for creating jobs. He even voted against requiring certification and licensing of lead abatement workers to protect young children from lead poisoning.? ?It is true that I belong to a party that is outnumbered in the Connecticut House of Representatives. This makes protecting our towns, jobs and the Connecticut yaxpayers' pocketbooks a challenging effor,? said Mr. Stripp in a prepared response. He added: ?? Ms. Burton does not seem to have a grasp on what unfunded mandates do to our towns and school systems. Apparently, she would be for more burdensome unfunded mandates on the taxpayers of the 135th District. She even wants unwilling taxpayers to fund her campaign and mine. I reject that notion. ?? Her party also supports master planning and zoning decisions. I would rather put my trust in our hard-working friends and neighbors who know our towns and graciously volunteer their time for these sometimes thankless boards. ?? It would appear that Ms. Burton does not understand that a healthy, robust Connecticut economy is good for all of us who live in the135th District. If our state is not perceived as being business friendly, our economy will quickly atrophy and we will all suffer. ?I have always viewed myself as a believer in continual evolutionary improvement of all aspects of life in our state,? said Mr. Stripp. ?It appears Ms. Burton is a person who would rather bring our systems of free enterprise, jurisprudence, as well as town and state governance to its knees so she can rebuild it in the image of her party that came out of the tumultuous 1970s in Europe. ?I am committed to working to improve the state of Connecticut on a day-by-day basis so that we can always look toward a future that is brighter,? Mr. Stripp said. Ms. Burton said in her release that she is committed ?to the fundamentals: The clean air, clean water and clean government to which we are all entitled. I advocate healthy food for our children, making it easier for citizens to vote, and campaign finance reform,? she said. ?A vote for John Stripp is a vote for special interests.? Burton said. ?A vote for me is a vote for the people,? David Bedell, secretary of the Green Party?s Fairfield County chapter, has contacted Mr. Stripp to invite him to debate on the issues. Mr. Stripp?s voting record is available at the Elect Burton campaign office, 73 Redding Road (Route 107) in Redding (just east of Route 57), Ms. Burton said. Office hours are Tuesdays and Thursdays, 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. _________________________________________________________________ Get ready for school! Find articles, homework help and more in the Back to School Guide! http://special.msn.com/network/04backtoschool.armx From dbedellgreen at hotmail.com Sat Oct 9 22:34:49 2004 From: dbedellgreen at hotmail.com (David Bedell) Date: Sat, 9 Oct 2004 22:34:49 -0400 Subject: {news} Placement of political signs prompts a cease & desist order for candidate Message-ID: Placement of political signs prompts a cease & desist order for candidate The Redding Pilot October 7, 2004 by SUSAN WOLF pilot at acorn-online.com Political preference signs are beginning to crop up around town as the Nov. 2 election draws near. Signs on private property haven't been an issue, but one candidate's signs on state public rights-of-way have become an issue. Nancy Burton, the Green Party candidate for the 135th state House District seat, has contacted the Connecticut Civil Liberties Union asking for its legal assistance. Ms. Burton or her supporters had placed signs alongside state highways, which Zoning Enforcement Officer Tom Gormley, at the behest of the Zoning Commission, has taken down. Mr. Gormley also issued a cease and desist order to Ms. Burton on Sept. 30 telling her not to place any future signs on town property or in public rights-of-way and to remove any signs that are in them. In her letter to Mr. Gormley that same day, Ms. Burton said she was aware that political signs were placed along Routes 107, 58 and 53, "all of which are state highways, within what are believed to be state highway rights-of-way. Please advise under what authority the town of Redding regulates protected public expression on state property." On Friday, Ms. Burton said it was her understanding that signs are permissible on state-owned property. She said at the intersection of Routes 107 and 57, there are other signs still there. "As I'm looking around other towns, I see other signs along the state highway," she said. Ms. Burton plans to research the issue. She added that if the signs are not permissible, then the other, non-political signs should be removed as well. There is one sign at the intersection of Routes 107 and 57 that is permitted. The state has given Gail Brookover, who runs the Georgetown Farmers Market, permission to place a sign in the green island there because she is in the state's Adopt A Spot program. In exchange, Ms. Brookover plants and maintains this green area. On Tuesday, Chris Cooper, a spokesman for the state Department of Transportation, said signs are prohibited in state rights-of-way because they are a sight line hazard. The signs are taken down and stored at the nearest maintenance facility, he said, so candidates' organizations may retrieve them. Ms. Burton was told, said Mr. Gormley, that she can have political signs of any kind on personal property or on anyone else's personal property with their permission. If a sign is along a state highway but appears to be on private property. Mr. Gormley said he would not touch it. However, if the sign is on a public green and is "obviously not on private prop-erty, I will take it down," he said. "My feeling is that anything within the town borders is within my jurisdiction," said Mr. Gormley. He added that if a sign is considered a safety hazard, regardless of where it is placed, he will take it down. Frank Taylor, Zoning Commission chairman, said it "is entirely legal" for a commu-nity to determine the location and the manner of display of signs. The town can prohibit signs from town property, he said, adding signs are not allowed within the highway rights-of-way, whether state or local. Signs also can't be placed on utility poles or trees, he said. "You can do anything you want on your own property," Mr. Taylor said, but added that individuals are asked to keep signs "a normal size." The main issue regarding signs, he said, is that they do not cause a line of sight impairment, which becomes a public safety issue. According to the regulation, signs may not be put on trees or structures, and are not allowed in public areas. His commission does regulate the size of all kinds of signs in town, he said. However, he added, "we don't regulate the content of signs." If signs are placed on some-one's property without their per-mission, said Mr. Taylor, the property owner may call the zoning officer and he will take the signs down, or the owner may take them down himself. The regulations, said Mr. Gormley, set the size (four square feet) and state a reasonable number of signs may be placed on private property. "We've been cautious about how we enforce it (the number of allowable signs)," he said. The regulations also say that political signs may be put up 60 days in advance, he said. No permit is required to place a temporary political preference sign or signs. The regulation requires that these signs be removed within two days after an election or referendum date. Mr. Gormley said town counsel is looking at the town's regu-lations regarding the political signs for "correctness." On Tuesday, Ms. Burton said she has not yet heard from the Connecticut Civil Liberties Union. "I am still looking into the legal issues," she added. From edubrule at sbcglobal.net Sun Oct 10 11:30:54 2004 From: edubrule at sbcglobal.net (edubrule) Date: Sun, 10 Oct 2004 11:30:54 -0400 Subject: {news} Fw: RURAL GREEN CAUCUS Message-ID: <000c01c4aedf$2daa92f0$c589f504@edgn2b574u14bi> Note that the senders is from California, which I think of as both rural and urban. --Ed ----- Original Message ----- From: To: [sent to CTGP website, comes to Ed (secretary)] Sent: Sunday, October 10, 2004 12:11 AM Subject: RURAL GREEN CAUCUS > JOIN THE RURAL GREEN CAUCUS > > At the Milwaukee Convention a group of Greens from around the US met to form > a Rural Caucus. Ten states were represented and discussion revealed that > rural areas not surprisingly share common issues. We determined that it is > essential to the party that a Rural Caucus form to represent these issues to > the national and work with rural locals to organize and advocate Green > values. > > Formation of a national caucus requires the participation of at least 15 > states and 100 members. One of the benefits is a seat on the national > delegation. We now have 60 members in 20 states. > > Interested individuals and locals please contact: > ruralgreen-subscribe at yahoogroups.com > > Rural Green Caucus Mission Statement: > > The Rural Green Caucus of the Green Party of the United States advocates for > rural perspectives within the party, promotes the growth of the Green Party > in rural areas, and supports the efforts of its members to build a > sustainable society. > > > Respectfully, > > Tom Bolema > California Rural Green Caucus From karinlee1 at mindspring.com Sun Oct 10 21:50:32 2004 From: karinlee1 at mindspring.com (Karin Lee Norton) Date: Sun, 10 Oct 2004 21:50:32 -0400 Subject: {news} Fwd: Bush's mystery bulge in debate #1 Was Bush wired??? Message-ID: Reply-To: From: "Bethune" To: "Don Bethune" Subject: Bush's mystery bulge in debate #1 Was Bush wired??? Date: Fri, 8 Oct 2004 10:47:31 -0700 I got the following this morning from my brother Steve Randell (FAIR). This might be the explanation for that inexplicable non-sequitur of Bush's during the debate last week and for the numerous strange pauses before he gave his answers to questions (and for the strange facial expressions while Kerry was speaking------perhaps he was trying to hear Rove's/Cheney's instructions for a rebuttal through a wireless earpiece????). If you go to the website and look at the photo it does appear as if there is some sort of receiver on his back under his jacket. Tonight's debate should be interesting. Ann ------------------------------------ I must say, I first dismissed this "Is Bush wired?" stuff as slightly kooky speculation, but this story gives me pause. I know the reporter, Dave Lindorff, he has a solid record. I urge you to be patient and click through the Salon commercial and view the photo. What is that thing on George's back? -sr http://www.salon.com/news/feature/2004/10/08/bulge/ Bush's mystery bulge The rumor is flying around the globe. Was the president wired during the first debate? By Dave Lindorff Oct. 8, 2004 | Was President Bush literally channeling Karl Rove in his first debate with John Kerry? That's the latest rumor flooding the Internet, unleashed last week in the wake of an image caught by a television camera during the Miami debate. The image shows a large solid object between Bush's shoulder blades as he leans over the lectern and faces moderator Jim Lehrer. The president is not known to wear a back brace, and it's safe to say he wasn't packing. So was the bulge under his well-tailored jacket a hidden receiver, picking up transmissions from someone offstage feeding the president answers through a hidden earpiece? Did the device explain why the normally ramrod-straight president seemed hunched over during much of the debate? Bloggers are burning up their keyboards with speculation. Check out the president's peculiar behavior during the debate, they say. On several occasions, the president simply stopped speaking for an uncomfortably long time and stared ahead with an odd expression on his face. Was he listening to someone helping him with his response to a question? Even weirder was the president's strange outburst. In a peeved rejoinder to Kerry, he said, "As the politics change, his positions change. And that's not how a commander in chief acts. I, I, uh -- Let me finish -- The intelligence I looked at was the same intelligence my opponent looked at." It must be said that Bush pointed toward Lehrer as he declared "Let me finish." The green warning light was lit, signaling he had 30 seconds to, well, finish. ____ Today's Day Pass sponsored by Sony click here ____ Hot on the conspiracy trail, I tried to track down the source of the photo. None of the Bush-is-wired bloggers, however, seemed to know where the photo came from. Was it possible the bulge had been Photoshopped onto Bush's back by a lone conspiracy buff? It turns out that all of the video of the debate was recorded and sent out by Fox News, the pool broadcaster for the event. Fox sent feeds from multiple cameras to the other networks, which did their own on-air presentations and editing. To watch the debate again, I ventured to the Web site of the most sober network I could think of: C-SPAN. And sure enough, at minute 23 on the video of the debate, you can clearly see the bulge between the president's shoulder blades. Bloggers stoke the conspiracy with the claim that the Bush administration insisted on a condition that no cameras be placed behind the candidates. An official for the Commission on Presidential Debates, which set up the lecterns and microphones on the Miami stage, said the condition was indeed real, the result of negotiations by both campaigns. Yet that didn't stop Fox from setting up cameras behind Bush and Kerry. The official said that "microphones were mounted on lecterns, and the commission put no electronic devices on the president or Senator Kerry." When asked about the bulge on Bush's back, the official said, "I don't know what that was." So what was it? Jacob McKenna, a spyware expert and the owner of the Spy Store, a high-tech surveillance shop in Spokane, Wash., looked at the Bush image on his computer monitor. "There's certainly something on his back, and it appears to be electronic," he said. McKenna said that, given its shape, the bulge could be the inductor portion of a two-way push-to-talk system. McKenna noted that such a system makes use of a tiny microchip-based earplug radio that is pushed way down into the ear canal, where it is virtually invisible. He also said a weak signal could be scrambled and be undetected by another broadcaster. Mystery-bulge bloggers argue that the president may have begun using such technology earlier in his term. Because Bush is famously prone to malapropisms and reportedly dyslexic, which could make successful use of a teleprompter problematic, they say the president and his handlers may have turned to a technique often used by television reporters on remote stand-ups. A reporter tapes a story and, while on camera, plays it back into an earpiece, repeating lines just after hearing them, managing to sound spontaneous and error free. Suggestions that Bush may have using this technique stem from a D-day event in France, when a CNN broadcast appeared to pick up -- and broadcast to surprised viewers -- the sound of another voice seemingly reading Bush his lines, after which Bush repeated them. Danny Schechter, who operates the news site MediaChannel.org, and who has been doing some investigating into the wired-Bush rumors himself, said the Bush campaign has been worried of late about others picking up their radio frequencies -- notably during the Republican Convention on the day of Bush's appearance. "They had a frequency specialist stop me and ask about the frequency of my camera," Schechter said. "The Democrats weren't doing that at their convention." Repeated calls to the White House and the Bush national campaign office over a period of three days, inquiring about what the president may have been wearing on his back during the debate, and whether he had used an audio device at other events, went unreturned. So far the Kerry campaign is staying clear of this story. When called for a comment, a press officer at the Democratic National Committee claimed on Tuesday that it was "the first time" they'd ever heard of the issue. A spokeswoman at the press office of Kerry headquarters refused to permit me to talk with anyone in the campaign's research office. Several other requests for comment to the Kerry campaign's press office went unanswered. As for whether we really do have a Milli Vanilli president, the answer at this point has to be, God only knows. salon.com -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From justinemccabe at earthlink.net Mon Oct 11 13:26:15 2004 From: justinemccabe at earthlink.net (Justine McCabe) Date: Mon, 11 Oct 2004 13:26:15 -0400 Subject: {news} Fw: Is NCQA's goal of quality attainable? Message-ID: <07e401c4afb7$69ef1a50$0402a8c0@JUSTINE> >From Don McCanne, MD, president of Physicians for a National Health Program which, like USGP, advocates for a national single payer health insurance plan. ====================================================== National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) The State of Health Care Quality - 2004 From the Introduction: NCQA is pleased to present its 2004 State of Health Care Quality report. This is the eighth such report NCQA has produced, and the fifth report in a row to find that performance on key measures of clinical quality has improved over the past year. For the 69 million people enrolled in the health plans that provided their performance data to help NCQA prepare this report, this trend is very good news; they can expect better care and better health outcomes. But what of the rest of the health care system? What of those with little or no access to care such as the 45 million people without health insurance? What of those who receive care through health plans that do not publicly report their performance? Using conservative estimates, this report finds that the performance of the rest of the system leaves much to be desired. Huge "quality gaps" exist, costing tens of thousands of lives, millions of illnesses and billions of dollars annually. From the Summary: Despite evidence of promising gains in certain sectors of the health care system, once again this year NCQA documented evidence of widespread, unexplained variation in quality that results in thousands of unnecessary deaths, tens of thousands of avoidable hospitalizations and illnesses and billions of dollars in lost productivity-hobbling an economy already encumbered by the ever-growing costs of health insurance. Even as adherence to evidence-based care has improved in many health plans, there is cause for great concern that these gains could be erased in the years ahead. The trend toward PPOs and CDHPs, while holding great promise in terms of consumer engagement and harnessing of the Internet's power, also relies more on patient decision making and less on aggressive care coordination. http://www.ncqa.org/Communications/SOMC/SOHC2004.pdf Comment: The abysmal quality of health care for the uninsured has been well documented. And it is no surprise that quality can be improved for those individuals who have comprehensive health care coverage. Clearly we need to enact changes that would ensure that everyone has comprehensive health care coverage. What should alarm us about this report is the current trend in health care coverage. Because there is more flexibility in the design of PPOs (preferred provider organizations), premiums can be made more affordable by shifting costs to the beneficiary-patient. Also, the CDHPs (consumer-directed health plans) are designed to make patients more responsible health care shoppers by exposing them to higher out-of-pocket expenses. But as the NCQA report indicates, this trend places a greater emphasis on patient decision making at the cost of deemphasizing aggressive care coordination. The great news about the NCQA report is that aggressive care coordination does improve quality outcomes. The NCQA report describes approaches to improve the identification of better outcomes through improved care coordination. A carefully designed system can be used to reward higher quality care. But PPOs and CDHPs, by shifting the direct spending decisions to the patient-consumer, also shift the responsibility for identifying quality to the patient. But our current fragmented system does not have the capability of providing readily accessible, easily understood data on quality variation. And limiting choice to health plans reduces the patient's ability to have the more important choice of actual health care providers. A single, universal system with truly comprehensive benefits would provide an infrastructure that would enable the promotion of inducements that would encourage aggressive care coordination. We have enough data already to know what would happen with a greater shift to CHDPs and PPOs. We do not need another decade of health policy experimentation ending with the inevitable impaired outcomes. We also have enough data to know what a universal, comprehensive system would bring. Even the special interests opposing reform understand the vast superiority of the single payer model. So why do we continue to listen to and follow their rhetoric designed to protect their own interests? As we continue to postpone the inevitable, we are perpetuating suffering and death. The blood is on the hands of those who fail to act. From justinemccabe at earthlink.net Mon Oct 11 15:59:20 2004 From: justinemccabe at earthlink.net (Justine McCabe) Date: Mon, 11 Oct 2004 15:59:20 -0400 Subject: {news} Fw: USGP-INT Required reading: Ernesto Cardenal on Venezuela Message-ID: <082801c4afcc$cc895d00$0402a8c0@JUSTINE> ----- Original Message ----- From: Michael Canney To: usgp-int at gp-us.org Sent: Monday, October 11, 2004 12:42 PM Subject: USGP-INT Required reading: Ernesto Cardenal on Venezuela This is one of the best articles I've read on Venezuela lately: Venezuela: A New Revolution in Latin America by Ernesto Cardenal http://www.americas.org/item_15475 -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From capeconn at comcast.net Mon Oct 11 16:57:08 2004 From: capeconn at comcast.net (Tom Sevigny) Date: Mon, 11 Oct 2004 16:57:08 -0400 Subject: {news} Cobb arrested Message-ID: <01b401c4afd4$df708f80$1906a543@sevigny8wcbjrd> Published on Monday, October 11, 2004 by the Times-Standard (Eureka, California) Green Presidential Candidate Cobb Arrested at Friday Night's Debate by James Tressler EUREKA -- Green presidential candidate and Eureka resident David Cobb was arrested in St. Louis while protesting the debate between President Bush and John Kerry. According to a press release issued by his campaign staff on Saturday, Cobb was engaged in civil disobedience, protesting what he called "the anti-democratic presidential debates which are restricted to participants from two political parties and sponsored by their corporate contributors." The debate sponsor, the Commission on Presidential Debates, denied the Cobb campaign's repeated requests to participate in the debates with Bush and Kerry and even reportedly denied Cobb's request to attend the St. Louis debate as an audience member. Cobb was arrested shortly after the start of the Washington University debate. St. Louis City police officers apprehended Cobb when he pushed through a line of police with shields who were preventing entry to the debate, according to Cobb's press release. "The real crime is the corporate hijacking of our democracy," Cobb said. "The corporations sponsoring these restricted, scripted and staged events, and their two-party accomplices, don't want the American people to know about the choices they have in this election." Cobb accused what he called big business and the two-party "duopoly" of squelching voices such as his own that are calling for the immediate withdrawal of U.S.-led coalition troops in Iraq. "Debates aren't just about who is going to win an election -- they are the only forum where we can have unrestricted dialogue about the critical issues facing us," said Blair Bobier, media director for the David Cobb-Patricia LaMarche campaign. "Third parties have a long history of changing the political landscape of this country. Restricting debates to two parties severely limits our potential for progressive change." Arrested along with Cobb was the Libertarian presidential candidate, Michael Badnarik, of Austin, Texas. Cobb's partner, Kaitlin Sopoci-Belknap, said Cobb was released from jail shortly after midnight and was cited with trespassing and failure to obey a reasonable police order. Sopoci-Belknap, who is active in Democracy Unlimited of Humboldt, said Cobb was exercising his right to free speech when he decided to crash the debate. She added that Cobb's name is on enough ballots nationwide that he should have been given an opportunity to participate in the debates. "It's ridiculous and preposterous that we're only allowed to hear two perspectives," she said. "Especially when they're scripted ahead of time and financed by a private corporation." -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From justinemccabe at earthlink.net Mon Oct 11 17:17:11 2004 From: justinemccabe at earthlink.net (Justine McCabe) Date: Mon, 11 Oct 2004 17:17:11 -0400 Subject: {news} Fw: [al-awda-CT] Join CTGP candidate Ferucci in Picketing Rosa DeLauro Tomorrow - Tues. Message-ID: <087801c4afd7$ac9853b0$0402a8c0@JUSTINE> ----- Original Message ----- From: The Struggle To: Awda Connecticut ; CTpeace-activists at yahoogroups.com ; newhavengreens at yahoogroups.com Sent: Monday, October 11, 2004 4:10 PM Subject: [al-awda-CT] Picket Rosa DeLauro Tomorrow - Tues. Tomorrow Oct 12, Rosa DeLauro is being honored by AIPAC, the notorious lobby that defends every vicious act of the Israeli government and is currently involved in a campaign to defend the Apartheid Wall [ruled illegal by the International Court of Justice]. AIPAC is also the key lobby sending billions of your tax money to Ariel Sharon. It was a defender to the very end of the murderous sanctions against Iraq, a war crime in itself. Come Join Al-Awda and MECC and Green Party congressional candidate Ralph Ferrrucci in a picket of the award dinner tomorrow at 6 p.m. in Farmington! [directions below] some suggested signs: DeLauro and AIPAC Party While 100 Palestinians Die Shame on DeLauro: Slave to Special Interests Rosa DeLauro: Stop Supporting Israeli War Crimes Keep Our Taxes at Home Iman Al-Hama, Child shot 20 times by the US supplied Israeli Army Direction to 10 Belgravia Terrace, Farmington, CT 06032, [We'll probably picket around the Henley Commons/Belgravia intersection] >From I-84 take exit 39 Route 4 Farmington. At the end of the eixt ramp continue straight onto Route 4 West. Continue approx. 2 miles to traffic light at TOWN FARMS ROAD. Turn RIGHT onto TOWNFARMS ROAD at (Tunxis Plantation Golf Course). Pass the golf course and take the next LEFT on to DEVONWOOD DRIVE. At the first stop sign Take RIGHT TURN onto CAMBRIDGE CROSSING. At the third street on the Right Take a RIGHT TURN onto HENLEY COMMONS. Take an immediate left onto BELGRAVIA TERRACE. 10 Belgravia Terrace is on the cul-de-sac (house numbers are on mail boxes). >From the intersection of Route 10 (WATERVILLE ROAD) and ROUTE 44 (ALBANY AVENUE) in Avon. Tavel approx. 2.4 miles on Route 10 (WATERVILLE ROAD). At the traffice light Take a RIGHT TURN on OLD FARMS ROAD. Continue for 0.5 miles and take a LEFT TURN onto TILLOTSON ROAD. Continue 1.7 miles on TILLOTSON ROAD and Tillotson Road becomes TOWN FARMS ROAD. Turn RUGHT onto DEVONWOOD DRIVE at the first stop sign take RIGHT TURN onto CAMBRIDGE CROSSING. At the third street on the Right Take a RIGHT TURN onto HENLEY COMMONS. Take an immediate left onto BELGRAVIA TERRACE. 10 Belgravia Terrace is on the cul-de-sac (house numbers are on mail boxes). Join Us! 2003 is Al-Nakba Awareness and Al-Awda Activism Year. http://Al-Awda.org Contact your representatives and elected officials: use http://congress.cfl-online.org/ For other ways to help, see http://BoycottIsraeliGoods.org Views are those of their owners. To subscribe to Al-Awda Connecticut, please send a blank message to: Al-Awda-CT-subscribe at yahoogroups.com. To unsubscribe, send a blank message to: Al-Awda-CT-unsubscribe at yahoogroups.com. Yahoo! Groups Sponsor ADVERTISEMENT -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Yahoo! Groups Links a.. To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/al-awda-CT/ b.. To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: al-awda-CT-unsubscribe at yahoogroups.com c.. Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the Yahoo! Terms of Service. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From justinemccabe at earthlink.net Mon Oct 11 17:19:27 2004 From: justinemccabe at earthlink.net (Justine McCabe) Date: Mon, 11 Oct 2004 17:19:27 -0400 Subject: {news} MORE on Green Party Challenger Joins Palestinian Human Rights DEMO TUESDAY Against DeLauro-AIPAC Connection Message-ID: <088201c4afd7$fd763b30$0402a8c0@JUSTINE> For immediate release Monday, October 11, 2004 For information: 203-676-2986 Human Rights Groups to Protest DeLauro-AIPAC Connection Green Party Challenger Ralph Ferrucci to join the demonstration FARMINGTON - A coalition of peace groups and human rights activists will demonstrate Tuesday against U.S. Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro's support of AIPAC - the American Israel Public Affairs Committee. Green Party candidate Ralph Ferrucci, who is challenging DeLauro for her third district seat, will join the demonstration. Groups will gather at 6:30 p.m. near 10 Belgravia Terrace in Farmington where DeLauro, the Democratic incumbent seeking her eighth term. The Middle East Crisis Committee, the Palestine Right of Return Coalition and other human rights and peace activist groups have organized the demonstration DeLauro will be the featured speaker at a Connecticut AIPAC fundraiser at the Belgravia Terrace location. AIPAC is the most powerful lobby in Washington, D.C. Its sole purpose is to provide unconditional, unlimited financial and political support for Israel. The FBI is currently investigating Pentagon officials suspected of passing classified documents to Israel via AIPAC. Since 1978, AIPAC has given more than $35 million to congressional candidates - including more than $45,000 to DeLauro - to assure their support. Over the years, congress has approved more than $91 billion of American taxpayers' money in aid to Israel. DeLauro, a member of the powerful appropriations committee, recently voted to send another $2.2 billion in military aid and an additional $360 million in economic assistance to Israel. AIPAC praises DeLauro as one of its congressional loyalists who ``continues to build a consistent pro-Israel record in Congress." Ferrucci, who is running his first congressional race, said he will stand up AIPAC. ``My platform includes putting people ahead of special interests and the Israel lobby," Ferrucci said. The demonstrators, said they will call for: ? an end to the destructive impact of Israeli lobby on our system of government ? an end to Israeli apartheid walls/fences and the continued destruction of Palestinian society and people. ? for an end to US political, economic, and military aid to Israel until Israel complies with all UN resolutions and International laws ? peace based on justice and human rights. x -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From capeconn at comcast.net Mon Oct 11 18:18:27 2004 From: capeconn at comcast.net (Tom Sevigny) Date: Mon, 11 Oct 2004 18:18:27 -0400 Subject: {news} Nation article on Cobb Message-ID: <01f101c4afe0$3c040cd0$1906a543@sevigny8wcbjrd> The Nation October 25, 2004 The Happy Warrior By William Greider Remember when politics used to be unscripted and fun? David Cobb, presidential nominee of the Green Party, is having fun this year. "I find it exhilarating," he says, notwithstanding the likelihood he will finish behind even independent Ralph Nader, the Green candidate in 2000. Cobb is a 41-year-old lawyer and community organizer who ran for Texas attorney general before moving to Humboldt County, California, ground zero for green-thinking politics. Cobb playfully ridicules campaign stereotypes with his biographical equivalent of being born in a log cabin. "I'm proud to say I'm the only presidential candidate in this election who grew up in a home without a flush toilet," he declares. "I don't say that to get a pat on the head but to underscore that I grew up in poverty-real poverty-and my running mate [Pat LaMarche of Maine] grew up in a public housing project in Providence, Rhode Island. So when I rail against the corporate capitalist system that oppresses workers, I'm speaking from my own experience. I've seen it up close and personal." In Houston, where Cobb came of age, he was a dishwasher, construction worker, deckhand on shrimp boats and waiter, working his way through college and law school. "The constant refrain is that Greens are nothing more than upper-middle-class environmentalists, but you know what that's the Sierra Club, not the Green Party," he says. "The Green Party is actually composed of working-class people." The Greens' sensibility is still counterculture, but they've become far more inclusive, recruiting union members and urban minorities while also talking about governing issues with less froth, more substance. Double the minimum wage to $10 an hour. Repeal the NAFTA and WTO agreements, also the Taft-Hartley Act. End Poverty-literally-with a new system to guarantee "sustainable livelihoods" for all, worthy work and living wages, decentralized economics and politics, an economy transformed to sustain nature rather than destroy it. "There are no good-paying jobs on a dead planet," Cobb observes. The electoral reality is that, without the celebrity of Ralph Nader on the ticket, the Green Party will likely finish in asterisk territory with other minor parties. Indeed, a rump group is out working for Nader instead of Cobb. That's OK with Green Party organizers, who demonstrated party control by nominating Cobb over Nader at the June convention. Their objective is long-term party-building, registering more members, recruiting more candidates for local offices, organizing more state parties. By those terms, they see themselves winning by growing this year, while Democrats and major media direct the heavy fire at Nader. The Greens in 2004 do not say, as Nader did four years ago, that there's no difference between Democrats and Republicans-just not enough difference. A provocative comparison of party positions on the Greens' website lists what Greens oppose and both major parties support: war in Afghanistan and Iraq, the Patriot Act, Israeli occupation of the West Bank, corporate agriculture, corporate welfare, corporate rules for global trade, bank deregulation, increasing military spending, the death penalty. Greens support and Democrats and Republicans oppose: national health insurance, doubling the minimum wage, full public financing for candidates, strict controls on genetically modified organisms, the landmine-ban treaty, real action on global warming, a new legal doctrine of workers' rights for Americans, electoral reforms that create the political space for a multiparty democracy. Indeed, reading their literature and listening to Cobb, it seems more that the Greens are co-opting Democrats than the other way around-adopting reform convictions Democrats have abandoned. Cobb used to be a Democrat himself and was a campaign organizer for Jesse Jackson in 1988 and Jerry Brown in 1992. "That is actually the year I became so disgusted by the corporate money and realized the kind of progressive politics I wanted to do really couldn't be done by the Democratic Party, because the corporate money was like a cancer that had metastasized within that body," he says. "Even though there were great progressive Democrats, ultimately the money ruled the day." Most rank-and-file Democrats know this, he thinks, but don't know what to do about it. But, he says, "there is a growing awareness in a segment of the American population.that we do not have a democracy in this country. Democracy means the people rule. Today unelected, unaccountable CEOs are not just exercising power over us, they are literally ruling us. They are making the public policy decisions for us." The radical edge in Green politics is small-d democratic-the Greens' conviction that "grassroots democracy" and "community-based economics" are still possible in America, that "workplace democracy" is a smart fit with "ecological wisdom." Their textbook is Lawrence Goodwyn's history of the agrarian revolt, The Populist Movement, which describes how ordinary citizens in the 1880s built an autonomous, self-educating social movement to challenge the dominant culture. Cobb believes the Greens are working on the early stages of movement-building. In 1996, when Cobb first got involved, the party had forty elected officeholders and ten organized state parties, only five of those recognized with a ballot line. By 2000, it had twenty-one state parties, ten with ballot lines and eighty-one elected officials. Despite the hostile aftermath of 2000, when they were accused of tipping the election to Bush, Greens grew from twenty-one to forty-four state organizations, twenty-eight with ballot lines and 207 elected officials. It this keeps up, Democrats might want to check it out. "Every time a progressive Democrat laments to me or wails or screams at me, I very calmly say, 'I appreciate where you're coming from, but you know what, we're going to keep doing what we're doing and we're growing,'" Cobb relates. "We are getting larger and stronger and better organized with every election cycle. If you really think that our growing is a problem, then the solution is to work together to change the voting system." The future of Green power remains a fantasy until the legal barriers that face all minor parties are overcome-the winner-take all election system that leads citizens to vote for the lesser of two evils rather than someone who genuinely represents their views. Despite history and tradition Cobb believes this will occur when major parties eventually feel threatened by their internal decay. "Principled liberals have clearly been sold out and lied to by the Democratic Party leadership," he explains. As disgust deepens for the two-party duopoly and party faithful drop away, the pressure for instant runoff voting and larger reform will accelerate. San Francisco launches IRV City Council elections this fall. What might the Democrats learn from the Green Party? The leadership is hopeless, Cobb believes, "like a huge statue, but it's completely hollow and only the corporate cash is keeping it upright." However, Cobb suggests, what rank-and-file Democrats, "could crib from us is that they have a helluva lot more power that they realize-if only they would exercise it. When you unleash the democratic spirit for individual members and encourage them to act autonomously and individually, it is nothing short of staggering." It might also be more fun. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From dbedellgreen at hotmail.com Mon Oct 11 19:33:08 2004 From: dbedellgreen at hotmail.com (David Bedell) Date: Mon, 11 Oct 2004 19:33:08 -0400 Subject: {news} Ferrucci in Waterbury Republican-American References: Message-ID: Third party added to ballot GreenParty candidate to run against DeLauro Monday, October 11, 2004 By Alexander MacInnes Copyright ? 2004 Republican-American First he was on, then he was off, and now he's back on. Ralph Ferrucci, Green Party candidate for the 3rd Congressional District, will soon be placed on the ballot after being nominated by his party in late April, pulling out of the race in August and being renominated last Wednesday at New Haven's Unitarian Church on Whitney Avenue. As soon as his party notifies the Secretary of the State's office, he will be placed on the ballot to run against seven-term incumbent Democrat Rosa DeLauro and Republican challenger H. Richter Elser. Ferrucci's late push has town clerks from Waterbury to New Haven calling their printers to add his name or doing it themselves by manually printing his name on sticky labels and fixing them to absentee ballots. When he pulled out in August, the ballots were not yet prepared. "You just have to roll with the punches," said Judith E. Crosswait, Naugatuck's borough clerk, who has already sent out more than 200 absentee ballots. Now that the ballots have been printed, his late addition means more work, and maybe additional expenses, for the town clerks. It also means more effort for voters who have already asked for absentee ballots and want to vote for Ferrucci, a New Haven resident. Ferrucci was first nominated April 30 at the former Green Party offices on Eld Street. He said Green Party officials only contacted 100 out of the 670 registered Green Party voters in the 3rd District and only 12 people showed up to nominate him. "I dropped out because not everyone in the district had a chance to vote for me," Ferrucci said Thursday. "If they didn't have the right to vote for me, it wouldn't be a real nomination. ?,?. This time they had the ability to come down (for the nomination)." That nomination was legal, but Ferrucci wanted to contact all 670 Green Party voters. Because his name is to be added to the ballot, voters who have already sent in absentee ballots must contact their town clerks or the Secretary of the State's office for new ballots if they want to vote for Ferrucci. "If there are people out there who decide, 'I want to vote for that candidate, ' and their name is not on the ballot, that's an issue," Waterbury City Clerk Antoinette Spinelli said. "I have to send them an additional ballot." Spinelli sent out about 60 ballots to residents in Waterbury's 71-2 and 71-3 districts. She, like Crosswait, said she did not have the printers turn out too many ballots because she was "tipped off that it may change." Ferrucci, who is coordinating Ralph Nader's presidential bid in Connecticut, has about $3,000 in his coffers compared to DeLauro's $100,000 purse. From nectgreens at hotmail.com Mon Oct 11 20:56:43 2004 From: nectgreens at hotmail.com (NECT Greens) Date: Tue, 12 Oct 2004 00:56:43 +0000 Subject: {news} Meeting Tuesday Message-ID: Don't forget--the Northeast Chapter of the Greens meets October 12th at 7 pm at Main St. Cafe. Enjoy good beer, great company, good food! Jean _________________________________________________________________ Check out Election 2004 for up-to-date election news, plus voter tools and more! http://special.msn.com/msn/election2004.armx From edubrule at sbcglobal.net Tue Oct 12 22:58:08 2004 From: edubrule at sbcglobal.net (edubrule) Date: Tue, 12 Oct 2004 22:58:08 -0400 Subject: {news} Elizabeth Horton Sheff's letter of resignation from the CT Green Party Message-ID: <002f01c4b0d0$9cd69050$78a1f504@edgn2b574u14bi> At the 10/10/04 Executive Committee meeting, Elizabeth Horton Sheff distributed the following letter to the members of the Executive Committee. The Executive Committee decided, after discussion, that this letter should be put on the News listserve. --------------------------- "I begin this letter with an expression of thanks to the Connecticut Green Party (CTGP) for its support. "Many years back, when I was in search of a political home, the CTGP presented so many possibilities. The Ten Key Green Values reflected my own principles. The people with whom I worked were committed, like myself, to nurturing a grassroots movement with aim to shape a new, just peace reality in our nation and around our world. "Yet, while I remain appreciative of our past relationship, today I find that we stand at a crossroad in our partnership. "Over the past few years our respective pursuit of justice has diverged in many critical ways. Upon much reflection and prayer, I have come to realize that responsibilities to those who elected or call upon me, and my fundamental convictions must take priority. Therefore, it is with heavy heart that I tender my resignation to the CTGP, effective immediately. In keeping with my support for third-party politics, I will be changing my party status to unaffiliated within the coming week. "Please know that I remain open to working with the CTGP on an issue-by-issue basis, and that I wish both you and the Green Party well. "Continued strength! "[signed] Elizabeth "Elizabeth Horton Sheff" -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From justinemccabe at earthlink.net Wed Oct 13 15:06:49 2004 From: justinemccabe at earthlink.net (Justine McCabe) Date: Wed, 13 Oct 2004 15:06:49 -0400 Subject: {news} Fw: [al-awda-CT] Palestinian NGOs CONDEMN US unconditional support for Israel Message-ID: <0bb701c4b157$cafce920$0402a8c0@JUSTINE> PNGO STATEMENT OF CONDEMNATION OF ISRAELI ATTACK ON NORTH GAZA AND A CALL ON THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY FOR INTERVENTION The Palestinian Non-Governmental Organizations Network (PNGO) calls upon the United Nations, and the international community, to intervene and stop the Israeli attacks on the Palestinian people, which have been concentrated in the northern Gaza Strip since the night of 28 September 2004. The serious escalation of Israeli attacks against Palestinian citizens and property utilizing heavy arms, including tanks and air force, caused outrageous impacts of civilian life and property. During 11 days of the attack, codenamed "Days of Penitence", 115 Palestinians were killed, including 31 children, at least 75 Palestinian houses were destroyed, and about 400 dunams [100 acres] of agricultural land was leveled by the Israeli forces. It should be noted here that the Israeli attack has been concentrated on Jabaliya Refugee Camp, the most densely populated area in the world, in addition to major parts of north Gaza towns of Beit Lahia and Beit Hanoun. Thousands of Palestinian citizens are suffering due to the tight closures imposed by Israeli forces on the area, the lack of food and water, and the continuous electricity cut-off. Additionally, Israeli occupation forces continue to impose closure and siege on the Gaza Strip, closing borders and the international crossing point, and dividing the Strip into three isolated cantons. The PNGO, a coordinating body for more than 100 NGOs, condemns the United States' unconditioned support for Israel, which was recently embodied in vetoing of the United Nations Security Council draft resolution on this attack. The resolution, which was tabled by Algeria and Tunisia, demanded halt to Israeli military action in Gaza and that Israel respects international law. The U.S.'s veto allowed the attack to continue. The PNGO calls upon the international community to stop its silence and act to protect civilians in the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPT). PNGO believes that condemnation of the Israeli violations is not sufficient, and demands effective pressure on Israel to ensure respect for international law and treaties, including the Fourth Geneva Convention Relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Times of War. PNGO also calls on the international community and human rights organizations to intensify their actions to stop the Israeli attack on Palestinian civilians, especially children, and their property. The PNGO calls on the United Nations to dispatch a monitoring and protection mission to the OPT, as a critical step to spare civilian life and property, and to take the necessary measures to ensure respect for international law. Palestinian Network of NGOs, Gaza City, 12 October 2004 From eaton at spazmo.com Wed Oct 13 18:58:41 2004 From: eaton at spazmo.com (Bob Eaton) Date: Wed, 13 Oct 2004 18:58:41 -0400 Subject: {news} CTGP Fundraising Message-ID: The following is a report on CTGP Fundraising that I wanted to be be read at the last SCC meeting but time did not allow for: Mike DeRosa received a quote from American Mailing Services of $855.00 to 955.00 to do a 2,000 fundraising mailing. We would only need to pay $420 up front (the postage costs) to start the mailing. There will be a proposal at the next SCC meeting to authorize an expenditure of up to $1,000 for a mailing. We have had 3 recent fund raisers: 1) Pat Lamarche event in Fairfield that brought in $71 dollars. 2) A fundraising mailing that Elizabeth Brancato did and paid for. This mailing has so far brought in $670. If we include pledges for the future (100 for 100) it adds up to $780. 3) We also had a Woody Guthrie's American Song Reception that brought in a NET of $320. We now have 18 people in the 100 for 100 program with a total yearly commitment of $2,520. (This includes members that have either given a onetime donation of $100+ or committed to do so for the year.) Best, -- Bob Eaton / Head Spazmo http://www.spazmo.com Patriot ? Lemming From edubrule at sbcglobal.net Wed Oct 13 23:08:05 2004 From: edubrule at sbcglobal.net (edubrule) Date: Wed, 13 Oct 2004 23:08:05 -0400 Subject: {news} a message from Eliz.Horton Sheff, including an offer to have a meeting at the Hartford office where Greens can learn more about her concerns. Message-ID: <004f01c4b19b$2ef26020$6395f504@edgn2b574u14bi> This evening Elizabeth Horton Sheff asked me to post the e-mail below, written to me, on the News listserve. This e-mail relates to the 10/12/04 post on the News listserve (Elizabeth Horton Sheff's letter of resignation from the Connecticut Green Party given to Executive Committee members). --Ed DuBrule CT Green Party secretary ----- Original Message ----- From: Elizabe813 at aol.com To: edubrule at sbcglobal.net Cc: [another e-mail address used by Elizabeth Horton Sheff] Sent: Tuesday, October 12, 2004 7:14 AM Subject: Re: Elizabeth, use of your letter to us Ed - publishing my letter on the news listserver defeats any effort to keep my resignation low key. Now, the reality is that "low key" is, in my opinion, best for the Green Party. I know that my decision is sound, more than just justifiable. I have no qualms in defending the same. The bottom line is that I leave this decision up to the Executive Committee, but I suggest that the EC revisit the possible ramifications of taking such measure. With regard to expanding upon my concerns, again, I believe that there are many concerns (for the Green Party) to be weighed. Here's a suggestion -- a special called meeting at the Hartford office inviting those who are interested in learning more. Please know that my resignation from the party is not meant to be a withdrawal from working with folks on issues. Our paths will continue to cross. Elizabeth -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From chapillsbury at igc.org Thu Oct 14 00:08:52 2004 From: chapillsbury at igc.org (Charlie Pillsbury) Date: Thu, 14 Oct 2004 00:08:52 -0400 Subject: {news} offer to have a meeting at the Hartford office where Greens can learn more about her concerns. References: <004f01c4b19b$2ef26020$6395f504@edgn2b574u14bi> Message-ID: <005e01c4b1a3$84a3f620$574ffea9@S0031616584> I think the EC should accept this gracious offer. ----- Original Message ----- From: edubrule To: ctgp-news at ml.greens.org Sent: Wednesday, October 13, 2004 11:08 PM Subject: {news} a message from Eliz.Horton Sheff,including an offer to have a meeting at the Hartford officewhere Greens can learn more about her concerns. Connecticut Green Party - Part of the GPUS http://www.ctgreens.org/ - http://www.greenpartyus.org/ to unsubscribe click here mailto://ctgp-news-unsubscribe at ml.greens.org ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ This evening Elizabeth Horton Sheff asked me to post the e-mail below, written to me, on the News listserve. This e-mail relates to the 10/12/04 post on the News listserve (Elizabeth Horton Sheff's letter of resignation from the Connecticut Green Party given to Executive Committee members). --Ed DuBrule CT Green Party secretary ----- Original Message ----- From: Elizabe813 at aol.com To: edubrule at sbcglobal.net Cc: [another e-mail address used by Elizabeth Horton Sheff] Sent: Tuesday, October 12, 2004 7:14 AM Subject: Re: Elizabeth, use of your letter to us Ed - publishing my letter on the news listserver defeats any effort to keep my resignation low key. Now, the reality is that "low key" is, in my opinion, best for the Green Party. I know that my decision is sound, more than just justifiable. I have no qualms in defending the same. The bottom line is that I leave this decision up to the Executive Committee, but I suggest that the EC revisit the possible ramifications of taking such measure. With regard to expanding upon my concerns, again, I believe that there are many concerns (for the Green Party) to be weighed. Here's a suggestion -- a special called meeting at the Hartford office inviting those who are interested in learning more. Please know that my resignation from the party is not meant to be a withdrawal from working with folks on issues. Our paths will continue to cross. Elizabeth ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ To be removed please mailto://ctgp-news-unsubscribe at ml.greens.org _______________________________________________ CTGP-news mailing list CTGP-news at ml.greens.org http://ml.greens.org/mailman/listinfo/ctgp-news ATTENTION! The information in this transmission is privileged and confidential and intended only for the recipient listed above. If you have received this transmission in error, please notify us immediately by email and delete the original message. The text of this email is similar to ordinary or face-to-face conversations and does not reflect the level of factual or legal inquiry or analysis which would be applied in the case of a formal legal opinion and does not constitute a representation of the opinions of the CT Green Party. The responsibility for any messages posted herein is solely that of the person who sent the message, and the CT Green Party hereby leaves this responsibility in the hands of it's members. NOTE: This is an inherently insecure forum, please do not post confidential messages and always realize that your address can be faked, and although a message may appear to be from a certain individual, it is always possible that it is fakemail. This is mail sent by a third party under an illegally assumed identity for purposes of coercion, misdirection, or general mischief. CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE: If you have received this e-mail in error, please immediately notify the sender by e-mail at the address shown. This e-mail transmission may contain confidential information. This information is intended only for the use of the individual(s) or entity to whom it is intended even if addressed incorrectly. Please delete it from your files if you are not the intended recipient. Thank you for your compliance. To be removed please mailto://ctgp-news-unsubscribe at ml.greens.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From chapillsbury at igc.org Thu Oct 14 19:38:27 2004 From: chapillsbury at igc.org (Charlie Pillsbury) Date: Thu, 14 Oct 2004 19:38:27 -0400 Subject: {news} Racial Justice Week Film Showing in New Haven Message-ID: <017001c4b246$e8c7f590$6801a8c0@EXDIR04> In the spirit of Racial Justice Week, The New Haven Green Party, NAACP, and CCNE invite you to a viewing of the documentary film UNPRECEDENTED: The 2000 Presidential Election. Saturday October 23, 2:30 - 4:30pm Stetson Branch Library, 200 Dixwell Ave., New Haven The film will be followed by a discussion led by Calvin Nicholson, candidate, New Haven Registrar of Voters. This is a must-see film! Ten times as thorough a treatment of the election as in Fahrenheit 911. It demonstrates the culpability of both the Dems and Republicans in this fiasco --- and the importance of our Registrar of Voters! "...lays bare everything the say went wrong with the election in Florida." "...highlights those on the front lines --- from the African-Americans who were turned away from polling booths for assorted reasons." --- reviews from the LA Times -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From TDayan at aol.com Fri Oct 15 20:06:06 2004 From: TDayan at aol.com (TDayan at aol.com) Date: Fri, 15 Oct 2004 20:06:06 EDT Subject: {news} offer to have a meeting at the Hartford office where Greens can le... Message-ID: <75.35865260.2ea1bfee@aol.com> I would agree - it's such a shame that Eliz. has resigned - she deserves a chance to be heard - and really listened to, without defensiveness. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From edubrule at sbcglobal.net Fri Oct 15 21:26:02 2004 From: edubrule at sbcglobal.net (edubrule) Date: Fri, 15 Oct 2004 21:26:02 -0400 Subject: {news} band available for CT Green Party events/fundraisers Message-ID: <001001c4b31f$a31f44b0$1095f504@edgn2b574u14bi> Our band would love to help out your Connecticut Green Party chapter, or Connecticut Green Party political campaign. Our band, The Patriot Act (a.k.a. The Known Unknowns) would love to play at your Green Party fundraiser or other progressive political event. The members of our band have all played with many local bands (mostly blues). Here's a rundown of bands we are currently in or have played with recently: Tom Sanders--The Hornets Mark Easton--Sweet Daddy Cool Breeze Joe Elliot--The Hornets, Janet Ryan, Sweet Daddy Greg Allen--Chris Tofield & The Bluesbenders Mark Schuyler--Beach Bums You can check out our band this Sunday October 17 at Black-Eyed Sally's--we will be playing in the CT Blues Society Blues Challenge; we play at 10pm. Black-Eyed Sally's is at 350 Asylum St. in Hartford (860-278-7427) (www.blackeyedsallys.com for directions and parking info). Also, you can check out our web site, www.the-patriot-act.org. It's still under construction, but you can listen to a couple of our tunes. We could play in Hartford, New Haven, or most anywhere within an hour or so of Hartford. Tom Sanders tom at the-patriot-act.org Note from Ed DuBrule, secretary: the above notice results from an e-mail sent to me by Tom. His e-mail to me contains the link www.the-patriot-act.org (or www.the-patriot-act-.org with a hyphen following the word "act"). I am able to connect to the website by clicking on the link in Tom's e-mail. For reasons I don't understand, I cannot reach the website by putting www.the-patriot-act into my internet browser. I have Tom's phone number, if there are any problems with his e-mail address. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From chapillsbury at igc.org Fri Oct 15 21:35:41 2004 From: chapillsbury at igc.org (Charlie Pillsbury) Date: Fri, 15 Oct 2004 21:35:41 -0400 Subject: {news} October 27th, 2004 Meeting on Universal Health Care at Yale U. Message-ID: <001c01c4b320$72b44a40$574ffea9@S0031616584> Message----- Original Message ----- From: Naomi Shaiken Sent: Friday, October 15, 2004 7:23 PM Subject: October 27th, 2004 Meeting on Universal Health Care at Yale U. The Yale University ACLU, CT Physicians for National Health Plan, CT Call to Action are holding an important meeting on Universal Health Care! October 27, 2004, Linsley-Chittenden , Room 102 (diagonal from the British Art Museum), High St and Chapel St.at 7:30pm. Street parking may be difficult, there is a garage on York St., just before Chapel St. on the left side of the street, one block from L-C. Participants: Molly Zeff: Moderator (second year Yale student, ACLU member), Julian Ferholt, M.D. (CT Physicians for National Health Plan), John Battista, M.D. (CT Coalition for Universal Health Care) , Gretchen Vivier (CT Health Care For All), Naomi E. Shaiken (CT Call to Action). Each panelist will speak about 10 minutes, giving their reason for supporting Universal Health Care, then we will have an open Q & A from the audience to the panelists. We are inviting all our Federal and State Legislators to attend. We hope they accept . They will be recognized as "audience members''. Mark your calendar! Bring your friends, neighbors and relatives! Send this to all your CT e-list! Help us make this a great evening! If you need driving directions, please contact Molly - molly.zeff at yale.edu -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: Blank Bkgrd.gif Type: image/gif Size: 145 bytes Desc: not available URL: From edubrule at sbcglobal.net Fri Oct 15 23:43:19 2004 From: edubrule at sbcglobal.net (edubrule) Date: Fri, 15 Oct 2004 23:43:19 -0400 Subject: {news} chapter reps, please come to 10/26/04 SCC meeting prepared to discuss question of replacing Elizabeth Horton Sheff Message-ID: <00ac01c4b332$80f60500$1095f504@edgn2b574u14bi> At the beginning of the 10/10/04 Executive Committee meeting, co-chair Elizabeth Horton Sheff resigned from the Connecticut Green Party, effective immediately. The letter she presented to Executive Committee members concerning this decision was previously (10/12/04) "published" to this News listserve. I have studied the bylaws of the Connecticut Green Party and they are silent on the issue of replacement of a co-chair (or any officer) who resigns. The Executive Committee, at its 10/10/04 meeting, asked me to write this e-mail to chapter reps of the SCC. The Executive Committee considered that there are at least three possible responses to Elizabeth Horton Sheff's resignation: (1) no replacement (i.e. only have two co-chairs until the next internal elections). We had internal elections (which elected co-chairs, treasurer, and secretary) on 3/13/04; the next internal elections are expected to be held in March 2005. (2) new election of some kind. If this option is chosen, the SCC must decide the details of the election. Ideas that jump to my mind are: (a) election by the SCC (b) election by the SCC after consultation with chapters (c) election by a some procedure involving polling chapter members (c) election at a special convention (on a Saturday in Middletown?) (d) election involving a mailing to some group of Connecticut Greens (3) next-highest vote-getter: decision by the SCC that the next highest vote-getter in the March 2004 internal elections, beyond the co-chairs elected, shall be declared a replacement for Elizabeth Horton Sheff. (As I write this e-mail I do not know whether the next-highest vote-getter is known, i.e. I do not know if the ballots--or the computer printout generated by using the ballots--are still available.) I will attempt to find out whether the next-highest vote-getter is known. If I determine the facts on this, I will publish the facts to this News listserve as soon as I determine them. In the meantime, please, chapter reps, think about the above issues (and consult with your chapter members). The 10/26/04 SCC meeting will be at Wesleyan University, Fisk Hall (exact room to be determined). -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From justinemccabe at earthlink.net Sat Oct 16 08:48:37 2004 From: justinemccabe at earthlink.net (Justine McCabe) Date: Sat, 16 Oct 2004 08:48:37 -0400 Subject: {news} Poll reveals world anger at Bush Message-ID: <0d7101c4b37e$75079960$0402a8c0@JUSTINE> According to this, only Israelis--and Russians--want Bush to continue. Justine =================================== Poll reveals world anger at Bush Eight out of 10 countries favour Kerry for president Alan Travis, home affairs editor Friday October 15, 2004 The Guardian George Bush has squandered a wealth of sympathy around the world towards America since September 11 with public opinion in 10 leading countries - including some of its closest allies - growing more hostile to the United States while he has been in office. According to a survey, voters in eight out of the 10 countries, including Britain, want to see the Democrat challenger, John Kerry, defeat President Bush in next month's US presidential election. The poll, conducted by 10 of the world's leading newspapers, including France's Le Monde, Japan's Asahi Shimbun, Canada's La Presse, the Sydney Morning Herald and the Guardian, also shows that on balance world opinion does not believe that the war in Iraq has made a positive contribution to the fight against terror. The results show that in Australia, Britain, Canada, France, Japan, Spain and South Korea a majority of voters share a rejection of the Iraq invasion, contempt for the Bush administration, a growing hostility to the US and a not-too-strong endorsement of Mr Kerry. But they all make a clear distinction between this kind of anti-Americanism and expressing a dislike of American people. On average 68% of those polled say they have a favourable opinion of Americans. The 10-country poll suggests that rarely has an American administration faced such isolation and lack of public support amongst its closest allies. The only exceptions to this trend are the Israelis - who back Bush 2-1 over Kerry and see the US as their security umbrella - and the Russians who, despite their traditional anti-Americanism, recorded unexpectedly favourable attitudes towards the US in the survey conducted in the immediate aftermath of the Beslan tragedy. The UK results of the poll conducted by ICM research for the Guardian reveal a growing disillusionment with the US amongst the British public, fuelled by a strong personal antipathy towards Mr Bush. The ICM survey shows that if the British had a vote in the US presidential elections on November 2 they would vote 50% for Kerry and only 22% for Bush. Sixty per cent of British voters say they don't like Bush, rising to a startling 77% among those under 25. The rejection of Mr Bush is strongest in France where 72% say they would back Mr Kerry but it is also very strong in traditionally very pro-American South Korea, where fears of a pre-emptive US strike against North Korea have translated into 68% support for Mr Kerry. In Britain the growth in anti-Americanism is not so marked as in France, Japan, Canada, South Korea or Spain where more than 60% say their view of the United States has deteriorated since September 11. But a sizeable and emerging minority - 45% - of British voters say their image of the US has got worse in the past three years and only 15% say it has improved. There is a widespread agreement that America will remain the world's largest economic power. This is underlined by the 73% of British voters who say that the US now wields an excessive influence on international affairs, a situation that 67% see as continuing for the foreseeable future. A majority in Britain also believe that US democracy is no longer a model for others. But perhaps a more startling finding from the Guardian/ICM poll is that a majority of British voters - 51% - say that they believe that American culture is threatening our own culture. This is a fear shared by the Canadians, Mexicans and South Koreans, but it is more usually associated with the French than the British. Perhaps the endless television reruns of Friends and the Simpsons are beginning to take their toll. ? ICM interviewed a random sample of 1,008 adults aged 18 and over by telephone between September 22-23 2004. Interviews were conducted across the country and the results have been weighted to the profile of all adults. Guardian Unlimited ? Guardian Newspapers Limited 2004 -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From eaton at spazmo.com Sat Oct 16 12:02:08 2004 From: eaton at spazmo.com (Bob Eaton) Date: Sat, 16 Oct 2004 12:02:08 -0400 Subject: {news} 1-888-877-8607 is down :-( Message-ID: I just found out our toll free number is down at the moment. The phone company is working to find out what the problem is. I'll send out another email when it is working again. Best, -- Bob Eaton / Head Spazmo http://www.spazmo.com Patriot ? Lemming From dbedellgreen at hotmail.com Fri Oct 15 23:52:27 2004 From: dbedellgreen at hotmail.com (David Bedell) Date: Fri, 15 Oct 2004 23:52:27 -0400 Subject: {news} Re: CTGP Fundraising References: Message-ID: Thanks for the report, Bob. Regarding a mailing, I'd like to raise two points: 1. If we send a fundraising letter, let's make sure it is also very informative, including, for example: - election information, such as who ran where, or who is in office - volunteer opportunities and chapter contacts - web address www.ctgreens.org 2. I'm sure someone has investigated this before, but what are the arguments for and against getting a bulk mailing permit? Independent candidate Pat Kane told me it costs $300, and gave me the explanation below. David Bedell ----- Original Message ----- Hi David: The organization buys an idicia or imprint that is stamped on each piece of mail. It has a # that corresponds to the organizations listing with the Postal Service. Anyone related to the organization, such as candidates, may then use the stamp (purchased at a local print shop). There has to be a minimum # of pieces to mail and they are sorted by zip code and delivered to the main post office, such as the one in Stamford. You can get detailed info online or call and speak with someone. When I worked with a party, the indicia belonged to the party, but all candidates used it and paid for their own mailings with a check when they delivered the pieces to the PO. That's as much as I know. Pat From dbedellgreen at hotmail.com Sat Oct 16 16:12:26 2004 From: dbedellgreen at hotmail.com (David Bedell) Date: Sat, 16 Oct 2004 20:12:26 +0000 Subject: {news} RE: question of replacing Elizabeth Horton Sheff Message-ID: Ed, I would urge you NOT to publish this information until we have decided what is the fairest/most practical procedure. We should decide on a procedure based on its merits, not on which individual we hope (or fear) would be likely to win the vacant co-chair position. David Bedell ----Original Message Follows---- I will attempt to find out whether the next-highest vote-getter is known. If I determine the facts on this, I will publish the facts to this News listserve as soon as I determine them. _________________________________________________________________ On the road to retirement? Check out MSN Life Events for advice on how to get there! http://lifeevents.msn.com/category.aspx?cid=Retirement From dbedellgreen at hotmail.com Sat Oct 16 22:47:48 2004 From: dbedellgreen at hotmail.com (David Bedell) Date: Sat, 16 Oct 2004 22:47:48 -0400 Subject: {news} Colin Bennett in the Clinton Recorder Message-ID: http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=13153716 Diverse candidates offer voters a choice The Clinton Recorder By: Stan Fisher , Special to the Recorder 10/15/2004 CLINTON - Like a politician's version of the menu at fabled Alice's Restaurant, the race for the 33rd District's state senate seat this year offers pretty much anything a voter might want in its diverse and crowded field of candidates. There's Jason Potts of Moodus, who has never run for any elective office and is carrying the banner of the Working Families Party, a new political entity assembled by a coalition of labor unions and grass roots organizations. There's Colin Bennett, a young school teacher from Westbrook and the Green Party's candidate in the 33rd, looks to bring a fresh perspective, and a message about the environment and education, to the state legislature. There's Republican Emanuel "Manny" Misenti, also from the Moodus section of East Haddam, campaigning for legislative reform that unequivocally demands ethical conduct in state government. And there's the 33rd District's incumbent state senator, Eileen Daily, a Democrat whose legislative experience includes six terms in the legislature and 15 years as an elected official in her hometown of Westbrook. After 12 years in office, Daily says she finds motivation to continue her work from the sense of obligation instilled in her by her parents to contribute to the well-being of one's community, and a view that six terms of legislative experience enhances her ability to do so. Chairwoman of the legislature's Finance, Revenue and Bonding Committee, Daily sees the stabilization of revenues from corporate, sales and income taxes as among the critical issues for Connecticut's economic welfare. Because of continual variations in the way some of those taxes are applied, the legislature needs to study the overall tax system to find a way of measuring their effectiveness and equity to state revenues, she says. Beyond that endeavor, Daily sees support for public education, the physical and financial well-being of senior citizens and the protection of the environment as her principal concerns for the state. Misenti, an electrical contractor currently serving on the East Haddam school board and a member of the Republican state central committee, also has served as selectman and as chairman of the Republican committee. Inspired to public service by his family, friends and community, Misenti is so well known as "Manny" that his nickname is included in the listing of his name on the ballot. Reform of state campaign financing heads his list of priorities for the legislature, but he is also pushing for "clear and strict" ethics regulations - with substantial penalties for their violation - as well as legislative oversight of contractors, state employees and all others on the state payroll. With his own district in mind, Misenti also wants a revamping of the distribution of state revenues to bring what he calls "a fair shake" for the budgets of smaller towns. A teacher at St. Mary's School in New London and an elected member of the Westbrook Forest Commission, Bennett is a marine science technician in the U.S. Coast Guard Reserve, a volunteer with the Westbrook fire service, and founder and president of Great Land Conservation Trust, Inc., among civic endeavors. His affiliation with the Green Party stems in part from his work on Ralph Nader's presidential campaign in 2000, but more from his sense that the two established political parties offer little opportunity for change and progress in the country. His campaign for the senate is driven by a desire to work for change in Connecticut, with a particular emphasis on the environment and the need to remedy poor air quality, to protect water quality and to continue the preservation of open space and the variety of benefits it provides. In education, Bennett wants a greater degree of parity in the funding levels for state universities and community colleges, and in tax reform, he looks for relief from the dependence on property tax revenues to pay for town budgets. A meat manager at the Shaw's Supermarket in West Hartford, Potts has been a Moodus resident for seven years. He serves as a volunteer at the East Haddam Dog Pound and is an active member of the Connecticut Bass Federation. A member of his labor union's executive board, Potts says his affiliation with the union-based Working Families Party is a natural progression from workplace concerns. Potts lists wages that fail to keep pace with living costs as a major concern, followed by the impact of the ever-increasing cost of health insurance on both employees and companies, and increasing property taxes. ?Clinton Recorder 2004 From justinemccabe at earthlink.net Mon Oct 4 09:46:40 2004 From: justinemccabe at earthlink.net (Justine McCabe) Date: Mon, 4 Oct 2004 09:46:40 -0400 Subject: {news} FWD: NYT, 10/4/04, "Two Peoples, One State" Message-ID: <017a01c4aa18$94ae1470$0402a8c0@JUSTINE> FYI, Interest in creating one, secular democratic state for Israel-Palestine has been growing internationally as a solution to this conflict. This view is reflected in our 2004 USGP platform plank which calls for a reconsideration of this solution in light of our 10 key values and the facts on the ground. (http://www.gp.org/platform/2004/democracy.html#310677 ) Also, CT Green, Mazin Qumsiyeh has just published a book on this solution Sharing the Land of Canaan as the best way to achieve justice and peace for both peoples and the region. Today, the NY Times published an op-ed (below) by Michael Tarazi, a Palestinian-American legal advisor to the PLO, which elaborates this position. Peace, Justine ------------------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------------------------------------------------- http://www.nytimes.com/2004/10/04/opinion/04tarazi.html?oref=login&pagewanted=print&position= October 4, 2004 OP-ED CONTRIBUTOR Two Peoples, One State By MICHAEL TARAZI srael's untenable policy in the Middle East was more obvious than usual last week, as the Israeli Army made repeated incursions into Gaza, killing dozens of Palestinians in the deadliest attacks in more than two years, even as Prime Minister Ariel Sharon reiterated his plans to withdraw from the territory. Israel's overall strategy toward the Palestinians is ultimately self-defeating: it wants Palestinian land but not the Palestinians who live on that land. As Christians and Muslims, the millions of Palestinians under occupation are not welcome in the Jewish state. Many Palestinians are now convinced that Israeli support for a Palestinian state is motivated not by a hope for reconciliation, but by a desire to segregate non-Jews while taking as much of their land and resources as possible. They are increasingly questioning the most commonly accepted solution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict - "two states living side by side in peace and security," in the words of President Bush - and are being forced to consider a one-state solution. To Palestinians, the strategy behind Israel's two-state solution is clear. More than 400,000 Israelis live illegally in more than 150 colonies, many of which are atop Palestinian water sources. Mr. Sharon is prepared to evacuate settlers from Gaza - but only in exchange for expanding settlements in the West Bank. And Israel is building a barrier wall not on its land but rather inside occupied Palestinian territory. The wall's route maximizes the amount of Palestinian farmland and water on one side and the number of Palestinians on the other. Yet while Israelis try to allay a demographic threat, they are creating a democratic threat. After years of negotiations, coupled with incessant building of settlements and now the construction of the wall, Palestinians finally understand that Israel is offering "independence" on a reservation stripped of water and arable soil, economically dependent on Israel and even lacking the right to self-defense. As a result, many Palestinians are contemplating whether the quest for equal statehood should now be superseded by a struggle for equal citizenship. In other words, a one-state solution in which citizens of all faiths and ethnicities live together as equals. Recent polls indicate that a quarter of Palestinians favor the secular one-state solution - a surprisingly high number given that it is not officially advocated by any senior Palestinian leader. Support for one state is hardly a radical idea; it is simply the recognition of the uncomfortable reality that Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories already function as a single state. They share the same aquifers, the same highway network, the same electricity grid and the same international borders. There are no road signs reading "Welcome to Occupied Territory" when one drives into East Jerusalem. Some government maps of Israel do not delineate Israel's 1967 pre-occupation border. Settlers in the occupied West Bank (including East Jerusalem) are interspersed among Palestinian towns and now constitute nearly a fifth of the population. In the words of one Palestinian farmer, you can't unscramble an egg. But in this de facto state, 3.5 million Palestinian Christians and Muslims are denied the same political and civil rights as Jews. These Palestinians must drive on separate roads, in cars bearing distinctive license plates, and only to and from designated Palestinian areas. It is illegal for a Palestinian to drive a car with an Israeli license plate. These Palestinians, as non-Jews, neither qualify for Israeli citizenship nor have the right to vote in Israeli elections. In South Africa, such an allocation of rights and privileges based on ethnic or religious affiliation was called apartheid. In Israel, it is called the Middle East's only democracy. Most Israelis recoil at the thought of giving Palestinians equal rights, understandably fearing that a possible Palestinian majority will treat Jews the way Jews have treated Palestinians. They fear the destruction of the never-defined "Jewish state." The one-state solution, however, neither destroys the Jewish character of the Holy Land nor negates the Jewish historical and religious attachment (although it would destroy the superior status of Jews in that state). Rather, it affirms that the Holy Land has an equal Christian and Muslim character. For those who believe in equality, this is a good thing. In theory, Zionism is the movement of Jewish national liberation. In practice, it has been a movement of Jewish supremacy. It is this domination of one ethnic or religious group over another that must be defeated before we can meaningfully speak of a new era of peace; neither Jews nor Muslims nor Christians have a unique claim on this sacred land. The struggle for Palestinian equality will not be easy. Power is never voluntarily shared by those who wield it. Palestinians will have to capture the world's imagination, organize the international community and refuse to be seduced into negotiating for their rights. But the struggle against South African apartheid proves the battle can be won. The only question is how long it will take, and how much all sides will have to suffer, before Israeli Jews can view Palestinian Christians and Muslims not as demographic threats but as fellow citizens. Michael Tarazi is a legal adviser to the Palestine Liberation Organization. Copyright 2004 The New York Times Company | Home | Privacy Policy | Search | Corrections | RSS | Help | Back to Top -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: logoprinter.gif Type: image/gif Size: 1810 bytes Desc: not available URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: huckabees_pf_2.gif Type: image/gif Size: 1994 bytes Desc: not available URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: i.gif Type: image/gif Size: 185 bytes Desc: not available URL: From timmckee at sbcglobal.net Thu Oct 14 16:42:34 2004 From: timmckee at sbcglobal.net (Tim McKee) Date: Thu, 14 Oct 2004 13:42:34 -0700 (PDT) Subject: {news} New Haven Advocate "By Any Greens Necessary" Message-ID: <20041014204234.82484.qmail@web81106.mail.yahoo.com> http://newhavenadvocate.com/gbase/News/content?oid=oid:85496 By Any Greens Necessary Calvin Nicholson takes a crack at the cushy but essential office of the Registrar of Voters. by Dave Goldberg - October 14, 2004 KATHLEEN CEI PHOTO Calvin's cool.As of last week, 53,286 New Haven residents were registered to vote, and, in some sense, they all owe their place on the voter rolls to Sharon Ferrucci and Rae Tramontano, the respective Democratic and Republican registrars of voters, the golden girls of town politics. "We've both been here for 15 years," says Ferrucci. "This has always been run as a nonpartisan office. It's hands-on dealing with the public, and our job is to make sure the elections run fair." "It's what I do best, and it's what I love to do," adds Tramontano. On Election Day, each casts her ballot for the other. But their oasis of klatchy bipartisanship is being threatened this year by Calvin Nicholson, a 26-year-old Yale graduate and lifetime New Haven resident, who is running on the Green Party ticket for the Office of the Registrars of Voters. Nicholson is Jay-Z to the ladies' Mary Kaye. One of his handouts features a crusading depiction of the black comic-book hero, the Green Lantern. On the flip side, graffiti script implores the reader: Bitch less. Act more. Vote Nov. 2nd. A Nicholson victory would be a first for New Haven: There have never been three parties in town represented by a registrar of voters. A Socialist Party member ran in 1953 and lost. According to the General Statutes of Connecticut, sec. 9-190, each state municipality is required to have two registrars, one from each major party. Their job is to keep an eye on the other and ensure that voter registration and elections are run fairly. The registrars are also responsible for voter education, keeping track of the voter rolls, maintaining the voting machines and staffing polling stations during elections. It's a full-time, year-round job, and each registrar makes $56,275. Registrars serve four-year terms, and the Republicans and Democrats have reserved seats. However, a third party can field a candidate. By law, if that candidate beats one of the major-party candidates, then all three parties are winners. In other words, the major parties keep their seats and the third-party candidate joins them in the office. This makes for a perfect race for the Green Party to run, according to party co-chair and Nicholson campaign treasurer Charlie Pillsbury, since no one can blame the Greens for stealing votes from another candidate. "Ours is a non-spoiler campaign," he says. "No matter what, the incumbents get to stay. All we have to do is beat the Republicans. And there is already parity between the Republicans and Greens here in New Haven; we're growing and they're shrinking, so there's a real possibility of electing a third party to the Office of Registrar." "It would be a big deal for a Green to get a public office, but it's also an office that we can make positive changes in," adds Nicholson. "If I win, I will implement bold and new ideas that are probably not coming from the incumbents." Nicholson criticizes the current registrars for being too passive in getting out the vote. He wants to ramp up voter registration, especially, and not surprisingly, in New Haven's minority communities. "You have to actively canvas voters and get people to register," he says. "You have to meet the people where they are. I'm talking community forums, going into the schools and explaining how elections work. The problem with the way things are now is that most people don't understand the process." Nicholson, who now works as an information technology specialist, also promises to be a sort of technological watchdog. This will be increasingly important as a result of the 2002 Help America Vote Act (HAVA), which requires all states to have at least one electronic-voting machine in each polling station by 2006. On the national scene, implementation of HAVA has already proved to be quite the bugaboo, what with lawsuits and scandals involving the Diebold company, and, of course, the ongoing Florida flim-flammery. Computerized voting makes sense in the 21st century, Nicholson says, but there is also a growing fear that these machines will be susceptible to hacking and other forms of digital fraud. "We need some level of expertise in that office." The current registrars claim to have no problem with Nicholson's candidacy, but do take issue with his critique of their job performance. "What he is proposing to do is part of what we do every day," says Tramontano. "He's reinventing the wheel. We go into the schools twice a year, when we're only obliged by state statutes to go once a year. We go whenever and wherever we are asked. Plus, we train groups [to register voters] constantly." Ferrucci says that they also make a concerted effort, through mailings and collaborations with community groups, to reach ex-felons and aid them in restoring their voting rights. Tramontano notes that she has some technological expertise of her own. She has served on a state panel to study electronic voting, and she was also a commissioner on the HAVA Standards Board. She says that Connecticut is looking at a lot of different options for future voting and is proceeding cautiously. In any event, the decision as to which electronic voting system will be used rests with the Secretary of State. Asked if they would push their desks aside to make room for the third-party registrar, the ladies take a diplomatic tack. "If he wins, he'll work along with us, I hope," says Tramontano. "Everyone has the right to run," Ferrucci said. "I was a candidate. Rae was a candidate. It's the way democracy works." -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From edubrule at sbcglobal.net Sun Oct 17 10:28:06 2004 From: edubrule at sbcglobal.net (edubrule) Date: Sun, 17 Oct 2004 10:28:06 -0400 Subject: {news} Re: CTGP Fundraising References: Message-ID: <00b801c4b45a$61021800$b5bff504@edgn2b574u14bi> (1) The Executive Committee has agreed on the draft of a fundraising letter. It does not include the website address--maybe it should. We agreed to put election results (it will be sent out after Nov. 2) on the back of the single page, with winners (if any) highlighted or starred in some fashion. Past years' fundraising letters have included volunteer opportunities and chapter contacts; this year's letter does not. Maybe it should. I think we're concerned about keeping the letter short and to the point--this is a request for funds. (2) The Executive Committee will be bringing a proposal to the SCC this month (10/26/04 meeting at Wesleyan) asking for an appropriation of funds to do the mailing through the mailing bureau that was used in past years. I don't know if the mailing bureau could be asked to send it out via a CTGP mailing permit. ----- Original Message ----- From: "David Bedell" To: Cc: Sent: Friday, October 15, 2004 11:52 PM Subject: [CTGP-fundraising] Re: CTGP Fundraising > Thanks for the report, Bob. Regarding a mailing, I'd like to raise two > points: > > 1. If we send a fundraising letter, let's make sure it is also very > informative, including, for example: > - election information, such as who ran where, or who is in office > - volunteer opportunities and chapter contacts > - web address www.ctgreens.org > > 2. I'm sure someone has investigated this before, but what are the > arguments for and against getting a bulk mailing permit? Independent > candidate Pat Kane told me it costs $300, and gave me the explanation below. > > David Bedell > > ----- Original Message ----- > Hi David: > The organization buys an idicia or imprint that is stamped on each piece > of mail. It has a # that corresponds to the organizations listing with the > Postal Service. Anyone related to the organization, such as candidates, may > then use the stamp (purchased at a local print shop). There has to be a > minimum # of pieces to mail and they are sorted by zip code and delivered to > the main post office, such as the one in Stamford. > You can get detailed info online or call and speak with someone. > When I worked with a party, the indicia belonged to the party, but all > candidates used it and paid for their own mailings with a check when they > delivered the pieces to the PO. > That's as much as I know. > Pat From edubrule at sbcglobal.net Sun Oct 17 10:29:07 2004 From: edubrule at sbcglobal.net (edubrule) Date: Sun, 17 Oct 2004 10:29:07 -0400 Subject: {news} RE: question of replacing Elizabeth Horton Sheff References: Message-ID: <00b901c4b45a$61806fc0$b5bff504@edgn2b574u14bi> David is right--if I am able to determine if the next-highest vote-getter is known, I should report that fact, but NOT the name of the next-highest vote-getter. --Ed ----- Original Message ----- From: "David Bedell" To: Sent: Saturday, October 16, 2004 4:12 PM Subject: {news} RE: question of replacing Elizabeth Horton Sheff > Connecticut Green Party - Part of the GPUS > http://www.ctgreens.org/ - http://www.greenpartyus.org/ > > to unsubscribe click here > mailto://ctgp-news-unsubscribe at ml.greens.org > Ed, I would urge you NOT to publish this information until we have decided > what is the fairest/most practical procedure. We should decide on a > procedure based on its merits, not on which individual we hope (or fear) > would be likely to win the vacant co-chair position. > > David Bedell > > > ----Original Message Follows---- > > I will attempt to find out whether the next-highest vote-getter is > known. > If I determine the facts on this, I will publish the facts to this News > listserve as soon as I determine them. > > _________________________________________________________________ > On the road to retirement? Check out MSN Life Events for advice on how to > get there! http://lifeevents.msn.com/category.aspx?cid=Retirement > > > To be removed please mailto://ctgp-news-unsubscribe at ml.greens.org > _______________________________________________ > CTGP-news mailing list > CTGP-news at ml.greens.org > http://ml.greens.org/mailman/listinfo/ctgp-news > > ATTENTION! > The information in this transmission is privileged and confidential and intended only for the recipient listed above. If you have received this transmission in error, please notify us immediately by email and delete the original message. The text of this email is similar to ordinary or face-to-face conversations and does not reflect the level of factual or legal inquiry or analysis which would be applied in the case of a formal legal opinion and does not constitute a representation of the opinions of the CT Green Party. The responsibility for any messages posted herein is solely that of the person who sent the message, and the CT Green Party hereby leaves this responsibility in the hands of it's members. > > NOTE: This is an inherently insecure forum, please do not post confidential messages and always realize that your address can be faked, and although a message may appear to be from a certain individual, it is always possible that it is fakemail. This is mail sent by a third party under an illegally assumed identity for purposes of coercion, misdirection, or general mischief. > > CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE: If you have received this e-mail in error, please immediately notify the sender by e-mail at the address shown. This e-mail transmission may contain confidential information. This information is intended only for the use of the individual(s) or entity to whom it is intended even if addressed incorrectly. Please delete it from your files if you are not the intended recipient. Thank you for your compliance. > > To be removed please mailto://ctgp-news-unsubscribe at ml.greens.org From JeandeSmet at galaxyinternet.net Sun Oct 17 12:04:39 2004 From: JeandeSmet at galaxyinternet.net (Jean de Smet) Date: Sun, 17 Oct 2004 12:04:39 -0400 Subject: {news} Re: CTGP Fundraising References: <00b801c4b45a$61021800$b5bff504@edgn2b574u14bi> Message-ID: <016f01c4b463$03417540$2cb1d942@jeansmet> We used a different mailing service last year because we had had so many bad addresses and, frankly, a lot of mistakes, with the one in Western CT. Remember 3 yrs ago, they didn't use 2 sided paper? 2 years ago, I had to do the layout for them--they couldn't figure it out. Lots of other little headaches. I think Mike DeRosa has another firm that he recommends. I suggest that we send out bids. My understanding is that it was less expensive to use a mailing service's stamp instead of a Green bulk mail permit. But if we are doing several mailings, and we can make the permit available to individual candidates (check campaign rules--that would be a contribution, I think), the initial cost may prove less expensive in the long run. We've also had the services do the mailing, which we can do our selves to save $$. But they do run our list through a "bad address" list that the PO supplies them regularly. This cuts out wasted postage and mail. To clarify: a "bad address" on that list is an address that doesn't exist. It doesn't indicate that someone has moved, etc, but that the zip may be wrong, there's no street number, things like that. Jean ----- Original Message ----- From: "edubrule" To: Sent: Sunday, October 17, 2004 10:28 AM Subject: Re: {news} Re: CTGP Fundraising > Connecticut Green Party - Part of the GPUS > http://www.ctgreens.org/ - http://www.greenpartyus.org/ > > to unsubscribe click here > mailto://ctgp-news-unsubscribe at ml.greens.org > (1) The Executive Committee has agreed on the draft of a fundraising letter. > It does not include the website address--maybe it should. We agreed to put > election results (it will be sent out after Nov. 2) on the back of the > single page, with winners (if any) highlighted or starred in some fashion. > Past years' fundraising letters have included volunteer opportunities and > chapter contacts; this year's letter does not. Maybe it should. I think > we're concerned about keeping the letter short and to the point--this is a > request for funds. > (2) The Executive Committee will be bringing a proposal to the SCC this > month (10/26/04 meeting at Wesleyan) asking for an appropriation of funds to > do the mailing through the mailing bureau that was used in past years. I > don't know if the mailing bureau could be asked to send it out via a CTGP > mailing permit. > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "David Bedell" > To: > Cc: > Sent: Friday, October 15, 2004 11:52 PM > Subject: [CTGP-fundraising] Re: CTGP Fundraising > > > > Thanks for the report, Bob. Regarding a mailing, I'd like to raise two > > points: > > > > 1. If we send a fundraising letter, let's make sure it is also very > > informative, including, for example: > > - election information, such as who ran where, or who is in office > > - volunteer opportunities and chapter contacts > > - web address www.ctgreens.org > > > > 2. I'm sure someone has investigated this before, but what are the > > arguments for and against getting a bulk mailing permit? Independent > > candidate Pat Kane told me it costs $300, and gave me the explanation > below. > > > > David Bedell > > > > ----- Original Message ----- > > Hi David: > > The organization buys an idicia or imprint that is stamped on each > piece > > of mail. It has a # that corresponds to the organizations listing with the > > Postal Service. Anyone related to the organization, such as candidates, > may > > then use the stamp (purchased at a local print shop). There has to be a > > minimum # of pieces to mail and they are sorted by zip code and delivered > to > > the main post office, such as the one in Stamford. > > You can get detailed info online or call and speak with someone. > > When I worked with a party, the indicia belonged to the party, but all > > candidates used it and paid for their own mailings with a check when they > > delivered the pieces to the PO. > > That's as much as I know. > > Pat > > > > To be removed please mailto://ctgp-news-unsubscribe at ml.greens.org > _______________________________________________ > CTGP-news mailing list > CTGP-news at ml.greens.org > http://ml.greens.org/mailman/listinfo/ctgp-news > > ATTENTION! > The information in this transmission is privileged and confidential and intended only for the recipient listed above. If you have received this transmission in error, please notify us immediately by email and delete the original message. The text of this email is similar to ordinary or face-to-face conversations and does not reflect the level of factual or legal inquiry or analysis which would be applied in the case of a formal legal opinion and does not constitute a representation of the opinions of the CT Green Party. The responsibility for any messages posted herein is solely that of the person who sent the message, and the CT Green Party hereby leaves this responsibility in the hands of it's members. > > NOTE: This is an inherently insecure forum, please do not post confidential messages and always realize that your address can be faked, and although a message may appear to be from a certain individual, it is always possible that it is fakemail. This is mail sent by a third party under an illegally assumed identity for purposes of coercion, misdirection, or general mischief. > > CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE: If you have received this e-mail in error, please immediately notify the sender by e-mail at the address shown. This e-mail transmission may contain confidential information. This information is intended only for the use of the individual(s) or entity to whom it is intended even if addressed incorrectly. Please delete it from your files if you are not the intended recipient. Thank you for your compliance. > > To be removed please mailto://ctgp-news-unsubscribe at ml.greens.org > From eaton at spazmo.com Mon Oct 18 11:24:26 2004 From: eaton at spazmo.com (Bob Eaton) Date: Mon, 18 Oct 2004 11:24:26 -0400 Subject: {news} 1-888-877-8607 is back working :-) In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: After several phone calls our CTGP toll free number is back working. It appears that it went down in the last month when a new company bought our phone provider. (Don't you love those corporate take overs. ;^)) It looks liker I should try it out once a week just to make sure it isn't down in the future. We will be getting credit for the last month. Best, -- Bob Eaton / Head Spazmo http://www.spazmo.com Patriot ? Lemming From edubrule at sbcglobal.net Mon Oct 18 17:13:35 2004 From: edubrule at sbcglobal.net (edubrule) Date: Mon, 18 Oct 2004 17:13:35 -0400 Subject: {news} minutes Sept 2004 SCC meeting, part 1 of 3 Message-ID: <009801c4b557$90c888a0$28bff504@edgn2b574u14bi> Minutes--September 2004 SCC meeting Wesleyan University (Fisk Hall room 413), 7:15-9:30pm Attendees: 1. Central Connecticut chapter: Steve Krevisky, Vincent Maruffi 2. Fairfield chapter: Ed Friend, David Bedell 3. Hamden chapter: Aaron Gustafson, Francis Braunlich 4. Hartford chapter: Ed DuBrule (NV), Lynah, Albert Marceau, Mike DeRosa, Barbara Barry DeRosa 5. New London chapter: Andy Derr 6. Northeast chapter: Jean deSmet 7. Northwest chapter: Elizabeth Brancato (voting for Women's Caucus; not voting for Northwest chapter), Judy Herkimer, Kim Herkimer, Audrey Cole 8. Shoreline chapter: Lindsay Mathews, David Adams 9. Tolland chapter: Karin Norton 10. Western chapter: Justine McCabe, Rachel Goodkind Brian Brotman (Wesleyan student) (NV) (see "guest slot" below) Lindsay and Judy co-facilitated the meeting. Persons known to the secretary not to be chapter voting representatives are so noted ("NV"). No attendees were present from the New Haven chapter. The West Hartford chapter and Southeast chapter are no longer counted toward quorum (see minutes of June 2004 SCC meeting). A. PRELIMINARIES The Ground Rules (developed by Connecticut Greens in meetings in November 2002) for conduct of the meeting were adopted by consensus. The August 2004 SCC minutes were approved by consensus. In the guest slot, Wesleyan student Brian Brotman (who had reserved our room tonight) said that he had worked on the Cobb campaign in New Jersey last summer. B. OLD BUSINESS AND PROPOSALS 1. Budget. Mike presented the budget proposal of Appendix 1, which comes from the Executive Committee. The first two items in the budget are contributions of the state party towards the office rent and utilities. Mike distributed a handout (available from the secretary) titled "Reasons to support the state Green Party office". He said that the CTGP's liability insurance is directly tied to some funding connection between the state party and some rented or owned property. He noted that people have talked about suing the CTGP. He said that two insurance agents had told him that homeowners' policies will not cover events. He said that the Hartford chapter has been working hard (including movies and speakers) to cover the Hartford chapter's share of the office. The Northwest chapter had presented an alternative budget. It was in Appendix 9 of the SCC agenda distributed prior to this meeting and at this meeting. All the figures in the Northwest chapter budget are the same as those in the budget of Appendix 1 except that the Northwest chapter budget does not include money towards the Hartford office rent or utilities. The Executive Committee's budget has an annual surplus (income minus expenditures) of $520. The Northwest chapter's budget has an annual surplus of $2,520. [Secretary's note: the expenses in the Northwest chapter's budget actually add to $9,480 rather than $9,880; hence the annual surplus is actually $2,920.] Elizabeth Brancato said that the Northwest chapter met twice over the past month and at their more recent meeting decided to withdraw their proposed budget. Audrey said that budget proposals normally include the current year's appropriation for each budget item alongside the proposed appropriation for each item. She said (or implied) that the proposed budget should be reworked until it resembles the budgets of other organizations she has seen. She said that the Northwest chapter determined that the only statutory requirement for insurance is worker's compensation insurance (if there are employees). Audrey has been told that the insurance industry in general doesn't require rented or owned property to provide insurance (though an individual insurance company or agency may impose this requirement). Justine said that her insurance agent said that we don't need an office to obtain insurance coverage. Karin said that she talked to the insurance company last June and obtained quotes for premiums with no office, one office, or two offices (Hartford and New Haven); the premiums would be much higher if there were no office. Karin expressed concerns about the ability of the state party to afford an office, saying that "we got way into debt with the office". She said "what about the Hartford chapter's debt to the party?" David Adams asked whether political parties need insurance. Do other states' Green parties purchase insurance, and (if so) is their insurance connected to offices? Andy said that liability insurance is needed to protect the officers of the party; "political parties get sued a lot". Andy said that advantages of having an office include visibility of the party and a place to meet. He said that the Hartford chapter has had trouble coming up with its share of the rent. Justine said that there have been many months when the Hartford chapter hasn't paid its share of the rent. Mike said that recently the Hartford chapter formed a PAC and since the formation of this PAC it has been able to pay its share. Andy proposed that the SCC could approve continued funding for the office, subject to the condition that the Hartford chapter managed to come up with its share of the rent. Two or three variations of this idea were discussed, such as giving the Hartford chapter a trial period of three months. Aaron said that if there were to be a partially state-funded office, it would be desirable to have it staffed (even a volunteer with posted office hours two days per week). Jean says that the Northeast chapter makes use of the CTGP's insurance regularly--events such as speakers need insurance. The recent DNC2RNC marchers made use of the CTGP's insurance--they found they couldn't get insurance elsewhere ("we won't cover political events"). Rachel said that the CTGP insurance was used to cover the booth the Western chapter had at Village Fair Days, and that the CTGP insurance was needed to cover eight showings of movie(s) at a local library. Justine spoke of the large amount of money Chris Reilly has asked to be reimbursed. She said that we need to determine the facts regarding this money through some kind of audit. Until this matter is resolved the state party should refrain from spending on anything beyond essential needs. Audrey agreed that there should be a full audit of CTGP past finances. Lindsay spoke of one Shoreline chapter member's comment that if the state passed a budget that brought the state party far into debt, the Shoreline chapter may become responsible for part of that debt. The facilitator asked if there were consensus that the Executive Committee budget should be passed by the SCC. Clearly there was a lack of such a consensus. The facilitator (making use of the modified consensus procedures) asked if the Executive Committee (the presenter of the proposal) wished to (1) ask for more time to discuss the budget, (2) withdraw the proposal (return it to the Executive Committee for modification), or (3) move to a vote. The members of the Executive Committee present at tonight's meeting (Ed DuBrule, Elizabeth Brancato, and Mike DeRosa) left the room to discuss what to do, and returned to say that they withdrew the proposal (the budget) from further consideration at tonight's meeting. 2. Bylaws segment "4-1 Chapters" (Appendix 2). Passed out for discussion at June SCC meeting; submitted by the New London chapter for tonight's meeting. (Bylaws changes must be initiated by a chapter, per the bylaws.) 3. Bylaws segment "4-2 State Central Committee" (Appendix 3). A version of this was passed out for discussion at July SCC meeting; submitted by the New London chapter for tonight's meeting. As submitted tonight, the italicized text in section 4-2-B is to replaced by the boldface text which follows it, and boldface text has been added to section 4-2-C. Tonight's meeting dealt with the two bylaws segments as one agenda item. Andy presented the proposed bylaws changes. By consensus these proposed bylaws changes were referred to chapters for consideration. Secretary's note: below are the steps by which the bylaws are changed. Note the asterisked sentences below (asterisks added by secretary). (1) Any Chapter may, provided two thirds of its full membership concur, propose to the State Central Committee amendments or changes to the Party Bylaws. **(2) The State Central Committee shall refer the proposal to all active Chapters for review and recommendations. **(3) Each Chapter may, by a two thirds majority of its full membership, recommend rejection, State Central Committee approval, or submittal of the proposal to the next following Party Convention for consideration of the full membership. (4) If two thirds of the Chapters recommend approval, the State Central Committee may enact the change or refer it for Convention action. (5) If Convention action is called for, members in good standing but unable to attend the Convention shall each be entitled to vote by absentee ballot. [From the bylaws, posted on the website www.ctgreens.org --click on "archives" on the home page. Numbering of steps added by secretary.] 4. Proposal from Hamden chapter on creation of an IT (information technology) committee (Appendix 4). Aaron presented the proposal. Ed DuBrule noted that the proposal speaks of the committee members as " the state webmaster, all chapter webmasters and interested individuals with IT skills to offer'. He asked if a person without specialized IT knowledge, but with an interest in contributing to the committee (and perhaps with interest in privacy issues) could join the committee. Aaron said that such a person could join. Mike said that he is interested in joining this committee. Someone stated that Dmitri D'Alessandro and Chris Reilly have expressed an interest in joining the committee. David Bedell wondered if the committee's functions would overlap the communications committee; Aaron said that the committee would work with the communications committee. By consensus the proposal was passed by the SCC. 5. Proposal from Hamden chapter on creation of voters' rights working group (Appendix 5). Aaron presented the proposal. It was written to address concerns raised by David Agosta and others. It is would be an ad hoc working group rather than a committee. Karin wondered if formation of a committee would be better--the committee could later turn its attention to implementing the voter outreach program mentioned in the proposal. Jean said she might be interested in joining the group. Jean spoke of creating a policies/procedures manual based on voting laws. Audrey spoke of a case in which a town clerk was misinformed of voting laws--Audrey had to go to the Secretary of State's office. By consensus the proposal was passed by the SCC. 6. Proposal from Women's Caucus on rotating location ... -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From edubrule at sbcglobal.net Mon Oct 18 17:13:59 2004 From: edubrule at sbcglobal.net (edubrule) Date: Mon, 18 Oct 2004 17:13:59 -0400 Subject: {news} minutes Sept 2004 SCC meeting,part 2 of 3 Message-ID: <009901c4b557$91505640$28bff504@edgn2b574u14bi> 6. Proposal from Women's Caucus on rotating location of SCC meetings (Appendix 6). Elizabeth Brancato read the proposal. Eddie Friend said that a drive from Fairfield County to Middletown is 1 hour, 45 minutes; a drive from Fairfield County to a meeting in the Northeast corner of the state would be much longer; there could be problems reaching a quorum unless SCC meetings were held in central CT. Andy said that a drive from New London to an SCC meeting in the northwest corner of the state could be longer than 2 hours. Karin said that rotating meeting sites would let Greens in different parts of the state meet each other; limited rotation could be done during the summer. David Bedell suggested rotation among central locations (Hartford, Meriden, Middletown, and New Haven). The drive from Fairfield County to New Haven is easier than the drive to Middletown. Francis suggested rotating among Congressional Districts. It was noted that CT is a "short" (not "tall") state in the sense that I-91 runs north and south. Karin noted that the proposal says that the location must be announced at least one month before the SCC meeting. She suggested that there be a central default location, in case no location was announced by one month before. The Women's Caucus withdrew the proposal and will rework it in view of the above input. 7. Proposal from Steve Krevisky and others on endorsing the Nov. 20 "Where do we go from here?" conference (Appendix 7). Steve passed out additional preliminary information on the conference: it will be "A day long statewide forum designed to allow activists to share assessments of the elections and plot strategies to go forward in the building of a movement to end the occupation of Iraq and to bring the troops home." It will be Saturday, November 20, 2004 at Central Connecticut State University. The initiating group is CT United for Peace; the host is CCSU Peace Studies. There will be "Celebrity keynote speaker, representatives from 4 national antiwar coalitions, workshops, and a general strategy 'plenary' session. Recognition of leading CT activists. Time to report on your victories and mix it up with folks from around the state." There will be a planning meeting Sunday October 24 [new date from September date originally announced], 2pm, Church of Holy Trinity, Main St., Middletown. Bring proposals for statewide spring activities, also ...." By consensus the SCC endorsed this conference. 8. Proposal from Women's Caucus on unreimbursed expenditures of Chris Reilly (Appendix 8) Elizabeth Brancato read the proposal. Ed DuBrule said that his minutes of the August 2004 SCC meeting included an explanation by Chris of the expenditures, and that Chris had said that that section of the minutes is accurate. Ed said that former treasurer Bruce Crowder had given e-mail comments on that section of the minutes, also. Ed said that Chris had submitted to the Executive Committee a complete listing (in the form of an Excel spreadsheet) of the unreimbursed expenditures. Justine said that the proposal proposes (1) an audit of CTGP finances related to the unreimbursed expenditures; (2) that " Bruce Crowder and Chris Reilly appear before the SCC at the next meeting in order to explain the history of the current GPC debt related to the Hartford office". Audrey said that she could do the audit. Due to the lateness of the hour, it was decided by consensus to defer further discussion of this proposal to the October SCC meeting. C. REPORTS 1. Treasurer's report (read by Elizabeth Brancato). "The finances for the CT Green Party are looking up this month. In the past month we took in $1,781.00 and paid out 973.42. Our receipts were $1,291 from fundraising events, a $260 contribution from the Green Party of the United States, and $230 in monthly and other contributions. Our expenses were 661.68 for the Green Party office in Hartford (these included past due bills we couldn't pay before). $265.26 in Fundraising expenses, $38 for the post office box (this is for 6 months), $6 in bank checking account charges and $ 2.58 for the CT Green Party toll free number. "In addition we received $250 from the Green Party of the United States for the Joyce Chen for State Rep. campaign. A check is on its way to the Joyce Chen for State Rep. campaign. This is a contribution from the National party that we are just facilitating. We also had a contribution for an insurance rider of $ 332.8. for the DNC2RNC event. "Currently we have a balance of $1,152.46. We hope to use this money for a large fundraising mailing. We have paid up all our recent debt, but if we subtract the debt from Chris Reilly our balance would be - $2,388.36. "I also want to point out that we have $837.96 so far this year in, in-kind" contributions. I don't think everyone is aware that we need to report In-kind contributions in the filing to the state. Additionally it is important for budgeting to be aware of how these expenses are being paid. "As always please consider being involved in the Fundraising and Budget Committees. "For more information on the CT Green Party Finances you can call me at 860 379-0632, email me at green at spazmo.com or look at this webpage: http://www.kirajoy.com/CTGP/CTGP_Treasurer.html" One attendee commented on the part of the treasurer's report which reads "but if we subtract the debt from Chris Reilly our balance would be -$2,388.36". She said that the SCC hasn't acknowledged this as a debt to Chris. Reports from committees, campaigns, and chapters were not given, due to lack of time. Fundraising letter information. Mike reported that the Executive Committee plans to do a large fundraising mailing ( to approximately 2,000 people). He distributed a sheet containing information he had obtained from American Mailing Services on the details of that mailing (Appendix 9). Amounts on the sheet include $420 for postage (21 cents per piece) (payable up front), $200 to $300 for Xerox one page plus supply return envelope, and $235 for downloading our database/compare addresses to postal service database/sort/tray/etc., for a total cost of $855 to $955. Mike said that it is hoped that this mailing will bring in at least $3,000 in donations. He asked that chapters discuss this plan. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Appendix 1 Budget proposal [e-mail from Bob Eaton 7/12/04] item# item annual amount monthly amount (cents omitted) comments (added by Secretary) --------Expenses--------- Exp1 Hartford office rent $1,200 $100 $100 per month from CT Green Party (decrease from current $250 per month; Hartford chapter pays rest) Exp2 Hartford office utilities $1,200 100 $100 per month from CT Green Party (this would approximately cover the entire utility bills) Exp3 Fundraising events $1,000 83 Expenses to hold fundraisers Exp4 Fundraising mailings $3,000 250 Postage etc. Exp5 Money for candidates 600 50 Exp6 Insurance 830 69 Liability insurance. New Haven chapter closing its office. Exp7 Printed handouts 750 62 Literature (brochures, flyers) Exp8 Internal elections/annual meeting $1,500 125 Postage, printing Exp9 Buttons/bumper stickers 500 41 Exp10 Other expenses 400 33 Domain name registration, etc. Exp11 Reimbursement to Chris Reilly 900 75 Spending by Chris for office rent, postage/printing/envelopes for September 2003 fundraising mailing, and CTGP website domain name. This is partial re-payment; balance to be repaid in future budget years. -------Expenses total----- 11,880 990 -------Revenues--------- Rev1 Monthly Friends contributions $2,400 per year $200 People who donate monthly to the CT Green Party Rev2 Telephone solicitations for contributions $2,400 200 Rev3 Fundraising from mailings $4,000 333 Rev4 Four events $2,400 200 Four fundraising events Rev5 Ad Hoc contributions $1,200 100 Examples: website visitors donate, donations included in annual elections mailing -------Revenues total--- 12,400 1033 Balance 520 Revenues exceed expenses by $520 ----------------------------------------------------------------- Appendix 2 Proposed bylaws changes from BRPP committee (bylaws, rules, policies and procedures) [From e-mail received from Tom 6/22/04; submitted by New London chapter per e-mail of 9/13/04 from Andy.] 4-1. CHAPTERS 4-1-A. A local chapter shall consist of Green Party members from towns and municipalities within a contiguous geographic region. No chapter shall be larger than a County and none smaller than a single town with the exception of Campus Green organizations. 4-1-B. A local chapter may petition for affiliation with the State Central Committee upon having at least three meetings with five or more Green Party members in attendance at each of the three meetings. 4-1-C. A chapter may be declared inactive by a majority vote of the State Central Committee (SCC) if it has not met within the past three months. A chapter will automatically be declared inactive if it has not sent chapter representatives to the State Central Committee meeting for three months in a row. Inactive status will begin as of the third meeting. 4-1-D. The State Central Committee may vote to revoke a chapter's affiliation with the CTGP if that chapter has not met within the past 6 months. 4-1-E. An inactive chapter will be declared active again if it hold two consecutive monthly meetings monthly meetings with at least five members present and sends representatives to two successive state meetings. 4-1-F. Chapters that have had their affiliation revoked must re-petition the State Central Committee for affiliation once the requirements detailed in 4.1.B are met. -------------------------------------------------------------------- Appendix 3 Proposed bylaws changes from BRPP Committee (bylaws, rules, policies and procedures). [From e-mail received from Tom 7/26/04; revised per 9/13/04 e-mail from Andy.] 4-2 STATE CENTRAL COMMITTEE 4-2-A. The State Central Committee (SCC) shall be the final decision making body of the Green Party of Connecticut, and shall consist of democratically elected representatives from each affiliated local chapter. 4-2-B. Local chapters of the CTGP shall be represented at State Central Committee meetings accordingly : up to 99 registered Greens, the chapter is entitled to 2 voting representatives; from 100 to 499 registered Greens, the chapter is entitled to 3 voting representatives; above 500 registered Greens, the chapter is entitled to 4 voting representatives. Each chapter is entitled to two voting representatives, and is also entitled to an additional representative for each 100 registered Greens residing in the chapter. Voter lists from an appropriate authority (either a town clerk or the Secretary of State) will be the final source in determining the count of a chapter's membership. If these are not obtainable the chapter shall be entitled to two voting representatives. 4-2-C. Caucuses for under-represented groups shall be entitled to one voting representative on the State Central Committee. Under-represented groups are defined as any grouping of Greens that has historically failed to gain adequate access to power in society at-large (i.e., women, African-Americans, youth, etc.). Caucuses shall be established by the State Central Committee. An individual attending an SCC meeting may cast multiple votes--one vote as a chapter representative and one as a caucus representative. 4-2-D. Representatives to the State Central Committee are responsible for disseminating information to their respective local chapters. They are also responsible for following the mandates of the local chapters they represent. 4-2-E. The modified consensus process will be used at State Central Committee meetings. In the event consensus cannot be reached, a vote will be taken with a simple majority being needed for passage of the proposal. Changes to the bylaws need a 66% majority for passage. 4-2-F. Quorum shall be required for votes taken at the State Central Committee meeting. Quorum shall be defined as representation (by at least one voting representative) of at least two-thirds of all active CTGP chapters, excepting Campus Green chapters and inactive chapters. 4-2-G. Chapters shall elect their representatives to the SCC once a year. Representatives shall be eligible for re-election. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Appendix 4. Proposal from Hamden chapter on formation of an IT (information technology) committee -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From edubrule at sbcglobal.net Mon Oct 18 17:14:12 2004 From: edubrule at sbcglobal.net (edubrule) Date: Mon, 18 Oct 2004 17:14:12 -0400 Subject: {news} minutes Sept 2004 SCC meeting,part 3 of 3 Message-ID: <009a01c4b557$91e1e7e0$28bff504@edgn2b574u14bi> Appendix 4. Proposal from Hamden chapter on formation of an IT (information technology) committee [in 8/10/04 e-mail attachment from Aaron Gustafson] Green Party Meeting Proposal Form PRESENTER (committee, chapter(s) or group of individuals) Hamden Green Party CONTACT (name, address, phone number, email) Aaron Gustafson; 83 Treadwell St, Hamden, CT 06517; 203-230-9726; webmaster at ctgreens.org SUBJECT (10 words or less) Creation of IT Committee BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE (100 words or less; include relationship, reasons and/or justification to the State Central Committee) The purpose of the IT Committee would be to oversee all IT-related undertakings of the CT Green Party. PROPOSAL (200 words or less) We propose that the CT Green Party form an IT Committee. This committee would oversee all Information Technology (IT) projects that are initiated by or come under the jurisdiction of the CT Green Party. The initial task for this committee will be the creation of two databases: ? Registered Greens in CT ? Minority party and/or unaffiliated voters in CT The IT Committee would oversee the continued maintenance and administration of these databases as well as work to enable sharing of this information back and forth with local chapters and campaigns. The IT Committee would initially consist of the state webmaster, all chapter webmasters and interested individuals with IT skills to offer. The IT Committee would be required to make periodic reports to the SCC. -------------------------------------------------------------------- Appendix 5 Proposal from Hamden chapter on creation of voters' rights working group [in 8/10/04 e-mail attachment from Aaron Gustafson] Green Party Meeting Proposal Form PRESENTER (committee, chapter(s) or group of individuals) Hamden Green Party CONTACT (name, address, phone number, email) Aaron Gustafson; 83 Treadwell St, Hamden, CT 06517; 203-230-9726; webmaster at ctgreens.org SUBJECT (10 words or less) Creation of Voters' Rights Working Group BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE (100 words or less; include relationship, reasons and/or justification to the State Central Committee) The purpose of the Voters' Rights Working Group will be to work toward improving the relationship of the CT Green Party and the population of registered Greens in CT. This Working Group is being formed to address inadequacies in the current voting process and to ensure proper procedures are followed to allow for the involvement of every Green registered in the state of Connecticut. PROPOSAL (200 words or less) We propose that the CT Green Party constitute a Voters' Rights Working Group, consisting of at least one member each of the Elections Committee, Communications Committee and IT Committee and any other interested parties. The initial purpose of this Working Group is to examine the current state of primary voting among registered Greens in CT. The group will be charged with finding out what ways we can better reach voters and obtain their participation in the primary election cycle (via interviews, questionnaires, etc.). The eventual outcome from this Working Group will be 1) an examination and full report on past oversights regarding primary voting among Greens in CT (to be presented to the SCC); and 2) a plan for how to best carry out primaries on local, regional and state levels through the use of a secure internet-based voting system (for those with internet access) and traditional mail-in ballots (for those without internet access or who prefer to vote by mail). The Working Group's final recommendations will presented to the SCC and, upon approval, become the initial blueprint for a new voter outreach program. It is likely that this Working Group will be of use from time to time following the launch of the program to evaluate it successes and failures and work to refine the process over time. ------------------------------------------------------------------- Appendix 6 Proposal on rotating SCC meeting location. Green Party Meeting Proposal Form PRESENTER (committee, chapter(s) or group of individuals) CT Green Party Women's Caucus CONTACT (name, address, phone number, email) Kelly McCarthy; 83 Treadwell St, Hamden, CT 06517; 203-230-9726; kelly.mccarthy at aya.yale.edu SUBJECT (10 words or less) Rotating monthly SCC meeting location BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE (100 words or less; include relationship, reasons and/or justification to the State Central Committee) The monthly SCC meetings have been occurring in only one or two towns in the state-namely, Middletown and more recently, Hartford. Rotating the state meetings through each of the chapters would periodically ease the burden on certain groups and, hopefully, provide for the participation of additional Greens. PROPOSAL (200 words or less) We propose that the CT Green Party rotate the monthly SCC meeting locations through either: 1) each of the individual town/regional chapters on a cyclical basis; or 2) each region of the State (N/S/E/W). This rotation would follow a predetermined schedule, and would require each chapter/regional chapters to secure an appropriate meeting space and give notification to the SCC of the location at least one month before the scheduled meeting. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Appendix 7 Proposal on endorsing the Nov. 20 conference "Where do we go from here?" Green Party Meeting Proposal Form PRESENTER (committee, chapter(s) or group of individuals): Steve Krevisky, Vincent Maruffi, Vic Lancia, Susan Oehl, Ed DuBrule, Bob Eaton, Elizabeth Brancato CONTACT (name, address, phone number, email): Steve Krevisky, SKrevisky at mxcc.commnet.edu SUBJECT (10 words or less): endorsement of Nov. 20 conference "Where do we go from here?" BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE (100 words or less; include relationship, reasons and/or justification to the State Central Committee): CT United for Peace is sponsoring a Nov. 20, 2004 conference with the theme "Where Do We Go From Here? What are the next steps for the peace movement?" PROPOSAL (200 words or less): the CTGP should endorse this conference. ------------------------------------------------------------------ Appendix 8 Proposal on unreimbursed expenditures made by Chris Reilly Green Party Meeting Proposal Form PRESENTER (committee, chapter(s) or group of individuals) CT Green Party Women's Caucus CONTACT (name, address, phone number, email) Kelly McCarthy; 83 Treadwell St, Hamden, CT 06517; 203-230-9726; kelly.mccarthy at aya.yale.edu SUBJECT (10 words or less) Audit of loan to Chris Reilly and explanation from former treasurer Bruce Crowder. BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE (100 words or less; include relationship, reasons and/or justification to the State Central Committee) One of the pillars of our party is accountability and transparency in all things; and, at the present, the SCC has been unable to reconcile the debt owed to Chris Reilly because the former treasurer, Bruce Crowder, has not provided any explanation for the situation. Even if Bruce is no longer active with the party, his actions are leaving the GPC heavily in debt and he shares in this responsibility. The Women's Caucus is proposing this audit so we minimize the possibility of similar incidents occurring in the future. PROPOSAL (200 words or less) We propose that the SCC request Bruce Crowder and Chris Reilly appear before the SCC at the next meeting in order to explain the history of the current GPC debt related to the Hartford office. We would like for them to reconcile: 1) why Chris Reilly, founder of the GPC and former treasurer, did not communicate the presence of the loans to at least two of the co-chairs (Tom and Justine), despite his obvious knowledge of GPC process; 2) why Chris wasn't repaid (if the loans were regarded as short-term and "informal" by Bruce and Chris) once there was income from a fundraising letter; 3) why half of the rent for the Hartford office wasn't paid by the Hartford chapter, even if the SCC half was paid through a loan from Chris. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Appendix 9 SUMMARY OF QUOTE FROM AMERICAN MAILING SERVICES FOR FUNDRAISING MAILING Description: 8.5 inch by 11 including Letter, Folded BRE insert in # 10 Envelope Quantity: 2,000 Weight Less than 3.3 oz 1. Down load your database from disk or tape and setup Format and Printer. CASS certify Database(to achieve postal discounts. Direct address pieces, sort, tray/Bag, Tag and deliver to Post Office Insert Pieces .........................Total $ 235.00 2. Postage Estimate Automation Standard at $.21 X 2000 ......... Total $420.00 3. If you want AMS to Xerox 1 page insert plus supply small envelope...................... $.10 to $.15 per envelope For 2000..........Approximate Total.. $200.00 to $ 300.00 Total cost for mailing using AMS all the way for 2000 pieces (approximately)..............Total $855.00 to 955.00 -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From edubrule at sbcglobal.net Mon Oct 18 16:07:00 2004 From: edubrule at sbcglobal.net (edubrule) Date: Mon, 18 Oct 2004 16:07:00 -0400 Subject: {news} progressive film fest New Haven 10/21/04 Message-ID: <005301c4b553$dc509c80$28bff504@edgn2b574u14bi> The following appeared in my inbox. I know nothing more about it than what is below, but it looks interesting. --Ed ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Alternative Media Center proudly presents... The Lost Film Fest ' a traveling film fest of independent, anti-authoritarian, anti-corporate & grassroots DIY media' returning to Yale for a second year w/ documentaries on: - the Bush Presidency - the war against Iraq - political protests from across the Globe - fighting multinational corporations When?: Thursday October 21 2004 Where?: Dwight Hall Chapel 67 High Street (Yale Old Campus) New Haven, CT 06520 Time: 7:30 pm Suggested donation $5 (or whatever you want to pay) ** Admission is open to all students and community members For info contact chinyere at yale.edu -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From edubrule at sbcglobal.net Mon Oct 18 16:14:04 2004 From: edubrule at sbcglobal.net (edubrule) Date: Mon, 18 Oct 2004 16:14:04 -0400 Subject: {news} Fw: An Evening with AFSC's Joe Gerson [Social Forum] Message-ID: <005401c4b553$dcd16540$28bff504@edgn2b574u14bi> (The below appeared in my inbox. If you'd like the attached flier, I can forward it to you. --Ed) --------------------------------- -----Original Message----- From: Sarah Hambrick [mailto:...] Sent: Sunday, October 17, 2004 2:30 PM To: Eric Stamm Subject: Joe Gerson event ANOTHER WORLD IS POSSIBLE! Discover the Social Forum Movement COME SOCIALIZE! On Nov. 8, CT supporters of the Social Forum movement invite you for dinner and a discussion led by Mr. Joseph Gerson, Director of the Peace and Economic Security Program of the AFSC New England Region, a veteran of the World Social Forum, and an architect of the Boston Social Forum. Jeremy Brecher, author and Connecticut historian, will moderate. When: Monday, November 8. Doors open at 6:00 pm, dinner at 6:30, speaker at 7:30. Where: Marco Polo Restaurant, East Hartford Cost: $15.00 per person; pay at the door RSVP: to Sarah Hambrick at 860 268-2510, or to our email at info at ctsocialforum.org. Please state your dinner choice: Prime rib; Chicken parmigiana; Broiled scrod; Eggplant parmigiana. DIRECTIONS: EASTBOUND FROM HARTFORD: I-84 TO EXIT 60; TURN LEFT ONTO BURNSIDE AVE. (RTE 44); MARCO POLO IS 1 MILE ON THE RIGHT-HAND SIDE. WESTBOUND: I-84 TO EXIT 62/60; FOLLOW SIGNSS FOR EXIT 60. TURN RIGHT ONTO BURNSIDE AVE. (RTE 44); MARCO POLO IS 1/2 MILE ON THE RIGHT-HAND SIDE. The Social Forum movement embodies growing, powerful, and human-based responses to exploitative globalist policies. Visit our website at www.ctsocialforum.org. PLEASE NOTE: FLYER ATTACHED -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From edubrule at sbcglobal.net Mon Oct 18 23:20:45 2004 From: edubrule at sbcglobal.net (edubrule) Date: Mon, 18 Oct 2004 23:20:45 -0400 Subject: {news} Note to Chapter Reps.--Chris Reilly will be at October 26 SCC meeting so that this issue of unreimbursed expenses can be resolved Message-ID: <002301c4b58b$1a9b3f40$cbbcf504@edgn2b574u14bi> > Dear Chapter Representatives, > > We are writing because we have an issue that we wish you to consider and > consult with your Chapters about. We wanted to give you as much time as > possible before the October SCC meeting. > > The Executive Committee has invited Chris Reilly to occupy the 'Guest > Speaker' spot on the October, 2004 SCC Agenda. He will explain the debt > that he believes the Green Party of Connecticut owes to him from 2003. > He will also answer questions from the SCC about the money he paid on > behalf of the Party. > > We understand that there are many unanswered questions about this > issue. Chris appeared unexpectedly at the August SCC meeting and made a > presentation. He answered some questions at that time, but most people > were not prepared for his appearance and didn't even know what questions > they, or their Chapters, had. We think that since there are still > questions and concerns that another, planned-for appearance would be > helpful. It is our hope that anyone with questions would attend the SCC > meeting and be prepared to ask their questions. If that isn't possible, > we would hope that you, as their representatives, would bring their > questions to the meeting and the answers back to your Chapters. We want > all the questions concerning this issue to be answered, once and for all > at this meeting. > > It is impossible for us to develop a reasonable budget with this debt > hanging over our heads. We believe that once the membership of the SCC > has had the opportunity to have all their questions answered, a decision > can be made regarding this debt. Proposals can be submitted to either > pay or reject Chris' claim, in part or completely, and the SCC can > decide. (The Executive Committee has submitted a proposal to pay what > we view as the less controversial portions of Chris' claims (domain > name, postage and copying)). > > We decided to ask Chris to appear and answer questions one more time so > that the Party can answer its questions, make its decisions, and move > forward from this issue. We hope that the combination of resolving this > issue once and for all at the October SCC meeting, and the outcome of > the current audit will enable us to move forward and to formulate a good > budget that will gain the approval of the SCC. > > Executive Committee > Green Party of Connecticut From dbedellgreen at hotmail.com Tue Oct 19 23:11:46 2004 From: dbedellgreen at hotmail.com (David Bedell) Date: Wed, 20 Oct 2004 03:11:46 +0000 Subject: {news} Nancy Burton in the New London Day Message-ID: http://www.theday.com/eng/web/news/re.aspx?re=361c1c1a-45ed-4893-a499-b43217731b3c Court Backs Millstone Relicensing Coalition's Appeals Dismissed, Group's Lawyer Disbarred By PATRICIA DADDONA Day Staff Writer, Waterford Published on 10/19/2004 The Second Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals has dismissed two separate appeals brought by the Connecticut Coalition Against Millstone in an effort to challenge proposed license renewals at Millstone Power Station. In doing so, the three federal judges for the New York City court also issued an order disbarring coalition lawyer Nancy Burton of Redding Ridge from serving as legal counsel in federal court, a decision that mirrors one made at the state level by the Connecticut Supreme Court last year. The Waterford power station owner, Dominion Nuclear Connecticut, is seeking to renew the original, 40-year operating licenses with 20-year extensions through 2035 at Millstone 2 and 2045 at Millstone 3. A third reactor, Millstone 1, has been permanently shut down and is not a candidate for license renewal. In a summary statement issued by Judges Roger J. Miner, Jose A. Cabranes, and Chester J. Straub on Thursday and distributed publicly by the NRC, the court refused to review an NRC decision that supports denials by the NRC's Atomic Safety & Licensing Board to grant the coalition an administrative law hearing. This summer, Burton argued that the hearing was a necessary part of the license renewal process, citing cancer clusters near Millstone, inadequate steps taken to prevent terrorism and other concerns. The safety board, an adjudicatory arm of the NRC, twice found that Burton failed to back up her assertions according to ?basic legal standards? and didn't relate the issues to the aging of the reactors, as the NRC requires. In rejecting Burton's appeal of the NRC decision, the court stated it could only overturn an NRC ruling if it found the agency's actions to be ?arbitrary and capricious.? The coalition did little more than meet legal requirements that gave it standing to petition for the hearing, the court ruled. In a related matter, the court also refused to review an NRC decision that found the coalition's original petition for a hearing, filed the day before new hearing rules were enacted, to be premature. The coalition had argued that the new rules eliminating rights of discovery and cross-examination were unfair. The court has no jurisdiction in that matter because no proceedings for relicensing had begun by Feb. 12, the day that petition was filed. Burton, who has spearheaded the grass-roots anti-nuclear power organization as both attorney and co-founder, said Monday she would fight the court order for disbarment by requesting a stay of that decision. She is running as a Green Party candidate in the 135th House District on a platform that includes a vow to shut down the power plants. In a written statement, she called the court's decisions ?erroneous rulings (that) ... reward a nuclear industry with diminished radiation-control requirements and avoid entirely public oversight of the mega-issue of Millstone re-licensing. These decisions deal a heavy blow to the public's right to participate in critical matters affecting their health and safety.? Judges directed Burton to inform her clients of her changed status as a lawyer in federal court. They also underscored the NRC's assertion that dismissal of the coalition's recent claims would not prevent the group from pursuing future issues with different legal representation. In September, the coalition challenged a state agency's permit for storage of spent fuel at Millstone in New Britain Superior Court. A Groton lawyer, Paulann Sheets, is representing the group. Dominion has indicated it plans to ask the court to dismiss the case. ? The Day Publishing Co., 2004 _________________________________________________________________ Get ready for school! Find articles, homework help and more in the Back to School Guide! http://special.msn.com/network/04backtoschool.armx From dbedellgreen at hotmail.com Tue Oct 19 23:13:34 2004 From: dbedellgreen at hotmail.com (David Bedell) Date: Wed, 20 Oct 2004 03:13:34 +0000 Subject: {news} FW: NO STOLEN ELECTIONS! November 3rd Message-ID: NO STOLEN ELECTIONS! www.Nov3.US We all remember the votes that were never counted in Florida 2000. While we are all working hard for a positive outcome on November 2nd, we also have to be prepared for a repeat of a 2000 stolen election. Below is a pledge for people to sign, supporting efforts to mobilize and protect the vote on November 2nd and making a commitment to protest starting on November 3rd in the case of a fraudulent vote count. By signing this pledge, you will be joining with thousands of others in the November 3rd Urgent Response Network. Please sign the pledge at http://www.nov3.us/ and pass it around far and wide. We are setting up a Fair Elections Advisory Council made up of U.S. and international elections experts who will give their assessment on election day itself. if they find significant fraud, we will activate the Urgent Response Network on or immediately after November 3rd, calling on people everywhere to engage in protest, including non-violent civil disobedience, in front of their local federal buildings and other appropriate places. We will also be asking those who can to converge in the states where the most serious fraud occurred, as well as in Washington, D.C. In addition to signing the pledge, please work with other people and groups in your area to protect the vote on November 2nd and to build the Urgent Response Network. Pick a venue for your local protest in the case that the Urgent Response Network is activated, and list the time and place on the website at http://www.nov3.us / We also recommend that you set up a place to jointly watch the election results on November 2nd. Let us commit ourselves to making sure that this time around, the person who occupies the White House is the one who won the election. NO STOLEN ELECTIONS PLEDGE OF ACTION: "I remember the stolen presidential election of 2000 and I am willing to take action in 2004 if the election is stolen again. I support efforts to protect the right to vote leading up to and on Election Day, November 2nd. If that right is systematically violated, I pledge to join nationwide protests starting on November 3rd, either in my community, in the states where the fraud occurred, or in Washington, D.C. Please sign the pledge now at www.nov3.US INITIAL SIGNATORIES: Stewart Acuff, Organizing Director, AFL-CIO Fred Azcarate, Jobs with Justice Patrick Barrett, RadFest: Midwest Social Forum Brian Benford, Madison Common Council Medea Benjamin, CodePink Adrienne Maree Brown, League of Pissed Off Voters Mike Brune, Executive Director, Rainforest Action Network Dennis Brutus, poet Andrea Buffa, Global Exchange Linda Burnham, Women of Color Resource Center Leslie Cagan, United for Peace and Justice John Cavanagh, Institute for Policy Studies David Cobb, Green Presidential Nominee Steve B. Cobble, political strategist Rev. James Demus, III, Director, NAACP, Chicago Southside Charlie Derber, Professor of Sociology, Boston College Karen Dolan, Institute for Policy Studies & Cities for Peace Theresa El-Amin, Southern Anti-Racism Network (SARN) Daniel Ellsberg, author Larry Fahn, President, Sierra Club Lisa Fithian, Root Activist Network of Trainers Arun Gandhi, M.K. Gandhi Institute for Nonviolence Ed Garvey, Fighting Bob Fest Greg Gerritt, Executive Director, Friends of the Moshassuck Ted Glick, National Coordinator, IPPN Jim Goodman, Family Farm Defenders Rev. Graylan Hagler, Ministers for Racial, Social and Economic Justice Jody Grage Haug, Green Peace Action (GPAX) Andy Heidt, Madison Common Council Dolores Huerta, United Farm Workers Rev. Jesse Jackson, Rainbow/PUSH Reverend James Lawson, civil rights leader Natalie Johnson Lee, Minneapolis City Council Van Jones, Ella Baker Center for Human Rights Rabbi Michael Lerner, Tikkun Pete Karas, Racine Common Council Brenda Konkel, President, Madison Common Council Doug La Follette, Wisconsin Secretary of State Barbara Lubin, Middle East Children's Alliance Ben Manski, Foundation for the Democratic Revolution Jessica Marshall, National Youth and Student Peace Coalition Elizabeth Martinez, Institute for Multiracial Justice Mike McCabe, Wisconsin Democracy Campaign Robert McChesney, Free Press Holly Near, singer-songwriter Maya O'Connor, Labor Greens Network Jamala Rogers, Organization for Black Struggle, St. Louis Rebecca Rotzler, Alder, New Paltz Marc Sanson, Co-Chair, Green Party of the United States Renee Saucedo, La Raza Centro Legal John Sellers, Ruckus Society Charles Shaw, Newtopia Magazine Jane Slaughter, Labor Notes Eleanor Smeal, Feminist Majority Damu Smith, founder, Black Voices for Peace Starhawk, activist and writer Ajita Talwalker, United States Students Association Chuck Turner, Boston City Council Chris Vaeth, This Time We're Watching Jason West, Mayor, New Patlz, New York Bob Wing, War Times Dean Zimmerman, Minneapolis City Council Howard Zinn, historian Please join us by signing the pledge now at http://www.nov3.us/ _________________________________________________________________ FREE pop-up blocking with the new MSN Toolbar ? get it now! http://toolbar.msn.click-url.com/go/onm00200415ave/direct/01/ From dbedellgreen at hotmail.com Tue Oct 19 23:16:34 2004 From: dbedellgreen at hotmail.com (David Bedell) Date: Wed, 20 Oct 2004 03:16:34 +0000 Subject: {news} Death Penalty conference in Waterbury Oct. 23 Message-ID: From: Robert Nave To: robertnave at cnadp.org Subject: Waterbury Conference - Please Register!!!!! Sent: Tuesday, October 19, 2004 4:00 PM Greetings. I hope everybody can make the conference in Waterbury on Saturday ? it is VITAL that you get to this event to help us stop the upcoming execution ? the FIRST IN THE NORTHEAST IN ALMOST FIVE DECADES. It is time to ?walk the walk? as well as ?talk the talk.? We have worked very hard to bring together local and national experts and exhibits. Below is the final announcement ? please distribute this to ALL E-MAIL LISTS you are on. ?In conjunction with Amnesty International and the National Weekend of Faith in Action Against the Death Penalty, The Connecticut Network to Abolish the Death Penalty (CNADP) presents, "Target 2007 - Abolition of the Death Penalty." This conference on Saturday, October 23 at St. John's on the Green Episcopal Church in Waterbury will feature local and national anti-death penalty activists including Bud Welch, whose daughter was killed in the Oklahoma City bombing. Art Exhibits by Murder Victim's Families for Reconciliation and by Lou Jones focusing on the death penalty will be on display. There is no charge for this conference that runs from 9 a.m. through 2 p.m. and lunch will be provided. Advanced registration is requested. To register, please call Robert Nave, Executive Director of the CNADP at 203.206.9854? Robert Nave, State Death Penalty Abolition Coordinator Connecticut-Amnesty International Executive Director Connecticut Network to Abolish the Death Penalty 571 Farmington Avenue; Hartford, CT 06105, www.cnadp.org robertnave at cnadp.org 203-206-9854 _________________________________________________________________ Get ready for school! Find articles, homework help and more in the Back to School Guide! http://special.msn.com/network/04backtoschool.armx From edubrule at sbcglobal.net Wed Oct 20 00:54:15 2004 From: edubrule at sbcglobal.net (edubrule) Date: Wed, 20 Oct 2004 00:54:15 -0400 Subject: {news} 10/26/04 SCC meeting agenda,part 1 of 2 Message-ID: <00c501c4b661$1f6915c0$7080f504@edgn2b574u14bi> Agenda--October 26, 2004 SCC meeting Time: 7-9pm Location: Wesleyan University, Fisk Hall, room 413 (if room 413 occupied, room 116 instead) Fisk Hall is located on the campus of Wesleyan University at 262 High Street, Middletown, CT. Take Rt. 9 to Exit 15 onto Rt. 66 West (Washington Street). Proceed uphill on Rt. 66 (Washington Street) for about 1/2 mile to the 4th traffic light and turn left onto High St. Fisk Hall is located at 262 High Street, 2 blocks down on the left at the 2nd traffic light (corner of High & College Streets). Parking: From High Street turn left onto College Street and turn left again into the parking lot located in back of the Fisk Hall. No parking permit is needed. Go to www.wesleyan.edu for a campus map. On the homepage click on "About Wesleyan", then click on "campus map". Select Fisk Hall in the drop-down list and Fisk Hall turns orange on the map. Facilitator: Tim McKee A. PRELIMINARIES 1. (2 minutes) Introductions/identify chapter reps, recruit stacker and timekeeper 2. (1 minute) Identify people present who are NOT voting reps (information needed by secretary) 3. (1 minute) Adopt groundrules 4. (2 minutes) Approval of tonight's proposed agenda/additions and deletions 5. (2 minutes) Comments/approval of September SCC minutes 6. (5 minutes) Treasurer's report 7. (20 minutes) Guest slot. Chris Reilly will answer questions on unreimbursed expenditures he made. B. OLD BUSINESS AND PROPOSALS 1. (5 minutes) Bylaws segment "4-1 Chapters" (Appendix 1). Referred to chapters by September SCC meeting (a step in the bylaws revision process). 2. (5 minutes) Bylaws segment "4-2 State Central Committee" (Appendix 2). Referred to chapters by September SCC meeting (a step in the bylaws revision process). 3. (5 minutes) Proposal from Women's Caucus on unreimbursed expenditures of Chris Reilly (Appendix 3)--referred, by consensus, to October SCC meeting by September SCC meeting 4. (5 minutes) Proposal from Fairfield chapter on setting up Office Committee (Appendix 4) 5. (15 minutes) Proposal from Executive Committee on partial reimbursement of Chris Reilly (Appendix 5) 6. (10 minutes) Proposal from Executive Committee on fundraising letter (Appendix 6) C. REPORTS 1. (2 minutes) Fundraising Committee report 2. (1 minute) Budget Committee report 3. (5 minutes) Conflict resolution committees report 4. (15 minutes) Elections Committee and campaign reports (1 minute apiece) 5. (2 minutes) Communications Committee 6. (2 minutes) Diversity Committee 7. (2 minutes) Women's Caucus 8. (2 minutes) Bylaws, Rules, Policies, and Procedures Committee 9. (2 minutes) IT (Information Technology) Committee 10. (2 minutes) Voters' Rights Working Group 11. (5 minutes) Executive Committee 12. (10 minutes) Chapter reports (1 minute each) 13. (5 minutes) Report from US Green Party representatives 14. (1 minute) VOTER D. NEW BUSINESS E. ANNOUNCEMENTS ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Appendix 1 Proposed bylaws changes from BRPP committee (bylaws, rules, policies and procedures) [Submitted by New London chapter per e-mail of 9/13/04 from Andy.] 4-1. CHAPTERS 4-1-A. A local chapter shall consist of Green Party members from towns and municipalities within a contiguous geographic region. No chapter shall be larger than a County and none smaller than a single town with the exception of Campus Green organizations. 4-1-B. A local chapter may petition for affiliation with the State Central Committee upon having at least three meetings with five or more Green Party members in attendance at each of the three meetings. 4-1-C. A chapter may be declared inactive by a majority vote of the State Central Committee (SCC) if it has not met within the past three months. A chapter will automatically be declared inactive if it has not sent chapter representatives to the State Central Committee meeting for three months in a row. Inactive status will begin as of the third meeting. 4-1-D. The State Central Committee may vote to revoke a chapter's affiliation with the CTGP if that chapter has not met within the past 6 months. 4-1-E. An inactive chapter will be declared active again if it hold two consecutive monthly meetings monthly meetings with at least five members present and sends representatives to two successive state meetings. 4-1-F. Chapters that have had their affiliation revoked must re-petition the State Central Committee for affiliation once the requirements detailed in 4.1.B are met. -------------------------------------------------------------------- Appendix 2 Proposed bylaws changes from BRPP Committee (bylaws, rules, policies and procedures). [From e-mail received from Tom 7/26/04; revised per 9/13/04 e-mail from Andy.] 4-2 STATE CENTRAL COMMITTEE 4-2-A. The State Central Committee (SCC) shall be the final decision making body of the Green Party of Connecticut, and shall consist of democratically elected representatives from each affiliated local chapter. 4-2-B. Local chapters of the CTGP shall be represented at State Central Committee meetings accordingly : Each chapter is entitled to two voting representatives, and is also entitled to an additional representative for each 100 registered Greens residing in the chapter. Voter lists from an appropriate authority (either a town clerk or the Secretary of State) will be the final source in determining the count of a chapter's membership. If these are not obtainable the chapter shall be entitled to two voting representatives. 4-2-C. Caucuses for under-represented groups shall be entitled to one voting representative on the State Central Committee. Under-represented groups are defined as any grouping of Greens that has historically failed to gain adequate access to power in society at-large (i.e., women, African-Americans, youth, etc.). Caucuses shall be established by the State Central Committee. An individual attending an SCC meeting may cast multiple votes--one vote as a chapter representative and one as a caucus representative. 4-2-D. Representatives to the State Central Committee are responsible for disseminating information to their respective local chapters. They are also responsible for following the mandates of the local chapters they represent. 4-2-E. The modified consensus process will be used at State Central Committee meetings. In the event consensus cannot be reached, a vote will be taken with a simple majority being needed for passage of the proposal. Changes to the bylaws need a 66% majority for passage. 4-2-F. Quorum shall be required for votes taken at the State Central Committee meeting. Quorum shall be defined as representation (by at least one voting representative) of at least two-thirds of all active CTGP chapters, excepting Campus Green chapters and inactive chapters. 4-2-G. Chapters shall elect their representatives to the SCC once a year. Representatives shall be eligible for re-election. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Appendix 3 Proposal on unreimbursed expenditures made by Chris Reilly Green Party Meeting Proposal Form PRESENTER (committee, chapter(s) or group of individuals) CT Green Party Women's Caucus CONTACT (name, address, phone number, email) Kelly McCarthy; 83 Treadwell St, Hamden, CT 06517; 203-230-9726; kelly.mccarthy at aya.yale.edu SUBJECT (10 words or less) Audit of loan to Chris Reilly and explanation from former treasurer Bruce Crowder. BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE (100 words or less; include relationship, reasons and/or justification to the State Central Committee) One of the pillars of our party is accountability and transparency in all things; and, at the present, the SCC has been unable to reconcile the debt owed to Chris Reilly because the former treasurer, Bruce Crowder, has not provided any explanation for the situation. Even if Bruce is no longer active with the party, his actions are leaving the GPC heavily in debt and he shares in this responsibility. The Women's Caucus is proposing this audit so we minimize the possibility of similar incidents occurring in the future. PROPOSAL (200 words or less) We propose that the SCC request Bruce Crowder and Chris Reilly appear before the SCC at the next meeting in order to explain the history of the current GPC debt related to the Hartford office. We would like for them to reconcile: 1) why Chris Reilly, founder of the GPC and former treasurer, did not communicate the presence of the loans to at least two of the co-chairs (Tom and Justine), despite his obvious knowledge of GPC process; 2) why Chris wasn't repaid (if the loans were regarded as short-term and "informal" by Bruce and Chris) once there was income from a fundraising letter; 3) why half of the rent for the Hartford office wasn't paid by the Hartford chapter, even if the SCC half was paid through a loan from Chris. ------------------------------------------------------------- Appendix 4 Proposal from Fairfield chapter on setting up Office Committee -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From edubrule at sbcglobal.net Wed Oct 20 00:54:20 2004 From: edubrule at sbcglobal.net (edubrule) Date: Wed, 20 Oct 2004 00:54:20 -0400 Subject: {news} 10/16/04 SCC meeting agenda,part 2 of 2 Message-ID: <00c601c4b661$1ff0e360$7080f504@edgn2b574u14bi> Appendix 4 Proposal from Fairfield chapter on setting up Office Committee CONNECTICUT GREEN PARTY PROPOSAL FORM PRESENTER (committee, chapter(s),or group of individuals): Fairfield County Greens CONTACT (name, address, phone number, email): Eddie Friend, P.O. Box 1747 Darien, CT 06820, 203-854-5900, Route12eddie at aol.com SUBJECT (10 words or less): Creation of Office Committee BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE (100 words or less; including relationship, reasons, and/or justification to the State Central Committee) The office space rented in Hartford has become a contentious issue which has disrupted the SCC. This committee would be charged with formulating a plan that would consider the feasibility of continuing to support the office space and the associated insurance issues PROPOSAL: (200 words or less) We propose that the Office Committee be formed to prepare a report to the SCC concerning the future of the office space in Hartford. The committee would have two main considerations. If the office is to remain open, how would it be funded? If the office were to be shut, how would the state party maintain the liability insurance that is necessary for chapters to hold events? This committee would recognize the need for a timely report and recommendation to be made to the SCC in order to resolve this issue. ---------------------------------------------------------------- Appendix 5 Proposal from Executive Committee on partial repayment of Chris Reilly. Green Party Meeting Proposal Form PRESENTER (committee, chapter(s) or group of individuals): Executive Committee CONTACT (name, address, phone number, email): Elizabeth M. Brancato, 19 Smith Street, Torrington, CT 06790, embrancato at netzero.com SUBJECT (10 words or less): Partial repayment of Chris Reilly BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE (100 words or less; include relationship, reasons and/or justification to the State Central Committee): Chris Reilly has presented the Executive Committee with receipts for many expenses of the Party that he paid from his own funds during 2003. The Executive Committee has investigated and is satisfied that he paid the amounts that he is claiming. Because members of the SCC still have questions about some of the expenditures and whether or not they were authorized, no authorization to repay Chris has been approved. The Executive Committee believes that all the questions of the SCC should be answered before action to repay Chris can be taken, and we have taken steps to ensure that will happen. In the meantime, we believe there are some expenses that Chris paid that are not in dispute. Those expenses are: $ 35.00 Domain name $58.31 Envelopes $437.11 Postage $360.40 Printing $890.82 TOTAL PROPOSAL (200 words or less): We propose that the Connecticut Green Party repay Chris Reilly for these expenses, at the rate of $74.24 per month, to resolve this debt in one year. --------------------------------------------------------------- Appendix 6 Proposal from Executive Committee on fundraising letter. Green Party Meeting Proposal Form PRESENTER (committee, chapter(s) or group of individuals): Executive Committee CONTACT (name, address, phone number, email): Elizabeth M. Brancato, 19 Smith Street, Torrington, CT 06790, embrancato at netzero.com SUBJECT (10 words or less): Fund-raising Letter BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE (100 words or less; include relationship, reasons and/or justification to the State Central Committee): The Green Party of Connecticut is in need of funds. In the past, most of the operating funds of the Party have come from Fund-raising mailings. In the past they have raised about $3,000. to $6,000. Mike DeRosa has obtained the following quote for a mailing of 2,000 letters from American Mailing Services, New Milford, CT: 1. Download our database and setup format and printer. CASS certify the database. Insert pieces into #10 envelopes (one page, 8-1/2X11, folded). Direct address pieces, sort, tray/bag, tag and deliver to Post Office- $235.00 2. Postage - $420.00 3. Copy the 1-page letter and insert a small return envelope. - $200.00-$300.00 TOTAL - $855.00 - $955.00. The postage amount would be paid before the mailing went out, and the balance could be paid within thirty days. PROPOSAL (200 words or less): We propose that the SCC approve this expenditure, and that the mailing takes place the second week of November, 2004. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From chapillsbury at igc.org Wed Oct 20 17:12:46 2004 From: chapillsbury at igc.org (Charlie Pillsbury) Date: Wed, 20 Oct 2004 17:12:46 -0400 Subject: {news} Green Party New Haven Registrar of Voters Candidate Calvin Nicholson at Public Forums on 10/23 & 10/25 Message-ID: <00a201c4b6e9$8de5cf60$6801a8c0@EXDIR04> NEWS RELEASE CALVIN NICHOLSON FOR REGISTRAR 2004 For More Information, Call: For Immediate Release Calvin Nicholson October 20, 2004 203-675-8651 Green Registrar Candidate Nicholson: Public Forums on 10/23 & 10/25 New Haven, October 20, 2004 - Calvin L. Nicholson, Green Party candidate for New Haven Registrar of Voters will lead a discussion immediately following a FREE community showing of the documentary UNPRECEDENTED: THE 2000 PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION on Saturday, October 23 at 2:30pm at the Stetson Branch Library at 200 Dixwell Ave. in New Haven. This 50-minute documentary explores what happened in Florida before, during and after the 2000 election. The New Haven Green Party, the New Haven Branch of the NAACP and the Connecticut Center for a New Economy are co-sponsoring this event. On Monday, October 25 from 6:00-8:00 p.m. in the Aldermanic Chambers, 2nd floor, 165 Church Street, New Haven, Mr. Nicholson will take part in a Meet the Candidates Public Forum, sponsored by the P.O.W.E.R. Network under the auspices of Christian Community Action's Advocacy and Education Project. Elected representatives, as well as political candidates from the Democratic, Green and Republican parties have been invited to share their views and answer questions. To be elected as the Green Party candidate for Registrar of Voters in the City of New Haven, Mr. Nicholson must receive more votes than the Republican candidate. In an election for Registrar of Voters, however, the Green Party candidate cannot be a "spoiler". Even if Mr. Nicholson wins by getting more votes than the Republican, the Republican candidate still wins, because Connecticut General Statutes, Sec. 9-190, provide that: "if the candidate for registrar of voters of a major party is not one of the registrars so elected, such candidate of such major party shall also be declared elected registrar of voters." Calvin L. Nicholson is a life-long resident of the Newhallville neighborhood and a product of the New Haven Public Schools-- graduating from Wilbur Cross High School in 1996. He graduated with a Bachelor's Degree in Applied Physics from Yale University in 2000. He currently works as a computer systems developer in Fairfield County. - 30 - -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From edubrule at sbcglobal.net Wed Oct 20 23:54:15 2004 From: edubrule at sbcglobal.net (edubrule) Date: Wed, 20 Oct 2004 23:54:15 -0400 Subject: {news} chapter reps/listkeepers--can you help improve our addresses for fundraising letter, and add names? Message-ID: <005101c4b722$2caaab10$1695f504@edgn2b574u14bi> The Executive Committee is planning to do a large fundraising letter (to 2000 names or more) in November. In the past such fundraising letters ("the annual fundraising letter") have brought in substantial amounts of donations to the CT Green Party. The list we will be using, basically, will be the list of registered Greens obtained a few months ago from the CT Secretary of State's office. I am able to forward to you this list in Microsoft Excel. (This mailing will be discussed as a proposal from the Executive Committee at the October 26 SCC meeting at Wesleyan.) We would greatly like for chapters to look over the list and make address corrections to it, and also add names of other Greens that should be included in the mailing. You can look through the list for Greens living in towns included in your chapter. (The list I send to you will be sorted by town.) I will ask that you make a note in one designated column of the Excel spreadsheet regarding an address correction or an added name. If you are able to help out in this way, please contact Ed at edubrule at sbcglobal.net or 860-523-4016. We ask that the corrected/added-to list be returned to Ed by November 5. --------------------------------------- P.S. If you are able to give some time to working on the lists I receive back from chapters, let me know. For this, minimal Excel skills would be needed--I can probably describe what you need to know in 10 minutes if you don't already know Excel but you have general Microsoft Office skills (opening and saving files, etc.). I anticipate that that this work--production of the final list to be sent to the mailing bureau--will be done during a period of a few days after November 5. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From edubrule at sbcglobal.net Wed Oct 20 23:56:47 2004 From: edubrule at sbcglobal.net (edubrule) Date: Wed, 20 Oct 2004 23:56:47 -0400 Subject: {news} come out to support Sheff v. O'Neill on Monday 11/8/04, New Britain, 2pm Message-ID: <005201c4b722$2d2902d0$1695f504@edgn2b574u14bi> ----- Original Message ----- From: [Elizabeth Horton Sheff] To: [recipient list deleted] Sent: Wednesday, October 20, 2004 11:51 AM Subject: Sheff v. O'Neill Greetings. In 1989 we began our quest to secure equal access to quality, integrated public education for our children. Next month Sheff returns to court. At issue is the state's honoring an agreement we reached in 2003. Your presence at the hearing will demonstrate to the court that we care deeply about the education of our young, and that, no matter how long it takes, we will remain steadfast to our commitment. Please spread the word, and join us on: Monday, November 8, 2004 2 P.M. New Britain, CT The link below will lead you to directions to the court. http://www.jud.state.ct.us/directory/directory/directions/29.htm Our children depend upon us - come out and defend their constitutional rights. Continued strength! Elizabeth [Horton Sheff] -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From dbedellgreen at hotmail.com Thu Oct 21 20:07:30 2004 From: dbedellgreen at hotmail.com (David Bedell) Date: Fri, 22 Oct 2004 00:07:30 +0000 Subject: {news} Nancy Burton in Easton Courier Message-ID: http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=13193699 Burton sets Green Party goals Deanna Holgerson, Editor October 21, 2004 Nancy Burton said her campaign to gain the 135th District seat represents a "strategic race" for the Green Party. A Redding resident, Burton is running against state Rep. John Stripp, the incumbent Republican. Stripp has represented the Redding, Easton and Weston 135 District for six terms. There is no Democratic candidate in this race. Burton, an attorney with 20 years experience, has focused mainly on environmental law and public interest cases. Her campaign slogan is "Clean Air, Clean Water and Clean Government," because her key issues are closing down nuclear power plants and enacting stronger laws against public corruption. "I believe that I have a great deal of insight into what the public wants, and I believe that I can better the state government if elected to office," Burton said. Burton, who was at one time a Democrat, switched to the Green Party because of her values. "I'm an independent person, and the Green party's platform is very similar to my values," Burton said. "I believe in preserving open space, public health standards and keeping the quality of a community. "I don't want to see development sprawling out of control. I do know that we can't stop development completely, so I support the concept of smart growth," she said. According to Burton, the 135th District is truly a "green" district. Redding, Weston and Easton together have more land dedicated as permanent open space per capita than any other cluster of three towns in the state. Easton has 7,200 acres of protected open space with Redding and Weston not far behind. Burton said the three towns are working hard to acquire and dedicate as much of the remaining undeveloped lands as possible to permanent open space. Open space protects the air and water as well as the rural character of the towns. She plans to work hard in Hartford to help fund this goal and help preserve land across the state. Burton is also concerned about preserving farms and maintaining Redding's, Weston's and Easton's agricultural heritage. Between 1997 and 2002, the state lost more than 700 farms of all types, something that concerns her. Losing Connecticut's agricultural heritage is a mistake, Burton said. The more reliance residents have on out-of-state food production means more pesticides and preservatives in food, unnecessary congestion on roads and highways and pollution of the air and water. If she becomes the state representative, Burton said she would support business incentives that will keep farmers farming and encourage organic farming. The affordable housing law is high on Burton's list of priorities. "The affordable housing law needs to be addressed," Burton said. "It doesn't help the people it was intended to help but instead feeds the greed of irresponsible developers. "I think that when communities and the state can acquire and protect open space, it should. This district has a certain quality about it, and if development keeps occurring on every little space available, then eventually we will lose the identity and characteristics of our towns forever. We have to honor the past," she said. Burton believes that developers should follow community standards of planning and zoning. "I want to help the three towns in this district to maintain their character," Burton said. "We have a certain quality of life here and beautiful open space. We have to preserve it." As an attorney, Burton has fought against what she considers unsafe conditions at the Millstone Nuclear Power Plant in southeastern Connecticut. She was even able to close the plant for one week, but the plant continues to operate. Along with the goal of closing Millstone, Burton also wants to close the nuclear power plant at Indian Point in New York. "Not only are these plants polluting our air and water, but they are targets for terrorist attacks," Burton said. "Imagine if a plane crashed into one of those plants, this entire area would be devastated worse than Chernobyl. This state and the entire Northeast corridor of our nation would be contaminated beyond belief and uninhabitable for the foreseeable future." Burton is not the kind of person to back down when she believes in something or to buckle under pressure. She is disgusted by Connecticut's reputation as "a state of corruption," and plans to do something about it, if elected. "People say all the time that 'you can't fight city hall,'" Burton said. "But I don't believe in that. I fought against the New Hampshire Department of Transportation and saved my grandmother's house from being destroyed by a new highway. "I was able to close a nuclear power plant for a week in 1999, so a native species of tiny fish could swim through the area. Corruption in this state has gone on long enough, and now it's time to do everything possible to make sure nothing like what Gov. [John] Rowland did happens again," she said. Burton said Connecticut's traditional way of "checks and balances" in government has not worked in a long time. She said no one is paying attention to it, and that the three levels of state government are hurt by corruption. "I want to do everything possible to end the culture of corruption that is in our state capital," Burton said. "I wouldn't waste a moment on that." Her background of public interest law, much of it pro bono, helped her gain insight into how Connecticut's level of government operate. She has taken on cases of race and gender discrimination, big business, polluters and the nuclear industry. She won monetary damages for Brookfield neighbors who were breathing carcinogenic silica dust created by the uncontrolled blasts of a local rock quarry. Burton said that when she reported judicial misconduct to the proper authorities, she paid the ultimate professional price: she alleged that it led to a five-year disbarment. "Locally, I pledge to fight for clean air and clear water as well as excellent schools," said Burton. She describes herself as a social progressive but a fiscal conservative. "We have outstanding schools in this part of Connecticut, and I want to see that those high standards of excellence continue." ?Easton Courier 2004 _________________________________________________________________ FREE pop-up blocking with the new MSN Toolbar ? get it now! http://toolbar.msn.click-url.com/go/onm00200415ave/direct/01/ From justinemccabe at earthlink.net Thu Oct 21 22:53:36 2004 From: justinemccabe at earthlink.net (Justine McCabe) Date: Thu, 21 Oct 2004 22:53:36 -0400 Subject: {news} Fw: PNHP Press Release: 1.7 Million Veterans Without Health Insurance Message-ID: <017d01c4b7e2$53dbc460$0402a8c0@JUSTINE> October 19, 2004 Dear Members and Friends of Physicians for a National Health Program (PNHP), Today PNHP held a press conference at the National Press Club in Washington DC to release a study showing that 1.7 million veterans and 3.9 million veteran's family members lack health insurance. One in every eight of the 45 million uninsured Americans are veterans or the spouse or child of a veteran. The press release is attached, below. The full study is posted on our web site at: http://www.pnhp.org/Veterans/veteranrep.doc Activists are encouraged to forward the release to local media and other interested groups. Please note that your local TV news can show footage of the press conference, which is available to stations nationwide via satellite, using the information at the end of the press release. Outreach to the media is an expensive but vital part of our mission. You will receive a request for financial support enclosed with the most recent issue of the PNHP newsletter, in the mail now. If you can afford to make a year-end donation, it would be a great help for the next phase of our work. Thanks for your continued support, and your hands-on volunteer efforts. Yours truly, Ida Hellander, MD Physicians for a National Health Program ______________________________________________________ For Immediate Release: Tuesday, October 19, 2004 Contacts: Nick Skala (312) 782-6006 nick at pnhp.org 1.7 MILLION VETERANS LACKED HEALTH COVERAGE IN 2003 Harvard Study Finds Sharp Increase Since 2000 1.694 million American veterans were uninsured in 2003, according to a study by Harvard Medical School researchers released today. Of the 1.694 million uninsured, 681,808 were Vietnam-era veterans while 999,548 were veterans who served during "other eras" (including the Persian Gulf War). The study was based on analyses of government surveys. Veterans were only classified as uninsured if they neither had health insurance nor received ongoing care at Veterans Health Administration (VHA) hospitals or clinics. Many of the 1.694 million uninsured veterans in 2003 were barred from VHA care because of a 2003 Bush Administration order that halted enrollment of most middle income veterans. Others were unable to obtain VHA care due to waiting lists at some VHA facilities, unaffordable co-payments for VHA specialty care, or the lack of VHA facilities in their communities. An additional 3.90 million members of veterans' households were also uninsured and ineligible for VHA care. Other findings of the study include: ? The number of uninsured veterans has increased by 235,159 since 2000, when 9.9% of non-elderly veterans were uninsured, a figure which rose to 11.9% in 2003. ? More than one in three veterans under age 25 lacked health coverage, as did one in seven veterans age 25 to 44 and one in ten veterans age 45 to 65. ? Many uninsured veterans had major health problems. Less than one-quarter indicated that they were in excellent health; 15.6% had a disabling chronic illness. ? Uninsured veterans had as much trouble getting medical care as other uninsured persons. 26.1% of uninsured veterans reported that they had failed to get needed care due to costs; 29.0% had delayed care due to costs; 42.1% had not seen a doctor within the past year; and two-thirds failed to receive preventive care ? More than two-thirds of uninsured veterans were employed and 86.4% had worked within the past year; 7% of the uninsured vets worked at two or more jobs. David U. Himmelstein, M.D., study author and Harvard Medical School Associate Professor, commented: "This administration professes great concern for veterans, but it's all talk and no action. Since President Bush took office the number of uninsured vets has skyrocketed, and he's cut VA eligibility, barring hundreds of thousands of veterans from care. Our president has put troops in harm's way overseas and abandons them and their families once they get home." "Like other uninsured Americans, most uninsured vets are working people. And uninsured veterans are denied the care they need - turned away because they can't pay," said Dr. Steffie Woolhandler, a study author and co-founder of Physicians for a National Health Program. "We need a solution that works for veterans, and for all Americans - national health insurance." ### Physicians for a National Health Program is a national organization with more than 12,000 physicians members that advocates for national health insurance. PNHP has spokespeople in every state and specialty. For additional contacts, call PNHP at (312) 782-6006, pnhp at aol.com, www.pnhp.org. A video broadcast of the news conference is available by satellite for free and unrestricted use by news organizations. Contact: ConnectLive Communications 202-513-1000 or Rosica Communications at 201-843-5600. Live broadcast time: Noon to 1:00 p.m. eastern. A test signal is available from 11:45 a.m - noon EASTERN TIME. Ku-band analog satellite: AMC9, Transponder: 3K Orbital Position, 85 West downlink frequency: 111760 MHz Vertical __________________________________________________ Ida Hellander, MD Executive Director "Of all the forms of inequality, injustice in health is the most shocking and most inhuman," Martin Luther King, Jr. (Medical Committee for Human Rights Convention, 1966). Physicians for a National Health Program 29 E. Madison, Suite 602 Chicago, IL 60602 www.pnhp.org pnhp at aol.com phone (312) 782-6006 fax (312) 782-6007 PNHP sends infrequent e-mail communications to members and single payer advocates. If you do not wish to receive these messages (we try to keep them very brief) please reply to this communication with "unsubscribe" in the subject line. Thanks! -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From dbedellgreen at hotmail.com Thu Oct 21 23:10:27 2004 From: dbedellgreen at hotmail.com (David Bedell) Date: Fri, 22 Oct 2004 03:10:27 +0000 Subject: {news} David Cobb fundraiser Oct 29 in Bridgeport Message-ID: Mark your calendar and RSVP so we can get a headcount! Details to come! MEET PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE DAVID COBB! Friday, October 29, 7-9 PM Bloodroot Restaurant 85 Ferris Street, Black Rock, Bridgeport Directions: www.bloodroot.com/hours_directions.htm Donations of all sizes accepted, to benefit CT Green Party _________________________________________________________________ Don?t just search. Find. Check out the new MSN Search! http://search.msn.click-url.com/go/onm00200636ave/direct/01/ From capeconn at comcast.net Sat Oct 23 10:29:30 2004 From: capeconn at comcast.net (Tom Sevigny) Date: Sat, 23 Oct 2004 10:29:30 -0400 Subject: {news} Fw: GreenLine October Newsletter Message-ID: <000d01c4b90c$b5807fa0$1906a543@sevigny8wcbjrd> GreenLine: The E-Newsletter of the Green Party ----- Original Message ----- From: Kara Mullen, Green Party of the US To: capeconn at attbi.com Sent: Friday, October 22, 2004 8:44 PM Subject: GreenLine October Newsletter OCTOBER 2004 News Headlines Green Wins Nobel Peace Prize - George Bush and Tony Blair are losers. 2004 Nobel Peace Prize winner Wangari Maathai (Photo: AFP) "Many wars in the world are actually fought over natural resources. We plant the seeds of peace now and in the future." ~ Wangari Maathai Not that anyone thought George Bush or Tony Blair would win this year's Nobel Peace Prize, but odd things like this happen these days. But in light of their nomination, something more strange did happen - a true beacon of peace and a shining hope for the future won the Peace Prize. The Norwegian Nobel Committee awarded the 2004 Peace Prize to Wangari Maathai for her contribution to sustainable development, democracy and peace. The Kenyan Green Party founder will accept the Prize this year in Stockholm -she is the first African women to win the prize, which is the first awarded to an environmentalist. But then again, being the first at something is par for the Maathai course. Maathai was born in Nyeri, Kenya and went to college in the United States, where she earned her Master's at the University of Pittsburgh. Maathai was the first East African woman to earn a Ph.D at the University of Wairobi and has since continued to pave the way for African women with her many accomplishments. Maathai founded "The Greenbelt Movement," an environmental lobby in 1977. The group helped mobilize thousands of poor women to plant 30 million trees in an organized effort to stop soil erosion and the desertification of Africa. Under the regime of President Daniel Arap Moi, Maathai was imprisoned several times and violently attacked for demanding multi-party elections and an end to corruption and tribal politics (And we thought the "anyone but bush" crowd was rough). Affectionately known as the "tree woman," Maathai was elected to parliament in 2002 as a representative of the Mazingira Green Party of Kenya, which she founded. The party was a small, but important alliance partner in the coalition that ousted the Moi regime's designated successor in that election. Maathai was appointed Deputy Minister in the Ministry of Environment, Natural Resources and Wildlife in January, 2003. According the Nobel Committee, Maathai "has taken a holistic approach to sustainable development that embraces democracy, human rights and women's rights in particular. She thinks globally and acts locally." "Maathai stood up courageously against the former oppressive regime in Kenya" the Norwegian Nobel Committee said when they announced her as the recipient of the Prize. "Her unique forms of action have contributed to drawing attention to political oppression - nationally and internationally. She has served as inspiration for many in the fight for democratic rights and has especially encouraged women to better their situation." The media has portrayed Maathai as an environmentalist, but this is simply because they don't understand Green politics. In fact, they completely ignored the fact that Maathai is the founding member of the Green Party or that she was a Green Party member elected to parliament. The media apparently didn't understand what it means to be Green and what environmentalism has to do with peace. The simple truth is that most all wars are about natural resources, such as land, water, minerals. One need not look further than the U.S. invasion of Iraq to be reminded of the many wars steeped in oil. Conflict and violence are deeply embedded in the environment. Along with that violence comes oppression, social injustice, environmental degradation, economic instability and longlasting bitterness. This is why Greens are tireless advocates for peace. Maathai's work planting trees and taking on a dictatorship reflects the essence of Green values. Her work empowering women to take control of their economic destiny and their power is a reflection of the Green value of feminism. Planting millions of trees demonstrates the vision of ecological wisdom and economic sustainability. Her fight to end the dictatorship encompassed nearly all the 10 key Green values and the Nobel committee recognizes the wisdom of these values in Maathai's work. Perhaps the goal of the Nobel committee was to augment some balance in the world. In order to counteract the foolish and weak destructiveness of the ignorant warmonger Mr. Bush, they chose to honor the wise, constructive, powerful Kenyan Green, Wangari Maathai. Maathai will accept a gold medal, diploma and 1.3 million dollars on December 10. Congratulations Wangari Maathai! __________ Green House Parties Green Action Center Keep sending those letters to editors and representatives about IRV, proportional allocation of electoral votes and third party inclusion in debates. Just since the last GreenLine, there have been a number of articles printed about these subjects, including an article on ranked voting in the Washington Post, and an article in the Boston Globe about Colorado's ballot to amend their state's electoral college to proportional allocation of electoral votes. Just because the presidential debates are over, doesn't mean we still can't insist on inclusion in the debates. Let's keep the debate about debates going! Did your letter get printed? Let us know! Want to send more letters, go to the Green Party Action Center Well folks, it's time to have some fun! Greens know how to party, so it's time to party Green! Yes, you are exhausted, you've worked hard, you've campaigned hard. But there will be no other time in the next 4 years where people will be so awake and engaged than the time near this election. Let's reserve some energy so that we can celebrate in the week following the election. The Greens will be celebrating many election victories. We can celebrate our survival through all the nasty things that happened to us this year. We can make up with Democrat friends and fellow Greens that we fought with. Let's get our Nader, Cobb and Kerry supporters under one roof to celebrate going forward. I suppose you can invite your Bush supporter friends if you have any. If you threw a house party in your neighborhood and invited your neighbors to just party and have fun, it would be a great start to renewing friendships and building relationships with current and future Greens. You can raise a few hundred bucks or a few thousand. You can give some to your local and some with the national. We have set up a place on the website where you can sign up to host a Green House Party. People can sign up to attend a green house party near them. We will help you with ideas about how to raise money and make it an easy fun event to host. There will be a special grand prize to the Green House Party that raises the most money for the GP-US. Please forward this to as many lists that you can and to all your fellow Greens. Not everybody has worked on campaigns or other party stuff, but they might be interested in throwing a party. Let's get this party started right! SIGN UP NOW TO HOST OR JOIN A GREEN HOUSE PARTY __________ Morning After Advertising Campaign Take Our Surveys We have one fun survey, one serious survey. Choose which October surprise the Bush campaign will pop on us. And tell us whether or not you think the troops need to come home from Iraq. Thanks to many of you for your support for our ad campaign in recent weeks. It's official, we're running the ad campaign starting on November 3rd, the day after the election. But we need more support urgently because we must purchase the space at the beginning of next week. While we have not been able to raise anything close to the $200,000, we are only $15,000 shy of an effective campaign and a $5,000 matching pledge. Please spread the word to your friends to ask for their help getting this ad to run. On November 3rd, we will either know which man won the presidential election, or we will be watching the chaos of voting chads, purged voters and lawsuits galore with no known election outcome. And it will be thoroughly clear to Americans how much the two major parties have made a mess of our electoral system. This ad campaign will focus on the mess they've made while the Green Party has been busy implementing solutions all over the country. The Greens are cleaning house. The message will be an effective way to reach millions of citizens and give further legitimacy to the Green Party while reminding voters about the positive forward-thinking Green message. We need to purchase the ad at the end of this week - please send support today. GREEN SPOTLIGHT: Maine State Representative John Eder Lone Green Ranger John Eder, State Representative. When you have a conversation with Representative John Eder, it doesn't take too long to understand how he won a seat in Maine's state legislature. Thoughtful, perceptive and patient, Eder gives you his undivided attention, doesn't rush you and clearly articulates his position. It is obvious that he cares about his constituents and takes a deep interest in the political process. In 1996, Eder moved to Alfred, Maine, a peaceful and pretty town in southern Maine. At that point he had a passing awareness of the Green Party and knew enough about Green values to be attracted to them. Maine is a pretty strong Green state. Eder might not have heard anything more about the Green Party had it not been for its presence on the ballot and a strong showing of Green candidates running for office. He is certain that these two factors have been key to raising awareness about the party. At the time that Eder moved to the state, Maine Green Party founder John Rensenbrink was running for Senate and Eder saw his signs posted at an intersection in town. He then noted that after the signs were stolen, they did not get replaced. So Eder bought some supplies and painted new signs and put them out at the intersection. This was the first step on his Green Party journey. When Eder moved to nearby Portland to attend massage school, he had the opportunity to meet many prominent local Greens. He started volunteering for the party in small ways. During the 2000 Nader campaign, he got more involved. At the same time he was involved in a local race for a district legislative seat. Remarkably, the Green won 35% of the vote without actively campaigning. This phenomenon sparked the interest of some Green leaders, and they started talking about winning the 2002 race. Meanwhile Eder won the Portland Greens' co-chair position which he held for a couple of years. Eder was then approached to run for the afore-mentioned legislative seat. As he began to consider the opportunity, he started making more of an effort to show up at local meetings and getting involved in local issues. He was actively involved with a single-payer initiative which passed. Eder was then invited to a press conference and began to gain media coverage in local weeklies. Concerned about sidewalk pesticide spraying, he helped form a Pesticide Watch Group. The group was able to defeat the application of the Monsanto spray and its use was suspended. Eder's biggest hurdle in making his decision to run was a personal one. Often mistrustful of the egos of leaders, he had a hard time thinking of himself in a position of leadership. "I wasn't a confident person. I had difficulty blowing my own horn," he recalls. Nevertheless, about a year before the election, Eder started meeting with some Greens to plan and to develop a campaign strategy. Eder feels that the groundbreaking event was when he decided to study campaign strategy by working on the senate campaign of a local progressive Democrat. He became a student of campaigning and worked hard to learn standard campaign methodology. This experience was pivotal for Eder and he feels Greens could benefit from using tried and true campaign methods rather than trying to do everything differently just to differentiate themselves from the two major parties. "There is a reluctance to use standard methodology to succeed," he said, "and I don't mean the dirty stuff. I'm an anti two-party system activist and 100% supportive of people-driven movements, but this doesn't mean you ignore conventional wisdom," he explained in his quiet and calm voice. "It's like when you bake bread," he continued, "there's room for creativity, but you still use the same key ingredients." Once he studied campaigning, he found it's methodology to be "kind of easy." And he feels that because Greens work so hard, they could be very successful campaigning with tried and true strategies. He also emphasized that you can use these methods without ever having to compromise your ideals. Eder and local Greens register voters all year long, not just around election time (Democrats took note and have been copying this strategy this year). "We need to talk to voters on the voter list and not just registered Greens or unregistered voters. Eder would visit the homes of registered voters and if they'd moved, he would help the new occupant register to vote. Eder also feels that it's important to stay in touch with young voters. He recommends that local parties dedicate a couple people to meet with young people. He recently spoke at a local middle school. They liked him immediately because he not only showed up, but was the only one that didn't wear a suit. When he asked the group of kids if they'd ever heard of the Green Party, all of the kids raised their hand. "I thought I was going to cry," he said. He talked to the young students about the symbol of the donkey and the elephant, and he presented them with a sunflower. "It's very important to plant seeds for the future," he said. Eder has done well because he has worked with all people, not just Greens. Eder mentioned that Maine voters have a huge independent streak, they "vote the person, not the party." When Eder was amazed that he not only won a seat in the legislature, but that he won by such a large margin. "We had no idea that we'd win so big," he marveled. He also finds it remarkable how people have taken ownership of this win. "They love this. They are proud that their district voted in the highest elected Green in the United States." Eder feels his biggest accomplishment in the legislature was when his bill to protect children from cancer-causing chemicals was passed. Stockpiles of mercury were unearthed on a local school grounds. The emergency measure, his first bill to pass, won by a 2/3 majority. Eder thinks that his success has been his ability to build relationships and "connect with people on a personal level." This has been crucial in the legislature where Eder doesn't have the strength of his party to back measures. Eder tried to pass a bio-diesel bill. While a bill wasn't passed, the legislature passed a statute defining bio-diesel. His opponent went on to get a bio-diesel bill passed. Eder sees the relevance in this. "Our opponents think that Greens are about the environment so they try to compete on this level." But Eder's constituents know better, because they know that John is as focused on housing, health care and wages. He has also learned that there are only a few bright bulbs running things and that "being in the legislature is often like high school." He noted that Greens are often criticized for not being qualified or competent to run for office, and that we should be more careful about who we invite to run for office. He said the other two parties invite people of all levels of competence and that "they're no better qualified to lead than we are." Most of the time, the main difference is that Greens just don't have the power of the machine to back them. Eder doesn't want Greens to be discouraged by the fact that only the same few people show up to get things done. He said that it's like this with the other major parties as well, and it's not just a Green phenomenon. Eder feels that well-laid plans can compensate for this. Eder is in the homestretch of his re-election campaign and seems to feel that his support is pretty solid. Of course it hasn't hurt that Democrat dirty tricks designed to harm Eder's campaign have backfired. When the Democrats re-districted Eder, voters saw through the ruse and were very angry. The ploy was blatantly done against the will of voters and disenfranchised them. The move augmented the support for Eder as well as their disgust for the Democrat party. Eder decided that he would stick with the constituents for whom he served. He moved into his "new" district, and is now running against the Democrat "incumbent." It makes for an interesting race when you have two "incumbents" running against each other. Eder received the highest score (100% rating) from the AFL-CIO, although he didn't receive their endorsement. They chose not to endorse anyone this year. Interestingly enough, they have never "not endorsed" a Democrat in his region. In a second move that may backfire, the Attorney General (AG) announced a few weeks ago that some Green campaign volunteers are under indictment for an incident earlier in the year in Biddeford, Maine. The charges are that the volunteers mentioned the candidate's name while the voter was filling out the absentee ballot. While the incident had nothing to do with Eder, the opposition appears to be making the link because one of the volunteers in question is Eder's legislative aide. Interestingly enough, the AG was on the case 7 months ago, but waited until a few weeks before the election to make the announcement. Eder speculates that the charges will be dropped - after the election. While the announcement might not bode well for Eder, the move appears to have further angered voters who see it as another campaign dirty trick. It is also worth noting that Maine has cleans elections laws, making the playing field more level. Eder doesn't have to spend time fundraising against the well-greased Democrat machine. People interested in supporting John Eder's campaign can do so by helping the local Green Independent Party in their organization efforts. For more information, see www.mainegreens.org. News In Brief: Greens joined thousands of workers at the October 17th Million Worker March in Washington DC, which was endorsed by the Green Party - the only political party to do so. The AFL-CIO was not compelled to endorse this march or ask its members to participate. ____ David Cobb was arrested on October 8th while protesting third party's exclusion from the presidential debates. Not only was Cobb prohibited from participating, he was not allowed to purchase a ticket to the town hall style debate in St. Louis. The three other presidential candidates that share Cobb's view to end the Iraq War and bring the troops home were also excluded from the debates. David described his arrest in an article he wrote shortly after the event: "I was promptly arrested but not before a number of police converged on me with their shields which they used as offensive weapons. Some of the police seemed to enjoy hitting me; others seemed to be mortified. At this time, Badnarik (Libertarian Party Presidential candidate) and I were surrounded by over a dozen members of the media-cameras, photographers and reporters. Although AP and a number of papers and websites carried the news of my civil disobedience and subsequent arrest, the national media was silent. Apparently, the corporate media decides for the people what is important and the arrest of two presidential candidates trying to exercise their rights to free speech doesn't qualify as important. It is one more example of how the corporate-owned media manufactures consent." ____ Green Case May be Reviewed by the U.S. Supreme Court Only in an election year. The U.S. Supreme Court, who recently appointed George Bush as president, thinks it's significant that San Francisco elections officials might not be looking out for voters' interests. Nevertheless, it's a break we are happy to get (should it happen). The U.S. Supreme Court, which rejects 95% of the 8000 cases submitted each year, considered accepting an appeal by Green Party congressional candidate Terry Baum and ordered San Francisco elections officials to explain why they did not count hundreds of Primary Election write-in votes and place Baum on the November ballot. SF has until October 27th to respond. If Baum wins, the city may have to reprint hundreds of thousands of ballots to include Baum as a candidate in the 8th District (San Francisco), currently held by House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi. Elections officials threw out hundreds of write-in votes based on a minor technicality. Baum claims that the technicality, which is comparable to a literacy test, is in clear violation of the 1965 Voting Rights Act. Unfortunately for Baum, the laws regarding issuing a stay are even more confusing than the ballots. The U.S. Supreme Court won't issue a stay until they see proof that California wouldn't issue a stay, not realizing that California doesn't have to issue a stay and is done with the case. Confused? Don't worry, we are too, and so is the highest court in the land. That's why we said they "may" review Baum's case. Meanwhile, Baum was endorsed by the SF Bay Guardian and the League of Pissed Off Voters, for what it's worth. ____ Homeland Security Lawmakers, in their deep concern for the safety of Americans are anxious to make sure that we can carry assault weapons. Gun lobbies are busily trying to push bills through the states which would allow gun owners to carry concealed weapons in their homes and businesses without a license. (Remember how we got the expression "going postal"?) One such bill, the "Personal Protection Act" is currently being discussed in Wisconsin. But in an historic precedent, Racine alderman Pete Karas initiated a resolution opposing the Personal Protection Act before it has even passed in Wisconsin. Karas, a Green, feels that his resolution will help spur opposition before the Personal Protection act can pass. The Racine common council passed the resolution in September. Greens elsewhere are passing local resolutions to help make citizens feel more safe, including local measures to prevent police from enforcing the Patriot Act. ____ Iowa City Paper Endorses a Green for Senate At least one newspaper understands the value of a Green in the Senate. The Iowa City Press Citizen recently endorsed Green candidate Daryl Northrup for Senate. Even if you don't live in Iowa, you might find this opinion piece worth reading as it highlights some of the election choices we all face in our country. http://www.press-citizen.com/... Check out Cool Calvin Calvin Nicholson is running for Registrar of Voters in New Haven Connecticut. It's a win-win situation for voters. He's running against a Republican and a Democrat - both have held office for 15 years. If Calvin beats either of the candidates, he gets to be a Registrar and so do they. Let's see if New Haven voters can figure out that they benefit from voting for Calvin. Read an article about Calvin (newhavenadvocate.com/...). Join the Sustainer Program! Please consider joining our "Sustainer Program." Your monthly donation to the GP-US means that we don't have to focus on fundraising for operating costs and can turn our attention to the crucial matters of building the fabulous Green Party. Please take this opportunity to show your love for the Greens every month! Top GP Accomplishments a.. Mexican American Political Association endorses the Green Party. b.. Green Party wins the American Muslim Alliance 2004 Humanitarian Award. c.. Green candidates have won 37% of their races in 2004 d.. Newly- formed GP-US Peace Action Committee and the Manhattan Greens sponsored a Green festival to kick off the RNC protests in Manhattan. e.. Largest official gathering of Greens in America at the June nominating convention in Milwaukee. f.. Ballot access now in 23 states. Green Stats to Share with Friends: a.. Number of Greens in office: 213 b.. 350+ Greens filed to run on November 2nd c.. Registered Greens: 300,476 d.. Total campaigns in 2004: 415 e.. Highest office now held by elected Green: Rep. John Eder, Maine State House Campaigns are kicking up! These great candidates need your support. Check out our elections database, and contact the candidates in your area to volunteer or support their campaigns. Support us today! The "Anyone But Bush" fever has siphoned support from the Green Party. We need your financial support more than ever before! Green Party online shopping just got easier! Visit our improved online store. Comments? Feedback? Want to submit an item to Greenline? Send your comments to: kara at gp.org. = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = You've been reading Greenline, the free monthly e-newsletter of the Green Party of the United States. Subscribe for free at http://www.gp.org/. Click here to unsubscribe. = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = Paid for by the Green Party of the United States -------------------------------------------------------------------- GreenLine is a monthly e-bulletin of the Green Party of the United States PO Box 57065 Washington, DC 20037 866-41GREEN or 202 319 7191 -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From capeconn at comcast.net Sat Oct 23 11:37:41 2004 From: capeconn at comcast.net (Tom Sevigny) Date: Sat, 23 Oct 2004 11:37:41 -0400 Subject: {news} Cobb on CNBC Message-ID: <009001c4b916$3b8bc010$1906a543@sevigny8wcbjrd> : CALLING ALL TENNIS FANS- David was interviewed on CNBC's McEnroe show, hosted by (you guessed it) John McEnroe. The 8-minute segment will be aired this Tuesday evening, October 26th. http://www.mcenroeshow.com/ -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From edubrule at sbcglobal.net Sat Oct 23 13:53:17 2004 From: edubrule at sbcglobal.net (edubrule) Date: Sat, 23 Oct 2004 13:53:17 -0400 Subject: {news} possible addition to SCC agenda--co-sponsorship of Cuba conference Message-ID: <007b01c4b929$8c2b9280$3abff504@edgn2b574u14bi> At the beginning of the October 26 SCC meeting, the Executive Committee will be proposing that the proposal below be added to the SCC meeting agenda, probably late in the meeting. Chapter reps can contact me if they'd like additional information on this conference. --Ed --------------------------------------------- Green Party Meeting Proposal Form PRESENTER (committee, chapter(s) or group of individuals): Executive Committee CONTACT (name, address, phone number, email): Ed DuBrule, secretary, 39 Outlook Ave., West Hartford CT 06119, 860-523-4016, edubrule at sbcglobal.net SUBJECT (10 words or less): co-sponsorship of Cuba conference BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE (100 words or less; include relationship, reasons and/or justification to the State Central Committee): Ed received an e-mail from Ana Lachelier, who has worked with the Hartford Greens chapter, wondering if the CT Green Party might want to co-sponsor the conference. Steve Krevisky (of the Central Connecticut chapter) also indicated the hope that we would co-sponsor it. Co-sponsorship of the conference would not require any financial donation from the CTGP. Here is a draft flyer for the conference: [The "Progressive Student Alliance" of the flyer is the Progressive Student alliance of Central CT State University] Conference on Cuba and the Freedom to Travel The right of residents of the United States to travel to Cuba has become subject to tightening restrictions imposed by the administration last spring. These include the virtual elimination of licenses for groups such as Global Exchange that have taken hundreds of Americans to Cuba each year; severe limitations on the ability of universities and colleges to organize study tours; and new limits on the licenses given to Cubans living in the US to visit family members in Cuba. The conference will explore the impact of these restrictions and the movement to end the travel ban and the U.S. trade embargo of Cuba. This conference is hosted by the Progressive Student Alliance. Co-sponsors include the Greater Hartford Coalition on Cuba and the New Haven Peace Council. List in formation. Saturday, November 13, 2004 9:00 AM - 4:00 PM Central Connecticut State University Robert Vance Academic Center, Lecture Hall 105 Keynote Speaker: Rev. Lucius Walker, Pastors for Peace Morning Panel Discussion on issues related to travel to Cuba Afternoon workshops: Cuba 101, Free the Cuban Five, Cuba and Latin America, Medical School of the Americas, Vieques: the Struggle Continues Suggested Donation: $10 regular, $5 students and low income For more information contact: Greater Hartford Coalition on Cuba, P.O. Box 4155, Hartford, CT 06147 or call 860-688-5418. PROPOSAL (200 words or less): That the CT Green Party co-sponsor this conference. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From justinemccabe at earthlink.net Sun Oct 24 23:31:57 2004 From: justinemccabe at earthlink.net (Justine McCabe) Date: Sun, 24 Oct 2004 23:31:57 -0400 Subject: {news} USGP-INT FW: [Green Mail] EU Constitution: yes and no Message-ID: <017a01c4ba43$2ea818c0$0402a8c0@JUSTINE> ----- Original Message ----- From: "juliawillebrand" To: Sent: Sunday, October 24, 2004 6:37 PM Subject: USGP-INT FW: [Green Mail] EU Constitution: yes and no Dear All What our Green colleagues in the UK have to say about the proposed EU constitution. Julia Willebrand USGP International Committee Co-chair FPVA Co-president Green Party CONFERENCE NEWS EU Constitution must go back to drawing board, say Greens "We want a constitution, but the current proposal would entrench much of what's worst about the EU" The Green Party announced from its conference in Weston Super Mare today that it would campaign actively against the current draft of the proposed EU Constitution - and would continue to offer positive, progressive policies for EU reform. Caroline Lucas MEP, the party's Principal Speaker, said today: "We are committed to the European Union and to the idea of an EU constitutional treaty. But we want a more progressive EU, an EU which serves social justice and provides for an ecologically sustainable future." The conference reiterated a previous statement by the party council that it would say "no" in the referendum to be held on the proposals, and committed the party to joining the umbrella "no" campaign that will be set up for the referendum. But the Greens made it clear that they would not tolerate right-wing or xenophobic arguments. For the Greens, the issue was about the contents of the proposed draft, not least its economic provisions. Party campaigns coordinator and economics spokesperson Molly Scott Cato explained: "The current proposals would commit the EU strongly to neoliberal economics, which would take Europe in the wrong direction. Any move we might make towards building a sustainable economy could be ruled unconstitutional if it impeded the drive for profit that's central to the capitalist economy. There are more important things than profit." Wrong type of constitution would derail real progress She added: "There's a lot that needs improving about the EU, and the wrong type of constitution would derail real progress. The Constitution should enshrine principles of democracy, accountability, social justice and sustainability. The Greens will keep on making the progressive case for EU reform." John Norris, the party's international coordinator, underlined that "The Greens are an unashamedly internationalist and pro-European party, but we are very sceptical about the existing arrangements in the EU. We want more decisions taken lower down, closer to the people most affected by them. We want the EU to take its proper role in dealing with issues that cross national boundaries, like human rights and environmental protection, and promoting peaceful and constructive ways to prevent conflict." John, who introduced the motion, stressed the party's concerns about the increased military role of the EU. "The Green Party is about peace and we are not into a constitution which prescribes that all countries will increase their military capabilities. We are not in favour of an EU army - not even an EU army euphemised as a 'rapid reaction force'." For Caroline Lucas, Green MEP for South East England, the proposed Constitution represented "a missed opportunity, because it fails the European people. Its original intention was to simplify the EU and redefine its areas of competence. But instead of allocating competences at the appropriate levels it actually extends EU powers and makes the EU more complicated. This is not what we need." Further information, interviews: Green Party press office: 020 7561 0282 www.greenparty.org.uk/conference ENDS >From Green Party press office. Published and promoted by Spencer Fitz-Gibbon for The Green Party, both at 1a Waterlow Road, London N19 5NJ. From edubrule at sbcglobal.net Mon Oct 25 22:31:43 2004 From: edubrule at sbcglobal.net (edubrule) Date: Mon, 25 Oct 2004 22:31:43 -0400 Subject: {news} minutes of 10/10/04 Executive Committee meeting Message-ID: <007301c4bb03$f166f910$6495f504@edgn2b574u14bi> Minutes of 10/10/04 Executive Committee meeting (2-6:15 pm, Hartford office) Attending: all three co-chairs (see item 1) (Elizabeth Horton Sheff, Elizabeth Brancato, Mike DeRosa); treasurer Bob Eaton; secretary Ed DuBrule. Chris Reilly and Barbara Barry DeRosa observed parts of the meeting. 1. Resignation of Elizabeth Horton Sheff. Elizabeth Horton Sheff distributed a letter of resignation from the Connecticut Green Party, addressed to each of the members of the Executive Committee and dated 10/10/04. After discussion, the remaining members of the Executive Committee decided that her letter should be published to the News listserve and also be included in these minutes. It reads as follows. "I begin this letter with an expression of thanks to the Connecticut Green Party (CTGP) for its support. "Many years back, when I was in search of a political home, the CTGP presented so many possibilities. The Ten Key Green Values reflected my own principles. The people with whom I worked were committed, like myself, to nurturing a grassroots movement with aim to shape a new, just peace reality in our nation and around our world. "Yet, while I remain appreciative of our past relationship, today I find that we stand at a crossroad in our partnership. "Over the past few years our respective pursuit of justice has diverged in many critical ways. Upon much reflection and prayer, I have come to realize that responsibilities to those who elected or call upon me, and my fundamental convictions must take priority. Therefore, it is with heavy heart that I tender my resignation to the CTGP, effective immediately. In keeping with my support for third-party politics, I will be changing my party status to unaffiliated within the coming week. "Please know that I remain open to working with the CTGP on an issue-by-issue basis, and that I wish both you and the Green Party well. "Continued strength! The Executive Committee noted that there are at least three responses to dealing with the co-chair vacancy: continue with two co-chairs until the next internal elections; hold some kind of election; or install as co-chair the next highest vote-getter in last year's internal elections. We'll ask chapter representatives to the SCC, via a post to the News listserve, that they discuss this issue with their chapters and come prepared to discuss it at the October SCC meeting. Ed will see if the bylaws address this issue, and include this information in the post. 2. Re-filing of paperwork for Ralph Ferrucci. Ralph was nominated to run for the Third Congressional District seat; he later withdrew his candidacy, but was renominated. We will re-file the necessary paperwork with the Connecticut Secretary of State's office. 3. Fundraising letter. We plan to send out a fundraising letter using the list of registered Greens (2000-2500 names), perhaps with some added names, such as a list of donors received from the national party. At the last Executive Committee meeting we agreed on the wording of the fundraising letter and the wording remains satisfactory. The back of the letter will contain a donation coupon and information on the results of our candidates on November 2. We plan to use American Mailing Services, a mailing bureau used by the Party previously. They will check our list for duplicate names. They will also compare our addresses with a US Postal Service list of valid existing street addresses; we will ask if the rejected addresses from this comparison can be provided to us. We will not use the "return address requested" service of the US Postal Service, so that we will not have to pay the Postal Service a fee for each non-current address. We will submit a proposal to the October SCC meeting to authorize expenditure of funds for this mailing (approximately $1000 for postage, envelopes and letter, and services of the mailing bureau). We will ask chapters, via a post on the News listserve, if they can review the list of registered Greens and submit address updates, and also names of additional Greens that should receive the letter. We will ask that chapters complete this work by November 5. We target November 10 as the mailing date. 4. Audit. Audrey Cole of the Northwest chapter and of the Women's Caucus has offered to audit Connecticut Green Party books. The resulting information will be useful in coming up with a Connecticut Green Party budget proposal. Mike wondered if it would be appropriate that we request a letter from Audrey in which she states exactly which records she wishes to examine, which past treasurers (if any) she wishes to speak to, and when she will have completed her work. Bob said he thought Audrey had spoken of needing two months. 5. Reimbursing Chris Reilly. Chris has presented the Executive Committee with a list of expenses for which he has not been reimbursed. These expenses included rent payments for the Hartford office and other expenses. At the August and September SCC meetings some discussion of this matter occurred. A proposal from the Women's Caucus was discussed briefly at the September SCC meeting and discussion of it will continue at the October SCC meeting. This proposal in part says "We propose that the SCC request [former treasurer] Bruce Crowder and Chris Reilly appear before the SCC at the next meeting in order to explain the history of the current GPC debt related to the Hartford office." Today we decided that we will ask that Chris answer questions from SCC members about this matter at the October SCC meeting, in hopes of resolving this matter quickly. This will occur in the "guest slot" of the SCC meeting, which is early in the agenda. We will ask chapter reps, via a post to the News listserve, to come to the October SCC meeting prepared to ask Chris questions that their chapters have. We will e-mail Bruce and ask if he, too, can come to the October SCC meeting. We will write a proposal for the October SCC meeting that proposes immediate SCC approval of reimbursement of Chris for money he spent on postage, envelopes, printing, and domain name registration, even if the SCC cannot immediately resolve the question of reimbursement of Chris for rent payments. 6. SCC agenda (see also item 5 above). We prepared an agenda for the October SCC meeting. Tim McKee will facilitate. We will ask Judy Herkimer (who had offered to facilitate the October SCC meeting) if she can facilitate the November SCC meeting. This agenda will be published, as usual, to the News listserve a week before the SCC meeting. 7. Applicant for fundraiser position. The advertisement for a commissioned fundraiser is still on the CTGP website. We received an e-mail expressing interest in the position from a high school student. We wonder if our need is for a person with extensive experience in fundraising. We will contact the student and ask him to call Mike. 8. Offering list of registered Greens to a union. Jean deSmet of the Northeast chapter had wondered if the voter registration list we obtained from the Secretary of State's office could be offered to her union. Perhaps her union could reimburse us for the list. Ed put this idea on our agenda for today's meeting, wrongly, as "idea of giving list of registered Greens to her union" (rather than the entire voter registration list). Ed had expressed concerns about the appropriateness of the CTGP distributing lists to many organizations. However, he noted that Jean has done extensive and valuable work for the CTGP. We agreed to offer Jean the list of registered Greens for possible use by her union, and that we would not ask for reimbursement. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From capeconn at comcast.net Tue Oct 26 20:07:04 2004 From: capeconn at comcast.net (Tom Sevigny) Date: Tue, 26 Oct 2004 20:07:04 -0400 Subject: {news} Cobb schedule in CT Message-ID: <00e001c4bbb8$e47843c0$1906a543@sevigny8wcbjrd> GREEN PARTY OF CT PRESS RELEASE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE DAVID COBB VISITS CT FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: TOM SEVIGNY 860-693-8344 Green Party Presidential Candidate DAVID COBB will be campaigning in Connecticut on October 29th. His schedule is as follows: 8am - 8:30am - LIVE C-SPAN INTERVIEW from Yale University in NEW HAVEN 10:30 am - 12 noon -- Speech at CT COLLEGE in NEW LONDON, Blaustein Building in the Ernst Common Room. 1pm - 2pm - Meeting with student body of the West Shore Middle School in MILFORD, 70 Kay Avenue, school phone number is 203-783-3553. Over 200 students will be attending this event. 7pm - 9pm - Fundraiser at the Bloodroot Restaurant, 85 Ferris Street, Black Rock, BRIDGEPORT. David Cobb's campaign has been crisscrossing the country since he was nominated at the Green Party national convention in June in Milwaukee. He has appeared on C-SPAN, CNN, ABC NEWS, FOX NEWS, NPR, and literally hundreds of local radio programs spreading the message about the Green Party. This week he will be on the John McEnroe show on MSNBC. FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE COBB CAMPAIGN PLEASE VISIT www.votecobb.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From timmckee at sbcglobal.net Wed Oct 27 13:25:15 2004 From: timmckee at sbcglobal.net (Tim McKee) Date: Wed, 27 Oct 2004 10:25:15 -0700 (PDT) Subject: {news} Nov 13th "Thank You Candidates" Potluck Party / State wide meeting Message-ID: <20041027172515.5653.qmail@web81106.mail.yahoo.com> Contact: Tim McKee, 860-643-2282 We invite all Green Party backers, candidates and other who are just interested in the Green Party to our first "Thank You Candidates! and Where Do We Go From Here?" potluck luncheon and meeting. We want to hear from the candidates and "Thank Them" for running! We want to hear what went right.. wrong and ways to improve our local candidates campaigns! The funny little stories, endorsements and numbers.. and hopefully WINS! We have over 209 elected Greens and we will update you on: Local candidate races, Congressional races The Presidential Race (David Cobb and Ralph Nader results) First Church Of Christ, 190 Court Street,( off Main Street at Court) in Middletown, CT Sat. Nov. 13, 11 AM to 2 PM, It?s the big room on the first floor, on the left side. Our second main agenda after lunch is "Where Do We Go From Here?" Kerry or Bush is President and what is their agenda? Voting reforms on the local level- we had a good start. Fighting Sprawl. Health Care Reform. Repealing the Patriot Act. THE WAR!!! YOU tell us! The event is free, but small donations will be accepted to cover the cost the room. No one will be turned away for lack of money. Please bring any cover dish, salads, drinks, or what ever you like. If you can not bring any dish, please pitch in with a little extra for the room cost Here are driving instructions from anywhere: Hartford, Cromwell and Points North: Take Route 9 South. At the second set of lights (exit #15 for Route 66 West) take a right on Washington Street. At the next light take a left on Main Street. Turn right at the next cross street, Court Street (just past Bob's Surplus). The church is half a block up on the right. Portland and Points East: Take Route 66 West over the Arrigoni Bridge. At the first light, continue straight (South) on Main Street. Counting that light as one, at the fifth light (just past Bob's Surplus) take a right on Court Street. The church is half a block up on the right. Haddam and Points Southeast: Take Route 9 North. At the first set of lights (exit #15 for Route 66 West) take a left on Washington Street. At the next light take a left on Main Street. Turn right at the next cross street, Court Street (just past Bob's Surplus). The church is half a block up on the right. Durham and Points Southwest: Take Route 17 North all the way to downtown Middletown, and take a left onto Main Street at the South Green. Counting that light as one, at the fourth light take a left on Court Street. The church is half a block up on the right. Meriden and Points West: Take Route 66 East all the way to downtown Middletown. Take a right onto Main Street. Turn right at the next cross street, Court Street (just past Bob's Surplus). The church is half a block up on the right. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From capeconn at comcast.net Wed Oct 27 16:23:07 2004 From: capeconn at comcast.net (Tom Sevigny) Date: Wed, 27 Oct 2004 16:23:07 -0400 Subject: {news} Fw: [usgp-media] Fw: Please forward to national media: Green Congressional candidate endorsed by district's largest newspaper! Message-ID: <006a01c4bc62$c5bb7470$1906a543@sevigny8wcbjrd> Folks, A race to watch on election day. Tom ----- Original Message ----- From: Nancy Allen To: Scott McLarty Cc: usgp-media at lists.gp-us.org Sent: Wednesday, October 27, 2004 9:48 AM Subject: [usgp-media] Fw: Please forward to national media: Green Congressional candidate endorsed by district's largest newspaper! ----- Original Message ----- From: Eric Fried To: Nancy Allen ; Kirstin Marr Sent: Wednesday, October 27, 2004 12:35 AM Subject: Please forward to national media: Green Congressional candidate endorsed by district's largest newspaper! ***MEDIA ADVISORY***For Immediate Release***October 27, 2004 Northern Colorado's Largest Newspaper Endorses Green Candidate in 4th Congressional District Contact information: Bob Kinsey for Congress Committee (970) 224-5683 The Fort Collins Coloradoan, the largest general circulation newspaper in Colorado's sprawling 4th Congressional District, today endorsed Green Party candidate Bob Kinsey for Congress. According to the lead editorial in the October 26, 2004 issue, "An honest approach earns Green Party Bob Kinsey an endorsement for the Fourth Congressional District... his campaign's goal to get people to pay attention to the issues rather than the candidates deserves merit. Kinsey doesn't couch his responses, nor did he rely on attack ads to blast away at his opponents." Kinsey, a former schoolteacher, minister and Marine who was the first candidate to announce back in Februay, is opposed by Democratic attorney Stan Matsunaka and the incumbent Republican Congresswoman, Marilyn Musgrave. Musgrave has garnered national attention for her sponsorship of the Federal Marriage Amendment to deny marriage rights to same-gender couples. In an e-mail to supporters, Kinsey celebrated the endorsement and thanked his campaign volunteers. "We have held high the Green Party Values and people have connected with them," he stated. "I am deeply grateful for the work and support which has made it all possible. Now is the time to move beyond the campaign and into future Green organizing. We should become the replacement for the failed Democratic Party and capture the imagination of the progressives in Northern and Eastern Colorado. The Coloradoan endorsement may be the first endorsement of a Green Congressional candidate in a three-way race by a major newspaper in Colorado history. Kinsey for Congress, PO Box 1097, Fort Collins, CO 80522, www.kinseyforcongress.org, media at kinseyforcongress.org ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Link to the Coloradoan website and full text of the editorial: http://www.coloradoan.com/news/coloradoanpublishing/endorsements/102604kinsey.html An honest approach earns Green Party Bob Kinsey an endorsement for the Fourth Congressional District. This is an unusual endorsement for the Coloradoan editorial board. Kinsey, being a third-party candidate, likely won't win. But his campaign's goal to get people to pay attention to the issues rather than the candidates deserves merit. Kinsey doesn't couch his responses, nor did he rely on attack ads to blast away at his opponents. This was the race in which the opinions were most strongly held on the editorial board. Rep. Marilyn Musgrave, the Republican incumbent, and Stan Matsunaka, the Democratic challenger, both received strong support, but neither impressed the board enough for an endorsement. Kinsey wants to eliminate corporate tax breaks and provide relief to the lower and middle class. His Green Party is the only party questioning Israel's dominant place in U.S. foreign policy and the U.S.'s nuclear proliferation despite signing treaties to reduce arms. He is correct that lawmakers must demand higher fuel efficiency from automakers and support alternative fuels. Reflecting the district's agricultural roots, Kinsey wants to encourage small farmers, particularly organic producers, to return to the farm. Musgrave earned respect for taking on the powerful Rep. Don Young, R-Alaska, over the amount of gas-tax money being returned to states. The challenge revealed an independent, if not courageous, streak that also surfaced in Musgrave's 'no' vote on the Medicare Reform legislation. She noted that she would have voted against the president's No Child Left Behind legislation had she been in office. She has consistently voted against legislation that would increase the deficit. But it was Musgrave's decision to become the House sponsor of the Federal Marriage Amendment that prevented an endorsement. Seeking to write discrimination into the U.S. Constitution via the amendment was an embarrassment. Time spent on the proposal, which served as a diversion to more important issues, should have been focused on bringing more federal money back to Colorado. Matsunaka showed that he can work both sides of the aisle when he was president of the state Senate. And his proposal to increase Colorado State University's research scope is admirable. He has a strong grasp of the problems of this district, including the need to boost transportation dollars and strengthen educational opportunities. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From dbedellgreen at hotmail.com Thu Oct 28 14:19:04 2004 From: dbedellgreen at hotmail.com (David Bedell) Date: Thu, 28 Oct 2004 18:19:04 +0000 Subject: {news} Nancy Burton in Danbury News-Times Message-ID: http://news.newstimes.com/story.php?id=66103 2004-10-27 Nancy Burton runs on her name Lawyer campaigns for State House By Fred Lucas THE NEWS-TIMES Of all the third party candidates competing in elections this year, Nancy Burton could have the most valuable political asset: name recognition. Burton, of Redding, established a reputation in Connecticut after 20 years of practicing public interest law, taking on developers, power plants, judges, cities and towns. Though her license to practice law in Connecticut was suspended in 2001, she has not slowed down in being an activist. This year, she is the Green Party candidate for state representative in the 135th House District, covering Redding, Easton and Weston. Like most third party candidates, the odds are against her as she faces six-term Rep. John Stripp, R-Weston. Stripp has no Democratic opponent. Burton hopes to capitalize on her name recognition and being the de facto Democratic candidate in the district. "When I attend events and shake hands, we talk about the national race between George Bush, John Kerry and Ralph Nader," Burton said. "I tell them, I have pledged my vote to John Kerry, not the Green Party candidate. Once they hear that, they are friendlier." In 2000, Nader ran as a presidential candidate for the Green Party and was blamed by many Democrats for causing Al Gore to lose. The liberal Green Party focuses on environmental and labor issues. Burton's campaign slogan is "Clean Air, Clean Water, Clean Government." That's because her key issues are closing down two nuclear power plants and enacting stronger laws against public corruption. Burton is a long-time opponent of the Millstone Nuclear Power Station in Waterford and the Indian Point Nuclear Power Plant in Buchanan, N.Y., near the Connecticut border. She said the two plants pose a health threat to the state. While she hasn't won anything at the ballot box, Burton had a victory last week in Danbury Superior Court against the town of Redding. The town removed her political signs and told her to stop putting them up, citing the town zoning ordinance. But the court ruled she had the right to put the signs up. She said the court victory energized her campaign. "My campaign was injured when they illegally took down my signs," Burton said. "Anyone injured is entitled to monetary damages," she continued. "I waived those monetary damages to vindicate my First Amendment rights and the rights of other political candidates." Burton said she has spent less than $10,000 on the campaign. Her license to practice law in Connecticut was suspended in 2001 for five years. She was disbarred for allegedly misleading a group of residents to file a class action lawsuit against the town of Monroe and a developer to overturn a zoning decision. Burton said the group knew what it was signing, but some Monroe residents said they were led to believe they were signing only a petition against the development. Burton can still practice law in federal courts and in New York courts. Contact Fred Lucas at flucas at newstimes.com or at (203) 731-3358. _________________________________________________________________ Don?t just search. Find. Check out the new MSN Search! http://search.msn.click-url.com/go/onm00200636ave/direct/01/ From dbedellgreen at hotmail.com Thu Oct 28 14:22:48 2004 From: dbedellgreen at hotmail.com (David Bedell) Date: Thu, 28 Oct 2004 18:22:48 +0000 Subject: {news} John Amarilios in Greenwich Time Message-ID: http://www.greenwichtime.com/news/local/scn-gt-debate2oct28,0,3496521.story?coll=green-news-local-headlines State candidates square off at debate By Neil Vigdor Staff Writer October 28, 2004 >From mass transit and casino development to health-care reform and ethics, four state office hopefuls set the record straight on their agendas one final time last night at an election forum sponsored by the League of Women Voters of Greenwich. Greenwich High School hosted the 90-minute question-and-answer session, which featured the candidates from the state's 36th Senate and 149th House districts. State Sen. William Nickerson, R-Greenwich, seeks an eighth term in the 36th District, while Green Party candidate and bankruptcy lawyer John Amarilios of New Canaan aims to unseat him. The district also includes parts of Stamford and New Canaan. In the 149th District, two-term incumbent state Rep. Livvy Floren, R-Greenwich, faces a rare challenge, from Stamford Democrat and Howard Dean disciple Kim Hynes. Backcountry and western Greenwich account for two-thirds of the district and North Stamford comprises the remainder. All four candidates responded to questions from the nonpartisan organization, often agreeing on key issues such as the need to acquire more state and federal funding for Metro-North Railroad, the importance of preserving reservoir lands and the urgency of addressing rising health-care costs. "Metro-North is the spine of the environment, the economy and our way of life in Fairfield County," said Nickerson, who is ranking member of the General Assembly's Finance Revenue and Bonding Committee. "It's inadequately funded." Nickerson vowed to devote much of his next term to improving commuter train service and replacing aging rail cars, saying he would keep an open mind about increasing the state's 25-cent gas tax or ad-ding highway tolls to generate revenue. His other priorities include medical malpractice reform, limiting state spending and fighting casino expansion. On transportation, Amarilios called for an increase in the gas tax, tax breaks for owners of alternative fuel vehicles and economic disincentives for sport utility vehicle owners. The challenger also called for regional oversight of public schools, universal health care and tougher enforcement of wetland regulations. Amarilios presented himself to the audience of about 30 people as someone from outside the political establishment who is not beholden to special interests. "I have not accepted one red cent from anybody for this campaign," said Amarilios, who ran unsuccessfully last year for first selectman of New Canaan. In contrast, both Nickerson and Floren touted their legislative experience and said they have frequently demonstrated a willingness to cooperate with colleagues on the other side of the aisle. Floren vowed to introduce legislation addressing the medical malpractice lawsuits and banning the use of pesticides on school and day-care facility grounds if elected to another term. She supports a $350,000 cap on noneconomic damages malpractice victims can pursue through litigation. Noneconomic damages refer to suffering-related claims and exclude lost salary due to malpractice. Floren also reiterated her opposition to casino development, especially in Bridgeport. "You think it's bad on I-95 and the Merritt (Parkway) now, forget it," said Floren, who serves on the General Assembly's Government Administration and Elections Committee. "It would be a parking lot." Hynes similarly spoke against the proliferation of casinos. A New Haven native who worked for Bayer Pharmaceuticals Corp., Hynes said she opposed a higher gas tax because of its potential effect on the middle-class families and their budgets, however. She called for more aggressive lobbying at the state and federal level for transportation funds. Hynes also said she thought parent-teacher associations in wealthy areas should share resources with associations in less well-off areas, and said she supported the reimportation of prescription drugs from Canada, and universal preschool. A grassroots supporter of Dean's White House bid, Hynes urged audience members follow in her footsteps, run for office and broaden the pool of candidates for office to reduce cronyism and impropriety. "I believe we need to push for transparency in all levels of government," Hynes said. Copyright ? 2004, Southern Connecticut Newspapers, Inc. _________________________________________________________________ Don?t just search. Find. Check out the new MSN Search! http://search.msn.click-url.com/go/onm00200636ave/direct/01/ From capeconn at comcast.net Thu Oct 28 15:24:51 2004 From: capeconn at comcast.net (Tom Sevigny) Date: Thu, 28 Oct 2004 15:24:51 -0400 Subject: {news} Fw: [usgp-media] COBB 2004 RELEASE: Cobb on CSPAN Washington Journal Show this Friday Message-ID: <00ae01c4bd23$cc69d750$1906a543@sevigny8wcbjrd> ----- Original Message ----- From: Blair Bobier, Esq. To: blair at votecobb.org Sent: Wednesday, October 27, 2004 3:40 PM Subject: [usgp-media] COBB 2004 RELEASE: Cobb on CSPAN Washington Journal Show this Friday NEWS RELEASE For immediate release: October 27, 2004 Contact: Blair Bobier, Media Director at 541.929.5755 or 414.364.1596 COBB ON C-SPAN'S "WASHINGTON JOURNAL" SHOW THIS FRIDAY Green Party presidential candidate David Cobb will be the featured guest on a segment of C-SPAN's "Washington Journal" show which will air this Friday at 8 a.m. EST. The political talk show and call-in program will also include several other presidential candidates appearing in different segments of the program. To check the C-SPAN schedule for re-broadcast times or other information, visit http://inside.c-spanarchives.org:8080/cspan/schedule.csp. Cobb is the subject of two commentaries in today's press. A guest column in the San Francisco Chronicle focuses on the Green Party's steadfast opposition to the occupation of Iraq and how voting Cobb-LaMarche advances the prospects for peace. http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2004/10/27/EDGG79G48C1.DTL. An endorsement of the Cobb-LaMarche campaign can be found at http://www.dailytexanonline.com/news/2004/10/27/Opinion/Cobb-Best.Choice.For.Progressives-782302.shtml. Cobb wraps up his East Coast campaign swing this week, which included a speech at Harvard on Tuesday, and will head to California for the last four days of the campaign. For more information about the Cobb-LaMarche campaign, see http://www.votecobb.org. Information about the Green Party of the United States can be found at http://www.gp.org. -30- Paid for by the Cobb/LaMarche Committee -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: clip_image001.gif Type: image/gif Size: 7951 bytes Desc: not available URL: From chapillsbury at igc.org Fri Oct 29 19:33:05 2004 From: chapillsbury at igc.org (Charlie Pillsbury) Date: Fri, 29 Oct 2004 19:33:05 -0400 Subject: {news} New Haven Advocate Endorses Kerry and Nicholson! References: Message-ID: <001701c4be0f$a42806d0$574ffea9@S0031616584> Congratulations, Calvin! Calvin and the Green Party have a chance to win this race! If you can help us on Election Day, contact Kelly McCarthy, Calvin's campaign manager, at kelly.mccarthy at aya.yale.edu Whom To Vote For (read the last paragraph) October 28, 2004 We endorse Sen. John Kerry for President. Kerry has a long and distinguished record of public service. He is a man of intelligence, deep knowledge and unwavering resolve to defend his country at home and abroad. During his 20-year Senate career, he has demonstrated a lasting commitment to social welfare; civil rights, workers' rights, and the rights of women; and the environment. He was also instrumental in bringing to light the most troubling aspects of both the banking crisis of the 1980s and the Iran-Contra scandal. ... Sadly, the chief issue before us--a pre-emptive war and its consequences--has been clouded by a ceaseless flow of dishonest White House spin. Contrary to the irresponsible claims of top administration officials, the President first failed to respond to repeated warnings of an Al Qaeda attack and has displayed unfathomable incompetence since 9/11. Bush has tried to cover up both failures by opposing the September 11 Commission, obstructing the committee's work and denying its key findings. Bush is not one to acknowledge his own fallibility, despite overwhelming evidence that he's made some huge blunders as President. His expectation of national unity suggests that those who even question him are anti-American. Yet it is the Bush administration--in its prosecution of the war, treatment of prisoners, disregard for world opinion and its own diplomatic corps, and malign contempt for the media and the public it serves--whose behavior runs counter to the national interest. We are fortunate, then, to have the choice to elect John Kerry. Not just a politician, he is a statesman--a man who has dedicated his life to the service of his nation. His two greatest talents--his judgment and his ability to build and lead consensus--are what his nation most needs now. A couple local races of note: . Can't say it plainly enough: Cheshire Rep. Alfred Adinolfi must go. Here's a legislator who, earlier this year, when presented with a bill relating to greenhouse-gas emissions, told his colleagues on the Government Administrations and Elections Committee that he'd have to check with his district on that one--since so many of his constituents...have greenhouses. Here's a guy who voted against a bill that would help chemotherapy patients purchase wigs. We'd endorse a jar of Nutella over this huckleberry, but we're fortunate that Democrat John Kardaras is a solid choice--he's for property tax reform, campaign-finance reform and equal rights for all--and we enthusiastically endorse him for the 103rd District seat. . Finally, we encourage you to vote for Calvin Nicholson, the Green candidate for Registrar of Voters. If Nicholson wins, no Democrat or Republican loses--he will get a seat alongside registrars Sharon Ferrucci and Rae Tramontano in the office at 200 Orange Street. We like Nicholson, a native son who graduated from Wilbur Cross High School and Yale College, and we think that the more people keeping our voter rolls high, the better. This vote is, in the parlance of our time, a no-brainer. http://newhavenadvocate.com/gbase/News/content?oid=oid:87493 -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: spacer.gif Type: image/gif Size: 44 bytes Desc: not available URL: From justinemccabe at earthlink.net Sat Oct 30 08:38:50 2004 From: justinemccabe at earthlink.net (Justine McCabe) Date: Sat, 30 Oct 2004 08:38:50 -0400 Subject: {news} Fw: What about Nov. 3? Five Green appeals (ZNet) Message-ID: <069801c4be7d$68f62dd0$0402a8c0@JUSTINE> What about November 3? What's scarier than four more years of Bush? 40 more years of 'Bush vs. Kerry.' By Scott McLarty ZNet (Z Magazine online), October 28, 2004 http://www.zmag.org/content/showarticle.cfm?SectionID=90&ItemID=6511 In September, a group of journalists, political activists, actors, musicians, and other prominent Americans issued a short statement titled "Nader 2000 Leaders Organize To Defeat Bush" http://www.vote2stopbush.com>. The statement urges swing-state voting for Mr. Kerry with the sole purpose of defeating President Bush's reelection, while admitting that they "strongly disagree with Mr. Kerry's own positions on Iraq and other issues." This essay is a response to the Nader 2000 Leaders' statement. It's an open appeal -- actually, five appeals to join us in thinking beyond November 2. In June 2004, the Green Party of the United States held its national convention in Milwaukee and nominated David Cobb and Pat LaMarche. The Green Party is not the Democratic Party, so we did not endorse Sen. John Kerry. Like you, we oppose many of Mr. Kerry's positions. Since the convention, we worked to get Mr. Cobb and Ms. LaMarche on as many state ballots as possible. Running candidates for election is what political parties do. But many Greens also respect the fact that so many voters who support the same principles and positions that we do believe that the first goal of the 2004 election is to remove George W. Bush from office. We agree that the damage inflicted by the current administration on human rights and well-being, the rule of law, and national and international security might be the worst in our lifetimes. Evicting the Bush regime should not be the only goal. The Nader 2000 Leaders' statement suggests that its signers are as concerned as we are that a Kerry White House will maintain much of the Bush agenda. There's one thing scarier than four more years of Bush: another century of politics limited to the narrow debate between Democrats and Republicans. If the best our political system can offer is variations on 'Bush vs. Kerry' every four years, we need to take some fast action. I invite the Nader 2000 Leaders and others worried about our nation's direction to consider and respond to the following five appeals. (1) Please follow your 'safe state vs. battleground state' appeal to its logical conclusion. If you live in a safe state (one in which the presidential race is not closely contested, such as Republican Texas or Democratic Massachusetts), support David Cobb and Pat LaMarche. Throughout 2004, the safe-state strategy was a source of contention within the Green Party and among other voters who reject two-party dominance. Green candidate David Cobb is generally associated with the safe-states strategy, while Ralph Nader, running on independent and Reform Party ballot lines, has favored a scorched-earth campaign in every state. But even Mr. Nader, when pressed, blesses safe-states voting: Joshua Frank: Why, in swing states, where voters may be worried about your candidacy tilting the election to Bush, should people vote for you instead of John Kerry? Ralph Nader: If they are worried, let them vote for John Kerry. Voters should follow their conscience. ("The Outsider: A Talk with Ralph Nader" by Joshua Frank, CounterPunch, August 7/8, 2004 http://www.counterpunch.org/frank08072004.html>) Although David Cobb has campaigned in both battleground and safe states, his message throughout 2004 has been one of respect for the decision of many voters to "follow their conscience" and vote for the removal of President Bush. Mr. Cobb has repeatedly emphasized that the purpose of his campaign is party-building. "I don't have any goals for votes except for states in which we need a certain percentage to retain ballot access. In terms of tangible objectives, I want to register more Green voters, support local candidates and retain ballot lines." What overrides the safe-states vs. all-out debate is that any political party or campaign must recognize and respect the fact that voters make up their own minds and vote on their own terms, whether they vote strategically or according to political ideals. Since the Nader 2000 Leaders' petition urges voters in battleground states to vote for Mr. Kerry, the implication is that some or all of its signers also sanction voting for a real progressive antiwar candidate in safe states, and that a vote for Mr. Kerry in a safe state is a vote wasted. (2) Whether John Kerry or George W. Bush wins, we can be sure of two things after November 3: the occupation of Iraq and many other Bush policies will be maintained, and the Green Party will still be here. Regardless of your vote for President this year, please join us in building the Green into a major party with the power to rival the Democrats and Republicans. The US desperately needs a noncorporate independent party. In the 1850s, the Republican Party emerged as the political arm of the movement to abolish slavery. The abolition movement had such force that, in 1860, Republican candidate Abraham Lincoln took the White House. Third parties have played a necessary catalytic role throughout American history, leading the struggles for the eight-hour workday, child labor laws, women's suffrage, civil rights, and a balanced federal budget. At the beginning of the 21st century, Greens have embraced a new historical imperative: a party that challenges global corporate rule and the drift of the US towards empire. Progressive Democrats have tried to fill this role. But more often than not, progressive Dems have found themselves banging their heads on a brick wall in a party unwilling to wean itself off corporate money and influence. (Greens know this, because many of us used to be Democrats.) Outstanding Democratic presidential candidates like Rev. Jesse Jackson, Jerry Brown, and Dennis Kucinich and dedicated organizations like MoveOn.org have served mainly to herd antiwar and progressive voters back towards a party that rejects their ideals. Since the 1980s, more and more of us have realized that, as Republican ideology grew more extreme and the Democratic Party more acquiescent, the only alternative was an independent noncorporate party. The Green Party, whose counterparts in Europe had already begun to win elections, blossomed in the US. On November 3, the Democrats and Republicans will still be the parties of war and service to corporate lobbies. The Green Party will still be the party of ecology, democracy, human rights and freedoms, economic justice -- including discarded Democratic planks like single-payer national health insurance and repeal of Taft-Hartley restrictions on workplace organizing -- and adherence to international and US constitutional law. Senator Kerry stated in August that he'd still have voted to transfer Congress's constitutionally mandated power to declare war to the White House, even if he had known that the Bush Administration's justifications for the invasion of Iraq were fraudulent. Mr. Kerry voted for much of the worst Bush legislation, from the USA Patriot Act to 'No Child Left Behind.' His platform is silent about rejoining the Kyoto agreement and expanding its measures to stem catastrophic global climate change. For all his talk about alternative energy, he favors new drilling in Alaska, a new pipeline through Canada, and coal energy, all of which will expand our addiction to fossil fuels. If elected, Mr. Kerry will maintain the occupation of Iraq, the destruction of communites and mass incarceration caused by the war on drugs, corporate control (HMOs, insurance firms, drug manufacturers) over US health care, and the power of international trade cabals to override democratically enacted environmental and labor protections. It's not accurate to say that there's no difference between the two major parties. No serious Green Party member believes that Democrat equals Republican. It is accurate, however, to say that as the Democratic politicians have retreated from their traditional constituencies and principles, they've given Republicans a license for ever greater extremes. November 3 will hold few prospects for peace, democracy, and the rule of law, regardless of the winner. At what point do we declare, "No more votes for the candidates of war and corporate power"? Even if the short-term choice in 2004 is Bush or Kerry, the long-term choice must be Green or business as usual. (3) If you decide not to vote for John Kerry, a vote for David Cobb will build a permanent and growing independent political party. A vote for Ralph Nader in 2004 is a perfectly valid protest vote against the Iraq war and occupation, two-party dominance, and the corporate corruption of our democracy. No one can match Mr. Nader's ability to command attention or his genius for communicating our ideals. But Mr. Nader's independent campaign will be history on November 3. When the majority of delegates voted to nominate Mr. Cobb and Ms. LaMarche during the 2004 Green National Convention, they did so for a variety of reasons. Some preferred a nuanced state-based strategy. Others wanted candidates who had worked their way up through the party -- Mr. Cobb had already run for Attorney General of Texas and served as the party's legal counsel; Ms. LaMarche had run for Governor of Maine. Many Greens believed that the party had an obligation to nominate rather than merely endorse, after Mr. Nader decided in early 2004 to run as an independent and announced that he would reject a Green nomination but would accept an Green endorsement. For these party members, it was difficult to reconcile "The Green Party must run a presidential candidate" with "The Green Party must back a candidate who is neither registered in the party nor willing to run as a Green nominee." Some Greens worried that a Nader endorsement would do little to expand the Green Party or promote local candidates, or might cause ballot line problems in certain states, especially after Mr. Nader prohibited a few state Green Parties from placing his name on primary ballots. They favored Mr. Cobb because of his pledge to use his campaign to promote state and local Green campaigns and registration in the party. The Reform Party's schism at the end of the 1990s taught Greens the danger of investing a party's destiny in a single personality. In nominating David Cobb, the Green Party repudiated the idea that one political candidate in one election is more important than the party itself. (4) Any discussion of voting, party politics, and the future of our democracy must begin with Instant Runoff Voting, auditable paper records of votes, and other measures to ensure fair and accurate elections. For decades, Democrats and Republicans have guarded their exclusive hold on public offices, maintaining an at-large winner-take-all system, passing prohibitive ballot access laws in many states, and accusing third parties and independents of 'spoiling' elections when they attempt to participate. In September, we learned that Florida Democrats, while excusing the failure of Republicans to file its Bush paperwork by the September 1 due date, used technicalities -- and some allegedly more underhanded means -- to block Ralph Nader's access to the ballot in Florida and other states. Greens have called for Instant Runoff Voting (IRV), which allows voters to rank their choices and ensures that the winner has the support of the majority while accommodating third party candidates. In an IRV-based election -- the kind that elected progressive Mayor Ken Livingstone of London -- none of us would fret over battleground states or the danger of spoiling. (More on IRV: http://www.fairvote.org>.) Other necessary reforms include Proportional Representation (especially in the selection of state electors -- although Greens also favor abolishing the Electoral College), Cumulative Voting, clean election options, access for all candidates to publicly owned airwaves, shorter campaign periods, repeal of restrictive and unfair ballot access rules, and public funding for campaigns. Greens have also demanded enforcement of the voting rights provision of the Constitution (14th Amendment, Section 2) and auditable paper trails for all votes. We can limit the political influence of corporations through legislation overturning several 19th century Supreme Court rulings that granted them the status of 'persons' under the US Constitution. Repealing corporate personhood would do more to clean up elections than loophole-ridden legislation like McCain-Feingold ever will. Many of these reforms address complaints from officeholders themselves that they spend too much of their time raising money for reelection. Under the status quo, the public is being shortchanged in the services we expect from elected officials. Unfortunately, Democratic Party leaders have mostly ignored Green pleas to enact such reforms, and instead directed their ire against 'spoilers', especially the Nader campaign in 2000. Greens have contested the spoiler label, calling it as much a carefully contrived smear by Democrats as the 'flip-flop' label that Republicans have pinned on John Kerry. "What they call spoiling, we call participation," says David Cobb. Al Gore lost the 2000 election for a variety of reasons: obstruction and invalidation of votes (especially those of African Americans) by the Florida Republican machine; a Supreme Court decision denying the popular right to vote in presidential elections; Mr. Gore's failure to demand a recount in more than three Florida counties; the refusal of any Democratic Senator to stand in support of the Black Caucus's challenge to the Bush victory (dramatically captured in Michael Moore's 'Fahrenheit 9/11); Mr. Gore's own weak campaign; and more than 8 million votes from registered Democrats that went to George W. Bush -- four times the number that went to Ralph Nader. If Mr. Nader's 2000 run was a contribution to Mr. Gore's defeat, it surely falls at the bottom of the list. In fact, no consensus exists among Democratic leaders on the Nader spoiler factor in 2000. According to Al From, chair of the Democratic Leadership Council, "The assertion that Nader's marginal vote hurt Gore is not borne out by polling data. When exit pollers asked voters how they would have voted in a two-way race, Bush actually won by a point. That was better than he did with Nader in the race." ("Building A New Progressive Majority: How Democrats Can Learn >From The Failed 2000 Campaign", in the DLC's Blueprint Magazine, January 24, 2001) For Democrats like Mr. From, the spoiler accusation is a useful myth. Even if Mr. From and the DLC have their own strategic reasons, as their party's conservative faction, for denying the Nader factor in Mr. Gore's defeat, there's no doubt that the participation of Greens and other third parties changes the entire dynamic of any election. But it's difficult to quantify precisely how third parties affect outcomes. There's no reason to believe that everyone who voted for Mr. Nader would otherwise have voted for Mr. Gore, or would have voted at all. In 2004, Democratic Party chair Terry McAuliffe encouraged an unprecedented and vicious effort to bar Ralph Nader from state ballots. In local and state races, Democrats have tried to block Green candidates like John Eder, who's seeking reelection to the Maine statehouse. Maine Democrats tried to redistrict Mr. Eder out of office, borrowing a ploy from Republican legislators in Texas two years ago. The real lesson of 2000 is that Democratic politicians and their apologists apparently fear an expanded field of political parties and candidates more than they fear Republican victories. For all the fear that votes for Nader (or Cobb) might throw the 2004 election to Mr. Bush, current poll numbers (about 1% for Nader, a fraction of a percent for Cobb) suggest that their campaigns will probably have less effect on the outcome than faulty felon lists in Florida, defective voting machines in Ohio, or the weather in Milwaukee might have. As Gore Vidal puts it, "we have only one political party in the United States, the Property Party, with two right wings, Republican and Democrat" ("State of the Union, 2004", The Nation, August 26, 2004). The US will either be a multiparty democracy, or it won't be a democracy at all. (5) The White House isn't the only prize in 2004. If you plan to vote for John Kerry for the sole purpose of evicting George W. Bush, you can express your opposition to the war on Iraq and other ideals by supportng Green candidates for local and state office, and by joining the Green Party. In the 2003 run-off campaign for Mayor of San Francisco, Green candidate (and sitting president of the Board of Supervisors) Matt Gonzalez captured 47% of the vote, including a majority of votes cast on Election Day. Mr. Gonzalez, numerous other elected Greens, and the many Greens about to win on November 2 are evidence that electorates are ready for Green officeholders. They prove that Greens know how to run for office. No party ever succeeds by tying its future to a single race. The Green Party is achieving permanance not through participation in the presidential election spectacle every four years, but through its growing base of registered voters and elected officeholders. A half dozen Greens in Congress by 2010 would ensure an uncompromising bloc of progressive-populist-ecological votes, and a gravitational pull against the temptation of Democrats to rubberstamp Republican bills. Ironically, elected Greens have kept alive some of America's best conservative ideals in their defense of small entrepreneurial business, family farms, public ownership of resources and services, local economic democracy and self-reliance, and traditional ideas of community and personal freedom. Equally conservative has been the Green Party's support for the Constitution in the face of the USA Patriot Act, suppression of protest, and other assaults, and adherence to the rule of law against radical ideas like preemptive war and international trade authorities. The Green Party favors same-sex marriage rights, abortion rights, and the repeal of draconian drug laws that have criminalized hundreds of thousands of African Americans, young people, and the poor -- not just because these positions are standard progressive agenda, but because the Greens call the freedom to live one's life as one chooses as basic a human right as all others. (John Kerry and other mainstream Democrats have shied away from same-sex marriage rights and sane drug laws.) Much of the Green Party's platform fits less comfortably on the liberal vs. conservative spectrum than it does on the liberty end of the liberty vs. social-control spectrum. Indeed, the 'traditional values' preached by Republicans and capitulating Democrats aren't conservative at all. They're really a nostalgia for the Robber Baron era, before the progressive reforms enacted by unions and crusaders like Teddy Roosevelt, before women's suffrage, civil rights, and the environmental movement. The Green Party gains more traction every time a Green wins an election. It moves closer to permanence every time a progressive or independent or disaffected Democratic or Republican looks outside the two establishment parties for solutions. Conclusion: What about November 3? "How are we to proceed without Theory? What System of Thought have these Reformers to present to this mad swirling planetary disorganization, to the Inevident Welter of fact, event, phenomenon, calamity? Do they have, as we did, a beautiful Theory, as bold, as Grand, as comprehensive a construct...?" asks Aleksii Antedilluvianovich Prelapsarianov, the "World's Oldest Living Bolshevik" in Tony Kushner's play 'Angels In America'. It remains to be seen whether the ecological humanism of the Greens will take its place in US history next to the beautiful theories of Tom Paine, the abolitionists, the women of the Seneca Falls Declaration, WEB Dubois, Eugene Debs, Martin Luther King, Jr., and others. Establishing a political party is an act of will, hard work, and risk -- as 2004 Nobel Peace Prize winner Dr. Wangari Maathai learned when she defied logging companies, organized Kenyan women, began planting millions of trees, founded the Mazingira Green Party, and ran for Parliament as a Green. Any list of the emerging crises of the 21st century finds the Democratic and Republican parties, to different degrees, on the wrong side: catastrophic global climate change; wars over resources (oil, water, food, access to medicine); militarization of outer space; conversion of the US from a liberal republic into a global empire; erosion of civil liberties; collapse of international laws and treaties; profit-driven ownership of genetic information and other 'intellectual property'; concentration of economic power under corporate bureaucracies; the growing gap between the world's wealthy and the world's poor. The Greens are the only organized electoral entity -- nationally and globally, with parties on every continent except Antarctica -- that takes these crises seriously enough to offer positive solutions, or, in some cases, to talk about them at all. The only other significant American contribution to political thought at the end of the Cold War is the one declared by the Project for a New American Century, parroted in the editorial pages of the Wall Street Journal, codified in NAFTA and other trade agreements, deployed militarily in the invasion of Iraq, and espoused by most Republican politicians with the acquiescence or blessing of most Democrats. (I leave it up to you whether neocon doctrine constitutes a beautiful theory.) Perhaps the greatest danger is not neoconservatism itself. The real threat might be that the answer to it is a movement based not on ecology, democracy, human rights, and nonviolence, but on blood, soil, and the supernatural -- on the kind of sermons preached by Pat Robertson and Pat Buchanan, a Christian counterpart to radical theocratic Islam. Outside of the Green Party, the severest critics of American empire can be found in the Buchananite wings of the Republican and Reform parties. The neo-cons have already anticipated such a movement, knowing that their vision offers little to anyone outside their own major-shareholder class. It's why they adore a President who straddles both camps: George W. Bush, Crusader and CEO. Green candidate David Cobb will not win the 2004 election. Neither will Ralph Nader. With less than a week left before Election Day, I'm less concerned with who anyone endorses or votes for president than with their plans for November 3. Bipartisan consensus, American Taliban, or the Green Party. Take your pick. (Scott McLarty is media coordinator for the Green Party of the United States. He lives in Washington, D.C. The opinions he expresses above are his own and not necessarily the opinions of the Green Party. He can be reached at mclarty at greens.org>. The web site of the Green Party is ; the Cobb/LaMarche campaign site is .) From capeconn at comcast.net Sun Oct 31 06:07:30 2004 From: capeconn at comcast.net (Tom Sevigny) Date: Sun, 31 Oct 2004 06:07:30 -0500 Subject: {news} Fw: We did it! Message-ID: <006b01c4bf39$d06a8760$1906a543@sevigny8wcbjrd> Morning After ----- Original Message ----- From: Kara Mullen, Green Party of the US To: capeconn at attbi.com Sent: Friday, October 29, 2004 4:48 PM Subject: We did it! Dear Friend, I am pleased to be able to share some great news with you today. Thanks to the inspired generosity of many dedicated Greens, we raised enough funds to purchase a full-page ad in the New York Times. Your immediate response to our request for support was awesome! You donated enough money just in the nick of time to secure the space for the ad. Now we are at the mercy of the New York Times. We were just informed that our special rate does not guarantee placement on November 3rd. Our ad will instead print within a two week window after November 2nd. While we didn't have the $100,000 to guarantee placement on November 3, the advertisement will run while the election is still on the forefront of people's minds. On behalf of the Green Party of the United States, I would like to thank the many generous supporters who helped make this ad placement happen. We will send a copy of the ad to each of you. If you didn't have the opportunity to support this ad, it's not too late. We are trying to expand our "Morning After Campaign" beyond the ad in the Times. A donation now would help us to run additional advertisements after the election. These ads will build awareness of the Green Party, secure support for our future activities and reinforce a sense of pride in being Green. Again, a heartfelt thank you to everyone who supported our appeal to place the New York Times ad. Together we are making history and building a strong Green future! Sincerely, Kara Mullen Fundraising Director PS: It's not too late to support the Morning After Campaign. There are many people that feel a strong need for systemic change. Let's reach them now! -------------------------------------------------------------------- Paid for by the Green Party of the United States PO Box 57065 Washington, DC 20037 866-41GREEN or 202 319 7191 Click to unsubscribe -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From dbedellgreen at hotmail.com Sun Oct 31 14:13:10 2004 From: dbedellgreen at hotmail.com (David Bedell) Date: Sun, 31 Oct 2004 19:13:10 +0000 Subject: {news} Ralph Ferrucci in the Bristol Press Message-ID: http://www.bristolpress.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=13260000 10/31/2004 DeLauro faces two foes for her U.S. rep. seat By JEFF MILL , The Herald Press Two rivals, including one who ran in 2002, are trying to unseat the veteran incumbent congresswoman in the Third Congressional District. For the past 14 years, the seat has been held by Democrat Rosa DeLauro. This year, she again faces opposition from Richter "Rick" Elser, a New Haven resident and businessman who chal-lenged her in 2002, and from Green Party candidate Ralph Ferrucci, an artist who is also a bread and cookie deliveryman. A self-described moderate Republican, Elser calls his ?02 contest with DeLauro "a learning experience," that provided him with name recognition and something else: an awareness that "I like campaigning." Born on Philadelphia?s Main Line, Elser, 45, came to New Haven to attend Yale University. He earned a history degree and graduated in 1981, and then stayed on in the Elm City. At one point, he ran Richter?s, a popular in-town bar; he later ran the Tibwin restaurant on College Street. He has described himself as "the only guy in the race who has actually held a real job, met a payroll, dealt with taxes, and knows how government legislation impacts small business owners." He has come back to that fact again and again during the campaign, urging a policy that, if not pro-business in the strictest sense, at the very least encourages more awareness of the pressures on small businesses, which he has describes as the lifeblood of the economy. On the other side of the political spectrum from Elser stands Ferrucci, 32, who like the Republi-can, is also a New Haven resident. Ferrucci is also fairly bursting with ideas, on everything from the war in Iraq to the centerpiece of his campaign, universal health care for all Americans. It is an issue that is very personal to him. "Right now, there are nearly 45 million people who live without health care. In fact, I am one of those people," he explained. "The rising cost of health are has made it hard for lower and middle income (people) to be able to afford it." Ferrucci proposes a single-payer universal health care that calls for expanding Medicare. He says not only will it meet the goal of providing health care to all citizens, but it will save money. "The system john Kerry is proposing will cost too much money," he said. But Ferrucci said his proposal will save as much as $286 billion a year from a health care bu-reaucracy that is fast approaching $400 billion annually. "This system has worked well in other countries, none of which spend as much as we do per capita for health care," he said, adding that the U.S. "is the only industrialized nation that does not have a universal health are system." Cuba has a better system than the U.S., Ferrucci said. On Iraq, Ferrucci is equally emphatic: he is calling for a pullout of U.S. troops within six months. "It is time to pull out our soldiers, foreign contractors, and the foreign investors who are in Iraq," he said, adding that it can be done is such a way that "we will not leave Iraq to become an anarchist state." "First, we need to give the oil back to the people of Iraq." Ferrucci would do that by setting up what is in essence a stock option program, in which every Iraqi over the age of 18 would get "one share in Iraqi oil -- and no one can own more than one share." "This will give the people of Iraq a reason to live and something to be proud of," he insisted. Next, he calls for setting up a peace force which will take the place of U.S. troops and ensure na-tional elections can be held. Finally, he said the U.S. must contribute humanitarian aid "to build back the infrastructure we helped to destroy. We cannot leave the country in the shape it is in." Finally, in an effort to create jobs, Ferrucci calls for tuition-free higher education for students who go to state universities. Sending people back to school for re-training can create jobs in biotech, education, and nursing, all areas he said that are now facing a shortage of trained workers. To contact Jeff Mill, call (860)347-3331 ext. 221 or email jmill at middletownpress.com. ?The Bristol Press 2004 _________________________________________________________________ Don?t just search. Find. Check out the new MSN Search! http://search.msn.click-url.com/go/onm00200636ave/direct/01/ From dbedellgreen at hotmail.com Sun Oct 31 14:18:57 2004 From: dbedellgreen at hotmail.com (David Bedell) Date: Sun, 31 Oct 2004 19:18:57 +0000 Subject: {news} Colin Bennett in the Bristol Press Message-ID: http://www.bristolpress.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=13259999 10/31/2004 Dailey faces three opponents in fight to retain state Senate seat By JEFF MILL , The Herald Press A dozen towns arrayed up and down both sides of the Lower Connecticut River Valley make up the 33rd state senatorial district: Chester, Clinton, Colchester, Deep River, East Haddam, East Hampton, Essex, Lyme, Old Saybrook, Portland, and Westbrook. For the past 12 years, the towns have been represented in the General Assembly by Eileen M. Daily, Democrat of Westbrook. In addition to her six terms in Hartford, Daily has also served on the Board of Selectmen and Board of Education in Westbrook; she was first selectwoman for six years in the 1980s. This year, three opponents are trying to unseat Daily: Republican challenger Emmanuel "Manny" Misenti, Green Party candidate Colin Bennett, and Working Families candidate Jason A. Potts. They are a varied group: -- Bennett is a teacher and environmental activist, and the first Green Party candidate to run in the district. -- Misenti is the owner of the Commercial Electrical Contractors in Middletown. Recovering from surgery, he has designated his campaign manager, John Ferrara, to speak for him. Misenti has served on the boards of selectmen and education in East Hampton. -- Potts is a meat cutter and union steward who has been active in a campaign that calls for a fair wage for workers at a proposed Wal-Mart that would be built in East Hartford. The Working Families party in Connecticut is only two years old. Bennett and Potts are both first-time candidates who are running campaigns of ideas intended, at least in part, to increase awareness of their alternative parties. If Potts can collect 1 percent of the vote in the district, it will give working families minor-party status in the district and allow it to cross-endorse in future elections. All three of her opponents say, while she may be personally likeable, they believe Daily has either been in Hartford too long or, as Ferrara suggests, "has grown too comfortable" in her seat. Appropriately for a Green Party candidate, Bennett says he favors "smart growth" that will protect the state?s "vitality and heritage," which he says are currently threatened by "the strip malls, fast-food joints, and subdivisions (that are) invading every town in the state." Just 25, Bennett said, "I?m trying to set a precedent for other young people to get involved. They can look at me and say, ?I could be doing that.?" A Westbrook resident since 1995, Bennett teaches at St. Mary School in New London; he is a member of the Westbrook Fire Department and the Westbrook Forest Commission He respects Daily personally, but says, "She has been there a long time." Instead of "career politicians", he favors "citizen?s legislators," who will serve "for a couple of years, rather than year after year or for decades." Bennett advocates a dramatic expansion of rail service throughout the state, to help reduce congestion on highways (in particular on Interstate 95 east of New Haven) while reducing gasoline consumption which adds to air pollution. Rail service from Saybrook to New Haven has proved successful; Bennett believes that rail service can -- and should -- be expanded statewide knotting together cities and towns in ways that will reduce congestion on the roads. He wants, for example, to see train service extended from Saybrook to Middletown and on to Hartford. "A lot of these lines exist; they?re just not being used. We spend so much money on highways, when we should be spending more of it on (rail service)." Bennett said rail service would appeal to seniors and to young people in particular, and would be "a wise investment -- especially with the rising cost of gasoline." He favors more rigorous campaign finance reform and reorganizing the tax structure to reduce the dependence on the property tax to fund education on the local level. And, appropriately for a student at Southern, he would like to see more parity in funding for colleges and universities, in order to reduce tuition costs and make college both more accessible and more affordable. Misenti, who?s campaign symbol is a handshake, is calling for "a fair shake" for the district. He grew up in Middletown, graduated from Middletown schools, and then joined the Army. He served as a military policeman in New Jersey and in Germany, and attended the University of Maryland, although he did not graduate. After his discharge, he moved into construction and established Commercial Electric. But after what Ferrara describes as "a terrible traffic accident" in 1995, "Manny decided that the one thing he was neglecting after raising a family was service to the community." Ferrara describes the reali-zation as "a kind of epiphany." And so, Ferrara said, Misenti moved first into town politics and now into state politics. Ferrara said two issues in particular are the focus of Misenti?s concern: ethics, and confronting "the crushing debt that the state is under." "Twelve percent of every tax dollar paid to Hartford is going to interest payments on the accumulated debt. That dictates what we can and can?t do, and it inhibits the state?s ability to develop fairness in the distribution of education funding," Ferrara said. "There is a lot that can be done to make things more equitable," he continued, charging that both the Education Cost Sharing fund and the Pequot Fund (the money derived from the state?s share of slot-machine revenues from Connecticut?s two Indian casinos) "are weighted toward schools that are failing." "With the corruption scandals that have been breaking," Ferrara said Misenti?s focus is on strengthening ethical standards for state government. And with legislators "under scrutiny" because of the burgeoning scandals, it?s important for people to see that their legislators are advocates for them, and not for special interests or for pow-erful or well-connected contractors." A Deep River native who now lives in the Moodus section of East Hampton, Potts, 30, said he "met up with some of the Working Families people" during actions directed at Wal-Mart. "I?m not out to hurt anyone," Potts insisted. He said he is trying to get the voices of the poor and the working poor heard in the halls of Hartford, from which they have too often been ex-cluded. He proposes exempting anyone who makes less than $30,000 from having to pay the state income tax; to offset that, he proposes to increase the taxes on those who make over $1 million. "People making $12,000-$15,000 are not cutting it. If they are raising two to three kids; that?s poverty to me." He also advocates a "significant" increase in the minimum wage, and he calls for importing cheaper prescription drugs from Canada to help rein in "out-of-control" health-care costs "that are hurting our wages." Potts also calls for installing toll booths at the entrances and exits to the state?s two casinos, and charging gamblers to come and go from Foxwoods and the Mohegan Sun casinos. "There?s definitely money to be made there," he said, money that could help increase funding for education and extend Route 11 from the shoreline to Hartford. In addition, "it would help create additional jobs," Potts argued. He also has another issue that is near and very dear to his heart: Potts is the assistant animal control officer in East Hampton, and he called for making animal abuse a felony. "Dogs, cats -- you name it. Anyone who knowingly harms an animal should be put in prison." Potts said he is enjoying his candidacy. "I?m having as lot of fun doing it." ?The Bristol Press 2004 _________________________________________________________________ Check out Election 2004 for up-to-date election news, plus voter tools and more! http://special.msn.com/msn/election2004.armx From dbedellgreen at hotmail.com Sun Oct 31 14:43:41 2004 From: dbedellgreen at hotmail.com (David Bedell) Date: Sun, 31 Oct 2004 19:43:41 +0000 Subject: {news} Colin Bennett in LymeLine.com Message-ID: http://lymeline.com/election%20bennett.htm Colin Bennett (Green Party) Candidate for Senate 33rd District ? includes Lyme Published 10/27/04 Biography Colin Bennett has lived in Westbrook since 1995 and has been an active member of the community for many years. He is a volunteer with the Westbrook Fire Department, a member of the Westbrook Forest Commission, a Marine Science Technician in the United States Coast Guard Reserve, and the founder and president of the Great Land Conservation Trust, Inc. He is a teacher at Saint Mary School in New London and the advisor for a student environmental group at Saint Bernard High School in Uncasville. He is the father to Daisy, age 5. Questions Driving in this area, especially on I-95, can be a nightmare. What initiatives would you like to see regarding transportation, and how would you implement them? ?Most of the congestion in our state can be relieved through increased commuter rail service. If elected I would strongly advocate expansion of service on existing commuter lines, as well the implementation of new lines in critical areas; for example, commuter service between Old Saybrook and New London in the a.m., service linking Old Saybrook and Middletown on to Hartford, and trains from Norwich to Colchester and Hartford. I also strongly support sustainable development, also known as smart growth, which includes high-density, mixed-use neighborhoods. If we, as a state, embrace smart growth we will not only relieve congestion on our roads but also reduce dependence on automobiles altogether. Smart growth also helps preserves open space, facilitates small business growth, and fosters community connectedness.? The economy and jobs are a concern to many district residents. If elected, what steps would you take to ensure a healthy and vibrant economy? ?Historically Connecticut has been an agrarian state and we should recognize this when we begin to look at ways to improve and expand our economy. Connecticut is losing its farmland at twice the national average and had lost over 100,000 acres of farmland to development in the last 15 years alone. I believe we should encourage small, family farms in our state and create a program where local farms could provide food for our schools. Since Connecticut, especially southeastern Connecticut, relies heavily on tourism, increasing the bucolic countryside of Connecticut past would help the tourism industry, thereby helping to ensure a vibrant economy. Additionally, Connecticut should increase its stake in the technology sector by encouraging businesses that develop and utilize alternative energy sources. Such technologies include wind and solar energies, as well as hydrogen fuel cell technology. Connecticut should also set a goal of recycling 100% of recyclable products in the state, thereby increasing jobs in the recycling industry. Furthermore, Connecticut needs to begin seriously exploring alternates to paper from trees. We have the opportunity to become a state that sustainable companies look to when they want to begin or increase their business and we should embrace this opportunity.? Do you support a cap on the non-economic damages of medical malpractice awards? ?I somewhat support a cap on the non-economic damages of medical malpractice awards. Although I realize this is a rather vague answer, the question is a very complex one. I think that rather than restrict patients rights, we should begin restricting the ability of insurance companies to raise their rates to unreasonable levels. Tort reform in our country has to be looked as a whole and asking these kind of questions begins the process of reform. We live in a very litigious society and this needs to be addressed as well. So, in summary, I support limiting insurance company privileges, rather than denying patients their rights, but I also believe that some sort a cap be put in place in order to curb the 'Sue-Craziness' of our society. What are the most important assets that you bring to the campaign, and how would you be an effective legislator? ?As your State Senator, I will do everything I can to make sure that everyone in the 33rd district has a voice, not every corporation. As a Green Party Candidate, I do not take any contributions from corporations, PACs, or other special interests. I believe in ethical government and there will be no influence peddling during my tenure. On Nov. 2, you will have the opportunity to help decide the fate our nation for generations to come. You will also have the chance to make a choice that has the potential to help Connecticut be the great state it should be. If elected to serve as your State Senator, I, Colin Bennett, promise to help Connecticut be the state that sets an example for other states. I truly love Connecticut and want to protect our vitality and heritage currently threatened by the strip-malls, fast-food joints, and sub-divisions invading every town in the state. If we decide to take Connecticut back from the corporations that are trying (and succeeding) to control our government, we can begin to make Connecticut a state where every citizen has a voice. Not a state controlled by special interests or those rich enough to buy influence among our current (or recently resigned) elected officials. Instead of being continually presented with a new government scandal that brings shame upon our state, Connecticut should be setting the bar for other states. It used to mean something to live in Connecticut: together we can make it that way once again and help Connecticut be the great state it should be.? _________________________________________________________________ Express yourself instantly with MSN Messenger! Download today - it's FREE! http://messenger.msn.click-url.com/go/onm00200471ave/direct/01/ From dbedellgreen at hotmail.com Sun Oct 31 16:33:00 2004 From: dbedellgreen at hotmail.com (David Bedell) Date: Sun, 31 Oct 2004 21:33:00 +0000 Subject: {news} David Cobb in Stamford Advocate Message-ID: http://www.stamfordadvocate.com/news/local/state/hc-29185719.apds.m0758.bc-ct--traioct29,0,4862281.story News and notes from the Conn. campaign trail Associated Press October 29, 2004 HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) - David Cobb, the Green Party candidate for president, campaigned in Connecticut on Friday, visiting a state skipped by President Bush and Senator Kerry. Cobb, who is on the ballot in Connecticut and 29 other states, according to a spokesman, hopes to boost his campaign and those of local candidates. Among his stops in Connecticut was a speech at Connecticut College in New London, a fund-raiser in Bridgeport and a meeting with Milford middle school students who are not old enough to vote. "We're about growing the party for the future," said Tom Sevigny, Cobb's Connecticut coordinator. "We are an option when they're old enough to vote." The party, which opposes the war in Iraq and proposes single-payer health insurance, broader use of renewable energy and hopes to serve as an alternative to the Democratic and Republican parties, needs 1 percent of votes to maintain ballot access in many states, Sevigny said. Cobb hopes his visit will boost the candidacies of local Green Party office-seekers, Sevigny said. In Connecticut, voters have elected Green Party candidates to the New Haven Board of Aldermen, Willimantic and Cornwall board of selectmen and several municipal boards and commissions. Copyright ? 2004, The Associated Press _________________________________________________________________ Don?t just search. Find. Check out the new MSN Search! http://search.msn.click-url.com/go/onm00200636ave/direct/01/