{news} Fw: GP ADVISORY: US Greens to attend the World Social Forum in Caracas

[Justine McCabe]

 GREEN PARTY OF THE UNITED STATES
> http://www.gp.org
>
> For Immediate Release:
> Monday, January 23, 2006
>
> Contacts:
> Scott McLarty, Media Coordinator, 202-518-5624,
> mclarty at greens.org
> Starlene Rankin, Media Coordinator, 916-995-3805,
> starlene at greens.org
> Ben Manski (on site in Caracas), 608-239-6915,
> Manski at LibertyTreeFDR.org
>
>
> U.S. Greens to attend the 2006 World Social Forum in
> Caracas, Venezuela, Jan. 24-29
>
>
> WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Members of the Green Party of the
> United States will be among the 100,000 social
> activists from nations throughout the Americas
> attending the World Social Forum (WSF) in Caracas,
> Venezuela, January 24 to 29.
>
> Greens heading to Caracas for the WSF include Patrick
> Barrett, Peter Camejo, James M Leas, Ben Manski, and
> George Martin.
>
> Mr. Camejo, former Green candidate for Governor of
> California and independent candidate Ralph Nader's
> 2004 running mate for the White House, will speak at a
> January 27 meeting of U.S. participants during the
> WSF.  Mr. Martin will represent United For Peace and
> Justice <http://www.unitedforpeace.org>, a coalition
> of U.S. organizations that oppose the U.S. invasion
> and occupation of Iraq.
>
> "The World Social Forum convenes as a popular response
> to the annual meeting of heads of state and corporate
> leaders at the World Economic Forum in Davos,
> Switzerland," said Julia Willebrand, co-chair of the
> Green Party's International Committee.  "The WSF's
> dedication to social and economic justice, democracy,
> and environmental concerns stands in opposition to the
> Davos agenda based on corporate profit, 'free market'
> ideology, and use of military and police forces,
> government subsidies, and international treaties to
> advance the power of wealthy ruling elites.  The Green
> Party's mission and platform are consistent with the
> WSF's -- Greens in the U.S. and other nations are the
> political arm of the movement that unites every year
> at the WSF."
>
> Greens attending the WSF will not officially represent
> the U.S. Green Party, because the WSF's Charter of
> Principles states that it is a non-governmental and
> non-party entity.  Mr. Manski is a fellow with the
> Liberty Tree Foundation for the Democratic Revolution
> <http://www.LibertyTreeFDR.org>; Mr. Barrett is
> organizer for the Midwest Social Forum
> <http://www.MWSocialForum>.
>
> "Growing numbers of people in the U.S. are looking to
> the democratic developments in the rest of the
> Americas and asking how similar changes might happen
> here.  The growth of a democratic alternative to the
> so-called Washington Consensus is a sign of hope for
> Americans across the hemisphere," said Mr. Manski, a
> former co-chair of the Green Party of the United
> States.
>
> Simultaneous WSFs are planned for Bamako, Mali, and
> Karachi, Pakistan.  The three meetings in 2006 follow
> the single global meeting that was held in Porto
> Alegre, Brazil, in 2005.
>
> The meeting in Caracas is significant in 2006 because
> it recognizes the challenges that some governments in
> South America (especially those led by Presidents Hugo
> Chavez in Venezuela, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva in
> Brazil, Evo Morales of Bolivia, and President-elect
> Michelle Bachelet of Chile) pose to the U.S.,
> especially to the Bush Administration's pro-corporate
> agenda and attempt to control fossil fuel industries
> in the Western Hemisphere; U.S. military incursions in
> Colombia and threats against Venezuela and Cuba; and
> U.S.-backed international trade agreements that have
> damaged democracy, worker and environmental
> protections, and economic conditions throughout the
> Americas.
>
> Ben Manski will speak on two panels at the WSF:
> "Prospects for a Democracy Movement in the U.S.", and
> "An Internal Clash of Civilizations: Corporatization
> of Public Services in the U.S."  Patrick Barrett will
> speak on three panels: "New Forms of Participatory
> Democracy in the Americas", "The Latin American Left",
> and "Social Forums Around the World."
>
>
> MORE INFORMATION
>
> Green Party of the United States
> http://www.gp.org
> 1700 Connecticut Avenue NW, Suite 404
> Washington, DC 20009.
> 202-319-7191, 866-41GREEN
> Fax 202-319-7193
>
> World Social Forum
> Caracas, Venezuela, January 24-29, 2006
> (Media credentialing and information at this site)
> http://www.forosocialmundial.org.ve/Ingles/
>
> On site coverage by Sari Gelzer of the WSF in Caracas,
> in truthout.org
> http://truthout.org/worldsocialforum2006.shtml
>
> U.S. Social Forum in Atlanta, Georgia, January 2007
> http://www.ussocialforum.org/
>
> Project South: Institute for the Elimination of
> Poverty and Genocide
> http://www.projectsouth.org/
>
> "World Social Forum: The Great Debate in a Land of
> Change"
> By Humberto Márquez, Inter Press Service, January 18,
> 2006
> http://www.commondreams.org/headlines06/0118-05.htm