From greenpartyct at yahoo.com Wed Mar 1 10:20:46 2006 From: greenpartyct at yahoo.com (Green Party-CT) Date: Wed, 1 Mar 2006 07:20:46 -0800 (PST) Subject: {news} CT. Greens vote to endorse both anti- war rallies Message-ID: <20060301152046.73322.qmail@web81412.mail.mud.yahoo.com> Last night at the state wide meeting of the Green Party of CT, we voted to endorse both anti-war rallies on March 18 in New Haven and on March 19 in Hartford. We all felt last night that both anti- war rallies would serve many different needs of many different people. We also felt it was important for the Green Party, as the Peace Party to talk to as many people as possible at each event. We will be asking people to sign petitions for our candidates at each event, with our first state wide candidates of Cliff Thornton for Governor, Ralph Ferrucci for US Senate and others. Unanimously, we also expressed concern about infighting or splits over issues of grave concerns that may have been produced by different sides and we felt we wanted no part in the infighting, but to promote an strong anti-war stance as the Green Party. Many people also have spoke to us that one or the other dates would be better for them personally (ie, work, other commitments.ect) and could volunteer one day,but not the other. On behalf of the Green Party statewide, let us try to get as many people to both events as possible. Tim McKee National Committee Person, CTGP -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From dbedellgreen at hotmail.com Wed Mar 1 15:21:08 2006 From: dbedellgreen at hotmail.com (David Bedell) Date: Wed, 01 Mar 2006 20:21:08 +0000 Subject: {news} Millstone Deactivates Security When Wind Blows: Boston Globe Message-ID: Nancy Burton is quoted in the last paragraph. Situations like this one at Millstone are the reason she is running for Attorney General. http://www.boston.com/news/nation/washington/articles/2006/03/01/official_at_nuclear_power_station_alleges_retaliation The Boston Globe Official at nuclear power station alleges retaliation Contends he lost post after raising security concerns By Bryan Bender, Globe Staff | March 1, 2006 WASHINGTON -- A senior official at Millstone Nuclear Power Station in Waterford, Conn., was recently relieved of his duties after he complained that the plant's electronic security system was seriously flawed and that site managers had turned it off on multiple occasions to avoid false alarms, according to a complaint to the federal Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Sham Mehta, 58, contends he was retaliated against after repeatedly lodging the allegations with his superiors at Dominion Nuclear Connecticut as well as a federal inspector at the plant. Mehta -- who was removed on Jan. 31 and is now on paid leave -- is seeking reinstatement while the NRC, state Department of Public Utility Control, and US Department of Labor investigate his allegations. While Dominion refuses to talk about security matters, state investigators last month found there were ''sufficient grounds" to believe Mehta was punished for raising the concerns about the plant's defenses. The allegations about inadequate security at Millstone are occurring as the federal government is crafting new security standards for the nation's 64 nuclear power plants, and watchdog groups say the case highlights the need for more stringent oversight. The Millstone plant, which was temporarily shut down in 1997 by the NRC due to safety concerns, has passed all current tests to see whether attackers could penetrate the facility. But critics insist the tests are too easy to pass. ''They give them six months' warning that they're coming to test the defenses," said Peter Stockton, a senior investigator at the nonpartisan Project on Government Oversight and a former Energy Department security official. ''Perimeter fences are a key part" of plants' defenses, he said, referring to the type of electronic system allegedly turned off at Millstone. ''They should be testing these systems much more aggressively." Mehta, whose job was to field complaints from fellow plant workers, first notified Dominion officials in late 2004 that thousands of false alarms in the Intrusion Detection System were the result of rainy and windy weather coming off Long Island Sound or flocks of birds -- as many as 1,000 false alarms per day, according to the NRC report. He also reported that the network of motion sensors and security cameras had been purposely turned off, posing what he described as ''an unacceptable risk" of sabotage. He said in the NRC complaint that he had personally noted that the system was off at one point and that workers had told him of other times when it had been turned off by security managers. ''I discussed my . . . concern with the security manager that potential intruders may take advantage of an unguarded area of the fence when the IDS is not functioning," he wrote in the December complaint. The plant tried to compensate for the lack of adequate electronic surveillance by having guards drive around the exterior of the plant, Mehta said. During an investigation he performed as part of his official duties, Mehta said in the complaint, he obtained signed statements from many security guards reporting that they were ''desensitized" by the frequent false alarms and sometimes declined to investigate them. Mehta, a mechanical engineer who has worked in the nuclear industry for 30 years, further alleged that security managers altered federal reports to contend that ''extreme weather" was responsible for the false alarms even though they were triggered by average conditions. State lawyers who reviewed the case concluded in a Feb. 1 internal memo that Mehta ''did suffer an adverse employment action within a year of his reporting his safety concerns" and that ''this establishes sufficient grounds to establish the rebuttable presumption that Mr. Mehta was retaliated against." They recommended that Mehta's allegations be fully investigated and that he be reinstated. Dominion is opposing efforts to reinstate Mehta, contending his position has been downsized. The plant's lawyer, David W. Bogan, argued in papers filed to the state that ''Mr. Mehta failed to meet his burden to provide facts and supporting evidence" that he was punished for his safety concerns, while ''Dominion provided clear and convincing evidence that its actions were taken for reasons unconnected" to Mehta's safety complaints. But the company declined to discuss the specific allegations, citing security concerns. ''We have investigated every one of the allegations he has brought forward, and we simply disagree with his findings," said Peter A. Hyde, a Millstone spokesman. He later declined to say whether he was referring to the security concerns or Mehta's contention that he was wrongly relieved of his duties. The NRC's regional office near Philadelphia said it, too, cannot discuss security-related matters, but spokesman Neil Sheehan said security complaints are usually forwarded to the Office of Investigations. If found to have merit, ''We could take enforcement action against the company, or we could refer the matter to the Department of Justice for their review." The NRC is currently drafting new rules for nuclear-plant security based on guidelines in the Energy Policy Act of 2005. The act ordered that the NRC must take into account a dozen possible scenarios, including attacks by multiple teams; the potential that insiders might assist terrorists; and the possibility of water-based or airborne attacks. But there are growing concerns that the rule-making process is not stringent enough. Watchdog groups say current proposals assume that an attack would be launched by fewer than half of the 19 hijackers responsible for the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. ''Instead of looking at the actual threat, the NRC bases security standards on what the NRC, or perhaps the nuclear industry, believes a private guard force can be expected to handle," said Stockton. The nuclear industry argues, however, that there are limits to private security forces and that plants must be able to draw on local and state police to supplement their forces in the event of an attack. ''What gets lost in the dialogue is that our facilities are protected by private forces," said David Walters, director of security for the Nuclear Energy Institute. He said the nation's 64 nuclear plants have increased the number of guards by 30 percent since 2001 and invested an additional $1.2 billion in security. ''When you talk about defending against enemies of the United States, you reach a limit of your capabilities," Walters said. ''That doesn't mean we are not going to respond, but we may have to rely on local law enforcement, state resources, the federal government." Still, many are expressing concerns that the NRC is shortchanging security standards. Representative Edward J. Markey, a Malden Democrat who was instrumental in passing the 2005 legislation, said the federal government must take a stronger role in overseeing the security of nuclear plants. ''We cannot simply outsource the security of nuclear facilities to the nuclear utility industry and its subcontractors, with little or no federal oversight," he said in an e-mailed response to questions. ''We have learned that without strict government guidelines, private companies do not always act with national security as their first priority." At a minimum, local activists are calling for a new electronic security system at Millstone. ''The safety system is more than 35 years old," said Nancy Burton of the Connecticut Coalition Against Millstone, a citizens action group. ''Millstone's owner has refused to spend the money required for its upkeep." Bender can be reached at bender@ globe.com. ? Copyright 2005 The New York Times Company From greenpartyct at yahoo.com Wed Mar 1 15:33:42 2006 From: greenpartyct at yahoo.com (Green Party-CT) Date: Wed, 1 Mar 2006 12:33:42 -0800 (PST) Subject: {news} Fwd: electionline.org ALERT -- March 1, 2006: DOJ Sues New York State for HAVA Non-Compliance Message-ID: <20060301203342.705.qmail@web81406.mail.mud.yahoo.com> listadmin at electionline.org wrote: From: To: Subject: electionline.org ALERT -- March 1, 2006: DOJ Sues New York State for HAVA Non-Compliance Date: Wed, 1 Mar 2006 15:13:17 -0500 The press release issued today by the U.S. Department of Justice is reproduced below... electionline.org will continue to monitor this issue for further developments. Justice Department Sues New York State Over Voting Rights Lawsuit Seeks to Vindicate Rights of Disabled Voters and Federal Election Reform Efforts WASHINGTON, D.C. - The Justice Department announced today that it has filed suit against the State of New York alleging violations of the Help America Vote Act of 2002 (HAVA). The lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of New York, in Albany. The government's complaint contends that the state has failed to comply with two of HAVA's requirements governing federal elections: that states (i) adopt voting systems that are fully accessible by disabled voters and are capable of generating a permanent paper record that can be manually audited, and (ii) create a statewide computerized voter registration database. The lawsuit is the first filed to vindicate these important federal obligations. "HAVA contains important reforms designed to ensure that elections for federal office will both allow access to all voters and ensure the integrity of the process," said Wan J. Kim, Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights. "We believe today's lawsuit will help ensure that New York voters enjoy the benefits of these important reforms." HAVA was enacted with bipartisan support after the 2000 presidential election and was signed into law by President Bush on October 29, 2002. States had nearly three years to comply with the provisions enforced under today's lawsuit, which took effect January 1, 2006. This suit is the culmination of an extensive effort by the Civil Rights Division to ensure timely and full implementation of HAVA. The Division met with representatives from states around the country to appraise and assist with their implementation efforts. As part of this process, the Division closely reviewed New York officials' steps to comply with HAVA. The Division repeatedly urged to New York to come into compliance on a voluntary basis. As of the January 1, 2006 deadline, however, New York was not close to compliance with either provision. HAVA was the first federal statute to provide federal funds to states to support reform of federal elections. As the government's complaint alleges, New York received approximately $221 million to assist its implementation of HAVA's requirements. This included more than $49 million specifically designated to assist the state replace its lever voting machines. Under HAVA, New York stands to lose these earmarked funds if it fails to replace these machines by the September 2006 primary election. Today's lawsuit seeks a determination that the State of New York is not in compliance with HAVA's voting systems and database requirements, and an order requiring the state to submit promptly a plan demonstrating how it will come into full compliance. --------------------------------- electionline Weekly is produced by the staff of electionline.org, a non-partisan, non-advocacy research effort supported by The Pew Charitable Trusts and administered by the University of Richmond . More information about the Project and up-to-the-minute news on election reform throughout the week can be found at electionline.org. To unsubscribe from this and future e-mail newsletters from electionline.org, please click here. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Paid for by Thornton For Governor - www.VoteThornton.com info at votethornton.com Cliff Thornton for Governor- Campaign manager- Tim McKee cell (860) 324-1684 or (860) 643-2282 National Committee member of the Green Party- Connecticut -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From riverbend2 at earthlink.net Wed Mar 1 15:59:22 2006 From: riverbend2 at earthlink.net (John Battista) Date: Wed, 1 Mar 2006 15:59:22 -0500 Subject: {news} Zogby poll - U.S. Troops in Iraq: 72% Say End War in2006 Message-ID: <002d01c63d73$059f57e0$1102a8c0@newm2.ct.charter.com> > >http://www.zogby.com/news/R eadNews.dbm?ID=1075 > >U.S. Troops in Iraq: 72% Say End War in 2006 > > * Le Moyne College/Zogby Poll shows just one in five troops want to > heed Bush call to stay "as long as they are needed" > * While 58% say mission is clear, 42% say U.S. role is hazy > * Plurality believes Iraqi insurgents are mostly homegrown > * Almost 90% think war is retaliation for Saddam's role in 9/11, most > don't blame Iraqi public for insurgent attacks > * Majority of troops oppose use of harsh prisoner interrogation > * Plurality of troops pleased with their armor and equipment > >An overwhelming majority of 72% of American troops serving in Iraq think >the U.S. should exit the country within the next year, and nearly one in >four say the troops should leave immediately, a new Le Moyne College/Zogby >International survey shows. > >The poll, conducted in conjunction with Le Moyne College's Center for >Peace and Global Studies, showed that 29% of the respondents, serving in >various branches of the armed forces, said the U.S. should leave Iraq >"immediately," while another 22% said they should leave in the next six >months. Another 21% said troops should be out between six and 12 months, >while 23% said they should stay "as long as they are needed." > >Different branches had quite different sentiments on the question, the >poll shows. While 89% of reserves and 82% of those in the National Guard >said the U.S. should leave Iraq within a year, 58% of Marines think so. >Seven in ten of those in the regular Army thought the U.S. should leave >Iraq in the next year. Moreover, about three-quarters of those in National >Guard and Reserve units favor withdrawal within six months, just 15% of >Marines felt that way. About half of those in the regular Army favored >withdrawal from Iraq in the next six months. > >The troops have drawn different conclusions about fellow citizens back >home. Asked why they think some Americans favor rapid U.S. troop >withdrawal from Iraq, 37% of troops serving there said those Americans are >unpatriotic, while 20% believe people back home don't believe a continued >occupation will work. Another 16% said they believe those favoring a quick >withdrawal do so because they oppose the use of the military in a >pre-emptive war, while 15% said they do not believe those Americans >understand the need for the U.S. troops in Iraq. > >The wide-ranging poll also shows that 58% of those serving in country say >the U.S. mission in Iraq is clear in their minds, while 42% said it is >either somewhat or very unclear to them, that they have no understanding >of it at all, or are unsure. While 85% said the U.S. mission is mainly "to >retaliate for Saddam's role in the 9-11 attacks," 77% said they also >believe the main or a major reason for the war was "to stop Saddam from >protecting al Qaeda in Iraq." > >"Ninety-three percent said that removing weapons of mass destruction is >not a reason for U.S. troops being there," said Pollster John Zogby, >President and CEO of Zogby International. "Instead, that initial rationale >went by the wayside and, in the minds of 68% of the troops, the real >mission became to remove Saddam Hussein." Just 24% said that "establishing >a democracy that can be a model for the Arab World" was the main or a >major reason for the war. Only small percentages see the mission there as >securing oil supplies (11%) or to provide long-term bases for US troops in >the region (6%). > >The continuing insurgent attacks have not turned U.S. troops against the >Iraqi population, the survey shows. More than 80% said they did not hold a >negative view of Iraqis because of those attacks. About two in five see >the insurgency as being comprised of discontented Sunnis with very few >non-Iraqi helpers. "There appears to be confusion on this," Zogby said. >But, he noted, less than a third think that if non-Iraqi terrorists could >be prevented from crossing the border into Iraq, the insurgency would end. >A majority of troops (53%) said the U.S. should double both the number of >troops and bombing missions in order to control the insurgency. > >The survey shows that most U.S. military personnel in-country have a clear >sense of right and wrong when it comes to using banned weapons against the >enemy, and in interrogation of prisoners. Four in five said they oppose >the use of such internationally banned weapons as napalm and white >phosphorous. And, even as more photos of prisoner abuse in Iraq surface >around the world, 55% said it is not appropriate or standard military >conduct to use harsh and threatening methods against insurgent prisoners >in order to gain information of military value. > >Three quarters of the troops had served multiple tours and had a longer >exposure to the conflict: 26% were on their first tour of duty, 45% were >on their second tour, and 29% were in Iraq for a third time or more. > >A majority of the troops serving in Iraq said they were satisfied with the >war provisions from Washington. Just 30% of troops said they think the >Department of Defense has failed to provide adequate troop protections, >such as body armor, munitions, and armor plating for vehicles like >HumVees. Only 35% said basic civil infrastructure in Iraq, including >roads, electricity, water service, and health care, has not improved over >the past year. Three of every four were male respondents, with 63% under >the age of 30. > >The survey included 944 military respondents interviewed at several >undisclosed locations throughout Iraq. The names of the specific locations >and specific personnel who conducted the survey are being withheld for >security purposes. Surveys were conducted face-to-face using random >sampling techniques. The margin of error for the survey, conducted Jan. 18 >through Feb. 14, 2006, is +/- 3.3 percentage points. >==================== > >"The Soldiers Speak. Will President Bush Listen?" >New York Times - February 28, 2006 - Nicholas D. Kristof OpEd > >When President Bush held a public meeting with troops by satellite last >fall, they were miraculously upbeat. And all along, unrepentant hawks >(most of whom have never been to Iraq) have insisted that journalists are >misreporting Iraq and that most soldiers are gung-ho about their mission. > >Hogwash! A new poll to be released today shows that U.S. soldiers >overwhelmingly want out of Iraq - and soon. > >The poll is the first of U.S. troops currently serving in Iraq, according >to John Zogby, the pollster. Conducted by Zogby International and LeMoyne >College, it asked 944 service members, "How long should U.S. troops stay >in Iraq?" > >Only 23 percent backed Mr. Bush's position that they should stay as long >as necessary. In contrast, 72 percent said that U.S. troops should be >pulled out within one year. Of those, 29 percent said they should withdraw >"immediately." > >That's one more bit of evidence that our grim stay-the-course policy in >Iraq has failed. Even the American troops on the ground don't buy into it >- and having administration officials pontificate from the safety of >Washington about the need for ordinary soldiers to stay the course further >erodes military morale. > >While the White House emphasizes the threat from non-Iraqi terrorists, >only 26 percent of the U.S. troops say that the insurgency would end if >those foreign fighters could be kept out. A plurality believes that the >insurgency is made up overwhelmingly of discontented Iraqi Sunnis. > >So what would it take to win in Iraq? Maybe that was the single most >depressing finding in this poll. > >By a two-to-one ratio, the troops said that "to control the insurgency we >need to double the level of ground troops and bombing missions." And since >there is zero chance of that happening, a majority of troops seemed to be >saying that they believe this war to be unwinnable. > >This first systematic look at the views of the U.S. troops on the ground >suggests that our present strategy in Iraq is failing badly. The troops >overwhelmingly don't want to "stay the course," and they don't seem to >think the American strategy can succeed. > >It's tempting, but not very helpful, to repeat that the fatal mistake was >invading Iraq three years ago and leave it at that. That's easy for a >columnist to say; the harder thing for a policy maker is to figure out >what we do next, now that we're already there. > >I still believe that while the war was a dreadful mistake, an immediate >pullout would also be a misstep: anyone who says that Iraq can't get worse >hasn't seen a country totally torn apart by chaos and civil war. Mr. Bush >is right about the consequences of an immediate pullout - to Iraq, and >also to American influence around the world. > >But while we shouldn't rush for the exits immediately, we should lay out a >timetable for withdrawal that would remove all troops by the end of next >year. And we should state clearly that we will not keep any military bases >in Iraq - that's a no-brainer, for it costs us nothing, but our hedging on >bases antagonizes Iraqi nationalists and results in more dead Americans. > >Such a timetable would force Iraqis to prepare - politically and >militarily - to run their own country. The year or two of transition would >galvanize Iraqi Shiites to find a modus vivendi with Sunnis while >undermining the insurgents' arguments that they are nationalists >protecting the motherland from Yankee crusaders. > >True, a timetable is arbitrary and risky, for it could just encourage >insurgents to hang tight for another couple of years. But we're being >killed - literally - because of nationalist suspicions among Iraqis that >we're just after their oil and bases and that we're going to stay forever. >It's crucial that we defuse that nationalist rage. > >For now, we've become the pi?ata of Iraqi politics, something for Iraqi >demagogues to bash to boost their own legitimacy. Moktada al-Sadr, one of >the scariest Iraqi leaders, has very shrewdly used his denunciations of >the U.S. to boost his own political following and influence across Iraq; >that's our gift to him, a consequence of our myopia. And many ordinary >Iraqis are buying into this scapegoating of the U.S. Edward Wong, one of >my intrepid Times colleagues in Baghdad, quoted a clothing merchant named >Abdul-Qader Ali as saying: "I can tell you the main reason behind all our >woes - it is America. Everything that is going on between Sunnis and >Shiites, the troublemaker in the middle is America." > >Will a timetable work? I don't know, but it's a better bet than our >present policy of whistling in the dark. And it's what the troops favor - >and they're the ones who have Iraq combat experience. It's time our >commander in chief stopped stage-managing his troops and listened to them. _______________________________________________ From edubrule at sbcglobal.net Wed Mar 1 23:07:09 2006 From: edubrule at sbcglobal.net (edubrule) Date: Wed, 1 Mar 2006 23:07:09 -0500 Subject: {news} march 19 anti-war rally, hartford Message-ID: <00c601c63db0$6bb72160$bbfbf504@edgn2b574u14bi> Connecticut Opposes the WAR! March 19 Hartford Old State House, 800 Main St., 2:00 PM March to Senator Lieberman's Office Tell Sen. Lieberman Connecticut Opposes the WAR! He Should Too! $250 BILLION Spent on the War Could Fund Jobs, Health Care, Education and Housing; Take Care of Our Vets and Fight Violence in our Cities! Some Members of Connecticut Opposes the War: Rabbi Donna Berman & Charter Oak Cultural Center; Gabriela Campos-Madison-AFSCME*; CT State Rep. Andy Fleischmann; CT State Senator Jonathan Harris; John Humphries & Reclaiming the Prophetic Voice; Linda Lancz-AFSCME*; Henry Lowendorf & John Shanley & Al Marder & Greater New Haven Peace Council; John Olsen-Pres. CT AFL-CIO; Rae O'Toole-W.Hart. Dem. Town Comm.*; David Pudlin & Ken Speyer-Temple Sinai Social Action*; Bill Shortell-Int'l. Assoc. of Machinists*; Kathleen Sloan & CT-NOW;; Eric Stamm & CT Coalition for Peace & Justice; Tom Swan & Rich Sivel & CCAG; Wendy West & Episcopal Peace Fellowship; Mike Winterfield-Interfaith Coalition for Equity & Justice*; Flo Woodiel & West Hartford Peace & Justice. *organization for identification only. Sign on now at: www.groups.yahoo.com/groups/CTOW. Email: CTopposesWar at yahoo.com Labor donated. 2/9/06 Other Upcoming Events In Connecticut: 1.. March 6th: 7:30PM Citizens for Global Solutions, Northeast Coalition for Peace and Justice, and UNAof Mansfield, The Mansfield Town Democrats, and Uconn Student Democrats will be co-sponsoring Joe Courtney (Dem. candidate to run against Rob Simmons for House of Representative) at the First Church of Christ of Mansfield at the junction of Rts. 195(Storrs Rd.) and 89(Warrenville Rd.) 2. March 18th and March 19th: The Northeast Coalition of Peace and Justice has decided on two actions to participate in during the weekend of the 3rd anniversary of the war in Iraq. The coalition has decided to begin planning a regional event on March 18th in the afternoon in Willimantic, and to participate in a statewide predominantly single issue march/demonstration to oppose the war on March 19th in Hartford. The March 18th event will begin at 2PM at the gazebo at Jillson Square in Willimantic (the park across Main Street from the Frog Bridge). There will be a speak-out and rally against the war. 6. Next Northeast Media Coalition meeting will be on the first Thursday of March at 7PM at Charlie Prewitt's house on Mansfield Hollow Rd. in Mansfield Center. E-mail Charlie at cprewittsr at yahoo.com or Dave at davencathy at charter.net for directions or call Charlie at 456-1277. 7.. The No Nukes/No War group is trying to encourage Joe Lieberman to come to a public forum to answer questions about his stands on US policy. Anyone interested in working on this with us, can attend the next meeting on Thursday, March 16th at 6PM at the Holy Trinity Church on Main St. in Middletown, or contact Charlie Prewitt (contact info above) or myself(Miriam) at mim.k at excite.com , or call me at 487-0165 for more information on how to help. We're also looking for help on finding experts to help Ct. achieve economic conversion from a war industrial economy to industries that can help the world. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From greenpartyct at yahoo.com Thu Mar 2 08:10:53 2006 From: greenpartyct at yahoo.com (Green Party-CT) Date: Thu, 2 Mar 2006 05:10:53 -0800 (PST) Subject: {news} (Humboldt Sentinel) The Downfall of Mr. Cobb Message-ID: <20060302131053.10288.qmail@web81403.mail.mud.yahoo.com> http://www.humboldtsentinel.com/060106v.htm Vol. I No. 8 Friday, January 6, 2006 The Downfall of Mr. Cobb Misrepresentation fits in pattern of disillusionment Editorials HUMBOLDT SENTINEL Yet again in these last few weeks, David Cobb has taken his penchant for grandstanding and misrepresentation to new heights with his recent dubious claims that he is an attorney and a national political figure. At a minimum, these are misrepresentations that stretch the truth. David Cobb has been suspended from practicing law in Texas since 2003, which also happens to be well prior to his resignation as legal counsel for the Green Party of the United States. Cobb also resigned his post as a member of the National Committee of the GPUS last year, and holds no other offices on a state or federal level within the Green Party any related organization that can be found on the Internet. The only evidence of Cobb?s continuing involvement is his position on the Board of Directors of the Green Institute, a think-tank formed after his self-described "quixotic" run for President in 2004, which has received much of its funding from heavy hitter donors who typically can be found supporting a different political party. This supposed fountainhead of ?practical, real-world solutions? have come up with vary little outside of creative ways of paying staff members, a task also performed with notable verve in Cobb?s fundraising on behalf of a recount of votes in Ohio, quite a bit of which went to pay the salaries of intimate associates. Cobb also failed to share the list of donors to his campaign with the local Greens, even though his disastrous ?safe states? effort cost them votes in California and several hard-won ballot lines across the country, providing the most serious setback for any minor party since the near-total destruction of the Reform Party in 2000. At least the Reformers managed to grant their nomination to the candidate who received the most votes; Cobb finished fourth place in Humboldt County with scarcely one in ten supporting him in his supposed home county, behind write-in votes for Ralph Nader and even behind Lorna Salzman, who has never even been here. Only a convention well documented to have been rigged by delegations packed by Cobb who ignored the instructions of primary voters was able to hand him the nomination, and the consequent loss of millions of votes for the party (see Rigged Convention; Divided Party How David Cobb Became the Green Nominee Even Though He Only Got 12 Percent of the Votes, published on Aug. 7, 2004 by Counterpunch). Other than asking for money or tooting his own horn while mischaracterizing his own record as one independent of the two-party system, we must ask how Mr. Cobb has paid his dues in this community. Even in the case of the Critical Mass ride instigated without the knowledge of event organizers at the hands of one of Cobb?s associates, what did a witness report was his chief concern on the sidewalk in front of the courthouse as four young protestors were locked away inside? Evidently Cobb was upset not with their treatment at the hands of overzealous police officers, but upset with the lack of unanimous support for his anti-corporate initiative, one his legal expertise seemed to play rather little, or perhaps too much influence in the drafting of, considering the many errors found by local attorneys as well as by editorials in the Times-Standard and The Eureka Reporter as well as the Humboldt Sentinel. Even given the fact that Cobb once was an attorney if he is no longer one now, where in his record can he point to having fought for the underdog? While insurance companies are as entitled to legal representation as any other entity, it was still Cobb?s choice to represent one for several years. The one task Cobb has found some success in recently, raising money, has yet to been employed by him on behalf of Critical Mass activists or other local causes he has taken sudden interest in. We are not the first to be completely disillusioned as to the manner in which David Cobb conducts himself, and while we resist speculation as to the motives, clearly some conclusions can be drawn and they do not bode well for the future of any organization Cobb is in control of. His downfall on the national scene should be an indicator of what Cobb?s further actions may entail locally. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From riverbend2 at earthlink.net Thu Mar 2 09:45:21 2006 From: riverbend2 at earthlink.net (John Battista) Date: Thu, 2 Mar 2006 09:45:21 -0500 Subject: {news} Single payer bill to have a public hearing on Tuesday, March 7th before the Human Services Committee Message-ID: <001b01c63e07$f06853a0$1102a8c0@newm2.ct.charter.com> I just found out that the publicly funded, universal health care bill, written by Justine McCabe and myself, will have a public hearing this coming Tuesday before the Human Services Committee. This is a chance for the Green Party and the Green Party members to be heard in support on single payer for Connecticut. Please attend and testify. Testimony on this bill is being coordinated by Gretchen Vivier, MSW,coordinator of Health Care for All. You can contact her at 860-947-2211 or gvivier at ccag.net Details of the bill are provided below: SB 482 AAC Health Security. To establish a single-payer health care system that will provide high quality, universal health care coverage to every resident of the state. http://www.cga.ct.gov/asp/cgabillstatus/cgabillstatus.asp?selBillType=Bill&bill_num=482&which_year=2006 Hope to see you there. John -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From TDayan at aol.com Thu Mar 2 15:13:01 2006 From: TDayan at aol.com (TDayan at aol.com) Date: Thu, 2 Mar 2006 15:13:01 EST Subject: {news} (Humboldt Sentinel) The Downfall of Mr. Cobb Message-ID: <140.55f55bd7.3138abcd@aol.com> Who is this from? Any truth to it? -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From dbedellgreen at hotmail.com Fri Mar 3 00:53:08 2006 From: dbedellgreen at hotmail.com (David Bedell) Date: Fri, 03 Mar 2006 05:53:08 +0000 Subject: {news} Congressional candidate Steve Miller in the Greenwich Post In-Reply-To: <20060302151029.67674.qmail@web32111.mail.mud.yahoo.com> Message-ID: http://www.acorn-online.com/news/publish/article_4939.shtml Mar 2, 2006 Running for Congress: Third party candidate adds shade of green By Ken Borsuk, Staff Reporter While most of the attention in the race for the state?s Fourth Congressional District is focused on the rematch of incumbent Republican Christopher Shays versus Democratic challenger Diane Farrell, another alternative has emerged as a challenger for a spot on the ballot. Bridgeport resident Stephen Miller is gathering signatures to run on the Green Party line in a bid to unseat Rep. Shays, whom Mr. Miller says is tied in with the culture of corruption in Washington, D.C. While the Green Party is not considered a major threat to the Republicans or Democrats yet, it is perhaps the best known of all viable third parties in politics today. Mr. Miller said people who dismiss ?the Greens? just because they?re not one of the two major parties are hurting themselves because the party is a ?common sense? alternative. ?If people are really honest with themselves and see how both parties are completely controlling the government now and are dishonest, they will see that voting for the Green Party is in their own self-interest,? Mr. Miller said. One of the main stances Mr. Miller is taking is for broad campaign finance reform. He called campaign contributions from major corporations and brokerage houses forms of bribery and said the corporations were ?buying influence? in Washington. Saying reform was ?critical? Mr. Miller said he supported the Green Party platform advocating for public financing of elections. ?This is an issue that I think is so simple,? Mr. Miller said. ?When politicians are taking bribes obviously they?re beholden to the briber. People don?t bribe officials for the public?s benefit. The rules the Republicans and Democrats have set up for themselves are ridiculous. They have these intricate complexities that they have to be on the right telephone in the right building and these little rituals have nothing to do with the essential issue, which is, ?Was the money given for a favor?? and ?Was the money taken to give a favor in return?? I really think any average person would know if you?re going to accept gratuities, no matter how small, the person giving you a free lunch or money is going to expect some preference.? Mr. Miller singled out President George W. Bush?s failed attempt last year to privatize Social Security as an example. He said the top five contributors to President Bush?s 2004 reelection campaign were Morgan Stanley, Merrill Lynch, PriceWaterhouse, UBS Americas and Goldman Sachs, firms that all stood to gain with commissions if Social Security money had been invested in the stock market. ?They want to try and make the bar so high it?s an absurdity,? Mr. Miller said. ?Is this money being contributed or is it bribes? That?s what the essence is. I just think this is simple for people to consider. If the givers were just giving money and were off any list of contractor or any type of reciprocal tax break or any type of reciprocal trade deal that would be different. But they?re not. If you?re not going to have veracity in government then you?re really counterproductive.? In order to raise funds for his campaign without going after corporate donations, Mr. Miller said he will be looking to emulate the kind of grass-roots fund raising that turned Howard Dean into a serious contender for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2004. He said he would be looking for small contributions from a wide variety of people. Mr. Miller added he would also be looking to improve his name recognition to make advertising less of a pressing need. A former Navy submariner, Mr. Miller spent 13 years as a licensed broker and bills himself as a professional expert on commodities futures, options, stocks and bonds. ?I think I will be so controversial my name recognition will be no problem whatsoever,? Mr. Miller said. ?If I could do this without a nickel, I would be happy to do it.? While campaign finance reform is Mr. Miller?s primary focus, his campaign will also touch on the war in Iraq, which Rep. Shays continues to support, and protecting U.S. troops. ?This is an absolutely no-win war that was started by a pack of lies which both parties approved,? Mr. Miller said. ?The Green Party is completely against that. To leave these military people in the middle of this chaos where there?s absolutely no army to fight and no bases to conquer is just idiotic on its face. To think there?s any potential to win is just plain stupid. Bush is a liar and Shays is in lockstep with Bush. I don?t really think Chris Shays is an imbecile, but maybe he thinks the rest of us are imbeciles.? Mr. Miller pledged to discuss the country?s energy policy and advocate for more advances in hydrogen and solar power as an alternative to oil. He also said there had to be a change in the country?s foreign policy. ?We?re provoking people,? Mr. Miller said. ?The United States sticks its nose into countries. It?s not our business who gets elected in Venezuela or who gets elected in Palestine. If we?re really going to promote democracy it should be their vote that counts and that?s that. Over the past decades we?ve supported dictators like Saddam Hussein and Augusto Pinochet in Chile. We support these people who abuse people and people remember that abuse. We wind up in these crazy debacles. We?re provoking enormous amounts of ill will and consequently we have this terrorism. Our foreign policy needs to be changed radically to get to the bottom of terrorism. We?re not going to be able to kill all the terrorists. It?s like catching all the drug dealers. There?s no end to it.? He said Republicans and Democrats are always looking for ?boogiemen? to be afraid of and the paranoia drives policies like the war in Iraq. ?I think the people in the Fourth District in this state are quite well educated and successful people can see through that,? he said. Mr. Miller?s candidacy does have a potential hindrance because he has been convicted of extortion. Mr. Miller said his trial and conviction came after he was the victim of a Wall Street fraud and he tried to set a trap for those who had defrauded him. He added he is not afraid to discuss his conviction, which he claims was the result of jury rigging by a federal judge. ?The conviction isn?t worth a nickel in the light of day,? Mr. Miller said. ?I want this to be out there. This is part of what I?m trying to get across to people. We?re really going down a slippery slope here. I was convinced, and I?m sure most average people are convinced, that the checks and balances in the Constitution and the federal laws of appellate procedure would be adhered to by, if not all the federal judges in the appellate on the second circuit and the Supreme Court, by the vast majority. It turned out the 20 judges who had something to do with the variety of motions and complaints in this case were in lockstep with outright judicial and criminal misconduct.? Mr. Miller?s experiences are detailed in his book Just Cause, Just Facts. Mr. Miller needs 2,909 valid signatures of registered voters in the district to qualify for the ballot, which would represent the 1% of the last congressional vote mandated under law. As a precaution Mr. Miller said he would end up getting 50% more signatures than necessary and didn?t predict it would be too difficult to get this accomplished by the August deadline. Though he knows he has a serious challenge ahead of him, this is not just about making a statement. This is a serious candidacy that he feels he can win. ?I don?t think this is far-fetched because Jesse Ventura proved that it can be done,? Mr. Miller said referring to the former professional wrestler who pulled a major political upset in 1998 by being elected governor of Minnesota as a third party candidate. ?Sure a third party has almost no chance and somebody with a criminal conviction certainly has a long row to hoe, but I have nothing to hide and I want people to know about these issues.? Mr. Miller said he would be happy at any time to debate Rep. Shays and Ms. Farrell on the issues and said people who want to learn more about where he stands should visit his Web site http://www.greensteve.politicalgateway.com , which has recently been set up for fund raising. kborsuk@ acorn-online.com ? Copyright 2006 by Hersam Acorn newspapers From riverbend2 at earthlink.net Fri Mar 3 16:19:56 2006 From: riverbend2 at earthlink.net (John Battista) Date: Fri, 3 Mar 2006 16:19:56 -0500 Subject: {news} Hearing on single payer Tuesday, March 7 before the Human Services Committee Message-ID: <006401c63f08$38e5a460$1102a8c0@newm2.ct.charter.com> Tuesday's hearing starts at 10, signup at 9 - first hour for public officials as usual. They are hearing 14 bills including revisions to HUSKY and SAGA, etc. in addition to the single payer bill. Gretchen Vivier will arrive at 7 am to sign people up. It may be possible to get her to sign you up, but you would need to contact her, as per the contact information provided in my last email, about this. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From riverbend2 at earthlink.net Sat Mar 4 07:54:27 2006 From: riverbend2 at earthlink.net (John Battista) Date: Sat, 4 Mar 2006 07:54:27 -0500 Subject: {news} Did 308, 000 canceled Ohio voter registrations lead to 2004 Bushwin? (Fitrakis & Wasserman, Free Press) Message-ID: <007401c63f8a$c72400a0$1102a8c0@newm2.ct.charter.com> > Did 308,000 Cancelled Ohio Voter Registrations > Put Bush Back In the White House? > > by Bob Fitrakis and Harvey Wasserman > The Columbus Free Press (Ohio), March 2, 2006 > http://www.freepress.org/departments/display/19/2006/1832 > > > While life goes on during the Bush2 nightmare, so > does the research on what really happened here in > 2004 to give George W. Bush a second term. > > Pundits throughout the state and nation---many of > them alleged Democrats---continue to tell those > of us who question Bush's second coming that we > should "get over it," that the election is old > news. > > But things get curiouser and curiouser. > > In our 2005 compendium How the GOP Stole Ohio's > 2004 Election & Is Rigging 2008, we list more > than a hundred different ways the Republican > Party denied the democratic process in the > Buckeye State. For a book of documents to be > published September 11 by the New Press entitled > What Happened In Ohio?, we are continuing to dig. > > > It turns out, we missed more than a few of the > dirty tricks Karl Rove, Ken Blackwell, and their > GOP used to get themselves four more years. In an > election won with death by a thousand cuts, some > that are still hidden go very deep. Over the next > few weeks we will list them as they are verified. > > > One of them has just surfaced to the staggering > tune of 175,000 purged voters in Cuyahoga County > (Cleveland), the traditional stronghold of the > Ohio Democratic Party. An additional 10,000 that > registered to vote there for the 2004 election > were lost due to "clerical error." > > As we reported more than a year ago, some 133,000 > voters were purged from the registration rolls in > Hamilton County (Cincinnati) and Lucas County > (Toledo) between 2000 and 2004. The 105,000 from > Cincinnati and 28,000 from Toledo exceeded Bush's > official alleged margin of victory---just under > 119,000 votes out of some 5.6 million the > Republican Secretary of State. J. Kenneth > Blackwell deemed worth counting. > > Exit polls flashed worldwide on CNN at 12:20 am > Wednesday morning, November 3, showed John Kerry > winning Ohio by 4.2% of the popular vote, > probably about 250,000 votes. We believe this is > an accurate reflection of what really happened > here. > > But by morning Bush was being handed the > presidency, claiming a 2.5% Buckeye victory, as > certified by Blackwell. In conjunction with other > exit polling, the lead switch from Kerry to Bush > is a virtual statistical impossibility. Yet John > Kerry conceded with more than 250,000 ballots > still uncounted, though Bush at the time was > allegedly ahead only by 138,000, a margin that > later slipped to less than 119,000 in the > official vote count. > > At the time, very few people knew about those > first 133,000 voters that had been eliminated > from the registration rolls in Cincinnati and > Toledo. County election boards purged the voting > registration lists. Though all Ohio election > boards are allegedly bi-partisan, in fact they > are all controlled by the Republican Party. Each > has four seats, filled by law with two Democrats > and two Republicans. > > But all tie votes are decided by the Secretary of > State, in this case Blackwell, the extreme > right-wing Republican now running for Governor. > Blackwell served in 2004 not only as the man in > charge of the state's vote count, but also a > co-chair of the Ohio Bush-Cheney campaign. Many > independent observers have deemed this to be a > conflict of interest. On election day, Blackwell > met personally with Bush, Karl Rove, and Matt > Damschroder, chair of the Franklin County > (Columbus) Board of Elections, formerly the chair > of the county's Republican Party. > > The Board of Elections in Toledo was chaired by > Bernadette Noe, wife of Tom Noe, northwestern > Ohio's "Mr. Republican." A close personal > confidante of the Bush family, Noe raised more > than $100,000 for the GOP presidential campaign > in 2004. He is currently under indictment for > three felony violations of federal election law, > and 53 counts of fraud, theft and other felonies > in the "disappearance" of more than $13 million > in state funds. Noe was entrusted with investing > those funds by Republican Gov. Robert Taft, who > recently pled guilty to four misdemeanor charges, > making him the only convicted criminal ever to > serve as governor of Ohio. > > The rationale given by Noe and by the > Republican-controlled BOE in Lucas and Hamilton > Counties was that the voters should be eliminated > from the rolls because they had allegedly not > voted in the previous two federal elections. > > There is no law that requires such voters be > eliminated. And there is no public verification > that has been offered to confirm that these > people had not, in fact, voted in those > elections. > > Nonetheless, tens of thousands of voters turned > up in mostly Democratic wards in Cincinnati and > Toledo, only to find they had been mysteriously > removed from the voter rolls. In many cases, > sworn testimony and affidavits given at hearings > after the election confirmed that many of these > citizens had in fact voted in the previous two > federal elections and had not moved from where > they were registered. In some cases, their > stability at those addresses stretched back for > decades. > > The problem was partially confirmed by a doubling > of provisional ballots cast during the 2004 > election, as opposed to the number cast in 2000. > Provisional ballots have been traditionally used > in Ohio as a stopgap for people whose voting > procedures are somehow compromised at the polls, > but who are nonetheless valid registrants. > > Prior to the 2004 election, Blackwell made a > range of unilateral pronouncements that threw the > provisional balloting process into chaos. Among > other things, he demanded voters casting > provisional ballots provide their birth dates, a > requirement that was often not mentioned by poll > workers. Eyewitnesses testify that many > provisional ballots were merely tossed in the > trash at Ohio polling stations. > > To this day, more than 16,000 provisional ballots > (along with more than 90,000 machine-spoiled > ballots) cast in Ohio remain uncounted. The > Secretary of State refuses to explain why. A > third attempt by the Green and Libertarian > Parties to obtain a meaningful recount of the > Ohio presidential vote has again been denied by > the courts, though the parties are appealing. > > Soon after the 2004 election, Damschroder > announced that Franklin County would eliminate > another 170,000 citizens from the voter rolls in > Columbus. Furthermore, House Bill 3, recently > passed by the GOP-dominated legislature, has > imposed a series of restrictions that will make > it much harder for citizens to restore themselves > to the voter rolls, or to register in the first > place. > > All this, however, pales before a new revelation > just released by the Board of Elections in > Cuyahoga County, the heavily Democratic county > surrounding Cleveland. > > Robert J. Bennett, the Republican chair of the > Cuyahoga Board of Elections, and the Chair of the > Ohio Republican Party, has confirmed that prior > to the 2004 election, his BOE eliminated---with > no public notice---a staggering 175,414 voters > from the Cleveland-area registration rolls. He > has not explained why the revelation of this > massive registration purge has been kept secret > for so long. Virtually no Ohio or national media > has bothered to report on this story. > > Many of the affected precincts in Cuyahoga County > went 90% and more for John Kerry. The county > overall went more than 60% for Kerry. > > The eliminations have been given credence by > repeated sworn testimony and affidavits from > long-time Cleveland voters that they came to > their usual polling stations only to be told that > they were not registered. When they could get > them, many were forced to cast provisional > ballots which were highly likely to be pitched in > the trash, or which remain uncounted. > > Ohio election history would indicate that the > elimination of 175,000 voters in heavily > Democratic Cleveland must almost certainly spell > doom for any state-wide Democratic campaign. > These 175,000 pre-2004 election eliminations must > now be added to the 105,000 from Cincinnati and > the 28,000 from Toledo. > > Therefore, to put it simply: at least 308,000 > voters, most of them likely Democrats, were > eliminated from the registration rolls prior to > an election allegedly won by less than 119,000 > votes, where more than 106,000 votes still remain > uncounted, and where the GOP Secretary of State > continues to successfully fight off a meaningful > recount. > > There are more than 80 other Ohio counties where > additional pre-November, 2004 mass eliminations > by GOP-controlled boards of elections may have > occurred. Further "anomalies" in the Ohio 2004 > vote count continue to surface. > > In addition, it seems evident that the Democratic > Party will now enter Ohio's 2006 gubernatorial > and US Senate races, and its 2008 presidential > contest, with close to a half-million voters > having been eliminated from the registration > rolls, the vast majority of them from traditional > Democratic strongholds, and with serious > legislative barriers having been erected against > new voter registration drives. > > Stay tuned. > > > Bob Fitrakis and Harvey Wasserman are co-authors > of "How the GOP Stole America's 2004 Election and > Is Rigging 2008". They are co-editors, with Steve > Rosenfeld, of "What Happened in Ohio?" > forthcoming in September from The New Press. > Important research for this piece has been > conducted by Dr. Richard Hayes Philips, Dr. Norm > Robbins and Dr. Victoria Lovegren. > > ? 2006 The Free Press > > > > > > From jherkimer at snet.net Sat Mar 4 08:41:39 2006 From: jherkimer at snet.net (Judith Herkimer) Date: Sat, 4 Mar 2006 08:41:39 -0500 Subject: {news} GPC Treasurer's Report Message-ID: <057601c63f91$5fa51520$c6d4fc40@k8h9a3> Dear Green Party of CT, There are some issues of concern regarding the current financial affairs of the GPC that relate to both organizational and personal liability. Since late 2005, established GPC bylaws and procedures are not being adhered to. From the GPC bylaws on our website ( http://www.ctgreens.org/bylaws.html ) it states under Organization Structure: "...Officials shall include two Party Co-Chairpersons, a Treasurer, and a Secretary....(The Bylaws were amended in 2000 to add a third Co-Chair)..." Since the resignation of two of the Co-Chairs in 2005, there have been multiple calls for an election to take place to fill the vacancies. As far as I am aware, no action was taken to plan for a mid-term election. Additionally, the question is being raised by many whether "quorum" is being reached at "State Central Committee" meetings, and if the meetings that are taking place can actually be considered "SCC" meetings. Any "Executive Committee" meetings during this period that consist of the one remaining Co-Chair and the Secretary (who are married to each other) are dubious at best. Due to the probable lack of quorum, combined with the disregard to statutory and established GPC procedures, as treasurer I am unable to recognize any votes as valid that arise from these so-called "meetings". Please know that I am receiving calls and emails from multiple members throughout the state expressing their concern on how the party is currently being handled. Approximately 50% of the long-standing recurring monthly donors have requested that their donations be cancelled. Donors have expressed that they do not want their contributions to support the state party in its current disarray. We are experiencing multiple resignations, ending of campaigns and members throughout the state leaving active participation in the party. The CT Secretary of the State's Office and officials of the Green Party of the United States are aware of the difficulties the GPC is dealing with. According to GP-US, we are not alone and many GPC members look forward to the request for formal facilitation/mediation be honored so that the GPC can move beyond the dysfunction to a place of accountable viability and productivity. The GPC has an excellent vehicle for conflict resolution that was created in large part by David Adams and Charlie Pillsbury. We should seriously consider taking advantage of that process. The GPC books will not be transferred until such time that CT Campaign Finance laws are adhered to (* see below) and an audit is completed. If for any reason I am forced to transfer the books, I will immediately file (with counsel) a formal request for an investigation and audit of GPC finances with the CT Secretary of the State's Office. Additionally, until such time that the current authorized internal audit being undertaken by Audrey Cole and myself is completed, I believe it is not in the best financial interest of the party to make any considerable expenditures (this does not pertain to existing obligations, legitimate chapter accounts and legitimate requests for chapter-level reimbursements). There is a possibility that an outside independent audit might be necessary and the members will be informed if that is required. It has come to my attention that a printing job is possibly under consideration that might amount to somewhere between $3,000 and $5,000. Any request for payment in the absence of the implementation of bylaws, policy/procedure, proposal, quorum, chapter notification, formal quote and statutory requirements will not be honored and no check will be disbursed. If this printing job is indeed under consideration by member(s), you do not have authorization to requisition such services and I strongly urge you to cancel the job. The current financial status of the GPC is essentially status quo from my last report. On 2/28, the transition from the old checking account to the new checking account is 95% completed ($25 remains in the old account for any incidental credit card processing fees). We recently received a donation of $5,000 from a supporter in California. The most recent bank statement for the old account shows a balance of $13,709.13. I will produce a detailed quarterly treasurer's report to coincide with the next mandatory SOTS financial filing which is due April 10th. As always, do not hesitate to contact me with questions, comments or concerns. Please accept my apologies for the delay in completing the audit; I accepted the books in poor condition and the audit has turned into a labor-intensive undertaking. Sincerely, Judy Herkimer GPC Treasurer jherkimer at snet.net 860-672-6867 * The Treasurer Alone May Make and Authorize Expenditures The treasurer is the only individual who may authorize and make contributions or expenditures on behalf of the committee. All committee expenditures must be made by check, debit card drawn on the committee's checking account, or the committee's credit card. Committee checks must contain the committee's name and address. This information must be typed, printed or stamped on each check. The name of the treasurer must also be included, but may be handwritten. The committee treasurer may allow a committee worker to be an authorized cardholder of a credit card issued to the committee, provided that the individual's expenditures are for goods or services that are authorized by the treasurer for a lawful purpose of the committee. Additionally, a committee worker may be reimbursed by the committee if the following conditions are satisfied: (1) the worker has paid for any permissible expenditure on behalf of the committee from his or her own personal funds, (2) the treasurer authorized the expenditure, (3) the worker provides the treasurer with a written receipt from the vendor proving payment by the worker, (4) the expenditure is for the lawful purpose of the committee and (5) the expenditure is not a contribution to any other committee.. [Section 9-333i(d), (l), (j) General Statutes, as amended by P.A. 04-91] http://www.ct.gov/seec/lib/seec/publications/2005/party_guide_7-2005.pdf -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From justinemccabe at earthlink.net Sat Mar 4 08:42:09 2006 From: justinemccabe at earthlink.net (Justine McCabe) Date: Sat, 4 Mar 2006 08:42:09 -0500 Subject: {news} =?windows-1252?q?Fw=3A_USGP-INT_=27Green_Party=92_is_born_?= =?windows-1252?q?in_Tunisia?= Message-ID: <011f01c63f91$70ff5fb0$0402a8c0@JUSTINE> > http://www.middle-east-online.com/english/?id=15906 > > 'Green Party? is born in Tunisia > > > The Green Party for Progress adds ?another colour? to ever-increasing > political spectrum. > > > TUNIS - A new political party was born Friday in Tunisia. > > The new formation, named ?the Green Party for Progress,? (the PVP) is > Tunisia?s ninth legal party. > > The other eight political parties span the political spectrum, from the > centre to the left. But this is the first party dedicated to ecological > concerns. > > Mr Mongi Khammassi, secretary general of the newly-formed party, said in a > statement today his formation ?will be a space open to all sincere people > and patriotic Tunisians desiring to contribute to the progress of the > country, within legality and respect for the tenets of the republican > system.? > > He added, ?our party will endeavour to promote environmental awareness and > sensitization as to the importance of such an awareness in anchoring a > pro-environment culture in the lives of citizens and groups of society.? > > The party will also ?struggle against all forms of natural imbalances,? he > said. > > The new party is led by a ten-member executive committee. > > It is also the fifth political party to gain legal standing since > President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali came to power in 1987. > > Mr Mongi Khamassi, the secretary general of the PVP, is a liberal activist > and a member of Parliament. From justinemccabe at earthlink.net Sat Mar 4 13:27:15 2006 From: justinemccabe at earthlink.net (Justine McCabe) Date: Sat, 4 Mar 2006 13:27:15 -0500 Subject: {news} Fw: USGP-INT Green Party results in Canadian elections Message-ID: <025601c63fb9$449605a0$0402a8c0@JUSTINE> ----- Original Message ----- From: "Mike Feinstein" To: Sent: Thursday, March 02, 2006 2:56 AM Subject: Re: USGP-INT Green Party results in Canadian elections > this is from the gpc party leader jim harris > > -------- Original Message -------- > Subject: RE: Green Party results in Canadian elections > Date: Thu, 16 Feb 2006 11:40:14 -0500 > From: Jim Harris > To: > CC: Steve Kisby , Raphael Thierrin > > > We had the most successful election ever in the Green Party of Canada's > history. We made significant gains in winning 665,940 votes ? an > increase of 14.4% over 2004. > > * We won almost 100,000 more votes in this election than in 2004. > * Almost three times as many candidates won more than 10% of the > vote ? the magic threshold to receive reimbursement for 50% of > campaign expenses. In 2004 only three candidates broke 10% -- in > 2006 eight did! > * In Quebec we won almost 147,000 votes ? an increase of 35% -- and > roughly the same number of votes that the NDP won in 2004. > * In Alberta > * Our Albertan candidates won about as many votes as the party won > in all of Canada in 2000. > * Sean Maw in Wild Rose, Alberta placed second ? ahead of the > Liberal and NDP candidates; and Shane Jolley in Bruce Grey Owen > Sound and Danielle Roberts in Calgary West both finished third. > * More than 50,000 Canadians signed the petition to ensure the Green > Party is included in the televised leaders debates. The TV > broadcasters were proud that 10,000 Canadians emailed questions to > ask the leaders of the old-line parties ? but five times as many > Canadians wanted to see us included in the debates. > * During the 2004 election only one polling company prompted for the > Green Party ? today the most frequently cited polling companies in > this election ? Strategic Counsel used by The Globe and Mail, SES > used by CPAC, EKOS used by the Toronto Star and Ipsos-Reid always > now prompt for the Green Party. > * With a fair electoral system we'd have at least 12 seats in > Parliament today (see Fair Vote Canada site at > www.fairvotecanada.org/fvc.php/ > ). > * We have had a profound impact on Canadian politics already. On > Saturday January 7, 2006 Prime Minster Martin announced a $1 > billion water clean up. If you look at the exact same announcement > two years ago it was a $25 million announcement. The announcement > during the election was 40 times greater. Now I am deeply > concerned about water quality in Canada ? but even I don't think > that water quality has deteriorated 40 fold in just two years ? it > may be marginally worse but not 40 times worse. Could there be > anything else that would motivated Martin to commit to water clean > up? Well 18 months ago the Green Party presented 308 candidates > and won almost 600,000 votes and we just ran another 308 > candidates and won more than 665,000 votes ? so 616 candidates > later and 1.25 million votes later the PM found new commitment to > water quality. We are incredibly powerful and our dramatic rise is > forcing every other party to adopt our issues. > > > > The biggest disappointment, of course, was not being included in the > televised leaders debate. Had we been included we would have we would > have doubled our vote and elected Greens, in my opinion. Remember that: > > * In 1993 the Bloc had never elected anyone under its' banner, was > included and won 54 seats becoming the opposition. > * The Reform party won 275,767 votes in 1988, and then in 1993 won > 52 seats. The difference? Mr. Manning was included in the > televised leaders debate. > * Gordon Wilson, the leader of the Liberal Party in BC, had no seats > but was included in the televised leaders debates in the 1991 > provincial election and won 17 seats becoming leader of the > opposition. > * The BC Green Party's vote jumped from 2% in 1996 to 12.4% in 2001. > What accounts for the 640% jump? Adriane Carr's inclusion in the > leaders' debate. > > Going forward getting included in the leaders debates in the next > election will continue to be one of our top priorities. > > I am so proud to be a member of the Green Party. We ran the most > effective campaign ever in the party's history: > > * The Green Party ran candidates in all 308 ridings ? just 18 months > after the last election ? so we have run 616 candidates in under > two years! > * We moved from 308 candidates to having 308 campaigns ? > * The number of EDAs is at the highest level ever ? and more > continue to be registered every month. EDAs allow local Green > Party members to fundraise between elections and prepare for the > subsequent election. > * Only the Green Party and the NDP ran a full slate of candidates in > 2006 ? both the Conservatives and Liberals disavowed one candidate. > * A number of campaigns spent $25,000 or more ? more than the Green > Party of Canada historically used to spend for its' entire central > party operations a year! > * Many campaigns ensured that every household in their riding > received a piece of Green Party literature. > * BC broadcaster Rafe Mair, the most popular talk show radio host in > Vancouver, endorsed the Green Party on the Tyee. > * The Ottawa Citizen endorsed our Ottawa Centre candidate David > Chernushenko for the second election in a row (David won 10.2%). > * The Kingston Whig Standard endorsed our candidate Eric Walton over > the former Liberal Speaker of the House, Peter Miliken. > * The National Post published an article ?Nunavut's Green Hope? > talking about our candidate Feliks Kappi in Nunavut because > climate change is affecting the Artic at twice the rate of any > other region > * Barbara Yaffe of The Vancouver Sun wrote that electing Greens > would put the bees in the bonnet of Ottawa. > * Newspapers across the country ran editorials arguing for our > inclusion in the debates (see some of them at > http://greenparty.ca/inthenews.html) > * Our web site www.greenparty.ca took > millions upon millions of hits a week as Canadians were hungry to > learn more about the Green Party. > > Fun Facts > > * Sharon Labchuk ran in Malpeque PEI, and her daughter, Camille > Labchuk ran in Moncton-Riverview-Dieppe in New Brunswick. > * Thanks to the fantastic media team, we generated more media > coverage in this campaign than any other in our history! > * Once again the stats available after the election will show that > the Green Party is the most efficient political party in Canada. > In 2004 we won a vote for every 86 cents that the central party > spent. By contrast the NDP had to spend $5.66 to win each vote, > the Conservatives $4.30; the Liberals $3.34 and the Bloc $2.86. > > Leaders' Debate > > The four leaders' debate were a huge disappointment: first because we > were excluded, but more importantly critical issues were not discussed > because our voice was excluded. I am proud of the unique positions we > took in this election and was the only party talking about: > > * Enshrining in the Charter of Rights and Freedoms the right of > every Canadian to have access to clean air, clean water and > uncontaminated soil; > * Dramatic rise in childhood asthma from less than one in every 50 > just 30 years ago to more than one in five; > * Predicted doubling of cancer cases in Canada over the next 30 years > * Admitting to the use of Agent Orange on Canadian troops and > military personnel and calling for immediate compensation for > those suffering from dioxin based illnesses > * Banning the commercial seal hunt > * Health not just health care > * Green Tax shift > > Democracy, however, will not be silenced, and we are profoundly grateful > to more than 50,000 of Canadians who registered their protests with > broadcasters over the unfairness of this decision. These protests make > real a difference: the CBC Ombudsman in a normal year receives only > 2,000 complaints. The French CBC ombudsman receives only 1,600 > complaints a year. Our exclusion from these four debates generated over > 50,000 complaints ? 14 times the normal annual volume in just 56 days. > > And we are not going to stop ? we will keep running the petition. We > will not stop till we are included in the next debate! So keep referring > people to the web site to sign the petition. > > Democracy Reform > > We desperately need to reform our electoral system. Imagine five parties > running in every riding and each getting 20% of the vote, but one party > getting one more vote in all 308 ridings ? that would give them 100% of > the seats in Ottawa, with the same percentage of the popular vote as the > other parties. Would you call that democratic? Meanwhile, the other four > parties with 80% of the vote would not have a single seat. Would you > call that democratic? Consider: > > * We won over 666,000 votes and received no seats. The Liberal Party > won 475,000 votes in Atlantic Canada and received 22 seats. > * We won almost half of the Bloc's 1.55 million votes. The Bloc won > 51 seats and we got none. If we had seats proportional to the > Bloc's, we'd have 22 MPs. > * If the government had adopted a mixed members system as > recommended by the Law Commission of Canada (LCC) > (www.lcc.gc.ca/en/themes/gr/er/er_report/er_report_toc.asp > ), > we would have 12 MPs today. The LCC proposes that two-thirds of > candidates be elected using our current system with larger ridings > and one-third from regional lists. > * We are the only party in this election to have advocated a system > of proportional representation that would double the number of > women in parliament. > > Strategic or negative voting was something advocated by the Liberal and > NDP in this election. Let's look at the concept: First identify the > party you most loathe and then work to figure out who has the best > chance of beating them. You may not like this party at all ? you may > loathe them too ? but you loathe them less. You then hold your nose and > vote. But when you vote for bad government to avoid the worst > government, the bad news is that you're left with the bad government. > > Voters want positive change, and until we change the system we can't > expect any better. For an excellent critique of the current electoral > system go to Fair Vote Canada's web site www.fairvotecanada.org/fvc.php/ > > > Benchmarking Our Success > > Two parties saw their vote fall (Liberals & Bloc); and three saw their > vote increase (Conservative, NDP & Green Party): > > Party 2004 Vote 2006 Vote Difference Change > > Liberal > > > > 4,982,220 > > > > 4,477,217 > > > > -505,003 > > > > -10.1% > > Conservative > > > > 4,019,499 > > > > 5,370,903 > > > > +1,351,404 > > > > +33.6% > > NDP > > > > 2,127,403 > > > > 2,590,808 > > > > 463,405 > > > > +21.8% > > Bloc > > > > 1,680,109 > > > > 1,552,043 > > > > -128,066 > > > > -7.6% > > Green Party > > > > 582,247 > > > > 665,940 > > > > +83,693 > > > > +14.4% > > *Preliminary results from Elections Canada web site > > While the Green Party?s vote fell marginally in Atlantic Canada and in > BC,? the party?s 14.4% gain in votes is impressive. So while we did not > grow as fast as all of us might have liked we had the best election ever. > > Each Election we are Gaining on the Liberal Party > > I'd like to compare a short history of the Green Party with the Liberal > Party. In the 2000 election the Green Party won less than 2% of the vote > that the Liberals did. In 2004 we jumped to 11.7% and this election it > is 15%. We continue to gain on the party that has governed for roughly > 70 out of the last 100 years. > > > > > > 2000 Vote > > > > 2004 Vote > > > > 2006 Vote > > > > Change > > Green Party of Canada > > > > 104,402 > > > > 582,247 > > > > 664,940 > > > > +538% > > Liberal Party of Canada > > > > 5,252,031 > > > > 4,982,220 > > > > 4,477,217 > > > > -15% > > GPC as % LPC > > > > >2% > > > > 11.7% > > > > 14.9% > > > > > > Let's Rest & Then Build for the Future > > We are proud of our efforts in this election, and thankful to the more > than 665,000 Canadians who responded to our message of hope. > > We will continue to build the party ? and be prepared for the next > election. > > Thank you again for your support! It has made all the difference in the > world in helping us change Canadian politics forever. > > Sincerely, > > > Jim Harris > Leader > Green Party of Canada From dbedellgreen at hotmail.com Sun Mar 5 16:17:39 2006 From: dbedellgreen at hotmail.com (David Bedell) Date: Sun, 05 Mar 2006 21:17:39 +0000 Subject: {news} New London Times: Green Party holds citizens forum In-Reply-To: <1141381183.306997.6aecd7081274572a.66a11788@persist.google.com> Message-ID: http://www.shorepublishing.com/archive/re.aspx?re=c04e8963-7494-4e09-90af-c89d3c16b5fd It's Greener On This Side: Green Party holds citizens forum to reach out to voters By Stephen Chupaska Published on 3/3/2006 New London - It's easier being Green in New London these days. Although the party, which formed locally in 2001, did not land a seat on either the City Council or Board of Education in November, its members are intent on sustaining momentum into next year's vote. On Sunday at the All Souls Unitarian Universalist Church, the Greens held a citizens forum, where its local leadership and active members gave presentations on issues the party would like to grapple with in the next year and a half. ?We want to push on with the issues that came up in the campaign,? Chris Nelson, an alternate on the Planning and Zoning Commission, said. The forum is the latest effort by local politicians to reach out to voters. One New London, the other minor party in the city, holds monthly voter information sessions. Mayor Beth Sabilia, a Democrat, recently held an Internet chat on The Day's Web site. The local Green party, Nelson explained, is eager to show it is far-reaching in its politics and not just focused on the environment, as is the general perception. ?We've always dealt with local issues,? he said. ?In a town as politically volatile as New London, we try to bring perspective on issues.? Party member Tim Hanser, head of the Crystal Avenue Neighborhood Association, said the Greens are trying to foster a cooperative spirit in the city. ?Collaborative efforts are needed more in the city,? he said. The Greens gave talks and manned information booths on four issues: development, drug policy, good government and energy consumption. At the forum, Nelson tackled perhaps the most pressing topic in the city ? development. Using city maps dating before the urban renewal projects of the 1950s and 1960s and satellite photos, Nelson said he'd like city leaders to think of development holistically, not on a case-by-case basis. Hanser, who served on the Charter Revision Commission, discussed 'good government.? ?It's not just the strong mayor,? he said. ?It's also about how you elect officials.? Hanser said the party is not, at this point, endorsing anything in particular. ?We just want to let people know what's out there,? he said. Hanser passed out literature on ideas such as district representation and proportional voting, all of which were discussed on the Charter Revision Commission, but not approved. The Greens also manned information booths on traditional party concerns such as drug policy and energy conservation. Bob Stuller, a City Council candidate last year, echoed the sentiments of Cliff Thornton, the Green candidate for governor, who is pushing for drug reforms. ?We need to move in the way of prevention education and medicine,? he said. Kendric Hanson spoke about ways citizens could modify their homes with solar panels to cut down on electric bills, and receive rebates for doing so. Also, Hanson brought up the idea of installing wind turbines on a hill at Bates Woods Park, a proposal also mentioned by City Councilor Margaret Curtin. ?New London is viable for wind production,? he said, noting that some turbines require a 50-meter elevation. From dbedellgreen at hotmail.com Sun Mar 5 16:46:53 2006 From: dbedellgreen at hotmail.com (David Bedell) Date: Sun, 05 Mar 2006 21:46:53 +0000 Subject: {news} Columbia, MO: Thornton speaks at Sensible Drug Policy Conference Message-ID: http://www.showmenews.com/2006/Mar/20060305News007.asp Student group drums up opposition to drug war By GREG MILLER of the Tribune?s staff Published Sunday, March 5, 2006 Gary Davey smokes marijuana and credits the drug with relieving pain from injuries he received in a head-on collision that shattered most of his bones from the waist down and confined him to a wheelchair in 1989. "The benefit that is available to these people is incredible," Davey said, referring to the use of marijuana. "There were times I literally couldn?t work." Davey, 44, shared his story yesterday at the Students for Sensible Drug Policy Midwest Regional Conference. The medicinal marijuana session Davey participated in was one of more than a dozen events held at the University of Missouri-Columbia campus. Students for Sensible Drug Policy, a nationwide organization of college students against the war on drugs, chose Columbia because of the success of marijuana-related Propositions 1 and 2 in 2004. Cliff Thornton, a lawyer and Green Party gubernatorial candidate in Connecticut, was keynote speaker. Thornton?s drug reform group, Efficacy, was one of 10 sponsors for the weekend gathering. Other sponsors are the Missouri chapter of the National Organization to Reform Marijuana Laws, the Cannabis Action Network, Green Aid and the Missouri Cannabis Coalition. "These drugs are not the problem; the drug policies are the problem," Thornton said in an interview before the conference. "The drug war has placed the African-American community into a de-evolving state." Thornton, who is black, said drug laws that impose greater penalties for crack cocaine violations than for powder cocaine offenses are specifically designed to target black and lower-class people. That means taxes are funding incarceration of people who otherwise could be paying taxes, Thornton said. "That?s why most inner cities are so poor," he said. Speakers at the conference included the associate county commissioner of Marion County, Willy Richmond, and a former prosecutor from Kansas City, Kan., Brian Leininger. "It?s scary, more than anything, how these laws have gotten stricter and stricter," Richmond said in a panel discussion of drug statutes. "It?s not accomplishing anything." Leininger called the drug war "not only a failure but counterproductive. ? It took me a lot of time, I think, to come around. But I certainly saw how fruitless it was." Columbia Police Chief Randy Boehm, who did not attend the conference, said he believes the war on drugs is working. "I don?t think our policies target poor and minorities," he said. Boehm said the majority of drug-related calls that Columbia police deal with are sales and activity in poorer areas. "The best we can hope for is to ... cut down on violence that?s related to drug activity," he said. The Students for Sensible Drug Policy Web site says the group endorses "personal choice and freedom so long as a person?s actions do not infringe upon another?s freedoms or safety." But Boehm said that "drugs are not only harmful to the individual but harmful to the community. I think that it does inherently infringe upon the safety of the community." Thornton said the prohibition of drugs has led to a black market that creates violence and makes drugs cheaper and more accessible to the public. "The only way you?re going to solve this problem is to bring these drugs inside the law," he said. Joe Bartlett, president of the MU chapter of Students for a Sensible Drug Policy, said the conference is an opportunity to spread information about their campaign with students from other colleges. He estimated 100 people are participating in the three-day event, including 50 or 60 from outside Columbia. Lisa Davey doesn?t see her husband?s use of marijuana as a threat to the safety of her community in St. Louis. "The fact that this is an illegal drug is a sin," she said. "The use of marijuana has given us a near-normal life." Reach Greg Miller at (573) 815-1723 or gmiller@ tribmail.com. Copyright ? 2006 The Columbia Daily Tribune. All Rights Reserved. From roseberry3 at cox.net Sun Mar 5 20:46:30 2006 From: roseberry3 at cox.net (B Barry) Date: Sun, 5 Mar 2006 20:46:30 -0500 Subject: {news} 10-25-05 SCC meeting of CTGP: quorum not met Message-ID: <20060306014635.ZZMO9108.eastrmmtao06.cox.net@BarbaraBarry> Minutes from 10-25-05 SCC CTGP meeting at Middletown City Hall; quorum not met Time: 7 to 8:30pm, 10-25-05, Tuesday Location: Middletown City Hall, Room 208, 245 deKoven Drive, Middletown, CT Facilitator: Allan Brison Voting Attendees: Hamden: Francis Braunlich; Greater Hartford: Barbara Barry, Secretary, Mike DeRosa, Co-chairperson; New Haven Chapter: Daniel Sumrall, Allan Brison; Northwest: Judy Herkimer, Treasurer; Tolland: Tim McKee. Women's Caucus: Judy Herkimer. A. Preliminaries were adopted by consensus: 1. Introductions/identify chapters. Stacker and timekeeper deferred. 2. Identify people present who are NOT voting representatives: none. BB responded to AB's question regarding who is qualified to be a voting member: may have 1 voting member for every 5 members of a chapter; members must have attended at least 2 chapter and/or state meetings of CTGP in the past 12 consecutive months. JH: we are hoping for a By-Law change as right now it is wide open. FB: it seems to me it is problem of getting enough chapters represented, not your concern of chapters being overrepresented at this time. It might be a concern at some point. But right now it seems ludicrous. JH: we have had problems in the past where chapters have stacked the room. 3. Adopted ground rules. 4. Approval of tonight's proposed agenda: Additions: Modified Consensus Process training from Women's Caucus; EC and voter registration information from Judy Herkimer. Deletions: Shoreline proposal per email request to Secretary from Lindsay Mathews, Shoreline Chapter; Revised organizational structure from Strategy Committee from Kelly McCarthy and Aaron Gustafson, Co-chairpersons: not available to present. 5. Presentation of Treasurer's July, August and September's monthly reports by Judy Herkimer: see Addendum 1: 3rd quarter treasurer's report to State of CT is due this week for campaign finance reporting: We received $12,000 from estate of New London, CT person that went to national party. We legally have the ability to accept funds from the national party. Have money for chapters. $600 targeted donation: BB: is this donation from within the state or out of state? JH: out of state. BB: who/what is it targeted for? JH: 100% to Women's Caucus. BB: What would the Women's Caucus use it for? JH: earmarked Women's Caucus and/or Modified Consensus Training. JH: out of state. CTGP post office box was renewed for 1 year. Reimbursements: most of those are for Chris Reilly for his reimbursements for his expenses paid for the state party. Credit card expenses are a little higher as we had annual fee of $50 credit card due from September to September 30 and posted October 3rd. Chapter expenses included those for: large expenditure for their Fairfield chapter convention; Western Chapter: $100 endorsed event at Central CT State anti-war event on 11-4-05. CTGP gave $100. JH: we have lost 4 people who had been giving monthly donations. Donations had ranged from $5 to up to $30. JH thanks always to Bob Eaton our immediate past treasurer for his institutional knowledge; Karen Norton who has been involved in the credit card contributions for several years actually and Chris Reilly for his mail handling. MD, co-chairperson, asked JH, treasurer, for physical copy of the CTGP quarterly report for the Hartford Chapter. JH: You can get it on line. MD: I have asked you in the past for you to send me a physical copy because I want to compare what is being put on line and what you do. Is that possible? JH: I can give you my copy and you can copy it. BB: The reason why we are asking you is because we (EC) have talked about this in the past. And Chris (former CTGP treasurer) has talked about this in the past because there has been something that the State cannot explain too well. There is a disconnect between what is actually put in by the treasurer and what is actually shown in the (Secretary of) State's (Election report). There is a computer clinch. That is why I am, as an officer, reacting and asking for more of a paper trail, for better understanding of what is happening. So we can be in the know, in case of any type problems. We need to know how much longer this problem is continuing to go on. Or has it been corrected? JH: I haven't experienced a single problem. BB: We talked about this in the past. MD: as a member of the executive committee, I have a fiduciary responsibility to oversee, and the Hartford Chapter, would like a physical copy to see what you put in. JH: whatever I copy comes off the same exact site as you would go to and copy. JH: I can send you the URL. MD: I am making a request for a physical copy of information. JH: it is public information. MD: as a member of the executive committee and as a member of the Hartford chapter, I would like a physical copy. Is it possible that you could send me such an item? JH: JH: I don't have the time or the money or the printing ink.to do it. It is multi pages long. What I would give you is the same exact thing that I would get off the computer. MD: I wanted to check what you are putting on it is what is on the report (in the Secretary of State's election office). JH: I gave you the URL at the EC meeting in the Hartford office. MD: You did not. TM: Can you send it electronically? As a matter of routine, are you sending the reports to all executive officers, Kelly and Aaron? JH: not at all. It is a mandatory filing that is done electronically. There is a URL that goes along with it for anyone to look at it. TM: I think it would be a good practice, whoever is the treasurer, whoever is the executive is, to routinely copy that to executive committee. JH: it is too long. It is 20-30 pages. I'd be happy to bring in the whole file in. TM: is it too long to do as an attachment to be sent electronically? JH: you got to a URL for the state of CT, and click on copy and print. JH: it is a matter of public record. MD: you could send me the URL but I like a physical copy of what you have been sending to them and what is on the website. I do not think that is an unusual request. JH: If you want the state to pay me for printer ink and paper. MD: that is up to you. FB: what format do you submit to the state? JH: electronic. FB: could you provide this information also email it to the executive committee at the same time it is being sent to the state? JH: absolutely. FB: Mike is suggesting that there is a problem with the state site. BB: this has been going on for at least 2 years that I am aware of. FB: what I am suggesting is that you "CC" the executive committee. JH: I see what you are saying. It does not come that way. You must go to the site. You must plug in to the state of CT site. It is not a document. It is not an attachment. You have go to the site and plug in the Green Party. You must put in for each transaction that is required to be reported by campaign finance laws. It is labor intensive. TM: Could this potentially leave us or any political party in some loop where we submit something and there is a dissparance between those two. You can say "I typed in those numbers" but you don't have an actual physical copy at the end? JH: at end you have a copy.. At the end of putting in each entry. I have a copy for each transaction. There can be hundreds of copies. MD: if you could send it to me or get it to me a physical copy in some manner, I would really appreciate it. JH: yeah. I could fax or scan. BB: Chris had to go (to the State elections office) and actually talk to them and show them the documents to show them the actual discrepancy between what he was putting in and what the state was showing. Somehow, the State tolerated it. Is their computer system so old or.. JH: it is the software. I have not experienced any problems at all. BB: have you checked with what they have. JH: Yes. Absolutely. MD: Can you make a commitment to providing me with the report when you make it later on this week? JH: absolutely. I can give it to you when I submit it. And I'll give you the exact same address I gave you at the last EC meeting. MD: I also asked for the towns which each of the donators gave. I'm wondering about these (Hartford chapter) totals here (in treasurer's report). I asked for that six (6) months ago. You sent me the donors. I was not interested in that. I was interested in what towns they were from. JH: do you have Excel? MD: you sent me Mr. Jones sent $5.oo a month, Mr. Smith sent $10.00 a month. JH: it was sent by email. BB: we cannot identify where in CT they came from or if they are in the state of CT. MD: there were about 30 people on the list. Depending where they lived would affect the chapter balances. JH: that information can be garned from the State website. MD: donation sites should be part of the report are they not? So could you send that to me. JH: absolutely. Be warned: each item is a separate entry. . 6. Review and approval of minutes of 9-27-05 SCC meeting: deferred due to lack of quorum. B. Reports: 1. Chapter reports: New Haven: Allan Brison: I have been helping Joyce Chen by doing an op end piece.(Joyce is Democratic New Haven alderperson and former Green alderperson). New Haven GP is not fielding any candidates for alderperson. Eric Brown, GP candidate for New Haven mayor: Advocate newspaper found out he owes $7,000 in back taxes. He did not participate in a mayoral debate last week because he was on a cruise which was planned from last year. Eric's running allows GP to maintain ballot access. Conclusion: may need to vet/know more about our candidates prior to endorsing them. Guilty Party lost its ballot status for mayor. Hamden: Francis Braunlich: incumbent state representative was defeated in primary. Democrats found an Afro-American, to run against Kelly McCarthy, CTGP. They are a group of Democrats for McCarthy who are supporting her. Also have been working on the toxic site at Hamden Middle School. Next chapter meeting: 10-27-05. Kelly's district: southern section of Hamden. Kelly is known to the Newhall Association. Greater Hartford: Mike DeRosa: David Ionno is running for Hartford Board of Education and has been endorsed by: ACME, Central Labor Council and Teachers' Union. He had attended most of the Board of Education meeting for years as he had 3 daughters who graduated from Hartford (public school system) and still has a daughter who is a freshman in high school. Has participated in debates and gotten some press. He does teach ways to resolve conflicts without shooting and does counter recruitment in the school system. Was a Vietnam War medic. Greater Hartford's office is open 5-6 days a week with lending media library supported by the Clash Collective. Chapter runs Friday movies and events/meetings. New Britain: Mike DeRosa: Miquel Nieves, CTGP mayoral candidate had a car Touring/honking event which was well received. Miguel is perceived as a Latino Candidate as his ethnicity is Puerto Rican. Has an office: doing events, movies. Allan Brison: is there more known about Miguel's support of law and order? MD: I don't know more than you do. Need to work with your GP candidate regarding what are Green values. BB: need to do active listening to what the Candidate saying and what the candidate is actually trying to communicate. Miguel would be the best person to address your questions/concerns. DUP hearing regarding distribution was rescheduled. Northwest: Judy Herkimer: we meet 2 times a month: split our meeting between Torrington location then 2 weeks later in Cornwall. Still working on developing tabling kits and gifts to every chapter. Now that there is actual money to back the chapters, we might be able to do things. We have looked into getting tables, chairs, tents, vendor kits, vendor tents, big banners for state to pay for this. If anyone has the number for where to get high numbers of these things in bulk, let us know. JH: the Green Party brought a button making kit that was housed at the Hartford office. What happened to it? BB: we do not have a button making kit. Greater Hartford has no reason to use a button making kit as one of our members does that for her business and takes care of that for us. We have no kit. MD: Donnelly Cole does buttons. AB: Aaron and Kelly have been making buttons. BB: we (CTGP) also purchased aluminum tables and banners for the chapters (New London, New Haven, among others), in 2000 and no one knows where they are or MD: where our donated tape recorder is either. I know New Haven was using it. TM: Michael Burns had a button machine. BB: over the years we have acquired professionally make and donated banners from our (Greater Hartford) members. I have distributed them out. Sometimes they come back and sometimes they stay out there. As long as it is being used that is great. BB: how it this to work. Northwest gets JH: Cliff Thorton, considering running for governor as a Green: spoke to the chapter. General Discussion: Cliff needs to round out his position(s) on other issues/concerns in addition to relating how drug war focus can relate to most major issues of concerns. Tom Sevingy: running for Canton Board of Finance. Judy advised that a registered Green Party person advised her that his/her party designation was removed by the town register of voters because, CTGP lost state-wide ballot access (i.e. got less than 1% of vote for any state-wide office in last election. CTGP did not run a candidate for state office, then.) Judy contacted someone in State Elections office, who confirmed this. BB: What state statute prohibits a registered CT voter from designating a party affiliation? JH: reaffirmed what state elections official told her. 2. U.S. Green Party representatives' report by Tim McKee. (Thomas Sevigny was absent): GPUS to put on first forum re: Divestiture of investments in Israel; concerns re: is always anti-Israel; vote will be from 11-11-05 through 11-16-05. No other proposals. 3. Women's Caucus report: Judy Herkimer: Modified Consensus process training starts on 11-13-05, 10am to 4pm (tentatively) at Kent Town Hall. Time and location are at the request of the trainees as they have to travel 2hours from New York. Site holes about 100 people. Training is limited to those people who have facilitated 2 SCC meetings in the past. Participators and observers can Interact in the training, as time allows. Observers are those people who did not facilitate two (2) SCC meetings in the past. MD: this re-training of the Trainers seems to be a catch 22 i.e. you cannot be trained if you have not Been a facilitator in 2 prior SCC meetings and only those people chosen in the past to be facilitators can continue to be potential facilitators. JH: reaffirmed qualifications needed to be trained as facilitator. When will other CTGP members, who have not facilitated 2 prior SCC meetings, we trained? JH: MD: can you provide a date? Goal date? JH: will do if you can provide a specific date. BB: Of the potential 15 people to be re-trained, only 5 of 14 state chapters are represented. Could the 11-13-05 training be opened up to at least one representative of each state chapter to honor fairness and diversity and 10 Key Values within the CTGP? JH: no. BB: did the Women's' Caucus ever entertain any other qualifications for modified consensus process training? JH: no. BB: Did the Women's' Caucus consider any way to screen/ allow for broader chapter representation at this training, to respect diversity, fairness and 10 Key Values within our party? JH: no response and left meeting as it was 9pm. BB: The Women's' Caucus proposal which was approved at 4-26-05 SCC meeting, did not indicate that the training would only be limited to CTGP members who previously facilitated 2 SCC meetings. Since this was not implied or explicit In the 4-26-05 proposal, it was not agreed that this was a qualification for Inclusion or exclusion from training. FB: let it be. AB: training must be provided for participation for everyone i.e. open 4. (5 minutes): V.O.T.E.R. report from Mike DeRosa on possible Pro-Se case against State of CT. 5. (2 minutes): Strategy Committee. 6. (5 minutes): Election Committee: Getting Out The Vote (GOTV) for our candidates in NOV. C: PROPOSALS: PRESENTER Shoreline Chapter CONTACT SHORELINE CHAPTER Lindsay Mathews, CO-CHAIR, 256 Shore Drive, Branford, CT 06405 (203) 488-3044 SUBJECT Request for funding for mailing to Shoreline constituents. BACKGROUND and PURPOSE As a result of the information provided to us by the speaker from CCAG at our June, SCC meeting, we would like to do a mailing and fundraising letter to our constituents to update them on the struggle for publicly financed elections in CT and to also use this mailing as a fundraiser. PROPOSAL We propose that the CT GP support this effort by funding this mailing. The mailing to 250 people would include: Copies: $44.73 (includes tax) a double sided flyer of facts/info given to us by CCAG a cover letter from our Chair Envelopes: $23.90 250, #10 envelopes $7.36 250, #6/3/4" envelopes 7.58 Tax @ 6% 8.96 Labels: $17.57 250, 2" x 4" $10.98 Tax @ 6.59 Postage: $150.60 250 at 60 cents each $150.60 Total Cost of Mailing: $236.77 Draft #1 CTGP Proposal Form September 1, 2005 PRESENTER (committee, chapter(s) or group of individuals) Hamden Chapter, Northwest Chapter CONTACT (name, address, phone number, email) Judy Herkimer? SUBJECT Storage, cataloging and access to tape recordings of SCC meetings. BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE (100 words or less; include relationship, reasons and/or justification to the State Central Committee) We have established the ability for the Secretary to tape record SCC meetings to assist in accurate record keeping and transparency, but we have no procedure for storing, cataloging and accessing said tape recordings. PROPOSAL 1.Tape recordings will be made at all regular SCC meetings, and will be announced at the start of each meeting. 2.These tapes will then be used by the Secretary to compose the meeting's minutes. 3.The Secretary will be responsible for copying the tapes to digital format and posting them to the archived minutes on the ctgreens.org website (when this feature becomes available) within 1 month of the meeting. 4.The Secretary will then label, catalog and store the original tape in the Hartford Chapter's office, or another designated location, so that they may be checked out to individual party members. This should occur within one month of the meeting. 5.The physical tapes and the dated catalog will be kept available for a period of two years, at which time they may be recycled or reused. 6.The digital files will be maintained on the GPCT server for a minimum period of 5 years, or until server space is needed, which ever comes first. Proposal Draft #2 CTGP Proposal Form September 1, 2005 PRESENTER Hamden Chapter CONTACT (name, address, phone number, email) Aaron Gustafson, 83 Treadwell St. Hamden, 230.9726, aaron at easy-designs.net SUBJECT (10 words or less) Adopting new organization structure and goals for the GP of CT BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE (100 words or less; include relationship, reasons and/or justification to the State Central Committee) After holding several state-wide planning sessions, we feel the proposed changes in our organizational structure and the inclusion of specific goals as outlined below and as further decided upon in Committees will benefit the GP of CT. PROPOSAL (200 words or less) The GP of CT should adopt a formal organizational structure (including goals, and allowing for occasional Committees that will not function as "standing," but will convene as the need arises) as follows: MEDIA COMMITTEE (MC): Aaron Gustafson, Co-chair Implement press release dissemination system Explore alternative media outlets Letters to the editor/op-ed team Develop & maintain newsletter, email lists, listservs, websites and blogs Work w/ ELC on candidate/campaign support Work w/ LC on legislation support LEGISLATION COMMITTEE (LC): Mike DeRosa, Co-chair Research three issues for candidates @ each level: local/state/federal Develop CTGP platform & position papers for candidates Educational campaign for 2005/06: IRV Research & support referendums Work w/ MC on current legislation activity Work w/ ELC on platform development ELECTIONS COMMITTEE (ELC): Kelly McCarthy, Co-chair Identify good races & groom candidates to achieve electoral goals Electoral Goals 2005: 10 Local candidates Electoral Goals 2006: 1 Statewide candidate; 5 State candidates (State Senate or Rep.); 2 U.S. Rep candidates; Candidate for Secretary of the State Keep track of deadlines for petitions and paperwork Develop sliding scale funding formula for endorsed candidates Research endorsements Organize candidate workshops Publish a state-wide resource directory for candidates by 2006 Work w/ LC on platform development Work w/ MC on candidate/campaign activities FUNDRAISING COMMITTEE (FC): Judy Herkimer, Treasurer Implement fund raising plan Research & produce merchandising (according to budget) Provide tabling kits for all chapters Implement endorsement funding for all candidates on sliding scale Work w/ ELC, LC, MC on fund raising activities & monitor goals INTERNAL COMMITTEE (IC): Barbara Barry DeRosa, Secretary Overhaul & maintain bylaws Develop & implement budget (w/ Treasurer & FC) Organize yearly internal elections Create & maintain approved proposal reference book for EC (include proposal & date, divided into procedural, endorsements, financial & other) Maintain SCC Reps' voting record Monitor registration goals w/ FC, ELC, LC, MC (increase Greens by 10%=250 people by end of 2006) Guidelines for Member Involvement Each individual should: 1. Assess personal strengths & interests 2. Estimate your weekly availability & time commitments 3. Choose the one Committee (Media/Legislation/Elections/ Fund raising/Internal) that suites you best 4. Commit to focusing on that Committee's tasks & goals 5. If your availability changes, inform your Committee as soon as possible, so that your duties may be reassigned -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From roseberry3 at cox.net Sun Mar 5 20:57:26 2006 From: roseberry3 at cox.net (B Barry) Date: Sun, 5 Mar 2006 20:57:26 -0500 Subject: {news} 1-31-06 SCC meeting of CTGP: quorum meet Message-ID: <20060306015732.QXRH3108.eastrmmtao05.cox.net@BarbaraBarry> Minutes from SCC Meeting 1-31-06: quorum requirement met. Place: Portland Public Library, Wagner Room, 20 Freestone Avenue, Portland, CT 06480-1818 Phone: 860-342-6770 Time: 7PM to 8:55PM Facilitator: Tim McKee Voting Attendees: Central CT: Vittorio Lancia; Fairfield: David Bedell, Paul Bassler; Greater Hartford: Barbara Barry, Secretary of CTGP, Mike DeRosa, Co-chairperson of CTGP; Robert Pandolfo; New Haven: Daniel Sumrall, Ralph Ferrucci; New London: Chris Nelson; Northeastern: Jean deSmet; Tolland: Tim McKee Number of attending chapters: 7. A. Preliminaries: 1. (2-3 minutes): Introductions of attendees and chapters. Recruit timekeeper: Vic Lancia. 2. (1 minute): Identify attendees who are NOT voting representatives: Steve Krevisky, Central CT and Nancy Burton, Western. 3. (1 minute): Adopt ground rules. 4. (2-4 minutes): Approval of tonight's proposed agenda: additions: status of current CTGP website and Deletions: of treasurer's reports of: October, November, December and January and treasurer's 3rd and 4th quarter reports to CT Secretary of State's office: due to lack of presence of the treasurer: Judy Herkimer, or her representative or information forwarded to the remaining CTGP officers or the SCC body. Also delete Women's Caucus report due to lack of any representative at this meeting; budget suggestions. Mike DeRosa: I have sent numerous e-mails to Judy about getting together for EC and SCC meetings. But she has not responded. 5. (2-4 minutes): Review of 12-27-05 SCC minutes by Barbara Barry: approved by consensus. 6. (5 minutes): Review 1-9-06 EC meeting minutes by Barbara Barry: approval by consensus. 7. (5 minutes): Current website: has 2002 CTGP candidates on it and a candidate who withdraw this year. Limited number of SCC minutes (most current: 9-05) and only two (2) EC minutes are on website ( 3-03 and 4-03). CTGP needs this website updated on a regular basis due to periodic events, meetings and to prepare for state wide slate of candidates. Also need a responsible webmaster due to potential donations to our website when we run candidates for state wide CT offices. Ralph Ferrucci to contact our webmaster: Aaron Gustafson, to re-discuss with him, SCC concerns and CTGP needs and need for improvement. Discuss if he is still interested in remaining webmaster and/or if any webmaster assistance is needed. Noted: Aaron has stated in the past, a interest in remaining CTGP webmaster and that he and Kelly McCarthy will be focusing on the Hamden Chapter of the Green Party. Aaron and Kelly resigned as CTGP Co-chairpersons in 11-05. Per Daniel Sumrall: Aaron at last New Haven Chapter meeting stated the he and Kelly did not feel like they were getting anything done or being effective as co-chairpersons so they were going to pull back and focus on the Hamden Chapter and will remain Greens. Remaining CTGP officers: Mike DeRosa, co-chairperson, Barbara Barry, Secretary, Treasurer: Judy Herkimer. When was the last EC meeting that Judy attended? Barbara: 11-21-05 and some time just before then. Will Judy pay bills such as for the convention? Mike suggested that an email be sent to her requesting clarification about convention concerns of Internal Elections Committee and SCC. Has Judy paid Chris Reilly as this SCC authorized months ago? Mike: Chris Reilly said he has been in contact with Judy. Judy stated an awareness that money has been authorized for him but that his money will not forthcoming at this time. It is unclear why an officer of this CTGP has not followed the directives of this SCC body. Last reports provided by Judy: November report. Mike: Judy has also sent the 3rd and 4th quarter reports to office of Secretary of State. So she has fulfilled her obligations to do those. If she did not do so, she could personally be fined $50.00. Can we get someone else to be treasurer? Barbara: we discussed at the 1st EC meeting and another one, Barbara's perceived need for a deputy treasurer for those times when the treasurer is unreachable, on vacation or unfortunately incapacitated. Judy declined to appoint a deputy treasurer. Do our bylaws allow SCC to appoint deputy treasurer? Mike: not at this time but CT state law allows the treasurer to appoint a deputy treasurer, if the treasurer so desires. The treasurer has stated she does not desire. Reports: 1. (5 minutes, each for): Chapter reports: Central: Vic Lancia: to have Dr. John H. Clark discuss 5000 year history of Africa on 2-13-06 at the Salon; chapter Wants to do something like this periodically. New Haven: Ralph Ferrucci: wants to speak to any unions as a candidate for U.S. Senate. He hopes to pay for campaign Manager and campaign treasurer. Ralph suggested that perhaps CTGP candidates could speak at each upcoming SCC meeting. This would enhance better knowledge about each other. Greater Hartford: Mike DeRosa: will be having a fundraising gathering at the home of Steve Fournier: Date to be' Determined. Clash Collective is still keeping the office open for its lending library. Greens are still developing a food buying group. It may be seasonal or year round with orders placed on (Greater Hartford Chapter's) website. Aim is to get 100 people to participate. Anyone interested: contact us. Mike suggests someone run for CT Senate District #1, as the line is open. Mike will be running for Secretary of the State. New London: ****Chris Nelson: In November election, ran 2 Greens with 19 candidates for the City Council. The Greens beat 2 Republicans and just missed winning by 120 or 200 votes. Two (2) of our 3 candidates were endorsed by the New London Day newspaper and the Board of Education, local public workers and one of the candidates was endorsed by The police. Will have a 2-06 forum which presumably will be about: development, drug war, energy and charter revision. We continue with cable TV program every Thursday and we're working on updating our website. New Haven: Daniel Sumrall: had a speaker discuss the proposed new Cancer Center at Yale-New Haven Hospital and gained better understanding of community issues. We continue to doe letters to the editor. Plan electoral retreat on 2-4-06 so we can plan for the 2006 election and for the 20007 alderman elections. We are drafting policies re: parking regulations in the city. We hope the development of these will help develop Green policies and so candidates can use them. New Haven chapter has endorsed the Lawyers Guide's Freedom of Information proposal to be discussed today. Will be having a public policy meetings about: Economic development and immigration and fishing. Hope to have them by middle or end of summer. Place and dates: to be determined, perhaps New Haven Public Library before the end of 2-06. Cliff Thornton visited a chapter meeting. The New Haven Independent Paper gave him good coverage. Also had coverage in the Hartford Courant and New Haven register. It also coincided with the New Haven Advocate article about CTGP concerns about the recent passage of "CT campaign finance reform" Plan to meet every Tuesday at the local coffee house: Booktrader, corner of Chapel and York to discuss Ralph's campaign. We will post our meetings on the listserv. Northeast: Jean deSmet: chapter is working with the Peace and Justice group to do vigil at Wal-Mart, every month. Also had good response from students at QVVC (college) with campuses in Willimantic and Danielson. Fairfield: David Bedell: Cliff Thornton spoke to 20-30 people on 1-12-06 after press releases and faxes were sent out. One reporter from the Bridgeport News was there and it was taped for public access in Bridgeport. We are interested in Swapping/trading tapes between chapters who participate in public access programs. However, we are aware of lack of uniformity regarding types of tapes used, length of tapes, etc. We are willing to put them on our CTGP website. U.S. Green Party report by CTGP representatives: Tim McKee: different Greens in nation will be available to respond to the President's State of Union address: e.g. John Batista will address the single payer health insurance. National Party is still voting/discussing/counting results of last election for national officers from last summer's convention. They're still counting the votes/how to count the vote. The specific IRV process has not been finalized. Have discussed the national presidential election bylaws; work shops; proposals, business of the party and candidates. Michael Berg, a strong anti-war candidate and the father of a beheaded hostage in Iraq is running. Some women may be running in CA. National Party will have a national meeting in June 2006 in AZ. The party is discussing how to decide the formula for the number of delegates to the convention: it is difficult to require registration as a Green as some states do not allow voters to register. As a Green, do the states with higher populations and Greens have more say then the states with smaller populations and Greens? How many active chapters? How many candidates have you run? Won? Convention will also do bylaws V.O.T.E.R. report from Mike DeRosa re: 1-06 meeting with CT ACLU/Common Cause/ CCAG: the new "campaign finance reform" regulation (CFR). Major parties and minor parties have 3 things in common: a) get on the ballot. b) candidates must get the endorsement of their party and c) collect a large number of small donations to get state campaign monies. The minor parties must additionally get 20% of voters who voted in the last election for the office in question to sign a petition. Each signature must be verified by town clerk. This is not required of major party candidates. Example: if a million people voted for governor in the last election, then the minor parties, each, must get 200,000 verified signatures. (Since about 20 to 100% of signatures are not verified by the registrars of voters (because voters think they are registered but may not be and other throw offs) this would mean getting 250,000 to 400,000 signatures. If all these conditions are met, then a minor party could get full campaign funding. Getting 10% of signatures would get you partial funding. Full funding levels are $25,000 for CT house race, $85,000 for CT Senate race, $3,000,000 for Governor's race. Historically in CT: that amount of signatures has never been gathered. Therefore, it appears that this petitioning requirement may be unconstitutional as it appears to be designed to keep minor parties off the ballot and without access to state campaign funds. (A violation of 14th amendment Equal Protection Clause.) The two (2) states that have campaign finance, Arizona and Maine, do not have the petition requirements. When MA had CFR law, it did not require petitioning, Talk at the legislature and from the governor's office is they will change petitioning requirement in some way. CCAG,s, Tom Swan: stated at recent meeting that the petitioning requirements were "reasonable". He offered as an alternative: increasing the petitioning requirement to get on ballot. Roger Vann from the CT ACLU is committed to represent CTGP's concerns. Whether or not we wish to utilize them, is another matter. ACLU is also helping protect the free speech rights of lobbyists. Brennan Institute is helping the State of CT about this so cannot work with us. Mike has also spoken with other law firms across the country. Last SCC meeting: we do not want petitioning at all. Another provision: if a minor party candidate raises the same amount of money as the major party candidate, the major party PAC's (or leadership PAC's of major parties) of CT can give unlimited money to the major party candidate. This goes against the typical goal of campaign finance reform of putting caps on campaign expenders. CT's campaign finance regulation is designed so that if one part of the bill is found unconstitutional then the Whole section of the bill is unconstitutional. This may be an attempt to hide in the bill unconstitutional Trojan horses that will be used to destroy the clean election fund and blame the destruction of the CEF on minor parties who are trying to defend their constitutional rights to be treated equally and fairly. Note: this same legislature was introduced into Congress by Rep. Rosa DeLaura, D-New Haven recently showing a disturbing pattern of undermining true campaign finance reform with fake campaign finance reform. 2. Internal Elections committee for CTGP officers: Jean deSmet: place: to be determined; date of CTGP convention is likely to be 3-25-06 due to anti-war rallies across the state on Saturday, 3-18-06. Jean was asking for names of Greens whom might be most knowledgeable about the process of nominating candidates and putting on the CTGP conventions. Ralph mentioned David Bedell and David Agusto. Need ballot designer. Need updated mailing list from each chapter. Will mail ballots to, hopefully by 3-1-06, to all regular CTGP members and all members of CTGP chapters as allowed by CTGP bylaws. No candidates have come forth so far. Motion: to allow up to $3500.00 for mailing of the ballots with candidates "biographies", fund raising request. No blocking concerns and motion carried. Need a committee to run our CTGP convention. 3. Potential CTGP candidates: Nancy Burton: was 2002 CTGP candidate for CT representative from Redding CT. About 6000 to 7000 residents in Redding. David Bedell, was my campaign manager then and asked Nancy if she would be interested in running for Attorney General in 2006. My background: 20 years as an attorney, public interest law, especially in environmental law. Most recently: trying to close Millstone power stations. Helped organize a citizens group: CT Coalition Against Millstone which has helped educate and done legal actions. Just today, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission rejected our request to re-open the new licensing proceedings. We have been able to demonstrate the high levels of strontium90 in cow milk. We are gathering information about cancer deaths for women and children are the highest in the state and sharing this data with representatives.. We have taken the milk and the cow to the meet the governor and Attorney General Blumenthal, with television coverage. I believe: a) that in any democracy, no candidate should be unopposed e.g. Mr. Blumenthal; b) having worked closely with Mr. Blumenthal, he is vulnerable because he has not taken the positions to protect citizens. c) these concerns have to do with ethics in government: are representatives ethically protecting/do right for their constituents? This is our (CTGP) issue. d) I am opposed to the death penalty. Mr. Blumenthal, I felt was somewhat overzealous in promoting the death penalty for (the late) Mr. Ross. No one has challenged Mr. Blumenthal or raised this issue. Barbara: You currently cannot practice law in the state of CT. How are your going to address this during your campaign for attorney general? Nancy: I will again be able to practice law after 11-21-06. I have practiced law in what I believe to be conservative way i.e. I held to the law. Examples of challenges to violations of the law: women's right's, environmental Issues and Millstone. While working against Millstone, I represented an indigent, Black person whom was, in my opinion, treated badly. I was able to get him out of jail. I do pro bono work. I still am able to practice law in the state of New York. I met with Mr. Blumenthal about getting Millstone shut down as it was a public nuisance. When I ran in 2002, I found people, willing to look at the Green Party as another place to vote. I ran with the slogan of: Clean air, clean water and clean government. If we had more time, we can get more popular. Jean deSmet: at our convention we will be endorsing candidates for state wide slate. You Proposal I. Presenter: Greater Hartford Chapter. Contact: Mike DeRosa, Subject: Freedom of Information request about the CT Green Party. Background and Purpose: Ascertain possible gathering of information about the CT Green Party by U.S. government agencies. Sponsored by the CT chapter of the National Lawyers Guild. Proposal: The Greater Hartford chapter of the CT Green Party proposes that the Green Party of CT fully participate in a Freedom of Information (F.O.I.) request being sponsored by the CT chapter of the National Lawyers Guild. This F.O.I. application will request from appropriate U. S. government agencies, any and all information about any gathering of information or intelligence on Green Party of CT activities, candidates, or other relevant information related to the ongoing activities, meetings and campaigns of members of the Green Party of CT and its local chapters. No financial commitments, at this time. No blocking concerns. Approved by consensus. *****Addendum: corrections from Chris Nelson, New London chapter: New London: Chris Nelson reported. In the November election, three Greens ran for municipal office, two for New London City Council, one for the Board of Education. The two City Council candidates finished 10th and 13th in a field of 19 candidates, falling 133 and 225 votes short of election. Both candidates finished ahead of all but one of the Republican slate. The Board of Education candidate finished 8th in a field of 13, missing election by just 50 votes. One City Council candidate and one Board of Education candidate were endorsed by the New London Day. Both City Council candidates were endorsed by the public works union, one was endorsed by the police union as well. We will have a 2/26 forum on the following issues: development, drug war, energy and charter revision. We will continue with our cable TV program every Thursday and have updated our website. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From roseberry3 at cox.net Sun Mar 5 20:59:28 2006 From: roseberry3 at cox.net (B Barry) Date: Sun, 5 Mar 2006 20:59:28 -0500 Subject: {news} minutes from 10-25-05 SCC meetubg: no quorum Message-ID: <20060306015932.VPCN14821.eastrmmtao02.cox.net@BarbaraBarry> Minutes from 10-25-05 SCC CTGP meeting at Middletown City Hall; quorum not met Time: 7 to 8:30pm, 10-25-05, Tuesday Location: Middletown City Hall, Room 208, 245 deKoven Drive, Middletown, CT Facilitator: Allan Brison Voting Attendees: Hamden: Francis Braunlich; Greater Hartford: Barbara Barry, Secretary, Mike DeRosa, Co-chairperson; New Haven Chapter: Daniel Sumrall, Allan Brison; Northwest: Judy Herkimer, Treasurer; Tolland: Tim McKee. Women's Caucus: Judy Herkimer. A. Preliminaries were adopted by consensus: 1. Introductions/identify chapters. Stacker and timekeeper deferred. 2. Identify people present who are NOT voting representatives: none. BB responded to AB's question regarding who is qualified to be a voting member: may have 1 voting member for every 5 members of a chapter; members must have attended at least 2 chapter and/or state meetings of CTGP in the past 12 consecutive months. JH: we are hoping for a By-Law change as right now it is wide open. FB: it seems to me it is problem of getting enough chapters represented, not your concern of chapters being overrepresented at this time. It might be a concern at some point. But right now it seems ludicrous. JH: we have had problems in the past where chapters have stacked the room. 3. Adopted ground rules. 4. Approval of tonight's proposed agenda: Additions: Modified Consensus Process training from Women's Caucus; EC and voter registration information from Judy Herkimer. Deletions: Shoreline proposal per email request to Secretary from Lindsay Mathews, Shoreline Chapter; Revised organizational structure from Strategy Committee from Kelly McCarthy and Aaron Gustafson, Co-chairpersons: not available to present. 5. Presentation of Treasurer's July, August and September's monthly reports by Judy Herkimer: see Addendum 1: 3rd quarter treasurer's report to State of CT is due this week for campaign finance reporting: We received $12,000 from estate of New London, CT person that went to national party. We legally have the ability to accept funds from the national party. Have money for chapters. $600 targeted donation: BB: is this donation from within the state or out of state? JH: out of state. BB: who/what is it targeted for? JH: 100% to Women's Caucus. BB: What would the Women's Caucus use it for? JH: earmarked Women's Caucus and/or Modified Consensus Training. JH: out of state. CTGP post office box was renewed for 1 year. Reimbursements: most of those are for Chris Reilly for his reimbursements for his expenses paid for the state party. Credit card expenses are a little higher as we had annual fee of $50 credit card due from September to September 30 and posted October 3rd. Chapter expenses included those for: large expenditure for their Fairfield chapter convention; Western Chapter: $100 endorsed event at Central CT State anti-war event on 11-4-05. CTGP gave $100. JH: we have lost 4 people who had been giving monthly donations. Donations had ranged from $5 to up to $30. JH thanks always to Bob Eaton our immediate past treasurer for his institutional knowledge; Karen Norton who has been involved in the credit card contributions for several years actually and Chris Reilly for his mail handling. MD, co-chairperson, asked JH, treasurer, for physical copy of the CTGP quarterly report for the Hartford Chapter. JH: You can get it on line. MD: I have asked you in the past for you to send me a physical copy because I want to compare what is being put on line and what you do. Is that possible? JH: I can give you my copy and you can copy it. BB: The reason why we are asking you is because we (EC) have talked about this in the past. And Chris (former CTGP treasurer) has talked about this in the past because there has been something that the State cannot explain too well. There is a disconnect between what is actually put in by the treasurer and what is actually shown in the (Secretary of) State's (Election report). There is a computer clinch. That is why I am, as an officer, reacting and asking for more of a paper trail, for better understanding of what is happening. So we can be in the know, in case of any type problems. We need to know how much longer this problem is continuing to go on. Or has it been corrected? JH: I haven't experienced a single problem. BB: We talked about this in the past. MD: as a member of the executive committee, I have a fiduciary responsibility to oversee, and the Hartford Chapter, would like a physical copy to see what you put in. JH: whatever I copy comes off the same exact site as you would go to and copy. JH: I can send you the URL. MD: I am making a request for a physical copy of information. JH: it is public information. MD: as a member of the executive committee and as a member of the Hartford chapter, I would like a physical copy. Is it possible that you could send me such an item? JH: JH: I don't have the time or the money or the printing ink.to do it. It is multi pages long. What I would give you is the same exact thing that I would get off the computer. MD: I wanted to check what you are putting on it is what is on the report (in the Secretary of State's election office). JH: I gave you the URL at the EC meeting in the Hartford office. MD: You did not. TM: Can you send it electronically? As a matter of routine, are you sending the reports to all executive officers, Kelly and Aaron? JH: not at all. It is a mandatory filing that is done electronically. There is a URL that goes along with it for anyone to look at it. TM: I think it would be a good practice, whoever is the treasurer, whoever is the executive is, to routinely copy that to executive committee. JH: it is too long. It is 20-30 pages. I'd be happy to bring in the whole file in. TM: is it too long to do as an attachment to be sent electronically? JH: you got to a URL for the state of CT, and click on copy and print. JH: it is a matter of public record. MD: you could send me the URL but I like a physical copy of what you have been sending to them and what is on the website. I do not think that is an unusual request. JH: If you want the state to pay me for printer ink and paper. MD: that is up to you. FB: what format do you submit to the state? JH: electronic. FB: could you provide this information also email it to the executive committee at the same time it is being sent to the state? JH: absolutely. FB: Mike is suggesting that there is a problem with the state site. BB: this has been going on for at least 2 years that I am aware of. FB: what I am suggesting is that you "CC" the executive committee. JH: I see what you are saying. It does not come that way. You must go to the site. You must plug in to the state of CT site. It is not a document. It is not an attachment. You have go to the site and plug in the Green Party. You must put in for each transaction that is required to be reported by campaign finance laws. It is labor intensive. TM: Could this potentially leave us or any political party in some loop where we submit something and there is a dissparance between those two. You can say "I typed in those numbers" but you don't have an actual physical copy at the end? JH: at end you have a copy.. At the end of putting in each entry. I have a copy for each transaction. There can be hundreds of copies. MD: if you could send it to me or get it to me a physical copy in some manner, I would really appreciate it. JH: yeah. I could fax or scan. BB: Chris had to go (to the State elections office) and actually talk to them and show them the documents to show them the actual discrepancy between what he was putting in and what the state was showing. Somehow, the State tolerated it. Is their computer system so old or.. JH: it is the software. I have not experienced any problems at all. BB: have you checked with what they have. JH: Yes. Absolutely. MD: Can you make a commitment to providing me with the report when you make it later on this week? JH: absolutely. I can give it to you when I submit it. And I'll give you the exact same address I gave you at the last EC meeting. MD: I also asked for the towns which each of the donators gave. I'm wondering about these (Hartford chapter) totals here (in treasurer's report). I asked for that six (6) months ago. You sent me the donors. I was not interested in that. I was interested in what towns they were from. JH: do you have Excel? MD: you sent me Mr. Jones sent $5.oo a month, Mr. Smith sent $10.00 a month. JH: it was sent by email. BB: we cannot identify where in CT they came from or if they are in the state of CT. MD: there were about 30 people on the list. Depending where they lived would affect the chapter balances. JH: that information can be garned from the State website. MD: donation sites should be part of the report are they not? So could you send that to me. JH: absolutely. Be warned: each item is a separate entry. . 6. Review and approval of minutes of 9-27-05 SCC meeting: deferred due to lack of quorum. B. Reports: 1. Chapter reports: New Haven: Allan Brison: I have been helping Joyce Chen by doing an op end piece.(Joyce is Democratic New Haven alderperson and former Green alderperson). New Haven GP is not fielding any candidates for alderperson. Eric Brown, GP candidate for New Haven mayor: Advocate newspaper found out he owes $7,000 in back taxes. He did not participate in a mayoral debate last week because he was on a cruise which was planned from last year. Eric's running allows GP to maintain ballot access. Conclusion: may need to vet/know more about our candidates prior to endorsing them. Guilty Party lost its ballot status for mayor. Hamden: Francis Braunlich: incumbent state representative was defeated in primary. Democrats found an Afro-American, to run against Kelly McCarthy, CTGP. They are a group of Democrats for McCarthy who are supporting her. Also have been working on the toxic site at Hamden Middle School. Next chapter meeting: 10-27-05. Kelly's district: southern section of Hamden. Kelly is known to the Newhall Association. Greater Hartford: Mike DeRosa: David Ionno is running for Hartford Board of Education and has been endorsed by: ACME, Central Labor Council and Teachers' Union. He had attended most of the Board of Education meeting for years as he had 3 daughters who graduated from Hartford (public school system) and still has a daughter who is a freshman in high school. Has participated in debates and gotten some press. He does teach ways to resolve conflicts without shooting and does counter recruitment in the school system. Was a Vietnam War medic. Greater Hartford's office is open 5-6 days a week with lending media library supported by the Clash Collective. Chapter runs Friday movies and events/meetings. New Britain: Mike DeRosa: Miquel Nieves, CTGP mayoral candidate had a car Touring/honking event which was well received. Miguel is perceived as a Latino Candidate as his ethnicity is Puerto Rican. Has an office: doing events, movies. Allan Brison: is there more known about Miguel's support of law and order? MD: I don't know more than you do. Need to work with your GP candidate regarding what are Green values. BB: need to do active listening to what the Candidate saying and what the candidate is actually trying to communicate. Miguel would be the best person to address your questions/concerns. DUP hearing regarding distribution was rescheduled. Northwest: Judy Herkimer: we meet 2 times a month: split our meeting between Torrington location then 2 weeks later in Cornwall. Still working on developing tabling kits and gifts to every chapter. Now that there is actual money to back the chapters, we might be able to do things. We have looked into getting tables, chairs, tents, vendor kits, vendor tents, big banners for state to pay for this. If anyone has the number for where to get high numbers of these things in bulk, let us know. JH: the Green Party brought a button making kit that was housed at the Hartford office. What happened to it? BB: we do not have a button making kit. Greater Hartford has no reason to use a button making kit as one of our members does that for her business and takes care of that for us. We have no kit. MD: Donnelly Cole does buttons. AB: Aaron and Kelly have been making buttons. BB: we (CTGP) also purchased aluminum tables and banners for the chapters (New London, New Haven, among others), in 2000 and no one knows where they are or MD: where our donated tape recorder is either. I know New Haven was using it. TM: Michael Burns had a button machine. BB: over the years we have acquired professionally make and donated banners from our (Greater Hartford) members. I have distributed them out. Sometimes they come back and sometimes they stay out there. As long as it is being used that is great. BB: how it this to work. Northwest gets JH: Cliff Thorton, considering running for governor as a Green: spoke to the chapter. General Discussion: Cliff needs to round out his position(s) on other issues/concerns in addition to relating how drug war focus can relate to most major issues of concerns. Tom Sevingy: running for Canton Board of Finance. Judy advised that a registered Green Party person advised her that his/her party designation was removed by the town register of voters because, CTGP lost state-wide ballot access (i.e. got less than 1% of vote for any state-wide office in last election. CTGP did not run a candidate for state office, then.) Judy contacted someone in State Elections office, who confirmed this. BB: What state statute prohibits a registered CT voter from designating a party affiliation? JH: reaffirmed what state elections official told her. 2. U.S. Green Party representatives' report by Tim McKee. (Thomas Sevigny was absent): GPUS to put on first forum re: Divestiture of investments in Israel; concerns re: is always anti-Israel; vote will be from 11-11-05 through 11-16-05. No other proposals. 3. Women's Caucus report: Judy Herkimer: Modified Consensus process training starts on 11-13-05, 10am to 4pm (tentatively) at Kent Town Hall. Time and location are at the request of the trainees as they have to travel 2hours from New York. Site holes about 100 people. Training is limited to those people who have facilitated 2 SCC meetings in the past. Participators and observers can Interact in the training, as time allows. Observers are those people who did not facilitate two (2) SCC meetings in the past. MD: this re-training of the Trainers seems to be a catch 22 i.e. you cannot be trained if you have not Been a facilitator in 2 prior SCC meetings and only those people chosen in the past to be facilitators can continue to be potential facilitators. JH: reaffirmed qualifications needed to be trained as facilitator. When will other CTGP members, who have not facilitated 2 prior SCC meetings, we trained? JH: MD: can you provide a date? Goal date? JH: will do if you can provide a specific date. BB: Of the potential 15 people to be re-trained, only 5 of 14 state chapters are represented. Could the 11-13-05 training be opened up to at least one representative of each state chapter to honor fairness and diversity and 10 Key Values within the CTGP? JH: no. BB: did the Women's' Caucus ever entertain any other qualifications for modified consensus process training? JH: no. BB: Did the Women's' Caucus consider any way to screen/ allow for broader chapter representation at this training, to respect diversity, fairness and 10 Key Values within our party? JH: no response and left meeting as it was 9pm. BB: The Women's' Caucus proposal which was approved at 4-26-05 SCC meeting, did not indicate that the training would only be limited to CTGP members who previously facilitated 2 SCC meetings. Since this was not implied or explicit In the 4-26-05 proposal, it was not agreed that this was a qualification for Inclusion or exclusion from training. FB: let it be. AB: training must be provided for participation for everyone i.e. open 4. (5 minutes): V.O.T.E.R. report from Mike DeRosa on possible Pro-Se case against State of CT. 5. (2 minutes): Strategy Committee. 6. (5 minutes): Election Committee: Getting Out The Vote (GOTV) for our candidates in NOV. C: PROPOSALS: PRESENTER Shoreline Chapter CONTACT SHORELINE CHAPTER Lindsay Mathews, CO-CHAIR, 256 Shore Drive, Branford, CT 06405 (203) 488-3044 SUBJECT Request for funding for mailing to Shoreline constituents. BACKGROUND and PURPOSE As a result of the information provided to us by the speaker from CCAG at our June, SCC meeting, we would like to do a mailing and fundraising letter to our constituents to update them on the struggle for publicly financed elections in CT and to also use this mailing as a fundraiser. PROPOSAL We propose that the CT GP support this effort by funding this mailing. The mailing to 250 people would include: Copies: $44.73 (includes tax) a double sided flyer of facts/info given to us by CCAG a cover letter from our Chair Envelopes: $23.90 250, #10 envelopes $7.36 250, #6/3/4" envelopes 7.58 Tax @ 6% 8.96 Labels: $17.57 250, 2" x 4" $10.98 Tax @ 6.59 Postage: $150.60 250 at 60 cents each $150.60 Total Cost of Mailing: $236.77 Draft #1 CTGP Proposal Form September 1, 2005 PRESENTER (committee, chapter(s) or group of individuals) Hamden Chapter, Northwest Chapter CONTACT (name, address, phone number, email) Judy Herkimer? SUBJECT Storage, cataloging and access to tape recordings of SCC meetings. BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE (100 words or less; include relationship, reasons and/or justification to the State Central Committee) We have established the ability for the Secretary to tape record SCC meetings to assist in accurate record keeping and transparency, but we have no procedure for storing, cataloging and accessing said tape recordings. PROPOSAL 1.Tape recordings will be made at all regular SCC meetings, and will be announced at the start of each meeting. 2.These tapes will then be used by the Secretary to compose the meeting's minutes. 3.The Secretary will be responsible for copying the tapes to digital format and posting them to the archived minutes on the ctgreens.org website (when this feature becomes available) within 1 month of the meeting. 4.The Secretary will then label, catalog and store the original tape in the Hartford Chapter's office, or another designated location, so that they may be checked out to individual party members. This should occur within one month of the meeting. 5.The physical tapes and the dated catalog will be kept available for a period of two years, at which time they may be recycled or reused. 6.The digital files will be maintained on the GPCT server for a minimum period of 5 years, or until server space is needed, which ever comes first. Proposal Draft #2 CTGP Proposal Form September 1, 2005 PRESENTER Hamden Chapter CONTACT (name, address, phone number, email) Aaron Gustafson, 83 Treadwell St. Hamden, 230.9726, aaron at easy-designs.net SUBJECT (10 words or less) Adopting new organization structure and goals for the GP of CT BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE (100 words or less; include relationship, reasons and/or justification to the State Central Committee) After holding several state-wide planning sessions, we feel the proposed changes in our organizational structure and the inclusion of specific goals as outlined below and as further decided upon in Committees will benefit the GP of CT. PROPOSAL (200 words or less) The GP of CT should adopt a formal organizational structure (including goals, and allowing for occasional Committees that will not function as "standing," but will convene as the need arises) as follows: MEDIA COMMITTEE (MC): Aaron Gustafson, Co-chair Implement press release dissemination system Explore alternative media outlets Letters to the editor/op-ed team Develop & maintain newsletter, email lists, listservs, websites and blogs Work w/ ELC on candidate/campaign support Work w/ LC on legislation support LEGISLATION COMMITTEE (LC): Mike DeRosa, Co-chair Research three issues for candidates @ each level: local/state/federal Develop CTGP platform & position papers for candidates Educational campaign for 2005/06: IRV Research & support referendums Work w/ MC on current legislation activity Work w/ ELC on platform development ELECTIONS COMMITTEE (ELC): Kelly McCarthy, Co-chair Identify good races & groom candidates to achieve electoral goals Electoral Goals 2005: 10 Local candidates Electoral Goals 2006: 1 Statewide candidate; 5 State candidates (State Senate or Rep.); 2 U.S. Rep candidates; Candidate for Secretary of the State Keep track of deadlines for petitions and paperwork Develop sliding scale funding formula for endorsed candidates Research endorsements Organize candidate workshops Publish a state-wide resource directory for candidates by 2006 Work w/ LC on platform development Work w/ MC on candidate/campaign activities FUNDRAISING COMMITTEE (FC): Judy Herkimer, Treasurer Implement fund raising plan Research & produce merchandising (according to budget) Provide tabling kits for all chapters Implement endorsement funding for all candidates on sliding scale Work w/ ELC, LC, MC on fund raising activities & monitor goals INTERNAL COMMITTEE (IC): Barbara Barry DeRosa, Secretary Overhaul & maintain bylaws Develop & implement budget (w/ Treasurer & FC) Organize yearly internal elections Create & maintain approved proposal reference book for EC (include proposal & date, divided into procedural, endorsements, financial & other) Maintain SCC Reps' voting record Monitor registration goals w/ FC, ELC, LC, MC (increase Greens by 10%=250 people by end of 2006) Guidelines for Member Involvement Each individual should: 1. Assess personal strengths & interests 2. Estimate your weekly availability & time commitments 3. Choose the one Committee (Media/Legislation/Elections/ Fund raising/Internal) that suites you best 4. Commit to focusing on that Committee's tasks & goals 5. If your availability changes, inform your Committee as soon as possible, so that your duties may be reassigned -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From dbedellgreen at hotmail.com Mon Mar 6 00:46:28 2006 From: dbedellgreen at hotmail.com (David Bedell) Date: Mon, 06 Mar 2006 05:46:28 +0000 Subject: {news} More Missouri coverage of Thornton Message-ID: http://columbiamissourian.com/news/story.php?ID=18676 Sunday, March 5, 2006 Columbia Missourian Conference takes on the drug war By AMBER MURPHY March 3, 2006 When Cliff Thornton takes the stage, he tends to talk about race and class biases associated with the war on drugs. The Green Party candidate for governor in Connecticut will give the keynote address this evening at the Midwest Drug Policy Conference in the Arts and Sciences Building on the MU campus. ?Cliff?s focus is on issues that relate specifically to minority and poor people who are often victims in the war on drugs,? said Dan Viets, state coordinator for the National Organization of the Reform of Marijuana Laws. ?Those groups are often disproportionately impacted by drug laws.? Thornton, who also serves on the marijuana group?s board of directors, is one of several speakers who will be advocating for more lenient drug laws. Other speakers at the conference, sponsored by the MU chapters of the marijuana organization and Students for Sensible Drug Policy, include medical marijuana patients, lawyers and activists. Both sponsoring organizations support the decriminalization of minor marijuana offenses and helped promote successful ballot initiatives in Columbia that deferred prosecution and limited the fine for possession of 35 grams or less of marijuana to $250. Also the founder and director of an organization called Efficacy, which works to find peaceful ways to respond to social problems, Thornton believes education is the most important step in reforming drug laws. ?People need to know that the drug war is made only to be waged, not won,? he said. Thornton said he also focuses on the drug war because it can be connected to crime and other social problems. He favors the outright legalization of marijuana and the decriminalization of all drugs including heroin, methamphetamines, cocaine and ecstasy. ?The drug war is based on three phenomenon: greed, racism and fear,? he said. Because he has spoken of these issues in more than 450 venues across the world, Amber Langston, former president of the student policy group, said Thornton brings experience. ?He also takes things much more from a sociological perspective than most of our other speakers,? she said. Saturday?s closing address will be given by Ed Rosenthal, author of more than 30 books relating to issues concerning marijuana, including medical use and criminal law. ?Ed has a unique background as an activist being in Oakland, California, which is considered the epicenter of medical marijuana,? Viets said. Rosenthal said he plans on discussing the relationship between marijuana and society and the criminal justice system. The war on drugs is important because America cannot afford to waste the $30 billion they spend on prohibition costs, he said. Approval of the Columbia marijuana ballot issues in November 2004 helped attract both Thornton and Rosenthal to the conference, they said. ?I hope the conference brings together a lot of different perspectives and people,? said Langston. ?Issues related to the drug war and how we can approach policy differently need to be brought to public light.? Copyright ? 2006 Columbia Missourian From greenpartyct at yahoo.com Mon Mar 6 10:00:47 2006 From: greenpartyct at yahoo.com (Green Party-CT) Date: Mon, 6 Mar 2006 07:00:47 -0800 (PST) Subject: {news} Tim McKee new cell Number Message-ID: <20060306150047.63167.qmail@web81407.mail.mud.yahoo.com> Folks, My new cell phome number is 860-778-1304 please add it to your list and delet old cell number. It is still the best number to reach me at during the day, but i may have to return your call as soon as possible. My home phone is 860-643-2282 still. Tim McKee -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From JeandeSmet at galaxyinternet.net Mon Mar 6 15:06:16 2006 From: JeandeSmet at galaxyinternet.net (Jean de Smet) Date: Mon, 6 Mar 2006 15:06:16 -0500 Subject: {news} GPC Treasurer's Report In-Reply-To: <057601c63f91$5fa51520$c6d4fc40@k8h9a3> Message-ID: <019001c64159$7baa7020$badaf504@jean1oa1rgr0ov> I haven't heard any calls for a mid-year election at the meetings, Judy, but we have acted as quickly as possible. The resignations came in November. It takes several months to hold an election, as you know, and the Internal Elections Committee is working on it. We targeted the election for March, but the election was just postponed until April, which is the same month as last year. I haven't heard questions about the quorum at the meetings. No actions are taken until a quorum is met. Nor requests for formal facilitation/mediation or conflict resolution. What conflict are we resolving? What are we mediating, our meetings? Since no one is bringing any of these issues to the meetings, I wonder if there is another discussion group other than our forum? If so, please add my email to it, as I am unaware of the dysfunction, etc? From what I see, 3 people quit, and explained their actions for various reasons. One candidate quit, I understand because his chapter basically stopped meeting, so he felt there was no support. I have no idea why people from your chapter have chosen to not attend SCC meetings, or whether you have been meeting as a chapter, but we have been making quorum without that chapter. Internal elections do not fall under CT Campaign Finance Laws. You are not acting as a campaign treasurer, but as a Party Treasurer. The Party, acting at monthly meetings with quorums, does have the power to authorize legal expenditures. There are no by-laws requirements for a proposal, chapter notification or a formal quote. We did discuss elections and what process to use (mailings were proposed) at a previous meeting, and approved the expenditure at the following meeting. I do agree that under the leadership which was elected last year, active membership has fallen. I hope that with new leadership, we can change that. Which is why it is important to hold internal elections, as I'm sure you agree, since you pointed out the need for prompt elections in your email. I hope that you and Audrey will finish your internal audit promptly. If it takes you another year, you don't plan on holding the books for that year, do you? I'm no lawyer, but if you are doing an audit of your own books, is that a valid reason to not turn them over to the next elected Treasurer? I suspect that an independent person should do the audit without any present or former treasurer's direct involvement, other than providing information. Since we have not offered to pay Audrey nor established any deadline (no contract), perhaps we should vote on whether we need an audit done outside the party, as you suggest. I do have a couple of questions and concerns: Why did you change checking accounts? Why did you change the PO Box? With less than2 months to go in your tenure, (you have not announced an intention to run again), it appears strange. Jean -----Original Message----- From: ctgp-news-bounces at ml.greens.org [mailto:ctgp-news-bounces at ml.greens.org] On Behalf Of Judith Herkimer Sent: Saturday, March 04, 2006 8:42 AM To: ctgp-news at ml.greens.org Subject: [Possible SPAM] {news} GPC Treasurer's Report Importance: Low Dear Green Party of CT, There are some issues of concern regarding the current financial affairs of the GPC that relate to both organizational and personal liability. Since late 2005, established GPC bylaws and procedures are not being adhered to. From the GPC bylaws on our website ( http://www.ctgreens.org/bylaws.html ) it states under Organization Structure: "...Officials shall include two Party Co-Chairpersons, a Treasurer, and a Secretary....(The Bylaws were amended in 2000 to add a third Co-Chair)..." Since the resignation of two of the Co-Chairs in 2005, there have been multiple calls for an election to take place to fill the vacancies. As far as I am aware, no action was taken to plan for a mid-term election. Additionally, the question is being raised by many whether "quorum" is being reached at "State Central Committee" meetings, and if the meetings that are taking place can actually be considered "SCC" meetings. Any "Executive Committee" meetings during this period that consist of the one remaining Co-Chair and the Secretary (who are married to each other) are dubious at best. Due to the probable lack of quorum, combined with the disregard to statutory and established GPC procedures, as treasurer I am unable to recognize any votes as valid that arise from these so-called "meetings". Please know that I am receiving calls and emails from multiple members throughout the state expressing their concern on how the party is currently being handled. Approximately 50% of the long-standing recurring monthly donors have requested that their donations be cancelled. Donors have expressed that they do not want their contributions to support the state party in its current disarray. We are experiencing multiple resignations, ending of campaigns and members throughout the state leaving active participation in the party. The CT Secretary of the State's Office and officials of the Green Party of the United States are aware of the difficulties the GPC is dealing with. According to GP-US, we are not alone and many GPC members look forward to the request for formal facilitation/mediation be honored so that the GPC can move beyond the dysfunction to a place of accountable viability and productivity. The GPC has an excellent vehicle for conflict resolution that was created in large part by David Adams and Charlie Pillsbury. We should seriously consider taking advantage of that process. The GPC books will not be transferred until such time that CT Campaign Finance laws are adhered to (* see below) and an audit is completed. If for any reason I am forced to transfer the books, I will immediately file (with counsel) a formal request for an investigation and audit of GPC finances with the CT Secretary of the State's Office. Additionally, until such time that the current authorized internal audit being undertaken by Audrey Cole and myself is completed, I believe it is not in the best financial interest of the party to make any considerable expenditures (this does not pertain to existing obligations, legitimate chapter accounts and legitimate requests for chapter-level reimbursements). There is a possibility that an outside independent audit might be necessary and the members will be informed if that is required. It has come to my attention that a printing job is possibly under consideration that might amount to somewhere between $3,000 and $5,000. Any request for payment in the absence of the implementation of bylaws, policy/procedure, proposal, quorum, chapter notification, formal quote and statutory requirements will not be honored and no check will be disbursed. If this printing job is indeed under consideration by member(s), you do not have authorization to requisition such services and I strongly urge you to cancel the job. The current financial status of the GPC is essentially status quo from my last report. On 2/28, the transition from the old checking account to the new checking account is 95% completed ($25 remains in the old account for any incidental credit card processing fees). We recently received a donation of $5,000 from a supporter in California. The most recent bank statement for the old account shows a balance of $13,709.13. I will produce a detailed quarterly treasurer's report to coincide with the next mandatory SOTS financial filing which is due April 10th. As always, do not hesitate to contact me with questions, comments or concerns. Please accept my apologies for the delay in completing the audit; I accepted the books in poor condition and the audit has turned into a labor-intensive undertaking. Sincerely, Judy Herkimer GPC Treasurer jherkimer at snet.net 860-672-6867 * The Treasurer Alone May Make and Authorize Expenditures The treasurer is the only individual who may authorize and make contributions or expenditures on behalf of the committee. All committee expenditures must be made by check, debit card drawn on the committee's checking account, or the committee's credit card. Committee checks must contain the committee's name and address. This information must be typed, printed or stamped on each check. The name of the treasurer must also be included, but may be handwritten. The committee treasurer may allow a committee worker to be an authorized cardholder of a credit card issued to the committee, provided that the individual's expenditures are for goods or services that are authorized by the treasurer for a lawful purpose of the committee. Additionally, a committee worker may be reimbursed by the committee if the following conditions are satisfied: (1) the worker has paid for any permissible expenditure on behalf of the committee from his or her own personal funds, (2) the treasurer authorized the expenditure, (3) the worker provides the treasurer with a written receipt from the vendor proving payment by the worker, (4) the expenditure is for the lawful purpose of the committee and (5) the expenditure is not a contribution to any other committee.. [Section 9-333i(d), (l), (j) General Statutes, as amended by P.A. 04-91] http://www.ct.gov/seec/lib/seec/publications/2005/party_guide_7-2005.pdf -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From justinemccabe at earthlink.net Mon Mar 6 19:03:31 2006 From: justinemccabe at earthlink.net (Justine McCabe) Date: Mon, 6 Mar 2006 19:03:31 -0500 Subject: {news} FW: Statement of the International Conference against foreign military bases, Chania/Crete 25th-26th February, 206 Message-ID: <073601c6417a$946413c0$0402a8c0@JUSTINE> -----Original Message----- From: Iraklis Tsavdaridis [mailto:iraklis14 at hotmail.com] Sent: Monday, March 06, 2006 6:44 AM Subject: Statement of the International Conference agianst foreign military bases,Chania/Crete 25th-26th February,2006 Communique of the International Meeting against Foreign Military Bases , Chania/Crete 25-26 February 2006 Upon invitation of the Greek Committee for International Detente and Peace (EEDYE) and under the auspices of the World Peace Council (WPC) an International meeting of Peace Movements took place on 25th and 26th February 2006 in Chania on the island of Crete in Greece. Under the theme of the meeting "Foreign Military bases-threat to peace and security in the region" a fruitful and deep exchange of views and experiences took place amongst the 10 Organisations from respective number of countries. The participants underlined their firm opposition to the presence of foreign military bases in their countries and worldwide, which constitute, amongst other issues, a clear violation of the sovereignty and independence of the respective states and a clear disrespect to the will and wishes of the peoples. Often there is even violation of national legislation and constitutions of the "host countries". They are being used for training and preparation of military interventions and attacks on other sovereign countries and peoples, being at the same time a permanent threat for any possible social or political uprising on national level. The participants of the meeting observed the US naval and airbase of Souda,one of the biggest in the Mediterannean Sea and joined the massive protests of the peace loving people of Crete, in their demand to shut down this war and terror installation. The region of the Balkans and the Middle East has moved since many years in the center of interest of the USA, the EU and NATO. Through wars and interventions, occupations and invasions, they want to secure the strategic interests linked with the energy resources and their roads. Borders are changing, new protectorates are being created, and countries are being dismembered, no matter the cost of lifes and natural destruction. The presence of US,British and NATO bases in Europe, the East Mediterranean and the Middle East are a daily threat to the daily life of our peoples. The foreign troops are enjoying almost absolute immunity for their criminal actions. The consequences are starting from the damage of the social life, terror on women and children, pollution of the natural environment and ending with spying on citizens lifes, manipulation of the consciences, youth prostitution, displacements of population, drug trafficking etc. After a thorough analysis, convinced that humanity has never been so threatened and attacked as it is now by imperialism and its policies, the meeting condemned: ? The so-called war on terror, aiming in the re-distribution of spheres of economic and political influence ? The growing wave of violence and social injustice that causes multiple sufferings to the great majority of the world population, which is manifested in aggressions, preemptive wars, economic exploitation ? The current versions of the imperialist strategy ending up in new military bases or new-type enclaves such as the use of ports and airports, advanced operative sites and cooperative security facilities. The International meeting furthermore denounced: ? The ongoing occupation of Palestine, Afghanistan and Iraq and parts of Cyprus, Syria (Golan) and Lebanon (Sheba farms) ? The new NATO doctrine and the militarization of the EU ? The "Greater Middle East Plan" and the interventions of the USA, EU and Israel in the internal affairs of countries ? The modern concentration camps such as Guantanamo and Abu Graib and the Israeli prisons on Palestinian soil ? The secret prisons and CIA-flights ? The growing military presence of USA and the EU in Africa with the objective, among others, of controlling mineral resources ? The plan to deploy new US Military Bases in Bulgaria and Romania ? The growing and illegal militarization of Japan and the use of Okinawa military bases to control Asia and the Pacific ? The Manta Base of Equador as a complementary project of the "Colombia Plan" against the Bolivarian Venezuela and the peoples of the region ? The presence and use of British Bases in Cyprus, which is violating every sense of International law ? The submissive governments of the region which are cooperating willingly with the Imperialists, offering them bases and support for their plans ? The "Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), which keeps the countries with foreign bases under complete "guardianship" The participants of the meeting declared: ? their organisations' determination to fight against all kind of foreign military presence, demanding the dismantlement of all existing foreign bases ? their solidarity to the just causes of the peoples fighting for independence, freedom and social justice ? their support to the establishment of an independent State of Palestine, based on the UN resolutions and the borders of 1967, with East Jerusalem as its capital ? their will to continue systematically the efforts for common actions with other social organizations and movements, raising conscience and awareness allover the world for all the above mentioned ? their readiness to support the campaign of the WPC till the World Confrence against Foreign Military bases in Equador, March 2007 The Foreign Military bases are a constant threat to Peace-Shut them down now! Chania 26th February, 2006 The Organizations participated: a.. Palestinian Center for Peace and Democracy b.. Anti-imperialist League of Belgium c.. Turkish Peace Association d.. Belgrade Forum for the world of Equals e.. Portuguese Council for Peace and Cooperation f.. German Peace Council g.. Peace Committee of Lebanon h.. Cyprus Peace Council i.. Peace Council of Syria j.. Greek Committee for International Detente and Peace (EEDYE) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- YAHOO! GROUPS LINKS a.. Visit your group "ufp-drafting" on the web. b.. To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: ufp-drafting-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 dbedellgreen at hotmail.com Tue Mar 7 08:27:53 2006 From: dbedellgreen at hotmail.com (David Bedell) Date: Tue, 7 Mar 2006 08:27:53 -0500 Subject: {news} CT Energy Independence, Security and Sustainability Act--Hearing Thrusday Message-ID: The Connecticut Energy Independence, Security and Sustainability Act The GAE committee has introduced legislation to create an agency to provide debt financing for commercial scale, renewable and distributed energy projects. The agency will be modelled after CRRA only its activities will be restricted to energy conservation, renewable energy and distributed energy. Below is a copy of the conceptual bill GAE has raised; a written bill and bill number is scheduled for Monday. A Joint informational hearing between the Energy and Technology and GAE committees is scheduled for Thursday, March 9, 2006 at 9:30 AM. The public may attend and show support or testify. This bill provides debt financing for renewables and distributed energy and can play a significant roles in increasing the domestic supply of these energy resources. The bill will begin to correct the bias against renewables on the federal level. If other states follow suit, many billions of dollars could become available for commercialzation of renewable energy. The bill authorizes debt financing on a project finance basis. It will lower equity risk and attract investment to the growing renewables industry. As capital costs are the major force that keeps renewable energy prices high, this bill will contribute to bringing them down. Further, like CRRA financing for trash plants, it will allow major projects and growth to move forward and compete with depletable energy on a significant scale. Please support this bill and come to the hearing next Thursday at 9:30 AM at the Capitol. CONTACT: Bill Garrett, President, cleanpeace.org URL http://www.cleanpeace.org Phone: 203-372-6166 Email: bill.cleanpeace@ gmail.com The Connecticut Energy Independence, Security and Sustainability Act [Full Bill to be Available Monday] Purposes: 1.. Assure affordable, secure, sustainable, domestic energy supplies in Connecticut. 2.. Stimulate economic development and job creation in Connecticut. 3.. Provide competition in energy and oil markets. 4.. Attract, enhance, and keep a strong renewable energy knowledge base in Connecticut, including but not limited to, scientists, researchers, educators, technicians, inventors, entrepreneurs, technology developers and others to timely meet the challenges of the forthcoming era of energy change. 5.. Enhance national and homeland security by doing Connecticut's part to lessen international tensions and war arising from the peaking of world oil and the energy-price inflation it causes. Section One: Create Renewable Energy Finance Institution as a Quasi-State Agency 1.. The agency shall be known as the Renewable Energy Development Institution or REDI and is hereby created as a quasi state agency. Section Two: Powers and Funding Authorities: 2.. REDI shall be authorized to sell bonds and provide financing, on a project finance basis, for development, construction, commissioning, operation and other needs of commercial scale projects as set forth below: 1.. Renewable energy projects that produce renewable fuels or other forms of renewable energy capable of replacing or conserving depletable liquid fuels or other forms of depletable energy. 2.. Other projects, equipment, materials or works that conserve, allow, or facilitate the replacement of depletable energy with renewable energy. 3.. Distributed energy projects that demonstrate energy savings of 20% or more over conventional technology and/or the technology they replace. Section Three: Funding Priorities: 3.. In making funding decisions REDI shall assign priorities as follows: 1.. Projects, technologies, and equipment that conserve depletable liquid fuels or replace them with renewable fuels in significant volumes in internal combustion engines where over 70% of oil is consumed; or other projects, including distributed energy projects, that replace or conserve depletable liquid fuels or replace them with renewable fuels volumes comparable to the savings in internal combustion engines shall have the highest priority. The potential volume of liquid fuel savings shall weigh the heaviest and reductions in pollution and global warming gas production shall weigh second most heavy in such decision making. REDI shall consider net depletable energy savings in calculating energy replacement values. 2.. REDI shall assign the second highest funding priority to projects, technologies, equipment and other items that replace or conserve depletable fuels or energy. The potential for net depletable energy savings shall weigh the most and reductions in pollution and global warming gasses shall carry the second heaviest weight in making such decisions. REDI shall consider net depletable energy savings in calculating energy replacement values. 3.. REDI is authorized to assign additional funding priorities based on the ability of a project or product to reduce or eliminate toxic air and water pollutants, production of global warming gasses, particulates and other emissions. 4.. In all cases the project's potential to repay REDI debt shall be a prerequisite to funding. Section Four: Definitions: 4.. For purposes of this act: 1.. "Renewable energy" means energy produced from solar, wind, wave, falling water and biomass resources. 2.. "Conservation" means reduction in the consumption of energy or a substance. 3.. "Liquid fuels" means any stable liquid at or near ambient temperature and pressure including liquids such as propane and butane which are stored as liquids at relatively low pressures. 4.. "Depletable energy" means energy from non-renewable resources. 5.. "Internal combustion engine" means engines with fuel combustion within the engine apparatus including gas turbines, rotary combustion, diesel and gasoline piston engines. 6.. "Funding priority" means the priority on which REDI considers and funds competitive projects. Section Five: Governance: 5.. REDI Board of Directors shall include: 1.. A majority of members that have experience in renewable energy, renewable energy technology development, renewable energy research, renewable energy commercialization and/or financing of renewable energy projects and technologies. 2.. At least 3 such members shall have extensive experience as an entrepreneur, engineer, technician or scientist independent of large corporations or projects primarily funded by same. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From apbrison at hotmail.com Tue Mar 7 10:16:25 2006 From: apbrison at hotmail.com (allan brison) Date: Tue, 07 Mar 2006 10:16:25 -0500 Subject: {news} FW: WE HAVE THE RIGHT TO MARCH/TENEMOS EL DERECHO DE MARCHAR Message-ID: An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From TDayan at aol.com Tue Mar 7 10:41:30 2006 From: TDayan at aol.com (TDayan at aol.com) Date: Tue, 7 Mar 2006 10:41:30 EST Subject: {news} GPC Treasurer's Report Message-ID: <298.6b5fc7c.313f03aa@aol.com> I'm totally confused - it seems that despite great news and forum websites, we all don't get all the communication - like I'd never seen the letter re Treasury concern - and till I heard from Mike DeRosa re all that the Greens are still doing, I hadn't know any of it. Who reports on the news and forum sites other than Dave Bedell in Fairfield? and the reports from chapter meetings? -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From justinemccabe at earthlink.net Tue Mar 7 20:56:13 2006 From: justinemccabe at earthlink.net (Justine McCabe) Date: Tue, 7 Mar 2006 20:56:13 -0500 Subject: {news} Fw: USGP-INT Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela Message-ID: <086301c64253$7d3211f0$0402a8c0@JUSTINE> ----- Original Message ----- From: stephen spring To: usgp-int at gp-us.org Sent: Tuesday, March 07, 2006 5:05 PM Subject: USGP-INT Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela School Committee Wants to Apply for Venezuelan Oil The Portland School Committee adopted a motion on March 1 that identifies Portland Public Schools as being receptive to offers of discounted heating oil from the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela and/or Citgo Petroleum Corporation. The proposal directs the school department's administrative staff to enter into discussions with the Portland City Council to further the process. The City Council is responsible for purchasing the heating oil for the School Department. District 2 West End School Committee member Stephen Spring made the motion to the Committee, which passed it by a vote of 7-2. The two student representatives on the board voted with the majority. The motion was presented in English and in Spanish. This was just voted on last Wednesday by the Portland Maine School Committee. All four greens voted for it and the motion that was brought forward by a green. The text of this was taken off an on-line version of a local paper --> http://www.thewestendnews.blogspot.com/. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From justinemccabe at earthlink.net Wed Mar 8 11:41:16 2006 From: justinemccabe at earthlink.net (Justine McCabe) Date: Wed, 8 Mar 2006 11:41:16 -0500 Subject: {news} US Intervention in Venezuela by Medea Benjamin Message-ID: <089101c642cf$21604aa0$0402a8c0@JUSTINE> An excellent review of recent US-Venezuela relations by former Green Party Senate candidate, Medea Benjamin http://www.commondreams.org/cgi-bin/print.cgi?file=/views06/0304-20.htm Published on Saturday, March 4, 2006 by CommonDreams.org US Intervention in Venezuela by Medea Benjamin It never ceases to amaze me, in the middle of the massive failure of the war on Iraq, that the Bush administration still has time to mess up our relations with other countries. Yet it seems like that's exactly what they're doing with our neighbor Venezuela. Last month, Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld compared Hugo Ch?vez to Hitler, noting that "He's a person who was elected legally - just as Adolf Hitler was elected legally - and then consolidated power and now is, of course, working closely with Fidel Castro and Mr. Morales and others." The assault was timed to push the celebrations marking the 7th anniversary of the Ch?vez government off the front page of the opposition-controlled media in Venezuela. In early February, Venezuela expelled the US military attach? in Caracas when he was caught red-handed bribing Venezuelan officers for military secrets. Instead of admitting to the spying, the US "retaliated" by expelling the Venezuelan Ambassador's chief of staff. Then on February 16th, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice chimed in with her sharpest criticisms yet of Venezuela, remarking at a Congressional hearing that Ch?vez is a leading a "Latin brand of populism that has taken countries down the drain." She then urged a "united front" against Ch?vez, remarking that "the international community has just got to be much more active in supporting and defending the Venezuelan people." These comments are not new, but follow a pattern of increasing hostility and verbal aggression towards Venezuela. Rice's concerns are allegedly based on her argument that Ch?vez isn't a democrat, despite having won three elections. But according to the 2005 survey by Latinobar?metro, an independent polling firm, Venezuelans are more likely than citizens of 18 other Latin American nations polled to describe their government as "totally democratic." And Venezuelans have the second highest level of satisfaction with the way their own democracy functions. In addition, recent independent polls show President Ch?vez holding an approval rating of over 70% - a number that our president could only dream of. While there are policies in Venezuela, like in all countries, that people could certainly question or disagree with, the administration's aggressive behavior towards Venezuela is totally unreasonable and violates that nation's sovereignty. So why is the Bush administration so antagonistic towards Venezuela's democratically elected government? To answer this question, I recommend a report entitled "US Intervention in Venezuela, A Clear and Present Danger," written recently by Venezuela expert Deborah James of Global Exchange and available on our website at http://www.globalexchange.org/countries/americas/venezuela/USVZrelations.pdf. The report tells a shocking tale of US intervention in Venezuela's democratic process, examines a series of myths about Venezuela, and offers an explanation of the real concerns underlying the Bush administration's antagonism towards Venezuela. Fortunately, it also offers US citizens some concrete ways we can get involved. US Intervention: A Documented Fact, Not Allegations According to the report, since 2002 the Bush administration has embarked upon a new strategy each year to oust and/or destabilize the democratically elected government of Venezuela. In 2002, the US Administration supported a military coup that briefly ousted the democratic government; in 2003 it used an economic sabotage campaign; in 2004 it supported the political strategy of the referendum; and in 2005 it waged a diplomatic battle. Many of the US destabilization tactics parallel the maneuvers used against progressive governments such as Chile in 1973, including massive financial and other support to develop an oppositional civil society and shape and unify political party opposition; a media campaign against the government designed to impugn the government and create a sense of instability; and illegal espionage activities. In 2002, the Bush administration knew that a coup against Chavez was in the offing before it happened, including the fact that dissident military officers would "try to exploit unrest stemming from opposition demonstrations slated for later this month or ongoing strikes at the state-owned oil company PDVSA." They also knew about the coup in advance because the US government was funding many of the groups that took part in the coup. In fact, grants by the National Endowment for Democracy (NED) and USAID to opposition groups skyrocketed right before the coup. To this day, Bush Administration officials routinely deny their involvement in the coup, in spite of official US documents that prove otherwise. But the truth is widely known in Venezuela, and forms the basis for the antagonism that plagues the US-Venezuela relationship. To be fair, Ch?vez engages in regular verbal tirades again Bush and Rice which overreach presidential diplomacy. But imagine how the US government would treat a foreign government that had financed domestic groups that participated in a coup against the US government. Instead of abating in the post-coup period, US government collusion with anti-democratic forces continued during the following year. Groups such as NED and USAID actually continued to fund groups that had participated in the coup. This includes some groups that organized an insurrectionary managers' strike at the end of 2002 and beginning of 2003 that cost the Venezuelan economy about $10 billion, resulting in a severe economic contraction and putting millions of workers and thousands of small businesses out of their jobs. The strikers' goal was maintaining control over the national oil company so they could keep the wealth to themselves, and getting Ch?vez out of office. They lost, and Venezuela's oil wealth now benefits the entire country instead of a traditional elite. In 2004, I witnessed the referendum in Venezuela, which had been organized by the opposition as a way to get Ch?vez out of office legally (after so many illegal attempts had failed.) Here the US was active in demanding that the referendum take place, whether or not the legal criteria had been met. The NED even financed the opposition's political platform! In the end, Ch?vez won the referendum in a landslide of 59% in a process that was certified as free and fair by the Carter Center and the Organization of American States (OAS). The next year, both Rice and Rumsfeld toured Latin America, urging leaders there to criticize Venezuela in an attempt to isolate Ch?vez in the region. In her confirmation hearings in January 2005, the Rice named Ch?vez a "negative force in the region." Fortunately, many regional leaders have rejected the pressure, including Brazil's Lula, Uruguay's Vazquez, Chile's Lagos and even Colombia's Uribe. Though the extensive expos?s about US government meddling in the internal affairs of Venezuela have raised a furor within Venezuela, US officials still not only deny involvement, but under the guise of supporting democracy they have actually expanded support for opposition groups, including groups that have refused to accept the results of the democratic referendum of 2004. Myths and Facts: What is Really Happening in Venezuela Since all of Venezuela's elections - in which an overwhelming majority of citizens have voted for Ch?vez or his governing coalition - have been certified as free and fair by international monitors, US officials have turned to accusing Ch?vez of "being democratically elected but governing undemocratically." Yet Venezuelans resoundingly approve of their democracy, and are experimenting with innovative ways to build participatory democracy in addition to the representative form. A detailed analysis of Venezuelan democracy is available in the report. It's also ironic that this accusation should come from a US administration that has usurped unprecedented presidential power. Another basic myth is that Ch?vez has limited freedom of speech and eroded civil rights. Yet whenever I go to Venezuela, I hear the private media spend enormous amounts of time criticizing the President, something I wish our media would do a little more of. Access to community media production - both radio and television - has vastly expanded in recent years. And no serious human rights group has alleged that civil rights have eroded under the Ch?vez administration, and civil rights compare favorably to past governments and to countries in the region. Then there's the accusation that Ch?vez is mismanaging the economy, nationalizing businesses and turning Venezuela's economy into a "Castro-style Cuba." Yet Venezuela is one of the fastest growing countries in the region. Per capita income growth was a whopping 17.9% in 2004, when the economy rebounded from the opposition's economic sabotage, and continued to grow 9% last year as well. And while it's true that most of this growth is due to the skyrocketing price of oil, the government is making great efforts to diversify the economy. One of the most ridiculous assertions common to Ms. Rice is that Ch?vez is a "negative force in the region." Venezuela has initiated an impressive array of programs to support Latin American and Caribbean nations, from supplying low-cost fuel to starting a new regional television channel, to buying bonds to help stabilize Argentina's economy. Venezuelans find the US government's completely unsubstantiated assertion that their government supports terror the most absurd, especially coming from a country that not only illegally invaded Iraq, but is also harboring Luis Posada Carriles, a terrorist who escaped from jail in Venezuela after the 1973 bombing of a Cuban plane that killed 76 people. In a maddening double standard, the US has thus far refused to extradite Posada to Venezuela, for alleged fears that he will be "tortured." But the administration seems to overstep the bounds of rationality in its attempts to stoke fears that Ch?vez is about to cut off oil supplies to the US. Venezuela provides about 15% of US oil consumption, and is far more democratic than close US allies like Saudi Arabia by any stretch. It's true that Ch?vez has threatened to cut off oil supplies to the United States - but only if the US invades Venezuela, or attempts to assassinate Ch?vez. Since US officials have repeatedly denied those intentions, what are they so concerned about? The only change in Venezuelan oil supply to the US in the past three years has been this year's program to provide 40% discounts on 49 million gallons of heating fuel for poor people in Massachusetts, Maine, Rhode Island, Pennsylvania, New York, Delaware, and soon Vermont and Connecticut. How bizarre that Texas Republican Congressman Joe Barton has launched an investigation into this humanitarian offering, instead of investigating the US multinational oil companies that posted over $100 billion in corporate profits last year due to soaring gasoline prices. So Really, Why Does Ch?vez Make them so Crazy? As "US Intervention in Venezuela" makes clear, the Administration's concerns about Venezuela are not fundamentally about these issues but relate to a deeper concern about the erosion of support for the neoliberal "free market" system promoted by the US government in Latin America for decades. The Ch?vez government is currently leading one of the fastest growing economies in the region, bringing down unemployment through the use of a dynamic set of policies that combine the assets of the private sector with, strategic government investment in specific industries, and incentives for cooperatives and small and local businesses. Most importantly, the Ch?vez administration is funneling billions of dollars of the country's oil wealth into social programs for the poor. These programs have succeeded in eradicating illiteracy in Venezuela; vastly increasing school enrollment; providing subsidized food and housing to the poor; and implementing a national system of preventative, community-based health care. Call it the threat of a good example! In addition, the concerns of the Bush Administration stem from Ch?vez's promotion of regional integration, because it interferes with the US attempts to impose the failed model of corporate globalization embedded in projects like the stalled Free Trade Area of the Americas, the top US priority in Latin America for the past decade. But one of the most interesting hypotheses in the report is the notion that the fundamental antagonism between the US and Venezuela stems from the tension between the imperial designs of the Bush administration and an underlying goal of the entire Venezuelan project: a change in the global balance of power from a "uni-polar" world dominated by US economic and strategic interests, to a "multi-polar" world of real economic and political independence for the global South. This helps put in perspective Venezuela's recent decision to support Iran in the International Atomic Energy Association, because Iran is an historic ally of Venezuela in the building of OPEC decades ago (when the countries first came together to ensure that oil producing nations shared in some of the oil wealth along with the oil multinationals.) It also explains the increasing diversification of Venezuela's foreign relations, deepening its alliances in Latin American and the Caribbean but also reaching out to China, Russia, and Spain. And it explains why team Bush seem so irrationally focused on antagonizing an economic ally and democratic neighbor: in essence, because of the neocons' unwavering ideological commitment to a corporate-oriented global economy dominated by US strategic interests. Ch?vez seeks to challenge that vision, and build a more balanced geopolitical map. And to the chagrin of the Bush administration, his vision has met with tremendous support both within Latin America and globally. Where Do We Go From Here The facts outlined in this report point to the need for a rethinking of US-Venezuela relations. They call out for a shift to a policy based on both the US and Venezuela's shared economic interests, and respect for each country's sovereignty and democracy. A good start is learning about what's really happening in Venezuela. Good resources include www.venezuelanalysis.com and www.venezuelafoia.info. The Venezuela Information Office offers a concise weekly listserve at www.rethinkvenezuela.org. Better yet, go and see for yourself. Check out Global Exchange's amazing travel opportunities to Venezuela at http://www.globalexchange.org/tours/byCountry.html#100003. In addition, you can promote more balanced coverage of Venezuela in the US press by writing letters to the editor and urging your local paper to be truly "fair and balanced.". And if you buy gas, you can support Venezuela's distributive oil policies by buying from the Venezuela-owned company Citgo. To find a local Citgo station, go to www.citgo.com/CITGOLocator.jsp. Most important will be our collective efforts to pressure the Bush administration to steer a new course with Venezuela. This is unlikely to happen without concerted pressure from Congress, and congresspeople are only going to go out on a limb if they hear from their constituents. Especially crucial at this time is fighting House Resolution 328, introduced by Florida Republican Connie Mack, intended to condemn the government of Venezuela for all of the myths debunked in the report. Let's not let our government commit another grave error of "regime change". Let's act now to demand respect for Venezuela's duly elected government, before it's too late. Medea Benjamin is cofounder of Global Exchange, a San Francisco-based human rights organization and CODEPINK: Women for Peace. She has traveled several times to Venezuela, most recently for the World Social Forum, and is reachable at medea at globalexchange.org. ### -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From riverbend2 at earthlink.net Thu Mar 9 09:05:13 2006 From: riverbend2 at earthlink.net (John Battista) Date: Thu, 9 Mar 2006 09:05:13 -0500 Subject: {news} Lobby the Human Services Committee in support of single payer health insurance for all CT residents. Message-ID: <002001c64382$7e4999c0$1102a8c0@newm2.ct.charter.com> MessageThe public hearing on single payer universal health insurance Bill number 482 before the Human Services Committee went well. You can assist the passage of this bill by the Human Services Committee by emailing the members and encouraging them to vote for the bill. When you write to them be sure to include your name, address and phone number. If you are a member of their district be sure to mention that. If you are looking for information to include in your email, you might want to consult my testimony and answers to commonly asked questions about single payer for CT, both of which are attached. Also, a great deal of information about this topic is available at the Connecticut Coalition For Universal Health Care website, http://cthealth.server101.com. Your emailing the committee will make a significant contribution toward getting this legislation passed. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Quick Search by: Bill House Cal# Senate Cal# File Copy LCO# Public Act Special Act Number: Year: 2006 2005 2004 2003 2002 2001 2000 1999 1998 1997 1996 1995 1994 1993 1992 1991 Bill Tracking Broadcast Media Statutes Committees A - H & I - Z Staff Offices Commissions Search Session Information House Senate Legislative References Citizen Guide Human Services Committee -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Dist. - Name Position Email Web Party S04 - Handley, Mary Ann Co-Chair D 091 - Villano, Peter F. Co-Chair D S02 - Coleman, Eric D. Vice Chair D 128 - Martinez, Lydia N. Vice Chair D S07 - Kissel, John A. Ranking Member R 150 - Gibbons, Lile R. Ranking Member R 083 - Abercrombie, Catherine F. Member D 014 - Aman, William Member R 044 - Caron, Michael A. 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URL: From apbrison at hotmail.com Fri Mar 10 19:38:36 2006 From: apbrison at hotmail.com (allan brison) Date: Fri, 10 Mar 2006 19:38:36 -0500 Subject: {news} Letter to the Advocate - John Halle - the first elected Green Message-ID: An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From apbrison at hotmail.com Fri Mar 10 19:41:33 2006 From: apbrison at hotmail.com (allan brison) Date: Fri, 10 Mar 2006 19:41:33 -0500 Subject: {news} City of New Haven Welcomes Anti-War March on 3/18 Message-ID: An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From chapillsbury at igc.org Sat Mar 11 23:01:10 2006 From: chapillsbury at igc.org (Charlie Pillsbury) Date: Sat, 11 Mar 2006 23:01:10 -0500 Subject: {news} Impeachment: Which Democrats Are Blocking Us? Message-ID: <002601c64589$999d8070$6500a8c0@S0031616584> ----- Original Message ----- From: Democrats.com To: chapillsbury at igc.org Sent: Saturday, March 11, 2006 8:40 PM Subject: Impeachment: Which Democrats Are Blocking Us? Impeachment: Which Democrats Are Blocking Us? Thanks to your grassroots lobbying efforts - and the leadership of Rep. John Conyers - there are now 29 co-sponsors for Conyers' Select Committee on Impeachment, H. Res. 635. http://afterdowningstreet.org/635 That's a good start - but ALL 202 Democrats should be co-sponsors. After all, Bush deserves impeachment far more than any president in American history, and a solid majority of Americans want Congress to impeach him NOW. http://democrats.com/bush-impeachment-polls What's holding back the Democrats? According to reporter Dave Lindorff, "members of Congress - even firebrands like Maxine Waters (D-CA) and Cynthia McKinney (D-GA) - have been strong-armed behind the scenes by the Democratic National Committee not to introduce an impeachment bill in the House." The DNC chairman is Howard Dean. Ask him why he is blocking impeachment here: http://democrats.org/page/s/contact House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi also opposes impeachment, urging Democratic activists to focus instead on winning the House in November. We reject that because every single DAY that Bush remains in office is another day in which American soldiers are killed or maimed in Iraq, Iraqi civilians are killed or maimed or poisoned, prisoners in America's Gulag are tortured, America's ports are left vulnerable, our phones and computers are wiretapped, and our planet races towards climate catastrophe. Also, since a solid majority (52%-53%) of Americans support Bush's impeachment, it's both good policy and good politics. Ask Nancy Pelosi and the House Democratic leadership why they are blocking impeachment here: http://democrats.house.gov/contact/index.cfm Another terrific way to promote impeachment is by getting cities, counties, towns, villages, and Democratic committees to adopt impeachment resolutions. Last week, citizens of five Vermont towns overwhelmingly passed resolutions urging their Congressman, Bernie Sanders, to introduce Articles of Impeachment. His first reply was to call impeachment "impractical," but he then responded to his constituents by co-sponsoring H. Res. 635. The growing list of local resolutions favoring the impeachment of Bush and Cheney is here: http://impeachpac.org/resolutions Activists who are particularly savvy have embraced the "Rutland Resolution" to urge their state legislatures to submit impeachable charges directly to the U.S. House of Representatives under Section 603 of the Manual of the Rules of the U.S. House of Representatives. This strategy is best suited to states that have strong Democratic majorities in both houses of the legislature: CA, MA, HI, RI, and VT. Learn more here: http://www.impeachbush.tv/impeach/statehow.html If you would like to help organize impeachment efforts in your state, county or town, join the Impeachment Working Group of Progressive Democrats of America: http://pdamerica.org/impeach-wg.php And be sure to urge your Representative to co-sponsor H.Res. 635: http://capwiz.com/pdamerica/issues/alert/?alertid=8329176 Let's make impeachment our highest priority this spring - victory is possible!! _________________ ImpeachPAC Endorses Jeeni Criscenzo This week ImpeachPAC endorsed its third pro-impeachment candidate for Congress, Jeeni Criscenzo, who is running unopposed in the Democratic primary to challenge Republican incumbent (and former car thief) Darrell Issa in California's 49th District. Criscenzo has already been endorsed by the San Diego Imperial Counties Labor Council, Progressive Democrats of San Diego, Democracy for America Meetup #23 (San Diego), and Progressive Democrats of America (national). Criscenzo has been a leading opponent of the Iraq War since before the invasion. She organized the Bring Their Buddies Home vigils as a non-confrontational way of showing people the human cost of war. Her campaign website makes clear her opposition to criminal policies of the Bush regime. She wrote a blog entry on March 6, advocating impeachment of Bush and Cheney. Criscenzo has also been campaigning lately wearing an "Impeach Bush" T-shirt. In her blog, Criscenzo wrote: "If we go back to George Washington, American presidents have attached signing statements to laws a total of 322 times up until this president. George W. Bush has done it 435 times. George W. Bush is a dictator in president's clothing. He and his cabal have raped our Constitution, depleted our treasury, sent our kids to go kill and torture other people's kids for the personal enrichment of his cronies and left the poor people of New Orleans to die or become permanently displaced, conveniently remaking that diverse Democratic city, at one of the centers of the U.S. petrochemical industry, into a white, Republican stronghold. "The future of our country is balancing on a precarious precipice. The Bush cabal is moving full-speed ahead in their plans to establish the Global Empire of Halliburton. Our only chance to stop this nightmare is to take back Congress THIS YEAR. That means winning a majority in November AND making impeachment of Bush and Cheney our first priority." http://impeachpac.org/?q=node/711 _________________ Take a Virtual Trip to San Diego Steve Hopper shot a terrific video of a forum on March 3, 2006, in San Diego, in a packed auditorium on the campus of UCSD with Mark Manning, David Swanson, Ann Wright, Cindy Sheehan, and Questions and Answers Click a name to watch that section of the video. Or go to: http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/video _________________ Progressive Democrat Town Hall Meeting Katrina, the War in Iraq, Impeachment and the 2006 Elections Sunday, March 12, 2006 1:00 - 3:30 PM The Workmen's Circle 45 E. 33rd St. in Manhattan Speakers will include: Tim Carpenter, PDA Executive Director Rev. Lennox Yearwood, Jr., Hip-Hop activist and PDA National Board Member Chris Owens, Democratic Candidate for Congress/ImpeachPAC Jonathan Tasini, Democratic Candidate for US Senate/PDA Activist Marilyn Clement of Health Care NOW! http://pdamerica.org/ _________________ UPCOMING EVENTS FOR IMPEACHMENT AND PEACE in CHARLOTTESVILLE, VIRGINIA Town Hall Forum on the War in Iraq Monday, March 13, 7 p.m. McLEOD AUDITORIUM - UVA School of Nursing. Eman Ahmad Khamas, Iraqi journalist, activist living in Baghdad, defends women's rights, documents crimes committed by U.S. and Iraqi forces. Lt.Col. Karen Kwiatkowski, retired from Office of the Sec. of Defense on Near East South Asia Policy, outspoken critic of the Pentagon's pre-war propaganda development. Ray McGovern, veteran Army officer and retired 27-year CIA analyst, Co-Founder of Veteran Intelligence Professionals for Sanity, witness at Congressional hearings on Downing Street Minutes. Gael Murphy, cofounder of CODE PINK-Women for Peace, Board of Dir. International Occupation Watch Center, Steering Committee United for Peace and Justice, David Swanson, cofounder of After Downing Street, Board member of Progressive Democrats of America, Washington Director of Democrats.com and Impeach PAC. Tia Steele, member of Gold Star Families Speak Out, mother of U.S. soldier killed in Iraq. Al Weed, Congressional candidate in Virginia's 5th district, Veteran, opposes the Iraq war. $5 suggested donation, no one turned away Film: "Occupation Dreamland" Wednesday, March 15, 7 p.m. WILSON HALL 301-University of Virginia About a group of U.S. soldiers in Falluja. Iraq March for Peace and Impeachment Monday, March 20, 4 p.m. ROTUNDA to DOWNTOWN March beginning at the Rotunda - University of Virginia - at 4 p.m. and proceeding to the Freedom of Expression Wall on the Downtown Mall near City Hall for a rally. Come prepared to buy a yard sign and carry it in the march, or bring your own posters, flags, noise makers, musical instruments. 3 YEARS TOO MANY WAGE PEACE Charlottesville Center for Peace and Justice charlottesvillepeace.org 434 961-6278, 540 456-6028 _________________ _________________ Stop the Katrina Evictions March 14 Demand a stop to evictions, demand trailers for survivors, and demand passage of H.R. 4197. Press Conference: 1:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. Rayburn House Office Building - Room #2237 Mardi Gras Style March for Justice: 2:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. from Capitol South Metro Stop at 12:00 p.m. to the White House Rally & Protest at the White House: 3:00 p.m. - 11:59 p.m. Lafayette Park http://www.katrinamarch.org _________________ Sign up for these events, find others, and create your own at http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/event See Also UFPJ: http://unitedforpeace.org/calendar.php?caltype=39&lcountry=&state=&search=Search And PDA: http://pdamerica.org/events/main-list.php ____________________ FORWARD THIS EMAIL ##### If you received this from a friend, you can subscribe at: http://afterdowningstreet.org To unsubscribe from AfterDowningStreet Updates, click here: http://archive.democrats.com/unsub.cfm?email=chapillsbury at igc.org&fieldname=L16 To unsubscribe from all Democrats.com mailings, click here: http://archive.democrats.com/unsub.cfm?email=chapillsbury at igc.org&fieldname=L1 -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From roseberry3 at cox.net Sat Mar 11 23:54:27 2006 From: roseberry3 at cox.net (B Barry) Date: Sat, 11 Mar 2006 23:54:27 -0500 Subject: {news} 3-13-06 EC meeting at 7pm at Message-ID: <20060312045425.RXPQ14821.eastrmmtao02.cox.net@BarbaraBarry> Greater Hartford Green Party Office 418-A New Britain Avenue Hartford, CT wwww.mapquest.com -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From roseberry3 at cox.net Sun Mar 12 02:18:21 2006 From: roseberry3 at cox.net (B Barry) Date: Sun, 12 Mar 2006 02:18:21 -0500 Subject: {news} FW: Minutes from SCC meeting 11/29/05 of CTGP: quorum requirement met. Message-ID: <20060312071819.LMAS4894.eastrmmtao01.cox.net@BarbaraBarry> _____ From: B Barry [mailto:roseberry3 at cox.net] Sent: Sunday, January 08, 2006 11:56 PM To: ctgo-news at ml.greens.org Cc: roseberry3 at cox.net Subject: Minutes from SCC meeting 11/29/05 of CTGP: quorum requirement met. Minutes from SCC meeting 11/29/05: quorum requirement met. Place: Portland Public Library, Mary Flood Room, 20 Freestone Avenue, Portland, CT Phone: 860-342-6770 Time: 7PM to 9PM Voting attendees by chapters: Fairfield: David Bedell, Paul Bassler; Greater Hartford: Ed Debrule, Barbara Barry, Secretary of CTGP, Mike DeRosa, co-chairperson of CTGP;New Haven: Daniel Sumrall, Allan Brison; Middletown: Vic Lancia and Molly, Northeast: Christopher Demmoit, Jean deMet; Tolland: Tim McKee; Facilitator: Tim McKee A. Preliminaries: 1. (2-3 minutes): Introductions of attendees and chapters. Timekeeper: Vic Lancia. 2. (1 minute): Identify attendees who are NOT voting representatives: none. 3. (1 minute): Adopt ground rules: discussed modified concencus; many people verbalized frustration/dislike of it. Modified concencus process approved for this meeting. 4. (2-4 minutes): Approval of tonight's proposed agenda, additions: none. Deletions: Proposal 1 :new organization structure due to lack of presence of the authors: Aaron Gustafson and Kelly McCarthy, resigned: co-chairpersons. Proposal 2: storage/cataloging of tape recordings of SCC meeting by Hamden and Northwest chapters due to lack of presence of the author: Judy Herkimer; budget suggestions: deferred due to time restraints. Treasurer's monthly report and 3rd quarter treasurer's report to the CT. Secretary of State: due to lack of treasurer: Judy Herkimer or a deputy treasurer or her representative. She did not forward any report(s) to the remaining CTGP officers for this meeting 5. (2-4 minutes): Comments and approval of 10-25-05 SCC minutes by Barbara Barry: approved by concencus. 6. (5 minutes): 11-21-05 EC meeting presentation by Barbara Barry: approved by concencus. 7. (5 minutes): Discussion of minutes (suggested by Judy Herkimer): Barbara Barry presented: Judy Herkimer perceives bias in the minutes by Barbara Barry, Secretary of CTGP. Barbara discussed, as she has with Judy at the 10-25-05 EC meeting, that minutes have been done word for word. Barbara has no control over what people say. Barbara could put the minutes in quotes since they are done word for word. So far, Barbara has not. Mike DeRosa: in the past, some people have forgotten what they have said. Our approved proposal from years ago regarding the use of recordings was to help ensure accuracy of minutes. 8. (15 minutes): Discussion regarding EC meeting and SCC meeting should be held in December 2005 due to EC proposal by Judy Herkimer at 10-21-05: no EC or SCC meetings in 12-05. Some people felt very strongly that the important business of the CTGP needs to be addressed during the 12-27-05 scheduled SCC meeting. concencus: agreement to meet as usual on 12-27-05. Should EC meeting be held 12-12-05? Concencus: Yes, encouraged to meet on the previously arranged 2nd Monday of the month, 12-12-05; yes: suggest delaying the meeting so Barbara, secretary, can get to the meeting a few minutes after completion of her work at 7PM. Discussed: only one active co-chariperson: Mike DeRosa as both Kelly McCarthy and Aaron Gustafson have resigned their co-chairperson positions, immediately after election day. Working site of EC meeting: Greater Hartford Green Party' office. Hope the treasurer, Judy Herkimer, can attend. B. Reports: 1. (5 minutes, each for): Chapter reports: New Haven: Daniel Sumrall: working in coalition to support a living wage in New Haven City employees; A German Green Party member is speaking in New Haven tonight; to have longer chapter meeting to discuss campaign streamlining; potential candidates for 2006 election. Allan Brison: to have specific speaker forums open to the public on special subjects (e.g. homelessness in New Haven) will have question and answer forum. Websit for New Haven Chapter: hopefully will be up and available in January 2006, as New Haven now has ability to update and edit information. 12-13-05 march and rally: working with people from the Hill section of the city. Hope to get Yale-New Haven Hospital (Y-NHH) to address neighborhood issues: hospital expansion (largest they have undertaken) e.g. issue that Y-NHH has put lenies on homes of selected low-income houses. Northeast: Christopher Demmoit: Jean deMet: got 28% of vote for 1st selectperson (mayor type position) in Willimantic, came in 2nd place, beating the Republician candidate. Doing weekly community show, now. Continue to work with peace group. Continue to weekly picket Wal-Mart. Showed the film: The High Cost of Low Price. Halloween: chapter gave out coloring books and candy:. Greater Hartford: Mike DeRosa: continue keeping our office open in coalition with the Clash Collective which maintains a lending library of literature, pictorals, videos, books. Continue with our periodic Friday night movies. showed The High Cost of Low Price, film. David Ionno, ran for Board of Education in Hartford. Did not win but his supporter encourage him to continue speaking out and run again. He had endorsement of 3 unions. Have more people and more organization done regarding participating in an organic food co-op. Office if open for Green Party or the like activities. Incorrect allocaton of Greater Hartford Green Party chapter funds. Middletown: Vic Lancia: to show the movie: The High Cost of Low Price, film on 12-12-05; continue: weekly peace vigil: newspaper captured: sign: "War is good business". Tolland: Tim McKee: continue with the usual. Fairfield: David Bedell: Derrek Shapiro, Green Party candidate for Stamford mayor, got 3% of vote and ballot access; Democratic mayor, just, got reelected. (He is also running for governor.) Republican came in second. Derrek continues to address Green Party issues. Only elected Green Party person in office: constable in New Caanan, typically a republican stronghold. The Green Party candidate was a write-in candidate and won out of a field of five. 2. (15 minutes): Women's Caucus report regarding recent Modified Consencus Training: Allan Brison: all participants were asked to complete a questionnaire about their knowledge about modified concencus; he does not know how many people were the actual participants, out of the 12 people present were actually present. All 12 people did participate to some degree. Allan did not sure what the questionnaire was used for e.g.: help educators find areas of individual or group educational opportunities; or elimination of people from more fully participating in the training. Barbara Barry: If you look at the 4-26-05 SCC Women's Caucus verbal proposal indicates that interested people were encourage to attend. Preference was likely to be given to those people who already actually facilitated meetings. However, at latter EC, SCC meeting and via e-mails another qualifier was added, which was not clearly presented in the written proposal or agreed upon by this (SCC) body. That was that a participant had to have facilitated 2 SCC meetings in the last 5 years. When I asked the Womens' Caucus representative (Judy Herkimer) at the 10-25-05 SCC meeting, if the Women's Caucus thought of other ways to train people, she advised: "no". Did the Women's Caucus every consider opening the training to at least 1 member of every chapter in the CTGP, to allow for a fuller, more democratic process and show respect for diversity and fairness, Green Party values, Judy stated: "no". Various people agreed it would have been more fair to at least open the training to each chapter. Discussion was held regarding: different types of concencus is practiced by other groups, in and out of the Green Party; advantages and disadvantages of modified concencus. Some people dislike modified concencus or parts of it. We need to learn more about how the process is done. 3. (10 minutes): U.S. Green Party report by CTGP representatives: Tim McKee:(Thomas Sevigny was not present.) national discussion regarding what/if anything is to done about state chapters who do/did not put on the ballot the nationally endorsed presidential candidate e.g Utah put Ralph Nader on their ballot line for president. Trying to enhance unity. What/if any direction will national party suggest the states do regarding running candidates, acquiring or maintaining ballot access. 4. (5 minutes): V.O.T.E.R. report from Mike DeRosa: CT legistature just passed a couple of hours ago, a procedure where 3rd party candidates will have to petition to get on ballot and campaign finances. This seems to be in conflict with the equal political party access provision under the U.S. Constitution. I will, get details. Have a lawyer who is willing to work on some potential lawsuits, regarding ballot access in CT, If we choose to go forward. Voter verified paper trail proposal is in trouble due to the cost of the machines. Federal monies will not cover the total cost of the machines. Each town will have to pay for major proportion of the voting machines. Tim McKee: newspaper articles regarding voter machines; the state regulation regarding need to petition, might be unconstitutional. Tim to do a press release with comments from various Green Party members. Proposal 3: PRESENTER: Ed Dubrule, Greater Hartford Green Party Chapter SUBJECT: Reimbursement of Chris Reilly for rent payments he made. BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: The SCC on 11/14/2000 agreed that the Hartford chapter would pay half the rent and half the utilities of the Hartford office, and that the CTGP would pay the other half of the rent and utilities. (The April 2004 SCC meeting decided that the CTGP will no longer pay half the rent and utilities of the office.) In 2003-4, during the period when Bruce Crowder was treasurer, Chris Reilly paid $2,650 of his own money to the landlord of the Hartford office, New Britain Ave. Real Estate, LLC. The reasons Chris made these payments have been explained in the minutes of the August 2004 and October 2004 SCC meetings, written by secretary Ed DuBrule (Appendices 1 and 2). In e-mails to Ed dated 9/8/04 and 11/7/04, Chris Reilly stated that these minutes extracts are accurate. Bruce also commented on the accuracy of the August SCC minutes extract, saying, in part, "This seems fairly accurate, except that I don't think I ever 'asked' Chris to cover any bills. More like he offered and I agreed, but that's not an important distinction." Bruce's complete comments are in Appendix 3. (Ed did not request that Bruce comment on the accuracy of the October SCC minutes extract.) The dates and amounts of Chris' rent payments are in Appendix 4. In brief, the reasons why Chris chose to pay the landlord from his own pocket are: (1) For months previously Chris had handled the rent payments. (2) There were problems transitioning from the former treasurer (Chris Nelson) to Bruce. Among these problems was an inability of Bruce to write checks because he hadn't gotten the Party's checkbook and because of problems with bank paperwork. (3) Often in the past Greens had spent thousands of dollars of their own money and had been reimbursed later by the CTGP. (4) Chris expected that the CTGP would send out an annual fundraising letter to thousands of Connecticut Greens, as in past years, and that this letter would bring in many thousands of dollars, as in past years, enough to reimburse him. (Despite this expectation, a fundraising letter to only 1000 Greens was sent out, many months after Chris had made most of his rent payments, and it netted only at most $500.) In past years about $2,000 in postage and printing costs had been required to send out the annual fundraising appeal, and one reason Chris paid the rent was so that the CTGP checking account balance could be preserved and used for these costs. (When Bruce took over as treasurer, the CTGP checking account held only $2000 or less.) Six of the seven rent payments made by Chris were made in the period April 2003 through September 2003. One additional payment toward the rent was made by Chris in March 2004; Chris explained this payment as follows: The GP/CT, for whatever reason (perhaps financial?) only sent a check for $350. Because the rent was $500, I needed to make up the difference with $150 of my own money". [E-mail response to Ed, 5/27/05.] During 2003-4 Chris also paid money from his own pocket to cover CTGP envelopes, postage, printing, and domain name registration expenses. The October SCC decided to reimburse Chris for these expenses at a rate of $74.24 per month over twelve months. PROPOSAL: The SCC should instruct the treasurer of the Connecticut Green Party to reimburse Chris with a check for $2,650 immediately. Discussed by attendees. Clarifying questions were asked and answered. No blocking concerns. Concencus: CTGP treasurer to reimburse Chris Reilly, $2,650.00, immediately. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From dbedellgreen at hotmail.com Sun Mar 12 22:52:40 2006 From: dbedellgreen at hotmail.com (David Bedell) Date: Mon, 13 Mar 2006 03:52:40 +0000 Subject: {news} RE: Green Party State Wide races In-Reply-To: <1142156364.897.15627.m17@yahoogroups.com> Message-ID: Important update! Thanks to Robin Schafer and Colin Bennett, who have agreed to serve as placeholder candidates for Lt. Governor and Comptroller, respectively. This completes our petition application for all the statewide offices: - for Governor: Clifford Thornton, founder of the drug policy reform group Efficacy, who will be CT's first African American candidate for Governor; - for Attorney General: Nancy Burton, environmental activist and founder of CT Coalition Against Millstone; - for Secretary of the State: Mike DeRosa, founder of Project VOTER - Voter Opportunity Through Election Reform; - for Treasurer: David Bue, socially responsible investment advisor with First Affirmative Financial Network; - for U.S. Senator: Ralph Ferrucci, former candidate for New Haven mayor and for U.S. Representative, 3rd CD. Mike DeRosa will submit the application Monday and Ralph Ferrucci will pick up the petition on Wednesday. We need help (see below)! If you would like a copy of the petition, please contact Ralph at ralphferrucci@ sbcglobal.net or me at dbedellgreen@ hotmail.com. If you give a mailing address, we will mail it to you with instructions. David Bedell ----Original Message Follows---- Date: Sat, 11 Mar 2006 19:14:25 -0500 From: ralph ferrucci Subject: Green Party State Wide races Friends, I have great news, we now have a full slate of candidates and the forms will be submitted on Monday. I should have the petitions back by Weds. and in time for the March 18th, and 19th Anti-War rallies. We need your help to get ballot access. We will need to get between 10 and 12,000 signatures. With the turn out at the last few years Anti-War rallies, we may be able to get between 1 and 2,000 signatures next weekend but we will need your help to do it. If you can help please email me and let me know which rally you will be at. Ralph Ferrucci From justinemccabe at earthlink.net Mon Mar 13 07:26:26 2006 From: justinemccabe at earthlink.net (Justine McCabe) Date: Mon, 13 Mar 2006 07:26:26 -0500 Subject: {news} Fw: GP RELEASE Greens were right on Iraq, Dem & Repub warhawks wrong Message-ID: <056701c64699$70fb0f00$0402a8c0@JUSTINE> > GREEN PARTY OF THE UNITED STATES > http://www.gp.org > > For Immediate Release: > Monday, March 13, 2006 > > Contacts: > Scott McLarty, Media Coordinator, 202-518-5624, > mclarty at greens.org > Starlene Rankin, Media Coordinator, 916-995-3805, > starlene at greens.org > > > Greens and other antiwar Americans were right on Iraq; > prowar Republicans and Democrats were wrong > > . Evidence of deceit and impending disaster existed > before Bush invaded Iraq; "Being right doesn't make us > proud, it makes us angry" say Greens. > > . Events are planned to mark the third anniversary of > the invasion of Iraq. > > > WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Green Party candidates and leaders > marked the beginning of the fourth year of the Iraq > War with a reminder that Greens and millions of other > Americans who opposed the U.S. invasion of Iraq were > right from the very beginning. > > "All those Republican and Democratic White House > officials and leaders in Congress and their apologists > in the media who supported the invasion of Iraq were > dead wrong, and many were complicit in the prowar > lies," said Jeff Kravitz, Green candidate for U.S. > Representative in California's 5th District > (Sacramento) . > "Some of them -- especially warhawk Democrats like > Senators Clinton [NY], Kerry [Mass.], and Biden [Del.] > -- are still wrong." > > Greens, led by the party's Peace Action Committee > (GPAX) , will mark > the third anniversary of the invasion of Iraq in > numerous events planned for the weekend of March 18. > GPAX has endorsed the Troops Out Now call for March 18 > and 19 and International Days of Action Against the > War, with protests at military recruiting stations > throughout the U.S. The North Carolina Green Party is > co-sponsoring the Third Rally and March in > Fayetteville, near Ft. Bragg (contact: Elena Everett, > ). > > GPAX and the state Green Parties of North Carolina, > Michigan, Florida, and Oklahoma have endorsed the Gulf > Coast Vet and Katrina Survivor March > , which begins Tuesday, > March 14, and ends Sunday with an Antiwar-Gulf > solidarity rally in New Orleans. > > Last week, Greens called for the release of Cindy > Sheehan, Green Party member Medea Benjamin, and other > antiwar protesters who had been arrested in New York > on March 6 for demanding immediate withdrawal of all > U.S. troops, which the Green Party supports. The > party has also called for no permament military bases > left behind in Iraq, an end to torture and other > illegal treatment of prisoners, a halt to domestic > attacks on civil liberties, and steps to break the > U.S. addiction to oil, and has consistently opposed > the war on Iraq since President Bush first threatened > an invasion: > > . Greens warned in late 2002 and early 2003 that the > Bush Administration was lying to American citizens and > to the world when it claimed that Saddam Hussein > possessed WMDS, that he has conspired with al-Qaeda, > that Iraq had connections with the 9/11 attacks, and > that Saddam had sought nuclear weapons materials from > Africa. > http://www.gp.org/press/pr_09_27_02.html > http://www.gp.org/press/pr_10_25_02.html > http://www.gp.org/press/pr_01_19_03.html > http://www.gp.org/press/pr_02_10_03.html > http://www.gp.org/press/pr_02_13_03.html > http://www.gp.org/press/pr_02_14_03.html > http://www.gp.org/press/pr_03_20_03.html > http://www.gp.org/impeachbush/ > > "Evidence already existed that President Bush lied > about our reasons for invading Iraq when he delivered > his January, 2003, State of the Union speech," said > Rae Vogeler, Wisconsin Green Party candidate for U.S. > Senate . "The Downing Street > memo confirmed that intelligence was 'fixed' to > support the war." > > . Greens warned in March, 2003, that U.S. forces would > use illegal weapons materials, including depleted > uranium and cluster bombs; that the Bush > Administration was already violating the law in the > treatment of prisoners; and that contractors like > Halliburton were poised to profiteer from the > invasion. > http://www.gp.org/press/pr_03_20_03.html > http://www.gp.org/press/pr_05_12_03.html > > . Greens have warned repeatedly that an invasion of > Iraq would inflame Muslim anger against the U.S., > strengthening al-Qaeda and making the world less > secure. > http://www.gp.org/press/pr_03_20_03.html > http://www.gp.org/press/pr_01_20_04.html > http://www.gp.org/press/pr_2005_07_08.shtml > http://www.gp.org/press/pr_2005_09_19.shtml > > . In July, 2003, the Green Party of the United States > called for the impeachment of President Bush for > deceiving the American people and for violation the > U.S. Constitution, and for withdrawal of U.S. troops > from Iraq. > http://www.gp.org/impeachbush/ > http://www.gp.org/press/pr_07_21_03.html > > . Calling for immediate withdrawal, Greens warned > repeatedly in 2005 that continued occupation might > lead to civil war in Iraq. > http://www.gp.org/press/pr_2005_02_02.html > http://www.gp.org/press/pr_2005_09_19.shtml > http://www.gp.org/press/pr_2005_10_26b.shtml > > "The thousands of Americans, including Greens, who > protested in the streets in early 2003 were right," > said Michael Berg, Delaware Green candidate for U.S. > Representative , who > was thrust into the role of prominent spokesperson for > the peace movement when his son Nick was abducted and > killed on May 7, 2004 in retaliation for the torture > of Iraquis in Abu Ghraib prison. "We need to hold > public officials who got us into the Iraq war > accountable. Being right doesn't make us proud, it > makes us angry and sorrowful for the needless deaths > of tens of thousands of Iraqi civilians, the more than > 2,300 U.S. servicemembers, and the hundreds of > civilian contractors." > > > 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 > > Green Party rebuttal to President Bush's 2006 State of > the Union Address (Video News Release) > http://www.gp.org/video/2006stateofunion > > > ~ END ~ From apbrison at hotmail.com Mon Mar 13 09:26:03 2006 From: apbrison at hotmail.com (allan brison) Date: Mon, 13 Mar 2006 09:26:03 -0500 Subject: {news} RE: Green Party State Wide races In-Reply-To: Message-ID: An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From dbedellgreen at hotmail.com Mon Mar 13 20:42:51 2006 From: dbedellgreen at hotmail.com (David Bedell) Date: Tue, 14 Mar 2006 01:42:51 +0000 Subject: {news} Winona LaDuke keynotes UConn Women & Gender conference In-Reply-To: <1142278118.1853.83367.m16@yahoogroups.com> Message-ID: Friday, March 31 - 18th Annual Conference on Women & Gender. Keynote: Winona LaDuke. The Women's Studies Program at the University of Connecticut is Proud to Present the 18th Annual Conference on Women and Gender "Sisterhood is Global: From Theory to Practice" Friday, March 31, 2006 on the Storrs Campus co-sponsored by the UConn Human Rights Institute. For more information, please visit http://www.sp.uconn.edu/%7Ewomstu4/home.html Winona LaDuke was the Green Party Vice-Presidential candidate in 1996 and 2000. From greenpartyct at yahoo.com Tue Mar 14 10:50:08 2006 From: greenpartyct at yahoo.com (Green Party-CT) Date: Tue, 14 Mar 2006 07:50:08 -0800 (PST) Subject: {news} (NH INDEPENDENT)"Drug War or Race War?" Message-ID: <20060314155008.46473.qmail@web81410.mail.mud.yahoo.com> http://www.newhavenindependent.org/archives/2006/03/drug_war_or_rac.html Drug War or Race War? by Melinda Tuhus | March 13, 2006 08:53 AM | Permalink Melinda Tuhus Photo It's been 10 years since Sheldon Tucker saw the inside of a prison. Tucker (at right in photo, with criminal defense attorney Norm Pattis, at left) and others at a local forum on the drug war spoke about why so many young people of color have followed in his footsteps -- and what to do about it. ?How many people here think the drug war is about drugs?? Barbara Fair asked the couple dozen people who turned out for the Saturday forum, the latest event sponsored by People Against Injustice. Nobody answered in the affirmative. Melinda Tuhus Photos The drug war is really a race war, all the panelists and most of the audience (which included father and daughter Allan Brison and Diana Goldberg) agreed. One expression of that is that while black and Latino men make up just 6 percent of the state?s population, they comprise more than 70 percent of the prison population. Is that because they are more criminal? Not really, said Cliff Thornton, director of Efficacy, a drug reform group in Hartford and Green Party candidate for governor. ?Blacks and whites are arrested on drug charges in equal numbers,? he said, ?but at every stage in the criminal justice process, the ratio of people of color who are caught in the system goes up.? Thornton (at left) said white skin privilege is like an insurance policy to bail whites out of tough situations, or prevent them from ever being in those situations, whereas African Americans and Latinos face steeper penalties for the same set of circumstances. When Barbara Fair (at left) asked the panelists why more people directly impacted by the drug laws ? especially young people ? don?t get involved in fighting these injustices, Tucker (who is Fair?s son) said, ?I think they feel hopeless, that nothing is going to change.? Thornton told the story of how as a young teenager he had stolen a shirt from a store. He was caught by two white cops, but instead of filing serious charges against him, one of the officers became a mentor and helped him get through high school and go to college. He said a black kid who committed the same offense today would probably be dealt with more harshly. Norm Pattis said a felony conviction becomes ?a disabling event? throughout a person?s lifetime, following an individual so he or she can?t qualify for student aid, can be evicted from housing, and may be fired from a job or never hired. He proposed decriminalizing or reducing penalties on many offenses that are now treated as felonies, much like Thornton said in his youth teachers would put boxing gloves on students who fought in school and let them wear themselves out, without penalizing them further. The program also included video clips of the infamous "drug bust" in Tulia, Texas, in which more than 40 innocent African Americans were arrested and many sent to prison on the word of a corrupt white cop, and a film of a similar, but smaller and less well-known, incident in another Texas town a few years later. At the end, Michelle Yorio from A Better Way Foundation, another criminal justice reform group, held up a map of New Haven, showing that the Yale Golf Course was almost the only part of the city that is not included in the 1,500-foot ?drug-free zones? around schools and day care centers that trigger extra penalties for drug-dealing, even after school hours (when most of the drug busts are made). Activists are promoting a bill (HB 5780) in the General Assembly this session that will reduce the zone to 200 feet and thus protect children without criminalizing residents of the entire city. After the event, Fair said, ?We had good dialogue among people there. Of course I always want more people to come out. I still feel we got to get the people truly impacted by this war to come out and speak up.? "You can?t just give up and accept that this is your life," Fair said. "I have seven sons. I refuse to give up.? -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From greenpartyct at sbcglobal.net Wed Mar 15 09:43:32 2006 From: greenpartyct at sbcglobal.net (Green Party-CT) Date: Wed, 15 Mar 2006 06:43:32 -0800 (PST) Subject: {news} Utah Green Parties compete for namesake-( Daily Herald) This is sad!!! Message-ID: <20060315144332.70473.qmail@web81401.mail.mud.yahoo.com> Tuesday, March 14, 2006 Utah Green parties compete for namesake PDF | Print | E-mail --------------------------------- ALAN CHOATE - Daily Herald It's hard enough being a minority party that has to struggle to get attention, but Utah's Green Party also has identity issues. There are now two groups known as the Green Party of Utah, and they're both actively involved in state politics. One is a political party registered with the state of Utah. The other is a nonprofit organization that is connected with the national Green Party and plans to run candidates under the banner of "Desert Greens." The party split stems from the 2004 elections, when the state Green Party -- there was only one then -- was divided over its presidential nominee and ultimately lost its ballot access because its candidates didn't receive enough votes. The schism mirrored a debate going on nationally over whether to support David Cobb, the Greens' nominee for president, or endorse consumer activist Ralph Nader, who ran as an independent. Because of the disagreement, the Green Party did not have a presidential candidate on Utah's ballot. Nader -- who has carried the Green Party standard in the past -- was on the ballot, and even received 11,305 votes. That absence probably hurt the party's ballot access status, said Desert Greens member and candidate Tom King. To stay viable in Utah, a political party must have a candidate that receives votes totaling at least 2 percent of the votes cast for U.S. House of Representatives candidates. In 2004, that meant about 14,000 votes, but the closest any Green Party candidate got was about 6,000 votes, King said. Since then, two groups mounted petition drives for the 2,000 signatures needed to re-establish Green Party ballot access, which would allow them to run candidates for office. The Green Party political party is going to challenge the Desert Greens's status, however, said party co-coordinator Jeff Beardall. The election code "says that a political party has to have a name that is uniquely identifiable," Beardall said. "Containing the word 'green' is not uniquely identifiable and could create confusion. That will be a problem." King said he isn't worried about two Green Party groups being confusing. "Maybe a little bit more than politics are to people, but probably not incredibly so," he said. "There's a very definite difference." The Desert Greens have maintained their affiliation with the national Green Party and have also registered "Green Party of Utah" as a trademark, King said -- but they didn't get their petition in first, so in the eyes of the state Elections Office the name belongs to the other group. "We can't do anything about it unless we have a lot of money for attorneys, which we don't," King said. The Desert Greens will have four candidates on this year's ballot: King, who is running for the state House of Representatives; Deanna Taylor and Chuck Trip, who will seek Salt Lake County Council seats; and Julian Hatch, who will run for U.S. Senate. The Green Party political party will also have candidates on the ballot, Beardall said, but the nominating convention hasn't been held yet. Filing for the Nov. 7 election continues through Friday. Offices that will be on the ballot include U.S. Senate, U.S. Congress, seats in the state Legislature, and several county and school board posts. In addition to Republicans and Democrats, candidates registered so far include several representatives of the Libertarian and Personal Choice parties. For a list of the candidates who have registered to date, go to www.elections.utah.gov. This story appeared in The Daily Herald on page D1. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From greenpartyct at yahoo.com Thu Mar 16 08:38:44 2006 From: greenpartyct at yahoo.com (Green Party-CT) Date: Thu, 16 Mar 2006 05:38:44 -0800 (PST) Subject: {news} Fwd: [media-states] GREEN PARTY CANDIDATE FOR OHIO SECRETARY OF STATE, SUPPORTS IMMEDIATE RECALL OF OHIO NATIONAL GUARD. Message-ID: <20060316133844.571.qmail@web81404.mail.mud.yahoo.com> WONDER IF OUR CANDIDATES SGOULD DO THE SAME THING? Tim McKee Russ Buckbee wrote: From: Russ Buckbee To: Dean , Jeff Richie , KentCFRD at yahoogroups.com, kentchange at yahoogroups.com, "Ohio Left Yahoo-Group[" , SPANstructure at yahoogroups.com, Christopher Baker , Media States , Media - National , Phil Tajitsu Nash , Madeleine Baran , "Luker, Amanda " Subject: [media-states] TIM KETTLER, GREEN PARTY CANDIDATE FOR OHIO SECRETARY OF STATE, SUPPORTS IMMEDIATE RECALL OF OHIO NATIONAL GUARD. Date: Wed, 15 Mar 2006 12:23:09 -0500 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE MARCH 15, 2006 *TIM KETTLER, GREEN PARTY CANDIDATE FOR OHIO SECRETARY OF STATE, SUPPORTS IMMEDIATE RECALL OF OHIO NATIONAL GUARD.* /"With the illegal occupation of Iraq approaching //it's// third year, it is past time for the Governor of Ohio to withdraw the Ohio National Guard from this failed Presidential adventure. Exposing our Guard troops to death and injury and forcing their complicity in an unjustified military action based on lies displays an incredible lack of moral courage on the part of Governor Taft."/ "/Ohio's resources are being drained in pursuing bloody, ineffectual violence against Iraq, a nation that had nothing to do with 9-11. We have been diverted from addressing the real problems facing Ohioans; a faltering economy, climbing unemployment, out of control health care costs, education funding inequities, a crumbling infrastructure, and the lack of a fair and accurate voting system. "/ " /I urge all Ohioans to support the Statewide Peace Rally scheduled for 2 pm Saturday March 18, at the Statehouse in Columbus. This event is endorsed by a growing coalition of local community groups, religious organizations, political activists, veterans, peace advocates, and promoters of social justice. Join us //in calling for the withdrawal of our military from Iraq and the establishment of a foreign policy that does not focus on military action and covert violence."/ / / CONTACT: Signed: Tim Kettler, Green Party of Ohio Candidate for Ohio Secretary of State TmKettler at aol.com 740-502-6453 Media Contact Green Party of Ohio, Russell Buckbee, 330-562-4637 russbuckbee at adelphia.net --- StripMime Report -- processed MIME parts --- multipart/alternative text/plain (text body -- kept) multipart/related text/html image/jpeg --- _______________________________________________ media-states mailing list media-states at lists.gp-us.org http://lists.gp-us.org/mailman/listinfo/media-states -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From justinemccabe at earthlink.net Tue Mar 14 22:32:30 2006 From: justinemccabe at earthlink.net (Justine McCabe) Date: Tue, 14 Mar 2006 22:32:30 -0500 Subject: {news} GP RELEASE Greens urge steps for security in response to Bush policies on Iran, Israel-Palestine Message-ID: <00ed01c647e1$19c9b120$0402a8c0@JUSTINE> GREEN PARTY OF THE UNITED STATES http://www.gp.org For Immediate Release: Tuesday, March 14, 2006 Contacts: Scott McLarty, Media Coordinator, 202-518-5624, mclarty at greens.org Starlene Rankin, Media Coordinator, 916-995-3805, starlene at greens.org Greens urge steps for security in response to Bush policies on Iran and the Middle East WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Green Party leaders and candidates for Congress spoke out today on U.S. policies regarding national security, Iran, and the crisis in Israel and Palestine. . IRAN Greens warned that the Bush Administration may repeat its pattern of fraud and military aggression that led to the Iraq disaster in its current posture on Iran's bid for nuclear energy and, allegedly, nuclear arms. Americans should be wary of Bush Administration claims that Iran's nuclear ambitions justify military action, in light of White House deceptions before the invasion of Iraq that Saddam Hussein possessed WMDs and sought nuclear weapons materials, said Greens. "The best approach is one that maintains the good will of the Iranian people, rather than threatening them with attacks by the U.S. or by Israel as a U.S. surrogate," said Carl Romanelli, Pennsylvania Green candidate for the U.S. Senate. "Any effort to dissuade Iran from pursuing nuclear power will seem utterly hypocritical if the Bush Administration continues to violate the Non-Proliferation Treaty, ignore Israel's nuclear capability, and aid the nuclear ambitions of India in violation of the treaty. Our Iran policy must be part of a greater policy that seeks global nuclear disarmament and an end to dependence on fossil and nuclear energy." "We have no illusions about the current government in Iran, which under President Ahmadinejad and Ayatollah Khameini have suppressed the rights of women, tortured and murdered gay people, crushed political dissent, and denied the Jewish holocaust," added Nan Garrett, co-chair of the Georgia Green Party and spokesperson for the National Women's Caucus. "But our immediate goal must be to maintain the friendship of the many Iranians who wish to see the ruling theocracy replaced by secular democratic government dedicated to human rights and freedoms. U.S. threats have enabled the regime to silence reformists in the same way that the 'War on Terror' has enabled President Bush to intimidate and silence opposition here. If the U.S. attacks Iran, we'll face the wrath of the world and a conflict far worse than the Iraq disaster." . MIDDLE EAST Green leaders urge the Bush Administration to place pressure on the government of Israel to rescind its threat to assassinate Hamas leaders if Palestinian militants strike in Israel. "Israel's threat betrays contempt for the democratic process that elected Hamas to positions of Palestinian leadership," said Ruth Weill, co-chair of the Wisconsin Green Party. "The only way to achieve security for Israelis and Palestinians is for Israel to end its illegal occupation of Palestinian territories, stop clearing Palestinian farms and other land for Jewish Israeli settlements, end the economic strangulation of the Palestinian people, and guarantee democracy for all citizens of Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories. "Hamas has observed a ceasefire for the past year, so the ball is in Israel's court to begin serious peace talks. The Bush White House has the power to persuade Israel to do the right thing, just as President Eisenhower ended the 1956 Suez crisis when he pressured Israel to withdraw from the Sinai Peninsula," Ms. Weill added. The Green Party has condemned all violence against civilians in the Israel-Palestine conflict, whether by the state of Israel or by Palestinian militias or Israeli vigilantes. In November, 2005, the party passed a resolution urging divestment from Israel, which currently receives billions of dollars each year in U.S. aid, until Israel observes full human rights and equality for Palestinians . Greens have called for consideration of a one-state solution, noting that Israel's illegal annexation of settlement blocs and refusal to honor the Palestinian right of return to Israel belie any possibility for a two-state solution. Mindful of the humanitarian crisis facing Palestinians because of Israeli and U.S. opposition to the Hamas-led Legislative Council, Green Party members are encouraged by news that Hamas may conduct a popular referendum allowing Palestinians to decide their stance regarding the recognition of Israel . Greens noted that Israel's $2.2 billion request for U.S. taxpayer-funded compensation for Israeli settlers evicted from the Palestinian territories, about $227,000 per Gaza settler, far surpasses federal aid to survivors of hurricane Katrina. (FEMA awarded as little as $2,000 to many needy Katrina survivors; Israel put its request for $2.2 billion for Gaza settlers on hold after Katrina, then renewed it in January.) 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 Green Party Peace Action Committee (GPAX) http://www.gp.org/committees/peace/ Green Party International Committee http://www.gp.org/committees/intl/ Green Party rebuttal to President Bush's 2006 State of the Union Address (Video News Release) http://www.gp.org/video/2006stateofunion ~ END ~ -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From greenpartyct at yahoo.com Fri Mar 17 07:30:58 2006 From: greenpartyct at yahoo.com (Green Party-CT) Date: Fri, 17 Mar 2006 04:30:58 -0800 (PST) Subject: {news} (PRESS RELEASE) CT. GREENS FILE HISTORIC STATEWIDE SLATE OF CANDIDATES Message-ID: <20060317123058.93692.qmail@web81412.mail.mud.yahoo.com> GREEN PARTY OF CONNECTICUT Press release- For Immediate Release- March 16, 2006 Contact: Tim McKee, CT Green Party National Committee Person, cell (860)860-778- 1304(NEW NUMBER) or(860)-643-2282 Mike DeRosa, State Co-Chair (860)956-8170 or (860) 919-4042 (cell) Ralph Ferrucci, U.S. Senate candidate (203)430-9342 Cliff Thornton, Candidate for Governor (860)657-8438 CT. GREENS FILE HISTORIC, STATE WIDE SLATE OF CANDIDATES FIRST TIME RUNS FOR US SENATE, GOVERNOR, AND OTHER STATE OFFICES Hartford, CT- Green Party officials filed petition papers and announced today historic first runs for U.S. Senate, Governor, and other state offices. Tim McKee, National Committee Representative, explained that petitions are being circulated for Green Party candidates for state-wide offices runs for the first time in the Green Party of Connecticut history. Green Party officials explained that third party candidates are made to jump through hoops and meet special conditions that the Democrats and Republicans are not required to do in order to place candidates on the fall ballots. Even though Greens have been elected to city offices or appointed to boards and commissions in Hartford, New Haven, as well as other smaller towns, the Green Party must, by state law, organize petition drives for these state-wide office runs. Ralph Ferrucci, US Senate candidate will lead the petition. 7,500 valid signatures are needed on the slate of candidates petition for each to get on the ballot. Goals of 12,000 signatures were announced, so as to have a safety net in case of any errors in the signatures. Ferrucci lead petition drives for Ralph Nader's Presidential in Connecticut. Governor: Clifford Thornton, founder of the drug policy reform group Efficacy, who will be CT's first African American candidate for Governor; Attorney General: Nancy Burton, environmental activist and founder of CT Coalition against Millstone; Secretary of the State: Mike DeRosa, founder of Project V.O.T.E.R. - Voter Opportunity through Election Reform; State Treasurer: David Bue, socially responsible investment adviser with First Affirmative Financial Network; U.S. Senator: Ralph Ferrucci, former candidate for New Haven Mayor and for U.S. Representative, 3rd CD. Temporary "Place holder" candidates to be changed at a later date before the final ballot in November include: Lt. Governor: Robin Schaefer, of Yale University State Comptroller: Colin Bennett McKee explained that Greens will begin circulating the petitions this week at many area events and have until August 5, 2006 to complete the drive. -30- -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From apbrison at hotmail.com Fri Mar 17 11:21:55 2006 From: apbrison at hotmail.com (allan brison) Date: Fri, 17 Mar 2006 11:21:55 -0500 Subject: {news} RE: MARCH AGAINST IRAQ WAR TOMORROW IN NEW HAVEN! Message-ID: An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From edubrule at sbcglobal.net Sun Mar 19 01:39:01 2006 From: edubrule at sbcglobal.net (edubrule) Date: Sun, 19 Mar 2006 01:39:01 -0500 Subject: {news} Fw: Statewide Anti-War Events and others Message-ID: <002801c64b1f$d6336680$3cfbf504@edgn2b574u14bi> 6-Story Newsletter Template + Images ----- Original Message ----- From: AFSC Connecticut To: [deleted] Sent: Friday, March 17, 2006 5:24 PM Subject: Statewide Anti-War Events and others American Friends Service Committee Connecticut In This Issue: Protest the 3rd Anniversary of the War! . March 18th - March and Rally in New Haven . AFSC Online Social Justice and Peace Calendar . March 19th - Rally Against the War in Hartford . March 20 From Mourning to Resistance in Norwich March 18th - March and Rally in New Haven March and Rally to Protest the War ** Carpool from Hartford ** Meet at 9:00 am at the parking lot in front of the Shell gas station between Broad Street and Capitol Avenue in Hartford. Bring a car or catch a ride! Room for everyone! EVENT INFORMATION Starting at 11 a.m. Gather in front of Fair Haven Middle School, 164 Grand Avenue, New Haven Music ***** Speeches Directions, Parking and Buses: http://thestruggle.org/directions.htm March 22 blocks down Grand Avenue and Elm Street to the New Haven Green *Pass site of police killing of Malik Jones *pass Channel 8 TV building *pass office of Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro Approximately 1:30 p.m. Speakers and Music on the New Haven Green Bring the Troops Home Now Money for Reconstructing the Gulf Coast, not for War No Attack on Iran World Nuclear Disarmament Now Justice for the Palestinian People Stop the Attacks on Arab-Americans, Muslim Americans, and Immigrants: Civil Liberties for All If you are taking pictures, please send to ctunitedforpeace at yahoo.com Get more info on March 18th March 19th - Rally Against the War in Hartford Connecticut Opposes the WAR! EVENT INFORMATION March 19 Hartford Old State House, 800 Main St., 2:00 PM March to Senator Lieberman's Office Tell Sen. Lieberman Connecticut Opposes the WAR! He Should Too! $250 BILLION Spent on the War Could Fund Jobs, Health Care, Education and Housing; Take Care of Our Vets and Fight Violence in our Cities! Get more info on March 19th March 20 From Mourning to Resistance in Norwich From Mourning to Resistance 3 Years too Many - Stop the War! Southeastern Connecticut joins Global Call Iraq and National Campaign for Nonviolent Resistance For Direct Action to End the Occupation March 20, 2006 - Norwich, Ct www.globalcalliraq.org, www.iraqpledge.org Schedule - March 20, 2006 12:00pm Gather to prepare coffins and signs at Howard Brown Park on Water St. 12:30pm Mournfully and solemnly gather outside of Rep. Simmons office 2 Courthouse Square, Norwich, CT 06360 1:30pm Funeral procession with coffins to Norwich Military Recruiting Center 2:15 pm Arrive at Norwich Military Recruiting Center (MRC) 2:30-?pm Mourning Witness and Direct Action at the MRC (372 W. Main Street, Norwich) Participants are encouraged to come dressed in funeral attire and be mindful of the tragic and deplorable anniversary that we are commemorating. Contact dm at globalcalliraq.org for information and directions. Global Call for Non-Violent Action! AFSC Online Social Justice and Peace Calendar Find and post other peace and justice related events. Visit our online calendar at www.afsc.org/ct and click on Community Calendar! Visist the AFSC Online Calendar American Friends Service Committee Connecticut Area Office 56 Arbor Street, Suite 213 Hartford, CT 06106 Phone: 860.523.1534 Fax: 860.523.1705 Email: connecticut at afsc.org Visit AFSC CT Online Unsubscribe | Update Profile | Confirm | Forward -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From riverbend2 at earthlink.net Sun Mar 19 10:07:55 2006 From: riverbend2 at earthlink.net (John Battista) Date: Sun, 19 Mar 2006 10:07:55 -0500 Subject: {news} Single Payer Bill Passed by Human Services Committee and Sent to Appropriataions Committee Message-ID: <012a01c64b66$e853ef00$1102a8c0@newm2.ct.charter.com> Many thanks for lobbying the Human Services Committee on behalf of the single payer health care bill, SB-482. It was passed by the Human Services Committee 9 to 4 with one abstention and 3 members absent. The bill has been sent to the Appropriations Committee for consideration. I am seeking additional information about whether the Appropriations Committee will hold another public hearing on SB 482 or simply vote on it. I will get back to you once I have found out. In the mean time it certainly would be helpful to lobby the Appropriations Committee on behalf of SB 482 which would "establish a single-payer health care system that will provide high quality, universal health care coverage to every resident of the state." John Battista -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From justinemccabe at earthlink.net Sun Mar 19 13:41:34 2006 From: justinemccabe at earthlink.net (Justine McCabe) Date: Sun, 19 Mar 2006 13:41:34 -0500 Subject: {news} Fw: US War Spending to Rise 44% Message-ID: <007f01c64b84$c5b3a990$0402a8c0@JUSTINE> US War Spending to Rise 44% to $9.8 Billion a Month, Report Says By Jeff Bliss Bloomberg.com Friday 17 March 2006 US military spending in Iraq and Afghanistan will average 44 percent more in the current fiscal year than in fiscal 2005, the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service said. Spending will rise to $9.8 billion a month from the $6.8 billion a month the Pentagon said it spent last year, the research service said. The group's March 10 report cites "substantial" expenses to replace or repair damaged weapons, aircraft, vehicles, radios and spare parts. It also figures in costs for health care, fuel, national intelligence and the training of Iraqi and Afghan security forces - "now a substantial expense," it said. The research service said it considers "all war and occupation costs," while the Pentagon counts just the cost of personnel, maintenance and operations. The House approved emergency funding that includes the military spending last night by a vote of 348-71. The measure authorizes $72 billion for war costs and almost $20 billion for hurricane relief. The Senate is expected to pass it next month. Congress already has approved $50 billion in supplemental war funding for the current fiscal year, which ends Sept. 30, after spending $100 billion last year. To date, Congress has approved about $337 billion for the wars since Sept. 11, 2001. 2007 Funding The administration has said it also will seek $50 billion in war funding for fiscal 2007 to serve as a bridge fund until needs are assessed. That will be on top of the $439.3 billion defense budget the president submitted. The request the House approved last night includes $67.6 billion for war operations, much of it in costs for personnel and repair and replacement of equipment; about $4.9 billion to train and equip Afghan and Iraqi security forces; and about $2 billion for defenses against roadside bombs, which have been a leading cause of death for US servicemen in Iraq. To date, 2,310 members of the US military have died in Iraq since the war began three years ago, 1,808 of them in combat, according to the Pentagon. The hurricane money approved last night will go toward housing, enhancing levees and public safety projects in Louisiana and Mississippi following the devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina last August, the administration has said. Spending on the wars and hurricane relief will help widen the federal budget deficit to a record $423 billion this fiscal 2006, an increase from last year's $319 billion deficit, the administration forecast last month. $87 Billion Already Of the $87 billion already approved for hurricane relief and rebuilding, $31 billion has been earmarked for health and social services, school repairs, payments to farmers and unemployment insurance; $41 billion is going for temporary housing and flood insurance payments and $15 billion is set aside for levee and road repairs and repairs to damaged federal facilities, according to the administration. The measure passed last night includes an amendment to prohibit a Dubai-owned company from operating port facilities in the US DP World, the third-largest container port operator, has already promised it will sell its US operations to a US buyer. Most lawmakers conceded the issue was moot but wanted their opposition to the original deal to be on record. Other amendments provide extra money for anti-drug operations in Colombia and peacekeeping efforts in the Darfur region of Sudan. Global Network Against Weapons & Nuclear Power in Space PO Box 652 Brunswick, ME 04011 (207) 729-0517 globalnet at mindspring.com http://www.space4peace.org http://space4peace.blogspot.com (Blog) -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From dbedellgreen at hotmail.com Sun Mar 19 19:25:57 2006 From: dbedellgreen at hotmail.com (David Bedell) Date: Mon, 20 Mar 2006 00:25:57 +0000 Subject: {news} Campaign finance panel 3/23 in Hartford In-Reply-To: <20060317211055.7966.qmail@web32111.mail.mud.yahoo.com> Message-ID: I got a message that they were looking for more speakers. Would Mike or anyone else like to represent the Green Party? If so, contact Brian Freeman (below). --------------------------------------------------------------- The Hartford Lawyers? Chapter of the Federalist Society is pleased to announce a timely panel discussion and debate: POLITICS, MONEY AND FREE SPEECH: IS CONNECTICUT?S CAMPAIGN FINANCE LAW THE RIGHT APPROACH? featuring: * Allison Hayward - www.skepticseye.com and contributor to The Weekly Standard, National Review Online, and other publications * Karen Hobert-Flynn - Common Cause Connecticut * Suzanne Novak - Brennan Center for Justice at NYU Law School * John Samples - Cato Institute * Moderator: Prof. Jeremy Paul - UConn Law School Thursday, March 23, 2006 12:00-1:30 p.m. State Capitol, Judiciary Room Hartford, CT A complimentary sandwich lunch will be available. This event is free and open to the public. Please feel free to distribute this invitation and the attached flyer to any other groups or persons who may be interested. If you know of a group that would like to attend, RSVP to Brian Freeman by replying to this email (bfreeman@ rc.com), or by calling (860) 275-8310. From dbedellgreen at hotmail.com Sun Mar 19 23:50:11 2006 From: dbedellgreen at hotmail.com (David Bedell) Date: Mon, 20 Mar 2006 04:50:11 +0000 Subject: {news} article on Connecticut Bicycle Coalition revival Message-ID: http://fairfieldweekly.com/gbase/News/content?oid=oid:147551 Peddle Power Cycling advocates want to see more bike-friendly roads for commuters and cyclists by Starre Vartan - March 16, 2006 Feature It may seem unlikely, but spring will be here in just a few short weeks, and that means you?ll be able to get outside in the fresh air, smell the salty sound and feel the sun warming your limbs. Sounds pretty great, right? If you?re a member of a local cycling or hiking group, or just into enjoying the natural beauty of the local area on your own, you may want to get your gear tuned up, dusted off (and mud-proofed). Now?s the time to get prepared for those first days of spring so you don?t miss them?though some people have been planning for it for months. A group of avid local cyclists hasn't forgotten the joys of exercising outside (and indeed some group ride regularly during the chillingly cold and short days of winter). They've met throughout the winter and are ready to reorganize the disbanded, but not dissolved, Connecticut Bicycle Coalition (CBC). "Connecticut doesn't have a statewide bicycle advocacy group, and we need one," says Ray Routh, a likely board member of the new CBC. "We want to promote the idea of 'complete streets' with access for cyclists and pedestrians. Right now, it's only automobiles that are considered in planning and new construction." The future CBC members and organizers all love to ride and have first-hand knowledge of how difficult it can be to get around Fairfield County and other parts of the state. They say they know exactly what local bike riders need: more bike-friendly roads for the commuters and road cyclists, and increased access to off-road areas for mountain bikers. Jeremy Burcham, co-owner and manager of the new Fairfield bike shop, Breaking Away Cycles, hosted the meeting, and says both advocacy and education are the keys to successful sharing of the road. "If you add bike lanes to a road, it not only makes it safer for cyclists, it also makes people aware that you can ride your bike in the area, and maybe will even give them the idea to ride themselves," says Burcham. "People need to realize that it's an option--a safe option." While there are bike-riding social groups, whose members get together to ride for fun and charity, (Sound Cyclists, Yankee Peddlers and Pequot Cyclists to name a few), there hasn't been an organization advocating locally or at the state level for weekend riders, the kid who rides her bike to school, or the guy who rides his bike to catch the train to work. "Cyclist advocacy is especially important in an area that's dominated by commuters. If it's safe and there's education about it, more people will accept bikes as a viable source of transportation and fitness," Burcham explains.Many people are intimidated by riding on the road, but this is a perception that can be changed with the right tweaks to driving habits and smart road modifications, Burcham adds. "Every citizen who lives south of the Merritt in Fairfield County is within four miles of a train station," notes Rick Laurie, the outgoing president of the CBC. That means, given some encouragement, commuters could be convinced to ride their bike to the train; four miles would take a moderate to slow rider less than a half an hour. Unfortunately, most stations don't have bike racks or a place to safely lock one's bike to. Accommodations for bikes on Metro North and buses is important for intermodality, the idea that in order to reduce traffic, you need to have multiple, interlocking transportation options. (Taking the train to a commuter shuttle is another example.) This is the kind of work the CBC hopes to be involved with in the future. Laurie said that already, many buses are bike-friendly (they are built with special racks to hold the bikes on the outside) and that in the future all buses will be able to carry bikes. Tracy Bloom, who owns Weston Massage and Fitness, has more than just bikers in mind when she talks about making a change. "My interest is in both bicycle and pedestrian safety. There's people out there on the roads biking, but also jogging, walking with their dogs and strollers, and there's just not enough enforcement of the existing laws to keep them all safe. I want to bridge the knowledge gap between drivers, pedestrians and cyclists." Bridging the gap means more people need to know how to share the road. "Right now, both people on bikes and in cars don't always know the rules of the road; for example, many people don't know that bikes have the same rights to the road as cars do," Ray Routh notes. Since most people drive, even if they also use the roads for walking and cycling, educating drivers is imperative. "We have to look at it from a driver's perspective," says Routh. For more information about the CBC, go to www.ctbike.org From JeandeSmet at galaxyinternet.net Tue Mar 7 15:16:04 2006 From: JeandeSmet at galaxyinternet.net (Jean de Smet) Date: Tue, 7 Mar 2006 15:16:04 -0500 Subject: {news} ACLU at ArtSpace, Wmtc, 3/18 Message-ID: <002301c64223$f6d76e40$3dcef504@jean1oa1rgr0ov> IT'S ALMOST THE 3RD ANNIVERSARY OF THE IRAQ WAR and IMPEACHMENT DOMESTIC SURVEILLANCE and LOSS OF CIVIL LIBERTIES Are on everyone's mind Come hear Roger C. Vann Executive Director American Civil Liberties Union of Connecticut March 18th, 2 pm Windham Art Space Gallery (in the Mills) 480 Main Street Willimantic Sponsored by the Northeast CT Coalition for Peace & Justice, NE CT Green Party and the American Civil Liberties Union of CT For more info e-mail wentworthmax at sbcglobal.net or (860) 456-1804 -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: march18.doc Type: application/msword Size: 28672 bytes Desc: not available URL: From justinemccabe at earthlink.net Tue Mar 14 08:04:05 2006 From: justinemccabe at earthlink.net (Justine McCabe) Date: Tue, 14 Mar 2006 08:04:05 -0500 Subject: {news} GP RELEASE Greens mourn Tom Fox Message-ID: <00d701c64767$c98f67a0$0402a8c0@JUSTINE> > GREEN PARTY OF THE UNITED STATES > http://www.gp.org > > For Immediate Release: > Monday, March 13, 2006 > > Contacts: > Scott McLarty, Media Coordinator, 202-518-5624, > mclarty at greens.org > Starlene Rankin, Media Coordinator, 916-995-3805, > starlene at greens.org > > > Greens mourn Tom Fox, peaceworker and hostage murdered > in Iraq > > > WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Green Party members expressed > sorrow and anger over the death of Tom Fox. > > Mr. Fox, who was in Iraq working as a member of the > Christian Peacekeeper Teams (CPT) > , was also a member of the Green > Party of Virginia. He was murdered after having been > abducted in Baghdad in November along with three other > CPT members. > > "Tom's dedication to nonviolence was absolute," said > Kirit Mookerjee of the Green Party of Virginia. "His > life is a model for Green Party members and for all > Americans who value peace, justice, and the principles > of nonviolent resolution of conflict. His death was > senseless, but it also reflects the senselessness of > the war on Iraq, which Tom, like the Green Party, > passionately opposed. Greens join Langley Hill > Friends Meeting, a peace group in northern Virginia to > which Tom Fox belonged, in their appeal for peace in > Iraq." > > Greens expressed their condolences to Tom Fox's family > and friends, and also joined CPT in their plea for the > safe release of Harmeet Sooden, Jim Loney and Norman > Kember, and all other hostages held in Iraq. > > The Green Party of the United States has called for > immediate withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq. Tens > of thousands of Iraqi civilians, over 2,300 U.S. > servicemembers, and 54 foreign hostages have been > killed as a result of the U.S. invasion, and Iraq is > now on the brink of civil war. > > > 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 > > > ~ END ~ From apbrison at hotmail.com Tue Mar 21 18:00:11 2006 From: apbrison at hotmail.com (allan brison) Date: Tue, 21 Mar 2006 18:00:11 -0500 Subject: {news} Cancer Center public hearing Wednesday Message-ID: An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From greenpartyct at yahoo.com Wed Mar 22 16:05:09 2006 From: greenpartyct at yahoo.com (Green Party-CT) Date: Wed, 22 Mar 2006 13:05:09 -0800 (PST) Subject: {news} Fwd: [usgp-coo] Be Seen Being Green! Message-ID: <20060322210509.39080.qmail@web81401.mail.mud.yahoo.com> Emily Citkowski wrote: From: "Emily Citkowski" To: , Date: Sat, 18 Mar 2006 16:33:45 -0500 CC: 'sc' Subject: [usgp-coo] Be Seen Being Green! Dear Greens, We are looking for a few good photos of Green Party candidates, activists, and officeholders to use for the website, Green Line, and other outreach materials. We are looking for headshots, community events, marches, and campaign photos. High resolution is best. Please send digital photo files to: photos at gp.org; and/or prints to: Green Party Photos PO Box 57065, Washington DC 20037 We want to reflect the diversity of our party. To do this we need your help. Please send us your photo today; and please forward on to your state and local lists. Be Seen Being Green! Thank you, Emily Citkowski Green Party Operations Director phone: 202-319-7191 fax: 202-319-7193 email: emily at gp.org _______________________________________________ Natlcomvotes mailing list To send a message to the list, write to: Natlcomvotes at green.gpus.org To unsubscribe or change your list options, go to: http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/natlcomvotes If your state delegation changes, please see: http://gp.org/committees/nc/documents/delegate_change.html For other information about the Coordinating Committee, see: http://gp.org/committees/nc/ -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From roseberry3 at cox.net Wed Mar 22 18:37:22 2006 From: roseberry3 at cox.net (B Barry) Date: Wed, 22 Mar 2006 18:37:22 -0500 Subject: {news} agenda for 3-28-06 SCC meeting of CTGP Message-ID: <20060322233718.NFPG19943.eastrmmtao04.cox.net@BarbaraBarry> Time: 6:30PM Place: Middletown Russell Public Library, Reading Room #1, 123 Broad Street, Middletown, CT. Phone: 860-347-2528 Facilitator: to be determined A. Preliminaries: 1. (2-3 minutes): Introductions of attendees and chapters. Recruit timekeeper. 2. (1 minute): Identify attendees who are NOT voting representatives. 3. (1 minute): Adopt ground rules. 4. (2-4 minutes): Approval of tonight's proposed agenda, additions and deletions. 5. (2-4 minutes): Comments and approval of 2-28-06 SCC minutes. 6. (5 minutes): 3-13-06 EC meeting presentation by Barbara Barry and approval. 7. 15 minutes): Presentation of Treasurer's monthly reports for: October/November/December,/January and February. 8. (15 minutes): Presentation of Treasurer's 3rd quarter and 4th quarter reports to Secretary of State's Office. Reports: 1. (20 minutes): Discuss and determine what, if any actions, this SCC recommends regarding the actions of CTGP Treasurer: Judy Herkimer regarding her: a) changing control of our CTGP post office box without permission to ? and related actions; b) changing the CTGP checking account and added another checking account: without authorization and declines to provide the officers of this CTGP with information;; c) making some CTGP payments but not others; d) has not attended any CTGP meeting since 11-21-05 EC meeting at Torrington Town Hall; e) has not advised EC or SCC of treasurer's activities. f) declines to provide CTGP with a deputy treasurer. 2. (25 minutes): Internal Elections committee: paying for the 4-22-06 election ballot; volunteers to help run the 4-22-06 convention; the candidates who have met the 3-19-06 deadline; are nominations going to be allowed from the floor of the convention? Site and time of the 4-22-06 convention. 3. (5 minutes, each for): Chapter reports. 4. (10 minutes): U.S. Green Party report by CTGP representatives: Tim McKee. 5. (15 minutes): V.O.T.E.R. report from attendees. 6. (15 minutes): Budget Committee suggestions. 7. (25 minutes): Discussion about CTGP candidates for federal, statewide and municipal elections; any new candidates. 8. (15 minutes): Women's Caucus report including recent Modified Concencus Training 9. (5 minutes): announcements 10. Any additions. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From greenpartyct at yahoo.com Thu Mar 23 09:05:40 2006 From: greenpartyct at yahoo.com (Green Party-CT) Date: Thu, 23 Mar 2006 06:05:40 -0800 (PST) Subject: {news} Pledging to Vote For Peace Message-ID: <20060323140540.33053.qmail@web81403.mail.mud.yahoo.com> Pledging to Vote for Peace John Nichols The Nation, March 17, 2006 http://www.thenation.com/blogs/notion?bid=15&pid=69733 The Nation -- How many Americans would pledge to cast their votes in November only for candidates who want to end the war in Iraq? According to a poll conducted for the new group Vote for Peace, 46 percent of likely voters agree with the pledge the group will be promoting in advance of the November, 2006, congressional elections: "I will not vote for or support any candidate for Congress or President who does not make a speedy end to the war in Iraq, and preventing any future war of aggression, a public position in his or her campaign." One in every five voters surveyed expressed strong agreement, while 26 percent said they were at least somewhat in agreement with the statement. Among Democrats, agreement with the pledge rises to 67 percent (33 percent strongly). Fifty-nine percent (25 percent strongly) of Independents agree, while and 26 percent (5.5 percent strongly) of Republicans are on board. "This poll demonstrates that anti-war voters are significant enough in size to effect the outcome of elections -- if they become organized. Just like pro-gun groups have organized, pro-choice and pro-life groups have organized -- now the anti-war constituency has been identified and the peace movement is ready to organize them. This will ensure that the anti-war movement will no longer be one that can be ignored," argues Kevin Zeese, an organizer of the nonpartisan Voters for Peace initiative that launched Friday. Starting with grants of $1 million for the 2006 election season, Voters for Peace run a national campaign that will encourage voters to pledge to cast their ballots for anti-war candidates as part of a broader effort to educate the electorate about how to make the war an issue this fall. The pledge, which was inspired by a Nation magazine editorial that committed the publication to endorse only candidates who seek a rapid end to the war, can be found at the new group's website: . Already endorsed by many of the country's largest and most active anti-war organizations, including United for Peace and Justice, Peace Action, Not In Our Name, Democracy Rising, Code Pink, AfterDowningStreet and Peace Majority, the Voters for Peace initiative will reach across partisan and ideological lines. Zeese says the initiative will seek to organize two million voters in 2006 and five million by 2008. And makes a convincing case that such organization could have a profound impact on both elections by putting more focused pressure on both major political parties. "Organized anti-war voters who pledge not to vote for pro-war candidates may force the Democrats in particular to develop a stronger position against the war. The Democrats may now realize that if they fail to represent the anti-war community voters will stay home or vote for alternative party and independent candidates," explains Zeese, the president of the national group Common Sense for Drug Policy who is seeking Maryland's open U.S. Senate seat as an "independent unity" candidate in November. "Republicans are not free to ignore the anti-war constituency either," adds Zeese. "Not only do more that 25 percent of Republican voters oppose candidates who support the war, but the fastest growing group of voters -- independents -- overwhelmingly support the pledge. So, that all important swing voter can cause Republicans to lose elections - and could become a new source of support for Democrats -- or if both parties fail to support voters wishes then candidates running independent of the two parties may find a new foundation on which to build an independent political movement." -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From dbedellgreen at hotmail.com Fri Mar 24 00:00:34 2006 From: dbedellgreen at hotmail.com (David Bedell) Date: Fri, 24 Mar 2006 05:00:34 +0000 Subject: {news} addition to agenda for 3-28-06 SCC meeting of CTGP In-Reply-To: Message-ID: I would like to add the following proposal to the agenda: PROPOSAL PRESENTER (committee, chapter(s) or group of individuals): David Bedell, Charlie Pillsbury, Allan Brison CONTACT (name, address, phone number, email): David Bedell, 12 Ardsley Rd, Stamford, CT 06906, 203-581-3193, dbedellgreen(at)hotmail.com SUBJECT (10 words or less): Independent audit of Green Party financial records BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE (100 words or less; include relationship, reasons and/or justification to the State Central Committee): The CT Green Party has had a number of Treasurers during its history but has not standardized its bookkeeping system. There is a need for a single paper- or computer-based ledger system and better documentation of expenditures. An independent audit is needed to review our records from the past several years and to recommend bookkeeping procedures going forward that will serve the Green Party well in the future. PROPOSAL (200 words or less): The CT Green Party shall appoint an ad hoc committee to obtain quotes from three professional accountants for an independent audit of the party's books. The committee shall then make a recommendation to the SCC regarding the hiring of an auditor. In order to avoid any perception of bias, it is our recommendation that the current and former party Treasurers not serve on the committee selecting an auditor. From dbedellgreen at hotmail.com Fri Mar 24 00:19:03 2006 From: dbedellgreen at hotmail.com (David Bedell) Date: Fri, 24 Mar 2006 05:19:03 +0000 Subject: {news} CT candidate slate story in Newsday In-Reply-To: <1143120049.626.8343.m20@yahoogroups.com> Message-ID: Newsday picked up the story from the AP wire: http://www.newsday.com/news/local/wire/connecticut/ny-bc-ct--trailmix0323mar23,0,5694990.story Notes from the Conn. campaign trail March 23, 2006, 6:38 PM EST HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) _ The Green Party of Connecticut has filed petition papers to run candidates for statewide offices, some for the first time. Clifford Thornton, founder of a drug policy reform group called Efficacy, is running for governor. Environmental activist and founder of the Connecticut Coalition Against Millstone, Nancy Burton, is running for attorney general. Other candidates include Mike DeRosa, founder of Project V.O.T.E.R _ Vote Opportunity through Election Reform _ for secretary of the state; David Bue, an investment adviser with First Affirmative Financial Network, for state treasurer; and Ralph Ferrucci, a former candidate for New Haven mayor and the 3rd Congressional District, for U.S. Senate. The party also plans to run candidates for lieutenant governor and comptroller. Party officials are now circulating petitions to get the candidates on the November ballot. State law requires minor parties to conduct petition drives for statewide offices, even though the Green Party has won some municipal seats in Connecticut, according to the party. Party leaders said they need 7,500 valid signatures for each candidate to get on the ballot. The party hopes to collect 12,000 signatures. They have until Aug. 5 to complete the drive. Copyright 2006 Newsday Inc. Also published by WTNH: "Green Party files slate of state candidates" http://www.wtnh.com/Global/story.asp?S=4673429 From greenpartyct at yahoo.com Fri Mar 24 08:00:55 2006 From: greenpartyct at yahoo.com (Green Party-CT) Date: Fri, 24 Mar 2006 05:00:55 -0800 (PST) Subject: {news} (JI) Cam. Fin changes clear first hurdle Message-ID: <20060324130055.95075.qmail@web81410.mail.mud.yahoo.com> 03/23/2006 Campaign finance changes clear first hurdle By Tom Breen , Journal Inquirer HARTFORD - Less than six months after changes to Connecticut's campaign finance laws were hailed as the toughest in the nation, a key legislative committee has approved measures that would make significant changes to the earlier law. Advocates say the changes are necessary to close loopholes in the 2005 law and to ensure the campaign finance changes can withstand court challenges. '); } // --> '); } //--> On Wednesday, four bills related to the earlier campaign finance legislation were passed by the Government Administration and Elections Committee, but not without rancor. Republicans backed a proposed amendment to the bill that would have banned all so-called "leadership PACs," or political action committees controlled by leaders in both parties that can give unlimited money to campaigns. That amendment was defeated, with Rep. Christopher L. Caruso, D-Bridgeport, co-chairman of the committee, charging it was little more than a distraction, because the General Assembly was unwilling to vote for a bill banning the PACs. "It's easy to nitpick these little items and pretend we're making a big statement to the public, when in fact we're not," he said. "The way this institution is run, it's run on the PACs," he said. "This culture of corruption we speak about is because of us. We've allowed it to exist." The legislation, passed in December but not taking effect until 2008 for state legislative races and 2010 for the governor's race, was hailed at the time as a historic change in which campaigns could be publicly financed for the first time. But some members of the committee expressed frustration that the 2005 campaign finance law had to be addressed by new legislation so shortly after it was passed. "We were supposed to be doing it for the good of the people of the state of Connecticut," Rep. Richard F. Ferrari, R-East Granby, said. "I'm not sure we reached it then. I'm not sure this reaches it." The bill the committee spent the most time on was a comprehensive package proposed by the Elections Enforcement Commission. That legislation addresses everything from technical issues with language to what the commission's executive director, Jeffrey Garfield, says are serious flaws. The three most serious issues with the 2005 legislation, advocates say, are: * A "nonseverability" clause, which basically would kill the legislation if a judge were to put a 72-hour halt on publicly financed campaigns. Advocate groups such as Common Cause Connecticut say this provision could bring almost the entire law down with a single 10-day restraining order in the event of a lawsuit. * The threshold by which minor-party and petitioning candidates can qualify for public funding means that such candidates would need 10 percent of the vote in the previous election to qualify for those funds. The Green Party already has threatened to sue over this provision. * The unlimited use of party funds for "organizational expenditures" by candidates in publicly financed races essentially means such candidates could take the public money and still receive donations from private sources via their party. The committee also approved separate bills that would address the nonseverability clause and the issue of minor-party candidate funding in essentially the same way as the comprehensive bill. Sen. Donald J. DeFronzo, D-New Britain, co-chairman of the committee, said the reason for adding the three new bills was to give both the House and the Senate an opportunity to address those two issues. "The bills say the same thing, but we wanted to have two vehicles available for looking at those issues," he said. Since the minor-party candidate funding seems a likely source of a legal challenge and the nonseverability clause could mean such a challenge kills the 2005 law, DeFronzo said those issues were at the top of the legislature's agenda. "If we do nothing else this year, we should address this portion of last year's bill," Rep. James F. Spallone, D-Essex, said. Although the GAE committee has approved the bills, the final form of the legislation will take shape only after debates in the full House and Senate. DeFronzo said not every provision in the legislation approved Wednesday will be in the final draft, but that clearing the GAE committee was an important step toward improving the 2005 law. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From greenpartyct at yahoo.com Fri Mar 24 09:50:19 2006 From: greenpartyct at yahoo.com (Green Party-CT) Date: Fri, 24 Mar 2006 06:50:19 -0800 (PST) Subject: {news} State Conventions Times and date, location? Message-ID: <20060324145019.80958.qmail@web81402.mail.mud.yahoo.com> I am getting flooded with questions about the convention. Have we ste the time, date and location? Tim McKee -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From greenpartyct at yahoo.com Fri Mar 24 10:19:07 2006 From: greenpartyct at yahoo.com (Green Party-CT) Date: Fri, 24 Mar 2006 07:19:07 -0800 (PST) Subject: {news} Re: {forum} Re: [VoteFerrucci] CT candidate slate story in Newsday In-Reply-To: Message-ID: <20060324151907.5142.qmail@web81401.mail.mud.yahoo.com> Channel 8 and Long Island Public radio ran with too. Nothing from the Courant yet! Tim ralph ferrucci wrote: Connecticut Green Party - Part of the GPUS http://www.ctgreens.org/ - http://www.greenpartyus.org/ to unsubscribe click here mailto://ctgp-forum-unsubscribe at ml.greens.orgAlso heard a similar version of this story on WPKN 89.5 in the morning news. Ralph On Friday, March 24, 2006, at 12:19 AM, David Bedell wrote: > Newsday picked up the story from the AP wire: > > http://www.newsday.com/news/local/wire/connecticut/ny-bc-ct--trailmix0323mar23, > 0,5694990.story > > Notes from the Conn. campaign trail > > March 23, 2006, 6:38 PM EST > > HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) _ The Green Party of Connecticut has filed petition > papers to run candidates for statewide offices, some for the first time. > > Clifford Thornton, founder of a drug policy reform group called > Efficacy, is > running for governor. Environmental activist and founder of the > Connecticut > Coalition Against Millstone, Nancy Burton, is running for attorney > general. > > Other candidates include Mike DeRosa, founder of Project V.O.T.E.R _ > Vote > Opportunity through Election Reform _ for secretary of the state; David > Bue, > an investment adviser with First Affirmative Financial Network, for > state > treasurer; and Ralph Ferrucci, a former candidate for New Haven mayor > and > the 3rd Congressional District, for U.S. Senate. > > The party also plans to run candidates for lieutenant governor and > comptroller. > > Party officials are now circulating petitions to get the candidates on > the > November ballot. State law requires minor parties to conduct petition > drives > for statewide offices, even though the Green Party has won some > municipal > seats in Connecticut, according to the party. > > Party leaders said they need 7,500 valid signatures for each candidate > to > get on the ballot. The party hopes to collect 12,000 signatures. They > have > until Aug. 5 to complete the drive. > > Copyright 2006 Newsday Inc. > > > Also published by WTNH: > "Green Party files slate of state candidates" > http://www.wtnh.com/Global/story.asp?S=4673429 > > > > > YAHOO! GROUPS LINKS > > + Visit your group "VoteFerrucci" on the web. > > + To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: > VoteFerrucci-unsubscribe at yahoogroups.com > > + Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the Yahoo! Terms of > Service. > > > to unsubscribe click here mailto://ctgp-forum-unsubscribe at ml.greens.org _______________________________________________ Ctgp-forum mailing list Ctgp-forum at ml.greens.org http://ml.greens.org/mailman/listinfo/ctgp-forum 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-forum-unsubscribe at ml.greens.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From greenpartyct at yahoo.com Fri Mar 24 20:49:06 2006 From: greenpartyct at yahoo.com (Green Party-CT) Date: Fri, 24 Mar 2006 17:49:06 -0800 (PST) Subject: {news} (First Annual) Democracy & Education Conference @ University of Connecticut, Storrs, April Fools Weekend, 2006 Message-ID: <20060325014906.19863.qmail@web81405.mail.mud.yahoo.com> Sheila Herbert wrote: To: Sheila Herbert From: Sheila Herbert Date: Fri, 24 Mar 2006 20:01:51 -0500 Subject: [nlgreens] (First Annual) Democracy & Education Conference @ University of Connecticut, Storrs, April Fools Weekend, 2006 ......from Len Krimerman The UCONN Free Press gang, aka Progressive Student Alliance, aka Sweatshop Free UCONN, etc. has planned an amazing April Fool?s Weekend Festival? to which EVERYONE is invited. There is no charge to attend, and some meals will be provided on both days. The very full, maybe overfull, schedule is provided below, and more details about the presenters, location, etc., are to be found on our web site: http:/democracy.uconn.edu/. (First Annual) Democracy & Education Conference @ University of Connecticut, Storrs, April Fools Weekend, 2006 Democracy and Education is a two-day conference at the University of Connecticut. The conference, located in the Arjona building, will begin at 9:30 AM on Saturday, April 1st and continue through Sunday evening. The event will consist of panel discussions, workshops, and talks on an array of diverse topics including the Myth of the Liberal Campus, Independent Media, Making Universities Democratic, Alternative Mental Health, Drawing Resistance, Free Schools, Study Circles, and more. Attendees will also have an opportunity to participate in informal discussions and organizing sessions with student and community activists from the northeast. The event will be completely free. Speakers include: award-winning author of ?Democracy for the Few,? Michael Parenti; author and former leader of the Black Panther Party, Elaine Brown; political activist with extensive experience democratizing education, Ben Manski; and the Hip-Hop Caucus. Additional speakers include: Nicholas Lampert, an artist and writer of critical social commentary, artist and activist, Josh MacPhee of Drawing Resistance, community organizer and study circle specialist, Carolyn Abdullah of the Study Circle Resources Center, human rights and alternative mental health activists from the Freedom Center, Mary Bombardier and Kiara Nagel, of Hampshire?s Community Partnerships for Social Change, Rahula Today, the Hartford Indy-Media Center, and more. Saturday evening will feature a musical performance by the Dublin-based Ben Kritikos Band. On Sunday night, attendees will enjoy a free performance by politically charged folk musician David Rovics and several members of Riot Folk. Democracy and Education is sponsored by the UConn Free Press, the Progressive Student Alliance, Bring Coca-Cola to Justice, SOULMASS, WHUS, Undergraduate Student Government, and others. For more information please visit: http://democracy.uconn.edu Saturday, April 1 9:30 - 10:00 ? Registration / Opening 10:00 - 11:00 WORKSHOPS ? "Resisting Corporate Psychiatry" Presented by the Freedom Center ? "Know Your Rights for Activists" Presented by the National Lawyers' Guild ? "Another Movement is Possible: Affinity Groups and Direct Action" Presented by the CLASH collective ? "Power Analysis and Action Planning" Presented by the Rahula Today ? Title TBA Presented by the Nicholas Lampert and Josh MacPhee ? Title TBA Presented by the Hip Hop Caucus ? Albany Free School DVD Presented by the Albany Free School 11:15 - 12:45 FREE SCHOOLS PANEL ? Albany Free School ? Randolph School ? Others? 1:00 - 2:00 LUNCH 2:15-3:15 INDEPENDENT MEDIA PANEL ? Hartford Independent Media Center ? Miriam Kurland, Northeast Media Coalition ? UConn Free Press 3:30-4:30 WORKSHOPS ? "Resisting Corporate Psychiatry" Presented by the Freedom Center ? "Know Your Rights for Activists" Presented by the National Lawyers' Guild ? "Another Movement is Possible: Affinity Groups and Direct Action" Presented by the CLASH collective ? "Power Analysis and Action Planning" Presented by the Rahula Today ? Radical Art Movements Presented by the Nicholas Lampert and Josh MacPhee ? Title TBA Presented by the Hip Hop Caucus ? Albany Free School DVD Presented by the Albany Free School 4:45 - 6:15 LECTURE ? "The Myth of the Liberal Campus" a talk by Michael Parenti 6:30 - 7:45 DINNER 8:00 - 9:00 DANCE ? Latin Dance Lesson, by Luci Fernandes 9:00 - Midnight MUSIC ? Benjamin Kritikos Band Sunday, April 2 9:30 - 10:30 WORKSHOPS ? "Reading Between the Lines: Critical Media Literacy in the Classroom" Presented by the Hartford Independent Media Center ? "NLG Legal Observer Training" Presented by the National Lawyers' Guild ? "Education Through Musical Activism" Presented by the Ben Kritikos Band ? "Diary of A Student Revolution" A film about a student uprising at UConn ? Title TBA Presented by United Students Against Sweatshops ? "Resisting Corporate Psychiatry" Presented by the Freedom Center 10:45 - 12:00 MAKING UNIVERSITIES DEMOCRATIC PANEL ? Len Krimerman ? Mary Bombardier and Kiara Nagel Hampshire Community Partnerships for Social Change ? Carolyn Abdullah Study Circle Resource Center 12:15 - 1:00 LUNCH 1:15 - 2:30 LECTURE ? "Higher Education and the Democracy Movement The Public University in an Age of Corporatization" a talk by Ben Manski 2:45 - 3:45 WORKSHOPS ? "Reading Between the Lines: Critical Media Literacy in the Classroom" Presented by the Hartford Independent Media Center ? "Education Through Musical Activism" Presented by the Ben Kritikos Band ? "Diary of A Student Revolution" A film about a student uprising at UConn ? Title TBA Presented by United Students Against Sweatshops ? "Resisting Corporate Psychiatry" Presented by the Freedom Center 3:45 - 4:15 BREAK/SNACK 4:15 - 5:30 LECTURE ? Title TBA, a talk by Elaine Brown (former Black Panther leader) 5:45 - 6:45 DISCUSSIONS 7:00 - 8:00 DINNER 8:00 - MUSIC ? David Rovics ? Riot Folk ------ End of Forwarded Message --------------------------------- YAHOO! GROUPS LINKS Visit your group "nlgreens" on the web. To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: nlgreens-unsubscribe at yahoogroups.com Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the Yahoo! Terms of Service. --------------------------------- -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From greenpartyct at yahoo.com Fri Mar 24 21:12:48 2006 From: greenpartyct at yahoo.com (Green Party-CT) Date: Fri, 24 Mar 2006 18:12:48 -0800 (PST) Subject: {news} addition to agenda for 3-28-06 SCC meeting of CTGP In-Reply-To: Message-ID: <20060325021248.77795.qmail@web81408.mail.mud.yahoo.com> I think this is a good idea. I would add a time frame from the auditors to complete the task David Bedell wrote: 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 I would like to add the following proposal to the agenda: PROPOSAL PRESENTER (committee, chapter(s) or group of individuals): David Bedell, Charlie Pillsbury, Allan Brison CONTACT (name, address, phone number, email): David Bedell, 12 Ardsley Rd, Stamford, CT 06906, 203-581-3193, dbedellgreen(at)hotmail.com SUBJECT (10 words or less): Independent audit of Green Party financial records BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE (100 words or less; include relationship, reasons and/or justification to the State Central Committee): The CT Green Party has had a number of Treasurers during its history but has not standardized its bookkeeping system. There is a need for a single paper- or computer-based ledger system and better documentation of expenditures. An independent audit is needed to review our records from the past several years and to recommend bookkeeping procedures going forward that will serve the Green Party well in the future. PROPOSAL (200 words or less): The CT Green Party shall appoint an ad hoc committee to obtain quotes from three professional accountants for an independent audit of the party's books. The committee shall then make a recommendation to the SCC regarding the hiring of an auditor. In order to avoid any perception of bias, it is our recommendation that the current and former party Treasurers not serve on the committee selecting an auditor. 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 dbedellgreen at hotmail.com Sat Mar 25 12:00:50 2006 From: dbedellgreen at hotmail.com (David Bedell) Date: Sat, 25 Mar 2006 17:00:50 +0000 Subject: {news} Ukrainians Kiss for Greens Message-ID: See photo at http://us.news3.yimg.com/us.i2.yimg.com/p/ap/20060324/capt.xel10403241242.ukraine_elections_xel104.jpg Fri Mar 24, 7:38 AM ET Young Ukrainian couples share a kiss on the so-called Bridge of Love in Ukraine's capital Kiev Friday, March 24, 2006, a few days before the country's crucial parliamentary elections. 34,000 Ukrainian couples throughout the country kissed for 34 seconds as a sign of support for the Green party, whose number in the voting papers is 34. On March 26, Ukraine's 45 political parties and blocs will run for the new parliament. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky) Note: April 26, 2006, will mark the 20th anniversary of the world's worst accident in the history of nuclear power, at the Chernobyl nuclear plant in Pripyat, Ukraine. From dbedellgreen at hotmail.com Sun Mar 26 01:27:07 2006 From: dbedellgreen at hotmail.com (David Bedell) Date: Sun, 26 Mar 2006 06:27:07 +0000 Subject: {news} RE: State Conventions Times and date, location? In-Reply-To: <20060324200005.3948089C25A@gandhi.greens.org> Message-ID: At the Feb. SCC meeting, we set the annual convention for Saturday, April 22, in New Haven. It will probably be at Southern CT State University, but we are waiting for Colin Bennett to confirm the reservation. The alternative is the Labor Hall, where we held it last year. The time, if as last year, would be 11 am social hour, 12 noon start of business. Jean, can you confirm this? In addition to the election of party officers, this year we will also vote on endorsement of candidates for statewide public office. At the Feb. SCC meeting, a proposal from the Elections Committee was passed, to consider the following candidates at the April 22 meeting: Governor: Clifford Thornton Attorney General: Nancy Burton Secretary of the State: Mike DeRosa State Treasurer: David Bue U.S. Senator: Ralph Ferrucci Approval requires a two thirds majority of the Representatives present at the convention. ----Original Message Follows---- Date: Fri, 24 Mar 2006 06:50:19 -0800 (PST) From: Green Party-CT Subject: {forum} State Conventions Times and date, location? To: ctgp-news at ml.greens.org, GPCT FORUM I am getting flooded with questions about the convention. Have we ste the time, date and location? Tim McKee From apbrison at hotmail.com Sun Mar 26 12:58:35 2006 From: apbrison at hotmail.com (allan brison) Date: Sun, 26 Mar 2006 12:58:35 -0500 Subject: {news} Activist Conference April 1-2 (Sat-Sun) Message-ID: An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From dbedellgreen at hotmail.com Tue Mar 28 01:52:30 2006 From: dbedellgreen at hotmail.com (David Bedell) Date: Tue, 28 Mar 2006 06:52:30 +0000 Subject: {news} Millstone Insecurity Rally Wednesday 3/29 In-Reply-To: <311.123f3fb.31593d4f@aol.com> Message-ID: CONNECTICUT COALITION AGAINST MILLSTONE http://www.MothballMillstone.org ANTI-MILLSTONE COALITION RALLIES FOR MILLSTONE SECURITY For Immediate Release March 27, 2006 Contact: Nancy Burton 203-938-3952/ Cell203-545-9252/ nancyburtonesq at aol.com WATERFORD - The Connecticut Coalition Against Millstone will stage a rally on March 29, 2006 from 2 to 3 P.M. in front of the Millstone Nuclear Power Station to call attention to allegations that the plant?s security system is routinely disabled during windy weather conditions, leaving it vulnerable to terrorist intrusion. ?Particularly since 9-11, we?ve been constantly assured by Dominion, Millstone?s owner, and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, the federal regulator, that Millstone is protected with state-of-the-art security to foil terrorism,? said Nancy Burton, the Coalition?s director. ?Based on recent revelations from sources inside the plant, we now know these assurances have been nothing but transparent deceptions,? Burton said. ?The truth is that Millstone security is a farce.? Allegations of Dominion?s practice of disabling the sophisticated security system during windy conditions - which are not infrequent at the coastal site where the plant is located on the Long Island Sound - appear in a complaint, by a senior employee concerns employee at Millstone who was fired for challenging this reckless practice, filed with the Connecticut Department of Public Utility Control. The colorful rally will feature Tom Callinan, the state?s first official troubadour, performing a song he wrote for the occasion, ?Mothball Millstone,? a variety of speakers and Katie the Goat, who will protest the fact that nuclear evacuation plans make no provision for pets or livestock. WHEN: Wednesday, March 29, 2006, 2-3 PM WHERE: Entranceway to Millstone Nuclear Power Station, 314 Rope Ferry Road, Waterford PARKING: Camp View Motor Court, 334 Rope Ferry Road, Waterford Note to Editors: The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission will conduct public meetings on Millstone following the rally at 3 P.M. at the Millstone Sillin Training Building and at 6 P.M. at the Waterford Town Hall; for further information go to: http://adamswebsearch2.nrc.gov/idmws/doccontent.dll?library=PU_ADAMS^PBNTAD01&ID=060740151:7 From greenpartyct at yahoo.com Tue Mar 28 22:45:19 2006 From: greenpartyct at yahoo.com (Green Party-CT) Date: Tue, 28 Mar 2006 19:45:19 -0800 (PST) Subject: {news} Greens Set Convention _ April 22, 2006 _ New Haven Central Labor Hall Message-ID: <20060329034519.71056.qmail@web81407.mail.mud.yahoo.com> AFl-CIO Greater New Haven Central Labor Council 267 Chapel St New Haven, CT 06513 Last Night, the Green Party State Committee set April 22, 2006 at the New Haven Central Labor Council Hall, as the day and location of the State Convention. A Set Up and Social Time of 11 am , with a Noon kick off for the convention are the current plans. Thanks Charlie Pillsbury for booking the hall! Look for much. much more on this later! Tim McKee ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Paid for by Thornton For Governor - www.VoteThornton.com info at votethornton.com Cliff Thornton for Governor- Campaign manager- Tim McKee NEW cell (860) 778-1303 or (860) 643-2282 National Committee member of the Green Party- Connecticut -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From justinemccabe at earthlink.net Wed Mar 29 11:45:39 2006 From: justinemccabe at earthlink.net (Justine McCabe) Date: Wed, 29 Mar 2006 11:45:39 -0500 Subject: {news} Florida Green Cara Jennings elected to Lake Worth City Commisson Message-ID: <001001c65350$3c240340$0402a8c0@JUSTINE> Brent McMillan wrote: Dear NC member: Congratulations to Cara Jennings in Florida! ... and all of the hard working Greens that helped her to get elected. She is the first newly elected green in 2006! She was elected today to the Lake Worth City Commission, Seat 2 District 2 in Palm Beach County Florida. She received 1,589 votes for 61.7%. What is really amazing is that just three short weeks ago in the March 7th primary she had finished second with 737 votes for 29%. A combination of a hard working campaign team with the fact that her opponent seemed intent on disqualifying themselves for office (appears to be a lot of that going around in the two major parties...) she gained an amazing amount of ground to go on to win the runoff! Party time tonight in Florida! In Service: Brent McMillan, Political Director Green Party of the United States 202-319-7191 -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From greenpartyct at yahoo.com Wed Mar 29 21:24:03 2006 From: greenpartyct at yahoo.com (Green Party-CT) Date: Wed, 29 Mar 2006 18:24:03 -0800 (PST) Subject: {news} "Green Ballots spotty , new machines hit bumps"( Oak Parks Illinois) Message-ID: <20060330022403.85917.qmail@web81409.mail.mud.yahoo.com> Green Party ballots spotty, new machines hit bumps BY CHERI BENTRUP STAFF WRITER Tim Curtin was the only Green Party candidate on the primary ballot in Oak Park last week, but still he faced an uphill battle to win the township committeeman race. Curtin, like many Oak Parkers, were unable to receive a Green Party ballot to vote in the primary election, March 21. "They didn't have any," he said of the ballots when he went to his polling place at St. Giles Church early on election day. "It's fascinating to me there. The county's been called and I've been getting a dance all day," he said that afternoon. Scott Burnham, spokesman at the Cook County Clerk's Office, acknowleged that Green Party ballots weren't available at every precinct. "I think they were only eligible to appear in a certain number of precincts," Burnham said. "In order for a third party candidate to appear on the ballot, the party has to reach a certain threshold of votes in the previous election. It's my understanding they were not eligible to appear on the ballot in every precinct." 8th District only Green Party candidate Julie Samuels ran unsuccessfully in 2004 against Calvin Giles for state representative of the 8th District. Burnham said Samuels did reach the threshold, receiving at least 5 percent of the total vote in that race, so Green Party ballots were available to voters in the 8th District. "It's not like people don't know we're here," Curtin said of the Green Party. The Green Party also ran committeeman candidates in Berwyn and Proviso townships. Curtin said those townships didn't have ballots for the Green Party either. He called for the county to impound the vote and have another primary election. "It seems the only proper thing to do," Curtin said. "People have been denied the right to vote. . . . I don't think there's any other way to treat the candidates fairly. This wasn't the first time this election season Curtin has run into problems. The county misspelled his name as "Tim Curtain" on initial early-voting ballots. After contacting the county, new ballots were distributed for early voters. Missing Green Party ballots weren't the only problem voters encountered in Oak Park. Others cited delays related to the two new voting machines rolled out in suburban Cook County for the first time last week. Confusion "It was absolute incompetency," said Les Golden, who votes at Field Center. Golden said he went to vote at 3 p.m., when the polls aren't generally busy. But on March 21, he said, there was a line of waiting voters. "People literally were walking away," Golden said. "They didn't want to wait. There was mass confusion." Golden said voters and election judges alike appeared confused by the new optical-scan paper ballots and the touch-screen voting. "We sent out a mailing to every suburban household that detailed the changes. There was extensive media coverage," Burnham said. "We had some problems on election day. Most of them were isolated and scattered in terms of the equipment. Some machines weren't working. We need to look at that and determine if that was a malfunction or election judges didn't set them up right. "The voters told us they did like the paper ballots and the touch screen when compared to the punch cards," Burnham added. Golden said County Clerk David Orr, who oversees elections in suburban Cook, should resign. "A man of integrity would resign. Let's see what David Orr does," Golden said. Cheri Bentrup can be reached at cbentrup at pioneerlocal.com. http://www.pioneerlocal.com/cgi-bin/ppo-story/localnews/current/op/03-29-06-869378.html >> Pay $14 for a one-year subscription to the Oak Leaves and get an extra six months free! Click Here -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From justinemccabe at earthlink.net Thu Mar 30 11:56:27 2006 From: justinemccabe at earthlink.net (Justine McCabe) Date: Thu, 30 Mar 2006 11:56:27 -0500 Subject: {news} USGP-INT FYI: Argentina & Uruguay abandon School of the Americas Message-ID: <004701c6541a$e60b7030$0402a8c0@JUSTINE> ----- Original Message ----- From: "juliawillebrand" To: Sent: Thursday, March 30, 2006 11:23 AM Subject: USGP-INT FYI: Argentina & Uruguay abandon School of the Americas > Argentina & Uruguay abandon School of the Americas > > www.SOAW.org |202-234-3440 > > SOA Watch Update, March 28, 2006 > > Read this update on the web > > SOA Watch Breaking News & Update March 28, 2006 > > Argentina & Uruguay abandon SOA! Critical victory for > human rights organizations across the Americas > > We are thrilled to tell you that, after meeting with > representatives of human rights organizations and the > three SOA Watch activists Carlos Mauricio, Lisa > Sullivan and Fr. Roy Bourgeois, the governments of > Argentina and Uruguay have agreed to stop sending > soldiers to train at the School of the Americas (SOA/ > WHINSEC)! > > These decisions are a critical victory for all those > struggling for human rights, justice and military > accountability across the Americas! Argentina and > Uruguay are the second and third countries to take this > vital step; they join Venezuela, which announced in > January of 2004 that they would no longer send soldiers > to the school. > > This past Friday, Roy, Carlos and Lisa met with the > Defense Minister of Uruguay, Azucena Berrutti. Minister > Berrutti is a former human rights lawyer. During the > long dictatorship in Uruguay she defended numerous > political prisoners. > > Lisa Sullivan writes: "From the beginning of the > conversation, Minister Berrutti told us that there was > no need to explain the atrocities of the SOA, as she, > and the people of Uruguay, were fully aware of this > reality, having experienced first hand the horrors of > the tortures, detentions, imprisonments and > 'disappearances' caused by its graduates. Over and over > here in Latin America we have been humbled and realize > that we do not need to explain these things to our > public, but rather they have much to tell us, to put > faces and emotions on the statistics which we have > memorized so efficiently...."Minister Berrutti shared > with Carlos, Lisa and Roy some very good news: during > the year President Tabaré Vázquez has > been in office, no military personnel from Uruguay have > been sent to the SOA, and none will be sent under this > current administration. > > Yesterday, the three SOA Watch activists and the head > of the Mothers of the Disappeared met with the defense > minister, Nilda Garré, whose husband was > disappeared during the repression in Argentina. > Minister Garré agreed that after the one > Argentinean soldier currently at the SOA/ WHINSEC > finishes his classes, no more Argentinean soldiers will > be sent to the School of the Americas. Read the whole > update from Lisa, Carlos & Roy. > > The tide is turning in Latin America! All across > Central and South America, governments and citizens are > rejecting SOA-style military "solutions" to social > problems. Across the Americas, support for the School > of the Americas is eroding every day. Add your voice to > this movement for justice! March, rally and lobby to > close the SOA in Washington, DC April 23-25! (see > below for more info). > > ------------------------------------------------------- > Hundreds of thousands mobilize in support of immigrant rights > > Yesterday tens of thousands of students walked out of > school in California and other states in a second week > of massive protests across the United States against > legislation to crack down on illegal immigrants. > > Hundreds of thousands of immigrants and supporters > participated in enormous and energetic marches in Los > Angeles, Chicago, Milwaukee, Phoenix, Boulder, > Washington, DC and other cities to protest a bill that > would make it a felony to be in this country illegally > and would make it crime to dispense aid to those > without legal documents. Broad-based coalitions of > faith, labor, business and community leaders have come > together to oppose this bill and to call for the > creation of a path to citizenship for immigrants. > > In several U.S. cities, the massive marches of the past > two weeks are the largest public gatherings ever to > occur in those communities. The outpouring of > opposition to the conservative bill has been historic. > > SOA Watch understands that many immigrants to the > United States are victims of U.S.-sponsored military > training and atrocities in Latin America. In our fight > to close the SOA, we continue to work towards a world > that is free of suffering and violence. We recognize > the SOA as being a part of the same racist system of > violence and domination. We ally ourselves with the > victims of military violence and their families in our > effort to create a better world. > > ------------------------------------------------------- > March, rally and lobby to close the SOA April 23-25 in Washington, DC > > We are riding a tide of momentum as we prepare for our > Spring Lobby Days! From Argentina and Uruguay to the > incredible movement we've seen in support of immigrant > rights, now is the time to take our message to Capitol > Hill. > > Join us in DC from April 23-25 as we tell Congress to > close the School of the Americas once and for all! > Let's ride this tide and flood the halls of Congress > with justice. > > On Sunday, April 23, we'll gather for a day of > legislative trainings, workshops and a talk from Father > Roy. On Monday, April 24, we'll process to Capitol > Hill, hold a brief rally and meet with Members of > Congress. We'll continue to hold Congressional meetings > on Tuesday, April 25. > > ------------------------------------------------------- > > Julia Willebrand, Ed.D > Co-chair, International Committee, United States Green Party > Co-president, Federation of Green Parties of the Americas (FPVA) > 212 877-5088-- > > > > --- > | Sent via usgp-int > | To unsubscribe, please send a message to usgp-int-request at gp-us.org > | with ONLY unsubscribe in the message > --- > From apbrison at hotmail.com Thu Mar 30 14:55:02 2006 From: apbrison at hotmail.com (allan brison) Date: Thu, 30 Mar 2006 14:55:02 -0500 Subject: {news} High profile Green candidate in Delaware!! Message-ID: An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From ralphferrucci at sbcglobal.net Wed Mar 22 20:01:21 2006 From: ralphferrucci at sbcglobal.net (ralph ferrucci) Date: Thu, 23 Mar 2006 01:01:21 -0000 Subject: {news} Campaign Help needed Message-ID: <109491A5-BA09-11DA-89EF-0003935B4792@sbcglobal.net> Friends, As a candidate for US Senate against Joseph Lieberman I have spent many months organizing the campaign. In April I will be seeking The Green Party nomination. I have received support from the Reform Party and may also get the support of the Libertarian Party also. I have spent much time looking to ways to make this campaign more affective including looking for endorsements like the one below. Please go to the link below and voice your support. http://www.dfalink.com/search_campaigns_result.php?t=advanced&name=&state= CT To join the campaign email me at ralphferrucci at sbcglobal.net or call me at 203-865-7203 ferrucciforsenate.org Ralph Ferrucci -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: not available Type: text/enriched Size: 855 bytes Desc: not available URL: From efficacy at msn.com Wed Mar 22 21:03:44 2006 From: efficacy at msn.com (clifford thornton) Date: Thu, 23 Mar 2006 02:03:44 -0000 Subject: {news} Re: [VoteThornton] Campaign Help needed References: <109491A5-BA09-11DA-89EF-0003935B4792@sbcglobal.net> Message-ID: Save this date The Drug War in Hartford: Where Do We Go From Here? A drug war has been waged throughout Hartford for years. How is the drug war going? Do we need to consider some different strategies? Come hear from leading experts and discuss this important issue with them. Tuesday, April 4, 2006 Hartford Public Library 500 Main Street Program Room - 3rd Floor Light refreshments at 5:30 pm Panel Discussion 6:00 - 7:30 pm Panelists: Cliff Thornton Director, Efficacy, and Green Party Candidate for Governor Merrill Singer Director, Center for Community Health Research, Hispanic Health Council Assistant Chief Daryl Roberts Hartford Police Department Andrew Woods Executive Director, Hartford Communities That Care Moderator: Dr. Bob Painter, Hartford City Councilman Information resources for this session are available at HartfordInfo.org. Go to www.hartfordinfo.org and click on "Drugs" on the list of issues on the left side of the home page. If you require special accommodations to participate in this program, please contact Access Assistance at 860-695-6372, two weeks prior to the program. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From ralphferrucci at sbcglobal.net Fri Mar 24 10:16:47 2006 From: ralphferrucci at sbcglobal.net (ralph ferrucci) Date: Fri, 24 Mar 2006 15:16:47 -0000 Subject: {news} Re: [VoteFerrucci] CT candidate slate story in Newsday In-Reply-To: Message-ID: Also heard a similar version of this story on WPKN 89.5 in the morning news. Ralph On Friday, March 24, 2006, at 12:19 AM, David Bedell wrote: > Newsday picked up the story from the AP wire: > > http://www.newsday.com/news/local/wire/connecticut/ny-bc-ct--trailmix0323mar23, > 0,5694990.story > > Notes from the Conn. campaign trail > > March 23, 2006, 6:38 PM EST > > HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) _ The Green Party of Connecticut has filed petition > papers to run candidates for statewide offices, some for the first time. > > Clifford Thornton, founder of a drug policy reform group called > Efficacy, is > running for governor. Environmental activist and founder of the > Connecticut > Coalition Against Millstone, Nancy Burton, is running for attorney > general. > > Other candidates include Mike DeRosa, founder of Project V.O.T.E.R _ > Vote > Opportunity through Election Reform _ for secretary of the state; David > Bue, > an investment adviser with First Affirmative Financial Network, for > state > treasurer; and Ralph Ferrucci, a former candidate for New Haven mayor > and > the 3rd Congressional District, for U.S. Senate. > > The party also plans to run candidates for lieutenant governor and > comptroller. > > Party officials are now circulating petitions to get the candidates on > the > November ballot. State law requires minor parties to conduct petition > drives > for statewide offices, even though the Green Party has won some > municipal > seats in Connecticut, according to the party. > > Party leaders said they need 7,500 valid signatures for each candidate > to > get on the ballot. The party hopes to collect 12,000 signatures. They > have > until Aug. 5 to complete the drive. > > Copyright 2006 Newsday Inc. > > > Also published by WTNH: > "Green Party files slate of state candidates" > http://www.wtnh.com/Global/story.asp?S=4673429 > > > > > YAHOO! GROUPS LINKS > > + ?Visit your group "VoteFerrucci" on the web. > ? > + ?To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: > ?VoteFerrucci-unsubscribe at yahoogroups.com > ? > + ?Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the Yahoo! Terms of > Service. > > > -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: not available Type: text/enriched Size: 2579 bytes Desc: not available URL: