From chapillsbury at igc.org Fri Sep 1 18:37:16 2006 From: chapillsbury at igc.org (Charlie Pillsbury) Date: Fri, 1 Sep 2006 18:37:16 -0400 Subject: {news} electronic voting machine public workshop In-Reply-To: <007701c6a44f$4db6e000$1901a8c0@EXDIR04> Message-ID: <000001c6ce17$2ee4e400$1901a8c0@CMI.local> The public is invited to attend a workshop sponsored by SOTS Office on the use of new voting machines in CT in 2006: New Haven City Hall, 165 Church Street, 2nd floor, Meeting Room #1 on Wed. 9/6 10am. For info on this and other such workshops, call Lucian Pawlak, SOTS Municipal Liaison, at 860-509-6202. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From edubrule at sbcglobal.net Sat Sep 2 00:54:39 2006 From: edubrule at sbcglobal.net (edubrule) Date: Sat, 2 Sep 2006 00:54:39 -0400 Subject: {news} Fw: You're Invited! Take Back Our Rights Conference, October 7 Message-ID: <00b401c6ce4c$2a7d02f0$b1984c0c@edgn2b574u14bi> You're Invited! Take Back Our Rights ConferenceThis came to my inbox. I know nothing further about it. The list of sponsors is interesting. --Ed ----- Original Message ----- From: Chelsea Turner Sent: Friday, September 01, 2006 11:03 AM Subject: You're Invited! Take Back Our Rights Conference, October 7 Dear Susan Yolen, Take Back Our Rights! A statewide conference to restore our Constitutional rights! Saturday, October 7th, 2006 8:30am-4:00pm Quinnipiac University School of Law, Grand Courtroom With Keynote Speakers, Professor Amii Omara-Otunnu, UNESCO Chair of Comparative Human Rights, UConn & Linda Chavez-Thompson of AFL-CIO $25 registration fee or $10 Student fee RSVP by October 2nd 860.241.0065 or martin-bruce at sbcglobal.net Sponsors: Albert Schweitzer Institute - American Association of University Women - American Civil Liberties Union - CT - American Federation of Teachers - CT - American Friends Service Committee CT program - Communist Party of CT - CT-AFL-CIO - CT Center for a New Economy - CT Education Association - CT Immigrant & Refugee Coalition - CT Library Association - CT Coalition on Cuba - CT National Organization for Women - CT United for Peace - CT Women's Education & Legal Fund - DemocracyWorks - Graduate Employees & Student Organization at Yale (GESO) - Greater Hartford Coalition on Cuba - Greater New Haven Peace Council - Guilford Peace Alliance - Local 34 - Local 35 Unite-Here - Love Makes a Family - Middle East Crisis Committee - NAACP - CT - National Association of Social Workers, CT Chapter - National Lawyers Guild-CT Chapter - New England Healthcare Employees 1199 - New Haven Leon Sister City Project - New Haven Peace Commission - Peace & Social Concerns Comm.-Wilton Friends Meeting - People Against Injustice - Planned Parenthood of CT - United Nations Association CT Section - We Refuse To Be Enemies - West Hartford Citizens for Peace & Justice -------------------------------------------------------------- Visit the web address below to tell your friends about this. Tell-a-friend! If you received this message from a friend, you can sign up for Planned Parenthood of Connecticut Action Network. To update your account settings, please click here. If you would like to unsubscribe from the Planned Parenthood of Connecticut Action Network click here. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From greenpartyct at yahoo.com Sat Sep 2 21:49:00 2006 From: greenpartyct at yahoo.com (Green Party-CT) Date: Sat, 2 Sep 2006 18:49:00 -0700 (PDT) Subject: {news} Nader in Washington, CT Sept. 7 Message-ID: <20060903014900.9137.qmail@web81405.mail.mud.yahoo.com> home : news : news : top stories Impeachment Issue Receives National Media Attention By: Ann Compton 09/02/2006 Email to a friendPost a CommentPrinter-friendly WASHINGTON - Be careful what you wish for. Several Washington residents who went on record at the June 15 Board of Selectmen meeting, the first skirmish on petitioning efforts of a local grass roots group for a special town meeting to discuss the impeachment of President George W. Bush, said the last thing they wanted was to see their little town on CNN or all over the news. Advertisement '); } // --> var bnum=new Number(Math.floor(99999999 * Math.random())+1); document.write(''); dcmaxversion = 7 dcminversion = 6 Do On Error Resume Next plugin = (IsObject(CreateObject("ShockwaveFlash.ShockwaveFlash." & dcmaxversion & ""))) If plugin = true Then Exit Do dcmaxversion = dcmaxversion - 1 Loop While dcmaxversion >= dcminversion '); } //--> It would seem that ship has sailed. On August 23, WFSB/Channel 3 aired interviews with First Selectman Richard Sears and town residents on the pros and cons of such a meeting, at 5:30 p.m. as its "Big Story" of the day. Coverage of the petition effort is now posted on the national website for impeachment information, www.afterdowningstreet.org. On September 7, national activist Ralph Nader will speak at the Gunn Memorial Library on "Political Failures and Injustices - Time for Accountability from Washington, D.C., to Connecticut." Mr. Nader will address the Washington, petitioning effort on impeachment in his talk. He will cover a variety of issues, including impeachment and the war, according to his representatives. He will also sign copies of his book, "The Good Fight." In addition, Mr. Nader will give a copy of "Cruel and Unusual," by Mark Crispin Miller, a professor of media studies at New York University, to those who purchase "The Good Fight." This book contains Professor Miller's views on the administration's mishandling of the constitution, its systems of checks and balances, and the nature and scope of executive authority. Mr. Nader's talk will be filmed by The Questioning Citizen, a one-hour cultural and public affairs cable television program produced by Ken Cornet and Joe Mustich, Washington residents and committee members of "We the People," the grassroots group organizing the petition movement. The show is celebrating its tenth anniversary on the public access cable channel. It premiered in September 1996 with a talk by Mr. Nader at the Hotchkiss School. Mr. Nader's talk will take place at 7 p.m. September 7 in the Wykeham Room at the Gunn Memorial Library. It is free and open to the public. Further information may be obtained from program committee volunteer Joe Mustich at 860-868-7355, or Christine Dyson at the library at 860-868-7586. ?Voices 2006 -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From efficacy at msn.com Sun Sep 3 13:03:18 2006 From: efficacy at msn.com (clifford thornton) Date: Sun, 3 Sep 2006 13:03:18 -0400 Subject: {news} Fw: Kevin Rennie Message-ID: http://www.courant.com/news/opinion/columnists/hc-rennie0903.artsep03,0,609683.column?coll=hc-utility-opinion Still Rotten On The Inside September 3, 2006 The academic year began this week. For a complete education on how government and politics work in Connecticut, however, skip the textbooks and get a copy of disgraced former commissioner of the Department of Children and Families' two-day, 400-page sworn statement on her role in rigging a state contract. Gov. M. Jodi Rell ought to use one of her "reading days" at home to study the deposition and learn about the antics she ignored until press accounts in the spring forced her to investigate the former commissioner, Kristine Ragaglia, who finally resigned from state service in June. Ragaglia, a lawyer, was an ambitious player who could not resist the opium of office. She would sacrifice everything to keep her job as commissioner. In that self-serving effort, she would seek the favor and do the bidding of Rowland chief of staff Peter Ellef and his deputy, Lawrence Alibozek, by steering a state contract for a new $57 million juvenile jail to William Tomasso and his company. Ellef and Tomasso are in prison after pleading guilty to federal corruption charges. Alibozek, a cooperating witness, awaits sentencing. Ragaglia tells the tale of a dissolute state government that is lubricated by ambition, booze, sex, limousines, fancy dinners and swank hotels. It is the story of naked power used in the most perverted way in the name of "the kids." The kids Ragaglia refers to are the abused, neglected and out-of-control children under the protection of the DCF. As was reported in the spring (when details of her role in the corrupt enterprise were revealed by a leak), Ragaglia began a drunken romance with Alibozek after becoming commissioner in 1997. Along with Tomasso and his gal pal, and Ellef and his stable of mistresses, Alibozek and Ragaglia made a circuit of dinners and overnights in New York and Boston paid for by Tomasso. Ellef, Alibozek and Ragaglia were married but their spouses were not included on these holidays. Ragaglia testified in June that she never knew who was paying for the trips because her mother taught her to hit the ladies room when the check comes and let the men sort out the bill. She never paid because "I was worth it." Ragaglia should have known there was danger ahead when, during one trip to powder her nose, Ellef's tootsie suggested that they "switch dates" for the rest of the evening. Tomasso's girlfriend declined. Months later, Ragaglia would agree to bring along a single female friend to attend the 1999 Rowland inaugural ball at Ellef's request. Ragaglia loved the title, the staff, the deference, the proximity to power and the parking space of a commissioner's job. She would do anything to keep it. When the whiff of scandal became a stink in early 2003, she was fired. Her attempts to secure another lucrative state job are a primer in the art of entitlement. It would be wrong, however, to conclude that much has changed in the seven years since Ragaglia's malfeasance. Alter the names and some of the unsavory circumstances in Ragaglia's testimony, and she could be describing the Rell administration. There is the governor who is willingly isolated. Ellef, Ragaglia said, warned commissioners that any calls to the governor at his residence would be automatically routed to him. Ellef and Alibozek delighted in embarrassing commissioners. That will cause shudders among the 16 Rell administration officials who paid $500 fines for election violations because of marauding chief of staff Lisa Moody. Some of the commissioners who lived under the lash of Ellef now endure the humiliation of reading in the press gubernatorial letters taking them to task before the missives are delivered to their desks. Attorney Patrick McHale, representing the state, confronted Ragaglia with an ethics memo to DCF employees, setting forth the standard of behavior required of state employees. With seven years to reflect on her betrayal of her office, Ragaglia still refused to admit she had failed to meet that standard. At least Ragaglia recognized the ethics memo she signed and distributed. Moody has testified and then amended her testimony to try to bolster her tattered Sgt. Schultz defense that she signed and edited but never read the ethics memo she flouted to raise a few bucks for the Rell campaign. Two years ago, we changed governors. The philosophy of running Connecticut's government, for all the claims of purity, remains much the same. Kevin F. Rennie is a lawyer and a former Republican state legislator. His column appears Sundays. He can be reached at kfrennie @yahoo.com. Thornton for Governor PO Box 1971 Manchester, CT 06045 votethornton at yahoogroups.com www.votethornton.com 860 657 8438-H 860 268 1294-C 860 778 1304-Tim Mckee-Campaign Manager 860 293 0222-Ken Krayeske-field Manager Paid for by Thornton For Governor Max H. Wentworth, Treasurer -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From efficacy at msn.com Sun Sep 3 13:39:46 2006 From: efficacy at msn.com (clifford thornton) Date: Sun, 3 Sep 2006 13:39:46 -0400 Subject: {news} Kevin Rennie Message-ID: http://www.courant.com/news/opinion/columnists/hc-rennie0903.artsep03,0,609683.column?coll=hc-utility-opinion Still Rotten On The Inside September 3, 2006 The academic year began this week. For a complete education on how government and politics work in Connecticut, however, skip the textbooks and get a copy of disgraced former commissioner of the Department of Children and Families' two-day, 400-page sworn statement on her role in rigging a state contract. Gov. M. Jodi Rell ought to use one of her "reading days" at home to study the deposition and learn about the antics she ignored until press accounts in the spring forced her to investigate the former commissioner, Kristine Ragaglia, who finally resigned from state service in June. Ragaglia, a lawyer, was an ambitious player who could not resist the opium of office. She would sacrifice everything to keep her job as commissioner. In that self-serving effort, she would seek the favor and do the bidding of Rowland chief of staff Peter Ellef and his deputy, Lawrence Alibozek, by steering a state contract for a new $57 million juvenile jail to William Tomasso and his company. Ellef and Tomasso are in prison after pleading guilty to federal corruption charges. Alibozek, a cooperating witness, awaits sentencing. Ragaglia tells the tale of a dissolute state government that is lubricated by ambition, booze, sex, limousines, fancy dinners and swank hotels. It is the story of naked power used in the most perverted way in the name of "the kids." The kids Ragaglia refers to are the abused, neglected and out-of-control children under the protection of the DCF. As was reported in the spring (when details of her role in the corrupt enterprise were revealed by a leak), Ragaglia began a drunken romance with Alibozek after becoming commissioner in 1997. Along with Tomasso and his gal pal, and Ellef and his stable of mistresses, Alibozek and Ragaglia made a circuit of dinners and overnights in New York and Boston paid for by Tomasso. Ellef, Alibozek and Ragaglia were married but their spouses were not included on these holidays. Ragaglia testified in June that she never knew who was paying for the trips because her mother taught her to hit the ladies room when the check comes and let the men sort out the bill. She never paid because "I was worth it." Ragaglia should have known there was danger ahead when, during one trip to powder her nose, Ellef's tootsie suggested that they "switch dates" for the rest of the evening. Tomasso's girlfriend declined. Months later, Ragaglia would agree to bring along a single female friend to attend the 1999 Rowland inaugural ball at Ellef's request. Ragaglia loved the title, the staff, the deference, the proximity to power and the parking space of a commissioner's job. She would do anything to keep it. When the whiff of scandal became a stink in early 2003, she was fired. Her attempts to secure another lucrative state job are a primer in the art of entitlement. It would be wrong, however, to conclude that much has changed in the seven years since Ragaglia's malfeasance. Alter the names and some of the unsavory circumstances in Ragaglia's testimony, and she could be describing the Rell administration. There is the governor who is willingly isolated. Ellef, Ragaglia said, warned commissioners that any calls to the governor at his residence would be automatically routed to him. Ellef and Alibozek delighted in embarrassing commissioners. That will cause shudders among the 16 Rell administration officials who paid $500 fines for election violations because of marauding chief of staff Lisa Moody. Some of the commissioners who lived under the lash of Ellef now endure the humiliation of reading in the press gubernatorial letters taking them to task before the missives are delivered to their desks. Attorney Patrick McHale, representing the state, confronted Ragaglia with an ethics memo to DCF employees, setting forth the standard of behavior required of state employees. With seven years to reflect on her betrayal of her office, Ragaglia still refused to admit she had failed to meet that standard. At least Ragaglia recognized the ethics memo she signed and distributed. Moody has testified and then amended her testimony to try to bolster her tattered Sgt. Schultz defense that she signed and edited but never read the ethics memo she flouted to raise a few bucks for the Rell campaign. Two years ago, we changed governors. The philosophy of running Connecticut's government, for all the claims of purity, remains much the same. Kevin F. Rennie is a lawyer and a former Republican state legislator. His column appears Sundays. He can be reached at kfrennie @yahoo.com. Thornton for Governor PO Box 1971 Manchester, CT 06045 votethornton at yahoogroups.com www.votethornton.com 860 657 8438-H 860 268 1294-C 860 778 1304-Tim Mckee-Campaign Manager 860 293 0222-Ken Krayeske-field Manager Paid for by Thornton For Governor Max H. Wentworth, Treasurer -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From edubrule at sbcglobal.net Mon Sep 4 23:11:25 2006 From: edubrule at sbcglobal.net (edubrule) Date: Mon, 4 Sep 2006 23:11:25 -0400 Subject: {news} Hope Out Loud festival Sun 9/10 Bushnell Park Hartford 1-5pm Message-ID: <015801c6d098$fba0e5b0$6f864c0c@edgn2b574u14bi> The annual "Hope Out Loud" peace festival will be in Bushnell Park, Hartford, on Sunday Sept 10 from 1-5 pm. This event appears on the calendar at the American Friends Service Committee (Hartford Office) website, www.afsc.org/ct . Probably because the AFSC just recently hired a new Hartford area director (apparently), I haven't received e-mail notification of this festival. I expect there will be music, probably speakers, and booths from peace/justice organizations. --Ed DuBrule -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From dbedellgreen at hotmail.com Tue Sep 5 01:36:30 2006 From: dbedellgreen at hotmail.com (David Bedell) Date: Tue, 05 Sep 2006 05:36:30 +0000 Subject: {news} 9/5 Burton Press Conference Media Advisory In-Reply-To: Message-ID: NANCY BURTON FOR ATTORNEY GENERAL CLEAN AIR - CLEAN WATER CLEAN GOVERNMENT _www.VoteBurton.org_ (http://www.VoteBurton.org) MEDIA ADVISORY BURTON TO ANNOUNCE GREEN PARTY CANDIDACY FOR ATTORNEY GENERAL; VOWS TO CURB JUDICIAL CORRUPTION AND CLOSE MILLSTONE For Immediate Release September 4, 2006 Contact: Nancy Burton _203-938-3952/Cell203-545-9252/NancyBurtonCT at aol.com_ (mailto:203-938-3952/Cell203-545-9252/NancyBurtonCT at aol.com) David Bedell, Campaign Manager, _dbedellgreen at hotmail.com_ (mailto:dbedellgreen at hotmail.com) , 203-581-3193 Environmental activist Nancy Burton will formally launch her campaign as Connecticut Green Party candidate for state Attorney General at a press conference on Tuesday, September 5, 2006 in Hartford in Bushnell Park across the street from 55 Elm Street at 12 noon. She will be joined by Cliff Thornton, Green Party gubernatorial candidate, and others. She will discuss the major issues she will address in her campaign and what she hopes to accomplish. Burton practiced public interest law for 20 years in Connecticut and co-founded the Connecticut Coalition Against Millstone. She has been an anti-nuclear activist since 1998. From chapillsbury at igc.org Tue Sep 5 21:09:17 2006 From: chapillsbury at igc.org (Charlie Pillsbury) Date: Tue, 5 Sep 2006 21:09:17 -0400 Subject: {news} Guess Who's Coming To The Debates: in today's New Haven Independent online newspaper References: <20060826165939.27374.qmail@web81413.mail.mud.yahoo.com> Message-ID: <005e01c6d151$13a22f30$6500a8c0@S0031616584> Guess Who's Coming To The Debates http://www.newhavenindependent.org/archives/2006/09/guess_whos_comi.php#002665more by Paul Bass | September 5, 2006 03:54 PM Allan Appel PhotoIf Republican Jodi Rell has her way, this man -- Green Party candidate Cliff Thornton -- will get to join her and Democratic candidate John DeStefano at this fall's gubernatorial debates. The DeStefano campaign isn't crazy about the idea. The DeStefano and Rell campaigns are in the early stages of negotiating how many debates to hold in the fall campaign and under what terms. Gov. Rell says she wants to include Thornton, who has gathered enough qualified signatures to make the fall ballot. "We believe that all qualified candidates for the gubernatorial ballot should be included in both the discussions and the debates themselves," Rell's campaign manager, Kevin M. Deneen, wrote in a Sept. 1 letter to DeStefano campaign chief Henry Fernandez. "He has qualified for the statewide ballot, and his party has nominated candidates for various statewide, federal and other state offices," Deneen elaborated in response to a question from the Independent. "He has earned the right to participate." Deneen also noted that Thornton would be the first African-American candidate to participate in a gubernatorial debate in Connecticut. Thornton's campaign, meanwhile, is pushing for inclusion. "Debate access should be a fundamental right for candidates who earn their way onto the ballot," said Thornton Campaign Director Ken Krayeske. "We can measure the health of our democracy not just by how many candidates are on the ballot, but by how many voices are included in the debates, the one free forum that educates millions of voters." Thornton, a retired SNET exec who heads a criminal-justice reform group called Efficacy, has run an energetic campaign. His main issue is rolling back the drug war but he has advanced a full platform calling for, among other things, universal health care. Derek Slap, DeStefano's campaign spokesman, argued that his candidate deserves a direct one-on-one contest with Rell. "It is common practice for incumbents to use third parties as a smokescreen not to have a serious face-to-face debate with a challenger," Slap said. "I don't know if that's the case here. That's certainly our concern. You have less time for the governor and Mayor DeStefano to contrast their leadership and their ideas." Slap subsequently took a harder stand in a letter sent to the Rell campaign. The letter accused Rell of seeking to avoid a "one on one debate with John DeStefano" by trying to include Thornton. He invoked the Commission for president Debate Guidelines requiring candidates to have 15 percent popular support in five different national public opinion polls in order to qualify for a debate; and League of Women Voters criteria requiring "solid financial support." "Whatever criteria one uses, it is clear there are only two candidates who have a serious chance at being elected governor in Connecticut," Slap wrote. Melissa Bailey PhotoIn political campaigns, popular incumbents (Rell leads DeStefano 2-1 in the polls) generally prefer to include minor-party candidates in debates in order to reduce the stature of their main challenger. Similarly, major-party challengers tend to seek to exclude third-party debaters in the hope of getting as much precious public airtime as possible to make their case against the incumbent, and to avoid losing needed anti-incumbent votes to another candidate. In this campaign, Rell (pictured) has so far pursued a "Rose Garden" strategy in her reelection campaign. She has relied on occasional photo ops and limited her exposure to the public and to the press, apparently hoping to ride her high poll ratings to victory. "While cynics may see political motivations behind Gov. Rell's call for Mr. Thornton's participation in the debates," Krayeske argued, "the Thornton for Governor campaign understands the tremendous pressures bearing on Gov. Rell to maintain duopoly rule and to actively suppress additional viewpoints... We applaud Gov. Rell's courageous leaderhip here, and we are proud that she respects the will of the 13,000 registered voters who signed petitions seeking to place us on the ballot." How Many Is Enough? Slap, of the DeStefano campaign, argued that a line needs to be drawn somewhere in deciding who gets to debate. He noted that six candidates are running for governor. He added that the state has not yet certified Thornton's position on the ballot. Daniel Tapper of the Secretary of the State's Office said Thornton has submitted enough verified signatures to make the ballot. Only a technicality remains -- submitting a "certificate of endorsement" from the Green Party. He has until Sept. 13 to submit it. Krayeske said the party was waiting until formalizing its lieutenant governor candidate, Jean DeSmet of Windham. There won't be six gubernatorial candidates on the ballot, according to Tapper. Two minor-party candidates failed to collect enough signatures. But there will be a fourth candidate: perennial gubernatorial hopeful Joseph Zdonczyk of the Concerned Citizens Party. He runs each cycle on a single-issue platform, against abortion. He has participated in past debates. He doesn't generally organize a campaign beyond that. He couldn't be reached for comment on deadline Tuesday. Asked about Zdonczyk, who unlike Thornton would probably draw votes from Rell, Kevin Deneen responded, "His participation in the debates should be part of our discussions with the DeStefano campaign." Comments Posted by: Clifford W. Thornton, Jr. | September 5, 2006 05:05 PM "Asked about Zdonczyk, who unlike Thornton would probably draw votes from Rell, Kevin Deneen responded, "His participation in the debates should be part of our discussions with the DeStefano campaign." My biggest successes have been with conservative Republicans. Remember "Bill Buckley"?---the conservative of conservatives---Well, he espouses the same as I do about the drug war. Posted by: Lou West | September 5, 2006 08:57 PM Cliff Thornton should be included in the "Rell - DeStefano debates. There are issues that concern and impact the entire state which includes the "Green Party" ideas on city, state and national programs. Posted by: TrueBlueCT | September 5, 2006 08:58 PM Ridiculous. No way in heck the real debate should get muddied by candidates polling less than 5%. (maybe even less than 1%). I agree that the minor parties deserve to be heard. CT-N should give them several hours of primetime television, (and I'll probably watch). But most CT residents aren't interested in philosophical debate and intellectual exercises. Let DeStefano and Rell duke it out, head-to-head. P.S. I feel the same way about the Senator's race. Let Ferrucci and Knibbs first earn their way onto the major stage with some modicum of support. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: greens Thornton.JPG Type: image/jpeg Size: 22775 bytes Desc: not available URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: IMG_4403.JPG Type: image/jpeg Size: 14581 bytes Desc: not available URL: From dbedellgreen at hotmail.com Wed Sep 6 01:03:28 2006 From: dbedellgreen at hotmail.com (David Bedell) Date: Wed, 06 Sep 2006 05:03:28 +0000 Subject: {news} Nancy Burton launches campaign In-Reply-To: <44FE5062.2030801@votethornton.com> Message-ID: http://ctnewsjunkie.com/index.php/2006/09/05/clean_air_clean_water_clean_government Clean Air. Clean Water. Clean Government. by Christine Stuart Nancy Burton, the Green Party?s candidate for Attorney General and environmental advocate said Tuesday that Attorney General Richard Blumenthal?s stand on the Millstone Nuclear Power Plant has not gone far enough. She said while Blumenthal has intervened or has been a party in most lawsuits against Millstone, he has yet to shut down it?s operation. ?There?s no question he has the power,? to shut it down, Burton said standing across the street from Blumenthal?s offices in Hartford. She said under the state?s environmental and consumer protection laws the attorney general has the power to seek an injunction against the plant?s parent company. She said attorney general could advocate its closure under public nuisance laws or argue it has created a public health emergency by polluting the public?s air and water supply. Despite a recent lawsuit filed by a whistleblower who claimed the plant disarmed its security system during periods of high winds because it caused thousands of false alarms, the state still approved a permit that allows the company to store spent nuclear energy in an above ground storage container, Burton said. She said this allowed the company to continue operating unit No. 2, which would have been shutdown had there been no place to store the nuclear waste. ?This is not the best way to protect the public,? she said. But Burton, the full-time director of the Connecticut Coalition Against Millstone, said her platform includes much more than Millstone. Another issue near and dear to Burton?s heart is judicial reform. Following a petition to the Connecticut Supreme Court to investigate an alleged pattern of judicial misconduct by three Superior Court judges, Burton was disbarred in 2001 by now-retired Superior Court Judge A. William Mottolese. The decision to disbar Burton was upheld by the Connecticut Supreme Court in a decision written by then-Chief Justice William J. Sullivan. Burton maintains Mottolese contrived bogus charges and believes she will eventually be vindicated. She is eligible to apply for re-admission to the bar prior to Election Day and currently is licensed to practice in New York. Burton said Tuesday that she will work to get the legislature to approve a law that makes it a ?crime for anyone who becomes aware of judicial misconduct to fail to report it.? In addition if elected she will advocate for the following: abolition of the death penalty, universal health care, an energy policy which would radically reduce consumption and spur development, elimination of barriers to third-party participation, support of action by the Governor as Commander-in-Chief of the Connecticut National Guard to recall troops from fighting in the war in Iraq, and legalization of illegal drugs as an alternative to the failed drug wars. Burton will challenge Democratic incumbent Blumenthal in addition to state Rep. Robert Farr, who is the Republican?s endorsed candidate in the race. Burton was joined Tuesday by the Green Party?s candidate for governor, Cliff Thornton and Mike DeRosa, Green Party candidate for secretary of state. This is the first time the party has run a full-slate of candidates in a statewide election. From efficacy at msn.com Wed Sep 6 22:07:09 2006 From: efficacy at msn.com (clifford thornton) Date: Wed, 6 Sep 2006 22:07:09 -0400 Subject: {news} Law Enforcement Against Prohibition (LEAP) News Release Message-ID: Rick, Mike, Cliff: This just went out to 73 Connecticut newspapers. I will also be faxing it to the same papers and more. FYI. -Whitney -----Original Message----- From: Whitney Garlinghouse [mailto:whitney at garlinghouse.org] Sent: Wednesday, September 06, 2006 9:18 PM Subject: Law Enforcement Against Prohibition (LEAP) News Release Importance: High **News Release** News Desk Editor: Attached is our press release and events schedule for LEAP's (Law Enforcement Against Prohibition) speaking tour of Connecticut this fall. This tour involved five distinguished speakers making a total of 32 presentations (so far) with a unified message of ending the War on Drugs. We would appreciate news coverage for any of these speaking events in your area (please call or email for event locations). Thank you. Whitney Garlinghouse LEAP Speakers Bureau Coordinators 16 Bank Lane, Essex, CT 06426 860-767-2438 -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: PR - LEAP 9-6-2006.pdf Type: application/pdf Size: 181892 bytes Desc: not available URL: From chapillsbury at igc.org Wed Sep 6 23:33:50 2006 From: chapillsbury at igc.org (Charlie Pillsbury) Date: Wed, 6 Sep 2006 23:33:50 -0400 Subject: {news} Green Included In Illinois Gubernatorial Poll References: <000001c6ce17$2ee4e400$1901a8c0@CMI.local> <44F8B6FA.2030506@earthlink.net> Message-ID: <000801c6d22e$6fa28bd0$6500a8c0@S0031616584> from Ballot Access News: Green Included In Illinois Gubernatorial Poll September 4th, 2006 A neutral poll released on September 4 for Governor of Illinois shows these results: Democratic 47%, Republican 39%, Green 2%, undecided 12%. This is the first poll to include the Green Party candidate, Richard Whitney. If Whitney does receive 2% in November, it is reasonable to assume that some of the other statewide Green Party nominees will receive 5%. If one of the statewide Green Party nominees polls 5%, the Green Party will then be qualified in 2008 for automatic ballot status, and a primary, for statewide offices (but not district offices). That would also include a presidential primary. In 2002, the Libertarian Party was the only minor party on the Illinois ballot, just as this year the Greens are the only one. In 2002, the Libertarians polled 1.65% for Governor, and higher amounts for all the other statewide offices, including 4.23% for Controller. The last time a minor party polled 5% for a statewide race in Illinois was in 1996, when the Reform Party did it. If the Greens could poll 5% for Governor this year, then they would be a qualified party in 2008 for all partisan offices, not just statewide offices. ---------- Bruce Meyer Colorado From greenpartyct at yahoo.com Thu Sep 7 10:01:44 2006 From: greenpartyct at yahoo.com (Green Party-CT) Date: Thu, 7 Sep 2006 07:01:44 -0700 (PDT) Subject: {news} Hear Cliff Thornton on WTIC Bruce and Colin Message-ID: <20060907140144.40834.qmail@web81407.mail.mud.yahoo.com> http://wtic.com/pages/5478.php -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From justinemccabe at earthlink.net Thu Sep 7 17:59:34 2006 From: justinemccabe at earthlink.net (Justine McCabe) Date: Thu, 7 Sep 2006 17:59:34 -0400 Subject: {news} Important events in CT in September Message-ID: <024d01c6d2c8$e7bdddf0$0402a8c0@JUSTINE> ----- Original Message ----- From: "Mazin Qumsiyeh" Important events in CT in September > (attend, participate, spread the word, bring a friend) > > SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 9, 2006 Noon to 2 p.m. > SCOVILLE MEMORIAL LIBRARY, RTE 44, MAIN STREET, SALISBURY,CT. > Views from the west bank: EYEWITNESS REPORTS AND PANEL DISCUSSION > ~ Sponsored by Steel Wood Media ~ Guest speakers: > Author MAZIN QUMSIYEH > Green Party member JUSTINE McCABE > Journalist GALE COUREY TOENSING > FREE ADMISSION: LIMITED SEATING > This event will be filmed for television. > > Sunday September 10, 2006 1:00 PM - 5:00 PM > Bushnell Park Hartford, CT > Hope out loud festival > Sponsors: AFSC, Connecticut Coalition for Peace& Justice, Connecticut > Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty, CT United for Peace, Connecticut > Citizens Action Group and many others > Music by Echo Uganda, Jeannie McMillan & Ted Paulsen, Amandla, Fuego del > Corazon. Spend the afternoon. Bring a picnic.Check out the tables of local > community organizations. It's a concert, rally, playground, remberance, a > day of inspiration for renewal and commitment. HOL is a sober event. > > Tuesday September 12, 8 PM > 75 Old Country Rd, Windsor Locks, CT > Meeting of the Palestinian American Congress (open to all) to plan events > including picnic etc > > Thursday, September 14 4:30pm. Middle East Studies. Panel Discussion. > Hizballah, the IDF and Beyond: Perspectives on the Current Crisis in the > Middle East. Participants: Abbas Amanat (History), Michael Gasper > (History), > Charles Hill (International Affairs), Ellen Lust-Okar (Political Science), > Bruce Russett (Political Science), and Keith Darden (Political Science, > moderator). Luce Hall Auditorium, 34 Hillhouse Avenue. > > Saturday, September 16, Noon > United Church Parish House, 323 Temple St. New Haven (Corner Temple and > Wall) > ample parking - contact us for location > Come to the Middle East Crisis Committee Meet-up > Middle East Food > Shorts Segments from Videos Like "Yes, No Sir", "Arna's Children" and > "Children of Sabra and Shatila" > Memorial Remarks - Sabra-Shatila Massacre 1982 > Description of the many MECC projects, from letter writing, to rallies, to > our TV network, to the Wheels of Justice bus > If you have just 15 minutes a week to work for justice come to the > meet-up. > The Middle East Crisis Committee is a 24 year old Connecticut-wide group > founded in New Haven. > www.TheStruggle.org 203-934-2761 > > Sunday September 18, starting at 11 AM > Palestinians and friendsa community picnic > Williams Pavilion, Wickham State Park, 1329 West Middle Tpk, Manchester, > CT > 06040 > Food provided for $10 individuals, $25 per family. > Proceeds of fundraising to go to needy students at Al-Najah University in > Nablus. For info call Haidar 860-432-1272 or Hassan 860-794-3586 > > Monday, September 18, 2006 7 p.m. > Friends Meeting House, 144 South Quaker Lane West Hartford > "The Israeli Invasions of Gaza, Lebanon and Nablus" Justine McCabe, > clinical psychologist, member of the Green Party International Committee, > and Mazin Qumsiyeh, author of "Sharing the Land of Canaan" They're both > back > from recent visits to the Occupied Territories. Also Stanley Heller, host > of > "The Struggle TV News" > Sponsored by the Middle East Crisis Committee, and the Connecticut > Coalition > for Peace and Justice. For more information 203-934-2761 > > Monday, September 25 5:00 pm > Luce Hall Auditorium, 34 Hillhouse Avenue, New Haven > Middle East Studies/CMES CINEMA Film Series. What is said about.....Arabs > and Terrorism? (Documentary Mini-Series, 2006). Q & A workshop session > with > film director Bassam Haddad. www.arabsandterrorism.com > > Mazin > qumsiyeh.org From dbedellgreen at hotmail.com Fri Sep 8 01:57:28 2006 From: dbedellgreen at hotmail.com (David Bedell) Date: Fri, 08 Sep 2006 05:57:28 +0000 Subject: {news} First Sustainable Connecticut Expo - Sat., Sept. 9, New Haven In-Reply-To: <1157558685.983.55851.m19@yahoogroups.com> Message-ID: From: CTEnvLeader@ yahoogroups.com On Behalf Of Bob Wall Sent: Monday, September 04, 2006 9:11 AM Subject: First Sustainable Connecticut Expo - Sat., Sept. 9, New Haven Please pass this message around to your members and friends: Hello all I wanted to let you know about a special event happening next weekend in New Haven - the inaugural "SUSTAINABLE CONNECTICUT EXPO." This event is intended to help people take steps in their individual lives as well as in a broader social context to address issues like Global Warming, resource depletion and toxic pollutants in our air, land and water. SUSTAINABLE CONNECTICUT EXPO WHERE: EDGERTON PARK, NEW HAVEN WHEN: SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 9, 2006 NOON- 7:00 PM BACKGROUND: This year, the New Haven Folk Festival will proudly host the first "SUSTAINABLE CONNECTICUT EXPO" in historic Edgerton Park (near Cliff St. and Whitney Ave. at the New Haven-Hamden border.) The Expo will feature vendors and exhibitors that will provide ideas, products and services to help Connecticut citizens to reduce their carbon footprint and move toward more sustainable lifestyles. There will be tables featuring nearly 40 environmental organizations, state agencies and businesses relating to energy, transportation, food and water, waste reduction, residential living and Education for a Sustainable World. The Festival will feature free music and family fun in the park from Noon until 4 PM The Folk Village will also include Rainbow Circus, crafts and food vendors. At 4 PM, the park will be cleared and at 4:30 PM, gates will open for the Main Stage Concert which includes Bruce Cockburn, Elisa Gilkyson and others. (In the event of rain, nearby Wilbur Cross High School (181 Mitchell Drive, New Haven), which has a well-appointed auditorium and ample corridor space, will serve as the venue.) Full details on this year's event may be found at http://www.ctfolk.com/nhff/info.html Please contact me if you have any questions. We hope to see you there! Thanks. Bob Robert B. Wall New England Regional Director SmartPower 100 Pearl Street - 14th Floor Hartford, CT 06103 T: 860.249.7040 F: 860.249.7001 www.smartpower.org www.gocleanenergy.com From dbedellgreen at hotmail.com Fri Sep 8 02:07:00 2006 From: dbedellgreen at hotmail.com (David Bedell) Date: Fri, 08 Sep 2006 06:07:00 +0000 Subject: {news} Nancy Burton in New Haven Register In-Reply-To: Message-ID: http://www.nhregister.com/site/index.cfm?newsid=17155766 Green candidate says disbarment not a problem Wed 09/06/06 by Gregory B. Hladky New Haven Register HARTFORD ? Nancy Burton, a disbarred lawyer running as the Green Party?s candidate for state attorney general, kicked off her campaign Tuesday by saying she could be reinstated to the bar in time to be sworn in if she wins. There is no Connecticut law banning a disbarred lawyer from running for attorney general, but state election law does require that an attorney general must be a qualified member of the bar with at least 10 years experience. Burton, who conceded that she?s a "long shot" candidate, said her five-year disbarment will be up before just before the vote in November. "Theoretically, I could be readmitted (to the Connecticut bar) in time to be sworn in as attorney general (in January)," said Burton, who said she continues to hold a license to practice law in New York. In 2001, Burton was disbarred by former state Superior Court Judge A. William Mottolese over her alleged conduct in a land development case. Burton claimed Mottolese was biased against her and her clients and appealed the decision to the state Supreme Court. She was allowed to continue practicing law while appealing his decision. The state Supreme Court upheld Mottolese?s ruling that Burton had failed to properly represent her clients, that she had a pattern of misconduct and prior disciplinary actions against her and had made unsubstantiated allegations of bias against him. Burton insists that her two previous reprimands by the Statewide Grievance Committee were unfair and that both rulings by Mottolese and the state Supreme Court were the result of her social activism and her attempts to root out judicial corruption. "Why would an attorney risk professional suicide by filing unfounded charges against judges?" said Burton. "I hope to cleanse and purge the system of misconduct." Burton is a longtime social activist and public interest lawyer from Redding who said her major goals as state attorney general would be to close the Millstone nuclear power plant and to "clean up corruption" in the state judiciary. Burton noted that a state hearing has been scheduled for today concerning allegations that former state Chief Justice William Sullivan engaged in misconduct in attempting to help a close judicial colleague succeed him as head of the state Supreme Court. The Republican candidate for attorney general, state Rep. Robert Farr of West Hartford, joked that Burton?s past disciplinary problems could make her "well qualified as a candidate." "She?s decided to go into politics ? a field where you don?t have to have any merit to your charges," said Farr. He said he has no problem with Burton being in the race while she is disbarred. The incumbent Democrat in the race, Richard Blumenthal of Greenwich, declined to comment on Burton?s status. Gregory B. Hladky can be contacted at ghladky@ nhregister.com or (860) 524-0719. ?New Haven Register 2006 From greenpartyct at yahoo.com Fri Sep 8 17:25:05 2006 From: greenpartyct at yahoo.com (Green Party-CT) Date: Fri, 8 Sep 2006 14:25:05 -0700 (PDT) Subject: {news} CT Governor Debate of the debates Coverage Message-ID: <20060908212505.25913.qmail@web81412.mail.mud.yahoo.com> 09/08/2006 Rell, DeStefano sparring over debates By Keith M. Phaneuf , Journal Inquirer Republican Gov. M. Jodi Rell and Democratic challenger John DeStefano Jr. are sparring over their debate plans - specifically, over whom to invite. Rell's campaign said this week that the governor wants both minor-party gubernatorial candidates, Green Party nominee Clifford Thornton of Manchester and Concerned Citizens candidate Joseph A. Zdonczyk of Wolcott, included in every forum. The DeStefano camp says that since neither minor-party nominee has demonstrated any significant support - financially or in the polls - at least some of the debates should be limited to Rell and DeStefano. "The governor said all of the candidates who are going to be on the ballot ought to be involved," Rell campaign spokesman Rich Harris said. "This is something she believes in very strongly." DeStefano, the mayor of New Haven, narrowly won the Democratic nomination with an Aug. 8 primary win over Stamford Mayor Dannel P. Malloy. DeStefano has a lot of ground to close against Rell, who has been incredibly popular since she succeeded ex-Gov. John G. Rowland in July 2004, according to recent polls. Quinnipiac University's polling institute reported on Aug. 17 that Rell leads DeStefano among likely voters, 64 percent to 32 percent. The poll also found that Rell has a 73 percent approval mark. Though it is down form her record-setting 81 percent mark reached last February, it remains higher than all other Connecticut officials and candidates covered by the Quinnipiac poll. That poll didn't mention Thornton or Zdonczyk but did ask voters if they would support someone else other than Rell or DeStefano, or if they didn't know whom to support at this point. That survey reported 4 percent saying they didn't know whom to support and 0 percent picking someone other than Rell or DeStefano. "It would be unfortunate if the governor were using third-party candidates as a smokescreen to avoid one-on-one debates and policy discussions" that would allow voters to focus exclusively on the differences between herself and the New Haven mayor, DeStefano campaign spokesman Derek Slap said. The two campaigns are just beginning negotiations on debates and Slap said he's hopeful some of the planned forums will feature just the major candidates. Slap also said most debate sponsors, such as voter advocacy groups and television stations, normally insist upon a much greater degree of public support than Thornton and Zdonczyk have achieved before allowing such campaigns to participate. "I hope the governor is not going to insist on something that's really unprecedented," Slap added. Neither the Thornton nor Zdonczyk campaigns could be reached for comment early today. Harris rejected the argument that Rell is hoping to expand the debate field to minimize DeStefano's chances to speak at these forums. "We want to get the ball rolling and we want to have debates," Harris said -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From greenpartyct at yahoo.com Sat Sep 9 15:29:20 2006 From: greenpartyct at yahoo.com (Green Party-CT) Date: Sat, 9 Sep 2006 12:29:20 -0700 (PDT) Subject: {news} JI :Fewer people on State health care despite rising poverty Message-ID: <20060909192920.83904.qmail@web81413.mail.mud.yahoo.com> 09/08/2006 Fewer people on state health care despite rising poverty By:Keith M. Phaneuf , Journal Inquirer State officials have tried several approaches in recent years to control the cost of the Connecticut's health insurance program for poor families. There have been monthly premium hikes, new co-payments, changes in eligibility rules, cutbacks in outreach spending, a complex application process, and even legislation to block prescription requests from those who fail to pay. Advertisement '); } // --> var bnum=new Number(Math.floor(99999999 * Math.random())+1); document.write(''); dcmaxversion = 9 dcminversion = 5 Do On Error Resume Next plugin = (IsObject(CreateObject("ShockwaveFlash.ShockwaveFlash." & dcmaxversion & ""))) If plugin = true Then Exit Do dcmaxversion = dcmaxversion - 1 Loop While dcmaxversion >= dcminversion '); } //--> Even though some of these measures later were rescinded as families pulled their children from the "Husky" health insurance program in the thousands, private advocates say the damage has been done. Though a federal welfare law change appears responsible for some of the shift, other needy families who left Husky because they couldn't afford it simply never came back, advocates say. Despite recent census data showing the number of uninsured Connecticut residents is on the rise, enrollment in Husky has dropped by 25,000 people over the past year, including about 18,000 children. "In many ways, Husky is a very fragile program, and a change can have an exponential negative consequence," said Sharon Langer, senior policy fellow for Connecticut Voices for Children. A New Haven-based nonprofit group, Connecticut Voices also has worked for the state-funded Children's Health Council and Hartford Foundation for Public Giving to assess the Husky program. Connecticut Voices issued a report this week, based upon U.S. Census data, showing that 326,000 families in the state, about 9.3 percent, live below the federal poverty level. For a family of four, that means an annual income of not more than $19,961. That's up from 7.5 percent in 2001. That same report also showed 11.3 percent of Connecticut residents, about 394,000 people, including 68,000 children, were without health insurance for all 12 months of 2005. That compares with 10 percent in 2001. So if poverty is growing along with the need for health insurance, why did people leave the Husky program? For one thing, Langer says, the program has been far from stable over the past three years, particularly in terms of the contributions it asks of recipients. "Husky," or Health Care for Uninsured Kids and Youth, has been in place since 1998 to market and expand Medicaid coverage for children from poor families. And since 2001, Husky has provided insurance for a wider pool of adults than basic Medicaid does. State government will spend an estimated $700 million this fiscal year providing insurance for just over 299,000 people, including 216,000 children and 18-year-olds. Husky eligibility rules classify 18-year-olds as children. Most pay no monthly premiums. Families earning 235 percent or more of the federal poverty level - for a household of three that's about $37,800 per year - pay up to $50 per month. But in 2003, with the economy in recession and the state budget nearly $1 billion in the red, state legislators and then-Gov. John G. Rowland ordered many changes: * A $3 co-payment for medical services and $1.50 for prescriptions. * New monthly premiums ranging from $30 to $75 for families above 185 percent of the poverty level. * An end to "presumptive eligibility" that allowed parents to get treatment for their children immediately while applications to join Husky, which can take six weeks to process, were considered. Most of these changes were repealed in 2004, and all by 2005. But lawmakers and Gov. M. Jodi Rell went down the same path in June 2005, again approving monthly premiums ranging from $30 to $75 for families above 185 percent of poverty. By late October 2005, nearly 2,200 children were being removed from Husky by parents who cited the increased premiums as a problem, even though they hadn't been implemented yet. One month later, Rell and the legislature rescinded the premium hikes in special session. In July 2005, the state ended the practice of allowing Husky applicants simply to sign a sworn statement of their earnings, which would subsequently be investigated. The new requirement was that at least four paycheck stubs had to be submitted as further proof. That requirement was repealed one year later, again after numbers showed Husky applicants walking away from the program. Langer said there is a misconception about recipients of state aid, adding that many find it difficult to accept. As a result, they may find it embarrassing to return to a public assistance program, particularly after leaving it once because they couldn't afford it. "As a society, we constantly communicate a mixed message," she said. "There is a lot of talk about personal responsibility, but we want people to feel they can turn to others for help. The reality is many families sometimes find themselves in situations where they do need help." State government used to spend about $4 million annually to market the Husky program, including television and radio public service announcements and various grassroots promotions through health clinics and other community-based care providers. Husky outreach spending has dwindled steadily since then and according to the legislature's Office of Fiscal Analysis, it stood at $850,000 last fiscal year. After Connecticut Voices issued its report on families in poverty this week, Rell ordered the Department of Social Services to redirect about $1 million in savings from the declining Husky enrollment to expand marketing efforts. "Connecticut Voices for Children is right, too many parents are not renewing coverage for their children or not signing them up in the first place," Rell said. She added that allowing children to be uninsured "is simply not acceptable in a state that already offers great health benefits for children at little or no cost." The Republican governor's Democratic opponent in this fall's gubernatorial race, Mayor John DeStefano Jr., said Rell's response is ironic. "What the governor is not saying is that she is now responding to a crisis that she helped create," DeStefano spokesman Derek Slap said. Some of the steep decline in Husky enrollment could be attributed to a change in federal welfare rules, according to Michael P. Starkowski, deputy commissioner of administration for the state Department of Social Services. Households on the federal Temporary Aid to Needy Families also receive health insurance through Husky. Because Husky effectively is an expanded Medicaid health insurance program, it is supported both with federal and state dollars, and subject to certain federal rules. But in July 2005, federal law changed, requiring that families coming off welfare remain eligible for state health insurance for one more year, down from an earlier transitional cushion of two. That meant July 2006 was the first month that a new pool of families would be removed from Husky earlier than normal. Starkowski said an estimated 15,000 people were removed from the rolls all at once two months ago. But he also added that the various changes to Husky contribute to some clients and potential clients walking away. "The governor has instructed us to get back to community outreach," Starkowski said, adding he's hopeful a strong grassroots effort working with local care providers will increase enrollment. Further information about the Husky program can be obtained by calling the Department of Social Services toll free at 1-877-CT-HUSKY, or by visiting the program's Web site at: www.huskyhealth.com '); } // --> '); } //--> ?Journal Inquirer 2006 -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From roseberry3 at cox.net Sun Sep 10 19:08:10 2006 From: roseberry3 at cox.net (B Barry) Date: Sun, 10 Sep 2006 19:08:10 -0400 Subject: {news} agenda for 9-11-06 EC meeting of CTGP, 7PM to 9PM in Willimantic, CT Message-ID: <20060910230815.INXA22014.centrmmtao02.cox.net@eastrmimpo01.cox.net> time of EC meeting: 7:30pm to 9pm. Agenda for 9-11-06 EC meeting of CTGP in Willimantic, CT El Palenque Restaurant 1172 Main Street, Willimantic, CT , 06226 Phone: 860-423-6011 1. Discuss the results of our petition drive for our state-wide candidates. 2. Status of CTGP candidates/events/fundraisers and "getting out the vote". 3. Potential financial support for CTGP candidates? 4. CTGP website status 5. CT Green Times newspaper status: are more articles needed from chapters about their positions? Estimated date it will be going to publisher and availability for distribution. Review distribution process for possible fine tuning with Albert Marceau. 6. Treasurer's report from Christopher Reilly. 7. ACLU lawsuit regarding the 2005 CT "campaign finance reform" law. 8. Events/developments regarding the Peace Party i.e. Green Party. 9. agenda for 7-25-06 SCC meeting. 10. Place of next EC meeting scheduled for 10-9-06. 11. Any proposals. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From greenpartyct at yahoo.com Sun Sep 10 19:09:20 2006 From: greenpartyct at yahoo.com (Green Party-CT) Date: Sun, 10 Sep 2006 16:09:20 -0700 (PDT) Subject: {news} CT Post Dist.3 Candidates face tough incumbent Message-ID: <20060910230920.38034.qmail@web81415.mail.mud.yahoo.com> Dist.3 Candidates face tough incumbent FRANK JULIANO fjuliano at ctpost.com Connecticut Post Online The 3rd Congressional District race is not, to put it mildly, the marquee matchup on the Nov. 7 ballot. But the two candidates trying to prevent U.S. Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-3, from winning a ninth term are doing their best to mount a challenge to the incumbent ? widely perceived as the overwhelming favorite ? based on what they see as her shortcomings as a legislator. "Rosa has never met a defense budget she didn't like," said Dan Sumrall, the Green Party candidate. "She has never held a job that wasn't in some way political." For Joseph Vollano, the Republican challenger, there are clear differences between what the liberal DeLauro wants to accomplish and his platform. "Our biggest difference is on immigration," said the 29-year-old Branford resident. "She is totally for open borders, and I'm not. On energy, I'm all for off-shore exploration-look at the discovery of oil this week in the Gulf of Mexico. "We need to rely more on ourselves instead of going to the Middle East," he said. DeLauro has advocated increased support and incentives for alternative fuel sources, including wind and solar power. Sumrall and Vollano will have to build name recognition in the 3rd District, which covers most of New Haven County and Stratford. Their opponent, it seems, is on a first-name basis with her constituents who refer to her as "Rosa." DeLauro said Thursday the campaign is about "the issues important to Connecticut's families ? the war in Iraq, the economy, gas prices, the rising cost of health care and the preservation of our environment. "I know families are financially pressed and I am working to make sure that families come first," the congresswoman said. But her opponents believe the incumbent's agenda is not in the district's best interests. "I'm the only anti-war candidate in the race," said Sumrall, 30. "Vollano is toeing the party line and Rosa isn't even thinking about weaning the state off of its addiction to defense spending. "I am one of the few candidates who would work to give the working poor a chance at economic equality," the Green candidate said. One of the ways he would do that is by ending "predatory lending practices, the loading up of people who can't afford it with credit card debt. "I would also work to limit and control check-cashing places, the legal loan sharks who feed like vultures on a slowly dying community," he said. Vollano said that DeLauro's views are more liberal than those of the people, many of them blue-collar workers who she represents. DeLauro is in no danger of losing her seat, said Southern Connecticut State University political science professor Arthur Paulson, and will likely garner 70 percent or more of the vote, as she has in most of her elections.The Green Party candidate may do better than in the past, possibly even outpolling the Republican in New Haven, said both Paulson and House Speaker James Amann. "The Republican in this district typically gets in the 20s [percent of the vote]," Paulson said. "One reason for the argument that it might drop off this time is that voters may jump off the Republican line when they get to the Senate race to vote for [Joe] Lieberman. "But then you'd have to assume that they'd vote for the Green in the congressional race, and I don't think that's going to happen," the professor said. "Rosa is a strong candidate and she will win by a huge margin," said Amann, a fellow Democrat. DeLauro grew up in the Wooster Square neighborhood of New Haven, which her mother Luisa later represented for many years as a New Haven alderwoman.Shegraduated from Lauralton Hall in Milford, from Marymount College and Columbia University, earning degrees in political science. DeLauro also attended the London School of Economics. Married to Democratic pollster Stanley Greenberg, she was an aide to U.S. Sen. Christopher Dodd, D-Conn., before being elected to Congress in 1990. Vollano lives with his girlfriend and their 1-year-old son, and says the couple may get married in the future. "Of course, people can say what they want, but we are together, we love each other and our child. "I grew up with a single mom. My parents divorced when I was 5, and I think my situation is more typical of the people in the district," he said. Sumrall, who grew up in Wisconsin and lived in Virginia for a time, has a master's degree from the University of Notre Dame. He is an adjunct professor of English at Manchester Community College. He and his partner Michelle live in New Haven while she pursues a doctorate at Yale. "We'll be here six or seven years at least, but if I'm elected, I'd serve my term and put my name in nomination again. Then I'd move on," Sumrall said. "It wouldn't be my career." While the Green Party candidate would like to win, his goal is more modest. "If I can draw 1 percent of the vote, it maintains the automatic place on the ballot and means another year that people will have a choice," Sumrall said. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From greenpartyct at yahoo.com Sun Sep 10 19:14:31 2006 From: greenpartyct at yahoo.com (Green Party-CT) Date: Sun, 10 Sep 2006 16:14:31 -0700 (PDT) Subject: {news} Danbury NewsTimes. -Nader urges people yo take action Message-ID: <20060910231431.41460.qmail@web81413.mail.mud.yahoo.com> Nader urges people to take action By Nanci G. Hutson The News-TIMES{"Display quote bold"/} WASHINGTON, Conn. -- He's run for president three times. He battled for automobile safety standards, and embraced efforts to ensure nonsmokers can breathe fresh air in public places. He has championed the need for nuclear energy and clean water. He is against the war in Iraq. He believes political leaders need to answer to the citizenry and when they don't, ordinary people should rise up and "throw the rascals out.'' Most of all, nationally renowned citizen activist, consumer advocate, lawyer and author Ralph Nader believes in the power of a few to make a compelling difference for many. All it takes, he declares, is a refusal to be ignored, and the will to push friends, neighbors and communities to make their voices heard above the political squawk from the nation's Capitol. "It starts with conversations in small towns, with people wondering what is possible,'' the 72-year-old Winsted native told more than 125 people who gathered at Gunn Library this week for part of an ongoing writer's series. Nader, who has authored several books, has released a new book titled "The Good Fight: Declare Your Independence and Close the Democracy Gap.'' Some of the proceeds from sales of the $25 book were to be given to the library, with the majority to be used for construction of a law museum Nader intends to build in his hometown. Welcomed to Washington by some like-minded citizens who want to inspire public debate about impeaching President Bush, Nader praised the group -- they call themselves "We the People'' -- for pursuing their petition for the resolution despite town leaders' unwillingness to allow a town meeting to debate the issue. Nader said it is those kinds of grassroots efforts that ensure that democracy thrives, and that political leaders are held accountable for their actions. He implored supporters of the impeachment resolution not to lose heart and to keep up their efforts to raise public consciousness about a president he believes is the "most impeachable'' in this nation's history. Nader sprinkled his talk with humorous catch phrases and anecdotes that captured the audience and inspired nods and applause. Talking about how people hide behind excuses to explain their civic apathy, Nader said he has to shake his head when many seem to find it more important to watch yet another rerun of the television sitcom "Friends'' than to honor American soldiers who paid their lives for our freedoms. Even those not yet old enough to vote were riveted by Nader's passion. Sixteen-year-old Genevieve Mulvaney, a junior at Nonnewaug High School in Woodbury, said she shares Nader's belief that political activism is everyone's responsibility. She hopes she can share some of his insights with her friends, so they realize the importance of speaking up for what they believe and making informed political choices. Nader generated the most laughs when he said his fantasy is that the passion of birdwatchers, who travel thousands of miles to catch the glimpse of a rare bird, could compel ordinary citizens to flock to Washington, D.C., to watch "the biggest bird of all.'' Southbury resident Lauri Bates said she came to Nader's talk not because she endorses his politics -- rabidly anti-Bush, he continually referred to the president as a "serial liar'' -- but because she admires his ability to push people to speak up. "He makes you think.'' Nader said the lesson many people forget is that some of the biggest movements in American history were started with a handful of people who decided that something wasn't right and chose to do something about it. Poor farmers, young mothers, factory workers, even a tired black woman riding a city bus sparked changes that reverberate to this day, he said. In their frustration, these people found the motivation to stand up and make a difference. "That's how it all starts,'' Nader said. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From dbedellgreen at hotmail.com Sun Sep 10 23:43:38 2006 From: dbedellgreen at hotmail.com (David Bedell) Date: Mon, 11 Sep 2006 03:43:38 +0000 Subject: {news} Ken Dixon in the CT Post comments on Thornton, Burton campaigns In-Reply-To: <45043ACC.7090108@votethornton.com> Message-ID: http://www.connpost.com/kendixon/ci_4315100 Green Party making points on issues By Ken Dixon Consider the Green Party with its warts, threats to the status quo and all. Decriminalizing and "medicalizing" drugs could jeopardize the judicial system, where a disproportionate percentage of inner-city blacks and Hispanics fill the state's prisons. That's one of the Green Party planks that, in real life, marginalizes the group in so-called mainstream public-policy debates. While it may make eminent sense to many people around the world, any Democrat or Republican who even utters the word "decriminalize," is soft on crime and a candidate for early political retirement. Every year it costs about $600 million in your tax dollars to keep Connecticut's prisons operating, including paying for its 7,000 employees. This week, more than 23,300 are being "supervised" by the state's Department of Correction, including 17,334 men and 1,403 women in prison, plus nearly 5,000 people in local jails awaiting court appearances. The judicial system costs another $395 million a year. At the intake end of the system, defense lawyers make millions trying to keep dealers and users out of the slammer. So if the Green's ideas of decriminalizing small amounts of marijuana and turning cocaine and heroin into prescription drugs were realized, does that mean more defense lawyers would be driving Chevys instead of Mercedes? What if you could cut the DOC budget in half? You could offer $300 million in state-college scholarships. Chances are, if you see Cliff Thornton, the Green's candidate for governor, during the upcoming gubernatorial debates, he'll point out the fiscal and social costs of institutionalizing a portion of the state's population at per-capita costs comparable to room, board and classes at a state university. "This is a tremendous uphill battle," Thornton admitted in an interview last week. "But we're the only party that's going to raise the issues that people are most concerned with." Republican Gov. M. Jodi Rell last week asked Democratic challenger John DeStefano to include Thornton in whatever debates they may agree to along the way to November. It's a good strategy for Rell. Another person on the stage means less time for the New Haven mayor to possibly attack her. "She is for real democracy," Thornton said of the governor. "If we're on the ballot, we should be part of the debates." Thornton also understands the governor's motives for adding another voice in the debate, especially one that's not expected to win. "Pawns, in the game of chess, can become queens," he said, noting for you non-players that if a pawn occasionally survives the game, it reaches the opponent's end of the board, then is transformed into the most-powerful of pieces. Thornton and the rest of the Green Party slate, including Ralph Ferrucci, the Green's candidate for U.S. Senate, have two chances on Nov. 7 ? slim and none. But for the first time, the little national party has a complete team of high-level candidates in Connecticut. Consider the Greens more than a boutique party for the patchouli-oil-and-water-pipe set in Connecticut college towns. Then ponder the similarities between Connecticut Republicans and Democrats. Forget those whines from hyperventilating Democrats over Green Party icon Ralph Nader's 2000 Election Day showing. He siphoned so many Florida votes from Al Gore and Joe Lieberman, that they conveniently forgot that they couldn't even win Gore's home state of Tennessee. During a coming-out event for Nancy Burton, the Green's candidate for attorney general, last week in Hartford's Bushnell Park, the campaign staff busily erected a circle of campaign signs, arranged campaign material on a table and tethered the green balloons. The staff then jogged over to the parked Jeep and changed from garden boots into black pumps and kicked off the brief press conference for herself. The odds are so stacked against Burton, that it's quite likely the issue of her having been disbarred as an attorney in Connecticut will never come up. It is intriguing to think, though, what would happen if she were elected to a job that requires a lawyer have their license. "Anyone who votes for me is voting for someone who qualifies for this office," Burton said last week, adding that she's still a member of the New York bar and if she wins, will apply for reinstatement in Connecticut. "I'm qualified for this office and would serve this office well. I should have my law license returned." Burton's main platform is a promise to close the Millstone nuclear complex in southeastern Connecticut. "There are good grounds to shut it down as a public nuisance," she said. What about the argument that Connecticut needs the megawatts? She recalled that in 1996, the state was without any nuclear generation for two years. "There was never a blackout or brownout, but we should have learned our lesson long ago," said Burton, of Redding. "We need clean, sustainable energy including solar, wind and other sources." Connecticut voters, emerging from their summer slumbers, should pay attention to the Greens and the resulting public policy issues that will rise during the march to Election Day. Ken Dixon's Capitol View appears Sundays in the Connecticut Post. You may reach him in the Capitol at (860) 549-4670 or e-mail him at dixon.connpost@ snet.net From chapillsbury at igc.org Tue Sep 12 17:50:45 2006 From: chapillsbury at igc.org (Charlie Pillsbury) Date: Tue, 12 Sep 2006 17:50:45 -0400 Subject: {news} Green Party making points on thorny issues Message-ID: <004f01c6d6b5$81a16320$1901a8c0@CMI.local> Green Party making points on thorny issues By Ken Dixon Ken Dixon's Capitol View appears Sundays in the Connecticut Post. You may reach him in the Capitol at (860) 549-4670 or e-mail him at dixon.connpost at snet.net. Consider the Green Party with its warts, threats to the status quo and all. Decriminalizing and "medicalizing" drugs could jeopardize the judicial system, where a disproportionate percentage of inner-city blacks and Hispanics fill the state's prisons. That's one of the Green Party planks that, in real life, marginalizes the group in so-called mainstream public-policy debates. While it may make eminent sense to many people around the world, any Democrat or Republican who even utters the word "decriminalize," is soft on crime and a candidate for early political retirement. Every year it costs about $600 million in your tax dollars to keep Connecticut's prisons operating, including paying for its 7,000 employees. This week, more than 23,300 are being "supervised" by the state's Department of Correction, including 17,334 men and 1,403 women in prison, plus nearly 5,000 people in local jails awaiting court appearances. The judicial system costs another $395 million a year. At the intake end of the system, defense lawyers make millions trying to keep dealers and users out of the slammer. So if the Green's ideas of decriminalizing small amounts of marijuana and turning cocaine and heroin into prescription drugs were realized, does that mean more defense lawyers would be driving Chevys instead of Mercedes? What if you could cut the DOC budget in half? You could offer $300 million in state-college scholarships. Chances are, if you see Cliff Thornton, the Green's candidate for governor, during the upcoming gubernatorial debates, he'll point out the fiscal and social costs of institutionalizing a portion of the state's population at per-capita costs comparable to room, board and classes at a state university. "This is a tremendous uphill battle," Thornton admitted in an interview last week. "But we're the only party that's going to raise the issues that people are most concerned with." Republican Gov. M. Jodi Rell last week asked Democratic challenger John DeStefano to include Thornton in whatever debates they may agree to along the way to November. It's a good strategy for Rell. Another person on the stage means less time for the New Haven mayor to possibly attack her. "She is for real democracy," Thornton said of the governor. "If we're on the ballot, we should be part of the debates." Thornton also understands the governor's motives for adding another voice in the debate, especially one that's not expected to win. "Pawns, in the game of chess, can become queens," he said, noting for you non-players that if a pawn occasionally survives the game, it reaches the opponent's end of the board, then is transformed into the most-powerful of pieces. Thornton and the rest of the Green Party slate, including Ralph Ferrucci, the Green's candidate for U.S. Senate, have two chances on Nov. 7 - slim and none. But for the first time, the little national party has a complete team of high-level candidates in Connecticut. Consider the Greens more than a boutique party for the patchouli-oil-and-water-pipe set in Connecticut college towns. Then ponder the similarities between Connecticut Republicans and Democrats. Forget those whines from hyperventilating Democrats over Green Party icon Ralph Nader's 2000 Election Day showing. He siphoned so many Florida votes from Al Gore and Joe Lieberman, that they conveniently forgot that they couldn't even win Gore's home state of Tennessee. During a coming-out event for Nancy Burton, the Green's candidate for attorney general, last week in Hartford's Bushnell Park, the campaign staff busily erected a circle of campaign signs, arranged campaign material on a table and tethered the green balloons. The staff then jogged over to the parked Jeep and changed from garden boots into black pumps and kicked off the brief press conference for herself. The odds are so stacked against Burton, that it's quite likely the issue of her having been disbarred as an attorney in Connecticut will never come up. It is intriguing to think, though, what would happen if she were elected to a job that requires a lawyer have their license. "Anyone who votes for me is voting for someone who qualifies for this office," Burton said last week, adding that she's still a member of the New York bar and if she wins, will apply for reinstatement in Connecticut. "I'm qualified for this office and would serve this office well. I should have my law license returned." Burton's main platform is a promise to close the Millstone nuclear complex in southeastern Connecticut. "There are good grounds to shut it down as a public nuisance," she said. What about the argument that Connecticut needs the megawatts? She recalled that in 1996, the state was without any nuclear generation for two years. "There was never a blackout or brownout, but we should have learned our lesson long ago," said Burton, of Redding. "We need clean, sustainable energy including solar, wind and other sources." Connecticut voters, emerging from their summer slumbers, should pay attention to the Greens and the resulting public policy issues that will rise during the march to Election Day. Ken Dixon's Capitol View appears Sundays in the Connecticut Post. You may reach him in the Capitol at (860) 549-4670 or e-mail him at dixon.connpost at snet.net. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From chapillsbury at igc.org Tue Sep 12 23:40:00 2006 From: chapillsbury at igc.org (Charlie Pillsbury) Date: Tue, 12 Sep 2006 23:40:00 -0400 Subject: {news} State sharing announcement from GPUS References: <20060823013552.MNUT22014.centrmmtao02.cox.net@eastrmimpo01.cox.net> <004f01c6c659$ebbfea90$6500a8c0@S0031616584> Message-ID: <007a01c6d6e6$4aa11290$6500a8c0@S0031616584> fyi, charlie Reply-To: jody at gp.org To: natlcomvotes at green.gpus.org Date: Sep 12, 2006 10:29 PM Subject: [usgp-coo] State sharing announcement To the Green National Committee: FinCom announces with great pleasure that August was a very good fundraising month and we are now able to begin paying the 2nd Quarter State Sharing. Checks will first be sent to the 25 states that are owed State Sharing under $300 each for a total of $3162.39. The second round of checks is expected to go out before the end of September and pay one-third or one-half of the amount of State Sharing owed the remaining 12 states with State Sharing credit. Jody Grage, Treasurer -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From greenpartyct at yahoo.com Wed Sep 13 09:55:06 2006 From: greenpartyct at yahoo.com (Green Party-CT) Date: Wed, 13 Sep 2006 06:55:06 -0700 (PDT) Subject: {news} CT "Five-way Senate debate?" Message-ID: <20060913135507.28826.qmail@web81409.mail.mud.yahoo.com> http://www.stamfordadvocate.com/news/local/scn-sa-debates.9.11forgtsep11,0,6667686.story?track=rss Five-way Senate debate? Independent candidacy shake up debate situation By Brian Lockhart Staff Writer September 11, 2006 Ralph Ferrucci, the Green Party candidate for U.S. Senate, admits he was shocked when longtime incumbent Joseph Lieberman invited him to debate. "A lot of times the two parties don't want to include anybody, and the incumbent doesn't want to debate at all," Ferrucci said. Things have changed since Lieberman's last election in 2000, when he also was crisscrossing the country as the Democratic vice presidential candidate. Then, Lieberman refused to debate his Republican Senate opponent Philip Giordano and handily won a third term to the Senate. But last month, Lieberman lost his party's primary to Ned Lamont of Greenwich. Now the 18-year incumbent is a petition candidate running under his newly created party, Connecticut for Lieberman. Although he and Lamont are far ahead in the polls, Lieberman extended invitations to debate planning sessions to all four of his opponents, including Republican Alan Schlesinger, who is drawing single-digit support, and Concerned Citizens nominee Timothy Knibbs. Knibbs said he was not surprised. "I was expecting to be contacted because of Lieberman's status and with a Republican polling so low," he said. "He probably wouldn't be doing any debates if he was the Democratic nominee." Lieberman spokeswoman, Tammy Sun, said the campaign did not think it was appropriate to exclude any party because Lieberman now is an independent candidate. "We look forward to lively and productive debates this fall that will inform voters about which candidates can work most effectively in Washington to produce tangible results for the state," Sun said. Professor John Orman, a political science professor at Fairfield University, and University of Connecticut pollster Chris Barnes said Lieberman's move is strategic. "Normally debates would be Schlesinger versus Lamont. Those are the kinds of debates we've had in Connecticut for 40 years," Orman said. "He's saying, 'I'm going to be there.' " Barnes said having four opponents in a debate allows Lieberman to try to cast himself as the "middle of the road" candidate. Lieberman describes himself as an "independent Democrat" willing to reach across party lines. Barnes and Orman doubt that all of the debates, still unscheduled, will include the five candidates. "I don't know who's going to take him up on that," Orman said. "It will be a crowded stage." Liz Dupont-Diehl, Lamont's director of communications, said some of the debates will include all five candidates and some will have fewer. "We think the minor parties have a right to be included," Dupont-Diehl said. "We're also interested in giving the public a meaningful opportunity to hear a good, honest discussion." Representatives of four of the campaigns met at the Hartford Hilton on Friday to begin talks. Knibbs said a miscommunication left him out but he intends to participate. Another meeting has been scheduled for next week. Details were unclear last week. Schlesinger said he believes two are tentatively scheduled and two more are possible. "I'm not against debating Lamont. Just me and Lamont.," Schlesinger said. "I would not go along with all of them being five-way. It becomes a circus." Some of Schlesinger's support has been eroded by Lieberman's petition candidacy. Under some debate criteria, Schlesinger could be excluded. Last week, for example, U.S. Rep. Christopher Shays, R-Bridgeport, agreed to participate in 11 debates with Democrat Diane Farrell and Libertarian Phil Maymin. But Maymin said he was not invited to the Oct. 16 event in Bridgeport, sponsored by AARP Connecticut, because the organization does not expect him to get at least 5 percent of the vote in November. A Quinnipiac University poll released in mid-August showed Schlesinger winning 4 percent of the vote in a race against Lamont and Lieberman. Giordano was garnering 19 percent of the vote when Lieberman turned him down in 2000. AARP Connecticut spokeswoman Suzan Bibisi said Friday the group is considering hosting a Senate debate. If it occurs, Schlesinger would be included because he is a major party candidate, Bibisi said. Jara Burnett, co-president of the League of Women Voters, which commonly hosts debates, said that group is to meet Friday to determine who to invite. In the past, the league has been cautious about including minor party candidates in Senate debates, she said. "We're struggling with that ourselves," Burnett said. "Senator Lieberman is waging a vigorous campaign, he gets a lot of support statewide, so from all the considerations he's a shoo-in." One of the league's criteria is that a candidate have financial support from a broad-based constituency. Lieberman and Lamont have collected and spent millions on primary campaigns. Schlesinger raised $113,581, including $70,000 of his own money, and recently admitted to having spent most of it on ads. His low poll numbers are making it challenging to obtain donations, Schlesinger has said. "On the other hand, we are basically a two-party system and a lot is riding on the fact that Mr. Schlesinger is a major party candidate," Burnett said. Schlesinger is banking on his debate appearances to recapture much of the Republican vote. "I'm sitting next to Jodi Rell on the ballot. I'm told I have 20 percent going in, no matter what," Schlesinger said of the positioning of his name next to the governor's in the voting booths. Barnes said he would not expect Lieberman to agree to an offer to debate only Lamont. "He doesn't want to offend Republicans right now," Barnes said. Copyright ? 2006, Southern Connecticut Newspapers, Inc. =0)document.write(unescape('%3C')+'\!-'+'-') //--> -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From efficacy at msn.com Fri Sep 15 09:42:09 2006 From: efficacy at msn.com (clifford thornton) Date: Fri, 15 Sep 2006 09:42:09 -0400 Subject: {news} New Britain Herald-Political candidates speak to seniors References: <450A9512.8050004@votethornton.com> Message-ID: Political candidates speak to seniors By: Scott Whipple 09/15/2006 PostPost> a Comment printerprinter> friendly Printer-friendlyPrinter-friendly> > NEW BRITAIN - City seniors got to listen to national and state political candidates and ask them questions Thursday at the senior center. Several retirees were outspoken. After listening to a presentation on the perilous future of Social Security from Republican candidate for U.S. Senate Alan Schlesinger, New Britain octogenarian Tom Phmann, a retired Fafnir worker, told The Herald: "I don't care if there's no money in the till, as long as they give me my check and I can cash it." Other speakers included Democratic candidate for the U.S. 5th District Chris Murphy, Green Party candidates for the U.S. Senate Ralph Ferrucci and for governor Clifford Thornton. U.S. Rep. Nancy Johnson was in Washington for a house vote and could not attend the forum. State Sen. Don DeFronzo, and state Reps. Betty Boukus, Chris Donovan, John Geragosian, Timothy O'Brien and Peter Tercyak also spoke. Schlesinger, former mayor of Derby, spoke the longest and drew the ire of some in the audience when he tried to explain the link between the "Social Security crisis, the energy security crisis, and the national security crisis." About Medicare, Schlesinger said the government needs to create "realistic policies with affordable eligibility requirements. The alternative is a $30 trillion fiscal train wreck that most politicians choose to ignore." Murphy told seniors the election is "about putting us - not corporations - first again." A New Britain native, Murphy said middle class jobs are not here any more "because chief executives and boards of directors decided they could make a quicker buck moving jobs overseas." The state representative added that the healthcare system has become a center for profit and gain. "But, it doesn't have to be that way. The Medicare program will now cost $1.2 trillion, yet the benefits aren't any better." Donovan, who represented Ned Lamont, likened the Lamont-Lieberman contest to Herbert Hoover/Franklin Delano Roosevelt and John F. Kennedy/Richard Nixon races. He compared Lamont favorably to both Roosevelt and Kennedy. Todd Stein, policy director for Lieberman, assured seniors that the senator wants to protect and strengthen Social Security, and has challenged the Bush administration's attempt to increase Medicare premiums. Ferrucci, an independent truck driver, said Medicare needs to be expanded to cover all Americans. Thornton, a former middle manger for Southern New England Telephone, said he is the first African-American to run for governor in the state. He said he was running for office because he was "sick and tired of being sick and tired. The Green Party is the party of environmental and social justice. Our society is neglecting our senior citizens." Tom Gross, 5th Congressional District coordinator for DeStefano, said the New Haven mayor could not appear because of a scheduling conflict. Gross called DeStefano "a man of progress and ideas, not afraid to take on difficult challenges." Following the presentations, Gross told The Herald he expected his candidate would soon start raising questions about Gov. M. Jodi Rell's "squeaky clean image. What did she know about corruption in the Rowland administration and when did she know about it?" Scott Whipple can be reached at swhipple at newbritainherald.com or by calling (860) 225-4601, Ext. 319. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From JeandeSmet at galaxyinternet.net Fri Sep 15 12:44:51 2006 From: JeandeSmet at galaxyinternet.net (Jean de Smet) Date: Fri, 15 Sep 2006 12:44:51 -0400 Subject: {news} Organizing/Fundraising session Message-ID: <006201c6d8e6$47d9eda0$d5daf504@jean1oa1rgr0ov> Everyone is invited to join Mike DeRosa, Barbara Barry and myself in a mini-phonathon for organizing and fundraising. Monday, October 18th, 6pm. Mike and Barbara are generously offering the use of their home, so we'll have a land line and whatever cell phones we bring with us. 48 Village Drive, Apt 204, Wethersfield. Mike-can you give us directions? We're going to go to the list of recent donors first. And I think we should target the recent active voters from our annual meeting. And chapter lists, of course. I plan to ask people to get involved in the statewide campaign. I'll target an area of eastern CT and try to get together a group that will host a house party and/or other event(s) for Cliff and/or Ralph and/or Greens which will both raise funds and awareness of the campaign. And maybe form a future chapter, right? We should also have forms to fill out if people want to donate on the spot via credit card. They can choose either to donate to the CTGP, or to any or some of the candidates. We'll need some help from our treasurers and campaign manager here! Pile on the rules. I hope we'll do this every week and that others are doing this in their areas? Let's really use this campaign to organize! Jean -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From dbedellgreen at hotmail.com Fri Sep 15 18:48:52 2006 From: dbedellgreen at hotmail.com (David Bedell) Date: Fri, 15 Sep 2006 22:48:52 +0000 Subject: {news} Richard Duffee in Westport News In-Reply-To: <1158215812.d53ed99a32dd15a9.74e6e379@persist.google.com> Message-ID: http://www.westport-news.com/ci_4329398 Duffee on Ballot for Shays' Seat By Michael C. Juliano (mjuliano@ bcnnew.com) Westport News, 9/13/06 Stamford resident Richard Duffee has officially put himself on the ballot for the seat of U.S. representative for the state's Fourth Congressional District, having collected more than the required 3,100 certified signatures. Duffee, a retired lawyer, poet and teacher, is throwing his hat into the ring with Westport Democrat Diane Farrell and Greg [sic] Maymin, a Greenwich Libertarian, to challenge 10-term Republican incumbent Christopher Shays. In his first entrance into Connecticut politics, Duffee said his campaign will not focus on the Iraq War, unlike those of Shays and Farrell, but on reforming United States' foreign policy. "Our capacity to indulge ourselves in fraudulent fiascos like the invasion of Iraq has deep roots in our political culture," he said in a statement. "If we do not examine in detail all the behavior that led up to the invasion, then even if we promptly withdraw from Iraq, we are overwhelmingly likely to make errors just as serious in our dealings with Iran, Syria, Palestine and Lebanon." Concerning Duffee's candidacy, Farrell said, "I look forward to the Democratic process and I welcome all candidates to become part of the debates." Duffee said he has called for closure of the Guantanamo detention center and strict observance of international law and supports immediate ratification of the Kyoto Protocol to stop global warming and serious multilateral disarmament negotiations. He said he also advocates full endorsement of the International Criminal Court and impeachment of President Bush and Vice President Cheney. Duffee is entering one of the country's most watched races one that many speculate will also be among one of the closest races this November, which the Cook Political Report is calling "a toss-up" between Shays and Farrell. Michael Sohn, Shays' spokesman, said he welcomes the challenge. "Chris looks forward to debating with him and all of his challengers this fall," he said. Duffee ran for the school board in the 1980s and has volunteered on the campaigns of several Democratic and Green Party candidates. Maymin said voters have a choice between coercion and freedom "There may be four candidates, but there's only one choice," he said. "You can either live life being controlled by government by voting for Farrell, Duffee or Shays, or you can live your own life free of coercion by choosing me." Whatever the case may be, Secretary of the State Susan Bysiewicz said, "The more candidates we have for public officials, the more choices citizens have to choose the candidates who best represent their ideals and beliefs." From dbedellgreen at hotmail.com Sun Sep 17 17:52:56 2006 From: dbedellgreen at hotmail.com (David Bedell) Date: Sun, 17 Sep 2006 21:52:56 +0000 Subject: {news} Richard Duffee in local papers Message-ID: The following story, with minor variations, appeared Sept. 14 in various weekly papers of the Hersam-Acorn chain, including the Weston Forum, the Darien Times, and the Wilton Bulletin: Duffee joins the race for 4th District seat The secretary of the state's office has counted more than 3,100 certified signatures for Stamford resident Richard Duffee, officially placing him on the ballot to run for U.S. Congress in Connecticut's Fourth Congressional District. Mr. Duffee will challenge incumbent Republican Christopher Shays, and joins a crowded field that includes Democrat Diane Farrell and Libertarian Phil Maymin. Mr. Duffee, a poet, teacher, lawyer in retirement, and author of a bibliography of the international law of peace, is the first Green Party candidate to run for Congress in the 4th District. "The petitioning really took up all our energy during the summer, and prevented us from addressing substantive issues," said Paul Bassler, Mr. Duffee's campaign manager in a prepared release. "It's a requirement designed to preserve the two-party system and exclude new ideas." While Ms. Farrell and Mr. Shays "have exchanged sharp words over U.S. policy in Iraq," Mr. Duffee said his campaign will focus not only on the Iraq war but on broad reforms to U.S. foreign policy. "Our capacity to indulge ourselves in fraudulent fiascos like the invasion of Iraq has deep roots in our political culture. If we do not examine in detail all the behavior that led up to the invasion, then even if we promptly withdraw from Iraq, we are overwhelmingly likely to make errors just as serious in our dealings with Iran, Syria, Palestine, and Lebanon," Mr. Duffee said. "To prevent further deterioration in our relationships with other nations, we must be willing to examine not only our methods but our intentions and some of our basic assumptions about ourselves and our role in the world." In that vein, Duffee has called for closure of the Guantanamo detention center and strict observance of international law. He supports immediate ratification of the Kyoto Protocol to stop global warming, serious multilateral disarmament negotiations, full endorsement of the International Criminal Court, and measures to stop the exploitation of impoverished nations. He advocates, his release said, impeachment of President Bush and Vice President Cheney. This is Mr. Duffee's first entrance into Connecticut politics. In the early 1980s, he ran for school board in Peekskill, N.Y., and he has volunteered in the campaigns of several Democratic and Green Party candidates. For more information visit www.richardduffee.com. From dbedellgreen at hotmail.com Sun Sep 17 23:35:27 2006 From: dbedellgreen at hotmail.com (David Bedell) Date: Mon, 18 Sep 2006 03:35:27 +0000 Subject: {news} local papers cover Nancy Burton's campaign launch In-Reply-To: Message-ID: Redding Pilot & Weston Forum, 9/14/06 Burton launches her campaign for the attorney general's post Last week in Hartford, Nancy Burton, a Reddingite, formally launched her campaign as Connecticut Green Party candidate for state attorney general, vowing "to work to purge the courts of judicial corruption and to close the Millstone Nuclear Power Station." Ms. Burton is challenging Attorney General Richard Blumenthal, the Democratic incumbent, and Robert Farr, a Republican state representative from West Hartford. If elected state attorney general, "I will be in court to close Millstone before the sun sets on my first day in office," said Ms. Burton. "Our laws give the attorney general enormous powers to protect the public interest. These laws have been underutilized." She called Millstone and its New York twin, the Indian Point nuclear power station, "the worst threats to the health, safety and welfare of the people of this state, and we need to close them now," Ms. Burton said. She criticized Attorney General Blumenthal for not providing enough oversight at Millstone. "When ordinary citizens have to step forward alone to defend their communities against nuclear perils, it's time for a radical shake-up in government," Ms. Burton said in a release prepared for her campaign announcement. "The Green Party is here to provide a new voice and a new choice for the people," she said. Ms. Burton worked as a public interest attorney for 20 years, successfully bringing suit in 1999, she said, to shut Millstone Unit 2 temporarily during the annual fish spawning season. As a public-interest attorney, Ms. Burton took on many controversial cases successfully, advocating for environmental protection and against gender bias and racism, her release said. However, when she petitioned the Connecticut Supreme Court in 1995 to investigate three Superior Court judges for a pattern of misconduct, Ms. Burton said she paid a heavy price for her judicial whistleblowing. Ms. Burton was disbarred from the practice of law for five years on Nov. 2, 2001, by a Superior Court judge whose decision was upheld by the Connecticut Supreme Court. Superior Court Judge A. William Mottolese said Ms. Burton misled a group of Monroe residents fighting a housing plan into signing on as plaintiffs in a lawsuit to block the development when they thought they were signing a petition. Ms. Burton said at the time that the intent of the document was clear and called the judge's ruling "an affront to the due process, to justice and to the people of Connecticut." She "will eventually be fully vindicated," Ms. Burton said in her releases. She is eligible to apply for re-admission to the bar prior to Election Day on Nov. 7, 2006. She remains licensed to practice in New York. "Honoring the attorney's oath should not be a path to career suicide," Ms. Burton said. "If I am elected attorney general, I will work for passage of a law which would make it a crime for anyone who becomes aware of judicial misconduct to fail to report it." Ms. Burton appeared at a press conference with Cliff Thornton, Green Party gubernatorial candidate, and other members of the Green Party. "The Green Team will bring a new spirit of opportunity, responsibility and community to Connecticut," Ms. Burton said. "This is an historic moment," Ms. Burton said, noting that this year Green Party members successfully petitioned to put their candidates for top state and federal races on the ballot for the first time. The secretary of the state qualified the requisite 7,500 petitions on Aug. 21. Ms. Burton said she will invite Mr. Blumenthal to a debate. The candidate said she will campaign for the following issues, among others: - Abolition of the death penalty. - Universal health care. - An energy policy that "would radically reduce consumption and spur development of sustainables on an emergency basis." - Mandatory "green" building requirements. - Ballot access and campaign finance reform to eliminate barriers to third-party participation. - Action by the governor as commander-in-chief of the Connecticut National Guard "to recall troops from fighting in the illegal war in Iraq." - Legalization and medicalization of drugs as an alternative to the failed drug wars. - Land use reform by the legislature to discourage suburban sprawl and loss of farmlands. - Major investment in local and organic agriculture, with incentives to provide schoolchildren "with a healthy diet of locally grown, pesticide-free food." - Addressing the transportation crisis by reviving freight train service operating with clean renewable energy and expanding mass transit. - Expansion of equal educational opportunities to all the children of the state. - Legislation giving the people the right to referendum. - Repeal of "the failed electricity deregulation law" and resumption of state regulation of Millstone. - Legislation making it a crime to conceal knowledge of judicial misconduct and protecting judicial whistleblowers from retaliation. During the last state election in 2004, Ms. Burton was the Green Party's candidate in the 135th state House District. She was unsuccessful in her bid to unseat the Republican incumbent, Westonite John Stripp. From smderosa at cox.net Mon Sep 18 02:05:08 2006 From: smderosa at cox.net (smderosa at cox.net) Date: Mon, 18 Sep 2006 02:05:08 -0400 Subject: {news} Directions to Mike and Barbara's Apartment: 48 Village Dr Wethersfield, CT 860-956-8170 Message-ID: <004f01c6dae8$65854b20$8201a8c0@userb649154f63> 1. Start at 300 MAIN ST[CT-66], WILLIMANTIC going toward DUNHAM ST - go 1.6 mi 2. Bear to follow CT-66 - go 2.6 mi 3. Continue on WILLIMANTIC RD[US-6] - go 3.9 mi 4. Continue to follow US-6 WEST - go 7.4 mi 5. US-6 WEST becomes I-384 WEST - go 7.5 mi 6. Take ramp onto I-84 WEST - go 2.7 mi 7. Take exit #57 onto CT-15 SOUTH toward N.Y. CITY/CHARTER OAK BR - go 1.1 mi 8. CT-15 SOUTH becomes US-5 SOUTH - go 2.4 mi 9. Take exit #85/CT-99 SOUTH onto SILAS DEANE HWY toward ROCKY HILL/WETHERSFIELD - go 0.4 mi 10. Turn on JORDAN LN[CT-314] - go 1.4 mi 11. Turn to follow CT-314 - go 0.2 mi 12. Turn on VILLAGE DR - go 0.1 mi 13. Arrive at 48 VILLAGE DR APT 204, WETHERSFIELD CALL 860-956-8170 IF YOU NEED HELP. Your Destination: - Zoom Out View Larger Map Traffic Traffic info is not yet available for this area. Find traffic for another area. SmartView tm See locations on this map What's this? 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 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Everyone is invited to join Mike DeRosa, Barbara Barry and myself in a mini-phonathon for organizing and fundraising. Monday, October 18th, 6pm. Mike and Barbara are generously offering the use of their home, so we'll have a land line and whatever cell phones we bring with us. 48 Village Drive, Apt 204, Wethersfield. Mike-can you give us directions? We're going to go to the list of recent donors first. And I think we should target the recent active voters from our annual meeting. And chapter lists, of course. I plan to ask people to get involved in the statewide campaign. I'll target an area of eastern CT and try to get together a group that will host a house party and/or other event(s) for Cliff and/or Ralph and/or Greens which will both raise funds and awareness of the campaign. And maybe form a future chapter, right? We should also have forms to fill out if people want to donate on the spot via credit card. They can choose either to donate to the CTGP, or to any or some of the candidates. We'll need some help from our treasurers and campaign manager here! Pile on the rules. I hope we'll do this every week and that others are doing this in their areas? Let's really use this campaign to organize! Jean -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 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. 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Name: mapimage?MAPData=MitfRfhyzy1BmIiqvQT8nnDsOUy._WzAENPWB5UE1W_329w5OEv0UE0L4W1wX6rNwzc1xR1mngoSSm3D3yMEFcc5z0O3mw.WQNGCQ6JlzOMFApmm Type: application/octet-stream Size: 15014 bytes Desc: not available URL: From greenpartyct at yahoo.com Mon Sep 18 16:33:28 2006 From: greenpartyct at yahoo.com (Green Party-CT) Date: Mon, 18 Sep 2006 13:33:28 -0700 (PDT) Subject: {news} (NEWS RELEASE) THORNTON ANNOUNCES RUNNING MATE Message-ID: <20060918203328.42186.qmail@web81406.mail.mud.yahoo.com> THORNTON FOR GOVERNOR PO Box 1971, Manchester, CT 06045 www.votethornton.com PRESS RELEASE- - FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Cliff Thornton, Green Party Candidate for Governor (860) 657-8438 or (860) 268-1294-Campaign cell For Immediate Release Sept. 18, 2006 Thornton Announces Running Mate Jean M. de Smet of Windham Adds Electoral Experience /Hartford/ - On the north steps of the Connecticut State Capitol on Monday, Sept. 18, Green Party gubernatorial candidate Cliff Thornton announced Jean M. de Smet of Windham as his running mate. An electrician by trade, de Smet, 51, has run for First Selectman of Windham. She experienced some success in 2005, when she collected 28 percent of the vote, besting the Republican candidate. ?After a long and exhaustive search, we determined that Jean was the best person to represent the working people of the state of Connecticut,? Thornton said. ?I am confident that she will not only be a great candidate, but the best Lt. Governor the state has ever had.? Thornton?s campaign has filed the appropriate paperwork with the Secretary of the State to place de Smet on the ballot. The Lieutenant Governor must speak for the people, de Smet said. ?As Lieutenant Governor, I will represent the Voice of the People to the Governor,? de Smet said. ?Money plays too large a role in politics, as we all know. Corporations, lobbyists, legislators and wealthy contributors vie for the ear of the governor. The rest of us need a presence in the governor?s office, and I will be that presence.? de Smet, who is co-chair of the Connecticut Green Party, said her number one priority would be closing the gap between rich and poor. ?I am a construction worker from the most economically depressed area of the state,? de Smet said, noting that she also has a degree in English from the University of Connecticut. ?I will work to bring economic equality to Connecticut by redirecting our priorities into job creation and revitalizing our cities. We can provide good jobs while simultaneously changing the direction of our state into a Green, sustainable future which cares for everyone.? For more information, contact campaign manager Ken Krayeske at 860-995-5842 or ken at votethornton.com Ken Krayeske Campaign Director Thornton for Governor P.O. Box 1971 Manchester, CT 06045 This message is paid for and approved by Thornton for Governor, Max Wentworth, Treasurer* -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From greenpartyct at yahoo.com Mon Sep 18 21:36:35 2006 From: greenpartyct at yahoo.com (Green Party-CT) Date: Mon, 18 Sep 2006 18:36:35 -0700 (PDT) Subject: {news} Using Cam Fin, Reform to exclude Thornton? Message-ID: <20060919013635.71466.qmail@web81410.mail.mud.yahoo.com> Rell seeks debate, but DeStefano wants one-to-one match-up if (document.layers) {document.write(''); document.close();} coreAdsCreate('wnsz_20', 'loc', '100'); (Newington-AP, Sept. 18, 2006 7:50 PM) _ Republican Governor Rell says she welcomes candidates of small parties in debates. Democrat John DeStefano says he wants to debate Rell one-on-one. Green Party candidate Cliff Thornton and Concerned Citizens candidate Joseph Zdonczyk also will appear on the November Seventh ballot. Rell says it makes sense to include all candidates because Connecticut enacted a campaign finance reform law that will provide public funds to candidates who collect enough signatures to qualify in 2010. A spokesman for DeStefano's campaign says neither of the two candidates of the smaller parties would qualify under the new rules because they have not collected enough signatures or raised enough money. No decisions have been made for scheduling debates. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From greenpartyct at yahoo.com Mon Sep 18 21:41:10 2006 From: greenpartyct at yahoo.com (Green Party-CT) Date: Mon, 18 Sep 2006 18:41:10 -0700 (PDT) Subject: {news} Play the "Nurse Avenger" and learn about health care and reform! Message-ID: <20060919014110.60299.qmail@web81407.mail.mud.yahoo.com> Dear single-payer health care supporters - As you may have heard, in an astounding first for all of us, a single-payer bill has passed both the Assembly (House) and the Senate in California; only to be vetoed by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. The Foundation for Taxpayer and Consumer Rights and animators at the Rythm and Hues Studio have developed an online game, "Nurse Avenger," to educate citizens about our health care system and the potential savings and universal coverage that could be gained by a single-payer plan in California. In the words of a recent Tom Paine article: "In the game, players earn points for fighting mobster-styled insurance company reps trying to kill a patient in a hospital bed. Special weapons include Waste Whacker, Voice Mail Avenger, and Purchasing Power. These are the tools with which government can make health care more affordable and accessible." To play Nurse Avenger, learn more about the California Health Plan, or view a "Pirates of the Health Care-ibbean" video, go to: http://www.calhealthplan.org/ Enjoy and learn! John Battista. M.D. CT Coalition For Universal Health Care -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From roseberry3 at cox.net Tue Sep 19 20:50:40 2006 From: roseberry3 at cox.net (B Barry) Date: Tue, 19 Sep 2006 20:50:40 -0400 Subject: {news} agenda for 9-26-06 SCC meeting at new location>>>>>>>>> Portland Senior Center, 7pm to 9pm Message-ID: <20060920005035.PXWS8328.centrmmtao05.cox.net@eastrmimpo01.cox.net> Agenda for 9-26-06 SCC Meeting Place:********* Portland Senior Center, 7 Waverly Avenue, Portland, CT (a block east of Portland Public Library) Phone: 860-342-6760 ******** Time: 7PM to 9PM Facilitator: To Be Determined A. Preliminaries: 1. (1 minute): Introductions of attendees and chapters. Recruit timekeeper. 2. (1 minute): Identify attendees who are NOT voting representatives. 3. (1 minute): Adopt ground rules. 4. (3 minutes): Approval of tonight's proposed agenda, additions and deletions. 5. (3 minutes): Comments and approval of 8-29-06 SCC minutes. 6. (3 minutes): 9-11-06 EC meetings presentation and approval. 7. (3 minutes): Treasurer's report by Christopher Reilly . . Reports: 1. (10 minutes): Discussion about the petition drives/chapter and CTGP endorsement for all CTGP candidates 2. (15 minutes): Discussion of CTGP candidate events and fundraisers and merchandise. 3. (10 minutes): Discussion about stand-in candidates. 4. (5 minutes): Discussion about donations from CTGP PAC to candidates. 5. (10 minutes): Criteria for candidate debates/office. 6. (2 minutes, each for): Chapter reports. 7. (5 minutes): U.S. Green Party report by CTGP representatives: Tim McKee and Charlie Pillsbury. 8. (5 minutes): Budget Committee suggestions 9. (2 minutes): V.O.T.E.R. update: ACLU lawsuit regarding 2005 CT "campaign finance reform" law. 10.(5 minutes): Articles for and deadline for "CT Green Times" newspaper. 11.(5 minutes): Response to CTGP Freedom of Information request to U.S. Dept. of Defense, National Security Agency, Central Security Service; and CTGP response. 12. (2 minutes): Status of CTGP website. 13. Any proposals. www.mapquest.com www.google.com -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From dbedellgreen at hotmail.com Tue Sep 19 20:58:42 2006 From: dbedellgreen at hotmail.com (David Bedell) Date: Wed, 20 Sep 2006 00:58:42 +0000 Subject: {news} RE: NEWS RELEASE: Thornton Announces Running Mate In-Reply-To: <1158664444.1263.2564.m20@yahoogroups.com> Message-ID: Nice webpage for Jean! http://www.votethornton.com/pages/lieutenant.html From efficacy at msn.com Wed Sep 20 06:03:02 2006 From: efficacy at msn.com (clifford thornton) Date: Wed, 20 Sep 2006 06:03:02 -0400 Subject: {news} Polling firm officeradmits faking data Message-ID: Print Article Email Article Article created: 09/20/2006 04:43:26 AM EDT Polling firm officeradmits faking data MICHAEL P. MAYKO mmayko at ctpost.com BRIDGEPORT - The manager of a polling firm admitted Tuesday that he participated in falsifying data and results on at least three surveys in order to meet deadlines for the company's clients, which ranged from President Bush to Mayor John M. Fabrizi's campaigns. Darryl Hilton, 42, of Hamden, became the second principal of DataUSA to plead guilty to participating in a federal wire fraud conspiracy. Earlier this month, Tracy Costin, 46, of Madison, the owner of DataUSA, now known as Viewpoint USA, pleaded guilty to the same charge. A preliminary calculation of the federal sentencing guidelines calls for Hilton to receive from 10 to 16 months in prison when he is sentenced by U.S. District Judge Janet C. Hall on Dec. 11. Hilton is free on bond. Assistant U.S. Attorney Edward Chang said at least four employees of DataUSA, which had offices in West Haven and Guilford, would testify that Hilton instructed them to falsify polls and surveys. The prosecutor further said he had evidence taken from DataUSA's computers that Hilton was involved in completing surveys that were unfinished. Hilton worked for the firm between October 2002 -------------------------------------------------- Advertisement -------------------------------------------------- and December 2004. Court documents disclosed that DataUSA was hired by the campaigns of President Bush, U.S. Sen. Joe Lieberman, D-Conn.; U.S. Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-3, and others to do polling that would be used internally by advisers. The firm's employees would telephone individuals and ask them a list of questions. When the company was up against a deadline, however, and demographic quotas involving gender, race or political affiliation had not been met, changes to those identifying factors would be made. On other occasions, the prosecution said entire surveys would be falsified. At least 10 different jobs were falsified. Prosecutors did not identify the clients of those jobs. One former employee told the FBI that about 50 percent of a survey done for Bush's campaign was falsified. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: clear.gif Type: image/gif Size: 43 bytes Desc: not available URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: 20060225_122455_news_header.gif Type: image/gif Size: 1097 bytes Desc: not available URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: icon-print.gif Type: image/gif Size: 81 bytes Desc: not available URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: icon-email.gif Type: image/gif Size: 82 bytes Desc: not available URL: From greenpartyct at yahoo.com Wed Sep 20 12:47:34 2006 From: greenpartyct at yahoo.com (Green Party-CT) Date: Wed, 20 Sep 2006 09:47:34 -0700 (PDT) Subject: {news} Bush's $15,000 Ct fundraiser Message-ID: <20060920164734.60441.qmail@web81402.mail.mud.yahoo.com> President to visit Greenwich to raise funds Email this story Printer friendly format Top Stories Motivational magic Rell touts extensions of I-95 lanes Domus Foundation gets one step closer to $1 lease with city President to visit Greenwich to raise funds Lieberman vows to re-examine No Child Left Behind Act By Neil Vigdor Staff Writer Published September 20 2006 GREENWICH -- President Bush may be playing it coy about whom he is supporting in Connecticut's Senate race, but he isn't holding anything back when it comes to raising money for state Republicans. The Connecticut native will return Monday to his father's Greenwich hometown for the third time during his presidency, headlining a $15,000 per couple GOP luncheon fundraiser at a private home in the Riverside section of Greenwich. <SCRIPT language='JavaScript1.1' SRC="http://ad.doubleclick.net/adj/N1068.Tribune/B1991927.2;abr=!ie;sz=300x250;ord=3842693?"> </SCRIPT> <NOSCRIPT> <A HREF="http://ad.doubleclick.net/jump/N1068.Tribune/B1991927.2;abr=!ie4;abr=!ie5;sz=300x250;ord=3842693?"> <IMG SRC="http://ad.doubleclick.net/ad/N1068.Tribune/B1991927.2;abr=!ie4;abr=!ie5;sz=300x250;ord=3842693?" BORDER=0 WIDTH=300 HEIGHT=250 ALT="Click Here"></A> </NOSCRIPT> Advertisement adsonar_pid=460763;adsonar_ps=1088707;adsonar_zw=280;adsonar_zh=250;adsonar_jv='ads.adsonar.com'; [input] The White House confirmed Bush's visit yesterday but released few details about the event, which a spokesman said was private. State GOP Chairman George Gallo said the fundraiser will energize the party's faithful. "We're absolutely excited and ecstatic to have the president of the United States come to Connecticut to support the Republican Party and the Republican team," said Gallo, who is hoping to raise about $400,000 from 30 couples. Gallo said proceeds will support the party's effort this fall and its entire ticket, including U.S. Senate nominee Alan Schlesinger. "He's one of our candidates, so absolutely," Gallo said. Schlesinger, a former Derby mayor and former state representative, is trailing incumbent Joseph Lieberman and Democrat Ned Lamont in the Senate contest. Lieberman, who is running as a petitioning candidate after losing the Democratic primary to Lamont, has historically enjoyed strong Republican support. Bush has declined to endorse Schlesinger, fueling speculation that he is supporting Lieberman. Undecided about whether he will attend the fundraiser, Schlesinger said Bush endorsed the party's entire Connecticut ticket in a television interview earlier this month. "The decisions that are being made about my race in the Republican Party are not being made by George Bush, and I appreciate his support," Schlesinger said. A White House spokesman said he was unaware of the interview to which Schlesinger was referring. Campaign aides for U.S. Rep. Christopher Shays, R-Bridgeport, said he will attend Monday's fundraiser. His campaign released a statement yesterday thanking Bush for his support but would not discuss the event further. Shays is facing a rematch of his 2004 close call against Diane Farrell, a former Westport first selectwoman. The Democrat called Bush's appearance a "reward" for Shays, who she said has supported the president on a number of flawed positions, including the Iraq war. Greenwich has been home to multiple generations of Bushes, including former President Bush and his father, the late Prescott Bush, who served as U.S. senator from Connecticut. The president's uncle and second cousin still live in Greenwich. Copyright ? 2006, Southern Connecticut Newspapers, Inc. ? 2006, Southern Connecticut Newspapers, Inc. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited. Terms of Service | Privacy Policy ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Tim McKee cell (860) 778-1304 or (860) 643-2282 Cliff Thornton for Governor- Campaign Manager- National Committee Member of the Green Party(Connecticut) Paid for by Thornton For Governor ,Donna Byrne-McKee, treasurer- www.VoteThornton.com email: info at votethornton.com -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From greenpartyct at yahoo.com Wed Sep 20 12:50:09 2006 From: greenpartyct at yahoo.com (Green Party-CT) Date: Wed, 20 Sep 2006 09:50:09 -0700 (PDT) Subject: {news} House to consider national voter ID bill today Message-ID: <20060920165009.42376.qmail@web81401.mail.mud.yahoo.com> listadmin at electionline.org wrote: From: To: Subject: electionline.org ALERT (September 20, 2006): House to consider national voter ID bill today Date: Wed, 20 Sep 2006 12:32:31 -0400 According to reports in The Hill and elsewhere, the U.S. House of Representatives will debate H.R. 4844, the "Federal Election Integrity Act of 2006" sponsored by Rep. Henry Hyde (R-IL). The bill was reported out of the House Administration Committee on a party-line vote last week. The Congressional Research Service summarizes the bill thus: Amends the National Voter Registration Act of 1993 to require any individual who desires to register or re-register to vote in an election for federal office to provide the appropriate state election official with proof that the individual is a U.S. citizen. Requires proof of citizenship in states without a registration requirement and states permitting same day registration. Amends the Help America Vote Act of 2002 to prohibit the appropriate state or local election official from: (1) providing a ballot for an election for federal office to an individual who desires to vote in person unless the individual presents to the official a current and valid photo ID; or (2) accepting any ballot of an individual voting by mail without a copy of a current photo ID. According the rule (H. Res. 1015) adopted yesterday, debate on the bill will consist of a) one hour on the bill itself and b) up to one hour on a motion to recommit (i.e., to send the bill back to committee with or without instructions) - both equally divided between the majority and minority. A vote on the bill will then follow. We will continue to monitor the debate and provide updates as warranted. Doug Chapin, Director --------------------------------- electionline Weekly and electionline.org ALERTS are 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 messages from electionline.org, please click here. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Tim McKee cell (860) 778-1304 or (860) 643-2282 Cliff Thornton for Governor- Campaign Manager- National Committee Member of the Green Party(Connecticut) Paid for by Thornton For Governor ,Donna Byrne-McKee, treasurer- www.VoteThornton.com email: info at votethornton.com -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From greenpartyct at yahoo.com Thu Sep 21 05:02:26 2006 From: greenpartyct at yahoo.com (Green Party-CT) Date: Thu, 21 Sep 2006 02:02:26 -0700 (PDT) Subject: {news} Nader attacks Hillary, endorses Hawkins Message-ID: <20060921090226.60980.qmail@web81402.mail.mud.yahoo.com> By the NewsMax.com Staff For the story behind the story... Tuesday, Sept. 19, 2006 11:26 p.m. EDT Ralph Nader Attacks Hillary Consumer activist Ralph Nader, not ruling out a fourth run for president himself, said Tuesday that Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton was already running for the White House and could face Sen. John McCain in the 2008 election. "If she is a candidate in the Democratic primary with three other white men, she is going to win the primary," Nader said during a campaign stop in Albany in which he endorsed Clinton's Green Party challenger, Howie Hawkins, in this year's New York Senate race. "Then, it's down to her versus McCain." Nader, the Green Party's presidential candidate in 2000, said he wasn't sure who would win a Clinton-McCain showdown. The three-time losing presidential contender said he would probably decide by the middle of next year whether to make another third-party run, but had no doubt about Clinton's intentions. Story Continues Below "They are already planning her campaign," Nader said. "There is no doubt in the world. You couldn't get any odds in Las Vegas on this." Nader complained that Clinton had sold out to corporate interests in pursuit of campaign contributions and political power. "She's become a profound corporate Democrat marching arm in arm with major corporate lobbyists toward the White House instead of representing the people's interests," Nader said. Clinton campaign adviser Howard Wolfson declined to comment on Nader's remarks. Meanwhile, the anti-Iraq war activist who was crushed by Clinton in last week's Democratic Senate primary said Tuesday he would not support her re-election bid and called on his supporters to vote against her. Christians suffering for their faith! Find out more! The GOP Surprise Attack on Democrats Can Pheromones Fix Your Relationship? New Stock Market Report - Limited Time Offer! "I urge my supporters and the people who voted for me to vote their conscience," said Jonathan Tasini. "Every vote that is not cast for the incumbent is a clear repudiation of an immoral war." The reaction from the Clinton camp was curt: "Who cares?" said Wolfson. Tasini, a former president of the National Writers' Union, did not endorse any specific candidate in the Senate race, which many see as a prelude to a 2008 White House run by the former first lady. Asked Monday night on Comedy Central's "The Daily Show" about the prospect of his wife making such a run, former President Clinton said once again that he didn't know if she would run or not. "I know this," he added. "If she did run and win, she'd be great; she'd be really good." Among others, Clinton faces former Yonkers Mayor John Spencer, a conservative Republican supporter of the war, and Hawkins, an anti-war Green Party contender, in the November election. Hawkins held a fundraiser with Nader in Albany before their joint news conference at which Nader took Clinton to task for accepting hefty corporate campaign contributions and said Hawkins should be in any Senate debates she agrees to. In the campaign leading up to her primary victory, Clinton refused to debate Tasini and largely ignored his candidacy. "Hillary Clinton has surrendered her integrity, her principles and her past beliefs in order to gain the arrogance of power and what she expects to be a coronation on Election Day in New York state," Nader said. "Don't let her get away with it." Tasini brought up the debate issue again on Tuesday. "I intend on continuing to raise the issues I care about in the coming weeks and beyond," he said. "First and foremost, I will lobby for and support the inclusion in all public debates of all legally qualified candidates, regardless of poll numbers or money raised or spent." In the Democratic primary, Clinton collected almost 600,000 votes to fewer than 120,000 for Tasini. Appearing on a radio talk show Tuesday, Republican Spencer expressed frustration that Clinton has refused to be pinned down about when and where she would debate him. Aides have said she will debate, but have offered no specifics. "Hillary Clinton is hiding and sending out her little talking dogs to bark about John Spencer," the GOP challenger told Albany's WROW-AM. Spencer took Clinton to task for a host of things, including what he said was her failure to defend Pope Benedict XVI, who is under attack from Muslims for comments he made last week about Islam. "I call on Sen. Clinton, if she's going to be a leader, to stand up right now on behalf of Catholics and defend the pope," said Spencer, a Roman Catholic. "I'm appalled no one is defending the pope." Asked about the pope controversy at an event in Washington, Clinton said the harsh attacks on the pope were wrong. "It's just outrageous and offensive that people would be threatening violence against him based on what he said, especially when there is so much they should be working on together," Clinton said. ? 2006 Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Editor's note: -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From greenpartyct at yahoo.com Thu Sep 21 05:16:37 2006 From: greenpartyct at yahoo.com (Green Party-CT) Date: Thu, 21 Sep 2006 02:16:37 -0700 (PDT) Subject: {news} Rell Backs off Debates (Green and "Guilty Party" mentioned) Message-ID: <20060921091637.48883.qmail@web81406.mail.mud.yahoo.com> Rell Backs Off Debate Stance Dropping Insistence On 4-Way Event May Open Door To 1-On-1 With DeStefano ADVERTISERS --------------------------------- Advertise on ctnow -->By CHRISTOPHER KEATING Capitol Bureau Chief September 21 2006 Shifting from her previous stance, Gov. M. Jodi Rell said Wednesday that "everything is on the table" regarding a possible one-on-one debate with her main challenger, Democrat John DeStefano Jr. Since negotiations began with an exchange of letters in August, Rell's campaign had repeatedly insisted on a four-way debate that would include DeStefano and two minor-party candidates who have qualified for the Nov. 7 ballot. With the issue of debate formats heating up this week, Rell softened her position Wednesday, allowing that a one-on-one debate with DeStefano would be possible. "Everything is on the table as far as what kind of debates, who would be included, how many," Rell said outside her office at the state Capitol. "I'm not ruling out anything." Rell spoke only minutes after DeStefano's running mate, lieutenant-governor candidate Mary Glassman, held a news conference outside the Capitol to denounce Rell's stance. "It's cheating the voters by not allowing a one-on-one debate," Glassman said. "Why is the governor - who is popular, who is ahead in the polls - refusing to debate one on one? She doesn't want to debate." Glassman's news conference came one day after DeStefano said Rell was avoiding a forum in which the two main candidates could discuss the most important issues facing the state. DeStefano's campaign has said Rell is not only avoiding debates but failing to show up at events where both candidates have been asked to speak, including recent ones in Berlin and Hartford. But Rell's campaign spokesman, Rich Harris, said Rell is holding a full-time job as governor and must routinely turn down invitations to events. Rell did not attend a conference on disabilities in Hartford over the weekend because she had "a dozen" invitations - not because she wanted to avoid DeStefano, Harris said. "You know what?" Harris said. "We don't care where he goes. I know this is going to come as a shock to John. We don't know and we don't care where he goes. They can run their schedule, and we'll run ours." Rell's position on debates has evolved this week. On Monday, she told reporters in Newington that all candidates should be invited - in the same way that Democratic U.S. Sen. Christopher J. Dodd appeared with minor-party candidates in two four-way debates in 2004. On Tuesday, Rell and her campaign reiterated that stance. DeStefano's campaign says talks broke down then, prompting Glassman to hold her press conference Wednesday in an attempt to jump-start the issue. The campaign also sent an e-mail Wednesday to supporters, asking them to participate in a New Haven TV station's online poll that asked whether Rell should debate DeStefano one-on-one. But Harris said Rell has not changed her position because she never issued any ultimatums regarding the debates. Clifford W. Thornton Jr., who is on the ballot as the Green Party candidate, said he wants to participate in a debate because he will raise issues the other candidates will not discuss - such as decriminalization of drugs. "Rell wants me in the debates, obviously, because it will be less face time for DeStefano," Thornton said. "DeStefano is not democratic. He's not using the true sense of democracy." Concerned Citizens Party candidate Joseph Zdonczyk, a longtime candidate who has run for governor at least four times, said he will participate in any debate, but questions Rell's motivations. His campaign is based on several platforms, including opposition to abortion, the death penalty and embryonic stem cell research. "Rell is a clever politician. She got her training from John Rowland," Zdonczyk said. "She's not doing this for altruistic purposes. It's purely political. Absolutely." State Republican Chairman George Gallo noted that DeStefano has appeared in mayoral debates with multiple candidates, including one from the "Guilty Party," when he was running for re-election in 2005. "When he was running for mayor, he had no problem including third-party candidates," Gallo said. "When he's running for governor, he's taking a different tune." Copyright 2006, Hartford Courant --------------------------------- =0)document.write(unescape('%3C')+'\!-'+'-') //--> -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From efficacy at msn.com Thu Sep 21 10:08:26 2006 From: efficacy at msn.com (clifford thornton) Date: Thu, 21 Sep 2006 10:08:26 -0400 Subject: {news} FOCUS | Poll: 77% Say Congress Doesn't Deserve Re-Election Message-ID: Subject: FOCUS | Poll: 77% Say Congress Doesn't Deserve Re-Election FOCUS | Poll: 77% Say Congress Doesn't Deserve Re-Election http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/092106Z.shtml With barely seven weeks until the midterm elections, Americans have an overwhelmingly negative view of the Republican-controlled Congress, with substantial majorities saying that they disapprove of the job it is doing and that its members do not deserve re-election, according to the latest New York Times/CBS News poll. The disdain for Congress is as intense as it has been since 1994, when Republicans captured 52 seats to end 40 years of Democratic control of the House and retook the Senate as well. Throw - Something - in the Hat Thursday 21 September 2006 It's crunch time, folks. You don't need to fund this project all by yourself. Just throw - something - in the hat. TIA. Just click this link for our secure donation form: https://secure.entango.com/donate/pkXd5Fr9GE4?mail If you prefer to donate via your PayPal account: http://www.truthout.org/paypal.shtml VIDEO | Keith Olbermann: This Hole in the Ground http://www.truthout.org/multimedia.htm Keith Olbermann: "How dare you, Mr. President, after taking cynical advantage of the unanimity and love, and transmuting it into fraudulent war and needless death, after monstrously transforming it into fear and suspicion and turning that fear into the campaign slogan of three elections? How dare you - or those around you - ever 'spin' 9/11? Just as the terrorists have succeeded - are still succeeding - as long as there is no memorial and no construction here at Ground Zero. So, too, have they succeeded, and are still succeeding as long as this government uses 9/11 as a wedge to pit Americans against Americans." VIDEO | Veterans, Military Families Launch Camp Democracy A Report by Geoffrey Millard and Scott Galindez http://www.truthout.org/multimedia.htm Veterans and military family members, many of whom came directly from Camp Casey, set up camp on the mall in Washington, DC. "Camp Democracy," a 17-day event, will focus not only on ending the war but also on righting injustices here at home and on holding the Bush administration and Congress accountable. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From greenpartyct at yahoo.com Thu Sep 21 18:35:06 2006 From: greenpartyct at yahoo.com (Green Party-CT) Date: Thu, 21 Sep 2006 15:35:06 -0700 (PDT) Subject: {news} Green Party Candidate excluded from debtaes Message-ID: <20060921223506.13219.qmail@web81415.mail.mud.yahoo.com> Green Party Candidate Excluded From Debates By Lauren Garrison Norwalk Citizen Although he collected the requisite number of signatures to appear on the ballot in the Nov. 7 election, Richard Duffee, the Green Party candidate for the 4th Congressional District, is not been invited to participate in the League of Women Voters' debates. The other candidates in the race Republican incumbent Christopher Shays, Democrat Diane Farrell and Libertarian Phil Maymin will take part in the debates, which are scheduled on Oct. 5 at 7 p.m. at Norwalk Community College and on Oct. 17 at 7:30 p.m. at the Clune Performing Arts Center of Wilton High School. In an e-mail to the Norwalk Citizen-News on Monday, Duffee said he'd been notified that he was not invited because he "had not shown sufficient evidence of broad voter support or of broad financial support." "I asked how much voter support was broad and how much financial support was broad but have so far received no answer," Duffee wrote. The LWV describes itself as "a nonpartisan, nonprofit political organization that encourages the informed and active participation of citizens in government." According to the Connecticut LWV's Web site, to participate in debates a candidate must demonstrate that he or she has "ballot access in accordance with Connecticut election laws; a formal campaign (headquarters, staff, position papers, campaign appearances); evidence of broad voter support (can be evidenced by number of volunteers); and financial support (contributions from a significant number of contributors indicating broad-based support)." A committee consisting of the Connecticut LWV's two co-presidents, vice president of communications, vice president of voter services and treasurer determines if candidates meet these requirements. To most effectively keep voters informed, the committee tries to be "as inclusive as possible" in inviting candidates to share their views at debates, Vice President of Voter Services Karen Rosen said in a telephone interview Tuesday. "We understand and believe that ideas that come from third parties are often the ideas that make the difference," she said. So why isn't Duffee, who has expressed strong views on a number of issues on his Web site and blog and in position papers, being asked to share his ideas? According to Rosen, the LWV has no specific criteria to determine if a candidate's support is "broad." Rather, the committee considers each candidate's volunteers and donors and asks questions such as "Are they all from the candidate's party, or from other parties as well?" and "Are they all from one town, or are they spread out in the district?" Rosen explained that this type of analysis provides a more accurate representation of the candidate's chances in the election than the number of signatures he receives to be included on the ballot, since those signatures indicate nothing about the signers' intention to vote for the candidate. "Just because people sign those things doesn't mean they're going to vote for [the candidate]," said Rosen. "Let's face it every time I see one of those things, I'll sign it because if that person is taking the initiative, I want them to have the opportunity to run for office." A volunteer or donor who has supported the candidate throughout the campaign is much more likely to vote for him in the election, she said. In addition, Rosen noted, the LWV does have a process by which a candidate excluded from the debates may appeal. In a telephone interview Wednesday, Duffee said he feels the LWV's procedure for determining candidate eligibility for the debates is "arbitrary." A system that clearly outlines the requirements for eligibility in terms of numbers of volunteers and amounts of funding would be much more appropriate and objective, he said. Without such concrete standards, it is impossible to determine that "only the things you say are relevant are affecting the [committee's decision]," he said. Furthermore, Duffee believes the way the LWV determines eligibility is fundamentally flawed because it focuses on campaign funding. "We're in the middle of horrific electoral corruption," said Duffee. "To say that the more money you have, the more viable your candidacy is seems to me to be a notion that really should be outmoded by now." On the one hand, he said, the LWV, "is backing things like public finance of elections," while on the other hand it is "saying that private collection of funds is a criterion for being allowed to speak to the public. So that's quite contradictory." In addition to his belief that requiring a candidate to collect private funds in order to have a "viable campaign" is wrong, Duffee is a strong opponent of wasting money in general. "Money shouldn't be wasted on campaigns," he said. Duffee said he has friends and relatives in India living on around $40 a month, and his own family has a policy of donating any income it earns over the world average to people who have less. "We give to people who have less money because of the law of diminishing returns, which states that the amount of human benefit that's to be derived from an expenditure depends upon the income level of the expenditure." That is, when Duffee sends money to India, the recipients benefit significantly more from the extra purchasing power than Duffee himself would. Duffee said he thinks any candidate on the ballot should be allowed in the debates, whether or not his or her campaign is considered to be "viable." Duffee said he does not have any hopes of winning the election but is aiming to capture 1 percent of the votes, which would ensure that the Green Party's candidate in the next election would not have to go through the time-consuming process of collecting signatures to appear on the ballot and could instead use the time to focus on the campaign. By running for office, Duffee said he's trying to get his views heard and make people realize that Shays needs to leave office for the good of the country. Duffee said he thinks that when people hear his views, they will be compelled to side with him rather than Shays. But rather than vote for Duffee, he believes they are likely to give their votes to Farrell, whose opinions are more closely aligned with his own than are Shays' and who has a much better shot of winning the election. Duffee has been informed of the LWV's appeal process and said he might make use of it. Neither Shays nor Farrell could be reached for comment before press time, but on Wednesday, Jan Spiegel, a spokeswoman for Farrell's campaign, said Farrell believes "it is up to the organizers of the debate to set the rules." Similarly, Michael Sohn, Shays' campaign manager, said, "It was left up to the debate organizers to choose which candidates they wanted to [participate]." Also on Wednesday, Maymin said he had no comment about Duffee's exclusion. "I would debate any of my opponents any time if there was enough public support and an impartial moderator," he said. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From eaton at spazmo.com Fri Sep 22 12:09:06 2006 From: eaton at spazmo.com (Bob Eaton) Date: Fri, 22 Sep 2006 12:09:06 -0400 Subject: {news} Green Party Candidate excluded from debtaes In-Reply-To: <20060921223506.13219.qmail@web81415.mail.mud.yahoo.com> References: <20060921223506.13219.qmail@web81415.mail.mud.yahoo.com> Message-ID: I remember I used to think LWV meant "League of Woman Voters". I guess it really means "League of Wealthy Voters". -- Bob Eaton / Head Spazmo http://www.spazmo.com Patriot ? Lemming From greenpartyct at yahoo.com Fri Sep 22 16:49:23 2006 From: greenpartyct at yahoo.com (Green Party-CT) Date: Fri, 22 Sep 2006 13:49:23 -0700 (PDT) Subject: {news} Fwd: [VoteThornton] Shut out! Message-ID: <20060922204923.28402.qmail@web81402.mail.mud.yahoo.com> ken krayeske wrote: To: Clifford Thornton , CTGP-elections at yahoogroups.com From: ken krayeske Date: Fri, 22 Sep 2006 16:34:12 -0400 Subject: [VoteThornton] Shut out! On. Sept 1, 2006, Gov. M. Jodi Rell's campaign said that the Governor "strongly believes that Mr. Thronton deserves a place in any debate." On Sept. 22, 2006, Gov. M. Jodi Rell's campaign announced that Cliff Thornton would not be included in gubernatorial debates. Campaign manager Kevin Deneen said the Democrats did not want the Greens to participate. Derek Slap, the spokesman for DeStefano, said that it was the Republicans fault. They both lied. Clear as day. The Thornton for Governor campaign and all the people it represents has been effectively shut out of the debates. And not only that, they did it on a Friday so it runs in the least read news cycle. We are calling on all Green Party members and sympathizers to contact their state elected officials, the Rell campaign (860) 232-7355, the DeStefano campaign (203) 752-0545 and all newspapers to protest this injustice. We are formulating plans to determine what our next approach should be. We will not take this sitting down, but we want to be sure that we use this moment to unite people and not divide people or be seen as radical outsiders. This is a travesty to democracy, and we need to use this to our advantage. Thank you all for your continued support, and I implore and urge you to voice your discontent with this decision, as soon as possible. -- Peace, Ken Krayeske Campaign Director Thornton for Governor P.O. Box 1971 Manchester, CT 06045 860-995-5842 *This message is paid for and approved by Thornton for Governor, Max Wentworth, Treasurer* __._,_.___ Messages in this topic (1) Reply (via web post) | Start a new topic Messages | Files | Photos | Links | Database | Polls | Members | Calendar Change settings via the Web (Yahoo! ID required) Change settings via email: Switch delivery to Daily Digest | Switch format to Traditional Visit Your Group | Yahoo! Groups Terms of Use | Unsubscribe Visit Your Group SPONSORED LINKS Campaign and election American politics Yahoo! News Odd News You won't believe it, but it's true Yahoo! TV "The 9" Daily count down of top Web finds. Yahoo! Groups Start a group in 3 easy steps. Connect with others. . __,_._,___ ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Tim McKee cell (860) 778-1304 or (860) 643-2282 Cliff Thornton for Governor- Campaign Manager- National Committee Member of the Green Party(Connecticut) Paid for by Thornton For Governor, Max Wentworth, Treasurer- www.VoteThornton.com email: info at votethornton.com -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From efficacy at msn.com Sat Sep 23 05:11:36 2006 From: efficacy at msn.com (clifford thornton) Date: Sat, 23 Sep 2006 05:11:36 -0400 Subject: {news} Sen. Lieberman in bed with uber-Prohibitionist/Republican Money Man Mel Sembler Message-ID: Thornton for Governor PO Box 1971 Manchester, CT 06045 votethornton at yahoogroups.com www.votethornton.com 860 657 8438-H 860 268 1294-C 860 778 1304-Tim Mckee-Campaign Manager 860 293 0222-Ken Krayeske-field Manager Paid for by Thornton For Governor Max H. Wentworth, Treasurer Subject: ARO: Sen. Lieberman in bed with uber-Prohibitionist/Republican Money Man Mel Sembler Hello all, With Sembler-funded Calvina Fay out in CO attacking SAFER and marijuana law reform, seeing Lieberman go to FL to soak Sembler and friends for money makes Ned Lamont look all the better. What do Sembler, Lieberman and drug policy have to with each other? Turns out they share much in common as Sembler used to help fund Lieberman and Bill Bennett's 'Empower America's anti-drug junkets and speaking gigs. If Lieberman wins re-election, Prohibitionists like the Semblers will continue to have strong access to influential members of the House and Senate. Want to know more about the Semblers? http://www.thestraights.com/index.htm http://melvinandbettysembler.blogspot.com/ Regards, -Allen NORML http://news.google.com/news?client=safari&rls=en-us&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&tab=wn &ncl=http://www.journalinquirer.com/site/news.cfm%3Fnewsid%3D17230249%26BRD% 3D985%26PAG%3D461%26dept_id%3D161556%26rfi%3D6&hl=en Florida Republican raises money for Lieberman Wed Sep 20, 2006 10:11 PM ET ST. PETERSBURG, Florida (Reuters) - Democrat Joe Lieberman got some help from a prominent Florida Republican on Wednesday night in his bid to win re-election to the U.S. Senate from Connecticut as an independent. Lieberman attended a fund-raising reception hosted for him by Mel Sembler, a former finance committee chairman for the Republican National Committee. Lieberman lost the Democratic Senate primary in Connecticut on August 8 to Ned Lamont, who made Lieberman's support for the Iraq war the main issue of his campaign. He immediately filed to run as an independent in the November 7 general election against Lamont and Republican nominee Alan Schlesinger. In addition to his fund-raising work for the RNC, Sembler was also the U.S. ambassador to Italy during President George W. Bush's first term and the ambassador to Australia during the term of Bush's father, George H.W. Bush. About 100 guests attended the event at Sembler's office in St. Petersburg. His company develops shopping centers in Florida and nearby states. Guests were asked to contribute a minimum of $1,000 up to a maximum of $2,100 to Lieberman's campaign. The reception was closed to the media. New York Republican Mayor Michael Bloomberg said last week he would host a fund-raiser for Lieberman in New York on November 1 with former Democratic Mayor Ed Koch as one of the co-hosts. -end- -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From efficacy at msn.com Sat Sep 23 05:35:41 2006 From: efficacy at msn.com (clifford thornton) Date: Sat, 23 Sep 2006 05:35:41 -0400 Subject: {news} Fw: Draft- GP RELEASE Greens call for sane drug policy & end to the War on Drugs Message-ID: Just in case you did not get this. I think when Tim and I went to Arizona in July it paid off. Cliff Thornton for Governor PO Box 1971 Manchester, CT 06045 votethornton at yahoogroups.com www.votethornton.com 860 657 8438-H 860 268 1294-C 860 778 1304-Tim Mckee-Campaign Manager 860 293 0222-Ken Krayeske-field Manager Paid for by Thornton For Governor Max H. Wentworth, Treasurer ----- Original Message ----- From: Scott McLarty To: usgp-media at gp-us.org ; elizarnone at comcast.net ; j.coplen at comcast.net ; newtribe at hughes.net ; budd.dickinson at greens.org ; scooter at guisarme.net ; rebelrot at yahoo.com ; echothegreen at riseup.net ; jodyhaug at hotmail.com ; secretary at gp.org ; brent at gp.org ; emily at gp.org ; gerritt at mindspring.com ; cottry at sbcglobal.net ; byron at globalpeacesolution.org ; cbrouillet at igc.org ; Bpaparian at aol.com ; rhgray at earthlink.net ; efficacy at msn.com ; rwhitney at mychoice.net ; EddieBoyd2001 at yahoo.com ; kzeese at earthlink.net ; gracegrnrnbw at aol.com ; jstein at massmed.org ; jill at masschc.org ; wmv01462 at hotmail.com ; craig at bergland4governor.org ; hhawkins at igc.org ; green_sallyk at yahoo.com ; sander at voxpopnet.net ; rhill3 at optonline.net ; treichler at usadatanet.net ; bob at bobforohio.com ; paddy at columbus.rr.com ; Rhannon at toast.net ; mjr91 at aol.com ; Christopherlugo at aol.com ; aarondixon1 at comcast.net ; media at aarondixon.org ; joeszwaja at earthlink.net ; aram at aramfalsafi.com ; ltd at boblevis.com ; levis509 at hotmail.com ; rae-v at charter.net ; jdt at itol.com ; keith.ware at soundofhope.org ; chrisotten2 at yahoo.com ; jarpaul at verizon.net ; adam at mintwood.com ; enrages at bellatlantic.net Sent: Friday, September 22, 2006 11:37 AM Subject: Draft- GP RELEASE Greens call for sane drug policy & end to the War on Drugs Hi folks This is a rough draft -- send edits. If someone can send more concrete figures on incarceration rates, especially the percentage of people in prison on drug convictions and the rate of imprisonment of African American men, we'll work them in. There are several quotes for which we need volunteers. I sent this draft to some congressional candidates too, but we should especially feature the names of candidates for state office (governor, etc.) in this release. Tell me which quote you prefer and your campaign web site address, and let us know if you've been involved in any kind of activism related to drugs (advocacy for change in drug policy, medical marijuana legalization campaigns, needle exchange, etc.). We should also get out a release on the news about warships being ordered to sail for Iran. Draft soon. Scott * * * * * GREEN PARTY OF THE UNITED STATES http://www.gp.org For Immediate Release: Monday, September 25, 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 call for an end to the War on Drugs and enactment of sane drug laws that treat addiction as a medical problem WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Green candidates and leaders called for an end to the 'war on drugs,' calling national and state drug policy a 'war on American citizens' and a waste of national resources. "Draconian drug laws, mandatory sentencing, zero tolerance, and 'three strikes' statutes have been used to lock away hundreds of thousands of young people, poor people, African Americans and other people of color in prisons and prevent them from living productive lives," said _______. "The Green Party recognizes drug addiction as a medical problem. Addicts should be treated as patients, not as criminals." Greens especially called for immediate decriminalization of marijuana, citing an FBI annual Uniform Crime Report that police arrested an estimated 786,545 persons for marijuana violations in 2005, the highest number ever recorded, and that 88% of these were charged with mere possession. "Marijuana prohibition needs to be repealed immediately -- death from marijuana use is nearly zero, while hundreds of thousands die every year from using alcohol and nicotine," said _______. "Locking up Americans for such offenses is a waste of lives, and a waste of billions of taxpayer dollars. Furthermore, the prohibition against medical marijuana has denied relief for people who suffer various symptoms of AIDS and other serious diseases, just as prohibition in many states against needle exchange has allowed HIV to spread faster." "Politicians who are afraid of being labeled 'soft on crime' have enacted laws that have only aggravated public health problems related to drug use," added _______. "They drove addicts underground when they needed medical help. They increased the spread of drug-related violence, which is a result of drug prohibition, not a result of the drugs themselves. They turned young people into hardened criminals, and placed a third of young African American men behind bars at some point in their lives. The real crime is the war on drugs." "The use of drugs by wealthy, powerful people like Bill Clinton or George W. Bush is considered a youthful indiscretion to be overlooked, while for middle class and especially poor Americans, it's something that deserves years of jail time," [SAME PERSON] added. Green Party leaders noted that the war on drugs, supported by both Democratic and Republican parties, has been used as an excuse for massive rights violations, especially denial of Fourth Amendment guarantees against warrantless search and seizure and Fifth Amendment guarantees of due process, and for military attacks against Colombia, Panama, and other Latin American countries. "There is almost no difference between Democratic and Republican administrations or majorities in Congress when it comes to drug policy," said _______. "The war on drugs has been an obvious model for President Bush's so-called war on terror. Both programs attempt to induce fear in the American public and target certain populations for vilification and incarceration. Both programs benefit corporate lobbies with enormous political influence -- the defense and security industries, and the growing private prison business that makes its profits by filling up cells." 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 campaign listings, news, photos, and web sites http://www.gp.org/2006elections Database of 2006 Green candidates http://www.greens.org/elections Video clips of Green candidates http://www.gp.org/2006elections/media.shtml Green Party News Center http://www.gp.org/newscenter.shtml Efficacy: Drug Policy Reform Now http://www.efficacy-online.org/ ~ END ~ __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From efficacy at msn.com Sat Sep 23 06:56:21 2006 From: efficacy at msn.com (clifford thornton) Date: Sat, 23 Sep 2006 06:56:21 -0400 Subject: {news} Rell: Debates On--Democracy at its worst Message-ID: http://www.courant.com/news/politics/hc-govdebate0923.artsep23,0,730364.story?coll=hc-headlines-politics-state Rell: Debates On September 23, 2006 By CHRISTOPHER KEATING, Capitol Bureau Chief In a complete turnaround from her original position, Gov. M. Jodi Rell said Friday she would appear in two, one-on-one debates with Democratic challenger John DeStefano, but no other forums. The announcement partially satisfied the DeStefano camp, which had repeatedly accused Rell of sidestepping a showdown with him, but it enraged two third-party candidates who will have no chance to confront the incumbent directly. The debates are expected to be televised, but dates, locations and formats still are being negotiated. The major-party candidates for lieutenant governor - Republican Michael Fedele and Democrat Mary Glassman - will meet for one debate, but those details also are still being discussed. Rell initially had said she would participate only in debates that included all candidates on the November ballot. The Green Party candidate, Clifford W. Thornton, and his campaign manager were so angry at being excluded that they stormed over to Rell's campaign headquarters in Hartford with a friend who was carrying a video camera. They filmed their confrontation with Rell's campaign manager, Kevin Deneen. "I feel like the two parties lied to us," said Ken Krayeske, Thornton's campaign manager. "Call it double-crossed. Call it stabbed in the back. Call it what you want. I'm pretty upset about this. ... I don't believe Kevin Deneen expected to see our faces today. Perhaps we were too confrontational." Rell's campaign spokesman, Rich Harris, said Krayeske's ire was misplaced because DeStefano, not the governor, had consistently sought a two-candidate debate. "We think he ought to be angry at John DeStefano," Harris said. "He should not feel like he was used by the Rell campaign. There was never an attempt by the Rell campaign to use any of the minor-party candidates as pawns. ... Did he storm down to John DeStefano's office and videotape an angry confrontation with [campaign manager] Henry Fernandez?" The debate over the debates had been simmering for weeks, but it boiled over this week as time began running out before the Nov. 7 election. Eventually, Rell decided the issue had to be resolved, Harris said, so she agreed Friday to the one-on-one confrontation with DeStefano. DeStefano had accused Rell of avoiding him not only in a formal debate but in other venues in which both have been asked to speak. By agreeing to two debates, Rell avoided having four forums, which was common in previous gubernatorial elections. With a lead of 32 percentage points in the latest Quinnipiac University poll, Rell has nothing to gain by participating in numerous debates, Republican insiders said. Additional debates essentially would be giving free air time to the cash-strapped DeStefano campaign. In his battle with Rell, the Democrat has been at a severe fiscal disadvantage after draining his coffers to win the Democratic primary in August. DeStefano did not air any television commercials for six weeks before going back on the air Friday. DeStefano's spokesman, Derek Slap, said the two major-party candidates now can have a robust debate on health care, taxes, energy and other major issues confronting the state. "I view this as a victory for voters, who are going to have some real opportunities to contrast" the two major candidates, Slap said. "I think [Rell] felt the public pressure that voters really expected and demanded debates - certainly one-on-one debates." Third-party candidate Joseph Zdonczyk, of the Concerned Citizens Party, said it was particularly unfortunate and ironic that he was being left out in the present political climate. He said democracy was being stifled at the same time that Americans are dying in Iraq in order to spread democracy. "It's two cheap politicians playing cheap politics," Zdonczyk said Friday. "You have two narrow views - Republicans and Democrats. Who is representing the 870,000 unaffiliated voters in Connecticut? Nobody. It's obvious that the people's concerns have been shut out." Democrats and Republicans blamed each other for the ill will. "I think this governor doesn't want to debate," Glassman said. "She doesn't want to answer for her record of the past 12 years - 10 under Gov. [John G.] Rowland. We're disappointed and surprised that she abandoned her previous position of including the other candidates." Harris responded, "That's either the most ironic or most fatuous statement Mary Glassman has made to date. That is truly fatuous." Contact Christopher Keating at ckeating at courant.com. Thornton for Governor PO Box 1971 Manchester, CT 06045 votethornton at yahoogroups.com www.votethornton.com 860 657 8438-H 860 268 1294-C 860 778 1304-Tim Mckee-Campaign Manager 860 293 0222-Ken Krayeske-field Manager Paid for by Thornton For Governor Max H. Wentworth, Treasurer -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From greenpartyct at yahoo.com Sat Sep 23 07:54:41 2006 From: greenpartyct at yahoo.com (Green Party-CT) Date: Sat, 23 Sep 2006 04:54:41 -0700 (PDT) Subject: {news} (NEWS RELEASE)THORNTON CALLS ENDING VIOLENCE IN CITIES A TOP PRIORITY Message-ID: <20060923115442.80783.qmail@web81409.mail.mud.yahoo.com> THORNTON FOR GOVERNOR PO Box 1971, Manchester, CT 06045 www.votethornton.com PRESS RELEASE- - FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Thursday, September, 21,2006 Contact: Cliff Thornton, Green Party Candidate for Governor (860) 657-8438 or (860) 268-1294-Campaign cell Thornton Calls Ending Violence in Cities, ATop Priority, While Rell and DeStephano Only Skirt the Issue Hartford,CT-Cliff Thornton, Green Party Candidate for Governor, issued a statement saying the violence and shootings in the cities as a top priority and questioned Gov. Rell and New Haven Mayor John DeStephano commitment ending the issue. He challenged them to debate the issue as a sole topic in a debate and let the people decide who has better ideas on ending the violence. "Both of the other candidates have shown time and again their ideas will not end the killings and have really increased the prices of drugs on the street." Thornton said. He added "New Haven has had a terrible summer with violence and I challenge the Mayor to meet me and discuss the problems in debates while Rell is ducking the issue and has not offered any NEW ideas." Thornton, a world wide speaker on the drug war said "I have called for ending the drug war and helping people with drug problems by increasing treatment options, and they have argued about more cops and state police as a temporary solution to a permanent problem." "When we debate, I will offer the only brave and honest answer to the problems and I think that is what they are both afraid of addressing!" Thornton concluded -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From efficacy at msn.com Sat Sep 23 11:09:48 2006 From: efficacy at msn.com (clifford thornton) Date: Sat, 23 Sep 2006 11:09:48 -0400 Subject: {news} Presentation slides for Sept 28th forum Message-ID: We have to turn out in mass for this event. We have to issue a press release for this also. We want to pack the house. The event is Thursday, sep. 28 at career high 140 legion av, new haven 6-8 pm the 4 questions are: (1) What would you do to solve the current health care crisis and create a system that is accessible, affordable, comprehensive and equal? (2) We are devastated by the high rate of violence in our communities. What plans do you have to comb at it? (3) What are the successful key components for immigration reform in Connecticut? (4) A majority of prisoners in conn are incarcerated for non violent drug law violations. The current corrections budget is over half a billion dollars. How would you be more effective at addressing this social problem and making better use of our tax dollars? -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From efficacy at msn.com Sat Sep 23 20:49:18 2006 From: efficacy at msn.com (clifford thornton) Date: Sat, 23 Sep 2006 20:49:18 -0400 Subject: {news} The Skinny on Press Message-ID: Hey Greens and friends! When we look back at the CT 2006 gubernatorial election, we can mark Saturday, Sept. 23 as the start of a new era for third parties. Cliff and I were quoted in at least 10 newspapers, from the front page of the Hartford Courant to the Connecticut Section of the New York Times and almost everywhere in between. Being left out of the debates seems a Pyrrhic victory - we lost on access to free air time but we won on press coverage. Front Page of the New Haven Register (reg required). They probably printed this in Torrington, Middletown, Bristol, and New Britain. http://www.nhregister.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=17236733&BRD=1281&PAG=461&dept_id=31007&rfi=6 Front Page Above the fold in the Hartford Courant: http://www.courant.com/news/local/hc-govdebate0923.artsep23,0,4394535.story?coll=hc-headlines-local Lead Page on CTNewsjunkie.com: http://ctnewsjunkie.com/index.php/2006/09/22/minor_parties_left_out_of_debates AP Story ran in the Waterbury Republican, New London Day, and CT Post, and probably more that I can't get my hands on. http://www.stamfordadvocate.com/news/local/state/hc-22185828.apds.m0349.bc-ct--connsep22,0,6514467.story?coll=hc-headlines-local-wire Although I can't figure out what happened with the CT Post's Ken Dixon's interview from yesterday - perhaps it will run Sunday. He's the one who broke the news to Cliff and I. Genghis Conn over at CTLocalPolitics put our response on his front page, too: http://connecticutlocalpolitics.blogspot.com/2006/09/thornton-campaign-on-debates-green.html Be sure to read the comments here to get an idea of what our critics say and to see how we are viewed. Keith Phanuef at the Manchester Journal Inquirer led that paper's website with this gem: http://www.journalinquirer.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=17236343&BRD=985&PAG=461&dept_id=161556&rfi=6 And just in case that was all insufficient, we are in the CT Briefs section of the New York Times today as well. While their news is a day late, dammit, we're quoted in the Old Grey Lady: http://www.nytimes.com/2006/09/23/nyregion/nyregionspecial2/24ctweek.html?_r=1&oref=slogin This may also be a registration required story, too. If people want me to resend the reg required stories, I'll be glad to. So for those who keeping track of additional media appearances, Green Party opinion was on the WNPR hourly news lead all night last night, was mentioned on Colin and Bruce on 1080AM, Cliff was on 1080 again this morning, and tv stations mentioned Greens were angry at being excluded: http://www.wtnh.com/Global/story.asp?S=5445589&nav=3YeX We have to follow this up with large scale peaceful protests at the debates to show the two exclusionary political parties that we deserve a place at the debates. Join us. -- Peace, Ken Krayeske Campaign Director Thornton for Governor P.O. Box 1971 Manchester, CT 06045 860-995-5842 *This message is paid for and approved by Thornton for Governor, Max Wentworth, Treasurer* the -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From dbedellgreen at hotmail.com Sun Sep 24 03:05:19 2006 From: dbedellgreen at hotmail.com (David Bedell) Date: Sun, 24 Sep 2006 03:05:19 -0400 Subject: {news} NYT editorial on ACLU/CT campaign finance lawsuit Message-ID: This editorial supports minor party rights, but not the other parts of the lawsuit. http://www.nytimes.com/2006/09/24/opinion/nyregionopinions/CTcampaign.1.html The New York Times September 24, 2006 Connecticut Destroying a Law to Save It The story of Connecticut's campaign finance law is beginning to resemble a dark fairy tale that leaves the reader wondering whether the infant at a christening will be strangled in its cradle. In the latest twist, the American Civil Liberties Union of Connecticut is playing the unlikely role of villain. In July, the organization challenged the law, which the General Assembly passed in the wake of corruption scandals in the Rowland administration.The A.C.L.U. says it is suing because the statute discriminates against third-party candidates by making them jump one extra hurdle, forcing them to get hundreds and sometimes thousands of signatures before they can qualify for public funds. If the A.C.L.U. challenged the law on that basis alone, we would have no argument. But it also complains that the law violates the rights of candidates who opt out of the system of public financing because the more they raise in private money, the more their opponents receive in public money. The A.C.L.U. says that government has an obligation to remain neutral and not use the public financing law to tilt the playing field one way or the other. Yet the law was passed precisely for that purpose - to level the playing field by giving all candidates a shot at public money. The compensatory financing provision is more than reasonable; without it, campaign finance reform would not work. Candidates who choose to take generous donations from lobbyists and other sources could bury publicly financed candidates unless the law provided those candidates more public money to underwrite credible campaigns. The A.C.L.U. agrees in general that campaign finance laws are a good thing. But the reality is that if the organization is able to get this core provision struck down, it will come close to wrecking the best chance Connecticut has to clean up politics. Copyright 2006 The New York Times Company From dbedellgreen at hotmail.com Sun Sep 24 03:12:51 2006 From: dbedellgreen at hotmail.com (David Bedell) Date: Sun, 24 Sep 2006 03:12:51 -0400 Subject: {news} Debates: Ken quoted in New York Times Message-ID: http://www.nytimes.com/2006/09/23/nyregion/nyregionspecial2/24ctweek.html The Week in Connecticut Published: September 23, 2006 Rell and DeStefano Differ Over Debate The campaigns for Gov. M. Jodi Rell, a Republican, and John DeStefano Jr., her Democratic challenger, said on Monday that they were negotiating to hold at least one debate in October. But they disagreed on whether third-party candidates should participate. Clifford W. Thornton Jr., the Green Party of Connecticut's candidate for governor, and Joseph A. Zdonczyk, the candidate of the Concerned Citizens Party of Connecticut, both qualified to be on the November ballot by getting the required 7,500 signatures on petitions. Derek Slapp, a spokesman for the DeStefano campaign, said that Mrs. Rell's insistence on including the third-party candidates was a "smoke screen" to avoid debating Mr. DeStefano one-on-one. He said the third-party candidates should not participate because they had no chance to win the election. "The voters want to see the two main candidates match up," Mr. Slapp said. "They want a substantive discussion on policy, and that's difficult to do with four people." Ken Krayeske, the campaign director for Mr. Thornton, said it would be unfair not to include the other candidates. "The debates should reflect the ballots," he said. "If candidates are excluded, voters cannot be educated on the policy platforms of people who worked very hard to get on the ballots." Rich Harris, a spokesman for the Rell campaign, denied that Mrs. Rell was trying to avoid a one-to-one debate with Mr. DeStefano, who is the mayor of New Haven. "The governor firmly believes that if these people qualified for the ballot, the public has the right to hear from them," he said. "We recently fixed campaign finance reform expressly to make sure that third-party candidates have an opportunity to participate in the process. Telling them they can't be in a debate doesn't make sense." JEFF HOLTZ From dbedellgreen at hotmail.com Sun Sep 24 03:22:11 2006 From: dbedellgreen at hotmail.com (David Bedell) Date: Sun, 24 Sep 2006 03:22:11 -0400 Subject: {news} Working Families Party holds convention Message-ID: If you live in the 5th Congressional District, or a state legislative district where the WFP has a line, and if you are planning to vote for the Democratic candidate, it makes sense to vote on the WFP line. The vote goes to the same candidate, but it shows you support working class issues, and it will draw more attention to minor parties. http://www.ctnow.com/custom/nmm/fairfieldweekly/hce-fcw-0921-ff39-nc-electionhtfd39.artsep21,0,5916410.story Blue-Collar State The Ever-expanding Influence Of The Working Families Party By Adam Bulger September 21 2006 The Sept. 12 Connecticut Working Families Party state convention was held at the Il Monticello restaurant in Meriden. With its wall-mounted chandeliers and dim lighting, the banquet room seemed suited more for weddings than the unadorned political language and attitude used by the Working Families Party speakers. An outline of the evening's agenda was handed out to attendees. It listed the three main issues the speakers would discuss-universal health care, outsourcing and the earned income tax credit-and gave the schedule for the event in 15 minute increments. Moderator Deborah Noble, who was elected to the Windham Board of Selectmen solely on the WFP ticket in 2003, warned that the schedule would be followed to the minute . After a five-minute break, she cleared her throat on the mic to assemble the crowd of about 40 union members, activists and politicians for the presentation of candidates. For the upcoming election, which will take place on Nov. 7, the WFP is running two candidates under its own banner and cross- endorsing over 70 candidates in other parties. Several candidates cross-endorsed by the WFP attended, including state senator Gary LeBeau (D-3rd District) and state representative Henry Genga (D-10th District). Gubernatorial hopeful John DeStefano attended, despite not having been endorsed by the WFP (state law requires parties to run petitioning candidates in races before they can endorse candidates). The New Haven mayor said he attended the convention because of common issues. "This group cares about the same things I do. We share a value, everybody has a responsibility to work," DeStefano said in a later interview. "We need families to be strong, and for that, folks need to earn living wages and have access to health care." When candidates are cross-endorsed, they get two lines on a ballot, one for their national party (predominantly Democratic, but the WFP does endorse Republicans) and one for the WFP. "[Cross-endorsing] gives progressive voters a way to send a message about issues like health care, jobs and living wages and let elected officials know they want them to focus more on economic issues that affect working-class people," Connecticut WFP director Jon Green said. "They get to do that without the stigma of wasting a vote on some hopelessly unelectable candidate. It's an attractive option for people who want to send a message, and still have their vote count for an electable candidate." State representative Joe Aresimowicz (D-30th District), who spoke at the convention, was a priority for the WFP in his first run for office. He received 226 votes on the WFP line and said the party's energy was key to his campaign. "They have shown they're an effective voice in the races. They're an unusually strategic and effective third party," Aresimowicz said. This year, the WFP has prioritized Chris Murphy's race for Congress against 12-term incumbent Republican, Nancy Johnson. "We're going to target our efforts on the places where we think we'll have the biggest impact on getting people elected who will fight for our issues," Green said. Geronimo Valdez, an East Hartford machinist and union shop steward who is running under the WFP banner for state representative, indicated that the party's message is strong enough to sway anyone who hears it. "The money doesn't vote. It takes people to vote, not money. As long as I'm contacting the people I have a chance," Valdez said. editor at fairfieldweekly.com Copyright ? 2006, Fairfield County Weekly From efficacy at msn.com Mon Sep 25 08:32:31 2006 From: efficacy at msn.com (clifford thornton) Date: Mon, 25 Sep 2006 08:32:31 -0400 Subject: {news} GP RELEASE Greens call for sane drug policy & end to the War on Drugs Message-ID: GREEN PARTY OF THE UNITED STATES http://www.gp.org For Immediate Release: Monday, September 25, 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 call for an end to the War on Drugs and enactment of sane drug laws that treat addiction as a medical problem Greens cite disproportionate targeting of people of color: "The real crime is the war on drugs" Funding for the War on Drugs should be shifted to treatment WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Green candidates and leaders called for an end to the 'war on drugs,' calling national and state drug policy a 'war on American citizens' and a waste of national resources. "Draconian drug laws, mandatory sentencing, zero tolerance, and 'three strikes' statutes have been used to lock away hundreds of thousands of young people, poor people, African Americans and other people of color in prisons and prevent them from living productive lives," said Clifford Thornton, Green candidate for Governor of Connecticut >. "The Green Party recognizes drug addiction as a medical problem. Addicts should be treated as patients, not as criminals." ""If one does not understand racism, classism, white privilege, terrorism, and the war on drugs -- what these terms mean, how these concepts work -- then everything else you do understand will only confuse you," added Mr. Thornton, who is also co-founder of Efficacy, Inc. >, which advocates major reforms in drug policy. Greens especially called for immediate decriminalization of marijuana, citing an FBI annual Uniform Crime Report that police arrested an estimated 786,545 persons for marijuana violations in 2005, the highest number ever recorded, and that 88% of these were charged with mere possession. "Marijuana prohibition needs to be repealed immediately -- death from marijuana use is nearly zero, while hundreds of thousands die every year from using alcohol and nicotine," said Matt Abel, Green candidate for Congress in Michigan's 9th District >, member of NORML >, and a criminal defense attorney and who has handled numerous marijuana cases. "Locking up Americans for such offenses is a waste of lives, and a waste of about $69 billion per year in taxpayer dollars. Furthermore, the prohibition against medical marijuana has denied relief for people who suffer various symptoms of AIDS and other serious diseases, just as prohibition in many states against needle exchange has allowed HIV to spread faster." "Politicians who are afraid of being labeled 'soft on crime' have enacted laws that have only aggravated public health problems related to drug use," added Nelson Eisman, Green candidate for Governor of Wisconsin >. "They drove addicts underground when they needed medical help. They increased the spread of drug-related violence, which is a result of drug prohibition, not a result of the drugs themselves. They turned young people into hardened criminals, and placed a third of young African American men behind bars at some point in their lives. The real crime is the war on drugs." [Source: Thomas P. Bonczar, U.S. Dept. of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics, "Prevalence of Imprisonment in the US Population, 1974-2001," NCJ197976, August 2003] "The use of drugs by wealthy, powerful people like Bill Clinton or George W. Bush is considered a youthful indiscretion to be overlooked, while for middle class and especially poor Americans, it's something that deserves years of jail time," Mr. Eisman added. Green Party leaders noted that the war on drugs, supported by both Democratic and Republican parties, has been used as an excuse for massive rights violations, especially denial of Fourth Amendment guarantees against warrantless search and seizure and Fifth Amendment guarantees of due process, and for military attacks against Colombia, Panama, and other Latin American countries. "There is almost no difference between Democratic and Republican administrations or majorities in Congress when it comes to drug policy," said Kevin Zeese, Maryland Green candidate for the U.S. Senate >, President of Common Sense for Drug Policy >, and co-founder of the Drug Policy Alliance (formerly Drug Policy Foundation) >. "The war on drugs has been an obvious model for President Bush's so-called war on terror. Both programs attempt to induce fear in the American public and target certain populations for vilification and incarceration. Both programs benefit corporate lobbies with enormous political influence -- the defense and security industries, and the growing private prison business that makes its profits by filling up cells." 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 campaign listings, news, photos, and web sites http://www.gp.org/2006elections Database of 2006 Green candidates http://www.greens.org/elections Video clips of Green candidates http://www.gp.org/2006elections/media.shtml Green Party News Center http://www.gp.org/newscenter.shtml Drug War Facts: Drug Offenders In The Corrections System - Prisons, Jails and Probation http://www.drugwarfacts.org/prison.htm Race, Prison and the Drug Laws (with information on the disproportionate incarceration of African Americans and other people of color) http://www.drugwarfacts.org/racepris.htm Crime (with information on the correlation between drug prohibition and violence) http://www.drugwarfacts.org/crime.htm Law Enforcement Against Prohibition: Criminal justice professionals speaking out against the "War on Drugs" http://www.leap.cc ~ END ~ __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From efficacy at msn.com Mon Sep 25 09:08:26 2006 From: efficacy at msn.com (clifford thornton) Date: Mon, 25 Sep 2006 09:08:26 -0400 Subject: {news} Fw: Drug Truth Update 092506 Message-ID: Drug Truth Network Update: Cultural Baggage + Century of Lies + 4:20 Drug War NEWS + New Drug War Song Stash of Bags: A new blues song performed by Guy Schwartz and the New Jack Hippies is now available online. This song decries the drug prohibition and calls for a more compassionate approach to the drug war. Featuring Guy Schwartz on Guitar, Roger Tausz on Bass, Randy Wall on Keyboards and vocals from kid red. From Abyss Dancer Ltd. Productions. Cultural Baggage for 09/22/06 Gary Bernsten, former CIA officer who led charge on Afghanistan and author of "Jawbreaker" + Poppygate, Terry Nelson of LEAP & Stash of Bags MP3 **MP3 Link: http://www.drugtruth.net/cbaudio06/FDBCB_092206.mp3 Century of Lies for 09/22/06 Paul Armentano of NORML : 120 studies of medical marijuana since year 2000 + Cliff Thornton, Candidate for Governor in Connecticut, Drug War Facts, Black perspective MP3 **MP3 Link: http://www.drugtruth.net/cbaudio06/COL_092206.mp3 4:20 Drug War NEWS 09/25 to 10/01/06 now online (3:00 ea.): Monday 09/25/06 Gary Bernsten, former CIA officer who led charge on Afghanistan and author of "Jawbreaker" I Tuesday 09/26/06 Gary Bernsten II Wednesday 09/27/06 Gatewood Galbraith, author of Last Free Man in America + Black Perspective Thursday 09/28/06 Poppygate + Name That Drug, Banana Republicans Rule! Friday 09/29/06 DTN Editorial: Stash of Bags Saturday 09/30/06 Ron & Nancy "Just Say Yes" parody Sunday 10/01/06 Terry Nelson of Law Enforcement Against Prohibition NEXT Friday: - Cultural Baggage 8 PM ET, 7 PM CT, 6 PM MT & 5 PM PT. Dr. Mitch Earleywine, editor of "Pot Politics, Marijuana and the Costs of Prohibition" - Century of Lies 2 PM ET, 1 PM CT, Noon MT & 11 AM PT. TBD Half Hour Programs, Live Fridays... at 90.1 FM in Houston & on the web at www.kpft.org. Hundreds of our programs are available online at: www.drugtruth.net and at www.audioport.org. Please become part of the solution, visit our website: www.endprohibition.org for links to the best of reform. Dean Becker 281-752-9198 www.drugtruth.net -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From greenpartyct at yahoo.com Mon Sep 25 17:27:37 2006 From: greenpartyct at yahoo.com (Green Party-CT) Date: Mon, 25 Sep 2006 14:27:37 -0700 (PDT) Subject: {news} Fwd: [media-states] Green Party Candidates Arrested at Congressman's Office Message-ID: <20060925212737.25770.qmail@web81408.mail.mud.yahoo.com> Jill Bussiere wrote: From: "Jill Bussiere" To: Subject: [media-states] Green Party Candidates Arrested at Congressman's Office Date: Mon, 25 Sep 2006 15:28:01 -0500 Social Justice Grassroots Democracy Ecological Wisdom NonViolence For Immediate Release September 25th, 2006 Contact: Ruth Weill, Co-chair, Wisconsin Green Party, spokesperson at wisconsingreenparty.org 414 350-2107 George Martin, Peace Action Wisconsin, 414 745-5740 Green Party Candidates Arrested at Congressman?s Office (Brookfield WI) Wisconsin Green Party candidate for Congress Bob Levis and candidate for Lieutenant Governor Leon Todd were arrested today outside the entrance to Congressman Sensenbrenner?s office at Bishop?s Way and Blue Mound Road. Bob Levis is on the ballot opposing Congressman Sensenbrenner in the upcoming November election. Levis and Todd were participating in a rally organized by Peace Action Wisconsin to protest Congressman Sensenbrenner?s support of the war in Iraq as a part of the national activities organized around the Declaration of Peace. They took part in a one-half hour long protest with dozens of others before they were arrested. Three others were also arrested. The Wisconsin Green Party has opposed the war since before the invasion of Iraq, and has worked hard to end the war and bring the troops home. The party kicked off the Bring the Troops Home ballot initiative last spring, giving citizens a say on the war in Iraq in 32 towns, cities and villages around the state. The Declaration of Peace is a campaign being organized in every part of the United States calling on the U.S. Congress to establish a concrete and rapid timetable for an end to the U.S. war in Iraq and for a peace process designed to create the conditions for security, reconstruction, and reconciliation. This plan must include Establishing an Iraqi-led international peace process to create a roadmap to peace and security Bringing U.S. troops home and closing the U.S. bases Reconstruction and reconciliation in Iraq, and Creating a peace dividend by diverting funding for war to meeting human needs at home and abroad. The Declaration of Peace pledge says ?Yes! I join with the majority of US citizens, the people of Iraq, and people around the world in calling for a comprehensive end to the US war in Iraq.? Voters can sign the pledge at http://declarationofpeace.org/ For more about the Wisconsin Green Party, visit www.wisconsingreenparty.org ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Tim McKee cell (860) 778-1304 or (860) 643-2282 Cliff Thornton for Governor- Campaign Manager- National Committee Member of the Green Party(Connecticut) Paid for by Thornton For Governor, Max Wentworth, Treasurer- www.VoteThornton.com email: info at votethornton.com -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: not available Type: image/gif Size: 7194 bytes Desc: not available URL: From efficacy at msn.com Wed Sep 27 20:13:13 2006 From: efficacy at msn.com (clifford thornton) Date: Wed, 27 Sep 2006 20:13:13 -0400 Subject: {news} Cliff Notes Message-ID: http://www.ctnow.com/custom/nmm/hartfordadvocate/hce-hta-bisbort_40,0,2965643.story?coll=hce-utility-ha-advocate Cliff Notes Memo to all candidates of America: Grow a spine! By Alan Bisbort If elections were decided on personality, Cliff Thornton -- the Green Party candidate for governor in Connecticut -- would win by a landslide. Why? Because he's got one. A personality, that is. He has a backbone to match. The other candidates for governor seem, in comparison, to offer make-nice platitudes, with spin doctors and consultants trailing behind. Thornton, on the other hand, is an adult American who has lived long enough to understand that the truth will set you free. And he's seen enough to fill a book or two. Like the time he spent weeks with a drug dealer. This strange collaboration came about after Thornton spoke to a community group about the need to change drug laws so as not to "orphan" the black and Latino communities by locking up all their young males. A drug dealer heard the speech and came up to him afterwards. "Hey," he told Thornton. "You're trying to put me out of business!" "I asked the dealer if I could just hang with him to try to understand the drug system from his side," Thornton said recently. "I discovered some amazing things, not the least of which was that $48 million went through his hands and two police captains were on his payroll. All the captains asked of him was that he give up X number of people, to make it look to the public like something was being done about drugs in the 'hood.'" The point of his tale was that the "war on drugs" is as much a failure as the war in Iraq. Further, some U.S. cities would economically collapse without the drug trade bringing in white suburban money. Though there's more money (for the private sector) in putting young men in prison, it would cost taxpayers far less to provide rehab and jobs. Thornton also insists that the U.S. is spreading its drug war into other countries the way it spreads democracy in the Middle East -- by force. Also, Monsanto and DuPont don't want hemp legalized as a cash crop; ExxonMobil and Shell, don't want alternative energy sources explored . and so on and so forth. Everybody knows this, but few candidates touch such third rails. Well, Thornton does, but his candidacy is a shot in the dark. Nonetheless, he reminds us that possible solutions to intractable problems are not given a chance because they are shut out of the market just as he himself has been shut out of the media's preexistent narrative for this race (i.e., Rell in a cake walk, DeStefano working on his game for 2010, state voters' nodding out .). Where are the Cliff Thorntons on the national stage? Where are the candidates, for any office, with backbone and personality, the ones who care less about "spin" than they do about the public good? As things stand, our political system is a failure. The will of the people is not represented. Check the stats: 70 percent want us out of Iraq; 70+ percent want universal health care, 90+ percent want us to tackle global warming, only 35 percent even identify themselves as Republicans now. The results: We're stuck in Iraq, contemplating another war with Iran, our health care system is a joke, our energy policy is based on finite, polluting resources, and the Republicans control all three branches of our federal government and half our governorships. Perhaps because Thornton has nothing to lose and everything to gain, he can "afford" to tell the truth. But perhaps, in these deeply troubled times, telling the truth is no longer a political liability. Who knows? Maybe Americans really have had enough. Maybe they want to be adults again, maybe they're sick of the sheer wimpiness of the candidates (Republican and Democrat). Maybe, just maybe, they are ready for change. You never know until you try. Send comments to editor at hartfordadvocate.com Thornton for Governor PO Box 1971 Manchester, CT 06045 votethornton at yahoogroups.com www.votethornton.com 860 657 8438-H 860 268 1294-C 860 778 1304-Tim Mckee-Campaign Manager 860 293 0222-Ken Krayeske-field Manager Paid for by Thornton For Governor Max H. Wentworth, Treasurer -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: blackpix.gif Type: image/gif Size: 35 bytes Desc: not available URL: From efficacy at msn.com Thu Sep 28 08:40:17 2006 From: efficacy at msn.com (clifford thornton) Date: Thu, 28 Sep 2006 08:40:17 -0400 Subject: {news} Fw: Cliff Notes Message-ID: Thornton for Governor PO Box 1971 Manchester, CT 06045 votethornton at yahoogroups.com www.votethornton.com 860 657 8438-H 860 268 1294-C 860 778 1304-Tim Mckee-Campaign Manager 860 293 0222-Ken Krayeske-field Manager Paid for by Thornton For Governor Max H. Wentworth, Treasurer ----- Original Message ----- From: Patricia Kane To: clifford thornton Sent: Thursday, September 28, 2006 8:08 AM Subject: Re: Cliff Notes Cliff: Aside from winning the election itself, it doesn't get any better than to earn someone's respect for the job you've chosen to tackle. This is a 21 gun salute. Enjoy the moment. pat clifford thornton > wrote: http://www.ctnow.com/custom/nmm/hartfordadvocate/hce-hta-bisbort_40,0,2965643.story?coll=hce-utility-ha-advocate Cliff Notes Memo to all candidates of America: Grow a spine! By Alan Bisbort If elections were decided on personality, Cliff Thornton -- the Green Party candidate for governor in Connecticut -- would win by a landslide. Why? Because he's got one. A personality, that is. He has a backbone to match. The other candidates for governor seem, in comparison, to offer make-nice platitudes, with spin doctors and consultants trailing behind. Thornton, on the other hand, is an adult American who has lived long enough to understand that the truth will set you free. And he's seen enough to fill a book or two. Like the time he spent weeks with a drug dealer. This strange collaboration came about after Thornton spoke to a community group about the need to change drug laws so as not to "orphan" the black and Latino communities by locking up all their young males. A drug dealer heard the speech and came up to him afterwards. "Hey," he told Thornton. "You're trying to put me out of business!" "I asked the dealer if I could just hang with him to try to understand the drug system from his side," Thornton said recently. "I discovered some amazing things, not the least of which was that $48 million went through his hands and two police captains were on his payroll. All the captains asked of him was that he give up X number of people, to make it look to the public like something was being done about drugs in the 'hood.'" The point of his tale was that the "war on drugs" is as much a failure as the war in Iraq. Further, some U.S. cities would economically collapse without the drug trade bringing in white suburban money. Though there's more money (for the private sector) in putting young men in prison, it would cost taxpayers far less to provide rehab and jobs. Thornton also insists that the U.S. is spreading its drug war into other countries the way it spreads democracy in the Middle East -- by force. Also, Monsanto and DuPont don't want hemp legalized as a cash crop; ExxonMobil and Shell, don't want alternative energy sources explored . and so on and so forth. Everybody knows this, but few candidates touch such third rails. Well, Thornton does, but his candidacy is a shot in the dark. Nonetheless, he reminds us that possible solutions to intractable problems are not given a chance because they are shut out of the market just as he himself has been shut out of the media's preexistent narrative for this race (i.e., Rell in a cake walk, DeStefano working on his game for 2010, state voters' nodding out .). Where are the Cliff Thorntons on the national stage? Where are the candidates, for any office, with backbone and personality, the ones who care less about "spin" than they do about the public good? As things stand, our political system is a failure. The will of the people is not represented. Check the stats: 70 percent want us out of Iraq; 70+ percent want universal health care, 90+ percent want us to tackle global warming, only 35 percent even identify themselves as Republicans now. The results: We're stuck in Iraq, contemplating another war with Iran, our health care system is a joke, our energy policy is based on finite, polluting resources, and the Republicans control all three branches of our federal government and half our governorships. Perhaps because Thornton has nothing to lose and everything to gain, he can "afford" to tell the truth. But perhaps, in these deeply troubled times, telling the truth is no longer a political liability. Who knows? Maybe Americans really have had enough. Maybe they want to be adults again, maybe they're sick of the sheer wimpiness of the candidates (Republican and Democrat). Maybe, just maybe, they are ready for change. You never know until you try. Send comments to editor at hartfordadvocate.com ------------------------------------------------------ Subscribe to the Hartford Courant today and receive up to 50% off! ------------------------------------------------------ UTILITIES E-mail story Printer-friendly version advertisers ? Thornton for Governor PO Box 1971 Manchester, CT 06045 votethornton at yahoogroups.com www.votethornton.com 860 657 8438-H 860 268 1294-C 860 778 1304-Tim Mckee-Campaign Manager 860 293 0222-Ken Krayeske-field Manager Paid for by Thornton For Governor Max H. Wentworth, Treasurer Patricia Kane, Esq. The Kane Legal Group LLC 230 High Ridge Road Stamford, CT 06905 (203 324-3316 (203) 351-0818 Fax -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Stay in the know. Pulse on the new Yahoo.com. Check it out. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From JeandeSmet at galaxyinternet.net Thu Sep 28 13:42:17 2006 From: JeandeSmet at galaxyinternet.net (Jean de Smet) Date: Thu, 28 Sep 2006 13:42:17 -0400 Subject: {news} Health Care Message-ID: <001901c6e325$759ac450$501e163f@jean1oa1rgr0ov> Here's a revised health care statement. I'm trying to keep it short and bulleted. We could use an OK to quote you, John? And we should have links to several docs, including "Answers to Questions" and The Coalition Statement and our lengthy position paper (2004). Jean -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: health care statement.doc Type: application/msword Size: 38400 bytes Desc: not available URL: From JeandeSmet at galaxyinternet.net Thu Sep 28 13:57:35 2006 From: JeandeSmet at galaxyinternet.net (Jean de Smet) Date: Thu, 28 Sep 2006 13:57:35 -0400 Subject: {news} RE: LWVCT Candidate Criteria Message-ID: <004401c6e327$9ec61850$501e163f@jean1oa1rgr0ov> My computer tells me it didn't send this message, so I'm trying again. Sorry if it's a dup. Jean -----Original Message----- From: Jean de Smet [mailto:JeandeSmet at galaxyinternet.net] Sent: Thursday, September 28, 2006 9:14 AM To: 'ctgp-news at ml.greens.org' Subject: FW: LWVCT Candidate Criteria -----Original Message----- From: Rosemarie Skoglund [mailto:roskoglund at sbcglobal.net] Sent: Wednesday, September 27, 2006 7:21 PM To: JeandeSmet at galaxyinternet.net Cc: lweiss2007 at charter.net Subject: LWVCT Candidate Criteria September 27, 2006 Dear Ms. de Smet: We are in receipt of your recent e-mail regarding the subject "Greens excluded from Debates". We want to explain the League policy on debates and correct your assumption that all Green candidates have been excluded from participation. The LWVCT Board approved a set of criteria for eligibility of candidates to participate in League sponsored debates.(on LWVCT website) The Board approved these criteria in order to benefit voters to become better informed. As you know time needed to discuss issues in debates is an important factor. A League committee examines the campaigns of candidates where League sponsored debates are scheduled. These criteria are applied as objectively as possible and a decision as to eligibility of candidates to participate is made at least 10 days prior to the debate. As additional LWV debates are confirmed the committee will meet again to examine the candidates according to the criteria. In this process candidates are vetted individually. We did not summarily reject all Green party candidates. We remain open to receive and determine candidate eligibility of all candidates on the ballot who meet the League criteria and who wish to participate in League sponsored debates. We hope that you better understand this League policy and we would urge you to participate in the LWVCT on-line Voters Guide. If you have further questions please contact me. Sincerely, Rosemarie Skoglund Co-President, LWVCT Roskoglund @sbcglobal.net -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From greenpartyct at yahoo.com Thu Sep 28 15:28:17 2006 From: greenpartyct at yahoo.com (Green Party-CT) Date: Thu, 28 Sep 2006 12:28:17 -0700 (PDT) Subject: {news} Canadain GP would cut income tax,impose carbon tax Message-ID: <20060928192817.96941.qmail@web81401.mail.mud.yahoo.com> Green party would cut income taxes, impose carbon tax Wed Sep 27, 6:10 PM By Dennis Bueckert OTTAWA (CP) - The Green party says it would cut personal income and payroll taxes and create a carbon tax to discourage the use of fossil fuels. The party's so-called green plan would also end tax subsidies for the oil sands, which it says would save the public about $1.3 billion a year. Leader Elizabeth May says the plan would allow Canada to meet its commitments under the Kyoto Protocol. May blasted the claim by Prime Minister Stephen Harper that the emissions-cutting goals in the climate treaty are unachievable. "The key foundation, the cornerstone of any real green plan, is meeting our Kyoto targets," she told a news conference. The plan would use the tax system to reduce greenhouse emissions - introducing a carbon tax to discourage the use of toxic fuels while cutting taxes for alternative energies and fuel-efficient vehicles. "The reality is that more than the total of all the programs cut this week by the Harper government could have been saved by cutting the subsidies to oil and gas." She rejected the notion that a carbon tax is not politically saleable. "Most politicians are afraid to even begin to explain the idea of tax-shifting and I think that's premised on their idea that the Canadian public is not very bright," she said. "We believe you can explain to people: don't you think we should tax the things we don't want, like toxic chemicals that cause smog and cancer, and greenhouse gases, and reduce taxes on things we say we do want, like employment and income?" The plan would rely mainly on pollution control within Canada, but would include some credits earned by subsidizing emissions-cutting projects in developing countries, as allowed under the Kyoto treaty. Other elements of the plan: -Auto emissions would be regulated and a "feebate" program for new cars would be introduced, providing rebates for fuel-efficient cars and extra fees for gas guzzlers. - The EnerGuide program cut by the Conservatives would be reinstated. The program provides subsidies for home-owners who retrofit their houses more energy efficient. -Regulations on pollutants that cause smog would be tightened. -Legislation would be introduced to ban bulk water exports. -The national park system would be completed. -Environmental research would be boosted. Copyright ? 2006 Yahoo! Canada Co. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy - Terms of Service Need help? Want to send feedback? -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From greenpartyct at yahoo.com Thu Sep 28 15:40:32 2006 From: greenpartyct at yahoo.com (Green Party-CT) Date: Thu, 28 Sep 2006 12:40:32 -0700 (PDT) Subject: {news} Fwd: Party Green with Black 47 to Support Malachy McCourt! Message-ID: <20060928194032.28243.qmail@web81411.mail.mud.yahoo.com> Green Party of the United States wrote: Date: Tue, 26 Sep 2006 17:28:15 -0400 (EDT) From: Green Party of the United States To: greenpartyct at yahoo.com Subject: Party Green with Black 47 to Support Malachy McCourt! Black 47 Rocks the Mic. for Green Gov. Candidate Malachy McCourt "When I first came to New York in the 70's Malachy opened the doors of the Bells of Hell for me and gave me a place to play. All down the years he's supported every progressive cause, and it's a rare picket line I haven't seen him on" -Larry Kirwin, Black 47 Larry Kirwan, leader of Black 47, the politically charged Irish-American rock group, is organizing the Rock `n' Read benefit for his friend and comrade, Malachy McCourt. The evening will begin at 7pm with short readings from prominent writers and actors mixed with songs and pieces from musicians and poets. Black 47 will finish off the night with a full set, much of which will be devoted to their critically acclaimed album, New York Town - "a tale of the city before and after 9/11." Now it's time for the city to give back to this remarkable, principled and compassionate man. To that end we're throwing a hooley for him that will feature people like composer & Bells of Hell regular, David Amram, a collaborator with Kerouac and the Beats, all the way forward through TJ English, author of "The Westies", to Black 47 and its many contributors. More writers and musicians are being added daily. We're keeping the contribution down to a handy $20 so that almost anyone can attend. Malachy has always been there for us, now it's our time to step up to the plate for him." Larry Kirwan. WHAT: Fundraiser for Malachy McCourt for Governor WHEN: Thursday, September 28 at 7pm (Doors open 6:30pm) WHERE: Connolly's Pub at 121 W. 45th Street @ 6th Avenue 212-597-5126 (Trains: N,Q,R,W,F,D,1,2,3,7,A,C,E Path to Times Square) WHO: - Music by Black 47, David Amram, Christine Ohlman, Ashley Davis, more to be announced - Readings by TJ English, Ann Maguire, Rosemary Fine, Carolyn Hughes, Fidelma Murphy, Chris Kelly, Larry Kirwan, Carmel Quinn, more to be announced - Words by Malachy McCourt www.votemalachymccourt.org www.gp.org www.black47.com /*Your email ID. --*/ ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Tim McKee cell (860) 778-1304 or (860) 643-2282 Cliff Thornton for Governor- Campaign Manager- National Committee Member of the Green Party(Connecticut) Paid for by Thornton For Governor, Max Wentworth, Treasurer- www.VoteThornton.com email: info at votethornton.com -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From justinemccabe at earthlink.net Thu Sep 28 21:47:51 2006 From: justinemccabe at earthlink.net (Justine McCabe) Date: Thu, 28 Sep 2006 21:47:51 -0400 Subject: {news} Fw: Let Voters Choose Paper Ballots Message-ID: <04ce01c6e369$473673e0$0402a8c0@JUSTINE> Green Party of the United States Back to GP.org Electronic Voting Machines Threaten to Destroy Democracy Across the country, traditional voting machines are being replaced by electronic voting machines. These machines provide no way for the voter to know whether their vote was recorded accurately, and no way to verify that the vote will be counted. The software for electronic voting machines is proprietary, leaving no way to independently review accuracy. On top of that, the machines are easily hacked, as shown by a recent investigation at the Princeton University. For further proof that electronic voting machines are bad news, look at the most recent primary elections where voters in states across the country were unable to vote because many machines failed to operate due to missing components. Whether through bureaucratic ineptness or bad intentions, electronic voting machines are another way our right to vote is being taken away from us. Voters must have confidence that the vote they cast will be recorded accurately and counted. Implementing paper ballots over electronic voting machines goes a long way towards doing this. Tell your Senator and US Rep. to support the "Confidence in Voting Act of 2006", introduced by Senators Barbara Boxer (D) and Christopher Dodd (D); and by Rep. Rush Holt in the House. The "Confidence in Voting Act of 2006" will offer funding to states and counties who make 'contingency paper ballots' available to voters who choose them over electronic voting machines. These paper ballots will be counted as normal ballots, as instead of provisional ballots which must be vetted first to determine the accuracy of the voter's registration URGENT. It is crucial that you TAKE ACTION TODAY before Congress leaves in a few days for the election recess. Please ask your friends and family to help make sure our votes are counted accurately. The Green Party brought you the Ohio Recount, we have consistently supported clean elections, IRV and verified voting. Help us bring democracy to your community. We need your support right now! Email: office at gp.org Office: PO Box 57065 Washington, D.C. 20037 202-319-7191 or toll-free (US): 866-41GREEN -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From dbedellgreen at hotmail.com Thu Sep 28 22:02:19 2006 From: dbedellgreen at hotmail.com (David Bedell) Date: Fri, 29 Sep 2006 02:02:19 +0000 Subject: {news} Duffee and debates in Stamford Times In-Reply-To: <1159481113.89cfe14ca77b08ff.17ba07fb@persist.google.com> Message-ID: http://www.thestamfordtimes.com/stamford_templates/stamford_story/300314924644284.php Green congressional candidate focusing on 'social justice' By PATRICK R. LINSEY plinsey@ thestamfordtimes.com NORWALK ? Green Party congressional candidate Richard Duffee says he understands the difference between Republicans and Democrats. "The Republicans are unilateral imperialists," Duffee said in an interview last week, "whereas the Democrats are multilateral imperialists." After libertarian Phil Maymin, Duffee is the second third-party congressional candidate on the 4th District ballot. The contest is dominated by U.S. Rep. Christopher Shays, R-4, and Democratic challenger Diane Farrell. Moving to India in 1995, Duffee taught poverty law for several years and is basing his campaign on a platform of social justice in America and monetary reform across the globe. It is on such issues, he said, that both major parties ignore the lower and middle classes in favor of a plutocratic minority. "I don't think we have any right to dominate the world," Duffee said. "While that's advantageous for multi-national companies and the people who fund political campaigns ... it is not so advantageous for the average American and it certainly is not for the average person on earth." Duffee is pro-gay marriage, opposes the drug war and proposes slashing America's military spending. He supports removing troops from Iraq, which he said is a drain on this country's resources. Money spent on the Iraq war and Afghanistan "is quite sufficient to recreate the infrastructure of (the United States)," Duffee said. "If that money that is being wasted primarily on weaponry and high-tech things were spent on teachers and social workers and health care workers and so on, it would be far better for the economy." Duffee, 58 has lived in Stamford since returning from India in 2004. He has a bachelors degree is philosophical psychology from the University of Chicago and a degree in law from Pace University. Though he sharply criticized Shays' support for the Iraq war, Duffee said he bears no ill will towards any opposing candidates. "Chris Shays seems to be a very nice man, (but) I think his relationship with the Republican Party is fundamentally injurious to the country," he said. "(President) Bush and (Vice President) Cheney, so far as I can make out, really do deserve to be impeached ... for lying about Iraq." Shays' campaign said the congressman is "one of the most independent" Republican lawmakers. "There are several issues where disagrees with his party, including stem cell research, the environment and a woman's right to choose," said Shays' campaign manager Michael Sohn. "Cutting taxes and the war on terrorism is where he agrees with them." Acknowledging similarities in his criticisms of the Iraq war and those of Diane Farrell, Duffee said he goes farther, noting Farrell has not called for impeachment. "Also, I am not convinced that Diane Farrell would have voted against the invasion of Iraq, whereas I know quite well that I would have," he said. Farrell's campaign disagreed. A spokeswoman said Farrell "is on record as having said she would have supported the Spratt amendment" in the House of Representatives. That amendment, which failed on 155 votes, would have required authorization by the United Nations Security Council, or for President Bush to come back to Congress before using force in Iraq. Hoping to get his message across through the Internet, Duffee has uploaded thousands of words to his campaign Web site and weblog. Duffee said he has been invited to participate in only two of 11 debates in the 4th-District race, including one held Oct. 15 at Temple Israel in Westport. He expressed particular disappointment that he will not be participating in the first debate, which is to be held Oct. 4 and sponsored by the Business Council of Fairfield County and will include the libertarian candidate Maymin. "The Greens, in the 2004 (presidential) election, got three times the vote that the libertarians did," Duffee said. The debate's organizers said that at the time they made their decision, Duffee had raised slightly more than $800, while Maymin had raised approximately $10,000. "The debate here is between Shays and Farrell. That's the race and it's a really close race," said Joe McGee, the business council's vice president for public policy. "We accepted Maymin because we wanted to show that third parties have a role to play, but they have to make an effort." From amderr01 at gmail.com Fri Sep 29 12:59:08 2006 From: amderr01 at gmail.com (Andy Derr) Date: Fri, 29 Sep 2006 12:59:08 -0400 Subject: {news} Fwd: [sect_peace_network] OCT 5: WALKOUT: DAY OF MASS RESISTANCE In-Reply-To: <7f7cebdc0609261201m593b68efme9dcd4f4cdf93522@mail.gmail.com> References: <20060926131020.87794.qmail@web82411.mail.mud.yahoo.com> <7f7cebdc0609261201m593b68efme9dcd4f4cdf93522@mail.gmail.com> Message-ID: [image: The World Can't Wait! Drive out the Bush Regime] [image: home] [image: about] [image: faq] [image: the movement] [image: news & outrages] [image: get involved] [image: youth / students] [image: press] [image: chapters] [image: contacts] [image: Donate] Join Our E-mail List [image: Bush Crimes Commission] [image: En Espanol] [image: The Store] [image: Recommended Reading] [image: RSS 0.91] [image: RSS 1.0] [image: RSS 2.0] [image: ATOM 0.3] [image: OPML] Event Listings | Print | E-mail October 5 - Day of Mass Resistance On October 5, people everywhere will walk out of school, take off work, and come to the downtowns & townsquares and set out from there, going through the streets and calling on many more to join us - making a powerful statement: "NO! THIS REGIME DOES NOT REPRESENT US! AND WE WILL DRIVE IT OUT!" Below you can find a growing listing of protests across the country. Check back here for the latest information (updated daily), or contact a local World Can't Wait chapter in your area (see menu to the left). If there is not a protest organized in your area, head to the downtown or town square at noon on Oct. 5. ------------------------------ View events from which state? All StatesAK AL AR AZ CA CO CT DC DE FL GA HI IA ID IL IN KS KY LA MA MD ME MI MN MO MS MT NC ND NE NH NJ NM NV NY OH OK OR PA RI SC SD TN TX UT VA VT WA WI WV WY NEW HAVEN MOVE YOUR FEET! THURSDAY, OCTOBER 5 On the corners of Elm and York Streets at 3:30 PM DRUMMING, CHANTING, SIGNS, STREET THEATER Find Your Voice. Find Your Courage. Find Your Strength. Join Us In New Haven Or Create An Event In Your Town. Email newhaven at worldcantwait.org or call 203-498-8185 for information. New Haven, CT Chapter Meeting 7-9 PM Thursday, Sept. 28 First Unitarian Universalist Society of New Haven 608 Whitney Avenue New Haven, CT Discussion of issues, presentation and refinement of current plans and distribution of organizing materials. We can?t wait to meet you! newhaven at worldcantwait.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: press_o.gif Type: image/gif Size: 373 bytes Desc: not available URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: about_o.gif Type: image/gif Size: 393 bytes Desc: not available URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: contacts_o.gif Type: image/gif Size: 453 bytes Desc: not available URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... 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Name: buttons2.1_o.png Type: image/png Size: 31227 bytes Desc: not available URL: From edubrule at sbcglobal.net Sat Sep 30 10:27:23 2006 From: edubrule at sbcglobal.net (edubrule) Date: Sat, 30 Sep 2006 10:27:23 -0400 Subject: {news} immigr rights/anti-war rallies today,tmw; new AFSC-CT coordinator Message-ID: <002b01c6e49c$b9fe4e00$47804c0c@edgn2b574u14bi> 6-Story Newsletter Template + Images ----- Original Message ----- From: AFSC Connecticut To: edubrule at sbcglobal.net Sent: Thursday, September 28, 2006 5:01 PM Subject: Support Immigrant Rights in Connecticut and Say No to War American Friends Service Committee Connecticut In This Issue: Sept 28 2006 . Support Immigrant Rights in Connecticut and Say No to War . Introducing the new AFSC Connecticut AFSC Program Coordinator Support Immigrant Rights in Connecticut and Say No to War Friends, This Saturday and Sunday there are two very important marches and rallies for immigrant rights here in Connecticut. AFSC has been actively participating in the organizing of these activities. Saturday, September 30 Danbury Assemble at Kennedy Park at 12:30 p.m. March to City Hall at 2:00 p.m. STOP THE DEPORTATIONS! FREE THE DANBURY 11! LEGALIZATION FOR ALL! On September 19, the city government of Danbury assisted an immigration raid in our own community. Disguising themselves as contractors, a police agent picked up 11 people looking for work and detained them without telling their families. Mayor Boughton's Assistant told a local newspaper that raids are coming next to Stamford, Brewster and Katonah. This is nothing but a conscious attempt to terrorize the immigrant community! It is time to stop Mayor Boughton & his Police Chief. We will not be terrorized! Stop the Deportations! WE WANT THE DANBURY 11 FREED! Sunday October 1, the Immigrant Rights and Antiwar Struggles Unite for a Statewide March and Rally in Hartford: Sunday October 1, 2 pm Meet at Capitol Ave and Broad St, Hartford; Rally at South Green Park (where Park St meets Maple Ave and Main St) Around Connecticut and throughout the country today, families are in fear. Government agents could show up at any time and drag them away. Our government is in an all out campaign to tell the 15 million undocumented workers who work hard everyday and make this country run: Shut up or else! In the past weeks, Raids and random arrests have instilled fear in millions. They know they could be next. In Danbury, 11 people disappeared without a trace. Their families are in grief. Raids and Deportations are increasing by the day. Today anyone could be picked up at any time and families are getting ripped apart as we speak. This has to stop. People of Conscience from throughout Connecticut for Immigrant Rights and Against the War will come together this Sunday Oct 1 against Exploitation and War. We say: Legalization for every immigrant. No criminalization of immigrants. No guest worker program. No deportations. No use of local authorities as ICE agents. Yes to expedited visas for family reunification. Yes to workers' rights for immigrants. We also say: Not another dime for Bush's wars. Spend the billions at home to help the victims of Katrina, to raise wages, to improve schools and to guarantee everyone health care. Stop the attacks on Arabs and Muslims Sponsored by: Regional Coalition for Immigrant Rights (CT) and Middle East Crisis Committee Endorsed by: Connecticut United for Peace, American Friends Service Committee, Coalition for Immigrants of Hartford, Colombia Action/CT, Connecticut Peace Coalition/New Haven, International Socialist Organization/New Haven, Latinos Contra la Guerra, La Sexta Internacional, Palestinian American Congress, People of Faith CT, Socialist Action, Unidad Latina en Acci?n, DACORIM, JUNTA, 32 BJ, MECHA. Introducing the new AFSC Connecticut AFSC Program Coordinator Greetings friends, My name is David Amdur and I started as the Connecticut Program Coordinator for AFSC in early August. I am originally from the Boston area and have lived there most of my life. I have many years of working in the solidarity movement with El Salvador. I started working with the Boston chapter of the Committee in Solidarity with the People of El Salvador (CISPES) in 1991. I also did a lot of Chiapas solidarity work and worked with Tonantzin: the Boston Committee in Support of the Native Peoples of Mexico from 1994-1996 I lived in El Salvador from 1996 to 2000 while volunteering with CISPES and then working as one of the Co-coordinators of U.S.-El Salvador Sister Cities. My work focused on coordinating and leading delegations from the U.S., coordinating advocacy campaigns the El Salvador end of things, and overseeing the development projects supported by grassroots solidarity committees in the U.S. I worked in the New England Regional Office of AFSC for 5 months in 1997 and 1998 and coordinated the Gifts for Latin America campaign of the Latin American Action Program. I was the national program director of CISPES in 2000 and 2001. I moved back to Boston in 2002 and worked with Boston Fair Trade Action, doing educational and advocacy work to raise awareness about the Free Trade Area of the Americas and the Central American Free Trade Agreement. I worked as a community organizer with the East Boston Ecumenical Community Council. I worked with the Latino Community in East Boston on trying to achieve legislation providing greater access to driver's licenses and in-state tuition benefits. I organized a bus of residents to participate in the closing rally of the Immigrant Workers Freedom Ride. I come to the AFSC and Connecticut after working for two years in the Interfaith Program at Equal Exchange, a worker owner fair trade cooperative. I ran the Interfaith delegation program and did outreach and promotion with various religious denominations in support of fair trade. I am excited to be the new AFSC Connecticut Coordinator and look forward to meeting folks and working together in the work AFSC has been carrying out. 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 -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From greenpartyct at yahoo.com Sat Sep 30 15:11:52 2006 From: greenpartyct at yahoo.com (Green Party-CT) Date: Sat, 30 Sep 2006 12:11:52 -0700 (PDT) Subject: {news} Fwd: Green Candidates Arrested - September Green Line Message-ID: <20060930191152.73610.qmail@web81408.mail.mud.yahoo.com> Green Party of the United States wrote: Date: Fri, 29 Sep 2006 23:38:44 -0400 (EDT) From: Green Party of the United States To: greenpartyct at yahoo.com Subject: Green Candidates Arrested - September Green Line September 2006 News Headlines Rich Whitney Green Party Candidate for Governor of Illinois shut out of debates The Illinois Green Party is running a full slate of candidates for statewide offices in 2006, along with several legislative and local offices across the state: Rich Whitney for Governor, Julie Samuels for Lt. Governor, David Black for Attorney General, Dan Rodriguez-Schlorff for Treasurer, Karen Young for Secretary of State, and Alicia Snyder for Comptroller. ?We believe that everyone in Illinois should have the chance to vote for someone that reflects his or her values. If you believe in grassroots democracy, social justice, ecological wisdom, and nonviolence, the Green Party offers you a chance to see your values reflected in your state?s government,? said Phil Huckelberry, state party co-chair. The Paul Simon Public Policy Institute of Southern Illinois University, WSIU Public Television and The Southern Illinoisan, who are trying to facilitate a debate, have extended invitations to Blagojevich, Topinka and Green Party nominee Rich Whitney. Whitney was invited to the debate in southern Illinois when he attained 5 percent in a major poll, which was the criteria they had established. But then the Blagojevich campaign backed out when they found out Whitney was going to be included, and suggested an alternative date that Topinka couldn't meet. As a result the sponsors gave up and the debate will not happen. So far there is a debate scheduled for Oct. 2 in which Whitney has definitely NOT been in included. It seems like Blagojevich would rather have no debates at all than have one with Whitney included. Rich Whitney The Whitney campaign is working on alternative strategies to take advantage of the Governor's refusal to debate. One possiblity is to investigate legal options to see if the refusal to include Rich violates equal time access laws. For more information on the Whitney campaign: click here. Maryland Green Party helps get passage of the Healthy Air Act The Maryland Green Party mobilized its largest ever lobbying effort during the 2006 legislative session. Our most significant success was the passage of the Healthy Air Act, working together with the Chesapeake Climate Action Network (CCAN) and other groups. This act requires Maryland's oldest and dirtiest power plants--which were exempted under the federal Clean Air Act--to cut back on carbon dioxide, the leading cause of global warming, as well as mercury, sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide. Power plants are the largest industrial source of air pollution in Maryland, responsible for 77% of sulfur dioxide, 66% of mercury, 31% of nitrogen oxide, and 40% of carbon dioxide emissions released in the state every year. These pollutants are harming the health of the environment and area residents. Maryland has an unusually high incidence of autism, in part due to the mercury released by these coal fired power plants. In addition, our fishing industry has been hurt because fish caught in the Chesapeake Bay have shown a high level of mercury. The most significant achievement of the act was the regulation of carbon dioxide for the first time. The state will join the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, a cooperative effort by Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic states to reduce carbon dioxide emissions using a cap-and-trade program. Virtually all scientists agree that global temperatures are rising due to human activities like the burning of fossil fuels. A growing number believe we have a limited amount of time if we are to reverse the problem. We are already seeing the first effects of climate change: hotter temperatures, devastating hurricanes, rapidly disappearing glaciers, and the death from heat stress of large areas of forests in northern latitudes. By addressing carbon dioxide in addition to other pollutants, the Healthy Air Act takes a first step in the right direction. Maryland legislators remarked that the Healthy Air Act passed because of strong, well-organized grassroots pressure. The Maryland Green Party was a key part of this effort. Greens wrote, called, and visited legislators; submitted official testimony to the State House of Delegates and Senate; put up yard and business signs; arranged meetings; wrote numerous letters to local newspapers; and recruited large numbers of citizens to help. This grassroots activism overcame determined resistance from a multi-billion dollar power industry with an army of lobbyists, state officials formerly on their payroll, and Republican and Democratic politicians funded by their campaign contributions. As a result, Marylanders can breathe easier in the future. For more information about the Maryland Green Party, please visit http://www.mdgreens.org/. Green Party Candidates Arrested at Congressman?s Office Brookfield, WI -- Wisconsin Green Party candidate for Congress Bob Levis and candidate for Lieutenant Governor Leon Todd were arrested today outside the entrance to Congressman Sensenbrenner?s office at Bishop?s Way and Blue Mound Road. Bob Levis is on the ballot opposing Congressman Sensenbrenner in the upcoming November election. Levis and Todd were participating in a rally organized by Peace Action Wisconsin to protest Congressman Sensenbrenner?s support of the war in Iraq as a part of the national activities organized around the Declaration of Peace. They took part in a one-half hour long protest with dozens of others before they were arrested. Three others were also arrested. Wisconsin Green Party candidate for lieutenant governor, Leon Todd, was one of the other three each received a $487 fine Monday. They were accused of disobeying a police officer after they blocked an exit from Sensenbrenner's office during the noon-hour protest, according to a Brookfield police department news release. The Wisconsin Green Party has opposed the war since before the invasion of Iraq, and has worked hard to end the war and bring the troops home. The party kicked off the Bring the Troops Home ballot initiative last spring, giving citizens a say on the war in Iraq in 32 towns, cities and villages around the state. For the complete story go to http://wisconsingreenparty.org/index.php JOIN THE GREEN PARTY IN TAKING ACTION You can easily write your congressperson or Senator or how about a letter to the editor of your local newspaper? The latest issue on the action page is "Electronic Voting Machines Threaten to Destroy Democracy" and other issues include real health care reform, hold Bush accountable and impeach Bush amoung other important issues. The Green Party is proud of its history of active participation in bringing change and you can easily join and support these efforts by participating in these projects at the following link: http://www.gp.org/action/index.shtml. Vote Peace Vote Verde! Just in time for the home stretch of the campaign trail, we are pleased to offer ?Vote Peace, Vote Green? & ?Partido Verde? union-made bumper stickers. Discounts available for bulk orders. < br> Our new union-made heart shaped key chains are a great way to show that the Green Party has heart. These are a limited edition. Order yours today. Green Party online shopping just got easier! To Order: online store. Register Green. Vote Green. Give Green. The Green Party does not accept corporate donations. We depend entirely on donations from people who are committed to building a powerful and progressive alternative to the two corporate parties. We ask you to challenge corporate influence in politics by supporting the Green Party of the United States! Show your resistance to the status quo by enabling us to continue organizing and mobilizing for real change. Please help us get out our positive, progressive values to new communities, and to deepen our involvement where we're already anchored. Support us today and please consider becoming a sustainer (look for the recurring donation option). Green Party online shopping just got easier! Visit our improved online store. Americans are ready for Change America is ready for the Green Party's message. But we need your help in bringing the message to the American people! Donate now to the Green Party Make your friends GREEN with envy. Become a card-carrying Green today! Buy Your Green Party Card Online (or download a PDF order form). The latest, coolest item in the wallets of progressives is the personalized Green Party Card. For $36.00 a year* you can be a card-carrying Green. When you become an active supporter of the Green Party of the United States, you'll receive our spanking-new card, which shows the world that you stand committed to time-honored progressive values like liberty, equality, democracy, social justice, personal responsibility and focus on the future. In addition, you will receive a Green Party button and bumper sticker, a one-year subscription to Green Pages, plus all of the information you need to get involved and active as a Green. Half of your contribution will be shared with your state's Green Party. The Future is Green! Order Your Green Party Card Online Today ------------- Federal law requires political committees to use their best effort to collect and report the name, mailing address, occupation and employer for each individual whose contributions exceed $200 in a calendar year. Contributions form the following individuals and entities are prohibited: corporations, labor organizations, national banks, government contractors, people under 18 years of age, and foreign nationals. *$36.00 is roughly equivalent to the $1.00 paid for a one-year membership in the Populist Party of the 1890s. The Populist Party was a multiracial, progressive, grassroots third party of working people which agitated for many popular progressive reforms. The Green Party of the 21st century continues the Populist's fight for citizen empowerment and progressive reforms at all levels today. = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = DO NOT REPLY TO THIS E-MAIL = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = All comments, feedback and content suggestions should be sent to: office at gp.org. You've been reading Green Line, the monthly e-newsletter of the Green Party of the United States. Subscribe for free at gp.org. Click here to unsubscribe. Paid for by the Green Party of the United States ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Tim McKee cell (860) 778-1304 or (860) 643-2282 Cliff Thornton for Governor- Campaign Manager- National Committee Member of the Green Party(Connecticut) Paid for by Thornton For Governor, Max Wentworth, Treasurer- www.VoteThornton.com email: info at votethornton.com -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From greenpartyct at sbcglobal.net Sat Sep 30 15:19:44 2006 From: greenpartyct at sbcglobal.net (Green Party-CT) Date: Sat, 30 Sep 2006 12:19:44 -0700 (PDT) Subject: {news} (Watertown TT) Green Candidate speaks at Watertown High School Message-ID: <20060930191944.62728.qmail@web81403.mail.mud.yahoo.com> 09/28/2006 Green candidate speaks at Watertown High School By: Sophie Bieluczyk Cliff Thornton, the Green Party candidate for governor, spoke to a group of students at Watertown High School on the morning of Wednesday, September 20. Mr. Thornton spent over an hour speaking with seniors in Allen Marco's fundamentals of government class. The class is currently studying state governance and Mr. Marco has invited state politicians to speak to his students. Advertisement '); } // --> var bnum=new Number(Math.floor(99999999 * Math.random())+1); document.write(''); dcmaxversion = 7 dcminversion = 6 Do On Error Resume Next plugin = (IsObject(CreateObject("ShockwaveFlash.ShockwaveFlash." & dcmaxversion & ""))) If plugin = true Then Exit Do dcmaxversion = dcmaxversion - 1 Loop While dcmaxversion >= dcminversion '); } //--> Mr. Thornton's campaign manager, Ken Krayeske, introduced his candidate and explained to the class that Mr. Thornton had to collect 7,500 signatures around the state to be on the ballot for governor. Mr. Thornton began his discussion with the class by talking about his life, including his childhood in Hartford, his Army service, his 27 years of employment with Southern New England Telephone, and his recent work with drug policy. Explaining the Green Party ideas to the class, Mr. Thornton stated that he feels that "the Green Party is the only party talking about issues that are important to Connecticut." He briefly discussed how he was nominated at the state convention. Mr. Thornton then discussed many issues that were relevant for the students such as education, the creation of student unions, the changing of the voting and drinking ages, and involvement with the Board of Education. "You've got to have a sound education," Mr. Thornton said, and proposed a policy of ten pupils per teacher in all classes. He also proposed free tuition and fees for college, and asked "if 12th grade is free, why not the 13th grade?" Mr. Thornton involved the students in many of his discussions, such as the creation of Canadian-like universal health care. "We are trying to have everyone equal, as far as healthcare is concerned," said Mr. Thornton. Mr. Thornton then answered questions from the students on varied topics, including; the war in Iraq, gay marriage, views on firearm laws, abortion, the legalization of cannabis, and the differences between the Green Party and the Libertarian Party. In response to questions about the war in Iraq, Mr. Thornton answered, "with all due respect to the soldiers serving overseas, I'm sick and tired of people talking about the war over there, and not the war here." He said that in the last three months, there have been over 120 shootings and killings in Connecticut. Mr. Thornton said he would keep the National Guard in Connecticut, in case there was a disaster here, such as a hurricane. "I really enjoy talking to young people, I really want to encourage you to participate in the things I was talking about today," Mr. Thornton said. '); } // --> var bnum=new Number(Math.floor(99999999 * Math.random())+1); document.write(' '); '); } //--> ?Town Times 2006 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Tim McKee cell (860) 778-1304 or (860) 643-2282 Cliff Thornton for Governor- Campaign Manager- National Committee Member of the Green Party(Connecticut) Paid for by Thornton For Governor, Max Wentworth, Treasurer- www.VoteThornton.com email: info at votethornton.com -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From ken at votethornton.com Mon Sep 4 19:32:36 2006 From: ken at votethornton.com (ken krayeske) Date: Mon, 04 Sep 2006 23:32:36 -0000 Subject: {news} re: 9-5-6 Thornton Strategy Meeting Reminder Message-ID: <44FCB739.7040207@votethornton.com> Tomorrow night, Tuesday, Sept. 5, from 7 to 8:30 The Thornton for Governor Campaign will hold a statewide strategy meeting at Russell Public Library Middletown, CT Reading Room 1 Please, come on, come all. This is a change of venue, so please take note that the meeting is not in Hartford. We have big news to discuss, and your presence there would be helpful. If you have any question, contact Ken Krayeske at 860-995-5842. Peace, KK -- Peace, Ken Krayeske Campaign Director Thornton for Governor P.O. Box 1971 Manchester, CT 06045 860-995-5842 *This message is paid for and approved by Thornton for Governor, Max Wentworth, Treasurer* From NancyBurtonCT at aol.com Sat Sep 2 18:06:27 2006 From: NancyBurtonCT at aol.com (NancyBurtonCT at aol.com) Date: Sat, 02 Sep 2006 22:06:27 -0000 Subject: {news} Nancy Burton Press Conference 9/5/06: Announcing AG Campaign Message-ID: Hello CT Greens! Thanks to the extraordinary efforts of so many, the CT Greens will have a candidate for state AG on the ballot in November - and that candidate is me! I am planning a press conference - on Tuesday, September 5, at 12 noon in Hartford at green and verdant Bushnell Park across from 55 Elm Street, the office of the Attorney General - to officially and publicly announce my campaign for AG. All are welcome! I have chosen September 5 as the day after Labor Day (when folks have returned to work) and the day before the Judicial Review Council conducts an unprecedented public hearing on whether former Chief Justcie William J. Sullivan violated the Canons of Judicial Ethics and should be punished. Ridding the state of the twin evils of judicial corruption and Millstone are two major themes of my candidacy. I will articulate other major themes of my campaign and note well that history is in the making with Greens on the ascendancy here and elsewhere! Victory to the Greens! All comments, questions, insights and input are invited! Nancy -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From NancyBurtonCT at aol.com Tue Sep 5 07:29:43 2006 From: NancyBurtonCT at aol.com (NancyBurtonCT at aol.com) Date: Tue, 05 Sep 2006 11:29:43 -0000 Subject: {news} Burton-for-AG Press Conference at Noon Today (Press Release) Message-ID: <570.721a0e2.322eb999@aol.com> NANCY BURTON for ATTORNEY GENERAL CLEAN AIR - CLEAN WATER CLEAN GOVERNMENT _www.VoteBurton.org_ (http://www.VoteBurton.org) BURTON ANNOUNCES GREEN PARTY CANDIDACY FOR ATTORNEY GENERAL; VOWS TO CURB JUDICIAL CORRUPTION AND CLOSE MILLSTONE For Release: September 5, 2006 /12 noon Contact: Nancy Burton _203-938-3952/Cell203-545-9252/NancyBurtonCT at aol.com_ (mailto:203-938-3952/Cell203-545-9252/NancyBurtonCT at aol.com) David Bedell, Campaign Manager, 203-581-3193/ _dbedellgreen at hotmail.com_ (mailto:dbedellgreen at hotmail.com) , Hartford - Vowing to work to purge the courts of judicial corruption and to close the Millstone Nuclear Power Station, environmental activist Nancy Burton formally launched her campaign as Connecticut Green Party candidate for state Attorney General at a press conference today in Hartford at Bushnell Park across the street from the attorney general?s office at 55 Elm Street. ?If elected state attorney general, I will be in court to close Millstone before the sun sets on my first day in office,? Burton proclaimed. ?Our laws give the attorney general enormous powers to protect the public interest,? Burton said. ?These laws have been under-utilized.? ?Millstone and its New York twin, the Indian Point nuclear power station, constitute the worst threats to the health, safety and welfare of the people of this state and we need to close them now,? Burton said. ?Both Millstone and Indian Point are pre-deployed weapons of mass destruction which are poisoning our communities with daily doses of radiation and the build-up of thousands of tons of deadly radioactive waste,? Burton said. ? Electricity generators that require evacuation plans in the event of catastrophe or sabotage do not belong near population centers.? ?That Millstone is still operating after years of scandal, accidents and illegal conduct is a testament to corruption and arrogance in the Governor? s office and inaction by the attorney general?s office,? Burton said. ?In each of the eight lawsuits I brought against Millstone on environmental grounds, Mr. Blumenthal sided with Millstone?s corporate owners and against the public interest,? Burton said. ?The State of Connecticut did not even participate in the recent relicensing of Millstone Units 2 and 3. The state? s lack of participation was tantamount to issuing a blank check for Dominion to continuing operating Millstone without fear of state oversight.? ?The attorney general possesses statutory power to obtain a court order to terminate a corporation?s charter to do business in the state when the corporation engages in unfair and deceptive trade practices,? Burton said. ?I would waste no time to revoke Dominion?s charter for its many sins against the public interest: firing whistleblowers who advocate for safety and security, routinely disabling Millstone?s security system to save costs, poisoning the community with radiation and toxic releases to the air and water and always deceiving us about the health effects of its operations,? Burton said. ?Connecticut had an opportunity to shut Millstone Unit 2 when it ran out of space to store its nuclear waste two years ago,? Burton said. ?Instead, Attorney General Blumenthal sided with Millstone?s corporate owner, Dominion, to extend the life of that aging reactor by advocating for an above-ground storage site before the Siting Council.? ?As a result, the Town of Waterford stands to become a permanent nuclear waste dump town, but for an appeal which I have personally taken to the Superior Court,? Burton said. ?What?s wrong with this picture?? Burton asked. ?When ordinary citizens have to step forward alone to defend their communities against nuclear perils, it?s time for a radical shake-up in government,? Burton said. ?The Green Party is here to provide a new voice and a new choice for the people,? Burton said. Burton said the state should apply its power of eminent domain to con demn Millstone and create in its place a center for development of sustainable energy which would capture the power of the sun, wind and wave action along the Connecticut shoreline. Such a project would create hundreds of jobs and help reduce the state? s dependency on foreign oil. ?Eminent domain should never be used to destroy stable residential neighborhoods to reward corporate profiteers,? Burton said. ?But eminent domain surely has a place in ridding a community of a notorious public nuisance and replacing it with a visionary development which will provide real and lasting benefit to the community.? Burton worked as a public interest attorney for 20 years, successfully bringing suit in 1999 to shut Millstone Unit 2 temporarily during the annual fish spawning season. As a public-interest attorney, Burton took on many controversial cases successfully, advocating for environmental protection and against gender bias and racism. She saved a school teacher?s home from a condemnation initiated by the state Department of Transportation to benefit a private corporation. She obtained immediate release from prison of an innocent African-American youth prosecuted for his race. She saved historic properties from demolition and development. She won many reversals on appeal. However, when she petitioned the Connecticut Supreme Court in 1995 to investigate three Superior Court judges for a pattern of misconduct, Burton paid a heavy price for her judicial whistleblowing. Burton was disbarred from the practice of law for five years on November 2, 2001 by now-retired Superior Court Judge A. William Mottolese, whose decision was upheld by the Connecticut Supreme Court in a decision written by then-Chief Justice William J. Sullivan. Burton maintains Mottolese contrived bogus charges and that she will eventually be fully vindicated. She is eligible to apply for re-admission prior to Election Day on November 7, 2006. Burton remains licensed to practice in New York. ?I paid the ultimate price for honoring the attorney?s oath by reporting judicial misconduct to high authorities within the Judicial Department,? said Burton. ?Honoring the attorney?s oath should not be a path to career suicide,? Burton said. ?If I am elected Attorney General, I will work for passage of a law which would make it a crime for anyone who becomes aware of judicial misconduct to fail to report it,? Burton said. ?With passage of such a law, and assuming full enforcement, the courts of Connecticut will go a long way toward becoming true temples of justice,? Burton said. Burton fell out of favor with one Superior Court Judge, now-retired Howard J. Moraghan, when she sued him on behalf of Barbara Monsky in 1996 because the judge allowed his dog to bother women inside the courthouse by shoving its wet snout under their skirts in what Burton called repetitious, ritualistic conduct. Moraghan?s superiors in Hartford would not intervene. ?I find it ironic that Judge Moraghan?s lawyer in the dog sniffing case is now defending former Chief Justice Sullivan against charges of ethical misconduct in unprecedented proceedings now pending before the Judicial Review Council,? Burton said. ?For years, Connecticut?s courts have operated outside public scrutiny and a culture of corruption and cronyism took root,? Burton said. ?I was a canary in that coal mine.? ?In a democracy, our courts must operate above any suspicion of political or other improper influence,? Burton said. ?The attorney general must play an active role in maintaining a judiciary above reproach and must never be part of the problem,? Burton said. Burton appeared at the press conference with Cliff Thornton, Green Party gubernatorial candidate, and other members of the Green Party. ?The Green Team will bring a new spirit of opportunity, responsibility and community to Connecticut,? Burton said. ?This is an historic moment,? Burton said, noting that this year Green Party members successfully petitioned to put its candidates for top state and federal races on the ballot for the first time. The Secretary of State qualified the requisite 7,500 petitions on August 21, 2006. ?The Green Party is becoming a statewide force to be reckoned with: in our 2006 campaigns, we will make a true impact to reform government, purge it of overwhelming corporate influence and make it work for the people,? Burton said. Burton said she will invite Attorney General Blumenthal to a debate. Burton said she will campaign for the following issues among others: (1) Abolition of the death penalty (2) Universal health care (3) An energy policy which would radically reduce consumption and spur development of sustainables on an emergency basis (4) Mandatory ?green? building requirements (5) Ballot access and campaign finance reform to eliminate barriers to third-party participation (6) Support action by the Governor as Commander-in-Chief of the Connecticut National Guard to recall troops from fighting in the illegal war in Iraq (7) Legalize and medicalize drugs as an alternative to the failed drug wars (8) Land use reform by the legislature to discourage suburban sprawl and loss of farmlands (9) Major investment in local and organic agriculture, with incentives to provide schoolchildren with a healthy diet of locally grown, pesticide-free food (10) Address the transportation crisis by reviving freight train service operating with clean renewable energy and expanding mass transit (11) Expanding equal educational opportunities to all the children of the state (12) Enact legislation giving the people the right to referendum (13) Repeal the failed electricity deregulation law and resume state regulation of Millstone (14) Enact legislation making it a crime to conceal knowledge of judicial misconduct and protecting judicial whistleblowers from retaliation - 30 - -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From ken at votethornton.com Tue Sep 5 16:27:09 2006 From: ken at votethornton.com (ken krayeske) Date: Tue, 05 Sep 2006 20:27:09 -0000 Subject: {news} [Fwd: Re: ] Message-ID: <44FDDD3B.3070501@votethornton.com> The Gov fires back, calling Slap on his mealey mouthed fib about six candidates. -- Peace, Ken Krayeske Campaign Director Thornton for Governor P.O. Box 1971 Manchester, CT 06045 860-995-5842 *This message is paid for and approved by Thornton for Governor, Max Wentworth, Treasurer* -------------- next part -------------- An embedded message was scrubbed... From: "Kevin Deneen" Subject: RE: Date: Tue, 5 Sep 2006 16:20:46 -0400 Size: 75771 URL: From ken at votethornton.com Wed Sep 6 08:19:52 2006 From: ken at votethornton.com (ken krayeske) Date: Wed, 06 Sep 2006 12:19:52 -0000 Subject: {news} Today's New Haven Register Message-ID: <44FEBAF2.9080603@votethornton.com> 09/06/2006 DeStefano doesn?t want other parties to be in debate Gregory B. Hladky , Capitol Bureau Chief -HARTFORD ? The gubernatorial campaigns of Democrat John DeStefano Jr. and incumbent Republican Gov. M. Jodi Rell were at odds Tuesday over who should be allowed to participate in upcoming debates. Rell has proposed allowing any minor candidates who qualify for the ballot ? including at least the Green Party and the Concerned Citizens candidates ? to take part. But DeStefano?s campaign spokesman Derek Slap called that "a smokescreen to avoid a direct debate on the issues with John DeStefano." The exchange of letters between the campaigns grew more heated as the day wore on, with Rell?s campaign manager Kevin M. Deneen dismissing the DeStefano campaign?s claims as "unsubstantiated by any evidence whatsoever." "Frankly, your comments appear to speak more to (New Haven) Mayor DeStefano?s desire to maximize his opportunities for public exposure than any unwillingness on the part of Gov. Rell to face him in a public forum," Deneen said in a letter to DeStefano campaign manager Henry Fernandez. Meanwhile, Green Party officials were growing furious with DeStefano?s attitude on the debates. "I don?t understand what the Democrats have against getting another voice into the debates," said Ken Krayeske, campaign manager for Green Party candidate Cliff Thornton. Thornton said he?s under no illusions about why Rell wants minor party candidates to be part of the debates. "I know I?m probably being used as a pawn," said Thornton, explaining Rell most likely believes that having additional candidates participate will "give DeStefano less face time." At the same time, Thornton said Rell "really is fulfilling democracy" by agreeing to include minor party candidates. The Concerned Citizens Party candidate for governor, Joseph A. Zdonczyk, couldn?t be reached for comment Tuesday. Rell?s spokesman, Rich Harris, said Rell?s stand on minor party candidates and the debates "doesn?t have anything to do with strategy." "We believe all qualified candidates should be included," Harris said. Slap said in his letter that Rell?s stance on the debates could mean that as many as six candidates could be on stage at once, thus limiting all the candidates? time to respond to questions. Currently, only Rell, DeStefano, Thornton and Zdonczyk have qualified for the ballot. "Whatever criteria one uses, it is clear there are only two candidates who have a serious chance at being elected governor in Connecticut," Slap said in the letter. Krayeske angrily questioned why DeStefano?s campaign was insisting on electability as a qualification for the debates. "According to the Quinnipiac University Polls that have been coming out, John DeStefano isn?t electable either," said Krayeske, referring to polls showing Rell with a massive lead over her Democratic challenger. The campaigns still haven?t decided on how many gubernatorial debates there should be or what formats should be used. A number of civic and news organizations have offered to sponsor the debates. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ /Gregory B. Hladky can be contacted at ghladky at nhregister.com or (860) 524-0719./ -- The positives to this are plenty, but after reading Paul Bass' story yesterday, there are lessons here for us to learn. Please offer your additional comments, as well. So I'll offer a few criticisms of Green Party comments/responses in this story: a- In last quote, I could've turned DeStefano's quote on its head and said, "I'm glad that Mayor DeStefano's campaign recognizes that Cliff is now the leading progressive candidate." Or "DeStefano is acknowledging he can;'t win, and I am glad he is ceding electability to Cliff." b - I shouldn't have given so much play to the Q Polls, considering we are not in them. c - Cliff or I could have responded by neither praising nor attacking either side, but by taking a third party tack: "This is the situation we are in the middle of. Look at what the two party system is coming down to. Democracy is not about who the two parties decide who people can vote for, but that is the attitude evident here in the Q Polls and the debate planning. It is about voters choosing among the choices on the ballot. Polls and debates should reflect the ballot. That is all we are asking, and it is lost in the competing interests of the duopoly." d - Show less emotion (Another person recently told me to restrain my animosity - it is tough). e - Before speaking to the press, consider how what we say builds the party. Does what we say build the party? Does this exchange bode well for the future of the Green Party? If so, how? If not, why? Just thoughts. We are enduring a period of growth, and as we are in it, we must, must, must take ample time to reflect on our responses. Peace, Ken Krayeske Campaign Director Thornton for Governor P.O. Box 1971 Manchester, CT 06045 860-995-5842 *This message is paid for and approved by Thornton for Governor, Max Wentworth, Treasurer* From efficacy at msn.com Wed Sep 6 22:04:30 2006 From: efficacy at msn.com (clifford thornton) Date: Thu, 07 Sep 2006 02:04:30 -0000 Subject: {news} Law Enforcement Against Prohibition (LEAP) News Release Message-ID: -----Original Message----- From: Whitney Garlinghouse [mailto:whitney at garlinghouse.org] Sent: Wednesday, September 06, 2006 9:18 PM Subject: Law Enforcement Against Prohibition (LEAP) News Release Importance: High **News Release** News Desk Editor: Attached is our press release and events schedule for LEAP's (Law Enforcement Against Prohibition) speaking tour of Connecticut this fall. This tour involved five distinguished speakers making a total of 32 presentations (so far) with a unified message of ending the War on Drugs. We would appreciate news coverage for any of these speaking events in your area (please call or email for event locations). Thank you. Whitney Garlinghouse LEAP Speakers Bureau Coordinators 16 Bank Lane, Essex, CT 06426 860-767-2438 -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: PR - LEAP 9-6-2006.pdf Type: application/pdf Size: 181892 bytes Desc: not available URL: From ken at votethornton.com Fri Sep 8 02:12:24 2006 From: ken at votethornton.com (ken krayeske) Date: Fri, 08 Sep 2006 06:12:24 -0000 Subject: {news} Does Anyone Message-ID: <45010951.1010701@votethornton.com> Does anyone care to take this page for a test drive? https://www.votethornton.com/contributions/contribute.php Three cheers for the webmaster at Zagnutz in Glastonbury for the helping us comply with state law as interpreted by the CT Elections Enforcement Committee. Our campaign infrastructure is close to complete. Thanks everyone for their fantastic work, and let's keep it up. 60 days until Nov. 7! What we accomplish by then is only limited by our imagination. Peace, Ken Krayeske Campaign Director Thornton for Governor P.O. Box 1971 Manchester, CT 06045 860-995-5842 *This message is paid for and approved by Thornton for Governor, Max Wentworth, Treasurer* From ken at votethornton.com Wed Sep 13 10:21:34 2006 From: ken at votethornton.com (ken krayeske) Date: Wed, 13 Sep 2006 14:21:34 -0000 Subject: {news} [Fwd: Re: QUPI] Message-ID: <45081366.2090209@votethornton.com> Go Green! Thanks to all who sent letters to Doug Schwartz demanding inclusion. It appears that we may have moved QUPI. This is a major shift in his language, and while I'm not holding my breath, it looks positive. We can hold off for a bit on the pressure to QUPI. -- Peace, Ken Krayeske Campaign Director Thornton for Governor P.O. Box 1971 Manchester, CT 06045 860-995-5842 *This message is paid for and approved by Thornton for Governor, Max Wentworth, Treasurer* -------------- next part -------------- An embedded message was scrubbed... From: "Schwartz, Doug" Subject: RE: QUPI Date: Wed, 13 Sep 2006 10:04:03 -0400 Size: 9165 URL: From ken at votethornton.com Mon Sep 18 11:17:01 2006 From: ken at votethornton.com (ken krayeske) Date: Mon, 18 Sep 2006 15:17:01 -0000 Subject: {news} T4G Strategy Meeting 9/19 Message-ID: <450EB7C3.7090207@votethornton.com> Come one, come all, bring your ideas, bring your friends! Thornton for Governor will host its biweekly campaign strategy meeting Where: the Russell Public Library, reading room 1, Middletown, CT When: Tuesday, Sept. 19 at 6:45 pm Why: BECAUSE WE WANT TO WIN! For more information, feel free to contact me. We are running the meeting a little early because last time we had to be hustled out of the room, and we want to make sure we can cover everything we need to. We look forward to seeing you all there. -- Peace, Ken Krayeske Campaign Director Thornton for Governor P.O. Box 1971 Manchester, CT 06045 860-995-5842 *This message is paid for and approved by Thornton for Governor, Max Wentworth, Treasurer* From ken at votethornton.com Mon Sep 18 12:02:28 2006 From: ken at votethornton.com (ken krayeske) Date: Mon, 18 Sep 2006 16:02:28 -0000 Subject: {news} NEWS RELEASE: Thornton Announces Running Mate Message-ID: <450EC24C.6020600@votethornton.com> Thornton for Governor For Immediate Release Sept. 18, 2006 *Thornton Announces Running Mate* *Jean M. de Smet of Windham Adds Electoral Experience* /Hartford/ - At 2 p.m. on the north steps of the Connecticut State Capitol on Monday, Sept. 18, Green Party gubernatorial candidate Cliff Thornton will announce Jean M. de Smet of Windham as his running mate. An electrician by trade, de Smet, 51, has run for First Selectman of Windham. She experienced some success in 2005, when she collected 28 percent of the vote, besting the Republican candidate. ?After a long and exhaustive search, we determined that Jean was the best person to represent the working people of the state of Connecticut,? Thornton said. ?I am confident that she will not only be a great candidate, but the best Lt. Governor the state has ever had.? Thornton?s campaign has filed the appropriate paperwork with the Secretary of the State to place de Smet on the ballot. The Lieutenant Governor must speak for the people, de Smet said. ?As Lieutenant Governor, I will represent the Voice of the People to the Governor,? de Smet said. ?Money plays too large a role in politics, as we all know. Corporations, lobbyists, legislators and wealthy contributors vie for the ear of the governor. The rest of us need a presence in the governor?s office, and I will be that presence.? de Smet, who is co-chair of the Connecticut Green Party, said her number one priority would be closing the gap between rich and poor. ?I am a construction worker from the most economically depressed area of the state,? de Smet said, noting that she also has a degree in English from the University of Connecticut. ?I will work to bring economic equality to Connecticut by redirecting our priorities into job creation and revitalizing our cities. We can provide good jobs while simultaneously changing the direction of our state into a Green, sustainable future which cares for everyone.? For more information, contact campaign manager Ken Krayeske at 860-995-5842 or ken at votethornton.com -- Peace, Ken Krayeske Campaign Director Thornton for Governor P.O. Box 1971 Manchester, CT 06045 860-995-5842 *This message is paid for and approved by Thornton for Governor, Max Wentworth, Treasurer* From justinemccabe at earthlink.net Tue Sep 19 14:27:16 2006 From: justinemccabe at earthlink.net (Justine McCabe) Date: Tue, 19 Sep 2006 18:27:16 -0000 Subject: {news} GP RELEASE Greens register Senatorial Campaign Ctte with FEC Message-ID: <001201c6dc19$1d12eaf0$0402a8c0@JUSTINE> GREEN PARTY OF THE UNITED STATES http://www.gp.org For Immediate Release: Monday, September 18, 2006 Contacts: Scott McLarty, Media Coordinator, 202-518-5624, mclarty at greens.org Starlene Rankin, Media Coordinator, 916-995-3805, starlene at greens.org Teresa Keane, Chair of the Green Senatorial Campaign Committee, 503-452-0425, cell 503-475-0051, teresadot at comcast.net Dean Myerson, Treasurer of the Green Senatorial Campaign Committee, 202-248-4690, greens at deanmyerson.org Green Party files to form Senatorial Campaign Committee . Filing sets a historic precedent: no alternative political party has ever formed such a committee; the FEC has never received such a request WASHINGTON, D.C. -- The Green Party became the first alternative political party in history to register a national senatorial campaign committee with the Federal Election Commission last week. The filing sets further precedent because the Democratic and Republican Senate campaign committees were grandfathered in when the FEC was formed. The FEC has never dealt with a request to form such a committee. "We are taking this step because Americans need a viable alternative to the two old parties, and the Green Party is serious about offering that alternative," said Teresa Keane, a former Green Senate candidate from Oregon and Chair of the eight-member Green Senatorial Campaign Committee. "Voters are upset with both the Republican and Democratic parties this year, and are looking for candidates who take principled positions on issues that are important to them." A senatorial campaign committee allows the party to receive and disburse larger contributions, but these contributions are still fully regulated, of public record, and are not soft money, which the national Green Party has never used, even when it was legal. Dean Myerson, Treasurer of the Green Senatorial Campaign Committee, submitted registration papers on the committee's behalf to the Secretary of the Senate and the Federal Election Commission earlier this week. "The Green Party is serious about supporting its candidates for Senate. Creating this committee is a good way to do that," said Dean Myerson, who noted that the committee is finalizing its advisory request now and is collecting affidavits of support from the various Green candidates for Senate. The Green Party has nominated 14 senate candidates for 2006, almost half of the Senate seats up for election this year. The key issue for many is the Iraq War; Green candidates are calling for immediate withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq. "The war on Iraq is a crime of historic proportions. With each new day we see more evidence of the greed and corruption that led to the decision to engage in this barbaric war for oil and geostrategic control. America needs Senators who will stand firm against an administration bent on using lies and fear to lead the nation into such a devastating direction," said David Sole, Green candidate for Senator of Michigan . The Green Party plans to follow up on the Green Senatorial Campaign Committee with the establishment of a Green Congressional Campaign Committee. 2006 Green nominees for U.S. Senate California: Todd Chretien http://www.todd4senate.org Connecticut: Ralph A. Ferrucci http://www.ferrucciforsenate.org District of Columbia: Joyce Robinson-Paul http://www.dcstatehoodgreen.org/election2006/candidate.php?annc_id=150 Florida: Brian Moore http://www.votebrianmoore.com Maryland: Kevin Zeese http://www.kevinzeese.com Michigan: David Sole http://www.stopthewarslate.org/davidsole.html Minnesota: Michael Cavlan http://www.michaelcavlan.org Missouri: Lydia Lewis http://www.ppmo.org/lydialewis2006.html New York: Howie Hawkins http://www.hawkinsforsenate.org Pennsylvania: Carl Romanelli http://www.romanelli2006.com Tennessee: Chris Lugo http://www.chris4senate.com Utah: Julian Hatch, http://www.hatchforsenate.org Washington: Aaron Dixon, http://www.aarondixon.org Wisconsin: Rae Vogeler, http://www.voterae.org 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 campaign listings, news, photos, and web sites http://www.gp.org/2006elections Database of 2006 Green candidates http://www.greens.org/elections Video clips of Green candidates http://www.gp.org/2006elections/media.shtml Green Party News Center http://www.gp.org/newscenter.shtml ~ END ~ -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From ken at votethornton.com Sun Sep 24 10:18:32 2006 From: ken at votethornton.com (ken krayeske) Date: Sun, 24 Sep 2006 14:18:32 -0000 Subject: {news} re: CT Post Editorial for 3rd Party Inclusion Message-ID: <45169351.4010802@votethornton.com> http://www.connpost.com/editorials/ci_4389591 from Sunday, Sept. 24, 2006 Minor parties need a voice in debates If the lively, invective-laden discussion on whether to have one-on-one gubernatorial debates this fall is an indication, Connecticut citizens will get their money's worth when Republican Gov. M. Jodi Rell and New Haven Mayor John DeStefano finally square off against each other next month. DeStefano, Rell and the spokesmen for each have engaged in a trading of heated words during the past two weeks that eventually ended in agreement for at least two one-on-one televised debates and a single one-on-one debate between their running mates for lieutenant governor. That's fine for starters. But we trust that the two gubernatorial candidates will agree to far more debates than those two before the dust settles on Nov. 7. Both candidates owe that to the voters of Connecticut who pay the state's bills and deserve to gain a very clear picture of where both stand on issues. We urge Rell and DeStefano to also come to an agreement to appear in at least one debate with the two minor party candidates for governor, Clifford W. Thornton of the Green Party and Joseph Zdonczyk of the Concerned Citizens Party. After all, these candidates gathered citizen signatures to be on the ballot. We agree with Rell, that including minor party candidates in some debates would be in keeping with the spirit of state's revamped campaign laws. More important, both Thornton and Zdonczyk represent views on certain issues that differ from the mainstream candidates. Thornton is an ardent advocate for decriminalization of drugs and Zdonczyk is a longtime opponent of abortion and embryonic stem cell research. Candidate inclusion would also be a fine guiding philosophy for at least one debate in the extremely competitive U.S. Senate race and any race for U.S. House seats where there are minor party candidates, such as in the Fairfield County-centered 4th District. There are already 11 debates scheduled in the 4th District race between incumbent Republican Christopher Shays and Democratic challenger Diane Farrell. Certainly, room can be found in some for Libertarian Phil Maymin and Green Party petition candidate Richard Duffee, although we would concede that Duffee didn't help his candidacy by listing a Stamford restaurant and bar as his campaign headquarters in applying for the first debate in that city. Maymin will be included. Minor party candidates in Connecticut usually have scant chance of winning, although former Gov. Lowell P. Weicker Jr. was an exception. But, as the state opens up its electoral process from the clutches of the two major parties, who knows what the future will hold. Democracy is underwritten by competing voices and ideas, especially in the political arena. Let the minor party candidates at least have some voice in this year's campaign. -- Peace, Ken Krayeske Campaign Director Thornton for Governor P.O. Box 1971 Manchester, CT 06045 860-995-5842 *This message is paid for and approved by Thornton for Governor, Max Wentworth, Treasurer* From ken at votethornton.com Mon Sep 25 12:07:34 2006 From: ken at votethornton.com (ken krayeske) Date: Mon, 25 Sep 2006 16:07:34 -0000 Subject: {news} re: Thornton video ad calls for free higher education Message-ID: <4517FD6A.1030804@votethornton.com> Thornton for Governor For Immediate Release Sept. 25, 2006 For more information, contact Ken Krayeske, 860-995-5842 *Thornton video ad calls for free higher education* *Online at http://votethornton.com/pages/video.html * /Hartford/ - Green Party gubernatorial candidate Cliff Thornton is calling for free higher education in Connecticut, paid for by lottery and casino revenues, a day before the University of Connecticut Board of Trustees will meet to consider the budget for the 2008-2009 school years. "The UConn board will raise tuition again, like it has every year during the past decade," Thornton said. "The skyrocketing costs of tuition and fees make college unaffordable for many deserving students. By allowing this to happen, the Democrats and the Republicans in state government threaten Connecticut's economic viability." In June, UConn's Board of Trustees increased in-state tuition 6.5 percent for 2007. According to a recent story in the student-run UConn Free Press, that raise brings "the total cumulative tuition hike since 1990 to 316 percent for in-state students and 264 percent for out-of-state students. Increases in financial aid, which are increasingly merit-based rather than need-based, have not been sufficient to alleviate the burden imposed upon families, particularly those that struggle financially." What's even worse, Thornton noted, was that the The National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education gave UConn and an "F" for affordability. The Free Press reported that Governor Rell called it a distinction "we can live without." Democrats, on the other hand, offer solutions like 529 savings accounts, which only work for people who have money to save. "We need to apply the lessons of /Brown v Board of Ed/ and /Sheff v O'Neill/ to higher education, and make college available to all people," Thornton said. The National Center for Public Policy's report card is available online: http://measuringup.highereducation.org/reports/stateprofilenet.cfm?myyear=2006&stateName=Connecticut The Report Card indicates that because of those rising tuition rates, college enrollment among Connecticut's graduating seniors has declined in the past decade. Those outrageous costs put college out of reach for the children of low income people, and for those struggling to stay in the middle class, the dream of college becomes a nightmare of debt. "It is not a coincidence, then, that young people move out of Connecticut at the second highest rate in the country," Thornton said. "The solution is free higher education. It will create more jobs and more opportunities for people. Education is a human right." Anyone with graduating high school with a 2.0 should be eligible for free community college, and anyone graduating high school with a 3.0 should be eligible for free four-year college, Thornton said. This would require a massive investment in our educational infrastructure, but, "Our future is worth it," Thornton said. The ad, filmed on the campus at the University of Connecticut Law School, states, ?We Nutmeggers would be lucky if by 2008 Connecticut had the same number of jobs it had in 1998. Yet Connecticut businesses complain that they don?t have enough skilled workers. As governor, I would use lottery and casino revenue to fund free tuition at our public universities and colleges for our young people. Upon graduation, let?s ask them to stay for more four years.? By making post-graduation residency a requirement for free tuition, Thornton said that Connecticut can keep the vitality and energy of its youth here, and make the state a more exciting place to live. Thornton said he hopes to use the online video not only as an organizing tool for students and parents, but as a way to raise money to buy airtime for it. For more information, contact campaign director Ken Krayeske at 860-995-5842 or ken at votethornton.com -- Peace, Ken Krayeske Campaign Director Thornton for Governor P.O. Box 1971 Manchester, CT 06045 860-995-5842 *This message is paid for and approved by Thornton for Governor, Max Wentworth, Treasurer* From justinemccabe at earthlink.net Thu Sep 28 14:50:27 2006 From: justinemccabe at earthlink.net (Justine McCabe) Date: Thu, 28 Sep 2006 18:50:27 -0000 Subject: {news} GP RELEASE: US warships nearing Iran may ignite global war, warn Greens Message-ID: <045601c6e32e$7cd0fe70$0402a8c0@JUSTINE> GREEN PARTY OF THE UNITED STATES http://www.gp.org For Immediate Release: Wednesday, September 27, 2006 Contacts: Scott McLarty, Media Coordinator, 202-518-5624, mclarty at greens.org Starlene Rankin, Media Coordinator, 916-995-3805, starlene at greens.org U.S. warships nearing Iran may provoke a global conflict, warn Greens WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Green Party candidates and leaders alleged that the Bush Administration may be trying to provoke a confrontation after the nuclear aircraft carrier Eisenhower and other warships were ordered to head to Iran. Greens warned that such a confrontation may spark a wider regional or global conflict. "A military assault on Iran will backfire even worse than the Iraq invasion," said Chris Lugo, Tennessee candidate for the U.S. Senate . "An attack will inflame Middle East rage against the U.S., create new security problems, anger and alienate U.S. allies who already blame President Bush for the growing Iraqi civil war and widespread death and ruin in Iraq, and may lead to a global conflagration." "A classified U.S. intelligence paper recently confirmed what Greens and other opponents of the war have been saying, that the invasion and occupation of Iraq have provoked Islamic radicalism and led to a greater threat of terrorism. If U.S. warships launch an attack on Iran, it'll be seen in the Middle East as a declaration of war on the whole Muslim world," Mr. Lugo added. The Bush Administration bases its threats on Iran's alleged desire for nuclear weapons, but Greens note that the White House has not objected to the equally dangerous nuclear arsenals of Israel, Pakistan, and India, and has even promoted nuclear deals with Pakistan and India. "If Mr. Bush were serious about discouraging Iran from its purported nuclear ambitions, he would take steps to ensure a nuke-free Middle East, beginning with pressure on Israel to get rid of its nuclear weapons," said Carol Brouillet, Green candidate for the U.S. House of Representatives in California's 14th District . "He would also press for nuclear disarmament of India and Pakistan and other U.S. allies, while rejoining the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty, ratifying the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty, and eliminating American nuclear weapons." Policy analysts from various political backgrounds who spoke on a Green Institute panel in Washington, D.C. on September 20 agreed that the Bush Administration's entire Middle East policy has been a disaster both to homeland security and to prospects for peace in the Middle East ("Analysis: Mideast woes alarm U.S. experts", UPI, September 21, 2006 ). Greens listed several Bush Administration policies and actions that may lead to a global conflict: . The U.S.-Iran standoff on Iran's nuclear capabilities and increasing likelihood of a U.S. attack. . The build-up of nuclear arsenals in Israel, Pakistan, and India. . International anger over deteriorating conditions in Iraq and Afghanistan as a result of U.S. invasion and occupation, and the refusal of the Bush Administration to consider a plan for withdrawal. The Green Party has called for immediate withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq and Afghanistan, and has sharply criticized Democrats and Republicans who have called for continued occupation or delayed withdrawal. . The U.S. role in Israel's invasion of Lebanon this past summer, which resulted in hundreds of Lebanese civilians deaths. . U.S. support for Israel's illegal occupation of Palestinian territories; Palestinians living in Gaza, suffering economic strangulation, Israeli military incursion, and daily killing and maiming of civilians, now live in siege conditions. . Anger at abuses in U.S. detention centers in Iraq, Afghanistan, Guantanamo Bay, and secret locations, especially torture and detention without due process of terror suspects (many of whom have been later revealed to be innocent) in violation of the Geneva Conventions. The recent deal brokered by the White House and congressional Republicans allows torture to continue in secret at the President's discretion. "We in the Green Party are concerned about inequality for women and human rights violations in Iran and other theocratic countries, but attacking Iran will not help the victims of such abuses," said Kathleen Culver, Green candidate for Congress in Tennessee's 7th District. "American bombs don't liberate, they kill. Furthermore, a U.S. attack will give theocratic rulers greater power as the people of Iran and other Middle Eastern nations rally in Iran's defense. Nor can we ignore the fact that human rights abuses are equal or worse in some governments favored by the Bush Administration, especially oil-rich nations like Saudi Arabia, Uzbekistan, and Equatorial Guinea." 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 campaign listings, news, photos, and web sites http://www.gp.org/2006elections Database of 2006 Green candidates http://www.greens.org/elections Video clips of Green candidates http://www.gp.org/2006elections/media.shtml Green Party News Center http://www.gp.org/newscenter.shtml The Green Institute: Nonpartisan center for research and policy based on the global values of the Green movement: nonviolence, grassroots democracy, social justice and sustainability http://www.greeninstitute.net/subpages/Home.asp "War Signals?" By Dave Lindorff, The Nation, September 21, 2006 http://www.thenation.com/doc/20061009/lindorff ~ END ~ -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From ken at votethornton.com Fri Sep 29 16:21:11 2006 From: ken at votethornton.com (ken krayeske) Date: Fri, 29 Sep 2006 20:21:11 -0000 Subject: {news} re: LWV-CT Announces Thornton Eligible for Oct. 9 New London Debate Message-ID: <451D7ECC.7030302@votethornton.com> Thornton for Governor For Immediate Release Sept. 25, 2006 For more information, contact Ken Krayeske, 860-995-5842 DEMOCRACY PREVAILS! The Connecticut League of Women Voters Invites Cliff Thornton to its Televised Debate on Oct. 9 in New London Hartford - Cliff Thornton, the Connecticut Green Party candidate for governor, hailed the League of Women Voters as courageous and democratic for its decision to invite him to its televised debate Monday, Oct. 9 at the Garde Theatre for the Arts in New London, CT at 8 p.m. between Republican incumbent Gov. M. Jodi Rell and Democratic challenger John DeStefano. "This is a great day for democracy," said gubernatorial candidate Cliff Thornton, who is the first African-American candidate for governor in state history. "The Connecticut League of Women Voter's showed the courage of its forbears. I am certain that Susan B. Anthony and her suffragettes would applaud this. I look forward to standing on the stage alongside my Republican and Democratic colleagues to discuss the issues of greatest concern to Connecticut voters." Previously, the Republicans and the Democrats reached a two-debate deal in private negotiations which excluded not only the League of Women Voters, but Green Party candidate Cliff Thornton as well. Yet it turns out that one of those debates was co-sponsored by the League and the New London Day. Once the League realized that it was not excluded from its traditional, historic role, the League said the Day editorial board gave it the latitude to determine what other parties should be on stage. The League had originally postponed its decision on third party inclusion, but once it learned it would be moderating a debate, it requested that the Thornton for Governor campaign submit a revised application for consideration. This afternoon, after reviewing the application, the League issued its decision that Thornton's campaign fulfilled all four of its debate inclusion standards and thus merited inclusion. The letter it sent to the Thornton for Governor campaign said, "Using criteria reaffirmed in May 2006, the committee made a determination that your candidacy meets all of our criteria and you are, therefore, eligible to participate in League-sponsored debates during the 2006 election." That letter is attached to this press release. Candidate Thornton was thrilled to hear the decision, which ran directly contrary to the discriminatory stand of the two parties. "Apparently, the Rell and DeStefano camps thought they could impede democracy," Thornton said. "They were afraid that I might pull some shenanigans in the debates, so they decided to keep me out. Their fear is correct. I am going to talk about the issues that matter to Connecticut voters and in today's restrictive political environment, talking about the issues of concern for Connecticut voters is a shenanigan." For more information, contact Ken Krayeske at 860-995-5842. -30- -- Peace, Ken Krayeske Campaign Director Thornton for Governor P.O. Box 1971 Manchester, CT 06045 860-995-5842 *This message is paid for and approved by Thornton for Governor, Max Wentworth, Treasurer* -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: ltr 2 Thornton - qualified.doc Type: application/msword Size: 498688 bytes Desc: not available URL: