From efficacy at msn.com Thu May 1 11:07:15 2008 From: efficacy at msn.com (Clifford Thornton) Date: Thu, 1 May 2008 11:07:15 -0400 Subject: {news} Will Pot Ever Be Legal in This Schizoid Country? Message-ID: http://www.alternet.org/drugreporter/84055/?page=entire Will Pot Ever Be Legal in This Schizoid Country? By Steven Wishnia, AlterNet. Posted May 1, 2008. Five signs that pot might become legal soon -- and five reasons why it probably won't. Marijuana occupies a bizarrely paradoxical place in American culture. Its use is widespread, commonplace among the young and ubiquitous in popular culture. Yet it remains highly illegal, and talk of legalization is usually deemed political suicide. Here are five signs that pot should be legal soon -- and five reasons why it probably won't. 1. Pot is indelibly a part of the cultural mainstream. The stoner comedy Harold and Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay grossed $14.6 million in its first weekend, making it the second most popular movie in the country. Most pro basketball players blaze, according to sources as diverse as the ganjaphile Mavericks player Josh Howard and the antidrug ex-Knick Charles Oakley. And on April 20, thousands of revelers turned out at the University of Colorado and the University of California at Santa Cruz to celebrate the 4/20 herb holiday. As of 2002, notes Keith Stroup, legal counsel with the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws, 47 percent of American adults had smoked marijuana at some time in their lives, according to a CNN/Time poll. By today, he adds, "it is likely there are more living Americans who have smoked marijuana than who have not. Approximately 26 million Americans smoked marijuana just in the last year. All of these people know it did not cause them any real harm, and that it did not keep them from having a successful life and career." 2. Increased medical acceptance. In February, the American College of Physicians, the second-largest medical organization in the country, urged the federal government to move cannabis out of Schedule I, the category for drugs with no legal medical use, "given marijuana's proven efficacy at treating certain symptoms and its relatively low toxicity." The group also strongly urged legal protections for doctors who prescribe cannabis and patients who use it. Last year, more than 3,000 articles on cannabinoids were published in scientific journals. These have explored their possible uses for a host of ailments, from easing the pain of arthritis to inhibiting the growth of brain tumors. The development of vaporization technology -- pricey devices that heat cannabis to a point where the THC can be inhaled, but don't incinerate the plant matter -- has eliminated one of the main reasons for doctors to be uncomfortable about the medical use of cannabis: that smoke contains toxic compounds. "Vaporization of THC offers the rapid onset of symptom relief without the negative effects from smoking," the ACP noted. 3. A federal decriminalization bill was introduced last month. HR 5843, sponsored by Reps. Barney Frank (D-Mass.) and Ron Paul (R-Tex.), would eliminate federal penalties for possession of less than 100 grams or for the nonprofit transfer of less than one ounce between adults. The bill is the first decriminalization measure introduced in Congress since the early 1980s. 4. The state budget crunch. With the recession battering their treasuries, many states are taking a second look at the price of incarcerating thousands of drug prisoners. Legal cannabis would eliminate the costs of arresting, prosecuting, and jailing cannabis users, growers, and dealers, and could be a major new source of tax revenue -- especially in states like California, where it is estimated to be the most valuable cash crop. And cannabis farming could revive rural economies, whether by hemp production in the Great Plains or marijuana cultivation in Appalachia. 5. There are no rational arguments against legalizing cannabis under regulations similar to those for alcohol. I've been covering drug issues for almost 20 years (and smoking the green since? well, I went to Woodstock when I was 14, you do the math), and I haven't heard any. The most common, the "gateway theory" and the idea that today's pot is so much stronger than Woodstock-era weed that it's essentially a different drug, are based on distortion and misinformation. They aren't even valid rebuttable presumptions like "abortion is murder," "the government should not interfere with the free market by regulating rents," or "the U.S. government had to depose Saddam Hussein by any means necessary." And the "send a message to the children" argument is akin to espousing the resurrection of Prohibition because legal alcohol encourages underage drinking. **** On the other hand, I strongly doubt that cannabis will become legal in the near future, for the following reasons. 1. Pot-smokers aren't well organized. According to government surveys, there are about 4 to 5 million regular marijuana users-roughly speaking, people who get high at least once a week. The three leading drug-law-reform groups would have a combined mailing list of 35,000 to 55,000 people, estimates NORML executive director Allen St. Pierre. NORML has about 15,000 dues-paying members, 55,000 e-mail subscribers, and 420,000 friends on its Facebook page. The Marijuana Policy Project claims 24,000 members and 180,000 e-mail subscribers. The Drug Policy Alliance has 26,000 members and more than 100,000 e-mail subscribers. Those numbers are dramatically higher than they were five years ago, but they're still relatively small. MoveOn.org has 3.2 million people on its e-mail list. The National Rifle Association has more than 4 million members. 2. Very few politicians support legalization. About the only nationally known elected officials who advocate full legalization of cannabis are Ron Paul and Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-Ohio)-the two candidates most often derided as fringe lunatics in this year's presidential race. If you stretch the list to include big-city mayors, you'd get Gavin Newsom of San Francisco and the recently retired Rocky Anderson of Salt Lake City. The Frank-Paul decriminalization bill's cosponsors include both antiwar liberals and far-right semi-libertarians, but St. Pierre believes it is unlikely to make it out of committee this year and wouldn't get more than 85 votes if it did. Almost all its supporters represent culturally liberal areas in the Far West and Northeast. "If those of us who currently smoke would take the pledge that we will never again vote for any candidate for public office who supports treating us like criminals, we could end prohibition within a couple of election cycles," says Stroup. But if they did take that pledge, "initially they would frequently only have fringe candidates whom they could support, and would have to sit out many major races. So we can't count on most smokers to vote based only on the candidate's position towards treating marijuana-smokers like criminals." 3. Marijuana arrests continue at record levels. In 2006, there were 830,000 arrests for marijuana offenses-almost triple the number of people nabbed in 1991. It was the fourth consecutive year that the number of pot busts set a new record. Of those popped, 89 percent were charged with simple possession. 4. Baby-boomer politicians sold us out. In the 1970s, baby-boomer stoners believed that the laws would inevitably change when the prohibitionist dinosaurs faded out and their generation took over. Well, among the potheads-turned-politicians of the last 15 years, Bill Clinton signed the law cutting off federal student aid to drug offenders. Clarence Thomas wrote the Supreme Court decision against medical marijuana. Barack Obama now says he is "not interested in legalizing drugs." Al Gore, declaring that he had "put away childish things," came out against legalizing medical marijuana. Newt Gingrich sponsored a bill to execute pot smugglers. George W. Bush (yeah, you expect me to believe that a raging alcoholic with a never-denied taste for cocaine made it through the '70s without a single toke?) has overseen federal crackdowns on headshops, bong-makers, and medical-marijuana clinics. 5. We don't live in a rational society. In many ways, American politics haven't changed much from 1928, when people believed that if Al Smith, a Catholic, were elected President, he'd dig a tunnel from the White House to the Vatican-except that now we have the Internet to spread similar rumors. (They didn't have Photoshop in 1927, when Smith dedicated the Holland Tunnel connecting Manhattan and Jersey City.) We live in a society where politics are dominated by moronic symbolism, where the media ignore government's actual effect on working-class people in favor of pontificating endlessly about the importance of Hillary Clinton knocking back a shot of blended whiskey vs. Obama's abysmal bowling score, where they cast a spoiled senator's son as a "man of the people" because he clears brush and isn't too bright. We live in a society ruled by fear, where people are willing to accept having the Bill of Rights shredded in the name of fighting drugs or "terrorism." So it's not surprising that politicians quaver and quail at the idea of supporting a perfectly rational change that would end the legal harassment of millions of Americans. If they did, they'd be damned as "trying to let drug dealers out of jail" and barraged with attack ads accusing them of wanting to sell methamphetamine to eight-year-olds. There is a very powerful stereotype afoot in much of the population, the belief that anyone "on drugs" is a brutish beast from whom all reason hath fled, a conglomeration of the snapping-at-phantoms temper of a rageball drunk, the stolen-goods appetite of a $500-a-day dopefiend, the self-abasement of a crack addict performing oral sex for a $5 rock, and the casual and calculated sadism of an '80s cocaine kingpin ordaining "Manolo, choot this piece of chit." Anyone who knows a pothead knows that this belief is absolutely ludicrous, but it's what sets the tone of American political discourse on drug issues-or more accurately, almost no one in the political mainstream has the guts to defend drug users by pointing out that it's propaganda. See more stories tagged with: pot legalization Efficacy PO Box 1234 860 657 8438 Hartford, CT 06143 efficacy at msn.com www.Efficacy-online.org "THE DRUG WAR IS MEANT TO BE WAGED NOT WON" Working to end race and class drug war injustice, Efficacy is a non profit 501 (c) 3 organization founded in 1997. Your gifts and donations are tax deductible -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: 85x10-digg-link.gif Type: image/gif Size: 282 bytes Desc: not available URL: From chapillsbury at igc.org Fri May 2 21:29:34 2008 From: chapillsbury at igc.org (Charlie Pillsbury) Date: Fri, 2 May 2008 21:29:34 -0400 Subject: {news} Next New Haven chapter meeting Thurs. May 8 7:30pm-agenda items? In-Reply-To: <011201c86dd8$1dc21000$59463000$@org> References: <141737.46651.qm@web82302.mail.mud.yahoo.com> <003f01c83ba5$fb1e03b0$6600a8c0@S0031616584> <00af01c869da$13b0f3d0$3b12db70$@org> <011201c86dd8$1dc21000$59463000$@org> Message-ID: <00c601c8acbd$26408c60$72c1a520$@org> NEXT NHGP MEETING: Thurs. May 8, 2008 - 7:30 p.m - at the Never Ending Book Store, 810 State St. Please send me any agenda items. My thanks to MaryAnne, Allan and others who were at the Green Party table on the Green yesterday. See you on Thursday, if not before. Charlie Pillsbury 203-640-3889 chapillsbury at igc.org A final note: it's great to go to a birthday party and see a Cliff Thornton for Governor sticker on the front door. In case you missed this great happening, you can still celebrate Sally's birthday party by sending her a check ($10 - $70) payable to PEOPLE AGAINST INJUSTICE OR "PAI" THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Happy 70TH BIRTHDAY to SALLY JOUGHIN! ''''''' a BENEFIT for PEOPLE AGAINST INJUSTICE FRIDAY, MAY 2nd - 7:00-10:00 pm 14 Everit Street, New Haven 06511 -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From timmckee at mail.com Mon May 5 17:04:49 2008 From: timmckee at mail.com (Tim McKee) Date: Mon, 5 May 2008 16:04:49 -0500 Subject: {news} Fw: [usgp-dx] Important web site information for state Green Parties & candidates Message-ID: <20080505210449.880711158D0@ws1-7.us4.outblaze.com> ----- Original Message ----- From: "Scott McLarty" To: natlcomaffairs at green.gpus.org Subject: [usgp-dx] Important web site information for state Green Parties & candidates Date: Sun, 4 May 2008 18:27:53 +0000 Attention state Green Party co-chairs, media directors/committees, candidates & campaign managers, and web site managers.... (Please forward this message widely!) Our priority in a major election year should be to promote Green candidates and the Green Party itself as much as possible. Here are some suggestions: (1) Please post information about your candidates on your state Green Party web sites! ? We recommend placing a list of candidates for public office on your home page, or at least post a conspicuous link to a page featuring your candidates. It should be as easy as possible for reporters & others seeking campaign information to find it on your site. If they have to spend time searching, you might lose them. ? You should have a link to the candidates' web sites next to their names. Also, having photos of all or some of the candidates makes them more 'real' to anyone visiting the web site, and also makes the site warmer and more personal. (2) Candidates' web sites should have the following, for the benefit of reporters, editors, and anyone else visiting the site: ? A nice-looking jpg photo (preferably a professional head shot) of the candidate, that can be easily downloaded for articles in the media, news web sites, etc. It should be on the home page. ? Contact information for the campaign's media contact (or, if you don't have a media director, the candidate or campaign manager) featured conspicuously on the home page, or at least a conspicuous link to this information on the home page. A conspicuous link at the top of your home page with a button labeled PRESS or MEDIA will get their attention. ? The home page should spell out clearly what public office the candidate is running for and where. (We've seen candidates' web sites with this essential information missing.) ? Go viral! If you can, post video clips of your candidates in action on the site. If you're not able to post a video clip on your own web site, post it at YouTube.com or a similar site (Vimeo.com and ExposureRoom.com can provide higher quality embedding), and encourage all your supporters and everyone you know to view it. If you don't know how to post video clips, the Media Committee can offer some assistance -- contact us. ? Some other suggestions: post your campaign news releases and have them archived on a special page; post articles and/or links to articles about the candidate and the campaign. Remember that it's more effective to post three or four major positions taken by the candidate on a home page than it is to post the candidate's entire 12-point or 20-point campaign platform (which can be placed on a separate page, with a link on the home page) -- long lists of issues & positions look like a laundry list and don't make much of an impression. Don't mention the competition on your home page -- give exclusive attention to the Green candidate. The more pics of the candidate (head shots, the candidate in action, candidate with family, etc.), the better -- it helps the visitor get to know the candidate. ? The more interesting and accurate, the more likely your content will get forwarded and posted at gp.org. If you have questions about having information about your campaign posted at gp.org, send a note to David Doonan (dadoonan at mohilldesign.com). We want to feature and promote winning Green campaigns! ? The GP's national Media Committee has a guide titled 'Media Tips for Green Candidates', which we can send to you on request. ? Also recommended: Winning Campaigns Online: Strategies for Candidates and Causes. Book by by Emilienne Ireland & Phil Tajitsu Nash. Science Writers Pr; 2nd edition, 2001. Web site: http://www.campaignadvantage.com If you have any questions or need help, write back! Scott McLarty Media Committee _________________________________________________________________ Make Windows Vista more reliable and secure with Windows Vista Service Pack 1. http://www.windowsvista.com/SP1?WT.mc_id=hotmailvistasp1banner _______________________________________________ Natlcomaffairs mailing list To send a message to the list, write to: Natlcomaffairs at green.gpus.org To unsubscribe or change your list options, go to: http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/natlcomaffairs You must know your password to do this. If you can't figure out how to unsubscribe, as a last resort only, send a message OFF LIST to steveh at olypen.com If your state delegation changes, please see: http://gp.org/committees/nc/documents/delegate_change.html To report violations of listserv protocol, write to forummanagers at lists.gp-us.org For other information about the National Committee, see: http://gp.org/committees/nc/ Tim McKee, Manchester CT, Home-860-643-2282 Cell-860-778-1304 Tim McKee, is a National Commitee member of the Green Party of the United States and is a spokesperson for the Green Party of CT. BLOG- http://thebiggreenpicture.blogspot.com -- See Exclusive Video: 10th Annual Young Hollywood Awards http://www.hollywoodlife.net/younghollywoodawards2008/ -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From timmckee at mail.com Mon May 5 17:10:58 2008 From: timmckee at mail.com (Tim McKee) Date: Mon, 5 May 2008 16:10:58 -0500 Subject: {news} Fw: [usgp-dx] Convention events Message-ID: <20080505211058.3B9431158DA@ws1-7.us4.outblaze.com> ----- Original Message ----- From: "Greg Gerritt" To: "national comm affairs" Subject: [usgp-dx] Convention events Date: Sat, 03 May 2008 09:59:37 -0400 Pcsc election is going on for new co chairs. I am looking forward to letting someone else sit in the hot seat. Pcsc is still planning for two events in Chicago. Friday night candidates debate and Sunday morning meet the nominee and their staff networking event. All the campaigns have been informed of these two events, and some have responded. Pretty straightforward events. The PCSC expects the tone of the Friday night event to be partially set by the state of the race for the nomination. Its emotionally a different type of event if any candidate has a majority of pledged delegates for the first round than if the nomination is not wrapped up and multiple rounds of voting are expected. Format may not be much different, but the committee reserves the right at this stage to tinker a bit based on what happens over the next 10 weeks. Format will be moderator, equal time, questions prepared in advance and from the audience on cards read by the moderator. It will be Friday from 6 to 8, then allowing time for the candidates to run their own events in the latter part of the evening. We are considering a fundraising component, possibly asking for pledges to be redeemed on Saturday night or Sunday morning for donations to the eventual nominee. Again, situation will dictate subtle changes in what happens. Sunday morning we are setting aside time, for NC delegates and everyone else who is present who wishes to attend, to listen to a few remarks from the nominee, and more importantly, make sure that each and every Green at the convention gets connected to the presidential campaign, that we meet the staff, make a personal connection, so that we are better able to put on a good fall campaign in our states and in conjunction and coordination with the national campaign. Some states may not need much in this case, the nominee may already have strong connections with local Green campaigners. But even then, not everyone in the delegation will have those connections, nor will everyone have a face to put with a voice or email. We want that personal connection, it will help the campaign move forward and help us more effectively use that synergy locally. Relationships and communications are key in a well run campaign, here might be our best opportunity to warp speed that process. I am asking that each and every person receiving this send it to every convention delegate in their state. Encourage them to attend both events, help them prepare for what will be going on in Chicago. I am happy to answer questions, and I strongly encourage people with questions to call me as that makes actual communication easier. Encourage your home state convention delegates to call me as well. Greg Gerritt gpri, pcsc 401-331-0529 _______________________________________________ Natlcomaffairs mailing list To send a message to the list, write to: Natlcomaffairs at green.gpus.org To unsubscribe or change your list options, go to: http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/natlcomaffairs You must know your password to do this. If you can't figure out how to unsubscribe, as a last resort only, send a message OFF LIST to steveh at olypen.com If your state delegation changes, please see: http://gp.org/committees/nc/documents/delegate_change.html To report violations of listserv protocol, write to forummanagers at lists.gp-us.org For other information about the National Committee, see: http://gp.org/committees/nc/ Tim McKee, Manchester CT, Home-860-643-2282 Cell-860-778-1304 Tim McKee, is a National Commitee member of the Green Party of the United States and is a spokesperson for the Green Party of CT. BLOG- http://thebiggreenpicture.blogspot.com -- See Exclusive Video: 10th Annual Young Hollywood Awards http://www.hollywoodlife.net/younghollywoodawards2008/ -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From cpr101 at hotmail.com Tue May 6 14:06:49 2008 From: cpr101 at hotmail.com (Christopher Reilly) Date: Tue, 6 May 2008 14:06:49 -0400 Subject: {news} Volunteer page on website disabled Message-ID: About a year ago Russian hackers started probing our website (ctgreens.org) via the Volunteer online form. I took some counter measures back then that seems to have worked. However, during the past couple of days hackers from Germany discovered a workaround and are once again probing our website using the volunteer form. As far as I know neither group of hackers has succeeded in using the CT Green Party's website in order to crack into the greens.org website but I thought it best to disable the form. In the recent past, hackers were able to temporarily destroy all websites (including our own) by getting into server via another state Green Party's online form. In place of the form I put "This Volunteer Page is undergoing revision and will be unavailable for several weeks." I would propose that instead of using a form, each chapter list specific volunteer projects that people could under take along with some contact information. --Chris _________________________________________________________________ Make Windows Vista more reliable and secure with Windows Vista Service Pack 1. http://www.windowsvista.com/SP1?WT.mc_id=hotmailvistasp1banner -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From rstuller at snet.net Tue May 6 21:39:20 2008 From: rstuller at snet.net (Ronna Stuller) Date: Tue, 6 May 2008 21:39:20 -0400 Subject: {news} html code to embed Scott's video Message-ID: <7B8C0074-E405-43A2-9527-FDC01358D941@snet.net> I can't say I understand it, but you can use the code below to embed Scott's 10 minute speech (from the 4/26 convention) into our Green Party websites. Contact Bob for tech support, if needed. Thanks, Ronna -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From efficacy at msn.com Wed May 7 11:09:39 2008 From: efficacy at msn.com (Clifford Thornton) Date: Wed, 7 May 2008 11:09:39 -0400 Subject: {news} Racial Disparities Found to Persist as Drug Arrests Rise Message-ID: a.. W.E.B Dubois(spelling) "The twentith century will be the color line" b.. Will the 21st century be the same? The best thing about this democratice c.. race is race and getting this conversation started in ernest. d.. e.. f.. g.. Racial Disparities Found to Persist as Drug Arrests Rise By ERIK ECKHOLM Published: May 6, 2008 More than two decades after President Ronald Reagan escalated the war on drugs, arrests for drug sales or, more often, drug possession are still rising. And despite public debate and limited efforts to reduce them, large disparities persist in the rate at which blacks and whites are arrested and imprisoned for drug offenses, even though the two races use illegal drugs at roughly equal rates. Related Disparity by Geography: The War on Drugs in America's Cities (Sentencing Project report pdf) Targeting Blacks: Drug Law Enforcement and Race in the United States (Human Rights Watch report) Is the Criminal-Justice System Racist? by Heather MacDonald (City Journal) Two new reports, issued Monday by the Sentencing Project in Washington and by Human Rights Watch in New York, both say the racial disparities reflect, in large part, an overwhelming focus of law enforcement on drug use in low-income urban areas, with arrests and incarceration the main weapon. But they note that the murderous crack-related urban violence of the 1980s, which spawned the drug war, has largely subsided, reducing the rationale for a strategy that has sowed mistrust in the justice system among many blacks. In 2006, according to federal data, drug-related arrests climbed to 1.89 million, up from 1.85 million in 2005 and 581,000 in 1980. More than four in five of the arrests were for possession of banned substances, rather than for their sale or manufacture. Four in 10 of all drug arrests were for marijuana possession, according to the latest F.B.I. data. Apart from crowding prisons, one result is a devastating impact on the lives of black men: adult black males are nearly 12 times as likely to be imprisoned for drug convictions as adult white men, according to the Human Rights Watch report. Others are arrested for possession of small quantities of drugs and later released, but with a permanent blot on their records anyway. "The way the war on drugs has been pursued is one of the biggest reasons for the growing racial disparities in criminal justice over all," said Ryan S. King, a policy analyst with the Sentencing Project, who wrote its report, which focuses on the differential arrest rates, not only between races but also among cities around the country. Some cities pursue urban, minority drug use far more intensively than do others. Both Democratic presidential candidates, Senator Barack Obama of Illinois and Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York, have strongly condemned the wider racial disparities in arrests and incarceration during their campaigns, although neither has said how to end them. Two-thirds of those arrested for drug violations in 2006 were white and 33 percent were black, although blacks made up 12.8 percent of the population, F.B.I. data show. National data are not collected on ethnicity, and arrests of Hispanics may be in either category. "The race question is so entangled in the way the drug war was conceived," said Jamie Fellner, a senior counsel at Human Rights Watch and the author of its report. "If the drug issue is still seen as primarily a problem of the black inner city, then we'll continue to see this enormously disparate impact," Ms. Fellner said. Her report cites federal data from 2003, the most recent available on this aspect, indicating that blacks constituted 53.5 percent of all who entered prison for a drug conviction. Some crime experts say that the disparities exist for sound reasons Heather Mac Donald, a fellow at the Manhattan Institute in New York, said it made sense for police to focus more on fighting visible drug dealing in low-income urban areas, largely involving minorities, than on hidden use in suburban homes, more often by whites, because the urban street trade is more associated with violence and other crimes and impairs the quality of life. "The disparities reflect policing decisions to use drug laws to try and reduce violence and to respond to the demand by law-abiding residents in poor neighborhoods to clean up the drug trade," Ms. Mac Donald said. But what people in low-income urban areas need is not more incarceration but improved public safety, Mr. King said. "Arresting hundreds of thousands of young African-American men hasn't ended street-corner drug sales." A shift of resources toward drug treatment and social services rather than wholesale incarceration, he asserted, would do more to improve conditions in blighted neighborhoods. Limited efforts have been made to shift policies in ways that may reduce racial differences. Many states are experimenting with so-called "drug courts," which send users to treatment rather than prison. This does not, however, affect arrest rates, which have lifelong consequences even for those who are never convicted or imprisoned. Police in a few cities including Seattle, Oakland and Denver have said they are spending fewer resources on arrests for lower-lever offenses like marijuana possession. a.. Efficacy PO Box 1234 860 657 8438 Hartford, CT 06143 efficacy at msn.com www.Efficacy-online.org "THE DRUG WAR IS MEANT TO BE WAGED NOT WON" b.. Working to end race and class drug war injustice, Efficacy is a non profit 501 (c) 3 organization founded in 1997. Your gifts and donations are tax deductible -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From chapillsbury at igc.org Thu May 8 18:13:14 2008 From: chapillsbury at igc.org (Charlie Pillsbury) Date: Thu, 8 May 2008 18:13:14 -0400 Subject: {news} New Haven chapter meeting tonight Thurs. May 8 7:30pm-agenda below In-Reply-To: <00c601c8acbd$26408c60$72c1a520$@org> References: <141737.46651.qm@web82302.mail.mud.yahoo.com> <003f01c83ba5$fb1e03b0$6600a8c0@S0031616584> <00af01c869da$13b0f3d0$3b12db70$@org> <011201c86dd8$1dc21000$59463000$@org> <00c601c8acbd$26408c60$72c1a520$@org> Message-ID: <004401c8b158$b6c82eb0$24588c10$@org> This is especially for those who will not be with us later this evening to keep you in the loop. Charlie 247 Saint Ronan Street New Haven CT 06511 203-640-3889 chapillsbury at igc.org NHGP MEETING AGENDA: Thurs. May 8, 2008 - 7:30 p.m Never Ending Book Store, 810 State St. 1. Introductions, Review Agenda & Appoint Secretary for Meeting (Charlie) 2. Treasurer's Report - see other side (Mary Anne) 3. Co-Chair Report - Hold election to replace Allan as co-chair? Discuss other ways to support Allan in his capacity as alder (Allan, others) 4. State Meeting Report (Jerry) 5. Discuss Caleb's and David's recent emails about New Haven commissions, etc. 6. Discuss run for Congress in 3rd District in 2008 to raise Green issues, maintain ballot status; discuss other local 2008 races, e.g., Registrar of Voters, etc. (anyone) 7. Any other business? (anyone) 8. Next Meeting Thurs. June 12 - suggestions for topics, speaker? (note: I will be out of town)(all) 9. Adjourn before 9:00 p.m. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From dbedellgreen at hotmail.com Mon May 12 04:23:55 2008 From: dbedellgreen at hotmail.com (David Bedell) Date: Mon, 12 May 2008 04:23:55 -0400 Subject: {news} RE: Scott Deshefy's video Message-ID: Scott's video can now be seen on the New London chapter site http://www.nlgreens.org and the Northeast chapter site http://www.ctgreens.org/ne David Bedell -----------------(Original message)-------------------------- I can't say I understand it, but you can use the code below to embed Scott's 10 minute speech (from the 4/26 convention) into our Green Party websites. Contact Bob for tech support, if needed. Thanks, Ronna From efficacy at msn.com Mon May 12 09:16:11 2008 From: efficacy at msn.com (Clifford Thornton) Date: Mon, 12 May 2008 09:16:11 -0400 Subject: {news} The Drug War: Still Racist After All These Years Message-ID: Many people are saying that Obama will elevate this issue called race. I have my reservations, but just perhaps this may take place. Whatever the case I am not putting my hopes that drug policy will come to the forefront. The Drug War: Still Racist After All These Years http://www.alternet.org/blogs/reproductivejustice/84990 The more things change, the more they stay the same. The New York Times reported today on two new reports (one from the Sentencing Project and one from Human Rights Watch) that confirm what any study of prison demographics could tell you: the war on drugs is still being waged only on some people and on some drugs. In other words, it's still a racist crock. Drug related arrests are up and more than 4 of 5 drug arrests are for possession (as opposed to sale or manufacture). And Black men are 12 times as likely to be incarcerated for a drug crime than are white men. Also, 1/3 of drug arrestees were black, despite the fact that only 12.8% of the population is Black. The statistics would be bad enough. But the absolute worst part of the Times article is that the author cites a Manhattan Institute staffer as an "expert" on incarceration issues. What does she blame drug war disparities on? The "fact" that Black and Latino men are more likely to be involved in the distribution of heroin and cocaine. Ms. MacDonald [of the Manhattan Institute] said it made sense for the police to focus more on fighting visible drug dealing in the inner city, largely involving minorities, than on hidden use in suburban homes, more often by whites, because the urban street trade is more associated with violence and other crimes and impairs the quality of life. "The disparities reflect policing decisions to use drug laws to try and reduce violence and to respond to the demand by law-abiding residents in poor neighborhoods to clean up the drug trade," she said. Riiiiiight. The policy makes Ooooooh so much sense. When racism and "personal responsibility" are your starting points. Not surprisingly, the Human Rights Watch study's author gets it right: "The race question is so entangled in the way the drug war was conceived," said Jamie Fellner, a senior counsel at Human Rights Watch and the author of the group's report. "If the drug issue is still seen as primarily a problem of the black inner city, then we'll continue to see this enormously disparate impact," she said. Tagged as: war on drugs, race Bean is a third-year law student in New York City. Her blogging focuses on the intersections of criminal justice, reproductive rights, gender equality, and drug policy. Efficacy PO Box 1234 860 657 8438 Hartford, CT 06143 efficacy at msn.com www.Efficacy-online.org "THE DRUG WAR IS MEANT TO BE WAGED NOT WON" Working to end race and class drug war injustice, Efficacy is a non profit 501 (c) 3 organization founded in 1997. Your gifts and donations are tax deductible -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: 85x10-digg-link.gif Type: image/gif Size: 282 bytes Desc: not available URL: From efficacy at msn.com Wed May 14 13:29:10 2008 From: efficacy at msn.com (Clifford Thornton) Date: Wed, 14 May 2008 13:29:10 -0400 Subject: {news} "Three Mexican Police Chiefs Seek Political Asylum in US" Message-ID: Wow. The Al Capone's are chasing the Eliot Ness's right out of the country. "Three Mexican Police Chiefs Seek Political Asylum in US" Dow Jones Newswires (05/14/08) Three Mexican police chiefs requested political asylum in the United States to escape drug-related violence in Mexico. The three police officials are undergoing interviews and their cases are being reviewed for possible asylum, according to a Customs and Border Protection official. Drug-related violence in Mexico killed over 2,500 people in 2007 and law enforcement officials fear for their lives. A top-ranking official was recently killed by assassins, who shot him more than 50 times. The drug wars have spilled over to the United States, with wounded people often crossing the border and ammunition being imported through the United States. So what does the US government do? Send in more prohibitionists: All information provided in this e-mail is also available on the Committee's web site at file:///C:/Documents%20and%20Settings/Vcerga/Application%20Data/Microsoft/Signatures/www.HCFA.house.gov>www.HCFA.house.gov May 13, 2008 Berman Introduces Authorizing Legislation for the Merida Initiative, a Boost to U.S. Assistance for Mexico's Counter-Narcotics Efforts > > >Washington, DC - Chairman Howard L. Berman >(D-CA) of the House Foreign Affairs Committee >today introduced legislation to authorize the >Merida Initiative, a proposed U.S. >counter-narcotics assistance package for Mexico >to help combat the flow of illegal drugs and the >violence that the drug trade has spawned along the U.S.-Mexico border. > >"The illegal drug trade is giving rise to ever >more violence, and not a week goes by without >news of another sickeningly violent incident >related to drug traffickers in Mexico or Central >America," Berman noted. "Drug cartels have been >blamed for 6000 deaths in two and a half years >of this battle in Mexico alone. Last month a >drug-related shootout claimed 15 lives just >across the border from San Diego, shocking many >of us in Southern California. Last week, the >chief of Mexico's federal police, the public >face of his country's counter-narcotics effort, >was shot nine times. And over the weekend, the >deputy police chief of Ciudad Juarez on the >U.S.-Mexico border was gunned down. > >"The United States needs to step up and address >this explosion of violence, as well as the >illegal southward flow of arms and our nation's >expanding domestic demand for drugs, which fuels >the whole terrible cycle. Congress should give >its full support to the proposal hammered out in >Merida last year with the Mexican government and >our friends in Central America to confront this scourge together." > >The legislation (H.R. 6028) authorizes $1.6 >billion over three years for counter-narcotics >work for law enforcement modernization, fighting >organized crime, institution-building and >support for the rule of law. Responding to a >significant request from Mexican authorities, >the bill authorizes almost $74 million to >bolster U.S. efforts in stemming the illegal >flow of arms going south by significantly expanding ATF's Project Gunrunner. > >The legislation contains significant human >rights safeguards, including a stringent >requirement to investigate allegations of human >rights violations committed by anyone receiving >assistance under the Merida Initiative. It >prohibits cash payments of any kind, >concentrating resources instead on equipment and >training. And it creates a position for a >coordinator to harmonize both responsibility and >accountability for the Merida Initiative's wide-ranging programs. > >"Perhaps most importantly, this legislation >recognizes that the spread of illicit drugs >through this region and into the United States >and the violence that accompanies it cannot be >halted without a comprehensive interdiction and >security strategy planned and executed jointly >with our southern neighbors," Berman said. Efficacy PO Box 1234 860 657 8438 Hartford, CT 06143 efficacy at msn.com www.Efficacy-online.org "THE DRUG WAR IS MEANT TO BE WAGED NOT WON" Working to end race and class drug war injustice, Efficacy is a non profit 501 (c) 3 organization founded in 1997. Your gifts and donations are tax deductible -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From justinemccabe at earthlink.net Thu May 15 10:32:46 2008 From: justinemccabe at earthlink.net (Justine McCabe) Date: Thu, 15 May 2008 10:32:46 -0400 Subject: {news} Fw: USGP-INT Chavez will try again to aid Ingrid's release Message-ID: <0caa01c8b698$8b94ad00$0402a8c0@JUSTINE> ----- Original Message ----- From: "Tony Affigne" To: Sent: Wednesday, May 14, 2008 10:26 PM Subject: USGP-INT Chavez will try again to aid Ingrid's release > CHAVEZ WILL TRY TO CONTACT REBELS FOR HOSTAGES' RELEASE > > CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) - President Hugo Chavez said Wednesday he > will try to re-establish contacts with Colombian rebels to try to win > freedom for more hostages held by the guerrillas. > > Chavez said he spoken by telephone with French President Nicolas > Sarkozy and offered to "try to make contact" with the rebels. > Sarkozy's campaign for the freedom of French-Colombian hostage Ingrid > Betancourt so far has been unsuccessful. > > "I'm going to try to do whatever possible to free not only Ingrid > Betancourt, but all the people who are in the hands of the FARC," > Chavez said during a meeting with Portuguese Prime Minister Jose > Socrates. > > Betancourt was kidnapped while campaigning for Colombia's presidency > six years ago. > > Chavez used his contacts with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of > Colombia, or FARC, to mediate the release of several hostages in > recent months. > > But he said that his links to the rebels were severed when a > Colombian raid killed a FARC leader, Raul Reyes, on March 1. > > Colombian officials say documents found on Reyes' computers, seized > in the raid, exposed years of close cooperation between Chavez and > the guerrilla group that finances itself partly through kidnappings > and drug trafficking. Chavez has vehemently denied the charges. > > Venezuela is "not a menace," Chavez said on Wednesday. "We're trying > to combat terrorism." > > Colombian officials have asked experts from the international police > agency Interpol to inspect the computers and determine if the > documents are genuine. > > Copyright 2008 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This > material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. > _______________________________________________ > usgp-int mailing list > usgp-int at gp-us.org > http://forum.greens.org/mailman/listinfo/usgp-int > > > -- > No virus found in this incoming message. > Checked by AVG. > Version: 7.5.524 / Virus Database: 269.23.16/1432 - Release Date: > 5/14/2008 7:49 AM > > From edubrule at sbcglobal.net Fri May 16 10:39:52 2008 From: edubrule at sbcglobal.net (edubrule) Date: Fri, 16 May 2008 10:39:52 -0400 Subject: {news} Fw: AFSC-CT Annual Dinner;LATIN AMERICA & IRAQ ISSUES Message-ID: <002101c8b762$b772ef20$b8984c0c@edgn2b574u14bi> 6-Story Newsletter Template + Images ----- Original Message ----- From: AFSC Connecticut To: edubrule at sbcglobal.net Sent: Tuesday, May 13, 2008 6:30 PM Subject: AFSC-CT Annual Dinner June 7th American Friends Service Committee Connecticut In This Issue: May 13 2008 . Saturday June 7th: AFSC-CT Annual dinner . ANOTHER TRADE AND WAR CONNECTION IN THE AMERICAS . May 15th: IVAW to testify before Progressive Caucus in Congress Saturday June 7th: AFSC-CT Annual dinner Please join us on Saturday, June 7th for the AFSC Connecticut Annual dinner and Silent Auction. 4:15 pm Silent auction bidding, Information tables 5:30-9 pm Dinner and Program Unitarian Society of Hartford 50 Bloomfield Ave. Hartford, CT 06106 Keynote speaker, Joseph Gainza, Vermont Program Coordinator American Friends Service Committee "Engaging the Spirit for Justice and Peace: The Work of the AFSC" Community Award Honorees: Wayne Coste of CCPJ and Hope Out Loud for Peace Building Workers and Immigrant Rights Advocacy Clinic at Yale Law School for Immigrant Rights UE Local 222 CILU/CIPU for Economic Justice $45 pp / $30 students/financial assistance RSVP by Saturday, May 24 This location is handicapped accessible. If you have special mobility needs, are interested in having a literature table, having an ad in the Program Book, or need more information, please contact the office at 860-523-1534 or Connecticut at afsc.org The Program Book will be letter sized, folded in half (5.5"width x 8.5" length) and printed in b&w. Please indicate if you will be emailing the add or sending camera ready hard copy. Quarter page (2.25" x 4") $25.00 Half page (4.5" x 4") $50.00 Full page (4.5" x 8") $100.00 Info table $25 Name of Organization or Individual Contact Name Address City Zip Phone Email Please return form, check and ad copy by May 24, 2008 For more information, please email the office at connecticut at afsc.org or call 860.523-1534. Please return to: AFSC, 56 Arbor St., Hartford, CT 06106 Make checks payable to: AFSC-CT ANOTHER TRADE AND WAR CONNECTION IN THE AMERICAS ANOTHER TRADE AND WAR CONNECTION IN THE AMERICAS The Americas Policy Program has put together and excellent Primer on Plan Mexico. The report written by Laura Carlsen puts forward detailed analysis regarding the policy, its background and what needs to change. This policy as part of the expansion of NAFTA is a clear connection to what we have been talking about for the past few years on this site, mainly that trade and war are companion policies. Just as Plan Colombia is a failed policy which is now accompanied by an unjust trade agreement so are Plan Mexico and the expansion of NAFTA. Click on this link for more information http://tradeandwar.blogspot.com/2008/05/another-trade-and-war-connection-in.html URGENT ACTION: NO MORE FUNDING FOR WAR! Congress is preparing to vote on the Iraq Supplemental. The vote is scheduled for next Thursday (May 15, 2008). A new drug war policy known as the Merida Initiative is being put forward as part of this package. The policy nicknamed Plan Mexico for its similarities to Plan Colombia will provide $1.4 billion to the corrupt Mexican military, its police and U.S. contractors. It will also significantly increase military aid to Central America. This initiative is part and parcel of NAFTA expansion and is based on the same failed drug war model that Plan Colombia was built on. While Mexico is not a country at war there are certain lessons that can be learnt from the failures of Plan Colombia. We encourage you to call on your representatives and tell them to stop funding for this fatal policy. Click here to take action today! http://www.tradeandwar.org/take-action.html JOIN ONE OF THESE DELEGATIONS TO COLOMBIA A Raw Trade, June 12-23, Application Deadline: May 19 Join Witness for Peace and visit farmers and union leaders who are resisting this trade agreement, see the impact of U.S supported fumigations, and plan actions in solidarity with Colombians. Click here to find out more about this delegation http://tradeandwar.blogspot.com/2008/05/join-one-of-these-delegations-to.html Building Justice Across Borders, August 2-16, Application Deadline: June 20. Join the Fellowship of Reconciliation on a powerful delegation to visit communities and organizations that struggle for the right to say no to armed conflict and are creating peace and justice from the grassroots up. Click here to find out more about this delegation http://tradeandwar.blogspot.com/2008/05/join-one-of-these-delegations-to.html http://tradeandwar.org/ May 15th: IVAW to testify before Progressive Caucus in Congress Members of Iraq Veterans Against the War will be speaking to members of the Progressive Caucus in Congress this Thursday, May 15. This is an extension of the Winter Soldier hearings held in Silver Spring, MD from March13-17 this year. Below is a press release detailing the times of the testimonies and how you could access the broadcast over Pacifica Network's affiliates. Please take a few moments from your very busy schedules to do the following: Contact your Congressional representative, 202-225-3121 is the Congressional switchboard number, and ask that they or a staff member to attend the hearing, and also to vote against the Iraq supplemental; Encourage people to write letters to their newspapers about the hearings; As Congress debates whether to fund the occupation of Iraq for another year, the testimonies of Marines and Soldiers who have served can be powerfully persuasive in getting them to vote 'no." SPECIAL LIVE COVERAGE: KPFA/ Pacifica Radio will provide coverage of Winter Soldier on the Hill, live from Washington D.C. We will also provide a highlights show for later broadcast. This broadcast is another program in Pacifica's recent coverage of returning veterans' issues, including "Winter Soldier" and "Crisis in Veterans' Healthcare." DATE: *THIS THURSDAY,* May 15th, 9am-1pm Eastern TIME & SCHEDULE (all times Eastern): 9:00 - 9:30 AM EDT - Pre-show 9:30 - 12:30 PM EDT - Winter Soldier testimony before Congressional Progressive Caucus 12:30 - 1:00 PM EDT - Post show Wrap-up -- Available on the Right Channel of the Ku band -- Streamed live for broadcast at http://www.audioport.org/live/ - right channel -- Recording of this broadcast will be available in the "Events and Speeches" section of Audioport.org by 5pm EDT on May 15th. HIGHLIGHTS: Pacifica will produce and upload a highlights program by 5pm EDT on May 15th for stations that cannot carry the four-hour broadcast. ANCHORED BY: Aaron Glantz and Aimee Allison DESCRIPTION OF EVENT: On May 15th, we will be broadcasting live from Washington D.C. We'll bring you this important and historic follow up to Winter Soldier: Iraq & Aghanistan 2008. Iraq Veterans Against the War (IVAW) and the Congressional Progressive Caucus (CPC) present "Winter Soldier on the Hill." Nine members of IVAW will talk with the CPC about rules of engagement, the killing and abuse of civilians, the use of drop weapons, and the true consequences of the "surge." HEARING PARTICIPANTS: CPC Co-Chairs: Congresswoman Lynn Woolsey Congresswoman Barbara Lee Congresswoman Maxine Waters IVAW Testifiers: Jason Lemieux, Former Marine Corp Sergeant Scott Ewing, Former Army Cavalry Scout Geoffrey Millard, Former Army National Guard Kristofer Goldsmith, Former Army Sergeant Vincent Emanuele, Former Marine Corp James Gilligan, Former Marine Corp Corporal Adam Kokesh, Former Marine Corp Sergeant Sergio Kochergin, Former Scout/Sniper Marine Corp Luis Montalvan, Former U.S. Army Captain For information about the program, contact: Esther Manilla, Producer, 510-848-6767 ext 639, emanilla at kpfa.org For technical information contact: Michael Yoshida, Satellite Engineer, 510-848-6767 ext 218, engineering at kpfa.org -- Nathan Moore Network Programming Coordinator Pacifica Radio c: 510.734.3496 nathan at pacifica.org http://pacificaradio.wordpress.com/ American Friends Service Committee Connecticut Area Office 56 Arbor Street, Suite 213 Hartford, CT 06106 Phone: 860.523.1534 Fax: 860.523.1705 Email: connecticut at afsc.org Visit AFSC CT Online Unsubscribe | Update Profile | Confirm | Forward -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From rstuller at snet.net Sun May 18 09:31:00 2008 From: rstuller at snet.net (Ronna Stuller) Date: Sun, 18 May 2008 09:31:00 -0400 Subject: {news} May 21 at USCGA In-Reply-To: <002101c8b762$b772ef20$b8984c0c@edgn2b574u14bi> References: <002101c8b762$b772ef20$b8984c0c@edgn2b574u14bi> Message-ID: <2F5E8E56-7BEC-404F-AA3E-5CF9AF9ACC2D@snet.net> The SECT Peace & Justice Network is sponsoring a demonstration on Wednesday, May 21, in response to Vice President Dick Cheney's visit to New London to speak at the USCGA graduation ceremony. We will gather at the Soldiers and Sailors Monument at 9:00 AM, where there will be a few short addresses and a performance by the Raging Grannies. 100 small tombstones bearing the names of the US soldiers killed in action in Iraq will be distributed. The group will march in silence (except for drums) to the designated meeting spot near the entrance of the Coast Guard Academy. (We are hoping to arrange a shuttle for participants who are unable to walk that distance.) More information to follow... -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From roseberry3 at cox.net Sun May 18 14:09:34 2008 From: roseberry3 at cox.net (B Barry) Date: Sun, 18 May 2008 14:09:34 -0400 Subject: {news} Proposed agenda for the 5-19-08 EC meeting in Bloomfield, CT for the Green Party of CT Message-ID: <20080518180928.MYLW10620.eastrmmtao106.cox.net@eastrmimpo01.cox.net> 1. Any business/concerns from last EC meeting on 3-19-08? 2. Any proposed short and long term goals for the CTGP by the executive committee officers? 3. Develop the agenda for the 5-27-08 SCC meeting. Template is below. Proposed agenda for the 7PM 5-27-08 SCC CTGP meeting in Portland Senior Center, 7 Waverley Avenue, Portland, CT 06480 Phone: 860-342-6760 Facilitator: To Be Determined A. Preliminaries: 1. (1 minute): Introductions of voting attendees; non-voting attendees; chapters; if quorum was met; timekeeper; ground rules. 2. (2-4 minutes): Approval of tonight?s proposed agenda, any deletions or additions. 3. (2-4 minutes): Review and approval of minutes of 3-25-08 SCC meeting. 4. (2 minutes): Review and acceptance of the 5-19-08 EC meeting. 5. (2-4 minutes): Treasurer?s report from Christopher Reilly. B. Any proposals/referendums by chapters, committee: C. Reports: 1. (10-15 minutes): GPUS reports from: Cliff Thornton, Co-chairperson of GPUS, CTGP representatives: Tim McKee and Charlie Pillsbury and National Committee Members: Amy Vas Nunes and S. Michael DeRosa. 2. (5 minutes): Final report about the 4-26-08 CTGP Convention from the Internal Elections Committee: final votes for the candidates for GP of CT officers and GPUS Representatives; results from CTGP members voting about who is their desired GPUS Presidential candidate. 3. (5-10 minutes): Steven Fournier, endorsed 1st Congressional District CTGP candidate; petitioning sheets, campaign issues. 4. (5-10 minutes): Scott Desefy, endorsed 2nd Congressional District CTGP candidate: petitioning sheets; campaign issues. 5. (2-10 minutes): Any endorsed candidate for the 3rd Congressional District line. 6. (5-10 minutes): Richard Duffee, 4th Congressional District CTGP candidate; petitioning sheets for the petitioning candidates, campaign issues. 7. (2-10 minutes): Harold Burbank, potential Green Party of CT candidate for 5th Congressional District; petitioning sheets for the petitioning candidates, campaign issues. 8. (5 minutes): Final report of issues/concerns that were addressed with legislators during the 2008 Legislative Session: Fight the Hike/universal health coverage. 9. (5 minute): ACLU lawsuit update. 10. (2 minutes): CT Green Times newspaper and website. 11. (5 minutes): Summer Intern for GP of CT update. 12. (2-5 minutes, each): Other Chapter reports. 13. Date, place and time for next SCC meeting to be 7pm 6-24-08. Date, place and time of next EC meeting in 6-08: to be determined. 14. Any additions Green Party Key Values: non-violence, respect for diversity, grassroots democracy, social justice and equal opportunity, ecological wisdom, decentralization, community-based economics and economic justice, future focus and sustainability, personal and global responsibility, feminism and gender equality. http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&ie=UTF-8&dq=Ruby+Tuesday+restaurant+loc:+B loomfield,+CT&daddr=848+Cottage+Grove+Rd,+Bloomfield,+CT+06002&geocode=86213 9146519847338,41.816921,-72.739177&ll=41.816921,-72.739177&iwstate1=dir:to&i wloc=A&f=d No virus found in this outgoing message. Checked by AVG. Version: 7.5.524 / Virus Database: 269.23.20/1453 - Release Date: 5/18/2008 9:31 AM -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From timmckee at mail.com Mon May 19 17:03:34 2008 From: timmckee at mail.com (Tim McKee) Date: Mon, 19 May 2008 16:03:34 -0500 Subject: {news} Fw: [usgp-dx] RELEASE Calif. Green Party hails court decision on same-sex marriage Message-ID: <20080519210334.CA2EF1158CC@ws1-7.us4.outblaze.com> ----- Original Message ----- From: "Scott McLarty" To: natlcomaffairs at green.gpus.org Subject: [usgp-dx] RELEASE Calif. Green Party hails court decision on same-sex marriage Date: Mon, 19 May 2008 19:49:24 +0000 Tim McKee, Manchester CT, Home-860-643-2282 Cell-860-778-1304 Tim McKee, is a National Commitee member of the Green Party of the United States and is a spokesperson for the Green Party of CT. BLOG- http://thebiggreenpicture.blogspot.com -- See Exclusive Video: 10th Annual Young Hollywood Awards http://www.hollywoodlife.net/younghollywoodawards2008/ -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- An embedded message was scrubbed... From: Scott McLarty Subject: [usgp-dx] RELEASE Calif. Green Party hails court decision on same-sex marriage Date: Mon, 19 May 2008 19:49:24 +0000 Size: 6596 URL: From dbedellgreen at hotmail.com Tue May 20 15:19:21 2008 From: dbedellgreen at hotmail.com (David Bedell) Date: Tue, 20 May 2008 15:19:21 -0400 Subject: {news} Bylaws proposal: definition of membership Message-ID: We would like to add the following proposal to the agenda for the 5/27 SCC meeting. PROPOSAL PRESENTER (committee, chapter(s) or group of individuals): Fairfield County chapter CONTACT (name, address, phone number, email): David Bedell, 12 Ardsley Rd, Stamford, CT 06906, 203-581-3193, dbedellgreen(at)hotmail.com SUBJECT (10 words or less): Definition of party membership BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE (100 words or less; include relationship, reasons and/or justification to the State Central Committee): At its February 2008 meeting, the Fairfield chapter adopted a stricter definition of membership than that in the state bylaws. New Haven has also adopted a stricter definition. The purpose of this proposal is to make party membership contingent on a simple written declaration, just like membership in the major parties, instead of the current definition, which includes vague criteria such as what constitutes a volunteer activity or what is a "coalition partner." This proposal also addresses the contingency of losing minor party status, which happened in some towns during 2004-2006. Further comments can be read at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FairfieldCountyGreens/message/839 PROPOSAL: (Distribute to chapters for discussion:) In the CT Green Party bylaws (http://www.ctgreens.org/bylaws.shtml ), the section under "Individual Membership" shall be revised to read: If the Green Party has minor party status in a town, then: A person enrolled on their town voter list as a Green Party member is a member of the Green Party for all purposes. If the Green Party does not have minor party status in a town, then a person may become a member of the Green Party under the following conditions: 1. The person must be an unaffiliated voter and must not have been registered with any other party affiliation during the past ninety (90) days. 2. The person shall fill out and sign a CT Voter Registration Form declaring enrollment in the Green Party and submit this to an officer of the local or state Green Party. 3. Upon submission of such declaration, the person's membership in the Green Party will be effective after ten business days. A person not yet old enough to vote under state law may become a member of the Green Party under the following conditions: 1. The person will turn 18 and be eligible to vote before the next General Election Day. 2. The person has applied to vote by filling out and signing a Voter Registration Form with declaration of enrollment in the Green Party and submitted this to their town hall or to an officer of the local or state Green Party. 3. If the form is submitted to a local or state Green Party officer, membership in the Green Party will be effective after ten business days. Party members shall receive announcements of State Party general meetings, and shall be entitled to vote when attending State Party general meetings. When an Active Member of a Chapter, the member shall be entitled to vote at all general meetings of the Chapter. No member, however, shall be entitled to vote in more than one Chapter. Chapters may institute their own requirements for membership different from those for State Party membership. From roseberry3 at cox.net Tue May 20 20:48:52 2008 From: roseberry3 at cox.net (B Barry) Date: Tue, 20 May 2008 20:48:52 -0400 Subject: {news} Proposed agenda for the 7PM 5-27-08 SCC CTGP meeting in Portland Senior Center, Message-ID: <20080521004853.ZFDQ26184.eastrmmtao102.cox.net@eastrmimpo01.cox.net> Proposed agenda for the 7PM 5-27-08 SCC CTGP meeting in Portland Senior Center, 7 Waverley Avenue, Portland, CT 06480 Phone: 860-342-6760 Facilitator: To Be Determined A. Preliminaries: 1. (1 minute): Introductions of voting attendees; non-voting attendees; chapters; if quorum was met; timekeeper; ground rules. 2. (2-4 minutes): Approval of tonight?s proposed agenda, any deletions or additions. 3. (2-4 minutes): Review and approval of minutes of 3-25-08 SCC meeting. 4. (2 minutes): Review and acceptance of the 5-19-08 EC meeting. 5. (2-4 minutes): Treasurer?s report from Christopher Reilly. B. Any proposals/referendums by chapters, committee: 1. PROPOSAL from Fairfield County chapter. CONTACT: David Bedell, 12 Ardsley Rd, Stamford, CT 06906, 203-581-3193, dbedellgreen(at)hotmail.com SUBJECT: Definition of party membership. BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: At its February 2008 meeting, the Fairfield chapter adopted a somewhat stricter definition of membership than that in the state bylaws. New Haven has also adopted a stricter definition. The purpose of this proposal is to make party membership contingent on a simple written declaration, just like membership in the major parties, instead of the current definition, which includes vague criteria such as what constitutes a volunteer activity or what is a "coalition partner." This proposal also addresses the contingency of losing minor party status, which happened in some towns during 2004-2006. Further comments can be read at HYPERLINK "http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FairfieldCountyGreens/message/839"http://grou ps.yahoo.com/group/FairfieldCountyGreens/message/839 PROPOSAL(To be distributed to chapters for discussion): In the CT Green Party bylaws (HYPERLINK "http://www.ctgreens.org/bylaws.shtml"http://www.ctgreens.org/bylaws.shtml ), the section under "Individual Membership" shall be revised to read: If the Green Party has minor party status in a town, then: A person enrolled on their town voter list as a Green Party member is a member of the Green Party for all purposes. If the Green Party does not have minor party status in a town, then a person may become a member of the Green Party under the following conditions: 1. The person must be an unaffiliated voter and must not have been registered with any other party affiliation during the past ninety (90) days. 2. The person shall fill out and sign a CT Voter Registration Form declaring enrollment in the Green Party and submit this to an officer of the local or state Green Party. 3. Upon submission of such declaration, the person's membership in the Green Party will be effective after ten business days. A person not yet old enough to vote under state law may become a member of the Green Party under the following conditions: 1. The person will turn 18 and be eligible to vote before the next General Election Day. 2. The person has applied to vote by filling out and signing a Voter Registration Form with declaration of enrollment in the Green Party and submitted this to their town hall or to an officer of the local or state Green Party. 3. If the form is submitted to a local or state Green Party officer, membership in the Green Party will be effective after ten business days. Party members shall receive announcements of State Party general meetings, and shall be entitled to vote when attending State Party general meetings. When an active Member of a Chapter, the member shall be entitled to vote at all general meetings of the Chapter. No member, however, shall be entitled to vote in more than one Chapter. Chapters may institute their own requirements for membership different from those for State Party membership. C. Reports: 1. (10-15 minutes): GPUS reports from: Cliff Thornton, Co-chairperson of GPUS, CTGP representatives: Tim McKee and Charlie Pillsbury and National Committee Members: Amy Vas Nunes and S. Michael DeRosa. 2. (5 minutes): Final report about the 4-26-08 CTGP Convention from the Internal Elections Committee: a) final count for the candidates for GP of CT officers and GPUS Representatives. b) final count of how CTGP members voted in the 4-26-08 CTGP Convention is as follows: Candidates currently seeking the Green nomination: 33 - Cynthia McKinney - HYPERLINK "http://www.runcynthiarun.org/"http://www.runcynthiarun.org 3 - Kat Swift - HYPERLINK "http://www.voteswift.org/"http://www.voteswift.org 2 - Jesse Johnson - HYPERLINK "http://www.jesse08.org/"http://www.jesse08.org 2 - Kent Mesplay - HYPERLINK "http://www.mesplay.org/"http://www.mesplay.org A number of write-in votes were cast for others not seeking the Green nomination. While there is a delegate bloc for Nader (since he was previously considering a Green candidacy), the others will probably be assigned to "Uncommitted" or "None of the Above" (NOTA): 6 - Ralph Nader - HYPERLINK "http://www.draftnader.org/"http://www.draftnader.org 1 - Noam Chomsky 1 - Mike DeRosa 1 - Al Gore - HYPERLINK "http://www.algore.org/"http://www.algore.org 1 - Barack Obama - HYPERLINK "http://www.barackobama.com/"http://www.barackobama.com (If it makes any difference, the one vote for Obama was actually written "NOTA - Obama," so might be assigned to NOTA.) ------------- 50 ? TOTAL c) need to determine the proportionate number of votes for each presidential candidate, for each of the 20 CTGP delegates for the 7-10-08 GPUS Presidential Convention. d) develop criteria for the selection delegates to the 7-10-08 GPUS Presidential Convention from CTGP members. e) encourage chapters to bring to the 6-24-08 SCC meeting, the names of CTGP members of who would be willing to be considered to be CTGP delegates at the 7-10-08 GPUS Presidential Convention. Final decision will be done by the 6-24-08 SCC membership using established CTGP criteria developed at the 5-27-08 SCC meeting. f) petitioning for GPUS presidential candidate is a priority. 3. (5-10 minutes): Steven Fournier, endorsed 1st Congressional District CTGP candidate; petitioning sheets, campaign issues. CTGP petitioning priority. 4. (5-10 minutes): Scott Deshefy, endorsed 2nd Congressional District CTGP candidate: petitioning sheets; campaign issues. CTGP petitioning priority. 5. (2-10 minutes): Any endorsed candidate for the 3rd Congressional District line. 6. (5-10 minutes): Richard Duffee, endorsed 4th Congressional District CTGP candidate; petitioning sheets; campaign issues. CTGP petitioning priority. 7. (2-10 minutes): Harold Burbank, potential Green Party of CT candidate for 5th Congressional District; petitioning sheets for the petitioning candidates, campaign issues. 8. (5 minutes): Final report of issues/concerns that were addressed with legislators during the 2008 Legislative Session: Fight the Hike/universal health coverage. 9. (5 minute): ACLU lawsuit update. 10. (2 minutes): CT Green Times newspaper and website. 11. (5 minutes): Summer Intern for GP of CT update. 12. (15 minutes): a) Paid CTGP positions: fundraiser. b) generic CTGP pamphlets are being developed by Phoebe Godfrey, CTGP Co-chairperson. 13. (2-5 minutes, each): Other Chapter reports. 14. Date, place and time for next SCC meeting to be 7pm 6-24-08. Date, place and time of next EC meeting in 6-08: to be determined. 15. Any additions Green Party Key Values: non-violence, respect for diversity, grassroots democracy, social justice and equal opportunity, ecological wisdom, decentralization, community-based economics and economic justice, future focus and sustainability, personal and global responsibility, feminism and gender equality. No virus found in this outgoing message. Checked by AVG. Version: 7.5.524 / Virus Database: 269.23.21/1457 - Release Date: 5/20/2008 4:45 PM -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From timmckee at mail.com Thu May 22 08:04:26 2008 From: timmckee at mail.com (Tim McKee) Date: Thu, 22 May 2008 07:04:26 -0500 Subject: {news} Fw: [usgp-dx] Canadian Greens: Biofuel bill won't solve climate crisis, might worsen food crisis (fwd) Message-ID: <20080522120426.C8AD2478088@ws1-5.us4.outblaze.com> ----- Original Message ----- From: "Scott McLarty" To: natlcomaffairs at green.gpus.org Subject: [usgp-dx] Canadian Greens: Biofuel bill won't solve climate crisis, might worsen food crisis (fwd) Date: Wed, 21 May 2008 18:12:08 +0000 Green Party of Canada Media Release For Immediate Release May 21, 2008 Biofuel bill won?t solve climate crisis but may make food crisis worse, say Greens OTTAWA ? Prime Minister Stephen Harper?s biofuel bill is not designed to address the climate crisis and it should be rejected by Parliament, says the Green Party. The government has introduced Bill C-33, which would make mandatory a minimum five percent biofuel content in all fuels by 2010. ?This bill is little more than another Harper government handout to the biofuel industry,? said Green Party leader Elizabeth May. ?Already, support for biofuels, at $2.2 billion, is the most expensive environment program in the 2008 budget. With increased biofuel subsidization linked to rising food prices and world hunger, the Green Party believes this legislation will perpetuate the problem. It is critical that any legislation distinguish between food crop-based biofuels and other types, like cellulosic ethanol, fuel made from farm remnants and crops not grown directly for food.? Ms. May added that relying on ethanol produced from crops grown directly for fuel is dangerous. ?It is clear that corn-based ethanol is contributing to the world food crisis. We cannot allow people to go hungry for the sake of filling gas tanks. Farmers must be paid a fair price to produce food crops for eating, not for driving.? The government is claiming that Bill C-33 will reduce greenhouse gas emissions by four megatonnes per year, something the Green Party says could be more easily accomplished by improving vehicle fuel efficiency standards. ?On a life-cycle basis, corn ethanol results in only a marginal reduction in greenhouse gas emissions compared to fossil fuels,? said Environment critic and Guelph by-election candidate Mike Nagy. ?Mr. Harper?s stated goal could be met and even surpassed by adopting California ?s vehicle emissions standards and thereby reducing tailpipe emissions by 30 percent over the next decade. Instead, Mr. Harper has chosen to harmonize Canada with the Bush Administration?s weak standards.? Mr. Nagy said that if the Harper government was serious about reducing vehicular greenhouse gas emissions and stopping climate change, it would also implement a carbon tax and focus on fuel efficiency, public transportation, reducing vehicle dependency and expanding the low carbon economy. ?Touting biofuel as the ultimate solution to climate change is part of Mr. Harper?s strategy to greenwash his government?s missing climate plan. But Canadians will not be fooled into believing this government is serious about climate change action when they see Mr. Harper putting all his eggs in the biofuel basket. The Green Party will continue to press for meaningful action on the climate file from Mr. Harper.? -30- Contact: Camille Labchuk Press Secretary 613-562-4916 ext. 244 clabchuk at greenparty.ca _________________________________________________________________ Make every e-mail and IM count. Join the i?m Initiative from Microsoft. http://im.live.com/Messenger/IM/Join/Default.aspx?source=EML_WL_ MakeCount _______________________________________________ Natlcomaffairs mailing list To send a message to the list, write to: Natlcomaffairs at green.gpus.org To unsubscribe or change your list options, go to: http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/natlcomaffairs You must know your password to do this. If you can't figure out how to unsubscribe, as a last resort only, send a message OFF LIST to steveh at olypen.com If your state delegation changes, please see: http://gp.org/committees/nc/documents/delegate_change.html To report violations of listserv protocol, write to forummanagers at lists.gp-us.org For other information about the National Committee, see: http://gp.org/committees/nc/ Tim McKee, Manchester CT, Home-860-643-2282 Cell-860-778-1304 Tim McKee, is a National Commitee member of the Green Party of the United States and is a spokesperson for the Green Party of CT. BLOG- http://thebiggreenpicture.blogspot.com -- See Exclusive Video: 10th Annual Young Hollywood Awards http://www.hollywoodlife.net/younghollywoodawards2008/ -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From efficacy at msn.com Fri May 23 13:25:31 2008 From: efficacy at msn.com (Clifford Thornton) Date: Fri, 23 May 2008 13:25:31 -0400 Subject: {news} Mexico's Drug Violence Message-ID: This is something else. Our policies are insane, Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result. http://www.postwritersgroup.com/features.htm --------------------------------------------------------------------------- BUSH'S FAULTY PRESCRIPTION FOR MEXICAN DRUG VIOLENCE By Neal Peirce Only lightly noted on this side of the border, our neighbor Mexico is engulfed in bloody, violent combat with and between death-dealing drug cartels. In a stunning reversal for President Felipe Calderon's crusade to subdue the drug trade and its perpetrators, Edgar Gomez, the national police chief and lead anti-cartel crusader, was assassinated this month outside his Mexico City home. "This could have a snowball effect, even leading to the risk of ungovernability," Mexico City sociologist Luis Astorga told the Washington Post. Yet it's hardly unique. More than 20,000 Mexican troops and federal police are struggling against the private armies of rival drug lords. Literally hundreds of officials and police have been murdered in the struggle -- some 6,000 in the last 2? years, far beyond U.S. casualty counts in Iraq. Further drenching the country in blood, mass executions and even beheadings have been reported. Talk about a national security issue for the United States! We share a 2,000-mile border with Mexico; it's our second-largest trade partner, especially huge in agriculture. Millions of families are related across the border; thousands of Mexicans regularly cross over for work. Yet cartel murders of police are commonplace, and 30 percent of police in Baja California alone are estimated to be on a drug cartel payroll. There's a U.S. response before Congress right now. It's President Bush's request for a so-called Merida Initiative- a $1.4 billion three-year program to undergird the Mexican government's anti-drug efforts with helicopters and other military equipment, training for Mexican police forces, plus phone-tapping, mail-inspection and Web-surveillance programs. But there's substantial congressional skepticism about aid that could flow to notoriously unaccountable, frequently corrupted Mexican military and police forces. And then the tough, basic question - realistically, how much could U.S. aid of roughly $500 million a year do to stem the gargantuan illegal drug trade that now flows across the Mexican border -- some $23 billion a year by U.S. Government Accountability Office estimate? And is the problem really Mexico -- or our demand for drugs? There are three much smarter steps that a rational United States would make. First, face up to where the Mexican cartels get their weapons of death. Virtually all, including pistols, grenades, high-powered ammunition and assault weapons such as the AK-47, are smuggled from U.S. territory, across the border into Mexico, where the gangster elements pay premium prices for them. The weapons are often purchased legally at gun shows in Arizona and other states where loopholes permit criminals to buy guns without background checks. Then corrupted Mexican customs officials wink an eye at the smuggling. Our obvious answer: Seal all gun show sales loopholes, requiring checks on every purchaser. And reinstate the United States ban on assault gun purchases which Congress, under gun lobby pressure (and with Bush administration acquiescence), let expire in 2004. A second smart move: reduce demand for drugs on the U.S. side through treatment for addicted individuals. Consider cocaine alone: the RAND Corporation, in a study for the U.S. Army and White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, found that dollar for dollar, drug treatment is 10 times more effective at reducing its use than drug interdiction. Our big mistake: Making Mexico the villain when it's really the victim. And it's "a familiar game," notes Ethan Nadelmann of the Drug Policy Alliance: "U.S. leaders blame another country for our failure to reduce drug misuse here at home. That country escalates its war against drugs but asks the U.S. to pick up part of the tab. Aid is given, but it ends up having no effect on the availability of drugs in the United States. Politicians in Washington point their fingers again, and the cycle continues." Indeed, patterns of the international narcotics trade show that whenever some source of production or smuggling route gets clamped down, drug production and drug-trafficking gangs quickly regroup elsewhere. Third and most basic of all: recognize that while prohibition of socially disallowed drugs can increase their cost, it can never halt demand. Why? Desire for mind-altering substances (opiates, alcohol, whatever) is virtually built into the human psyche. Americans might recall the counsel of the late Nobel Prize-winning economist, Milton Friedman, who learned the immense dangers of repressing demand as, in his youth, he watched America's misadventure into alcohol prohibition, and how it triggered the Al Capone-era wave of gang wars: "Illegality creates obscene profits that finance the murderous tactics of the drug lords; illegality leads to the corruption of law enforcement officials... Drugs are a tragedy for addicts. But criminalizing their use converts that tragedy into a disaster for society, for users and nonusers alike." So now comes the Medina Initiative -- fueling the drug wars, foisting the consequences of our misguided prohibition onto an already-beleaguered neighbor. Will we never learn? Efficacy PO Box 1234 860 657 8438 Hartford, CT 06143 efficacy at msn.com www.Efficacy-online.org "THE DRUG WAR IS MEANT TO BE WAGED NOT WON" Working to end race and class drug war injustice, Efficacy is a non profit 501 (c) 3 organization founded in 1997. Your gifts and donations are tax deductible -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From dbedellgreen at hotmail.com Fri May 23 15:55:16 2008 From: dbedellgreen at hotmail.com (David Bedell) Date: Fri, 23 May 2008 15:55:16 -0400 Subject: {news} website update Message-ID: I updated the homepage http://www.ctgreens.org to report on last month's convention, and link to our CT candidates. David Bedell From edubrule at sbcglobal.net Sat May 24 11:22:43 2008 From: edubrule at sbcglobal.net (edubrule) Date: Sat, 24 May 2008 11:22:43 -0400 Subject: {news} Fw:1.Two weeks until AFSC-CT Annual dinner; 2.CT Cooperative Enterprise Conference Message-ID: <001501c8bdb2$5dfd0330$f7904c0c@edgn2b574u14bi> 6-Story Newsletter Template + Images ----- Original Message ----- From: AFSC Connecticut To: edubrule at sbcglobal.net Sent: Friday, May 23, 2008 8:00 PM Subject: 2 weeks until AFSC-CT Annual dinner American Friends Service Committee Connecticut In This Issue: May 23 2008 . Two weeks until June 7th & AFSC-Ct Annual dinner . June 13: Connecticut Cooperative Enterprise Conference Two weeks until June 7th & AFSC-Ct Annual dinner Friends: The AFSC Annual Dinner is not to be missed! We are honoring Connecticut Activists who are well known to all of us, Wayne Coste of the Connecticut Coalition for Peace & Justice/Hope Out Loud, Marie Lausch representing the UE Local 222. CILU/CIPU and the Workers and Immigrant Rights Advocacy Clinic at Yale Law School - Immigrants Rights. We have a silent auction with must have items such as week long stay at a country cottage, artwork, photography, signed books, baskets of fair traded items and more. Jospeh Gainza, AFSC VT program Coordinator will be the keynote speaker. Joesph is a man for all seasons in what he is able to accomplish in VT, New England and natioanlly as a Sterring Committee Member for UFPJ. This will be a truly memorable evening- Don't miss it. Send in your reservation today along with tabling requests and ads for the program booklet. See you on June 7th!! 2008 American Friends Service Committee Annual Dinner Saturday June 7, 2008 4:15 Silent Auction, Bidding and Information tables 5:30 - 9 PM Dinner and Program Unitarian Society of Hartford 50 Bloomfield Avenue Hartford, CT 06106 Keynote speaker: Joseph Gainza Vermont PRogram Cordinator American Friends Service Committee ENGAGING THE SPIRIT FOR JUSTICE AND PEACE The Work of AFSC Community Award Honorees Wayne Coste of CCPJ and Hope Outloud for Peace Building Workers and Immigrant Advocacy Clinic at Yale :aw School for Immigrant Rights UE Local 222 CILU/CIPU for Economic Justice $45.00 PP/$30 Students/fiancial assistance RSVP by May 24th This location is handicapped accessible If you have special mobility needs, are interested in having literature table, having an ad in the program booklet or need more information, please contact the office at 860 523-1534 or connecticut at afsc.org June 13: Connecticut Cooperative Enterprise Conference Connecticut Cooperative Enterprise Conference Join with CT's business developers and renowned cooperative leaders! The COOPERATIVE business model builds sustainable communities, fosters community spirit and strengthens local economies. If you are involved in business, community or economic development, OR if you are an entrepreneur, student, or cooperative employee or employer, this conference is for YOU! This insightful conference offers: - A panel discussion of firsthand co-op success stories - A Co-op 101: Basic Cooperative Development workshop on how to start a co-op - A Co-op 201 Workshop for co-ops wanting to better manage themselves - And specific workshops about... Green Jobs * Affordable Housing * Sustaining Regional Food Systems * Sustaining Social Service * Artists' Cooperatives * The Benefits of Purchasing Co-ops We are very pleased to announce renowned scholar Dr. Jessica Gordon Nembhard as the Conference's Keynote Speaker. Dr. Gordon Nembhard, a professor and political economist in African American Studies and co-?founder of The Democracy Collaborative, will speak on democratic community economics, community-based asset building and cooperative development strategies for alleviating urban and rural poverty. Current sponsors for this event include: Cooperative Development Institute, Cooperative Fund of New England, USDA Rural Development, Creative Community Development Studies Initiative at University of CT, Grassroots Economic Organizing (GEO), Pioneer Valley Photovoltaics Cooperative, Fiddleheads Natural Foods Cooperative, National Cooperative Business Association, American Friends Service Committee Connecticut, City of Bridgeport Small & Minority Business Resource Office, Our Piece of the Pie, City of Hartford Office of Development Services, Spanish American Merchants Association, Willimantic Food Cooperative, NCB, Connecticut Municipal Electric Energy Cooperative and Southern New Hampshire University. Registration fees are tiered to provide everyone with an opportunity to attend AND to bring together individuals of diverse backgrounds but with common goals. We look forward to seeing you at this exciting event! -- Agenda -- 9 a.m. Registration, Refeshments & Welcome 9:30 -10:30 a.m. Keynote Address: Jessica Gordon Nembhard, Ph.D. 10:30 - 11:15 a.m. Co-op Panel Discussions, Part 1: Their Stories (four concurrent sessions: Green Jobs, Affordable Housing, Sustaining Regional Food Systems, Sustaining Social Service, Arts Co-ops 11:15 - 11:30 a.m. Break 11:30 - 12:30 p.m. Co-op 101: Basic Cooperative Development 12:30 - 1:30 p.m. Lunch and Luncheon Address (The Benefits of Purchasing Co-ops) 1:30 - 2:30 p.m. Co-op Panel Discussions, Part 2: Lessons Learned in Development, Q & A (four concurrent sessions: Green Jobs, Affordable Housing, Sustaining Regional Food Systems, Sustaining Social Service, Arts Co-ops 2:30 - 3:30 Co-op 201: Legal and Accounting Considerations; Funding and Financing Options 3:30 - 4 p.m. Reflections and Closing Remarks Please click here to register: http://connecticutcooperativeenterpriseconference.eventbrite.com/ Date June 13, 2008 Time 9:00 am ET - 4:00 pm ET Location Capital Community College 950 Main Street Hartford, CT 06103 Hosted By Cooperative Development Institute The Cooperative Development Institute (CDI) is the Northeast's center for cooperative business education, training and technical assistance. The mission of CDI is to build a vibrant co-operative economy through the creation and support of successful, co-operatively structured businesses and networks in diverse communities across New England and New York. CDI also engages nationally to advance innovative co-operative economies. For more information about CDI, please visit www.cdi.coop, call toll-free 877 NE COOPS (632-6677), or email info at cdi.coop. www.cdi.coop American Friends Service Committee Connecticut Area Office 56 Arbor Street, Suite 213 Hartford, CT 06106 Phone: 860.523.1534 Fax: 860.523.1705 Email: connecticut at afsc.org Visit AFSC CT Online Unsubscribe | Update Profile | Confirm | Forward -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From apbrison at hotmail.com Sat May 24 18:28:29 2008 From: apbrison at hotmail.com (allan brison) Date: Sat, 24 May 2008 18:28:29 -0400 Subject: {news} FW: [newhavengreens] Let's Support Yale Students Protesting Tony Blair Tomorrow Message-ID: Greens, Join me and others to protest Tony Blair's appearance at Yale at the commencement exercizes tomorrow. The time is tomorrow, May 25 at 12:30 pm. We will be meeting at the north end of the New Haven Green opposite Phelps Gate to the Old Campus where Blair is to speak. Some Yale seniors are protesting the talk. I've heard that some will be turning their backs on him when he speaks. Let's turn out to support them. Best, Allan BrisonAlderman, Ward 10 To: pac-ct at lists.riseup.net; actshare at lists.riseup.net; from_mecc at lists.riseup.net; for_rachel at lists.riseup.net; ctpeace-activists at yahoogroups.com; al-awda-ct at yahoogroups.com; newhavengreens at yahoogroups.comFrom: MECC at comcast.netDate: Sat, 24 May 2008 13:19:39 -0400Subject: [newhavengreens] Let's Support Yale Students Protesting Tony Blair Tomorrow A group of Yale seniors are protesting the talk by former Prime Minister and current war criminal Tony Blair in New Haven tomorrow (Sunday May 25) [see below]Let's support them with protest outside the Yale Old Campus. Meet 12:30 on the Upper New Haven Green opposite Yale Phelps Gate. Its on College Street midway between Elm and High Sts. Bring signs and banners and noisemkers.Remember what Blair has done: ---worked with Clinton and Bush to enforce the sanctions that killed a million Iraqis---despite knowing the justifications were lies he had the UK join the war of aggression against Iraq in 2003---supported the ongoing siege of the Gaza Strip and the Israeli 2006 war on Lebanon---His forces used depleted uranium weapons in Yugoslavia-- action called for by Middle East Crisis Committee, CT www.TheStruggle.org [ Add your organization's name to the call and send it around................] Yale Seniors Mobilize Against Tony Blair, War in IraqAs graduation approaches, Yale seniors have mobilized to protest the controversial Class Day speaker, Tony Blair, former British Prime Minister, for his role in starting the Iraq War. During Blair's speech, which will take place on Sunday afternoon at 2 PM, seniors plan to publicly demonstrate their resistance and opposition to Yale's obfuscation of Blair's role in creating the worst foreign policy disaster in American history.'At this point of stagnation in the war, the everyday bloodshed in Iraq and Afghanistan has become lost from our everyday consciousness?lost in newspaper margins and brief news videos,' said Camille Seaberry, an organizer with Yale Seniors Against the War and a longtime anti-war activist. 'Actions like this push the ongoing war back into the forefront of our attention.' The seniors will be distributing flyers which call for a full withdrawal of troops from Iraq and for real accountability for Tony Blair's criminal actions. For many graduating seniors, the significance of this weekend will be marred by Blair's presence. Another anti-war organizer, Lea Krivchenia explained 'At my high school graduation in 2003, I gave a speech against the war. At my college graduation, a primary architect of that war was chosen to represent me. My coming of age has been marked by this war. I don't want the milestone of my graduation to go by without vocalizing my opposition.'WHAT: Yale Seniors Against the War protest during Yale graduationWHERE: Old Campus of Yale University, (285 College St), New Haven, CTWHEN: Sunday, May 25, 2008, 2 PM__._,_.___ 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 Yahoo! NewsOdd NewsYou won't believeit, but it's true Best of Y! GroupsDiscover groupsthat are the bestof their class. Special K Groupon Yahoo! GroupsJoin the challengeand lose weight. . __,_._,___ -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From justinemccabe at earthlink.net Sun May 25 10:16:31 2008 From: justinemccabe at earthlink.net (Justine McCabe) Date: Sun, 25 May 2008 10:16:31 -0400 Subject: {news} GP's Bruce Gagnon's speech at Global Green Congresss in Brazil Message-ID: <0b7501c8be71$eed88bd0$0402a8c0@JUSTINE> Here's a video of Maine Green Bruce Gagnon's plenary speech at the Global Green Congress in Sao Paulo where US Greens joined 87 other Greens parties from around the world (about 800 people). http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MkQJO9FzEmE I've pasted his speech below. It provides some great facts for candidates to use in campaigning this Fall. Justine McCabe International Committee, USGP ====================================================== Climate Change Impacts on Peace May 2, 2008 Sao Paulo, Brazil My name is Bruce Gagnon and I live in the state of Maine in the United States. I work for the Global Network Against Weapons & Nuclear Power in Space. A recent U.S. military report called "Transforming the way the Pentagon looks at energy," says that in order to ensure a "reliable" source of oil for the long term the military will increase its efforts to maintain control over foreign sources. Soaring global demand for diminishing resources means strong international competition in the coming years. Global power, the Pentagon says, will reside in the hands of those who control the distribution of declining natural resources. One way to keep control of the global economic system is by holding the keys to the world's economic engine - oil. During the two terms of the Bush administration, George W. Bush has doubled military spending. The U.S. military now controls just over 50% of every federal tax dollar. The U.S. Congress is now sharply cutting remaining social programs, public education, and environmental programs. To fund the occupation of Iraq and the war in Afghanistan the U.S. is spending more than $14 billion a month. The U.S. now spends more on the military than the rest of the world combined. The Republicans and the Democrats are partners in funding and promoting the U.S. military empire that consists of more than 750 military bases around the world. The weapons corporations are now giving more campaign donations to the Democrats than the Republicans. The two Democratic party presidential contenders, Hillary Clinton and Barrack Obama, have pledged to expand the U.S. military by adding more soldiers and building a new generation of weapons. And now the weapons industry wants to move the arms race into space. Weapons corporations say that weapons in space (Star Wars) will be the largest industrial project in the history of the planet Earth. The new arms race will be so expensive that the U.S. can't pay for it alone and is bringing its allies into this new space weapons arms race. Many European countries have become partners as has Japan and Australia. The Pentagon says that under corporate globalization every country will have a different role. There will be no significant industry in the U.S. (except weapons production). No automobile manufacturing, no clothes or shoe production. Instead, the military says our role in the U.S. will be "security export" which translates to endless war to benefit the corporate interests. Today the U.S. is surrounding Russia with the help of an expanding NATO alliance. Why Russia? Russia has the largest supply of natural gas on the planet and also has huge supplies of oil. The U.S. is also attempting to deploy so-called "missile defense" interceptors in Poland and a space warfare radar system in the Czech Republic. We need Green parties in Poland and the Czech Republic, and throughout Europe, to speak out louder against these new U.S. bases. The U.S. today is militarily surrounding China with the help of a military alliance with Japan, South Korea, and Australia. The Washington Post newspaper several years ago reported that the U.S. is moving to "manage" China by doubling its military presence in the Asian-Pacific region and by deploying missile defense systems throughout the region. This will create a new and expensive arms race. The U.S. Space Command for the past several years has been war gaming a first-strike attack on China, set in the year 2016. The attack uses the military space plane, now under development, that would fly from one end of the Earth to the other in one hour and drop a devastating attack on China and then return to space. Space technology coordinates all war on the planet today. When the U.S. launched the "shock and awe" invasion on Iraq in 2003 over 70% of the weapons used in the initial attack were directed to their targets by military space satellites. Thus the Pentagon says, whoever controls space will control the Earth below. In addition the U.S. is now preparing an attack on Iran in order to control their oil and natural gas. The U.S. is demonizing Venezuela because they had the audacity to nationalize their oil. And the Pentagon has just recently created a new military command called AfriCom. The Pentagon says we will be fighting in Africa in 20 years to control the oil of Nigeria, Angola, and Algeria. Everyone acknowledges that the U.S. is a major contributor to global warming and that we in the U.S. must immediately change our entire consuming culture if the planet is to survive. But where will the massive investment for solar, wind, rail, and conservation come from when the U.S. is instead preparing for endless war? In fact, if the U.S. successfully draws Russia, China, the European Union, and Japan into a new arms race in space, how will any of our societies be able to afford to produce the alternative technologies we will need to avoid the coming global energy crisis? Global Greens must make a unified demand for the conversion of the global war machine, or as we call it, the military industrial complex. We know that conversion of the global war machine will create more jobs than we currently get from military spending. We know that if we don't convert the military industrial complex then the future generations will suffer even more. In the proposed 21 Point Declaration I would like to comment on point number 20. I believe that two key items must be added. The first is that a statement is needed calling for the prevention of an arms race in outer space (PAROS). This new space arms race will be what the weapons industry says will be the most expensive industrial project in human history. Secondly, there must be a specific call for the conversion of the global war machine in the Declaration so that our global budget resources can be dramatically and quickly used to deal with climate change. The Native Americans, the Indian people, in my country say that the sacred hoop, the sacred circle, has been broken. It is our job to heal the broken circle. Political power means little if we don't show the determination to stop the madness of endless war and successfully deal with climate change. Thank you. Bruce K. Gagnon Coordinator Global Network Against Weapons & Nuclear Power in Space PO Box 652 Brunswick, ME 04011 (207) 443-9502 http://www.space4peace.org globalnet at mindspring.com http://space4peace.blogspot.com (Blog) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From rstuller at snet.net Mon May 26 16:25:37 2008 From: rstuller at snet.net (Ronna Stuller) Date: Mon, 26 May 2008 16:25:37 -0400 Subject: {news} Bylaws proposal: definition of membership In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: <7A66E7CE-ED33-4F2B-BE51-A0A3C010663D@snet.net> I don't think anyone from New London will be able to attend Tuesday's SCC meeting, so I'd like to weigh in on this. I think the proposed guidelines are excellent. I would favor bringing them to the local chapters for discussion, and voting on them next month (taking any recommended changes into account). In New London, where we have had continuous minor party status since 2001, we also require Green Party registration for membership. We do not stipulate the 90 day wait period, though I understand that would make our rules consistent with those of the major parties in CT. Thanks to the Fairfield Greens for working on this. See you in June. Ronna On May 20, 2008, at 3:19 PM, David Bedell wrote: > PROPOSAL > > PRESENTER (committee, chapter(s) or group of individuals): Fairfield > County > chapter > > CONTACT (name, address, phone number, email): David Bedell, 12 > Ardsley Rd, > Stamford, CT 06906, 203-581-3193, dbedellgreen(at)hotmail.com > > SUBJECT (10 words or less): Definition of party membership > > BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE (100 words or less; include relationship, > reasons > and/or justification to the State Central Committee): > At its February 2008 meeting, the Fairfield chapter adopted a stricter > definition of membership than that in the state bylaws. New Haven > has also > adopted a stricter definition. The purpose of this proposal is to > make party > membership contingent on a simple written declaration, just like > membership > in the major parties, instead of the current definition, which > includes > vague criteria such as what constitutes a volunteer activity or what > is a > "coalition partner." This proposal also addresses the contingency of > losing > minor party status, which happened in some towns during 2004-2006. > Further > comments can be read at > http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FairfieldCountyGreens/message/839 > > PROPOSAL: > (Distribute to chapters for discussion:) In the CT Green Party bylaws > (http://www.ctgreens.org/bylaws.shtml ), the section under "Individual > Membership" shall be revised to read: > > If the Green Party has minor party status in a town, then: > A person enrolled on their town voter list as a Green Party member > is a > member of the Green Party for all purposes. > > If the Green Party does not have minor party status in a town, then > a person > may become a member of the Green Party under the following conditions: > 1. The person must be an unaffiliated voter and must not have been > registered with any other party affiliation during the past ninety > (90) > days. > 2. The person shall fill out and sign a CT Voter Registration Form > declaring > enrollment in the Green Party and submit this to an officer of the > local or > state Green Party. > 3. Upon submission of such declaration, the person's membership in > the Green > Party will be effective after ten business days. > > A person not yet old enough to vote under state law may become a > member of > the Green Party under the following conditions: > 1. The person will turn 18 and be eligible to vote before the next > General > Election Day. > 2. The person has applied to vote by filling out and signing a Voter > Registration Form with declaration of enrollment in the Green Party > and > submitted this to their town hall or to an officer of the local or > state > Green Party. > 3. If the form is submitted to a local or state Green Party officer, > membership in the Green Party will be effective after ten business > days. > > Party members shall receive announcements of State Party general > meetings, > and shall be entitled to vote when attending State Party general > meetings. > When an Active Member of a Chapter, the member shall be entitled to > vote at > all general meetings of the Chapter. No member, however, shall be > entitled > to vote in more than one Chapter. Chapters may institute their own > requirements for membership different from those for State Party > membership. From dbedellgreen at hotmail.com Mon May 26 23:48:42 2008 From: dbedellgreen at hotmail.com (David Bedell) Date: Mon, 26 May 2008 23:48:42 -0400 Subject: {news} Harold Burbank Named Green Party's 5th District Candidate References: <000801c8bf84$75c9d910$6401a8c0@HaroldII> Message-ID: I received this press release from Harold and have posted it in on the website (http://www.ctgreens.org/press/2008/05-25.shtml ). The 5th District includes Danbury, Waterbury, Meriden, New Britain, Torrington, and most of the northwest corner of CT. Please share with any media contacts you may have in this part of the state. NEWS May 25, 2008 Contact: Harold Burbank, (860)693-2687, haroldburbank@ comcast.net Justine McCabe, (860)354-1822, justinemccabe@ earthlink.net HUMAN RIGHTS ATTORNEY HAROLD BURBANK NAMED GREEN PARTY'S 5th DISTRICT CANDIDATE Burbank promises Bush war crimes investigation CANTON, CT-Human rights attorney Harold H. Burbank II has been selected as the Connecticut Green Party's 5th Congressional District candidate to run against incumbent Democrat Christopher Murphy and Republican David Cappiello in the November general election. The northwest Connecticut Green Party held a regional selection meeting on Friday, May 23, in New Milford. Members unanimously voted Burbank as the candidate. "I want to thank Green Party members in the Fifth District, throughout Connecticut, and across the country for supporting my candidacy," Burbank said afterwards. "I have never run for office. It is gratifying and energizing to see so many people from different backgrounds--Democrats, Republicans, Independents, young, old, the entire American demographic--respond so positively to Green Party values and my campaign. The American people know the major parties have gotten the country into deep trouble. Voters are looking for real change, real patriotism, and real hope. I intend to offer them these." Burbank is supported by human rights activists Ralph Nader and Daniel Ellsberg with whom he has volunteered for human rights projects. The Burbank campaign is formally endorsed by former Star Wars Director Dr. Robert Bowman (USAF Lt. Col, ret.), commander of "The Patriots," a 22,000-member US veterans peace group, and University of Illinois law professor Dr. Francis A. Boyle, renowned human rights attorney and legal scholar. "Harold Burbank is in the vanguard of progressive law and politics today," said Dr. Boyle. "I encouraged him to run, and he has. He works tirelessly and at no cost on human rights cases critical to American and international peace law. I am pleased to endorse him." Burbank holds two degrees in international relations and a law degree. He was hired by then Connecticut Attorney General Joe Lieberman out of law school and served under him as an Assistant Attorney General for Public Utilities and Public Works. Subsequently he has served as Penobscot Indian Nation Director of Human Services (Maine), and Maine Assistant Attorney General for Child Protection. His professional public service work in Connecticut alone spans 20 years including working in Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal's Bridgeport-based Child Support Office. Since 2003 he has had a private law practice in Canton, Connecticut specializing in human rights law. His clients have ranged from Connecticut's indigent parents who owe child support, to Army Lt. Ehren Watada and other US servicepeople seeking redress for Iraq war injustices. He successfully defended Independent Presidential Candidate Ralph Nader in a lawsuit by the Democratic National Committee aimed at keeping Nader off the ballot in Maine in 2004. Burbank's main passion is his anti-war work. "I was motivated to run because in September, 2007, Chris Murphy told me publicly at his New Britain forum on Iraq that despite the Bush administration being the most impeachable regime in US history, he would not support impeachment. He still does not support impeachment. This is outrageous." According to Burbank, as lawyers he and Murphy swore oaths to uphold and defend the Constitution against all enemies, foreign and domestic. "Chris took this oath again when he became a congressman. He has defiled that oath by failing to support impeachment. My campaign will hold him accountable." "The Bush regime is conducting criminal wars of aggression and occupation in Iraq and Afghanistan and threatening a nuclear war in Iran. Except for a very few in Congress, Representatives like Chris Murphy have not only done nothing about these criminal wars but are accessories to them by consistently voting to fund them," Burbank said. "If we want peace, Congress must uphold and defend a higher legal and moral standard." Murphy still has time to help save Congress from a legacy of disaster, Burbank said. "Otherwise, Chris will join those in Congress whose legacy will be the genocide of millions of Middle East civilians, deaths of thousands of soldiers, permanent irradiation of the Middle East environment, profound US debt, endless Mideast war, criminalization of our military, and contempt for our country around the world. I have the legal background and the moral and political will to change all of that from day one in office, so our children will not forever suffer the consequences of such unconscionable policies." Burbank has been married to Winsted kindergarten teacher Marianne Burbank for 28 years. They live in Canton with their two teenaged children. Burbank can be contacted for meetings, events, comments, and donations, via his campaign website at www.newmenu.org/haroldburbank or at 860-693-2687. # # # From timmckee at mail.com Tue May 27 15:54:00 2008 From: timmckee at mail.com (Tim McKee) Date: Tue, 27 May 2008 14:54:00 -0500 Subject: {news} Corporate sponsorship of the 2008 Dem Convention (Kevin Vaughan, Rocky Mtn. News) Message-ID: <20080527195400.EC5E011590B@ws1-7.us4.outblaze.com> ----- Original Message ----- From: "Scott McLarty" To: natlcomaffairs at green.gpus.org Subject: [usgp-dx] Corporate sponsorship of the 2008 Dem Convention (Kevin Vaughan, Rocky Mtn. News) Date: Tue, 27 May 2008 15:57:59 +0000 DNC sponsorships raise questions on motivations Companies sign on by dozens to help party gathering By Kevin Vaughan Rocky Mountain News Monday, May 12, 2008 http://www.rockymountainnews.com/news/2008/may/12/dnc-sponsorships-raise-questions-on-motivations/ Everything is for sale, and this summer's Democratic National Convention in Denver is no exception. More than four dozen national corporations have signed up as sponsors of the convention - everyone from Allstate to Xerox. And almost all of them have the same thing in common: They either have business with the federal government or they lobby on pending issues. And that prompts a myriad of questions. Are the big companies simply being good corporate citizens? Or are they looking for access - maybe not to the presidential nominee, but to members of Congress and party officials who can help make sure their issues get heard? The answer is simple, said former Denver City Councilwoman Susan Barnes-Gelt: "It's always about access." "Here's the reality," Barnes- Gelt said, "and this comes from the experience of an old fundraiser: The first people you go to for money are people who have an interest in making sure you're in a decision-making position. And that's true whether you're the DNC, the president of the United States or the local city council person." Not only Democrats To date, the Democratic National Convention Host Committee has lined up 56 corporate sponsors. A few have local ties, like Qwest, Molson Coors and Vail Resorts. Others are huge national corporations, such as Anheuser-Busch, Union Pacific and 3M. It is not a phenomenon unique to the Democrats or Denver. A slew of corporate donors have lined up for the Republican National Convention in Minneapolis, and 20 of them also are sponsoring the DNC. They include companies like 3M, Allstate, AstraZeneca, AT&T, Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway Co., Ford, Merck, Qwest, the Service Employees International Union, US Bank, Visa and Xcel Energy. "Welcome to the American political system," Barnes-Gelt said of the companies ponying up money on both sides of the aisle. Chris Lopez of the Democratic National Convention Host Committee acknowledged that sponsors get "opportunities" that depend on the level of their support. Those opportunities can include tickets to events surrounding the convention and even access to the Pepsi Center itself, where the convention will be held. The host committee does not have to file documents outlining the level of sponsorships until after the convention. But Lopez said the access goes up as the contributions do. Massie Ritsch of the Center for Responsive Politics said corporations sponsor political conventions for the same reason they sponsor sporting events: to build goodwill. And at political conventions, executives get access to influential people, Ritsch said. "Corporations aren't allowed to contribute directly to political parties or candidates' campaigns, but they can subsidize the gatherings that show off a party's candidate to American voters and get the candidate officially nominated," Ritsch wrote in an e-mail interview. "Money from these corporate donors helps the party, it helps the candidate, and to call it anything other than a campaign contribution is to make a distinction without a difference." Interests in government Sens. Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama may be spending all their time talking about flag pins and the Iraq war, about a gas tax holiday and health care, but federal Lobbying Disclosure Act records show the companies sponsoring this summer's convention in Denver have many other interests in Washington. Qwest, for example, is interested in a rewrite of the 1996 Telecommunications Act. Molson Coors has an interest in tax policy, alcohol advertising and self- regulation, excise taxes on beer and other issues. Coca-Cola is looking at the Child Nutrition Promotion and School Lunch Protection Act of 2007 and other issues. And on it goes - scores of issues the sponsors have lobbied on. "Since the conventions are basically party functions, and the money goes to pay for what the party wants to do, in part these convention contributions are like campaign contributions," said Steve Weissman of the Campaign Finance Institute. "And campaign contributions reinforce lobbying representations because you can get in much more easily to see somebody if you're a donor." Weissman said he believes that convention sponsorships amount to contributions directly to political candidates. "We have long made the point that even if some of these companies and individuals have in their mind that they are contributing to support the promotion of the local city, like Denver, that that may not be the only thing they have in their mind," Weissman said. "And whatever they have in their mind, it will be something that can add to the bonds of gratitude of political candidates. "After all, what is a convention but the largest political ad?" Staff writer M.E. Sprengelmeyer contributed to this report. This year's political conventions brought to you by . . . Organizations that have committed to sponsor both the Democratic National Convention in Denver and the Republican National Convention in Minneapolis and some of the issues they have lobbied on: * QWEST General business issues; rewrite of the 1996 Telecommunications Act; universal service reform; video franchise relief; broadband deployment; protection of records * XCEL ENERGY Climate change, renewable energy-related issues; Clean Energy Act of 2007; Renewable Energy and Energy Conservation Tax Act of 2007; wind production tax credit; Climate Security Act * SERVICE EMPLOYEES INTERNATIONAL UNION Contracting out of security guard functions by federal agencies; National Defense Authorization Act * AT&T Telecom issues, including implementation of the 1996 Telecommunications Act; congressional oversight and video franchise reform; Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act Amendments Act; cash balance issues in the Pension Protection Act * ASTRAZENECA Drug importation; foreign drug inspection program; Medicaid drug rebates; drug safety; pediatric drug provisions; compounding issues; Children's Health Insurance Program * TRAVELERS INSURANCE Flood Insurance Reform and Modernization Act of 2007; Homeowners Defense Act of 2007; National Insurance Act of 2007; Nondiscriminatory Use of Consumer Reports and Consumer Information Act of 2008; Homeowners Insurance Protection Act of 2007 * 3M Emissions control and safety systems; airline and baggage security issues; federal appropriations; science- based decision-making on water and air quality * MERCK Increased funding for National Immunization Program; funding for Food and Drug Administration; patent reform legislation; opposition to drug importation * ALLSTATE INSURANCE Legislation related to "black box" recorders on new automobiles; the Cameron Gulbransen Kids and Cars Safety Act of 2007; Damaged Vehicle Information Act; Passenger Vehicle Loss Disclosure Act * VISA Various legislation related to credit card issuer practices * AMGEN Drug safety; legislation related to pharmaceuticals, including the Patient Protection and Innovative Biologics Medicines Act of 2007 * NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF HOME BUILDERS Bankruptcy reforms to prevent foreclosures; tax incentives for renewable energy * LILLY Drug-importation issues; Medicare and Medicaid coverage and reimbursement issues; pharmaceutical regulations; tax issues; patent issues * BURLINGTON NORTHERN SANTA FE RAILWAY Rail Antitrust Enforcement Act; tax credits, rail capacity, rail infrastructure; Railroad Competition Improvement and Reauthorization Act * MEDTRONIC Patent reform; health-care related bills, including legislation related to safety of advanced medical devices, promotion of health information technology systems * US BANK Legislation reauthorizing New Markets Tax Credit * ARCHER DANIELS MIDLAND Farm Bill provisions; other legislation affecting renewable fuels; freight rail issues * FORD Fuel-efficiency issues, climate-change issues; employee benefits, health care and pension issues; corporate governance and tax issues; arbitration rules * ANHEUSER-BUSCH Matters relating to the malt beverage industry; family entertainment; regulation of marine mammals, endangered species and wildlife; solid waste disposal issues; legislation affecting recycling deposits * STATE FARM INSURANCE Legislation that would remove antitrust exemptions and subject insurance industry to Federal Trade Commission regulation M.E. Sprengelmeyer _________________________________________________________________ Keep your kids safer online with Windows Live Family Safety. http://www.windowslive.com/family_safety/overview.html?ocid=TXT_TAGLM_WL_Refresh_family_safety_052008 _______________________________________________ Natlcomaffairs mailing list To send a message to the list, write to: Natlcomaffairs at green.gpus.org To unsubscribe or change your list options, go to: http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/natlcomaffairs You must know your password to do this. If you can't figure out how to unsubscribe, as a last resort only, send a message OFF LIST to steveh at olypen.com If your state delegation changes, please see: http://gp.org/committees/nc/documents/delegate_change.html To report violations of listserv protocol, write to forummanagers at lists.gp-us.org For other information about the National Committee, see: http://gp.org/committees/nc/ Tim McKee, Manchester CT, Home-860-643-2282 Cell-860-778-1304 Tim McKee, is a National Commitee member of the Green Party of the United States and is a spokesperson for the Green Party of CT. BLOG- http://thebiggreenpicture.blogspot.com -- Mail.com Autos- Powered by Oncars.com: Drive By Today! http://www.oncars.com -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From roseberry3 at cox.net Sat May 31 21:05:05 2008 From: roseberry3 at cox.net (B Barry) Date: Sat, 31 May 2008 21:05:05 -0400 Subject: {news} =?windows-1250?q?Approved_minutes_of_the_3-25-08_SCC_meeti?= =?windows-1250?q?ng_of_CTGP_at_Portland=92s_Senior_Center=2C_Quoru?= =?windows-1250?q?m_was_met=2E_?= Message-ID: <20080601010507.ENUD10620.eastrmmtao106.cox.net@eastrmimpo02.cox.net> Approved minutes of the 3-25-08 SCC meeting of CTGP at Portland?s Senior Center, Quorum was met. 7 Waverly Avenue, Portland, CT 06480 Phone: 860-342-6760 Time: 7:000PM Attendees by Chapter: Central: Vic Lancia; Fairfield: Richard Duffee; Greater Hartford: Barbara Barry, Secretary of CTGP; S. Michael DeRosa, Co-chairperson of CTGP; Steve Fournier; Christopher Reilly, Treasurer of CTGP; New Haven: Jerry Martin; New London: Laura Cordes; Tolland: Tim McKee. Absent: Co-chairperson: Cliff Thornton. No observers. Facilitator: Tim McKee. Timekeeper: Vic Lancia. A. Preliminaries: 1. Introductions of voting /non-voting attendees; chapters; quorum was met; timekeeper; ground rules. 2. Approval of tonight?s proposed agenda, no deletions; addition: handout /comment by Jerry Martin of the Procedures and Process Committee. 3. Review and approval of minutes of 2-26-08 SCC meeting by consensus. 4. Review and acceptance of minutes from the 3-19-08 EC meeting by consensus. 5. Treasurer?s report from Christopher Reilly: balance of $2561.34. B. Any proposals/referendums by chapters, committee: A) .Policies and Proposals Committee proposals about Chapters: 1. Approved by consensus: Establishment of Chapters: Any group of five (5) or more individual, who reside in a cohesive geographic or a political area, may apply to form a regional chapter. Upon holding a minimum of one (1) monthly meeting over 3 consecutive months with at least (five) 5 people in attendance, an application can be made for Chapter status. Minutes of all meetings and attendance must be submitted with the application. A representative of the Chapter must attend at least one (1) meeting of the SCC prior to being granted chapter status. Written by-laws and other documentation should be submitted with the chapter application. 2. Approval by consensus: Criteria for chapter membership in the Green Party of Connecticut: Acceptance of the Ten Key Values as guiding principles. Chapters shall be organized and run in accordance with those values and utilization of GP of CT policies and procedures. A chapter is based on a town-wide or area-wide organization and is open to and reflective of their defined geographic membership. A chapter agrees to recognize national and state candidates selected by GPUS and GP of CT conventions. The chapter makes good faith effort to: 1) run state and local candidates; 2) present written bylaws and other documentation with that application; 3) state an intention to network with other organizations which support one or more of GP Ten Key Values or legislation, goals or concepts. The chapter attests to commitment to and good faith efforts to achieve gender balance in party leadership and representation. A chapter will identify and allay with other organizations, caucuses or individual(s,) who promote GP Values, concepts, goals and legislation. 3. Approval by consensus: Chapter Responsibilities: Chapter membership meetings must be held at least every two (2) months within a rolling twelve (12) month period in order to maintain active chapter status within the GP of CT. The chapter must select representative(s) to attend each SCC meeting. This representative(s) would be responsible for all communication between the chapter and the SCC . A copy of all chapter minutes and attendance records must be sent to the SCC or Secretary of the GP of CT, within one (1) week of their acceptance by the chapter membership. Unapproved minutes may be submitted if approved minutes are not available. The chapter must reply, in a timely manner, to all requests from the SCC. The chapter must maintain a membership list of all registered Green Party voters or members within their borders, including updated town voter lists when available. The chapter is entitled to 30% of all CP of CT contributors residing in the chapter?s affiliated geographic area. 4. Approved by consensus: Active Status: any chapter that is not represented at three (3) consecutive SCC will be placed in an inactive status and will lose its voting rights until reactivation. A chapter may have its SCC voting rights reactivated after it is represented at three (3) consecutive SCC meetings. Any chapter that does not hold a chapter meeting at least every two (2) months in a rolling twelve (12) month period, may be considered in an inactive status. The SCC has the right to contact chapter members. Any funds expended by the SCC to reactivate the chapter will be charged against the chapters reserved funds. 5. Approved by consensus: Chapter Dissolution: The SCC can revoke the chapter status of any chapter that fails to hold chapter meetings for a period of one (1) year. Any treasury funds held for the chapter?s use can then be used for general expenses of the party. C. Reports: 1. Update from the Internal Elections Committee: a) finalization of all candidates for GP of CT officers: co-chairpersons: S. Michael DeRosa, Phoebe Godfrey, Steve Fournier; Treasurer: Christopher Reilly; Secretary: Barbara Barry, For GPUS Representatives: Charlie Pillsbury, Richard Duffee, Tim McKee, S. Michael DeRosa and Steve Fournier. The order of candidates? placement on the ballot was determined by pulling names out of a hat at this meeting. The names of GP presidential candidates will also be on the ballot Christopher Reilly will submit the approximately 1740 names of people to receive mailed ballots to the printer/distributor. The Presidential candidate ballot is to include an option for ?write in? and an option for ?uncommitted?. Consensus: ballots are to be mailed to the P.O. Box 231214, in Hartford, CT; ballots must be received by the Wednesday prior to 4-26-08; a legal notice must be posted 5 calendar days prior to the 4-26-08 in an appropriate newspaper per state regulations. The Hartford Courant was chosen as it is a state-wide newspaper. Chris Reilly will do this. 2. 4-26-08 GP of CT Convention Committee: Barbara Barry who will develop a proposed agenda. As of this date, the Secretary, B. Barry, has not received any response from the Presidential Candidates or their representatives, despite multiple efforts to invite them to speak at the Convention. Jerry Martin to arrange lunch. Requested price will be $15 which will go to CTGP. Place of the Convention: New Haven Central Labor Council, 267 Chapel Street, New Haven, CT 3. Steve Founier is the Endorsed 1st Congressional District candidate. He is petitioning and organizing his campaign against Representative John Larson. 4. GPUS reports from: Tim McKee: GPUS still working on organizing the 7-10-08 Convention. National Committee Member, S. Michael DeRosa: Arizona got on the ballot by their petition drive. They received $3000 from the GPUS and returned it all back to the GPUS because they received sufficient donations that they did not need it. The overall GPUS budget for helping states who need to petition: $10,000. However, it is unclear under what criteria it may be used by these petitioning states. 5. Political issues the GP of CT has addressed with legislators during the 2008 Legislative Session: Fight the Hike bills are still in committees. 6. CT Green Times: SMD: more copies will be available at the 4-26-08 CTGP Convention. 7.. Summer Intern for GP of CT: will not be available as the student did not receive one of the limited grants.. 8. ACLU lawsuit: SMD: the summary judgment will be written over the next few months by the judge. 9. Chapter reports: need a candidate for the 3rd Congressional District line. 10. Jerry Martin, of the Procedure and Process Committee, respectfully submitted his personal report about the SCC actions regarding proposals from the Policies and Procedures Committee: ?The Procedure/Process Committee was appointed at the May meeting of the SCC and submitted its first draft of the Procedure Manual at the June 26, 2007 meeting of the SCC. The SCC allocated various amounts of time at 5 of its meetings until it has, at this time, adopted 31% of the draft proposal. The Committee has attempted to save time by submitting the draft proposals to the members of the SCC in advance, requesting their suggestions for the final draft. In this way, it was hoped that consensus could be reached prior to the SCC meeting for everything except the most problematic points. I thought that in that way the SCC?s time could be reserved for resolving the few points where consensus could not be reached beforehand. Although some members of the SCC participated, some members insisted on saving their changes for the SCC meetings and as a result, the process was much slower than anticipated. Based on a few statements, I grew to believe that some members thought that it was improper to work on the proposal outside of the meeting, out of the view of the full membership. A factor that came up several times during the course of the SCC?s work was the fact that while the draft procedures were written to enable the implementation of the by-laws, we did not have a copy of the current by laws to work from. The Committee was told that by-laws posted on the website were not a true copy but a later version with changes that had never been adopted. To this point, a search has not turned up the real by-laws. The Committee has continued to use the unapproved version and recommends that the SCC adopt the version on hand and asks the By-laws Committee to review them for possible change in the future. One observation, as someone who had never worked with the SCC on an ongoing project like this one, I see the culture of the SCC as a very different one from any similar boards that I have worked with. Most boards are leas by their chairs. The Chair monitors the activities of the board?s committees between board meetings and makes sure that the board?s goals and timetables are met. During debate, the Chair makes process suggestions that move the agenda along and makes sure that all the agenda items are handles in the allotted time. At the SCC, the debate is not controlled in any way except by the clock. It is a meeting of equals with individual interests. The members inform each other on what they have been doing the preceding weeks. Issues are brought forward and where action is needed, a consensus is sought through unregulated debate. Decisions are made be majority vote not real consensus. I was surprised at how comfortable the members are with seeking ad-hoc solutions rather than using an established procedure. For example, over the course of this year, the problem of having a very loose definition of membership in the by-laws came up on several occasions. Despite my urging to charge the existing By-laws Committee to come up with a solution in time for adoption at the Annual Meeting, nothing was done until last month. At that time, a new ad-hoc committee was formed to draft a new membership by-law for the meeting. As someone who is used to working within a defined structure, with written procedures to guide my activities, I found this very disconcerting. Taking all of the above into consideration and acknowledging that the majority of the SCC is comfortable with the small ?d? democratic process of the SCC, I recommend that the SCC not waste any more time completing the procedure manual. At some point in the future, when the Party has grown larger and when new members with more disparate views must be accommodated by the SCC, a procedure manual will become a necessity. But at this time, the members a(re) comfortable with things as they are so why spend time developing procedures that they will not use.? 11. Date for next SCC meeting to be either 4-29-08 or 5-27-08. Date, place and time of next EC meeting in 4-08: to be determined. Green Party Key Values: non-violence, respect for diversity, grassroots democracy, social justice and equal opportunity, ecological wisdom, decentralization, community-based economics and economic justice, future focus and sustainability, personal and global responsibility, feminism and gender equality. No virus found in this outgoing message. Checked by AVG. Version: 7.5.524 / Virus Database: 269.24.4/1476 - Release Date: 5/31/2008 12:25 PM -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From roseberry3 at cox.net Sat May 31 21:15:54 2008 From: roseberry3 at cox.net (B Barry) Date: Sat, 31 May 2008 21:15:54 -0400 Subject: {news} Minutes of the 4-26-08 CT Green Party Annual Meeting Message-ID: <20080601011555.DOIA14275.eastrmmtao107.cox.net@eastrmimpo01.cox.net> Minutes of the 4-26-08 CT Green Party Annual Meeting 11am to 12noon: Social hour; ability to order box lunch from Jerry Martin for $15; review literature and any merchandise. Monitors reviewed credentials for anyone seeking a ballot. Noon to 12:10PM: Greetings by facilitator, Scot Deshefy, CT Green Party Candidate for 2nd Congressional District. Timekeeper was Vic Lancia. Agenda was approved. Review of the election procedures and explanation of today?s voting process for internal officers for CT Green Party, Representatives from CTGP(CT Green Party) to GPUS (Green Party of U.S.) and vote for member?s presidential preference for GPUS Presidential Convention in Chicago, starting July 10, 2008. 12:10PM to 1:15PM: a) there were no nominations from the floor for CT Green Party Officers or for GPUS Representatives. Five (5) minutes were allotted to each of the following candidates to speak and answer any questions from meeting participants. Candidates were: Three (3) Co-chairpersons: Phoebe Godfrey, S. Michael DeRosa, Steve Fournier; Secretary: Barbara Barry; Treasurer: Christopher Reilly; Five (5) GPUS National Party representatives: Richard Duffee, Tim McKee, S. Michael DeRosa, Steve Fournier. Charlie Pillsbury did not attend. 1:30PM to 1:45PM Break for lunch. 1:45PM to 2:00PM: No discussion of the presidential candidates for GPUS was held. The GPUS endorsed candidates are: Jesse Johnson, Cynthia McKinney, Kent P. Mesplay, PhD. and Kat Swift. 2PM: The start of counting of the provided ballots by the Internal Elections Committee of the CTGP with monitors. 2PM to 2:10PM: Speech by Allan Brison, Green Party New Haven Alderman followed by a question and answer period. 2:10PM to 2:25PM: Speech by Paula Panzarella, from Fight the Hike. A questions and answer period followed. 2:25PM to 2:40PM: Speech by Green Party member: Jean deSmet, First Selectperson for Windham followed by a question and answer period. 2:40PM to 2:55PM: Speech by S. Michael DeRosa about the CT Green Party?s lawsuit against the State of CT 2005 Campaign Finance Reform Law, followed by a question and answer period. 2:55PM to 3:05PM: Speech by Steve Fournier, endorsed CT Green Party 1st Congressional District candidate, followed by a question and answer period. 3:05PM to 3:15PM: Speech by Scott Deshefy, endorsed CT Green Party 2nd Congressional District candidate, followed by a question and answer period. 3:15PM to 3:25PM: Speech by Richard Duffee, endorsed CT Green Party 4th Congressional District candidate, followed by a question and answer period. (3:25PM to 3:35PM: Deleted: Speech by Harold Burbank, running for CT Green Party 5th Congressional District candidacy, who did not attend this meeting.) 3:25PM: Results of: a) internal elections for CTGP and b) number of votes received for GPUS Presidential candidate. 33 votes for Cynthia McKinney - HYPERLINK "http://www.runcynthiarun.org/"http://www.runcynthiarun.org 3 votes for Kat Swift - HYPERLINK "http://www.voteswift.org/"http://www.voteswift.org 2 votes for Jesse Johnson - HYPERLINK "http://www.jesse08.org/"http://www.jesse08.org 2 votes for Kent Mesplay - HYPERLINK "http://www.mesplay.org/"http://www.mesplay.org A number of write-in votes 6 - Ralph Nader - HYPERLINK "http://www.draftnader.org/"http://www.draftnader.org 1 - Noam Chomsky 1 - Mike DeRosa 1 - Al Gore - HYPERLINK "http://www.algore.org/"http://www.algore.org 1 - Barack Obama - HYPERLINK "http://www.barackobama.com/"http://www.barackobama.com ------------- 50 ? TOTAL CTGP elected officers: Co-chairpersons: S. Michael DeRosa, Phoebe Godfrey, Steven Fournier; Treasurer: Christopher Reilly; Secretary: Barbara Barry. and for GPUS Representatives: Richard Duffee, Tim McKee, S. Michael DeRosa, Steve Fournier. Charlie Pillsbury. No virus found in this outgoing message. Checked by AVG. Version: 7.5.524 / Virus Database: 269.24.4/1476 - Release Date: 5/31/2008 12:25 PM -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From roseberry3 at cox.net Sat May 31 21:18:13 2008 From: roseberry3 at cox.net (B Barry) Date: Sat, 31 May 2008 21:18:13 -0400 Subject: {news} Accepted minutes from the 7:15PM to 8:15PM, 5-19-08 EC meeting of the CTGP Message-ID: <20080601011814.EGJI26883.eastrmmtao103.cox.net@eastrmimpo03.cox.net> Accepted minutes from the 7:15PM to 8:15PM, 5-19-08 EC meeting of the CTGP Location: Ruby Tuesday Restaurant, 848 Cottage Grove Road, Bloomfield, CT 06002 P: 860/766-9401 Attendees: Co-chairpersons of CTGP: Steven Fournier, Greater Hartford Chapter; Mike DeRosa, Greater Hartford Chapter; Treasurer: Christopher Reilly, Greater Hartford Chapter, Secretary: Barbara Barry, Greater Hartford Chapter. Absent: Phoebe Godfrey, Co-chairperson of CTGP. Observers: none. 1. Any business/concerns from last EC meeting on 3-19-08? Petitioning for our CTGP candidates and the GPUS candidates is a priority. 2. Any proposed short and long term goals for the CTGP by the executive committee officers? Generic CTGP pamphlets: are being done by Phoebe Godfrey; printing: via candidates or chapters or Eric DeVos. Consider a paid fundraiser for CTGP. Consider a paid petitioner. Encourage: events: more movie nights/events. 3. Develop the agenda for the 5-27-08 SCC meeting. Template is below. Proposed agenda for the 7PM 5-27-08 SCC CTGP meeting in Portland Senior Center, 7 Waverley Avenue, Portland, CT 06480 Phone: 860-342-6760 Facilitator: To Be Determined A. Preliminaries: 1. (1 minute): Introductions of voting/non-voting attendees; chapters; if quorum was met; timekeeper; ground rules. 2. (2-4 minutes): Approval of tonight?s proposed agenda, any deletions or additions. 3. (2-4 minutes): Review and approval of minutes of 3-25-08 SCC meeting. 4. (2 minutes): Review and acceptance of the 5-19-08 EC meeting. 5. (2-4 minutes): Treasurer?s report from Christopher Reilly. B. Any proposals/referendums by chapters, committee (none provided to Secretary as of 5-19-08.) C. Reports: 1. (10-15 minutes): GPUS reports from: Cliff Thornton, Co-chairperson of GPUS, CTGP representatives: Tim McKee and Charlie Pillsbury and National Committee Members: Amy Vas Nunes and S. Michael DeRosa. 2. (5 minutes): Final report about the 4-26-08 CTGP Convention from the Internal Elections Committee: final votes for the candidates for GP of CT officers and GPUS Representatives; results from CTGP members voting about who is their desired GPUS Presidential candidate; criteria for voting the endorsed presidential candidates; chapters need to respond by next SCC meeting about who wants to be delegates; delegates to GPUS 7-08 Convention will be vetted at 6-24-08 SCC meeting. 3. (5-10 minutes): Steven Fournier, endorsed 1st Congressional District CTGP candidate; petitioning; campaign issues. 4. (5-10 minutes): Scott Deshefy, endorsed 2nd Congressional District CTGP candidate: petitioning; campaign issues. 5. (2-10 minutes): Any endorsed candidate for the 3rd Congressional District line. 6. (5-10 minutes): Richard Duffee, endorsed 4th Congressional District CTGP candidate; petitioning; campaign issues. 7. (2-10 minutes): Harold Burbank, potential Green Party of CT candidate for 5th Congressional District; petitioning sheets for the petitioning candidates, campaign issues. 8. (5 minutes): Final report of issues/concerns that were addressed with legislators during the 2008 Legislative Session: Fight the Hike/universal health coverage. 9. (5 minute): ACLU lawsuit update. 10. (2 minutes): CT Green Times newspaper and CT Green Times on website. 11. (15 minutes): Consider: Paid petitioner; Paid fundraiser; No summer Intern for GP of CT. 12. (2-5 minutes, each): Other Chapter reports. 13. Place of next SCC meeting at 7pm 6-24-08. Date, place and time of next EC meeting in 6-08: to be determined. 14. Any additions Green Party Key Values: non-violence, respect for diversity, grassroots democracy, social justice and equal opportunity, ecological wisdom, decentralization, community-based economics and economic justice, future focus and sustainability, personal and global responsibility, feminism and gender equality. No virus found in this outgoing message. Checked by AVG. Version: 7.5.524 / Virus Database: 269.24.4/1476 - Release Date: 5/31/2008 12:25 PM -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: