From timmckee at mail.com Thu Oct 1 08:40:48 2009 From: timmckee at mail.com (Tim McKee) Date: Thu, 1 Oct 2009 07:40:48 -0500 Subject: {news} Fw: [usgp-dx] GP ADVISORY Greens to join Oct. protests against US wars in Afghanistan, Iraq Message-ID: <20091001124048.3245510612@ws1-3.us4.outblaze.com> ----- Original Message ----- From: "Scott McLarty" To: natlcomaffairs at green.gpus.org Subject: [usgp-dx] GP ADVISORY Greens to join Oct. protests against US wars in Afghanistan, Iraq Date: Wed, 30 Sep 2009 19:18:26 +0000 GREEN PARTY OF THE UNITED STATES http://www.gp.org For Immediate Release: Wednesday, September 30, 2009 Contacts: Scott McLarty, Media Coordinator, 202-518-5624, cell 202-904-7614, mclarty at greens.org Starlene Rankin, Media Coordinator, 916-995-3805, starlene at gp.org Greens to join mid-October protests against US wars in Afghanistan and Iraq WASHINGTON, DC -- Green Party leaders, activists, and members across the US plan to participate in mass rallies, marches, coordinated local and regional demonstrations, and other forms of protest to take place on and around Saturday, October 17 calling for the withdrawal of US troops from Iraq and Afghanistan. The National Assembly to End the Afghanistan and Iraq Wars (https://www.natassembly.org/Home_Page.html) is coordinating the nationwide mid-October protests. October 2009 marks the eighth year of the US war in Afghanistan and seven years since Congress passed a resolution authorizing an invasion of Iraq. "While a majority of Democrats and Republicans in Congress lined up behind President Bush's call for an invasion of Iraq based on a litany of deceptions, the Green Party opposed and protested the war from the beginning. The election of Barack Obama in 2008 brought no real change -- America is still waging war against Afghanistan and Iraq, with attacks on Pakistan and threats to attack Iran," said Rosa Clemente, the Green Party's 2008 nominee for Vice President, Hip Hop activist, journalist, and community organizer (http://www.rosaclemente.com). "The Green Party continues to challenge the monopoly on power held by the two parties of war -- the Democratic and Republican parties. We also challenge the delusion that led so many people who opposed the war to vote for Mr. Obama and other warhawk Democrats. The only hope for an end to America's policies of military aggression remains the emergence of a real peace party -- the Green Party," added Ms. Clemente, who is about to embark on a 14-state speaking tour. October also commemorates the 40th anniversary of the Vietnam Moratorium that brought hundreds of thousands into the streets to protest the war. Greens in New England will gather at an antiwar rally and march planned for Boston on October 17, beginning at 1:00 pm in Copley Square. The Massachusetts Green-Rainbow Party is one of the sponsors of the event. On Monday, October 5, Greens will participate in an antiwar protest at the White House organized by members of the War Resisters League and Witness Against Torture (http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=130411491731&index=1). "The war in Iraq was not a 'good' war, neither is the war in Afghanistan," said Green peace activist Paul 'zool' Zulkowitz. The Green Party demands: ? Immediate and unconditional withdrawal of all US troops, military personnel, bases, contractors, and mercenaries from Iraq, Afghanistan, and Pakistan. ? An immediate end to all US support for the Israeli occupation of Palestine and the ongoing siege against Gaza and the Palestinian people. ? An end to sanctions, threats of war, and attacks against Iran, North Korea, Somalia, or any other nation, whose right to self-determination is under assault by Washington?s aggressive drive for hegemony. We strongly oppose interference in the internal affairs of these countries, as well as Cuba, Venezuela, Bolivia and any other nation targeted by the US government for political destabilization. ? Investigation and prosecution of war crimes, including torture, with an assurance that all such crimes never happen again. A lopsided vote by the US House of Representatives (368-60) on May 14, 2009 approved the Obama Administration's request for $97 billion for US military operations in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Pakistan. The US Senate?s follow-up vote on June 18, 2009 approved, by a 91-5 majority, $105.9 billion for the same purpose, showing bipartisan support for continuation of the wars and occupations. According to Green Party leaders, these votes underscore why an independent, unified, mass action antiwar movement is needed now more than ever. The Green Party supports without equivocation the right of all oppressed nations and peoples to self-determination, whether in the Middle East or in other parts of the world, such as Haiti. Greens stand in solidarity with working people, their unions and allies, and demand that the trillions spent on wars and the military be diverted to support for homeowners, the opening of plants to create new green jobs instead of seeing them shut down, and maintaining and expanding urgently needed social programs MORE INFORMATION Green Party of the United States http://www.gp.org 202-319-7191, 866-41GREEN ? Green candidate database and campaign information: http://www.gp.org/elections.shtml ? Green Party News Center http://www.gp.org/newscenter.shtml ? Green Party Speakers Bureau http://www.gp.org/speakers ? Green Party ballot access page http://www.gp.org/2008-elections ? Green Party Livestream Channel http://www.livestream.com/greenpartyus Green Pages: The official publication of record of the Green Party of the United States Summer 2009 issue now online http://gp.org/greenpages-blog ~ END ~ _________________________________________________________________ Microsoft brings you a new way to search the web. Try Bing? now http://www.bing.com?form=MFEHPG&publ=WLHMTAG&crea=TEXT_MFEHPG_Core_tagline_try bing_1x1 _______________________________________________ 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, New Britian, CT, main number cell-860-778-1304 National Committee member of the Green Party of the United States and is a spokesperson for the Green Party of CT. CT GREEN TIMES The blog-journal of the CT Green Party is now online! Visit http://www.ctgreentimes.org CT GREEN PARTY ON FACEBOOK Please join the Facebook group at http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=105209184665 -- An Excellent Credit Score is 750 See Yours in Just 2 Easy Steps! -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From timmckee at mail.com Thu Oct 1 08:44:22 2009 From: timmckee at mail.com (Tim McKee) Date: Thu, 1 Oct 2009 07:44:22 -0500 Subject: {news} Fw: Update: 17 Arrested at Aetna Office in NYC Message-ID: <20091001124422.EF31010612@ws1-3.us4.outblaze.com> ----- Original Message ----- From: "Healthcare-NOW!" To: timmckee at mail.com Subject: Update: 17 Arrested at Aetna Office in NYC Date: Wed, 30 Sep 2009 12:46:35 -0500 [IMAGE] [IMAGE]If you're having trouble viewing this email, you may see it online. Forward this message to a friend Healthcare-NOW! Seventeen Arrested! Take Action Join our new campaign of non-violent, civil disobedience targeting the private health insurance industry. Take Action Dear Tim: As the public option dies in the Senate Finance Committee, 17 brave activists entered the lobby of insurance giant Aetna's offices in New York City and sat down. Their demand? The immediate approval of doctor-requested treatment for life threatening cases. What did they want? Medicare for all: the real public option that was taken out of the Congressional debate long before this legislative process started. We know that the public is with us. We know doctors and nurses are with us. Now we need to to mobilize. Join the campaign at www.mobilizeforhealthcare.org. The New York City action was organized by the Private Health Insurance Must Go! Coalition, a citywide group of health and human rights activists. Healthcare-NOW! is proud to support yesterday's action and the national campaign that it initiated. We thank them all for the real sacrifice they made in exposing the horrors of the private health insurance company: Laurie Wen, Constancia Dinky Romilly, Ken Bing, Nate Franco, Yonathan Dessalegn, Mary Ellen Marino, Kate Barnhart, Laura "JD" Melendez, Theresa Lee, Frank Naso, Donald Grove, Jean Fox, Veda Myers, Joan Pleune, Julia Willis, Kai Newkirk, and Ellen Bay. The brave people arrested spent the night in jail, and are still awaiting release at the time of this email. We respect and applaud their bravery and their commitment to meaningful reform - single-payer national healthcare. Over 400 people have pledged to participate in the nonviolent campaign of civil disobedience to mobilize the country against the real death panels, private insurance companies. Sign up to sit-in or support the sit-in at www.mobilizeforhealthcare.org. Another way you can help make this campaign successful is with a donation to help cover organizing expenses. Just click here. This is the second arrest of non-violent, single-payer supporters at a private health insurance company office building in recent months. Nine were arrested at Wellmark's offices in Des Moines, Iowa this past summer. Here's some news coverage of yesterday's civil disobedience: New York Times Life.com Democracy Now! Zimbio.com [IMAGE] Thanks for all that you do, Healthcare-NOW! National Staff P.S. Call Congress for single-payer now! It's easy and toll-free. Healthcare-NOW! survives on the generosity of our supporters. Please consider making a donation to support our efforts to pass HR 676 using our secure server. donate - Follow us on - RSS Facebook Delicious 339 Lafayette St. | New York, NY 10012 US This email was sent to timmckee at mail.com. To ensure that you continue receiving our emails, please add us to your address book or safe list. manage your preferences | opt out using TrueRemove? Got this as a forward? Sign up to receive our future emails. Network for Good EmailNow powered by Emma ****************************************** Tim McKee, New Britian, CT, main number cell-860-778-1304 National Committee member of the Green Party of the United States and is a spokesperson for the Green Party of CT. CT GREEN TIMES The blog-journal of the CT Green Party is now online! Visit http://www.ctgreentimes.org CT GREEN PARTY ON FACEBOOK Please join the Facebook group at http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=105209184665 -- An Excellent Credit Score is 750 See Yours in Just 2 Easy Steps! -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From richard.duffee at gmail.com Thu Oct 1 10:42:55 2009 From: richard.duffee at gmail.com (Richard Duffee) Date: Thu, 1 Oct 2009 10:42:55 -0400 Subject: {news} Fwd: Rally to end the death penalty in Connecticut In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: <21f4f7390910010742r45246a05hb4dce68f80c3277e@mail.gmail.com> Hi! On Tuesday night the State Central Committee voted to endorse this rally. Hope you'll go. Richard Duffee ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Amnesty International USA Date: Wed, Sep 30, 2009 at 2:45 PM Subject: Rally to end the death penalty in Connecticut To: Richard Duffee Stand Up for the Repeal of the Death Penalty Sunday, October 4 at 2pm Capitol Building 210 Capitol Ave. Hartford, CT (Buses available in New Haven, Storrs, and Middletown) It's costly, inefficient, ineffective, unreliable, and unjust ... and a fundamental human rights abuse. *Stand up for repeal of the death penalty!* Join Amnesty International and other members of the Connecticut Network to Abolish the Death Penalty (CNADP) at the Capitol in Hartford for a rally to *end the death penalty in Connecticut* on Sunday, Oct. 4 at 2:00 pm. Buses will be leaving from New Haven, Storrs, and Middletown. To reserve a seat on the bus, RSVP at www.CNADP.org For more information, contact: Bob Nave Connecticut State Death Penalty Abolition Coordinator Amnesty International USA (203) 206-9854 robertnave at cnadp.org Or: Ben Jones, CNADP (860) 231-1489 ben.jones at cnadp.org Or visit: www.cnadp.org DO NOT REPLY TO THIS MESSAGE. Messages sent to this email address are not read. If you have a question or comment, please use our interactive online help system . Subscribe to our RSS feeds . Remove yourself from this mailing . Remove yourself from all mailings from Amnesty USA . -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From dbedellgreen at hotmail.com Mon Oct 5 23:43:28 2009 From: dbedellgreen at hotmail.com (David Bedell) Date: Tue, 6 Oct 2009 03:43:28 +0000 Subject: {news} Rolf Maurer in Stamford Advocate Message-ID: http://www.stamfordadvocate.com/ci_13479872 Green Party candidate hopes to broaden scope of race By Devon Lash Staff Writer Posted: 10/03/2009 STAMFORD -- Rolf Maurer wanted to widen the debate in the mayoral campaign, so he joined the ticket. Maurer, 47, will be the city's second Green Party candidate to make a bid for mayor. The Green Party has 52 registered voters, compared with the Democrats' 24,219 voters, the Republicans' 12,809 and 603 Independent voters, according to data from the town clerk's office. "I feel it should be more of a participatory process, so that [voters] don't feel committed to two choices," Maurer said. He has worked in the publishing industry for the past decade, first as an associate editor at "Folio" magazine, then at Media Ventures in Norwalk. Now Maurer, a lifelong Stamford resident, is working as a free-lancer writing online about various topics, such as pop culture. He said he doesn't have any experience in city government but has organized local events, including a series of lectures and panel discussions on the Patriot Act as former co-chair of the Unitarian Universalist Society. His lack of familiarity with city hall won't be hindrance, he said, because of his lifelong residency and knowledge of how city policy affects the public. He said he aims to champion issues, such as improving public transportation and bolstering the local economy. Since Maurer sold his Plymouth Horizon for $1 in 1999, he has been relying on public transportation. He says the experience has given him unique insight into what mass transit users need in Stamford -- namely, better bus stop markings, shelter from the elements and crosstown routes. "The neat thing about using mass transit is not so much how much time it takes, but having the freedom to do something, like get to know other passengers or read a book," he said. Maurer said the city needs to end the "cookie cutter appeal" that comes with trying to be an extension of New York City. He said the Downtown Special Services District should concentrate on keeping events local, instead of bringing in musical acts such as Sugar Ray to attract out-of-towners. "Various arts outlets originated to promote local art, now it's a venue to sell big ticket acts," he said. Maurer said he is in favor of another task force, similar to Mayor Dannel Malloy's Sustainable Stamford, which would work with local companies to keep office buildings energy efficient and continue to check on the efficiency after their initial certification. "I want to change their culture regarding 'going green,'" he said. "Conventional wisdom says you have to sacrifice profits by going green, but that's not true." To promote his platforms in what he calls his "do-it-yourself" campaign, Maurer has started a blog to discuss the issues and will participate in the mayoral debate sponsored by SoundWaters with Republican candidate Michael Pavia and Democratic candidate David Martin on Wednesday at the Stamford campus of the University of Connecticut. The Green Party measures victory in other ways, said Fairfield County Green Party secretary David Bedell . After the 2005 mayoral race campaign, Green Party candidate Darek Shapiro worked with Malloy to implement the "20% by 2010," in which the city made a commitment to using a more renewable energy. "We'd be really happy if some of the other candidates pick up on issues or proposals," Bedell said. "Historically, that's where third parties have had the biggest effect. Even when they don't get into office, they raise ideas, and later those ideas get put into effect." Staff Writer Devon Lash can be reached at 964-2242 or devon.lash@ scni.com. _________________________________________________________________ Hotmail: Free, trusted and rich email service. http://clk.atdmt.com/GBL/go/171222984/direct/01/ -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From dbedellgreen at hotmail.com Thu Oct 8 19:41:57 2009 From: dbedellgreen at hotmail.com (David Bedell) Date: Thu, 8 Oct 2009 23:41:57 +0000 Subject: {news} RE: Rolf Maurer in Stamford Advocate Message-ID: Rolf Maurer got equal time in Stamford's environmental debate, but unfortunately the Advocate gave him less coverage than the major-party candidates (even though the headline for the print edition was "Who is the greenest?"). For what it's worth: http://www.stamfordadvocate.com/ci_13510250 Environment is focus of first Stamford mayoral debate Candidates share thoughts on environmental issues facing city By Magdalene Perez Staff Writer Posted: 10/07/2009 11:03:41 PM EDT STAMFORD -- Three candidates for mayor competed to present the greenest vision for the city during a Wednesday debate on environmental issues, hosted by SoundWaters. During the 80-minute debate, the Democratic, Republican and Green Party candidates fielded questions ranging from how they would address stormwater runoff to what they plan to do to improve energy efficiency on government properties. The debate at the University of Connecticut Stamford was the first in a series scheduled prior to the election Nov. 3. Democratic candidate David Martin used the opportunity to trumpet environmental accomplishments Stamford has made during the eight years he has served as president of the Board of Representatives, while Republican Michael Pavia took advantage of the theme as a chance to highlight his experience working in the environmental field. Green Party candidate Rolf Maurer at times admitted he did not have expertise in particular subject areas, such as how the city should approach dredging in Long Island Sound, but focused on how the city could improve options for bikers and mass transit users. Maurer, 47, a freelance writer who has worked in the publishing industry for the past decade, said he has largely walked, biked or used mass transit for the majority of his transportation. The candidates were most notably divided on the question of whether Stamford should continue with a multi-million dollar project to build an energy facility capable of using dried wastewater sludge to create energy. Maurer said the city should "cease" the project immediately, while Martin said the city should not say no before it has "all the facts and figures" in the city Water Pollution Control Authority's plan. Pavia received loud applause after remarking that the WPCA is the "least qualified agency to go out and experiment with a waste-to-energy plant." He said the city should not spend "one more dime" on the power project until the sewer authority can show a 50-year cost benefit analysis. Pavia, 61, is a developer and part owner of the Darien Ice Rink. Martin, 56, a co-owner of Darien-based management consulting firm Michael Allen Co., broke new ground when he suggested the power of the city's Environmental Protection Board would increase under his watch if he were elected. "I believe the EPB for far too long has had too limited a mission and too limited a scope of responsibilities," he said. "I believe it should play a larger role in coordinating our environmental policies across all levels." Martin's remark may have tied into a related question -- what the city should do in response to soil and water contamination in Scofieldtown Park. Notably, Pavia said there should not be further study, but instead action to remediate the former industrial landfill. "The (federal Environmental Protection Agency and the state Department of Environmental Protection have) studied this thing forever," Pavia said. "We need to take positive and progressive action now." Martin said he was the first to call for the park's closure and water testing when PCBs and other contaminants were found in the park, and has led the effort to bring clean water to neighbors affected by contaminated wells. Throughout the debate, Martin trumpeted the environmental accomplishments the city has made during his time in City Hall, including carrying out energy audits in city buildings, completing construction of the Rogers Environmental magnet school, legislating requirements for LEED certification in new buildings, introducing single-stream recycling, and breaking ground on a Mill River Park expansion. "We've made a lot of progress, but we need to keep moving forward and not turn the clock back," Martin said, making reference to his campaign theme that the city should not "turn back" to a Republican administration. Pavia, meanwhile, highlighted his experience working in the environmental field. He recounted his history of becoming the city's first Environmental Protection Board director in the 1970s, and at one point earned applause by displaying a copy of the master's thesis he wrote while earning a degree in environmental planning from New York University. As head of the environmental board, Pavia said he helped write city regulations on wetlands and watercourses that are still in place today. Pavia said he increased recycling in the city to nearly 35 percent during his time as head of the city's Public Works department under former Mayor Stanley Esposito, a number Martin disputed, saying an accurate figure would be closer to 8 percent. Pavia stood by the number. "The calculation he makes really distorts the figures," Martin said. "It includes stumps and brush and excludes municipal waste." SoundWaters moderator Leigh Schemitz said the fact that environmental issues are even being discussed with such prominence during the mayoral campaign is a sign that the city is on the right track. "Your ability to address these questions with such depth and creativity bodes well for our city's future" Schemitz told the candidates. The next debate is Oct. 18. Staff Writer Magdalene Perez can be reached at 203-964-2240 or magdalene.perez@ scni.com. _________________________________________________________________ Hotmail: Powerful Free email with security by Microsoft. http://clk.atdmt.com/GBL/go/171222986/direct/01/ -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From richard.duffee at gmail.com Thu Oct 8 22:09:19 2009 From: richard.duffee at gmail.com (Richard Duffee) Date: Thu, 8 Oct 2009 22:09:19 -0400 Subject: {news} RE: Rolf Maurer in Stamford Advocate In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: <21f4f7390910081909u663f4b59iea0f0f40692ba28f@mail.gmail.com> That's the standard shoddy treatment the Advocate delivers to Greens. The Advocate mentioned one of the twelve times Rolf spoke, and they chose the time in which he said truthfully he lacked information on the question. No mention of the times in which he supplied information the other two candidates didn't have. Typical. On Thu, Oct 8, 2009 at 7:41 PM, David Bedell wrote: > Connecticut Green Party - Part of the GPUS > http://www.ctgreens.org/ - http://www.greenpartyus.org/ > > to unsubscribe click here > mailto:ctgp-news-unsubscribe at ml.greens.org > > Rolf Maurer got equal time in Stamford's environmental debate, but > unfortunately the Advocate gave him less coverage than the major-party > candidates (even though the headline for the print edition was "Who is the greenest?"). For what it's worth: > > http://www.stamfordadvocate.com/ci_13510250 > > Environment is focus of first Stamford mayoral debate > Candidates share thoughts on environmental issues facing city > > By Magdalene Perez > Staff Writer > Posted: 10/07/2009 11:03:41 PM EDT > > STAMFORD -- Three candidates for mayor competed to present the greenest > vision for the city during a Wednesday debate on environmental issues, > hosted by SoundWaters. > > During the 80-minute debate, the Democratic, Republican and Green Party > candidates fielded questions ranging from how they would address > stormwater runoff to what they plan to do to improve energy efficiency > on government properties. The debate at the University of Connecticut > Stamford was the first in a series scheduled prior to the election Nov. 3. > > Democratic candidate David Martin used the opportunity to trumpet > environmental accomplishments Stamford has made during the eight years > he has served as president of the Board of Representatives, while > Republican Michael Pavia took advantage of the theme as a chance to > highlight his experience working in the environmental field. > > Green Party candidate Rolf Maurer at times admitted he did not have > expertise in particular subject areas, such as how the city should > approach dredging in Long Island Sound, but focused on how the city > could improve options for bikers and mass transit users. Maurer, 47, a > freelance writer who has worked in the publishing industry for the past > decade, said he has largely walked, biked or used mass transit for the > majority of his transportation. > > The candidates were most notably divided on the question of whether > Stamford should continue with a multi-million dollar project to build an > energy facility capable of using dried wastewater sludge to create > energy. Maurer said the city should "cease" the project immediately, > while Martin said the city should not say no before it has "all the > facts and figures" in the city Water Pollution Control Authority's plan. > > Pavia received loud applause after remarking that the WPCA is the "least > qualified agency to go out and experiment with a waste-to-energy plant." > > He said the city should not spend "one more dime" on the power project > until the sewer authority can show a 50-year cost benefit analysis. > Pavia, 61, is a developer and part owner of the Darien Ice Rink. > > Martin, 56, a co-owner of Darien-based management consulting firm > Michael Allen Co., broke new ground when he suggested the power of the > city's Environmental Protection Board would increase under his watch if > he were elected. > > "I believe the EPB for far too long has had too limited a mission and > too limited a scope of responsibilities," he said. "I believe it should > play a larger role in coordinating our environmental policies across all > levels." > > Martin's remark may have tied into a related question -- what the city > should do in response to soil and water contamination in Scofieldtown Park. > > Notably, Pavia said there should not be further study, but instead > action to remediate the former industrial landfill. > > "The (federal Environmental Protection Agency and the state Department > of Environmental Protection have) studied this thing forever," Pavia > said. "We need to take positive and progressive action now." > > Martin said he was the first to call for the park's closure and water > testing when PCBs and other contaminants were found in the park, and has > led the effort to bring clean water to neighbors affected by > contaminated wells. > > Throughout the debate, Martin trumpeted the environmental > accomplishments the city has made during his time in City Hall, > including carrying out energy audits in city buildings, completing > construction of the Rogers Environmental magnet school, legislating > requirements for LEED certification in new buildings, introducing > single-stream recycling, and breaking ground on a Mill River Park expansion. > > "We've made a lot of progress, but we need to keep moving forward and > not turn the clock back," Martin said, making reference to his campaign > theme that the city should not "turn back" to a Republican administration. > > Pavia, meanwhile, highlighted his experience working in the > environmental field. > > He recounted his history of becoming the city's first Environmental > Protection Board director in the 1970s, and at one point earned applause > by displaying a copy of the master's thesis he wrote while earning a > degree in environmental planning from New York University. As head of > the environmental board, Pavia said he helped write city regulations on > wetlands and watercourses that are still in place today. > > Pavia said he increased recycling in the city to nearly 35 percent > during his time as head of the city's Public Works department under > former Mayor Stanley Esposito, a number Martin disputed, saying an > accurate figure would be closer to 8 percent. Pavia stood by the number. > > "The calculation he makes really distorts the figures," Martin said. "It > includes stumps and brush and excludes municipal waste." > > SoundWaters moderator Leigh Schemitz said the fact that environmental > issues are even being discussed with such prominence during the mayoral > campaign is a sign that the city is on the right track. > > "Your ability to address these questions with such depth and creativity > bodes well for our city's future" Schemitz told the candidates. > > The next debate is Oct. 18. > > Staff Writer Magdalene Perez can be reached at 203-964-2240 or > magdalene.perez@ scni.com. > > > ------------------------------ > Hotmail: Powerful Free email with security by Microsoft. Get it now. > > To be removed please mailto:ctgp-news-unsubscribe at ml.greens.org > _______________________________________________ > CTGP-news mailing list > CTGP-news at ml.greens.org > http://ml.greens.org/mailman/listinfo/ctgp-news > > ATTENTION! > The information in this transmission is privileged and confidential and > intended only for the recipient listed above. If you have received this > transmission in error, please notify us immediately by email and delete the > original message. The text of this email is similar to ordinary or > face-to-face conversations and does not reflect the level of factual or > legal inquiry or analysis which would be applied in the case of a formal > legal opinion and does not constitute a representation of the opinions of > the CT Green Party. The responsibility for any messages posted herein is > solely that of the person who sent the message, and the CT Green Party > hereby leaves this responsibility in the hands of it's members. > > NOTE: This is an inherently insecure forum, please do not post confidential > messages and always realize that your address can be faked, and although a > message may appear to be from a certain individual, it is always possible > that it is fakemail. This is mail sent by a third party under an illegally > assumed identity for purposes of coercion, misdirection, or general > mischief. > > CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE: If you have received this e-mail in error, please > immediately notify the sender by e-mail at the address shown. This e-mail > transmission may contain confidential information. This information is > intended only for the use of the individual(s) or entity to whom it is > intended even if addressed incorrectly. Please delete it from your files if > you are not the intended recipient. Thank you for your compliance. > > To be removed please mailto://ctgp-news-unsubscribe at ml.greens.org > -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From dbedellgreen at hotmail.com Fri Oct 9 13:17:28 2009 From: dbedellgreen at hotmail.com (David Bedell) Date: Fri, 9 Oct 2009 17:17:28 +0000 Subject: {news} Zaac Chaves in Fairfield County Weekly Message-ID: The cover story in the current Fairfield County Weekly (also the Hartford Advocate and New Haven Advocate) features Green Party member Zaac Chaves, who ran for State Senate last year.? For anyone who would like to try some mushrooming, puffball season is here (that's the only mushroom I feel confident gathering). David Bedell http://www.fairfieldweekly.com/article.cfm?aid=14799 Freegan Out From second-hand clothes to foraging in fields to grabbing dinner out of a dumpster, freegans try to take as little as possible from the consumer world Thursday, October 08, 2009 By Marc Ferris The morning before he led a foraging group in Brooklyn, Zaac Chaves woke up in a makeshift campsite in New York?s Catskill Mountains, ate a bunch of wild blackberries and mounted his black bicycle to ride about 40 miles to Poughkeepsie. There, he hopped a train to Grand Central Station and pedaled to Prospect Park, where he led a group of around 20 people who beat the bushes looking for edible plants. That night, he took the subway to the last stop in the Bronx and rode home to his apartment in Greenwich. It?s all part of his lifestyle. Chaves, 27, is part of a burgeoning movement known as freeganism, whose practitioners attempt to consume as little as possible. Their four main practices include sewing, foraging, bicycling and dumpster diving. Yes, they salvage food from dumpsters, but only stuff that?s still in its package. Chaves says you?d be surprised what gets thrown out simply because the expiration date has passed. A bent toward cooperation and away from rampant individualism, with an undercurrent of anti-capitalism, often fuels their desire to use less and reuse more. "We?re not trying to drop out and be passive; we?re trying to teach people what they can do to not participate in the system,? says Madeline Nelson, a spokesperson for http://www.freegan.info , the movement?s hub in the tri-state area. Nelson dates the crystallization of freeganism to a treatise written by punk rock drummer Warren Oakes in 1999. The term can rankle even those who practice its tenets. ?I don?t always call myself a freegan, but I definitely try not to be part of the wasteful culture that we seem to have in western society,? says Kira Taylor, 24, a native of Mansfield who tends to hop around the country. She?s briefly worked as a nanny in Seattle and an office worker in Amherst, Mass. Taylor sustains herself by dumpster diving for food and foraging for mushrooms, gets around by hitchhiking and bicycling and clothes herself using second-hand stuff. ?I?m trying not to put too much emphasis on the objects I have in my life,? she says. ?Most people don?t realize they don?t have to make their car, house or job the center points of their lives." Taylor has traveled widely, including a stint at a tent city near UConn, where she first encountered freeganism. In St. Louis, she experienced her epiphany at an urban farm in the shadow of the iconic Jefferson Arch. ?A friend took me to a derelict section of the city, maybe 30 to 40 square blocks, where squatters worked to revitalize the neighborhood,? she said. ?They fostered such a community spirit. It made me realize that I wasn?t alone.? Taylor will soon move to Indiana University to audit courses on mushroom studies. For her, ?Capitalism isn?t the root of all evil, but it exacerbates the problems. ? Freegans are part of a grassroots thing, where we learn to be conscious and try and make an effort to share what we have.? Chaves, who also lives a Spartan life, is building on the work of ?Wildman? Steve Brill, an expert on botanical bounty. A Westport native, Chaves first got into the lifestyle in high school, when he decided to build a treehouse out of materials scavenged from a dumpster at a construction site. ?I figured that this makes sense,? he says. ?It?s fun and it?s free.? He earned a computer science degree from UConn, where he met like-minded souls, and he holds a job monitoring home computer systems, which is liberal about letting him take off to work on an organic farm or ride his bicycle up to the farthest reaches of Quebec. Something of a scholar who dumpster-dives libraries, Chaves recites the chain of misery that brings factory-farmed eggs to the breakfast table and practices a vegan diet where all animal products are off-limits. Though not prone to preaching, he bemoans the island of plastic detritus growing in the Pacific Ocean and the use of fossil fuels for transportation. He rides his bicycle or walks everywhere. ?For me, it?s important to recognize that my personal choices have implications,? he says. ?There?s no need to be dependent on the capitalist system. I operate more with that primate instinct where you run through the woods grabbing anything edible, which taps into the basic psychological workings of our species. ?What really floats his boat? Mushrooms. He says a perfect day would be spent reading books about mushrooms, foraging in the wild after a hearty rain and eating mushroom stew. The day he led his foraging tour, he wore patched-together shoes, thick socks, stitched-up pants and a dirty shirt (the exact same outfit he wore two days later). Stickers on his bike read, ?This planet needs civilization like a forest needs a bulldozer? and ?Progress is killing us.? As he led about a dozen fellow-foragers, some of whom collected clumps of pig weed, jump seed, black walnuts and crabapples, Chaves described the often laborious process it takes to extract their flavor or make them safe to eat. Chris Shirely, who?s been a part of Chaves? foraging expeditions, studies environmental studies at Yale and hangs with the freegans in New Haven, a scene close to the Elm City Info Shop and New Haven Food Not Bombs. A Lyle Lovett look-alike, Shirely, 22, opposes industrial farming, oil consumption and waste, but even though he lives the lifestyle, he doesn?t overtly identify with the movement. ?It?s not a huge endeavor, really,? he says. ?I like going to potlucks and skill shares and riding my bike to school keeps me healthy so I don?t have to go to the gym. And I dumpster dive. Thai restaurants are the best.? ? 2009 Fairfield County Weekly _________________________________________________________________ Hotmail: Trusted email with Microsoft?s powerful SPAM protection. http://clk.atdmt.com/GBL/go/177141664/direct/01/ -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From dbedellgreen at hotmail.com Fri Oct 9 14:42:25 2009 From: dbedellgreen at hotmail.com (David Bedell) Date: Fri, 9 Oct 2009 18:42:25 +0000 Subject: {news} Rolf Maurer in Fairfield County Weekly Message-ID: The lead editorial in the Weekly is Rolf's commentary on real vs. false localism. David Bedell http://www.fairfieldweekly.com/article.cfm?aid=14794 If Willimantic Can Do It... Thursday, October 08, 2009 By our readers That chain businesses are taking notice of a growing consumer consciousness that prizes buying locally is gratifying, but only up to a point (?The Local Lie,? Fairfield County Weekly, Sept. 17). As was the case with the push to weaken organic food standards in the 1990s, big business is attempting to change perceptions of what the public wants, rather than changing what it offers. Expecting retailers like Wal-Mart to become localized is as reasonable as expecting the proverbial lion to lie down with the lamb. They would no longer be what they are if they tried. But there is another form of false localism that is more subtle and pervasive. In the name of promoting the city?s economy, Stamford?s Downtown Special Services District ? in partnership with UBS and Heineken, among other PR-hungry multinationals ? channels city taxes to its activities, limiting the full potential by which dollars spent in Stamford can actually benefit Stamford, because so much of the funding for DSSD programs leaves town. The current estimated expenses of DSSD operations for Stamford residents is $195,000. Much could be saved by localizing the events themselves and keeping more money circulating in town, while cultivating social bonds and culture. No one can contest how the DSSD has revitalized the Bedford Street/Broad Street area since its inception in 1993. It has dramatically pulled people to member shops and restaurants through a year-round series of activities, ranging from September Arts & Crafts on Bedford and the ?Alive @ Five? concert series, as well as the (forthcoming) cumbersomely-titled SAC Capital Advisors, LP Giant Balloon Inflation Party. Still, can such franchised event management really equate with the fostering of authentic vitality for any city? Contrary to DSSD Director of Retail Development Jacqueline Wetenhall?s stated goal, there is more to robust commerce than having young professionals dine downtown ?to leave with shopping bags full of retail offerings.? Truly independent commerce has as much to do with mutual ties of familiarity and good will as it does with the provenance of the goods and services being exchanged. For example, why can?t the majority of the performers at ?Alive @ Five? concerts be drawn from an area pool of up-and-coming talent, rather than relying on name acts, like Blues Traveler or Sugar Ray? September Arts & Crafts on Bedford could do more to welcome artists and exhibits representing the high schools, UConn and the Loft Artists Association? Over the years, some Stamfordites have acquired notoriety for elaborate Halloween displays. It would have been fun and timely to have included them, or have their input on a how-to presentation. Publicly-mediated community events have been done elsewhere with enthusiastic success. Cash-strapped Willimantic introduced do-it-yourself parades in recent years, where residents improvised with boom boxes to create an event with its own spontaneous character. Because no significant expenses are involved, something like this could be duplicated in different sections of Stamford ? not just in pre-designated development zones, where benefiting merchants must pay a membership fee. The only thing false about the creativity, conviviality and economy of such alternative ways of building local commerce, is that, in fact, they are about building community. Rolf Maurer Stamford Mayoral Candidate, Green Party _________________________________________________________________ Hotmail: Trusted email with Microsoft?s powerful SPAM protection. http://clk.atdmt.com/GBL/go/177141664/direct/01/ -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From info at mailva.evite.com Mon Oct 12 21:45:04 2009 From: info at mailva.evite.com (Allie Perry & Charlie Pillsbury) Date: Mon, 12 Oct 2009 21:45:04 -0400 Subject: {news} Evite invitation from Allie Perry & Charlie Pillsbury Message-ID: <29163953.1255398305333.JavaMail.evite@www15.evt.va> You have been invited by Allie Perry & Charlie Pillsbury to You are invited to "Meet the Candidate: Allan Brison, Ward 10" by Allie Perry & Charlie Pillsbury. Dear Friends, Neighbors & Supporters of Allan Brison:

Please take the time to view our invitation, and let us know if you can attend this house party for Allan.  If you can't, please consider donating to Allan's campaign with your credit card or paypal account by clicking on: http://www.allanbrison.net/donate.html

Thank you very much, Allie Perry & Charlie Pillsbury
Click below to visit Evite for more information about the event and also to RSVP. http://www.evite.com/pages/invite/viewInvite.jsp?inviteId=GOIGGYNVWQBIGSJGJPCS&src=email **If you are having trouble viewing the above web address, copy & paste the entire URL into the address bar of your browser. This invitation was sent to you by Allie Perry & Charlie Pillsbury using Evite. To remove yourself from this guest list please click on the link above. This Evite Invite is covered by Evite's privacy policy*. To view this privacy policy, click here: http://www.evite.com/privacy ********************************* Did this email go to your junk/bulk folder? Add info at evite.com to your address book to ensure that you receive future Evite Invitations in your Inbox. Don't want to receive Evite emails from this person? Update your email preferences. Replies to this email will go directly to the sender, not to Evite. Your email address will be displayed in your reply. Having trouble opening this Evite Invitation? Try pasting this URL into your browser: http://www.evite.com/r?iid=GOIGGYNVWQBIGSJGJPCS&li=iq&src=email Evite respects your privacy. To see how we treat your information, please review our Privacy Policy. ********************************* -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From info at mailva.evite.com Thu Oct 15 21:40:13 2009 From: info at mailva.evite.com (Allie Perry & Charlie Pillsbury) Date: Thu, 15 Oct 2009 21:40:13 -0400 Subject: {news} Message about Meet the Candidate: Allan Brison, Ward 10 Message-ID: <28071587.1255657213702.JavaMail.evite@www27.evt.va> Hi,

I've made one change to my invitation, Meet the Candidate: Allan Brison, Ward 10. I corrected the donation link to his website.

It should read: http://www.allanbrison.net/donate.html

Thanks,
Charlie Pillsbury ----------------------------------------------- For reference, your link to this Invite is: http://www.evite.com/pages/invite/viewInvite.jsp?inviteId=GOIGGYNVWQBIGSJGJPCS Check out Evite's Party Tips to find recipes, gift ideas and activity suggestions for your event. Click here: http://www.evite.com/pages/myevite/ideas.jsp -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From vogel at ct.metrocast.net Fri Oct 16 20:50:51 2009 From: vogel at ct.metrocast.net (vogel at ct.metrocast.net) Date: Fri, 16 Oct 2009 20:50:51 -0400 Subject: {news} Lieberman Reiterates Threat To Support GOP Filibuster Message-ID: U.S. healthcare is the most expensive in the world, outcomes are only slightly better than Cuba's, a large fraction of the population is not covered. It is a major cause of personal and corporate bankruptcies. It is a drag on business. Since few jobs are secure now, no one should have to question the need for change. Reasonable reform is important for the economy and the well being of everyone. The insurance industry runs healthcare with obscene CEO compensation, profligate lobbying, massive political payoffs, and a large expensive bureaucracy. You have no way to know if your coverage is adequate until you make a claim. They can drop you. But Senator Lieberman received Contributions from health & insurance interests of $3,308,621 so it is not surprising that he has reiterated his threat To support a GOP filibuster. Lieberman says "the public doesn't support the public option". (A recent public opinion poll shows he is wrong. "More than three out of every four Americans feel it is important to have a "choice" between a government-run health care insurance option and private coverage,..." (Read more at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/08/20/new-poll-77-percent-suppo_n_264375.html ) Makes you think that Connecticut needs the ability to recall its Congressmen. Failing that, here is a petition to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid "Any Democratic senators who support a Republican attempt to block a vote on health care reform should be stripped of their leadership titles. Americans deserve a clean up-or-down vote on health care." Sign the petition at http://BoldProgressives.org/majorityvote Please pass this on to your lists. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From roseberry3 at cox.net Sat Oct 17 22:14:41 2009 From: roseberry3 at cox.net (B Barry) Date: Sat, 17 Oct 2009 22:14:41 -0400 Subject: {news} Proposed agenda for the 10-20-09 EC meeting of the Green Party of CT Message-ID: <20091018021434.PGOK6358.eastrmmtao101.cox.net@eastrmimpo03.cox.net> Proposed agenda for the Tuesday 10-20-09 EC meeting at 7PM at 74 Tremont Street, Hartford, CT 06105 P: 860-233-3044 Develop the agenda for the 10-27-09 SCC meeting; any other issues. Proposed agenda for the 7PM 10-27-09 SCC CTGP meeting at Portland Senior Center Location: Portland Senior Center, 7 Waverly Avenue, Portland, CT 06480 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 29-09 SCC meeting. 4. (2 minutes): Review and acceptance of the minutes of the 10-20-09 EC meeting. 5. (2-4 minutes): Treasurer's report from treasurer: Christopher Reilly. B. Any proposals/referendums by chapters, committee. C. Reports: 1. (30-45 minutes): Guest speaker: Mark Lopez, attorney with the ACLU who helped to achieve a favorable decision for us regarding our lawsuit against the State of CT i.e. Green Party of CT, et. al. vs Jeffrey Garfield. U.S. Judge Underhill's 8-27-09 decision found that the 2005 CT "campaign finance reform' law was unconstitutional to "minor" political parties under two (2) amendments of the U.S. Constitution: 1st amendment about free speech and the 14th amendment about equal protection under the law. Questions and answers will be held including discussion about pursuing damages against the State of CT. 2. (10-15minutes): GPUS reports from: a) CTGP representatives: Tim McKee and Charlie Pillsbury; b) National Committee Members. 3. (10-15minutes): CTGP Fundraising/budget Committee: regarding a fundraising postcard or letter. 4. (5-10 minutes): Discussion in support of single payer healthcare; literature for same. 5. (5 minutes): GPUS Green Pages/website. 6. (5-10 minutes): CT Green Times News via website/internet. 7 (5-10 minutes): Updated status regarding CT Green Party candidates: Allan Brison's 10-22-09 event; other candidates. 8. (10-15 minutes): Potential Green Party of CT candidates for 2010. 9. (2-5 minutes, each): Chapter reports. 10. Next SCC meeting=Tuesday, November 24, 2009 at the Portland Senior Center. Date, place and time of next EC meeting: to be determined. 13. 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 -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From timmckee at mail.com Tue Oct 20 11:23:37 2009 From: timmckee at mail.com (timmckee at mail.com) Date: Tue, 20 Oct 2009 11:23:37 -0400 Subject: {news} Fwd: Nader, Donahue in New England In-Reply-To: <332103176.-1344441470@wfc.wfcDB.mail.democracyinaction.com> References: <332103176.-1344441470@wfc.wfcDB.mail.democracyinaction.com> Message-ID: <8CC1FB06E166D89-784-2B6C@web-mmc-d01.sysops.aol.com> ****************************************** Tim McKee, New Britian, CT, main number cell-860 -----Original Message----- From: Matthew Zawisky To: timmckee at mail.com Sent: Mon, Oct 19, 2009 5:02 pm Subject: Nader, Donahue in New England Ralph Nader and Phil Donahue -- two of our most prominent supporters of single payer -- will be in New England over the next couple of days. Donahue will be in Winsted, Connecticut this Wednesday October 21, 2009 at 7 p.m. And Nader will be touring New England next week advocating for single payer national health insurance and signing his new book -- his first book of fiction -- "Only the Super-Rich Can Save Us!" (Seven Stories Press, 2009). Hope to see you there. See schedule below. For more information contact: zawisky at gmail.com Wednesday October 21, 2009 7 p.m. What: Talk and Q/A by Phil Donahue Title: Media Taboos and Free Speech This lecture is part of the: The Rose B. Nader Circle for the Agitation of the Caring Mind Where: Northwestern Connecticut Community College Auditorium Winsted, Connecticut Free and Open to the Public Thursday October 29, 2009, 2 p.m. Ralph Nader Book Signing. Barnes & Noble 110 Albany Turnpike Canton, CT Thursday October 29, 2009 4 p.m. Ralph Nader book signing. Bookworm 968 Farmington Rd West Hartford, CT Thursday October 29, 2009 7 p.m. Talk, Q/A, Book signing. Labyrinth Books 290 York St Behind Beinecke Library New Haven, CT Friday October 30, 2009 7 p.m. Ralph Nader Talk, Q/A, Book signing Jamaica Plain Forum First Congregational Church 3 Eliot Street Jamaica Plain, MA 02130 http://jamaicaplainforum.org Onward to Single Payer MatthewZawisky zawisky at gmail.com -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From roseberry3 at cox.net Tue Oct 20 23:10:33 2009 From: roseberry3 at cox.net (B Barry) Date: Tue, 20 Oct 2009 23:10:33 -0400 Subject: {news} proposed agenda for 10-27-09 SCC meeting of Green Party of CT Message-ID: <20091021031034.STDV19505.eastrmmtao107.cox.net@eastrmimpo01.cox.net> Proposed agenda for the 7PM 10-27-09 SCC CTGP meeting at Portland Senior Center Location: Portland Senior Center, 7 Waverly Avenue, Portland, CT 06480 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 9-29-09 SCC meeting. 4. (2 minutes): Review and acceptance of the minutes of the 10-20-09 EC meeting. 5. (2-4 minutes): Treasurer's report from treasurer: Christopher Reilly. B. Any proposals/referendums by chapters, committee. C. Reports: 1. (30-45 minutes): Guest speaker: Mark Lopez, attorney with the ACLU who helped to achieve a favorable decision for us regarding our lawsuit against the State of CT i.e. Green Party of CT, et. al. vs Jeffrey Garfield. U.S. Judge Underhill's 8-27-09 decision found that the 2005 CT "campaign finance reform' law was unconstitutional to "minor" political parties under two (2) amendments of the U.S. Constitution: 1st amendment about free speech and the 14th amendment about equal protection under the law. Questions and answers will be held including discussion about pursuing damages against the State of CT. 2. (10-15minutes): GPUS reports from: a) CTGP representatives: Tim McKee and Charlie Pillsbury; b) National Committee Members. 3. (10-15minutes): CTGP Fundraising/budget Committee: regarding a fundraising postcard or letter. 4. (5-10 minutes): Discussion in support of single payer healthcare; literature for same. 5. (5 minutes): GPUS Green Pages/website. 6. (5-10 minutes): CT Green Times News via website/internet. 7. (5-15 minutes): Updated status regarding CT Green Party candidates: a) (5 minutes): Allan Brison's 10-22-09 event; b) (5 minutes): Stephen Fournier's letter to the Secretary of State of CT dated: October 2, 2009 Secretary of the State of Connecticut ATTN: Administrative Offices PO Box 150470 Hartford, CT 06115-0470 Dear Secretary Bysiewicz: Please record my formal complaint on behalf of the Green Party of Connecticut, in accordance with a resolution of the State Central Committee, of which I am co-chair. Two of our candidates for municipal office, Thaddeus Hanser and Jane Weston, have presented petitions containing sufficient verified signatures for inclusion on the ballot in Stamford next month, but the Secretary of the State has refused or neglected to confirm their candidacies. The Stamford Town Clerk, who accepted the petitions according to law, has made every effort to rectify any possible error (although it appears that she made no error), and our own officers have tried to work with the Secretary of the State to put things right, all to no avail. Employees of the Secretary of the State have demonstrated uncooperativeness and rudeness at every turn, and, at this writing, our candidates remain uncertain whether their names will appear on the ballot. I have been delegated to demand that the Secretary of the State instruct its employees in the proper administration of this routine electoral function, administer discipline as appropriate, and see that the duties of her office are promptly carried out with regard to these candidacies. Yours truly, Stephen Fournier Co-chair, Green Party of Connecticut c) other candidates. 8. (10-15 minutes): Potential Green Party of CT candidates for 2010. 9. (2-5 minutes, each): Chapter reports. 10. Next SCC meeting=Tuesday, November 24, 2009 at the Portland Senior Center. Date, place and time of next EC meeting: to be determined. 13. 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 -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From dbedellgreen at hotmail.com Wed Oct 21 15:34:28 2009 From: dbedellgreen at hotmail.com (David Bedell) Date: Wed, 21 Oct 2009 19:34:28 +0000 Subject: {news} Allan Brison in New Haven Independent Message-ID: http://www.newhavenindependent.org/archives/2009/10/campaign_seeds.php Campaign $$ Seeds Races by Melissa Bailey | October 19, 2009 11:17 AM As Election Day nears, money is sprouting along with lawn signs in two neighborhoods in town. In East Rock?s Ward 10, which is shaping up to be the hottest contest in town, Democrat Justin Elicker is sticking to his clean money campaign pledge. He faces Green Alderman Allan Brison, who is rounding up support from neighbors and some City Hall critics. The latest campaign finance filings show other money is also fueling a race in Morris Cove. Election Day takes place on Nov. 3 for the offices of alderman, city clerk and mayor. The filings cover a period ending Sept. 30. East Rock In Ward 10, Brison and Elicker have raised almost exactly the same amount, but are raising and spending it in different ways. Brison (pictured), the Board of Aldermen?s lone Green, has raised a total of $3,619. His 19 donors include a few outspoken City Hall critics, including Hooker School litigant Paulette Cohen and Hill Alderwoman Jackie James. The Green Party gave him $375. Brison spent $2,150 to pay two young political consultants, Hugh Baran and Sochie Nnaemeka. After paying for mailings and lawn signs, he had $1,328 left at the beginning of this month. In a ward where the fight to be the ?Independent voice? is spelled out on campaign signs, Elicker appears to be staying true to his pledge not to accept support or campaign contributions from the mayor?s top staff and appointees. ?I?m doing my best,? he said. Elicker said he had to return three checks to people with whom the campaign does not want to be associated. He has raised $3,677, about 50 bucks more than Brison. Elicker saved money by not hiring political consultants. He started this month with $2,106 in hand, leaving him with an $800 advantage one month before Election Day. Elicker (pictured) pointed out that his fundraising has been done in a ?grassroots? way, staffed by volunteers and fueled by many small donations. A total of 55 contributors gave him money, many in amounts as small as $20 or $30. He spent the money on mailings, a website and lawn signs that have popped up across the ward in the last 10 days. Brison brushed off Elicker?s pledge not to take campaign dollars from the mayor?s appointees or top staff. ?I?m not getting money from them, either,? said Brison, ?so that?s not a distinguishing thing.? The Green said his opponent has more donors because ?we haven?t really gone after fundraising in a really big way.? He said he plans to hold a fundraising event soon, where he expects to get a number of small donations, too. ... _________________________________________________________________ Hotmail: Trusted email with Microsoft?s powerful SPAM protection. http://clk.atdmt.com/GBL/go/177141664/direct/01/ From DBedellGreen at hotmail.com Wed Oct 21 16:55:56 2009 From: DBedellGreen at hotmail.com (David Bedell) Date: Wed, 21 Oct 2009 15:55:56 -0500 Subject: {news} FW: CTVotersCount - Update & Observation Sign Up Message-ID: <200910212055.n9LKtuvC003187@shangrila.sourcekit.com> I observed an audit of the primary election in Greenwich this year. I recommend that people sign up to observe audits of the general election. David Bedell ************************************ IN THIS ISSUE: - Sign Up NOW! For Nov Post-Election Audit - Invite Others to Join the Observation Team - News from CTVotersCount.org ************************************ *************************************** - Sign Up NOW! For Nov Post-Election Audit *************************************** Investment? One Day Value to Democracy? Priceless For the November Municipal Elections, we are planning our biggest audit observation yet, . It is likely that close to fifty towns will be counting three races across thousands of ballots. The audit period will be: Wed Nov 18 through Mon Dec 1st. Our goal is to cover every audit with a minimum of two Observers. We will need at least 50% more people to volunteer beyond the number who volunteered last year. Your participation will make this goal a reality. Please sign-up today and join us again! Direct sign-up link: http:/tinyurl.com/ObserverSignUp More information, flyer http://clicks.skem1.com/v/?u=2c24d2b58db0c7e1f284face5d47728e&g=29&c=3574&p=6cb3ea19ccff9727c8a2c984c3449d26&t=2 ***************************************** - Invite Others to Join the Observation Team ************************************************ To reach our goal of covering every audit with at least two observers will require more volunteer observers. We have added new observers but need more! - in total we need about 50% more than last year. Our largest gaps are in the areas of North Western, Northern, and Eastern Connecticut. We need more observers in those areas and more observers willing to travel a little further to provide us the flexibility to cover the entire state. If you gained from your experience, invite some friends! If you are committed to voting integrity, invite some friends! Who might be interested in Litchfield County? The Quiet Corner? near Rhode Island? or near Massachusetts? We have a flyer at: http://clicks.skem1.com/v/?u=d61ffe611db9d2b0742b1b523d6d42cb&g=29&c=3574&p=6cb3ea19ccff9727c8a2c984c3449d26&t=2 Plus a sample email to friends at: http://clicks.skem1.com/v/?u=119c105818d341c49f660b14a79d0443&g=29&c=3574&p=6cb3ea19ccff9727c8a2c984c3449d26&t=2 ************************************ - News from CTVotersCount.org ************************************ Some posts of interest since our last newsletter in July: * How Much Are Election Officials Paid? http://clicks.skem1.com/v/?u=c628e515c624555a71358f86faa71325&g=29&c=3574&p=6cb3ea19ccff9727c8a2c984c3449d26&t=2 * Absentee Ballots can be Decisive, yet Unaudited: http://clicks.skem1.com/v/?u=250754744225c44c14403de6fd4cd879&g=29&c=3574&p=6cb3ea19ccff9727c8a2c984c3449d26&t=2 * Observing the Recanvass in Cromwell: http://clicks.skem1.com/v/?u=fa5ad0d1b4a896af4c85a6c90d437411&g=29&c=3574&p=6cb3ea19ccff9727c8a2c984c3449d26&t=2 * Campagn Finance Reform In Connecticut + Legislature Holding Forum, Background: http://clicks.skem1.com/v/?u=0d85640b8310e32a6740dc6330d85d30&g=29&c=3574&p=6cb3ea19ccff9727c8a2c984c3449d26&t=2 + More Background: http://clicks.skem1.com/v/?u=67ff33c927644bf54054b61c897667ab&g=29&c=3574&p=6cb3ea19ccff9727c8a2c984c3449d26&t=2 * Coverage of the Premier/Diebold Merger with ES&S: + Verified Voting Statement: http://clicks.skem1.com/v/?u=def067583717d7b0eef15e699f25ae5c&g=29&c=3574&p=6cb3ea19ccff9727c8a2c984c3449d26&t=2 + NYTimes and BradBlog: http://clicks.skem1.com/v/?u=a7c4fd60f6a4271ac074acbb97c2e94a&g=29&c=3574&p=6cb3ea19ccff9727c8a2c984c3449d26&t=2 * How the Afghan Election was rigged:http://clicks.skem1.com/v/?u=20503730a1e8ea466ce3a90d935305f3&g=29&c=3574&p=6cb3ea19ccff9727c8a2c984c3449d26&t=2 * Aspen Ballots - An Issue For Us All: http://clicks.skem1.com/v/?u=3f5e38d849c53211e0952f984fd55357&g=29&c=3574&p=6cb3ea19ccff9727c8a2c984c3449d26&t=2 * Early Voting: A Candidate's View: http://clicks.skem1.com/v/?u=63a0dc472b345a3131c0c185e419f091&g=29&c=3574&p=6cb3ea19ccff9727c8a2c984c3449d26&t=2 * Overseas and Military Voting + Reform - With Risk Provision: http://clicks.skem1.com/v/?u=6f96aa2c5eab27596223359dc9d6ee9f&g=29&c=3574&p=6cb3ea19ccff9727c8a2c984c3449d26&t=2 + Soldiers To Choose Risking Democracy: http://clicks.skem1.com/v/?u=18139ffa4d4d8d22289d3b704cb8aba5&g=29&c=3574&p=6cb3ea19ccff9727c8a2c984c3449d26&t=2 This message sent to ctgp-news at ml.greens.org by {FROM_EMAIL}. Go to the following url to receive future mailings from this list http://clicks.skem1.com/signup/?c=3574&email__sValue=ctgp-news at ml.greens.org | Update Profile/Email Address | Forward To A Friend | About This List {PoweredBy} -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From dbedellgreen at hotmail.com Wed Oct 21 23:47:12 2009 From: dbedellgreen at hotmail.com (David Bedell) Date: Thu, 22 Oct 2009 03:47:12 +0000 Subject: {news} National Green Party focuses on Stamford Message-ID: The latest issue of "Green Pages" (national Green Party newspaper) has an article by Rolf Maurer about this year's candidates in the Stamford area. Stamford candidate Megan Cassano is also included in the photo montage on the cover. David Bedell http://gp.org/greenpages-blog/?p=1443 Tue 13 Oct 2009 Greens run for several offices simultaneously in Stamford, Connecticut Posted by admin under 2009 Fall Elections Hoping to enable political viability with multi-pronged approach by Rolf Maurer, Connecticut Green Party and Stamford Mayoral and Constable candidate While the Green Party is quite prominent in New Haven and elsewhere in Connecticut, Stamford, located in Fairfield County, because of its status as a corporate center and its intimate ties to Manhattan?s financial community, produces voters who tend to go with what is tried (if not true) when considering their options. This learned helplessness succeeds only in the perpetuation of well-financed favoritism at public expense as the political norm, with election outcomes limited to Democrats or Republicans as little more than fait accomplis. By permeating the local political scene with several Greens running at once for different government offices - Constables (Mary Farrell, Rolf Maurer, David Bedell), Board of Representatives (Ted Hanser, Mary Farrell, David Bedell), Board of Education (Megan Cassano), as well as Mayor (Rolf Maurer), it is hoped such a multi-pronged strategy will enhance the political viability of Greens as a constructive alternative to the status quo. Chapter Secretary David Bedell, a Justice of the Peace, who is running for two positions this year and has run for other positions in the past, commented, ?We want to continue increasing the number of offices to which we have ballot access, while providing voters a Green option in as many races as possible. Even with limited resources, we can do this through a combination of placeholder candidates and active campaigns.? The platform collectively emphasizes support for enhanced mass transit (including light rail and more buses on more routes) and a bicycle-friendly infrastructure, through adoption of Safe Routes to School?s bikeways and traffic-calming practices in the vicinity of public schools, as well as training in the responsible use of bicycles as vehicles, just as with autos. In particular, students of driving age could be encouraged to participate by having high school student parking repurposed into parks, or even pilot community gardens. The three candidates for constable, a position whose duties mainly consist of serving legal papers, have pledged to perform their tasks year round using bicycles or mass transit. All three have already eliminated the use of automobiles in their personal lives. Concerning community gardens, a major component of promoting environmental/agricultural sustainability is the conversion of unused downtown spaces, such as the ?hole? adjacent to the Stamford Town Center (STC) mall, as proof-of-concept community gardens to encourage people to plant more throughout town. A private/public partnership with the STC to lease part of the mall for exclusive use by local businesses would boost the local economy by keeping more dollars circulating in Stamford. While a private/public partnership already exists in the form of the Downtown Special Services District, expanding its commerce-building activities beyond the Bedford Street environs would benefit the whole of Stamford, by nurturing the evolution of several adjoining retail and cultural hubs. Like local agriculture, the incremental adoption of local currency, in the form of notes, or time bartering, already in place in Willimantic and New Haven, would strengthen social bonds among Stamfordites, while further softening the blow in the event of catastrophic economic collapse. In addition to emphasizing community gardens and a pedestrian and bicycle friendly city, Thaddeus Hauser, a candidate for the city board of representatives, has a platform which notes the need to clean up toxic landfills in residential areas and the importance of creating jobs by supporting local businesses rather than giving tax breaks to large outside corporations, which will frequently relocate for a better tax break. Megan Cassano, candidate for the Board of Education, is a licensed clinical social worker and also teaches at area colleges. Having a passion for education, she is emphasizing every child is given opportunities to achieve and that those with behavior problems should not be simply pigeonholed into categories such as hyperactive. She believes a ?whole-istic? approach needs to be taken, examining all aspects of a child?s life to determine why there are behavior problems and addressing those problems. Elsewhere in Fairfield County, Greens are running for other Constable positions. In New Canaan Hector Lopez, a two-term incumbent, is joined on the ballot by his daughter, Estela Lopez, and Cole Stangler, while in Redding is Leif Smith, who is also a Justice of the Peace. Greens in Fairfield County, and most especially Stamford, are demonstrating several methods to start building the party as a political entity by running candidates for offices in which there is not a lot of prestige, but a lot of work, such as constable or school board, and by running both active and placeholder candidates, giving Green voting options and making the party more visible. Rolf Mauer works in trade and directory publishing and is running simultaneously for mayor and constable. ?We want to continue increasing the number of offices to which we have ballot access, while providing voters a Green option in as many races as possible.? _________________________________________________________________ Your E-mail and More On-the-Go. Get Windows Live Hotmail Free. http://clk.atdmt.com/GBL/go/171222985/direct/01/ -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: 3-ct-greens.jpg Type: application/octet-stream Size: 25674 bytes Desc: not available URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: megan-cassano.jpg Type: application/octet-stream Size: 6552 bytes Desc: not available URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: 4-ct-greens.jpg Type: application/octet-stream Size: 17812 bytes Desc: not available URL: From edubrule at sbcglobal.net Thu Oct 22 20:01:37 2009 From: edubrule at sbcglobal.net (edubrule) Date: Thu, 22 Oct 2009 20:01:37 -0400 Subject: {news} global warming events Message-ID: <1C56F122896F4200A25E58E5FE1731B2@edgn2b574u14bi> The below was sent to the CT Green Party (greens at ctgreens.org). At the very bottom is the significance of the number 350--350 parts per million of carbon (carbon dioxide, I'd guess) (in the atmosphere). Connecticut Green Scene is not affiliated with the CT Green Party. --Ed ----- Original Message ----- From: [Heather Burns-DeMelo] To: greens at ctgreens.org Sent: Thursday, October 22, 2009 2:31 PM Subject: 350.ORG, Underwater Cabinet, Legislative Lip Service October 2009 In This Issue Wake UP! Our Sponsor: Green Marine Productions None Became Law: Does Connecticut Pay Lip Service? Climate Commitment at Depth Just in case you think everyone in Connecticut is sleeping like the guy siting in the center, second row from the top, there are forty five registered 350.ORG events around the state and more than double the number over 4,000 around the world. We've done our best to round up and highlight a few that are going on around the state and hope you'll make the effort to get out there to one that strikes your fancy, meet some great people and show your support for climate action. For a full list of all 350.ORG events, visit their website. ~~~~~ Follow us on Twitter and stay in the know. Why? You'll be privy the the latest in green news headlines helpful to business and life in general. Scouts honor: We promise not to bother you with things like what we eat, what our tailless cat just did or reflections on the weather. -------------------------------------------------------- 350.ORG ROUND UP From sunrise on Compo Beach to bells tolling 350 times to humans forming numerals on grass, concrete and ice, there are 45 ways you can get involved on Saturday, October 24th. Here are a few from around the state: 7 AM COMPO BEACH, WESTPORT Please arrive at 7:00, so that at sunrise, people can gather across the beach to appreciate the natural beauty - that we need to protect, where climate change will have a huge impact. Wear brightly colored clothes and bring scarves, flags, banners. We'll have music, too, to bring us together in a shared sense of community, to recognize that we're in this together and together we can effect positive change. All are welcome! Bring instruments! 8 AM to 9:30 AM ALLEN'S MEADOWS, BLANK CONNECTICUT SIERRA CLUB 350 EVENT Join Connecticut Sierra Club and Sunrise Birders rain or shine at one of CT's best Fall migration birding areas - Fairfield County's Allen's Meadows where we will spot late migrating raptors and passerines in a beautiful meadow setting. White safflower seed will spell out 350. Bring binoculars and appreciative thoughts about New England's (vanishing?) temperate climate. Call 203.216.5938 for more information. 10:30 AM - 12:30 PM PUMPKIN FESTIVAL, DENICOLA PARK Please join us for a kid-friendly climate action "pumpkin" festival at the track at Denicola park. Bring your own pumpkin and use them to create as big a "350" as possible. We will meet at 10:30 am and plan to take a photo of our "pumpkin-350" by about 12 pm. We will be joined by Milford Pedicab, a new and up-coming bike taxi (rickshaw) business in the New Haven area, for fun rides around the track and neighborhood. Snacks and coffee provided. Event Website: http://kidhaven.wordpress.com NOON and 2:30 PM ONE MAN'S QUEST: FROM CARBON NEUTRAL TO NEGATIVE CARBON, WILLINGTON Visitors to this unique home and alpaca farm will see: *On-site demonstrations *7.5 grid-tied PV system (motorized adjustable pole mount by Waldo Renewable Electric) *Bergey wind turbine *Energy audit expert *Audi A4 and Mercedes 2400 diesel converted to hydrogen hybrids *Low-tech working solar thermal greenhouse (salad, beans, herbs) *Small solar-powered hydroponic and aquaponic fish pond for growing food without soil *Energy audit results: new energy-saving appliances *Manure-methane digester using alpaca waste to run fuel cell *Solar electric fencing *Wood stove with Eco fan *LED flashlights with rechargeable batteries *Organic clothing and food; solar wrist watch *Apricus solar thermal system *Solar LED lighting *Recycled plastic decking *Hydrogen fuel cell car kit model *Organic perennial garden *Lively discussion Reservations will be accepted in order of receipt for the space-limited seminar and tour. To order tickets, send $15 per person, indicating the preferred time, to PACE c/o Donna Grant, 128 Melrose Rd., Broadbrook, CT 06016. For information, call 860 623 5487. For general information, call 860 693 4813 or go to www.pace-cleanenergy.org. Rain date: 10/25. BELLS TOLLING & ACTION ON THE GREEN 3:00 - 5PM, NEW HAVEN United Church on the Green will join the other historic churches on the New Haven Green in ringing its church bell a symbolic 35 times at 3:50 pm on October 24. Church members will gather on the church steps to gather signatures for a petition asking elected officials to work towards bold actions in Copenhagen to reduce the CO2 in our atmosphere. They will also distribute a handout listing 10 things people can do to cut CO2 production. ALSO: We'll be creating a huge human "350" on the New Haven green using hundreds of volunteers. GROWING GREEN CO-OP, WEST HARTFORD 10:00 AM Tai Chi with Master Wu 11:00 AM Tree planting with Knox Park Foundation 12 noon- 6:00 PM 350 minutes of music and drumming with Craig Norton and friends 2:00 PM Children's Activities 6:00PM Community Dinner with Alchemy Juice Bar 7:00 PM Organic Art and Music 7 PM BRIDGEPORT SOUND TIGERS, HARBOR YARD Join thousands of people from around the state at the arena at Harbor Yard for a game of hockey and then as volunteers walk onto the ice during 2nd intermission to make the number 350. Aerial photographs will be displayed in Times Square, in local news media and on the 350.org website as part of a worldwide show of support for global climate change. If you're interested in going on the ice and participating, contact us. If you want to purchase tickets for the game, call 203-334-GOAL. NONE BECAME LAW: DOES CONNECTICUT PAY LIP SERVICE? by Eileen Weber Brendan Hanrahan thinks more should be done for the environment in Connecticut. He feels so strongly about it, CT EarthNet, an interactive, web-based network for environmental groups Hanrahan founded, has produced a summary of the 2009 legislation for environmental practices that were not passed this year. The summary also includes visualizations of the legislative session data such as issue heat maps, voting outcomes, and legislator similarity comparisons. The bills touched a variety of environmental topics from toxic chemicals to wetland management to energy efficiency and everything in between. Thirty-six bills were presented about renewable, clean energy. None became law. Thirty-two bills were presented on various points of energy efficiency. None became law. With thirty-two bills on public transportation, only one became law. Out of the twenty-four bills presented for recycling and waste measures, two passed and became law. And the list goes on. What this says, at least in Hanrahan's eyes, is that Connecticut may give lip service to the environment. But when all is said and done, the state may actually fall a little short. Click here to read more... POLICY & COMMITMENT AT DEPTH Donning SCUBA gear and communicating by whiteboards and hand signals, the 14 cabinet members of Maldives will approve a statement underwater "from Maldivian citizens" that will be presented at the December 7-18 UN climate summit in Copenhagen. "We call upon all citizens from all countries, big and small, rich and poor, high and low, to join hands and reduce carbon emissions and bring down the level of carbon in the atmosphere to below 350 ppm," the statement will read. Now that's making a splash. Photo: 350.org Forward email This email was sent to greens at ctgreens.org by info at ctgreenscene.org. Update Profile/Email Address | Instant removal with SafeUnsubscribeT | Privacy Policy. Email Marketing by GreenScenes LLC | P.O. Box 375 | Woodbury | CT | 06798 -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From dbedellgreen at hotmail.com Fri Oct 23 22:51:25 2009 From: dbedellgreen at hotmail.com (David Bedell) Date: Sat, 24 Oct 2009 02:51:25 +0000 Subject: {news} Cliff Thornton in New Britain Herald In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: http://www.newbritainherald.com/articles/2009/10/20/news/doc4ade76e5dee3f433452646.txt Speaker calls for end?to country?s drug war at CCSU Tuesday, October 20, 2009 10:57 PM EDT By JENNIFER ABEL Staff writer NEW BRITAIN ? ?The drug war has nothing to do with drugs. It?s about power, it?s about control, it?s about coercion, it?s about money.? So said Clifford Thornton, a 2006 Connecticut gubernatorial candidate and 1995 founder of Efficacy, a nonprofit organization devoted to drug policy reform. He offered a talk, ?Justice, Race, Politics and the Drug War,? during an appearance Tuesday afternoon at Central Connecticut State University?s Torp Theatre. Thornton originally planned to show the audience videos of police and clergy speaking out against the drug war, and an expose of the notorious incident in Tulia, Texas, where 10 percent of the entire black population was imprisoned on cocaine charges based the word of a single corrupt drug cop who was later convicted of perjury. However, Thornton?s video plan fell through when the university projector stubbornly refused to work, so he instead gave a brief, informal talk followed by a long question-and-answer period. Thornton started by challenging the audience: ?Raise your hand if you think the drug war is working.? Not one hand went up. ?Raise your hand if you think people will stop using drugs.? Still no hands. Much of Thornton?s talk focused on Connecticut-centric facts: The state?s annual prison expenditures are $600 million with 70 percent of the state?s prison population of 17,000 imprisoned on drug-related charges. If drugs were legalized, he said, the money spent on prosecuting and incarcerating drug users ?could buy every man, woman and child in Connecticut a $1 million health policy? and still have money left over. Thornton often repeated the words ?legalize, medicalize, decriminalize.? He calls for the outright legalization of marijuana and the medicalization of other currently illegal drugs. Although the majority of American drug users are white, Thornton said, the majority of drug convicts are black or Latino. ?Blacks and Latinos are 6 percent of [Connecticut?s] population, yet make up 70 percent of its prison population.? Thornton said this is due, in part, to the fact that it?s easier for police to make arrests in the open-air drug markets found mostly in inner cities, whereas the more intense levels of suburban drug use tend to take place behind closed doors. One person in the audience asked if ending the drug war eliminate police and prison guards jobs. ?We?d need to make a switch from a drug-war economy to a peace economy,? Thornton said. Again he recited some statistics: In Connecticut alone, legalized (and taxed) marijuana would result in $9 million to $12 million dollars a year in additional tax revenue, and the legalized growing of hemp ? basically marijuana without the mind-altering THC ? would create new jobs in the paper, garment and food industries. However, Thornton said, such ideas would find heavy resistance from ?the multimillion-dollar bureaucracy fighting the drug war.? One such example he mentioned is Carlton Turner, former ?drug czar? under President Reagan, who made billions of dollars off his personal urine-testing company after using his authority to make such tests federal policy. Thornton also criticized the two-tiered system of justice caused by the drug war ? the ?well-connected? generally are not penalized for drug crimes, only the poor. ?If whites were arrested and incarcerated for illegal drug use we wouldn?t be having this conversation, because there would literally be armed insurrection in the street. The white middle class is not going to stand for their children going to jail for bulls---. And that?s what it?s all about: bulls---.? Thornton mentioned a few well-connected Connecticut residents who avoided prison for drug crimes that would?ve sent poorer people to prison, including the sons of former Gov. (John) Rowland and former Stamford Mayor Dannel Malloy. Another audience member asked Thornton how he came by his interest in the drug war. ?About 40-some years ago, two weeks before I was to graduate high school, the family and I were sitting down having breakfast. There was a knock at the door, my grandmother instructed me to accompany this gentleman. He was a police officer. And he took me to a field of abandoned cars, and under one of these cars was the body of a naked woman. She was my mother, who had died from an apparent heroin overdose. Now, there are no words to describe how I felt, but one thought resonated as I came to my senses and that was, all illegal drugs should be eradicated from the face of the earth. But as I watched my native Hartford, Conn., go downhill, decade after decade, and seeing that they?re putting more money into fighting drugs, and more and more people were going to jail, mostly black and brown, I began to take on this issue. Twelve years ago I retired early from Southern Connecticut Telephone to do this work.? Clifford Thornton?s nonprofit organization, Efficacy, can be found on the Web at Efficacy-online.org ? _________________________________________________________________ Windows 7: I wanted more reliable, now it's more reliable. Wow! http://microsoft.com/windows/windows-7/default-ga.aspx?h=myidea?ocid=PID24727::T:WLMTAGL:ON:WL:en-US:WWL_WIN_myidea:102009 From roseberry3 at cox.net Sun Oct 25 22:09:00 2009 From: roseberry3 at cox.net (B Barry) Date: Sun, 25 Oct 2009 22:09:00 -0400 Subject: {news} FW: proposed agenda for 10-27-09 SCC meeting of Green Party of CT Message-ID: <20091026020856.GRSJ1164.eastrmmtao102.cox.net@eastrmimpo01.cox.net> Proposed agenda for the 7PM 10-27-09 SCC CTGP meeting at Portland Senior Center Location: Portland Senior Center, 7 Waverly Avenue, Portland, CT 06480 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 9-29-09 SCC meeting. 4. (2 minutes): Review and acceptance of the minutes of the 10-20-09 EC meeting. 5. (2-4 minutes): Treasurer's report from treasurer: Christopher Reilly. B. Any proposals/referendums by chapters, committee. C. Reports: 1. (30-45 minutes): Guest speaker: Mark Lopez, attorney with the ACLU who helped to achieve a favorable decision for us regarding our lawsuit against the State of CT i.e. Green Party of CT, et. al. vs Jeffrey Garfield. U.S. Judge Underhill's 8-27-09 decision found that the 2005 CT "campaign finance reform' law was unconstitutional to "minor" political parties under two (2) amendments of the U.S. Constitution: 1st amendment about free speech and the 14th amendment about equal protection under the law. Questions and answers will be held including discussion about pursuing damages against the State of CT. 2. (10-15minutes): GPUS reports from: a) CTGP representatives: Tim McKee and Charlie Pillsbury; b) National Committee Members. 3. (10-15minutes): CTGP Fundraising/budget Committee: regarding a fundraising postcard or letter. 4. (5-10 minutes): Discussion in support of single payer healthcare; literature for same. 5. (5 minutes): GPUS Green Pages/website. 6. (5-10 minutes): CT Green Times News via website/internet. 7. (5-15 minutes): Updated status regarding CT Green Party candidates: a) (5 minutes): Allan Brison's 10-22-09 event; b) (5 minutes): Stephen Fournier's letter to the Secretary of State of CT dated: October 2, 2009 Secretary of the State of Connecticut ATTN: Administrative Offices PO Box 150470 Hartford, CT 06115-0470 Dear Secretary Bysiewicz: Please record my formal complaint on behalf of the Green Party of Connecticut, in accordance with a resolution of the State Central Committee, of which I am co-chair. Two of our candidates for municipal office, Thaddeus Hanser and Jane Weston, have presented petitions containing sufficient verified signatures for inclusion on the ballot in Stamford next month, but the Secretary of the State has refused or neglected to confirm their candidacies. The Stamford Town Clerk, who accepted the petitions according to law, has made every effort to rectify any possible error (although it appears that she made no error), and our own officers have tried to work with the Secretary of the State to put things right, all to no avail. Employees of the Secretary of the State have demonstrated uncooperativeness and rudeness at every turn, and, at this writing, our candidates remain uncertain whether their names will appear on the ballot. I have been delegated to demand that the Secretary of the State instruct its employees in the proper administration of this routine electoral function, administer discipline as appropriate, and see that the duties of her office are promptly carried out with regard to these candidacies. Yours truly, Stephen Fournier Co-chair, Green Party of Connecticut c) other candidates. 8. (10-15 minutes): Potential Green Party of CT candidates for 2010. 9. (2-5 minutes, each): Chapter reports. 10. Next SCC meeting=Tuesday, November 24, 2009 at the Portland Senior Center. Date, place and time of next EC meeting: to be determined. 13. 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 No virus found in this incoming message. Checked by AVG - www.avg.com Version: 8.5.423 / Virus Database: 270.14.24/2449 - Release Date: 10/20/09 18:42:00 -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From dbedellgreen at hotmail.com Sun Oct 25 22:50:33 2009 From: dbedellgreen at hotmail.com (David Bedell) Date: Mon, 26 Oct 2009 02:50:33 +0000 Subject: {news} article about 3rd parties in Meriden Record-Journal Message-ID: This is interesting, but it seems to be saying that parties are irrelevant because they don't stand for anything. David Bedell http://www.myrecordjournal.com/site/tab1.cfm?newsid=20382061 Pushing the donkeys, elephants to one side By: Jeffery Kurz, Record-Journal staff Generations ago, there were residents who would not read the Meriden Record because it was a Republican newspaper, and others who would not read the Meriden Journal because it was more liberal. And there are still people today who will enter the voting booth and select along a strict party line, no matter the individuals who are running, just in the way that there are still people who wouldn't consider buying anything but a Buick or wouldn't question their doctor or seek a second opinion about a medical issue. But there are indications that this attitude may be on the wane. In Meriden, a new party, considered a flash-in-the-pan two years ago, is stronger than ever and already playing an influential role in this year's municipal election. In Southington, four petitioning candidates for the Town Council could nudge party-endorsed candidates from the winning tally and influence the council configuration under the state's minority party representation law. Across the state this year, there is a 20 percent increase in the number of petitioning candidates from 2007, the last municipal election. And the number of unaffiliated voters continues to outpace the number of registered Democrats or Republicans statewide. "People are tired of party fighting, they really are," said Floresia Allen, a candidate for the City Council in Meriden. "They just want a choice, and they're looking at individuals. And that makes a difference." A year ago, Allen was a Republican, making an unsuccessful bid to unseat state Rep. Emil "Buddy" Altobello, a Meriden Democrat. Now in her bid for the council, Allen is a We The People candidate. Allen said she was not unhappy being a Republican, that "the town committee was wonderful," but that ultimately she found We The People a better fit. "I feel I gave it my all when I ran against Buddy," she said. "With We The People I feel I'm able to go in there and do what I need to do for the community." Arthur E. Cyr had been a registered Republican since Jimmy Carter, a Democrat, won the presidency. But that changed in July, when Cyr switched his voter registration to unaffiliated. He is one of four petitioning candidates for the town council in Southington. Cyr supported President Obama in the last election, and says he likes the Democratic president and Connecticut's Republican governor, M. Jodi Rell. "It's not about parties," he said. Cyr wasn't asked to run for council by the Republicans, and wasn't willing to let that stop him. "One of the reasons I'm running is that after three years of attending all but one council meeting I've been frustrated with the lack of action on things that need to be changed in this town," he said. Cyr said that 40 years ago in Southington "it was unheard of for an independent to try to run. Things have changed." Now, there's a possibility that independents could have a significant effect on the composition of the nine-member council, on which no party can have more than six representatives. "That could be a devastating blow to the Republican party in this town," Cyr said. Republicans are in a 5-4 minority on the council to the Democrats. The effect has already been felt in Meriden. Walter A. Shamock Jr. was for 16 years a Republican councilor until he lost in the 2005 election. He won back a seat in 2007, this time as a We The People candidate. "I think people initially thought that was a flash in the pan," said Bob Williams, We The People party chairman. "Well, it isn't. To the contrary, we've gotten a lot of new faces, and as time goes on we've built a lot of credibility." Even though he was the incumbent, Mayor Michael Rohde did not receive the Democratic Town Committee endorsement. Instead it went to Stephen T. Zerio, a former city council majority leader. Before the September primary, which Rohde won, he secured a cross-endorsement from We The People to guarantee him a spot on the ballot, a small victory for the minor party. After Zerio's defeat, Frank Cirillo, a former 26-year Democratic town chairman who backed Zerio, told the Record-Journal the public was less and less influenced by political parties and that a town committee endorsement was no longer needed to win. With just about 30 registered voters, We The People lags far behind the Democrats, at about 11,600, and Republicans, at about 4,300, in Meriden. But Williams says that's not the point. Any registered voter can belong to We The People. "We didn't push it," he said. "Why do we have to?" The party has a rather streamlined platform, which includes giving people more opportunity to voice their opinions at city council meetings and holding referendums on any big-ticket items. There's also talk of returning the city to a strong-mayor form of government. "All we are saying is, 'look, we want people to be more accountable,'" said Williams. Two years ago, Joshua Broekstra ran for council, unsuccessfully, as a Green Party candidate. The party is established in places like New Haven but not so much in Meriden, so this year he's running with We The People to challenge incumbent Dante Bartolomeo, a Democrat, and Republican Steven S. Weronik. Though a Democrat traditionally, the 25-year-old Broekstra said "I went to We The People because they don't care what letter you have behind your name. "I don't feel the city's going in the right direction," he said. "Unless third party candidates challenge the status quo you won't see a difference. If you stand on the sidelines and do nothing about it you don't have any right to complain." Broekstra says he considers it part of an emerging trend. "A lot of people two years ago with We The People thought it would be a fluke," he said. "They didn't go away like a lot of people thought they would." Running outside the Democratic or Republican party lines is nothing new in Connecticut, of course. Former Gov. Lowell P. Weicker Jr., a long-time Republican, created A Connecticut Party when he ran in 1990. U.S. Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman, a long-time Democrat, represents Connecticut today as an independent. Lieberman lost the backing of the Democrats when Ned Lamont defeated him in a primary in 2006, only to prevail as an independent in the general election. Lucille Trzcinski two years ago mounted an unsuccessful independent campaign to unseat long-time Republican Mayor William W. Dickinson Jr., in Wallingford. It would be surprising if any emerging trend involving municipal candidates did much to influence voter turnout. Municipal elections have a more direct consequence on the individual when it comes to property taxes, development and education. But municipal elections nonetheless tend to fall far behind in voter turnout when compared to state and national contests. Voter turnout in the 2007 municipal election was 34.8 percent in Meriden, compared to 70.42 percent in last year's presidential election. In Southington, it was 31 percent in 2007, 79.41 percent last year. In Wallingford, it went from 45.7 percent to 85.42 percent, and in Cheshire, the change was 44.5 percent to 74.96 percent. As of September, there were 855,518 voters registered as unaffiliated in Connecticut, compared to 760,775 Democrats and 414,265 Republicans. That puts unaffiliated voters at more than 40 percent of the overall registration. Though it's considered a "blue," or Democratic state, the number of unaffiliated voters in Connecticut has been at one third or more since at least the 1950s. The only exception is 1983, when it was 32.9 percent. jkurz@ record-journal.com _________________________________________________________________ Windows 7: Simplify your PC. Learn more. http://www.microsoft.com/Windows/windows-7/default.aspx?ocid=PID24727::T:WLMTAGL:ON:WL:en-US:WWL_WIN_evergreen1:102009 From dbedellgreen at hotmail.com Thu Oct 29 16:43:02 2009 From: dbedellgreen at hotmail.com (David Bedell) Date: Thu, 29 Oct 2009 20:43:02 +0000 Subject: {news} Symposium on Conversion to a Peace Economy 11/14 in Storrs Message-ID: This looks good--note Jean de Smet and other good speakers on the panel. David Bedell --- On Thu, 10/29/09, United Nations Association wrote: Symposium on Conversion to a Peace Economy in Connecticut Sat., November 14, 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM Konover Auditorium, Dodd Research Center, UConn/Storrs Continental Breakfast as of 8:15 Public invited free of charge. Sponsored by: Citizens for Global Solutions, the United Nations Association, Dodd Research Center/UConn I. Plenary Speakers: Economics: Christopher Hellman, Director of Research, National Priorities Project, Northampton, MA Heidi Garrett-Peltier, Political and Economic Research Institute, UMass. Labor: Marie Lausch, President, CT Statewide United Electrical Workers Union; Member, National Executive Board, UEW II. Panel Discussion: Moderator: Henry Lowendorf, Chair, Greater New Haven Peace Council Bill Shortell, International Association of Machinists, Local 700, Pratt & Whitney Jean deSmet, First Selectman, Willimantic Susan Johnson, Representative to the Connecticut Legislature, Windham Area. Denise Merrill, Representative from Mansfield/Storrs, House Majority Leader III. Action Plans: Possible examples-- Request that a State Commission for Conversion be set up that would include both legislators and knowledgeable others; disseminate the Rev. Don Hoyle?s Conversion Resolution to generate grassroots support; establish Working Groups, organize a follow-up Symposium, Spring 2010. This is the first Connecticut conversion meeting in 20 years! Listen to economists, public policy experts, business and labor leaders explain how peace conversion can create jobs, protect the environment and improve national security. Tabling available on a first-come, first-serve basis. Parking available in the South Garage at $1/hour within a short walk to the Dodd Center . For handicapped access, use contacts below. INFORMATION: mimbck@ yahoo.com or 860-429-3107 _________________________________________________________________ New Windows 7: Find the right PC for you. Learn more. http://www.microsoft.com/windows/pc-scout/default.aspx?CBID=wl&ocid=PID24727::T:WLMTAGL:ON:WL:en-US:WWL_WIN_pcscout:102009 -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From justinemccabe at earthlink.net Fri Oct 30 20:27:16 2009 From: justinemccabe at earthlink.net (Justine McCabe) Date: Fri, 30 Oct 2009 20:27:16 -0400 Subject: {news} Fw: USGP-INT Trouble for Rwandan Greens Message-ID: <86763CEBFD3B48259AE308DC908AB81F@JUSTINE> Arrests and broken bones at 1st Rwandan Green Party Congress BY ANNIE GARRISON http://network.greenchange.org/news/10878-arrests-and-broken-bones-at-1st-rwandan-green-party-congress This should tell the world what Rwanda, the U.S.A.?s closest ally in Africa, and its President Paul Kagame are: The Rwandan Democratic Greens tried, for the fourth time, to hold their founding convention in Kigali, but this time the police came instead. I just spoke to Frank Habineza, interim Rwandan Green Party leader, who is in a Kigali hospital trying to arrange an X-ray for a Rwandan Green, a woman with a broken leg. Another would be Rwandan Green woman has a broken back. More are injured, and I believe he said some are in jail. He was on a cell in a hospital and I always have to work to understand his sweet French/Kinyarwanda English accent as well. He wasn?t able to give me any more details now. He had to hurry off to help his friend with the broken leg. No news on the Web yet. Frank said to watch the BBC and the Rwandan News Agency websites. I told him the state run Rwandan News Agency website won?t let me on their damn website. He himself had to pay them $250 to get on to pick up the articles he sends me, which are almost always yanked off the site as soon as they?re posted. I didn?t have a chance to urge Frank to Twitter, but I?m going to try calling again to urge him to do so on my way to San Francisco Superior Court in an hour. http://twitter.com/habinef I have to run and I?ll be gone all morning, but we obviously we need to get on the phones to the White House, the Rwandan Embassies, and the press. Greens of course, and I addressed this mostly to Greens, but this isn?t just about Greens, obviously. No one should wind up in a hospital with broken bones, or in jail, for attempting to convene a legal, nonviolent political party. This is the Rwanda that Bill and Hillary Clinton and Reverend Rick Warren point to as Africa?s future, ?a shining beacon of hope for Africa.? Bill Clinton hung a Global Citizenship Award around Rwandan President Paul Kagame?s neck a week before Reverend Rick Warren presented him with the same International Medal of Peace he presented George Bush with last year. This is the Rwanda that the U.S.A. uses to control the vast geostrategic mineral wealth of its neighbor D.R. Congo. (Anyone feel free to post this note to Green Party lists and websites, and wherever else, ASAP.) - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Marnie Glickman Executive Director Green Change www.greenchange.org My Green Change page: http://network.greenchange.org/people/marnie Green Change tweets: www.twitter.com/greenchangeorg Green Change is a community of people with Green values: justice, grassroots democracy, sustainability and non-violence. We work together to share Green art, politics and culture. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- _______________________________________________ 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 - www.avg.com Version: 8.5.423 / Virus Database: 270.14.39/2470 - Release Date: 10/30/09 15:18:00 -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From dbedellgreen at hotmail.com Sat Oct 31 02:52:23 2009 From: dbedellgreen at hotmail.com (David Bedell) Date: Sat, 31 Oct 2009 06:52:23 +0000 Subject: {news} Rolf Maurer in Stamford Advocate debate video Message-ID: The Stamford Advocate/League of Women Voters debate Thursday night included all three candidates for mayor.? The entire debate can be viewed on video at: http://www.stamfordadvocate.com/ci_13667967 Rolf made points about community gardening, Land Value Tax, local currency, mass and minor transit, police surveillance cameras, artificial turf fields, etc. Although the Advocate editorial endorsed Democrat David Martin for mayor, at the end of the editorial it gave a nod to Rolf: http://www.stamfordadvocate.com/ci_13679647 "A word now about the third candidate in this contest, Green Party candidate Rolf Maurer. He has proven himself to be a very thoughtful, intelligent candidate who has brought many good ideas to this race, including on upping bus transportation and creating community gardens throughout the city. "Our advice to voters is to vote for David Martin as mayor. Our advice to Mr. Martin is to pay attention to his opponents in this race. They have much to offer." David Bedell _________________________________________________________________ Windows 7: It works the way you want. Learn more. http://www.microsoft.com/Windows/windows-7/default.aspx?ocid=PID24727::T:WLMTAGL:ON:WL:en-US:WWL_WIN_evergreen2:102009