From justinemccabe at earthlink.net Sat Sep 4 10:04:27 2010 From: justinemccabe at earthlink.net (Justine McCabe) Date: Sat, 4 Sep 2010 10:04:27 -0400 Subject: {news} Fw: USGP-INT German Greens to continue their coalition with the conservative CDU in Hamburg Message-ID: <7E506027AE7C47F68BD0A1E2A0CFFADB@JUSTINE> German Greens to continue their coalition with the conservative CDU in Hamburg By Dietmar Henning 4 September 2010 The German Green Party has confirmed its coalition with the conservative Christian Democratic Union in the city state of Hamburg, thereby signaling its readiness to enter a coalition with the CDU at a federal level. The Greens are prepared to go to extraordinary lengths in order to finalize a pact with the conservatives --including supporting the latter's right wing policies on welfare cuts, strengthening of the state apparatus and restrictive immigration policies, while at the same time largely ditching the Greens' own ecological demands. In 2008 the Greens in Hamburg formed their first ever coalition with the CDU at a state level. At that time Ole von Beust headed the CDU. Von Beust made substantial concessions to the Greens on issues of education and allowed the Greens to take charge of the education and environmental departments. Since then the Greens have broken all of the promises they made in their election campaign in 2008. For environmental reasons the Greens had demanded a stop to plans to deepen the river Elbe and allow its navigation by huge container ships. This demand had already been dropped in the 2008 coalition agreement. The Greens had also called for an end to the project for a coal powered electricity project in Hamburg Moorburg, due to its high CO2 emissions. The plant is now due to commence operations in 2012. In the sphere of education the Greens had demanded the abolition of study fees in the state. Instead such fees are to be reduced somewhat from 500 to 375 euros per term (plus an additional 50 euros for administrative charges). Then in July the core project of the Greens, a reform of state schools aimed at making the educational system less selective, also collapsed following a referendum. The referendum was heavily influenced by influential bourgeois layers in Hamburg and was carried out without any real opposition from the Greens or any other parties. At the same time mayor Ole von Beust announced his retirement from politics and nominated Christoph Ahlhaus, a figure from the right wing of the CDU, as his successor. Despite all of this the Greens have decided to continue their coalition with the CDU. On 22 August a meeting of the membership of the Hamburg Greens voted by an overwhelming majority to maintain the coalition. This meeting was preceded by a separate one with Ahlhaus, who was the Hamburg Senator for Home Affairs and had gained a reputation for his law and order politics, combined with a rigid deportation policy for foreigners. Following the meeting with Ahlhaus the Frankfurter Rundschau reported that Green members were not just happy but jubilant. They found "the way in which Ahlhaus addressed questions to be admirable". He had joked about his times as a member of an extreme right wing student organization as "if it was not really serious", and was even prepared to contemplate attending the city's annual Gay Pride celebration on Christopher Street Day. The Greens declared it was excellent that Ahlhaus was prepared to stick to the coalition agreement and had described himself as "someone who bothered". Green chairperson Katharina Fegebank described Ahlhaus's performance as "impressive" and failed to see "any indication that the CDU was shifting to the right". The Green party school senator and deputy mayor Christa Goetsch affirmed: "Ahlhaus made a clear commitment to the linkage of ecology and economics"-i.e. the essence of Green politics. The Greens also had no objections to Ahlhaus's nomination of the millionaire entrepreneur Ian Karan (independent) as Economic Senator and well-known CDU "hardliner" Heino Vahldieck as Senator for Home Affairs. "From our point of view it would be irresponsible to steal away now bearing in mind we have no policy disagreements with the CDU", the party executive declared. "We want to advance the links between economics and ecology for which the CDU-Green coalition stands." There are "no policy disagreements with the CDU". These comments speak volumes because the major task of the coalition-as was already agreed under the leadership of Ole von Beust-is to consolidate the city's budget. The Greens and CDU are have agreed to implement cuts amounting to half a billion euros per year. The city council also intends to resume the deportation of foreigners and increase fees for the city's nursery schools. According to Ahlhaus, what was at stake was no less than a "test of the maturity" of the CDU-Green administration. On 25 August the Greens, whose membership has the highest proportion of civil servants and highest average income of all parties, passed their test of maturity with flying colors. On that day the Green senate parliamentary group voted unanimously to elect Ahlhaus as the city's new mayor. As was the case in 2008 the federal leadership of the Greens stands foursquare behind its compatriots in Hamburg and supports the coalition with the CDU, which represents one further step in the rightward drift the Greens. Federal party leader Cem ?zdemir, a long time advocate of alliances with the conservatives, commented approvingly: "Christoph Ahlhaus used the opportunity to clearly address issues which are important for our people." The Greens have their base in the upper middle class in urban areas and are closing ranks with the conservative CDU as social polarization intensifies. The party has already formed many coalitions with the CDU at a local level. In 2008 Joschka Fischer, the long time leader of the German Greens, had already described the first CDU-Green coalition in Hamburg as a model for future federal politics. He wrote at the time: "Naturally the Hamburg coalition-despite all claims to the contrary-will be a crucial role model for federal politics." A successful CDU-Green coalition in Hamburg, Fischer claimed, would thereby "fundamentally change the political landscape of the Federal Republic." In October of last year the Greens formed a so-called Jamaica three party coalition with the CDU and free market FDP in the state of Saarland. The party turned down a possible coalition with the SPD and Left Party when it was offered more ministerial positions by the CDU. In North Rhine-Westphalia the Greens recently formed a minority government with the SPD, which has the support of the Left Party. But also in this case the party has committed itself to drastic budget and spending cuts. In the wake of the international economic crisis and the turn towards austerity measures all of the main parties-the CDU, the conservative Christian Social Union, the SPD, the Greens and the Left Party-have closed ranks and moved to the right. There is also considerable support within the CDU for a possible coalition with the Greens at a federal level. The next national parliamentary elections are due in 2013 and with the continuation of the coalition in Hamburg the Greens have made clear they have no qualms about forming the next federal government with the conservatives. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- _______________________________________________ usgp-int mailing list usgp-int at gp-us.org http://forum.greens.org/mailman/listinfo/usgp-int -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From justinemccabe at earthlink.net Wed Sep 8 10:20:24 2010 From: justinemccabe at earthlink.net (Justine McCabe) Date: Wed, 8 Sep 2010 10:20:24 -0400 Subject: {news} GPCT endorsement? Conn River cruise for US Boat to Gaza + Canadian Boat to Gaza Message-ID: <81C32FE939A045FC9348CAE64B632496@JUSTINE> Dear all, It would be good if the GPCT endorsed this peace event that MECC organized. It's a spinoff of a similar fundraising event that occurred in NYC last month in which 400 of us cruised around the East River to raise money for a new US boat that will be part of a new flotilla trying to deliver aid to Gaza. The NY event included former NYT Jerusalem bureau chief Chris Hedges and Democracy Now's Amy Goodman. In any case I urge CT Greens to attend and support this. Thanks, Justine CT Cruise to Raise Money for the Gaza Boat There will be a new flotilla to Gaza this fall and there will be a U.S. owned ship taking part. A major fund raising effort is ongoing and MECC and other groups will by sponsoring a "sunset cruise" on the CT river Tues., September 14. Dinner, auction, music. Click here for details and ways to buy tickets (or to donate money). http://www.thestruggle.org/get_on_boat.htm Guests: Tahani Salah http://vodpod.com/watch/63669-tahani-salah-hate-def-poetry-jam John Mahoney editor of "The Link" http://www.ameu.org/ Nada Khader Exec. Director Wespac www.wespac.org Leaving from Haddam, CT (opposite the river from the Goodspeed Opera House) Tickets $50, Board 5:15 Return 7:30 sponsor: Middle East Crisis Committee, Code Pink, Socialist Action, International Socialist Organization, CT ANSWER see http://ustogaza.org/ From justinemccabe at earthlink.net Fri Sep 10 18:49:20 2010 From: justinemccabe at earthlink.net (Justine McCabe) Date: Fri, 10 Sep 2010 18:49:20 -0400 Subject: {news} Fw: USGP-INT Caroline Lucas' speech to Green Party of England & Wales autumn conference Message-ID: <48A30902125E4FAB90E20C28C4F4BAC8@JUSTINE> Hi All, As you may know, Caroline Lucas, leader of the Green Party of England and Wales, who had been a Green MP to the European Parliament.was elected the first Green member to the UK 's House of Commons despite its first-past-the post/winner-take-all system. Justine http://www.greenparty.org.uk/mediacentre/releases/10-09-2010-caroline-speech-autumn-2010-conference.html Caroline Lucas speech to Birmingham autumn conference 10 September 2010 Introduction Thank you and welcome to Birmingham. And I want to start by thanking the organisers and Birmingham Green Party, and indeed all those in the West Midlands, who have helped to make us so welcome. Our membership has grown significantly over the last year, up by nearly a third. It's such a pleasure to see so many people I don't recognise! And so I welcome all new members. New members who share our values and ambitions. Who will build on what we have achieved already as a party And who are ready to help to create a society genuinely based on fairness, justice, and sustainability - values that the Green Party is committed to putting at the heart of the political process. Victory And perhaps we can be forgiven for beginning our Conference in reflecting on our achievements. For we have an autumn Conference where we can celebrate success. First, hot off the press, the by elections for Norwich city council yesterday, where the Norwich Greens continued their unstoppable momentum, holding all their seats, winning another and now, with 14 seats, the largest Green council group in the country - ever. In the local elections in May, we won our second city council seat in Cambridge and made our first breakthroughs on Reading, Reigate and Rochford councils. Places that now have Green representation for the first time. So I'm delighted to congratulate our newly elected councillors Adam Pognowski, Rob White, Jonathan Essex and Michael Hoy. Their success is another sign of our growing challenge to the three main parties. But it also means more communities that now have the kind of principled and committed representation that the public want and deserve. And while the London results didn't reflect the enormous efforts of London parties like Hackney, Camden and Lewisham, knowing many of those activists as I do, I share their optimism for building the vote towards the London Assembly elections in 2012. So, successes in local elections. And great work being done by Green representatives in dozens of local authorities, in the London Assembly, and in the European Parliament. Was there something else? Brighton It was one amazing night for us all. I cannot tell you what a privilege it was to stand on that stage, and represent this wonderful movement of ours, and so, from the bottom of my heart, thank you so much to everyone who made it possible. So many thoughts crowding in - and fortunately crowding out the fact that none of us had slept for 24 hours! How it started here in Britain, over 30 years ago. People, and then the Ecology Party, as the first political movement based on ecological principles. On what we have come to call Green principles. And the years, the decades, of tireless work by so many thousands of people, over so many years, believing against all the odds, ignored or even at times ridiculed, by the mainstream, yet never losing faith. A long journey, a difficult journey - where the odds have been stacked against us all the way. But the results showed us, and the wider world, that the big guns don't always win in politics. That's a wonderful message to put out to the country. But that is what we've done, and will continue to do. To give hope for a better way, a better world. The idea that politics can be different. It's as simple, as powerful, as that. The time when a political party takes, for the first time, its rightful place in our parliament. Shared Achievement It puts me in mind of the Critical Mass cycle rides. You might remember when the police were trying to stop the London rides, using one of the many hundreds of pieces of anti-protest legislation brought in by Labour, that they tried to find out who were the leaders of Critical Mass, so they could serve an injunction on them And of course, it doesn't have any leaders. It's spontaneous. People gather, and when the time is right, when everyone is ready, someone chooses to pedal off. And with Critical Mass, as with our own party, it's not the one at the front who matters. It's everyone who is there. Of course, when we set off, it was not spontaneous - far from it. The campaign we ran in Brighton, from day one, was carefully and creatively planned. I was privileged to have the best campaign team in the country! And that amazing team pulled together to take on the bigger parties, against the odds, and they inspired huge numbers of members and non-members to get involved, staying focused and spirited until the very last vote was counted. But what we have achieved, we have done together. All of us here today, and all our members and supporters, past and present. And the thousands, the hundreds of thousands of people in the country, who vote for our candidates. They are what made it happen in Brighton. It's been a long journey. But also the beginning of a new one, as a political party represented at Westminster at last. Now is a moment to pause, and reflect. And it's right to remember those who are not with us now. Those who worked for this moment, who helped make it happen, but didn't live to see it. We can all call people to mind. For me, it's Mike Woodin, a much valued and much missed colleague from Oxford days, whose ideas and principled actions have played such an important role in shaping this party. I wish he were here now. I wish they all were. And we must keep them in our minds as we face the next stage on this journey. Shared Responsibility Conference, we have been given the chance to be that new voice in politics. That is a great responsibility. And like the achievement of this historic victory, the responsibilities that come with it are also shared. There are tasks we now face together, as a party. Our Policies First, what we want to achieve, and how we articulate this for the many people who, for the first time, are looking to the Green Party with interest. We have always been a party that combined aspiration and pragmatism. We dare to think big, to dare to imagine the world that we want, not the world we are told we have to put up with. Some of our ideas have become mainstream. Lowering the voting age to 16, for example, was seen as a bit of a joke when we first put it forward. Now, it feels like an idea whose time is coming. Or the living wage, the supposedly radical idea of paying people enough to live on - an idea which Jenny and Darren fought for and won on the London Assembly, and which is now being picked up across the country. But we are also pragmatists. Our experience as elected representatives has taught us that sometimes the best can be the enemy of the good, and that it's right to concentrate on the areas where we can make real improvements to people's lives now. Idealism and pragmatism - I believe that our party needs both. More than that, I believe each one of us needs both. We shouldn't see ourselves as one or the other - idealist or pragmatist. We all need to keep an eyes on our ideals. To influence the debate. To shape the future. And we all need the satisfaction that comes from making a difference here and now. It needs discipline to get the balance right. But we can be daring and imaginative, and also practical. For example, I'd like to see the law changed to allow candidates for Parliament tostand as job shares. Nothing would do more to open up politics to women. Now I know theEstablishment will pour scorn on the idea and say its ideas like that which make us unelectable. Fine. Let them. But I also know that this too is an idea whose time will come. We've been told that job-shares are no good for all sorts of professions, from doctors to lawyers, and in every case the men and women in those job shares have proved the doubters wrong. It's little different from the time when we were told that women didn't have what it took to be pilots, or a blind person couldn't serve as a magistrate. These battles must be fought, and whatever the criticism, I will fight them and I know you will too. And of course, we will also continue to repeat the apparently heretical notion that a world of finite resources cannot sustain a system of infinite production and consumption, however much politicians of the other parties act as if the contrary were true. So we must never lose that radical perspective. And there are other challenges. Every week in Parliament, there are dozens of votes. In each one, I will have to vote for or against. Green Councillors up and down the land have all had the "between a rock and a hard place" experience. And it's the same in the House of Commons. Not least because at Westminster, at the mother of parliaments, I discover, there are no mechanisms to abstain. So each vote forces us to take a position, and if we are honest, some of these are areas where Conference may not have a fully developed position. So for all of us, it means redoubling our efforts to bring our policy-making process up to date. Reaching out to the wealth of organizations at all levels who share our values, and want to work with us. Together turning our vision of a greener, fairer, more peaceful world into a tangible and compelling reality. New Members We are helped enormously in that challenge by the news that, since Spring Conference, thousands of people have joined the party. Some have come from other parties. Labour Labour members, who have finally realized that even with the passing of Blair and Brown, they are still stuck in the New Labour nightmare. Labour's leadership campaign has been a demonstration of political amnesia on a positively heroic scale. The gang of four men - the "geeks in suits" in Dianne Abbott's words - are collectively choosing to forget as much of Labour's record as they possibly can. Iraq? PFI? The BAE bribery scandal? Growing inequality? Rising carbon emissions? They act as if they were all out to lunch while ithappened! And so whether the new leader is Burnham or Balls, or someone from the firm of management consultants Miliband and Miliband, many Labour supporters know that the party will never again truly represent them. They've had enough of Labour. Some have had enough of politics full stop. But others still believe that it is important to be involved, and still want to work to defend the vulnerable, stand up to big business and vested interests, and take care of our natural environment. To those people, I say the Green Party is your natural home. Liberal Democrats We are gaining members from the Liberal Democrats too. Perhaps their anguish and sense of betrayal is all the more sharp, for being so unexpected. Could they really have imagined during the election campaign, when Nick Clegg could hardly open his mouth without saying the word "fairness", that they would be voting for a party that would become an apologist for the most brutal, savage cuts in a generation? Cuts that are knowingly aimed at the most vulnerable Cuts that, as even the Institute for Fiscal Studies recently confirmed, clearly hit the poorest hardest, and women most of all? Cuts which are as economically illiterate as they are socially devastating, because it is at a time of recession that we need government investment in jobs all the more. Cuts which are decimating communities up and down the country. People like the woman who came to my surgery a few weeks ago, desperate to be re-housed because she, her partner and child were all living in a single room in Brighton, and she was expecting another child very soon. That's why the Green Party is committed to fighting these cuts every step of the way. Now let me make clear, the Green Party is not against political parties working together. We've co-operated with other parties on local councils and in the European Parliament. Other Green parties in Europe have entered coalitions. And at Westminster, I have voted alongside members from all the other parties when this was the way to represent our policies and our values. I know, too, that this sometimes means difficult decisions and compromises. I don't criticise Nick Clegg and those around him for agreeing to work with the Conservatives. But I do criticise him for the terms of that deal. Amongst Liberal Democrats, the rebellion against this coalition is growing. But what an irony it would be if Liberal Democrat members, appalled by their alliance with the Tories, should switch their support to the Labour Party. A Labour Party which, with its obsession with privatization and PFI, has spent the last 13 years paving the way for the coalition's assault on public services. Which has presided over 13 years of increasing inequality, undermining our civil liberties and plunging us into an illegal and ruinous war in Iraq. With our principles and our courage to be honest with the public about the greatest issues of our time, such as climate change, we are the natural home for Liberal Democrats who feel betrayed by their leaders. And so to those Liberal Democrats, I say, join us. Many of your former colleagues are already here. Don't give up on politics. There IS a party out there of principle and integrity - and it's the Green Party. Conservatives And there are Conservatives too who see that the kind of government Cameron offers - vacuous on the outside, and shamelessly favouring the rich and powerful underneath - is not for them. Many people were taken in by Cameron's silky words on the environment. Vote Blue, get Green. No wonder he was paid so much when he worked in Public Relations. It sounds so much better, doesn't it, than Vote Blue, Screw You? Now we see the reality. The Sustainable Development Commission, there to tell government uncomfortable truths: axed. The Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution, which has advised on new environmental standards since the 1970s: axed. Funding for environmental protection: cut. Green energy targets, weakened. And nothing, not one single thing, in the Queen's Speech to protect our natural world or deal with climate change. Within the Conservative Party, there are people who are guided by respect for what's good in the traditions of the past; who believe in conserving our natural environment. Who value civil liberties and fear an all-powerful state; Who want to see One Nation, and an end to the grotesque inequality that blights our country; And perhaps most of all, who have been horrified by how New Labour behaved in government and turned to the Tory opposition - perhaps not realising they would provide more of the same. They too will be welcome. Excluded And most import of all, we should be there to welcome those who have given up on politics altogether. We must offer them hope, and live up to our values. Young people, who give up on politics before they have even begun, because they listen to the messages coming from the big 3 parties, and hear nothing at all that speaks to them about the things they are concerned with - climate change, global poverty, the state of the world that they will soon inherit. We must make sure we reach them, too. That's why the wonderful work of the Young Greens is so important, reaching out to new people and giving them a voice - they have done a brilliant job, and they need to be supported further. The Need for a Real Opposition I spoke earlier about responsibilities. One that I feel particularly heavily is our role as an opposition party within Parliament. I doubt that any of us expected the realignment of British politics that has come in the aftermath of May's election. But its implications are becoming ever more clear. And one of these is that, on a whole range of issues, there is no effective opposition to the coalition and its plans. And that makes the role of the Green Party more important than ever. Nuclear Take nuclear power. The Conservatives are in favour. So are Labour. And now that the Liberal Democrats have joined forces with the Tories, their ability to put the other case is fatally compromised. And so we have the prospect of a resurgence of a dirty, dangerous and discredited form of power just at the moment when we should, as a nation, be investing in the energy sources of the future. And that's why we need the Green Party. Education It's the same with education. Labour championed the Academies programme, despite all our warnings about the risk of creating a two-tier education system. Now - surprise, surprise - the Coalition has dropped any requirement that Academies should gain from outside sponsorship, or should help those communities most in need. Any pretence of a higher social purpose is out. Michael Gove's plans are simply about an ideological opposition to state education and a chance to allow private companies to make a profit from our schools. And Labour, having opened the door to this in the first place, cannot mount an effective, principled opposition, despite their heroic efforts to try to rewrite history. And that's why we need the Green Party. Trident Take Trident. The public are hardly clamouring to replace it. Particularly at a cost of perhaps ?100 billion. And like many senior military figures, they don't see how it will make this country any safer. But again, the Tories are for it. Labour are for it. And the poor Lib Dems are to be let of the leash for the night to vote against, safe in the knowledge that it will go through anyway. And remember, this isn't a minor disagreement about the detail of legislation. This isn't Clause 96 of the Local Government Finance Bill. This is a question of whether Britain will spend ?100 billion expanding its nuclear arsenal. Yet there is no serious debate. This isn't democracy. It's a conspiracy of self interest. We saw this in July, when the Liberal Democrats supported the Conservatives to ensure that Trident wasn't covered by the planned Defence Review. Yes, that's right - a strategic defence review that will not take into account Britain's strategic deterrence. That's the Lib Dem position, because that's what the Tories want, and they are not prepared to put what they have at risk to fight for their principles. And that's why we need the Green Party. And so this responsibility falls to us Conclusion Friends, it is a great pleasure to return to Conference and reconnect with the lifeblood of the Party. There is so much to do at parliament - questions to table, answers to chase, amendments to table, votes to make, and all the rest of the behind the scenes activity. But I remain conscious of how strange, even alien, Parliament is. It isn't just the odd language, the arcane procedures and strange costumes. It's an institution designed for, and run by, an elite, who simply don't want to let the people have a real say in decisions. I want it to change. But the question is, can parliament reform itself? I think that the proposed referendum on electoral reform will be the test. Obviously, each different voting system benefits different parties in different ways. The Tories gain from First Past The Post, so they back that. The Liberal Democrats gain from any change, and will take the Alternative Vote if that's the only crumbs that the Tories will let them have. And Labour, hopelessly divided on this, will try to look like they want change, while hoping to stick with the current system. They simply cannot put aside political self-interest. But Greens believe the people should choose, not the politicians. Of course, at the moment the public won't be given the choice. The referendum question only has two options: stick with the current system; or go for AV, two flavours of vanilla. Genuine reform is not on the menu. That's why I've tabled an amendment that would give the public a real choice. A choice between all the voting system now being used for elections in the UK. If the other parties decide to oppose it, and deny the people their right to choose, then they will have failed that test. It is a particular test for those who claim the title progressive, whether it is the Liberal Democrats around Nick Clegg or the Milibands. This is the time for them to put aside party interest and live up to their rhetoric about trusting the people of this country. But for us, this might never have happened. It is just one example of why we the Green Party need to be represented in Parliament. Why for all those years, so many worked so hard towards this moment, when we would take our place at the heart of British politics. The long journey has been worth it. We are finally there. Now our work can begin. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- _______________________________________________ usgp-int mailing list usgp-int at gp-us.org http://forum.greens.org/mailman/listinfo/usgp-int -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From allan.brison at gmail.com Sun Sep 12 09:24:37 2010 From: allan.brison at gmail.com (Allan Brison) Date: Sun, 12 Sep 2010 09:24:37 -0400 Subject: {news} Professor Richard Wolff to speak on Sep. 23, Thursday at New Haven Unitarian Society in Hamden In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Dear Friends, In *New Haven on September 23rd 7pm, *Professor Richard D. Wolff, a highly praised economist whose works on the present global economic crisis have been reaching a wide audience, will be speaking on "*The Continuing Economic Crisis: Why Bailouts Failed, What Needs to be Done".* This is a *Free*event. ** Professor Wolff, a long time New Haven resident while teaching at Yale and UMass - Amherst, is the author of several books on Economics. He is in wide demand as a speaker. He recently returned from Greece where he was invited to address the University of Athens on the economic crisis there and the failings of the neoliberal response to that crisis. During his years in New Haven, Rick was a part of the Green Party movement back in the 80's. He is well known for heading up the New Haven Revenue Commission up in 1982 by the Board of Aldermen which gave it subpoena powers to carry out its investigations. *I will be attending and hope you will consider joining us for what is sure to be a thought-provoking lecture. * I will also be attending the dinner with Prof. Wolff (5:00-6:30pm at the *Graduate Club*) and hope you will consider joining for this as well. It is $100 per person, with proceeds to benefit the New Haven Greens, who have sponsored the event. *Whether you are committed to one of the common schools of economic thought: Keynessian, Neoliberal, or Marxian; or whether you don't know one of these schools from the others, Professor Wolff's lecture should stimulate some interesting discussion, so I hope you will come, if able.* ** *One of Rick's main fortes is his ability to render complicated economic principles clear to the uninitiated.* Information directly below contains invites to the two events. The first is to register for the Dinner with Prof. Wolff. This includes a link to his website as well as directions and other info about the dinner (Thursday, September 23rd, 5:00-6:30pm). The second the invite and link to register for the Lecture which is *Free*-and will be held at the *Unitarian Society of New Haven - 700 Hartford Turnpike, Hamden*, a short drive from the Yale campus where the dinner will be held. Please call for more information or see the Green Party table today at the CT Green Expo and Folk Festival at Edgerton park today (Saturday), or if you will need a ride from the Dinner to the Lecture. Warm Regards, Allan Allan Brison 203-782-6808 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- REGISTRATION FOR DINNER EVENT *An Special Invitation to a Private Dinner with Economics Professor Richard D. Wolff* Where: The Graduate Club Sterling Divinity Quadrangle 155 Elm Street New Haven, CT 06511-6609 Driving Directions When: Thursday September 23, 2010 from 5:00 PM to 6:30 PM Add to my calendar Professor Richard D Wolff [image: Professor Richard D Wolff] The New Haven Green Party is proud to present to a limited number of supporters, a chance to meet and have dinner with Professor Richard D Wolff. Professor Wolff received his PhD in Economics from Yale University. Author of numerous books and articles on economics and global capitalism, Professor Wolff's work has earned him worldwide recognition for his views on the current global economic crisis. You can read more about Professor Wolff by clicking on this link. *The dinner will take place on Thursday, September 23, 2010, beginning at 5PM, and will be held at The Graduate Club located at 155 Elm Street, New Haven, CT 06511. *This event will end at 6:30PM. Professor Wolff will be giving a talk later that evening, that you will be welcome to attend. More info to come.* * Seating is limited so do not delay in registering your interest in attending. The cost of attendance is $100.00 per person. Dinner, dessert and coffee are included, along with a cash bar. Please click on the link below to register to attend this special dinner. You can also register a guest. Information on where to send your payment is included in the registration form. Your check must be received no later than 9/20/2010. *Register Now! * You have been invited to this event due to your past support of the New Haven Green Party. If you have any questions, please contact us via email at info at newhavengreenparty.org *REGISTRATION FOR THE LECTURE* *The New Haven Green Party Presents Economics Professor Richard D. Wolff This event is Free and Open to the Public * *Where:* Unitarian Society of New Haven 700 Hartford Turnpike Hamden, CT 06517 Google Maps *When:* Thursday, September 23, 2010 Doors Open at 6:30PM - Event closes at 9:30PM The New Haven Green Party is a Grass Roots Progressive Political Party. We get involved in local, state and national issues. Come check us out. The New Haven Green Party [image: Green Party Logo] Meeting: 2nd Tuesday of every Month Westside Bar & Grill 883 Whalley Avenue New Haven, CT 06515 *The Continuing Economic Crisis: Why Bailouts Failed, What Needs to be Done * Together with Promoting Enduring Peace, the New Haven Green Party is pleased to invite you to attend A Conversation with Professor Richard D. Wolff. To be held on Thursday Evening, September 23, 2010. Doors will open at 6:30 PM. Please see location in box to the left. Professor Wolff, just returning from his trip to Greece where he was invited by citizen organizations to address the global economic crisis, will speak with utmost clarity about what caused our current economic crisis and what changes we should support so as to ensure a better financial future for ourselves, our communities and the global community. Professor Wolff is a fascinating speaker, whose seminars and forums are always well attended. This is a rare opportunity for Connecticut citizens to learn first hand, and in layman terms, the truth behind the current crisis in our economy. No hype, no drama, just the facts. Seating is limited so please Register On-line by clicking here. Email address required to register You can learn more about Professor Wolff by visiting his website, Please click here. Brought to you by The New Haven Green Party Jerry Martin - Co-Chair Visit our Website info at newhavengreenparty.org 203-782-6808 Forward email [image: Safe Unsubscribe] This email was sent to owencharles2003 at yahoo.com by info at newhavengreenparty.org. Update Profile/Email Address| Instant removal with SafeUnsubscribe? | Privacy Policy . Email Marketing by New Haven Green Party | 165 Fountain Street | New Haven | CT | 06515 -- Allan Brison 203-782-6808 -- Allan Brison 203-782-6808 -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From allan.brison at gmail.com Sun Sep 12 09:51:18 2010 From: allan.brison at gmail.com (Allan Brison) Date: Sun, 12 Sep 2010 09:51:18 -0400 Subject: {news} Professor Richard Wolff to speak on Thurs, Sep. 23, Thursday at New Haven Unitarian Society in Hamden Message-ID: Dear Friends, In *New Haven on September 23rd 7pm, *Professor Richard D. Wolff, a highly praised economist whose works on the present global economic crisis have been reaching a wide audience, will be speaking on "*The Continuing Economic Crisis: Why Bailouts Failed, What Needs to be Done".* This is a *Free*event. ** Professor Wolff, a long time New Haven resident while teaching at Yale and UMass - Amherst, is the author of several books on Economics. He is in wide demand as a speaker. He recently returned from Greece where he was invited to address the University of Athens on the economic crisis there and the failings of the neoliberal response to that crisis. During his years in New Haven, Rick was a part of the Green Party movement back in the 80's. He is well known for heading up the New Haven Revenue Commission up in 1982 by the Board of Aldermen which gave it subpoena powers to carry out its investigations. *I will be attending and hope you will consider joining us for what is sure to be a thought-provoking lecture. * I will also be attending the dinner with Prof. Wolff (5:00-6:30pm at the *Graduate Club*) and hope you will consider joining for this as well. It is $100 per person, with proceeds to benefit the New Haven Greens, who have sponsored the event. *Whether you are committed to one of the common schools of economic thought: Keynessian, Neoliberal, or Marxian; or whether you don't know one of these schools from the others, Professor Wolff's lecture should stimulate some interesting discussion, so I hope you will come, if able.* ** *One of Rick's main fortes is his ability to render complicated economic principles clear to the uninitiated.* Information directly below contains invites to the two events. The first is to register for the Dinner with Prof. Wolff. This includes a link to his website as well as directions and other info about the dinner (Thursday, September 23rd, 5:00-6:30pm). The second the invite and link to register for the Lecture which is *Free*-and will be held at the *Unitarian Society of New Haven - 700 Hartford Turnpike, Hamden*, a short drive from the Yale campus where the dinner will be held. Please call for more information or see the Green Party table today at the CT Green Expo and Folk Festival at Edgerton park today (Saturday), or if you will need a ride from the Dinner to the Lecture. Warm Regards, Allan Allan Brison 203-782-6808 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- REGISTRATION FOR DINNER EVENT *An Special Invitation to a Private Dinner with Economics Professor Richard D. Wolff* Where: The Graduate Club Sterling Divinity Quadrangle 155 Elm Street New Haven, CT 06511-6609 Driving Directions When: Thursday September 23, 2010 from 5:00 PM to 6:30 PM Add to my calendar Professor Richard D Wolff [image: Professor Richard D Wolff] The New Haven Green Party is proud to present to a limited number of supporters, a chance to meet and have dinner with Professor Richard D Wolff. Professor Wolff received his PhD in Economics from Yale University. Author of numerous books and articles on economics and global capitalism, Professor Wolff's work has earned him worldwide recognition for his views on the current global economic crisis. You can read more about Professor Wolff by clicking on this link. *The dinner will take place on Thursday, September 23, 2010, beginning at 5PM, and will be held at The Graduate Club located at 155 Elm Street, New Haven, CT 06511. *This event will end at 6:30PM. Professor Wolff will be giving a talk later that evening, that you will be welcome to attend. More info to come.* * Seating is limited so do not delay in registering your interest in attending. The cost of attendance is $100.00 per person. Dinner, dessert and coffee are included, along with a cash bar. Please click on the link below to register to attend this special dinner. You can also register a guest. Information on where to send your payment is included in the registration form. Your check must be received no later than 9/20/2010. *Register Now! * You have been invited to this event due to your past support of the New Haven Green Party. If you have any questions, please contact us via email at info at newhavengreenparty.org *REGISTRATION FOR THE LECTURE* *The New Haven Green Party Presents Economics Professor Richard D. Wolff This event is Free and Open to the Public * *Where:* Unitarian Society of New Haven 700 Hartford Turnpike Hamden, CT 06517 Google Maps *When:* Thursday, September 23, 2010 Doors Open at 6:30PM - Event closes at 9:30PM The New Haven Green Party is a Grass Roots Progressive Political Party. We get involved in local, state and national issues. Come check us out. The New Haven Green Party [image: Green Party Logo] Meeting: 2nd Tuesday of every Month Westside Bar & Grill 883 Whalley Avenue New Haven, CT 06515 *The Continuing Economic Crisis: Why Bailouts Failed, What Needs to be Done * Together with Promoting Enduring Peace, the New Haven Green Party is pleased to invite you to attend A Conversation with Professor Richard D. Wolff. To be held on Thursday Evening, September 23, 2010. Doors will open at 6:30 PM. Please see location in box to the left. Professor Wolff, just returning from his trip to Greece where he was invited by citizen organizations to address the global economic crisis, will speak with utmost clarity about what caused our current economic crisis and what changes we should support so as to ensure a better financial future for ourselves, our communities and the global community. Professor Wolff is a fascinating speaker, whose seminars and forums are always well attended. This is a rare opportunity for Connecticut citizens to learn first hand, and in layman terms, the truth behind the current crisis in our economy. No hype, no drama, just the facts. Seating is limited so please Register On-line by clicking here. Email address required to register You can learn more about Professor Wolff by visiting his website, Please click here. Brought to you by The New Haven Green Party Jerry Martin - Co-Chair Visit our Website info at newhavengreenparty.org 203-782-6808 Forward email [image: Safe Unsubscribe] This email was sent to owencharles2003 at yahoo.com by info at newhavengreenparty.org. Update Profile/Email Address| Instant removal with SafeUnsubscribe? | Privacy Policy . Email Marketing by New Haven Green Party | 165 Fountain Street | New Haven | CT | 06515 -- Allan Brison 203-782-6808 -- Allan Brison 203-782-6808 -- Allan Brison 203-782-6808 -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From justinemccabe at earthlink.net Tue Sep 21 08:02:18 2010 From: justinemccabe at earthlink.net (Justine McCabe) Date: Tue, 21 Sep 2010 08:02:18 -0400 Subject: {news} Fwd: [GGNetwork] Press statement Swedish Green Party Message-ID: <67653949116F435D8D2E1296C0EBF9E2@JUSTINE> Hi All, A message passed along from the IC's John Rensenbrink of ME GP. Sounds like the right via the Swedish Democratic Party--is getting more powerful--even in "socialist" Sweden. Justine ----- Original Message ----- From: John Rensenbrink To: USGP International Committee Sent: Monday, September 20, 2010 3:31 PM Subject: USGP-INT Fwd: [GGNetwork] Press statement Swedish Green Party Hi, Follow up on the Swedish situation. And tool down to the clear and convincing reasons why the Swedish Green Party will not enter the right-wing coalition. And note (as I wrote to Anna-Karin just now) how very similar are the positions and policies of the Swedish right-wing coalition to the Republican-Democrat "coalition" in our country! It's almost uncanny . . . but typical. John R Begin forwarded message: From: Anna-Karin Andersson Date: September 20, 2010 12:21:24 PM EDT To: network at lists.globalgreens.org Subject: [GGNetwork] Press statement Swedish Green Party Dear Green friends, With the situation after yesterday's elections, our spokespersons did today hold a press conference with the following statement. Kindest regards, http://www.mp.se/templates/mct_177.aspx?number=229786 Press statement from the Swedish Green Party 20 September 2010 We want to clarify our view on the political and parliamentary situation today. To start with, we deeply regret the situation that has arisen. 1. The election is not over yet. We cannot rule out the possibility that there will be another election result after the final votes have been counted on Wednesday. The Government alliance can still obtain a majority on its own. Only small changes are needed to move a number of seats between the parties and the parliamentary situation can thereby change. 2. On several occasions, Fredrik Reinfeldt has said that he and his government will remain in office. This means that the four party government assesses that no matter the situation with the final votes, they will be able to master the situation and get their politics adopted by parliament. 3. He has also said that he will contact the Swedish Green party, after the final votes have been counted on Wednesday. But we have not heard from him now, nor previously, in order to discuss the political situation. We are not having discussions and are not negotiating. ?????????.. The Swedish Green Party has campaigned for a Red-Green government. We have worked for several years to change the policies of the present government. They have thrown very ill people out of the health insurance system into economic uncertainty. They have chosen to lower taxes in a way that substantially increases the gaps in society. They have drastically raised the fees for the unemployment benefit funds so that those with the lowest income have had to leave them. They have cast people?s integrity aside and instead increased the opportunities for surveillance. They have pursued an educational policy where those who fail risk to permanently end up outside the system. They have pursued a virtually non-existent climate policy, have no plans to deal with it in the future and the action on climate policy is so slow that it will take 200 years before we reach our emission targets. They have weakened the protection of right to use of public access to beaches, weakened environmental legislation and abolished the tax on fertilizers. They have invested heavily in motorways but postponed investments in railways into the future. They want to build the highway to by pass Stockholm. They have decided that 10 new nuclear reactors should be built in Sweden, which will generate waste that future generations will have to take care of for a hundred thousand years. We, on the other hand, have campaigned to change this and many other things. During the campaign, we have had many questions about the Red-Green cooperation and the Swedish Green Party?s attitude to the governing alliance. We have been very clear: The Swedish Green Party will not support the present government in parliament. Nor can the Swedish Green Party be part of a government that pursues a policy where those who are the most vulnerable in our society, future generations and people on the other side of the planet will pay for our short-term thinking. It is our assessment that we, based on the above, have not been mandated by our voters to initiate any negotiations with the alliance, neither to form a government, nor enter into any closer cooperation. ???????. The so-called Sweden Democrats have entered parliament and have obtained a rather strong position. Sweden has not become xenophobic. But we have a xenophobic party in parliament, which is deeply regrettable. Many people are now worried that the Sweden Democrats will be able to influence migration and integration policy. We share their concerns. If the unclear parliamentary situation remains after the final votes have been counted on Wednesday, we think that the natural thing to do for Fredrik Reinfeldt is to get in touch with the Red-Green parties to discuss the situation. The responsibility for handling the situation rests with seven parties, not just one. It would be strange to not include the Parliament?s largest party in such a discussion. Peter Eriksson/LED/MP/Riksdagen 2010-09-20 16:15 Till Johan Schiff/KANSLI/MP/Riksdagen at Riksdagen, Marie Utter/KANSLI/MP/Riksdagen at Riksdagen, Anna-Karin Andersson/KANSLI/MP/Riksdagen at Riksdagen Kopia ?rende PRESSTR?FF 20/9 2010 Vi vill g?ra en tydlig markering ?ver hur vi ser p? den politiska och parlamentariska situationen idag. Till att b?rja med beklagar vi djupt den uppkomna situationen. 1. Valet ?r inte ?ver ?nnu. Det g?r inte att utesluta att vi efter slutr?kningen p? onsdag fortfarande kan f? ett annat valresultat. Alliansen kan fortfarande f? en egen majoritet. Det ?r sm? f?r?ndringar som beh?vs f?r att ?ndra s? att flera mandat flyttas mellan partierna och att det parlamentariska l?get d?rigenom f?r?ndras. 2. Fredrik Reinfeldt har vid flera tillf?llen sagt att han och alliansen kommer att sitta kvar. Det betyder att fyrpartiregeringen bed?mer att de oavsett hur det g?r med de sista r?sterna tror att de kommer att kunna bem?stra l?get och f? sin politik genom riksdagen. 3. Han har ocks? sagt att han kommer att ta kontakt med milj?partiet, efter att de sista r?sterna r?knats p? onsdag. Men han har inte h?rt av sig till n?gon av oss nu eller tidigare f?r att diskutera det politiska l?get. Vi f?r inga samtal eller f?rhandlingar. ?????????.. Milj?partiet har bedrivit en valr?relse f?r att f? en r?dgr?n regering. Vi har jobbat i flera ?r f?r att f?r?ndra den sittande regeringens politik. De har kastat ut sv?rt sjuka m?nniskor fr?n sjukf?rs?kringen, ut i ekonomisk ovisshet. De har valt att s?nka skatterna p? ett s?tt som kraftigt ?kat klyftorna i samh?llet. De har chockh?jt avgifterna i a-kassan, s? att de med l?gst inkomster sett sig tvungna att l?mna. De har l?tit m?nniskors integritet st? ?t sidan och ist?llet ut?kat ?vervakningsm?jligheterna. De har bedrivit en skolpolitik d?r den som misslyckas riskerar att permanent hamna vid sidan av. De har bedrivit en n?stintill obefintlig klimatpolitik, har inga planer f?r att hantera det i framtiden och har en s? l?ngsam takt i klimatarbetet att det tar 200 ?r innan vi n?r utsl?ppsm?len. De har luckrat upp strandskyddet, f?rsvagat milj?lagstiftningen och avskaffat handelsg?dselskatten. De har satsat stort p? motorv?gar men skjutit j?rnv?gsinvesteringar p? framtiden. De vill bygga f?rbifart Stockholm. De har beslutat att 10 nya k?rnkraftsreaktorer ska f? byggas i Sverige, som orsakar avfall som kommande generationer m?ste ta hand om i hundratusen ?r. Allt detta och mer d?rtill har vi g?tt till val p? att f?r?ndra. Under valr?relsen har vi f?tt m?nga fr?gor om det r?dgr?na samarbetet och Milj?partiets h?llning till alliansen. Vi har varit mycket tydliga. Milj?partiet kommer inte att bli n?got st?dparti ?t alliansen. Milj?partiet kan inte heller ing? i en regering som bedriver en politik d?r de mest utsatta i samh?llet, kommande generationer och m?nniskor p? andra sidan jorden f?r betala f?r v?rt kortsiktiga t?nkande. Det ?r v?r bed?mning att vi utifr?n detta inte har f?tt mandat fr?n v?ra v?ljare att inleda n?gra f?rhandlingar med alliansen vare sig om att bilda regering eller att ing? n?got n?rmare samarbete. ???????. SD har kommit in i riksdagen och f?tt en relativt stark st?llning. Sverige har inte blivit fr?mlingsfientligt. Men vi har f?tt ett fr?mlingsfientligt parti i riksdagen och det ?r djupt beklagligt. M?nga m?nniskor ?r nu oroade ?ver att SD kan f? ett inflytande ?ver migrations- och integrationspolitiken. Det ?r vi ocks?. Om det oklara parlamentariska l?get skulle kvarst? efter slutr?kningen p? onsdag s? anser vi att det naturliga vore att Fredrik Reinfeldt tar kontakt med de r?dgr?na partierna f?r att diskutera situationen. Ansvaret f?r att hantera l?get g?ller f?r sju partier, inte bara f?r ett. Det vore konstigt om inte riksdagens st?rsta parti vore med i en s?dan diskussion. _______________________________________________ network mailing list network at globalgreens.org http://lists.globalgreens.org/listinfo.cgi/network-globalgreens.org -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- _______________________________________________ usgp-int mailing list usgp-int at gp-us.org http://forum.greens.org/mailman/listinfo/usgp-int -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From justinemccabe at earthlink.net Thu Sep 23 17:35:22 2010 From: justinemccabe at earthlink.net (Justine McCabe) Date: Thu, 23 Sep 2010 17:35:22 -0400 Subject: {news} Fw: 30 hours and counting! In striking distance! Message-ID: <25BCC53B3CF34113B8D92FA5D2F00B2B@JUSTINE> Jill Stein for Governor - Newsletter 9/23/10CT Greens, Apparently Jill has collect 100, 000 and needs "just" $25,000 more to qualify for matching funds. Please give whatever you can to the link below. Justine ----- Original Message ----- From: Jill for Governor To: justinemccabe at earthlink.net Sent: Thursday, September 23, 2010 12:20 PM Subject: 30 hours and counting! In striking distance! Dear friends and supporters, We have just 30 hours to ensure our place in the debates, and to meet the threshold for state funding. And we're in striking distance! Since our first televised debate on Sept. 7th, nearly $50,000 has come pouring in to the campaign. If we can accelerate that rate for the final hours up till 3 PM tomorrow, (Friday, Sept. 24), we'll qualify for $125,000 in state matching funds, and have a well funded campaign for real change for a healthy, secure green future. Please make a contribution to our campaign right now, and then forward this message as far and wide as you can. If you missed Tuesday night's debate, check it out here to see why it's so important that our voices be in the mix. Though the format was tightly controlled to minimize my participation, you'll see the riveting challenges i made to the shared delusions of the Beacon Hill candidates - on high stakes testing as pseudo-education dreamed up in corporate boardrooms; on low-wage, dead-end, insecure casino jobs as a poor substitute for green jobs that enrich our communities; on trimming wasteful corporate giveaways as the one "tough choice" the Governor has been unwilling to make as he inflicts other "tough choices" on seniors, students, teachers, the disabled, state workers, the environment and countless others across the Commonwealth. Please donate as much as you can - online - NOW. If you have already given $250 to my campaign, please consider maximizing your impact by making a contribution to my Lieutenant Governor running mate, Rick Purcell, whose donations also count toward my qualifying contribution threshold. Let's make this campaign the big leap forward on November 2nd that we urgently need for the healthy, green future we all deserve! Upward, Jill PS. Please hit the forward button and send this to at least ten friends. Thanks! PPS. Join the Clean Money Tidal Wave for Jill Stein on Facebook and invite your friends! PPPS. You can find the highlights of truth amidst the foolishness in Tuesday's debate by clicking here and scrolling to these locations: a.. In segment 2: At 5 minutes - immigration. At 15 minutes, 55 seconds - high stakes testing/MCAS. b.. In segment 4: At 2 minutes, 45 seconds - gun and youth violence. c.. In segment 5: At 2 minutes - corporate give-aways. (Note Deval Patrick tries to answer my question saying he has instituted 'clawbacks'. But we have seen no evidence that any of the corporate giveaways have been returned.) d.. In segment 6: At 1 minute, 20 seconds - the truth about casinos. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- GET INVOLVED! ? To join the volunteer team, go here ? To make a donation, go here ? To contact the campaign, write us here ? To subscribe or unsubscribe to this weekly newsletter, see the bottom of this newsletter. See Jill's Facebook page. Find Jill on Twitter: Find Jill on Youtube: Jill Stein for Governor web site: www.jillstein.org [Change Subscription] [Cancel Subscription] -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: