“Members of the local Green Party have sued San Juan County, Washington, alleging that the use of bar codes puts ballot secrecy at risk and violates state law. The Revised Code of Washington 29A.36.111 states, “No paper ballot or ballot card may be marked in any way that would permit the identification of the person who voted that ballot.”

GREEN PARTY OF THE UNITED STATES

http://www.gp.orgFor Immediate Release:Monday, July 28, 2008Contacts:Scott McLarty, Media Coordinator, 202-518-5624, cell 202-904-7614, mclarty@greens.orgStarlene Rankin, Media Coordinator, 916-995-3805, starlene@gp.orgVotes for Green nominees McKinney and Clemente will build a permanent alternative to the bipartisan war agenda, say Green Party leadersWASHINGTON, DC — Green Party leaders said today that antiwar voters will not get an end to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan by voting for presumed Democratic nominee Barack Obama on Election Day.Green leaders urged Americans who oppose the wars started by the Bush Administration with bipartisan support in Congress to vote instead for Green nominee Cynthia McKinney, running mate Rosa Clemente, and Green congressional candidates.”Millions of voters plan to vote for Barack Obama in the hope that he’ll bring peace to Iraq and other nations in the region,” said Omar N. Lopez, Green candidate for the US House in Illinois (4th District) (http://www.omarlopez2008.org). “But his positions are really ‘McCain-Lite’ — he’ll continue many of the same belligerent foreign policies as the Bush-Cheney Administration that John McCain would. Mr. Obama supports a larger military in terms of both spending and personnel. We want to stop the US from being the world’s bully, and instead fund a peace dividend to deal with the economic, energy, and global warming crises.”"We appeal to voters to take a look at the Green Party’s ‘Peace Slate’ of candidates, with Cynthia McKinney and Rosa Clemente on the Green presidential ticket. A vote for a candidate who doesn’t represent your own ideals is a vote wasted,” said Mr. Lopez.Green Party leaders compared the Green antiwar agenda to Barack Obama’s positions:IRAQDespite the popular impression that Sen. Obama intends to end the Iraq War, he plans only to reduce troops over a 16-month period. He would maintain an ‘under the radar’ occupation to protect US interests, which is code for the US and British corporate demand for control over Iraqi oil. (No-bid contracts have already been anounced for ExxonMobil, Chevron, Shell, BP, and Total.) Sen. Obama promises to shift troops around the region, placing US forces in countries surrounding Iraq.The Green Party and Green candidates support an immediate and full withdrawal of US troops and military contractors from Iraq, and control over Iraqi oil resources returned to the Iraqi people.http://www.gp.org/press/pr-national.php?ID=37http://www.gp.org/press/pr-national.php?ID=18AFGHANISTANSen. Obama intends to expand the disastrous US war on Afghanistan, which has already left the country in ruins and continues to destabilize the region.Greens support full US troop withdrawal from Afghanistan, and an internationally cooperative investigation and prosecution of those behind the 9/11 attacks.http://www.gp.org/press/pr-national.php?ID=37http://gp.org/press/pr_2006_09_11.shtmlISRAEL-PALESTINESen. Obama has repeatedly promised unqualified and uncritical support for Israel, despite the Israeli government’s illegal occupation of Palestinian lands and massive abuses of human rights, including Israel’s recent violation of a pledge to the US not to construct new homes in a West Bank settlement (http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/jul/24/israelandthepalestinians.middleeast).Greens have called for the withholding of all US assistance, especially billions of dollars in military aid, until Israel reverses its current policies and adheres to international law, human rights protections, and UN directives, including withdrawal from occupied lands and recognition of the Palestinian right of return.http://www.gp.org/press/pr-national.php?ID=61IRANDespite promises of diplomacy, Sen. Obama has signed on to the Bush Administration’s threat of a US or US-backed Israeli assault on Iran, even though intelligence confirms that the Iranian government is not using its nuclear power to build weapons.Greens have warned that an attack on Iran would bring untold consequences, including a greater regional or global conflict, and that the threat itself is an incentive for Iran and other nations to seek a nuclear arsenal. Greens call for an end to such threats, for diplomacy and friendship with Iran, and for an aggressive effort towards regional and global nuclear disarmament, noting the menace posed by Israel’s and Pakistan’s possession of nuclear weapons.http://www.gp.org/press/pr-national.php?ID=67http://www.gp.org/press/pr_2007_10_08.shtmlThe Green Party has also urged impeachment and criminal investigation of the Bush-Cheney Administration’s numerous abuses of power in launching the Iraq invasion as well as other actions. Barack Obama and the Democratic leadership have rejected all attempts to hold the latter accountable for its crimes.As US Representative from Georgia in 2006, Cynthia McKinney was the first member of Congress to introduce motions for impeachment.”Many Obama supporters don’t realize that the differences between Mr. Obama and Mr. McCain on foreign policy are actually quite narrow and based on the same assumptions. Both believe that the US has a right to occupy other countries, place political demands on their leaders, and take control of their resources. But other voices are getting frozen out of the debate, including the Green nominees for the White House and Congress, whose campaigns are building America’s permanent peace party alternative,” said Carol Brouillet, Green candidate for Congress in California’s District 14 and founder of the Northern California 9/11 Truth Alliance (http://www.communitycurrency.org).MORE INFORMATIONGreen Party of the United States http://www.gp.org202-319-7191, 866-41GREENFax 202-319-7193Green candidate database for 2008 and other campaign information: http://www.gp.org/elections.shtmlGreen Party News Center http://www.gp.org/newscenter.shtmlGreen Party Speakers Bureau http://www.gp.org/speakersGreen Party ballot access page http://www.gp.org/2008-electionsCynthia McKinney/Rosa Clemente ‘Power to the People’ Campaign for the White Househttp://www.runcynthiarun.org2008 Green National Convention, July 10-13 in Chicago, Illinois http://www.greenparty2008.org

Corporate media and their accomplices at the FCC may have pulled off the biggest public rip-off since “Congress conspired to grant millions of acres to the railroad barons.” Valued at $80 billion, the 5,000-plus new channels are to become the quasi-property of the same corporations that already hold the licenses for all of American television. The public has been provided no chance to influence the disposition of the digital treasure trove, a resource made possible by science, not station owners. Big Media “used their political and economic power to take possession of digital channels they have done absolutely nothing to earn.”

Wasserman has written a strong piece challenging the marketing push for new nuclear reactors- such as the ones advocated for Lake Anna by Dominion Power. You can read it here. 

Read more here.Here’s an excerpt:

 More than 100 spectators, including dozens of representatives of anti-war group Code Pink, began assembling outside the hearing room more than an hour before the hearing began. The Capitol Hill hearing room was packed to capacity, leaving dozens of activists out in the hallway, unable to enter; some chanted “Shame!” or “We want in!”The hearing began about 15 minutes after its scheduled start time with Conyers’s opening statement.“We know the executive branch can and does overreach during times of war,” Conyers said. “As one who was included on President Nixon’s enemies list, I am all too familiar with the specter of an unchecked executive branch. And the risks to our citizens’ rights are even graver today, as the war on terror has no specific end point.” 

Dear Friends, Here’s something to think about: 

“If you care about the environment, you should vote Green. If you don’t care about the environment, vote Conservative, and then there’s the in-between . . . we need to be at a point where the values that are talked about by the Green Party are values that all Canadians have.”

Just what you’d expect the Leader of the Green Party of Canada to say – except these are not my words. The speaker is the eminent environmentalist David Suzuki, talking to Kingston This Week newspaper during a recent event to mark the first commercial connection of solar and wind power systems to the Kingston grid. Incisive as always, Dr. Suzuki has zeroed in on the key question facing Canadians as we edge ever closer to the next general election – the question of values. Are the old-line political parties articulating and representing the values that underpin a fair and progressive society dedicated to responsible global citizenship? You don’t need David Suzuki to tell you the answer. It’s all too clear that these Harper Conservatives are charting a course that is leading us away from the treasured Canadian values of social justice, open democracy, peacekeeping and environmental stewardship – not just at home but on the world stage as well. The opposition parties – the “in-betweens” as Dr. Suzuki calls them – are too preoccupied with their own partisan concerns to concern themselves with the bigger picture.  That’s why I’m writing to you today – to urge you to take a stand against the cynicism and opportunism of politics-as-usual by supporting the Green Party. Your contribution will help us to spread the word about clear, workable solutions that will protect the planet and ensure a better way of life for all Canadians. We want to put this country back among the ranks of the world’s innovators by investing in dramatic technological change that will slash greenhouse gas emissions and make Canada’s economy clean, green and sustainable. You might have noticed that some of our policies are already being adopted (a day late and a dollar short) by other parties. Imagine the impact the Green Party will have after the next election when members of the new Green caucus present the groundbreaking ideas contained in Vision Green and our Climate Change Plan in the House of Commons.  With your help, we can make it happen. If you are an old friend of the party, my sincere thanks for your past support. I hope that you will now renew your membership and donate what you can. If you haven’t contributed before, welcome to the only political party in Canada with real momentum. Join the growing Green wave sweeping across Canada by becoming a Green Party member today. 

GREEN PARTY OF THE UNITED STATES

http://www.gp.orgFor Immediate Release:Wednesday, July 23, 2008Contacts:Scott McLarty, Media Coordinator, 202-518-5624, cell 202-904-7614, mclarty@greens.orgStarlene Rankin, Media Coordinator, 916-995-3805, starlene@gp.orgPennsylvania: 12 indicted after Statehouse Democrats staffers were given taxpayer-funded bonuses to keep 2004 presidential candidate Ralph Nader (Ind.) and 2006 US Senate candidate Carl Romanelli (Green) off the state ballotOhio: Evidence of massive fraud by GOP operatives in the 2004 election, with possible Karl Rove involvement; Greens were the first to probe the 2004 vote theftWASHINGTON, DC — Green Party leaders urged swift and aggressive court action to ensure fair elections and enforcement of legal campaign practices in the wake of election scandals in Ohio and Pennsylvania.The Green Party, which nominated Cynthia McKinney and Rosa Clemente for President and Vice President during the 2008 Green National Convention in Chicago on July 12, has a special interest in the integrity of the US election system. Greens are currently working to get the nominees on as many state ballots as possible, an effort rendered difficult by grossly biased and unfair ballot access rules designed by Democrats and Republicans to hinder other parties’ candidates and independents in many states.In the Pennsylvania scandal, twelve Democratic officials have been indicted for paying staffers big taxpayer-funded bonuses for their efforts to keep 2004 independent presidential candidate Ralph Nader and 2006 Green candidate Carl Romanelli, who ran for the US Senate, off the Pennsylvania ballot. The twelve charged with misusing $4 million for partisan campaign work include current and former staff and one member of the Pennsylvania House.Mr. Romanelli’s lawyers are asking for a new hearing regarding the appeal of the $80,000 in legal costs that were assessed against him after Democratic Party lawyers succeeded in persuading a court to remove him from the 2006 ballot. Democrats have claimed that the Nader and Romanelli campaigns falsified signatures on their ballot petitions.Mr. Romanelli was blocked from defending the validity of the signatures in 2006. Nader attorney Oliver Hall noted that “only a tiny number of signatures on the Nader petitions — 687 or 1.3 percent of the total — were counted as ‘forgeries’ by their signers, and in the words of Pennsylvania Supreme Court Justice Thomas Saylor, there is ‘no evidence’ to support Democrats’ claims that the Nader campaign was even aware of such signatures. Furthermore, no allegation of fraud was ever raised against Romanelli’s petitions. There is, however, evidence that the Nader petitions were the target of widespread and deliberate sabotage: specifically, petition circulators discovered and removed about 7,000 obviously fake signatures prior to submitting the petitions.” (Philadelphia Inquirer, July 17, http://www.philly.com/inquirer/opinion/20080717_Letters__One_Reader_s_View.html)”We support Carl Romanelli’s request for the court to drop the $80,000 legal fee costs that were imposed on him. The assessment of these costs is unprecedented and meant to intimidate non-Democrat and non-Republican candidates from running for office,” said Holly Hart, secretary of the Green Party of the United States. “The leveling of punitive and exorbitant costs for disqualified signatures is as outrageous as Pennsylvania’s ballot access rule that requires 2,000 valid signatures from Democratic or Republican candidates for President and other top offices, while requiring as many as 67,000 signatures for candidates from other parties or independents to get on the ballot.”The Ohio case involves the possible theft of the 2004 presidential election. Widespread evidence first collected by Greens showed that thousands of Ohio voters, especially African Americans and students, were either blocked from voting or their votes were uncounted or miscounted.David Cobb, the Green Party’s 2004 presidential nominee, joined with Libertarian nominee Michael Badnarik to investigate the complaints and demand a recount, after John Kerry quickly conceded the race to George W. Bush and his fellow Democrats took no action on the emerging scandal. Greens raised most of the money for legal and other fees for the Ohio recount. A commission called by Rep. John Conyers (D-Mich.) later collected and published evidence of massive irregularities in the Ohio election and attempts to thwart the recount, much of it based on evidence collected by Mr. Cobb and Mr. Badnarik. In January, 2007, two Cuyahoga County election officials were convicted of manipulating the recount.Green Party leaders called for an expanded investigation of the 2004 Ohio election fraud, expressing support for attorneys in the King Lincoln Bronzeville v. Blackwell case who have filed a motion to “lift the stay in the case [and] proceed with targeted discovery in order to help protect the integrity of the 2008 election.”Greens said that the investigation should especially target evidence that GOP operatives tampered with computer voting machines and the roles of White House advisor Karl Rove and former Ohio Secretary of State J. Kenneth Blackwell in the alleged vote theft.The Green Party endorses voter-verified paper ballots to provide an auditable record of votes cast on computer voting machines, as well as voting machine source codes that are designed to allow public inspection.”Voters deserve to see the candidates they support on the ballot, and deserve to know that the votes they cast will be counted. Unless the full weight of the law comes down on those who try to manipulate elections, and until we repeal ballot access rules designed to rig the vote in favor or one or two political parties, we’re in danger of seeing more damaged and stolen elections,” said David Cobb, the Green Party’s 2004 candidate for President of the United States.PLEASE NOTE: The above release corrects some details of the earlier version. A current member of the Pennsylvania House and a former House Democratic whip were charged, but not the current House whip. A former chief of staff of a House member was charged, not a current chief of staff. Also, Pennsylvania state law does not always require minor-party and independent candidates to collect more than 67,000 signatures. The requirement changes from year to year on a largely arbitrary basisMORE INFORMATIONGreen Party of the United States http://www.gp.org202-319-7191, 866-41GREENFax 202-319-7193Green candidate database for 2008 and other campaign information: http://www.gp.org/elections.shtmlGreen Party News Center http://www.gp.org/newscenter.shtmlGreen Party Speakers Bureau http://www.gp.org/speakersGreen Party ballot access page http://www.gp.org/2008-electionsCynthia McKinney/Rosa Clemente ‘Power to the People’ Campaign for the White Househttp://www.runcynthiarun.org2008 Green National Convention, July 10-13 in Chicago, Illinois http://www.greenparty2008.org“Ohio Attorney Files to Lift Stay on ‘04 Election Case, Cites Allegations, Evidence of Massive Fraud by a Number of GOP Operatives”Brad Blog, July 17, 2008http://www.bradblog.com/?p=6189#more-618

Res. No. 2008-R114 (Patron: All Members of Council) - To establish the City Charter Review Commission to conduct a comprehensive review of the City Charter and to recommend any necessary changes to the Council.

Dear Honorable City Employees and others,

I am writing because I am traveling this afternoon so I am unable to attend today’s Governmental Operations Committee but I wanted to express my opposition to the proposed Charter Review Commission and process.  

I’ve heard it described that the meetings will be open to the public but there will be no opportunity for citizen comment.  The proposed Commission is to be constituted of lawyers, elected officials (past or present), constitutional experts or professors, and business people who may not live in the city. Almost every class of resident is represented, save the most important — Citizens.

We are in our current situation with the lack of clarity in the roles and powers of the Council and Mayor because there was not an adequate discussion of what the change would mean to our form of government.  This is the first time the Charter will be reviewed in 60 years!  Why doesn’t the Council and the Mayor insist upon a review process similar to the “charrette” process used by the city in developing the updated Master Plan.


A Commission of “experts” is an insult the principles of democracy and self rule.  Democracy is based on the notion that people are the legitimate source of sovereignty — that government gains it’s legitimacy by the consent of the governed.  To assert that citizens have no rule to play in the redefinition of our form of government is elitist and diminishes the power of citizens.  Adding further insult is Mr. Tyler’s insistence on allowing individuals’ who own a business within in the city but do not live in the city to have a role shaping our government.  Shall our government be designed by business men can’t even vote in the City of Richmond? Only Mr. Pantele and Ms. McQuinn expressed strong support for limiting Commissioners to residents of Richmond.

I remember a Commission established by Council a few years back to study the strong mayor form or government.  At the conclusion of the Commission’s study, they offered no verdict on the proposed change of government and the Commission’s sole reccommendation was to extend the terms of Council.  I am afraid this new Commission will make similar undemocratic and unwarranted proposals.

A major discussion in this process should include the desire of citizens and elected officals to repeal the Dillon Rule which is a major obstruction to self government. (I also see today you will be discussing the Council’s Legislative agenda, repealing the Dillon Rule is an issue I would like to see the City purse.)  The Dillon Rule states that municipal governments are “creatures of the state” therefore municipal governments do not have any power not delegated by the General Assembly to the locality.  Only six states in the Union utilize the Dillon Rule and it has no place in a democracy.  The Dillon Rule by it’s rationale conveniently forgets that the state is a “creature of the people,” and that the people are the rightful heirs and source of all political power.  The Dillon Rule prizes the rule of the State over the rule of the people.  Me, I like democracy, open government, and empowering citizens in our political processes.

I hope my comments have been helpful and constructive.  Additionally, I would like to volunteer to serve on this Charter Review Commission.  As many of you know, I am serious about government, I have demonstrated a strong commitment to citizenship, and I want the best form of government for the City which I have made my home.

Thank you for your time and consideration.

Respectfully yours, Silver Persinger

Recent announcements about GRTC bus routes are disturbing. We hope that they are part of a bigger move to BETTER mass transit with GRTC adopting BRT, Bus Rapid Transit, but we have no word on that yet and so we speak against the route eliminations on behalf of the workers who use them.

This recent post on Treehugger.com reminds us that there are often conflicting agendas.

“In Rochester, New York, a lot of kids take public transit to school; the transit authority even organized its routes and service times to accommodate them, which seems logical enough. But it is not logical to the Federal Transit Administration; according to the Campaign for America’s Future:The FTA’s regional administrator, Brigid Hynes-Cherin, said the authority’s actions violated regulations governing federal mass transit funding because even though the routes could be used by general public, they weren’t primarily for the general public. Plus, she added—and here is where we get to the real nub of the issue—public bus systems can’t use federal money to provide services that compete with, or crowd out, private sector bus companies.” 

For Immediate Release

July 21, 2008

 Betsy Brinson Named 2008 Peacemaker of the Year

  The Richmond Peace Education Center (RPEC) has selected Dr. Betsy Brinson as its 2008 Peacemaker of the Year.  Brinson has been actively involved in peace and social justice concerns for many years.  She is a dedicated RPEC volunteer who in 2007 played a key role in organizing the Eyes Wide Open exhibit—a display of combat boots and shoes remembering Virginians and Iraqis killed during the past five years of war.  She was also chair of RPEC’s effort to offer civilian options to young people being recruited for military service.   She is on the board of Quaker House at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, which provides support to American troops internationally who are seeking to disengage from the military.

Brinson is a public historian with a strong commitment to social justice.  She is currently historian for the “Witness to a Century” project of the Virginia Historical Society and Community Idea Stations public television.  She is the founder and lead interviewer of the GI Rights Oral History Project.  She is also the Historian and Archivist of the Richmond Friends Meeting. 

 Brinson directed the American Civil Liberties Union in both Virginia and North Carolina, and headed the ACLU’s Southern Women’s Rights Project.  She directed “Living the Story,” an award-winning film about the struggle to end legal segregation in Kentucky.  She was the founding director of the Richmond AIDS Ministry and worked for almost a decade at Virginia Commonwealth University to increase the number of generalist physicians in medically under-served areas across Virginia.  She has also taught in high schools, colleges, and graduate schools.

The Peacemaker of the Year award is presented annually by the Richmond Peace Education Center to recognize a Richmond-area or Virginia resident who has contributed significantly in the struggle for peace and justice.  Brinson will receive her award at the Peace Center’s annual fundraising auction and dinner, Saturday, November 8 at the Troutman Sanders Building.  Previous recipients include Bishop Walter Sullivan, Congressman Bobby Scott, NAACP Executive Director King Salim Khalfani and the founders of Not With These Hands.

Reservations for the November 8 event are now available. Contact the Peace Center at 232-1002 or reservations@rpec.org.  $25 in advance, $30 at the door.

For more information: 

Richmond Peace Education Center, 232-1002, rpec@rpec.org