Read more on Third Party Watch. Remember, Nader is NOT the Green Party candidate this year (but would like to see him along with other candidates in the debates).

Distributed by the Green Party of the United States http://www.gp.orgNational Women’s Caucus of the Green Party of the United Stateshttp://greens.org/gp-uswomen/For Immediate ReleaseMonday, September 29, 2008Contact:Morgen D’Arc, Spokesperson, 207-761-7797, morgenizer@yahoo.comLinda Manning Myatt, Spokesperson, 248-548-6175, lmmyatt@wowway.comGreen Party National Women’s Caucus challenges NOW to support the historic McKinney/Clemente presidential campaignWASHINGTON, DC—The National Women’s Caucus (http://greens.org/gp-uswomen) of the Green Party of the United States has sent an open letter to the National Organization for Women (http://www.now.org) urging support for the Green Party’s presidential ticket. The text of the letter is appended below.The letter cites Green nominee Cynthia McKinney’s six terms in Congress and her unmatched dedication to the principles of equality and human rights championed by NOW. The National Women’s Caucus emphasizes the historical role that alternative parties have played in the struggle for women’s suffrage and rights, and notes that NOW has failed even to recognize the significance of America’s first national campaign by two women of African descent: Ms. McKinney is African American and running mate Rosa Clemente is Black Puerto Rican.OPEN LETTER TO NOW, THE NATIONAL ORGANIZATION FOR WOMENNational Women’s Caucus of the Green Party of the United Stateshttp://greens.org/gp-uswomen/Sunday, September 28, 2008Dear National Organization for Women leadership and members:The National Women’s Caucus of the Green Party of the United States is dismayed that your recent endorsement of Senator Barack Obama for President of the United States did not acknowledge the first all-female ticket in recent U.S. history. Cynthia McKinney and Rosa Clemente are running for President and Vice President, respectively, on the Green Party ballot line.Cynthia McKinney served six terms in the U.S. Congress and two terms in the Georgia General Assembly. She is a global human rights and peace activist with a substantial voting record supporting women. Rosa Clemente is a community organizer and journalist who was one of the founders and primary organizers of the first national Hip Hop political convention. Their “Power to the People” campaign goal is to ensure that public policy reflects the Green Party values of ecological wisdom, social justice, grassroots democracy, and nonviolence.Cynthia McKinney has been a steadfast supporter of full reproductive rights for women throughout her legislative career, including funding for contraception and UN family planning, and opposition to “abstinence only” sex education. Rosa Clemente has been an outspoken advocate on issues affecting people of color, particularly women, and has directed her campaign toward the 48% of young people who don’t vote, to encourage participation in the electoral process.Additional positions of the McKinney/Clemente campaign that will benefit women include:– Equal Rights – End to forced sterilization and coerced or uninformed consent procedures, – Immediate end to the War in Iraq and reinvestment of the money into our communities – Single-payer, universal “Medicare for All” – Election integrity where every vote is counted – Right to same-sex marriage – Free higher education – End to the drug war – Right of return of survivors of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita – Withdrawal from corporate trade agreements such as NAFTAthat are devastating economies worldwide – Promotion of renewable energy (no coal or nuclear) to create hundreds of thousands of new manufacturing, construction and service jobsNeither Obama nor his Republican opponent John McCain support these positions.The National Organization for Women PAC repeatedly praised Congresswoman McKinney during her six terms in U.S. Congress; and her record, on every relevant issue, surpasses those of the male endorsees. But now, these two women of color—powerful and power-challenging, real choices, and nominated by a political party that proudly boasts Feminism & Gender Equity among our Ten Key Values—don’t even receive acknowledgment.The National Organization for Women, at all levels, has long struggled over diverging feminist paths—choosing either to press for change within the existing power structure, and its institutions, or to step outside of the expected and challenge the institutions themselves. In the view of the National Women’s Caucus of the Green Party of the United States, NOW has best served women when NOW has recognized, in the words of Audre Lord, that “when you look back on the road you’ve come, and see pain, and look forward to the road you’re on, and see pain, then, step off the road, and make a new path.”We recall when NOW distributed buttons proclaiming that “Women were not born Democrats, Republicans, or YESTERDAY.” We recall when the heroines of our heritage were Belva Lockwood, Alice Paul and Sonia Johnson, each willing to form her own political party, or run for president independently, or both. They were willing because that path provided fewer barriers to telling the plain truth, the truth that needed to be heard, than did service to the establishment parties. We even recall when NOW announced the formation of its own, alternative, political party, the “Party for the 21st Century,” with Dolores Huerta at its head. We rejoiced when NOW sought to make a new path, because the old political road was simply too filled with the pain of condescension and compromise, deferment and settling for what was offered.Even when NOW, through its political action committee, decided in the last two decades to bestow its endorsement on candidates from the over-represented political parties, it was to reward them for actually moving closer to the day when a woman might be president, with a Geraldine Ferraro and a Hillary Clinton sitting in the candidate car, and not just trudging behind it, pushing. But this past week, that endorsement reward was offered without even that, out of the same “fear of the alternative” that has driven women to set our own hopes, dreams and destinations aside, time and again, to let the men drive the car.Belva, Alice and Sonia did not become president of the United States, but, with the support of the feminists of their time, speaking truth, each re-formed the vision that America had about women. While men can be feminists too, their institutions can only be deemed feminist if they produce equality. The dearth of elected women, at every level, is its own condemnation of the party structures that are the paved road of American democracy. It disappoints us greatly, that earlier this month, NOW has not made a new path. By failing to commend, or even comment on, the presidential candidacy of Cynthia McKinney and her Green Party running mate, Rosa Clemente, NOW is driving on the wrong side of history.We invite the National Organization for Women, and feminists everywhere, to support the Green Party and the McKinney/Clemente campaign. Come walk the walk with us, and make a new path.Sincerely,National Women’s Caucus, Green Party of the United StatesNan Garrett, Co-ChairGinny Marie Case, Co-ChairNational Women’s Caucus Member Claudia Ellquist, National NOWBoard member, 1990-94, participated in the drafting of this letterNational Women’s CaucusGreen Party of the United States1711 18th Street NWWashington, DC 20009202-319-7191202-319-7192MORE INFORMATIONAbortion and contraception: McKinney is a firm supporter of abortion rights, appearing on EMILY’s List of pro-choice women. She has also supported federal funding for contraception and U.N. family planning programs.http://socialissues.wiseto.com/Election2008/CynthiaMcKinney/#MajorElectionIssuesQuite a long statement on Women, Families and Children athttp://archives.allthingscynthiamckinney.com/mckinney.house.gov/women.htm

• Voted YES on reducing Marriage Tax by $399B over 10 years. (Mar 2001)
• Supported funding child care, child health, & child housing. (Jul 1999)http://www.issues2000.org/Cynthia_McKinney.htm

McKinney immediately challenged Georgia House rules requiring women to wear dresses by wearing slacksGreen Party of the United States http://www.gp.org202-319-7191, 866-41GREENFax 202-319-7193Cynthia McKinney/Rosa Clemente ‘Power to the People’ Campaign for the White Househttp://votetruth08.comhttp://www.runcynthiarun.orgCynthia McKinney on videohttp://www.youtube.com/user/RunCynthiaRunhttp://www.youtube.com/profile_videos?user=RunCynthiaRun• Press conference, September 10 at the National Press Club in Washington, DC http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w_5ivgS4asc• Speech in Denver, August 24: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rPxgcjOjUEc• Music video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gx1NPlQjkqo

“Environmental policy advisers to presidential candidates Barack Obama and John McCain will discuss their candidate’s proposals Oct. 1 at the University of Richmond School of Law. The 12:15 p.m. program will be held in the Moot Court Room and is free and open to the public.”Was the Green Party invited? Nope, despite contrasting positions on energy, environment, and the current economic crisis. 

 McCain and Team Have Many Ties to Gambling Industryhttp://www.truthout.org/092808AJo Becker and Don Van Natta Jr., The New York Times: “Senator John McCain was on a roll. In a room reserved for high-stakes gamblers at the Foxwoods Resort Casino in Connecticut, he tossed $100 chips around a hot craps table. When the marathon session ended around 2:30 a.m., the Arizona senator and his entourage emerged with thousands of dollars in winnings.” Joseph E. Stiglitz | A Better Bailouthttp://www.truthout.org/092808DJoseph E. Stiglitz, The Nation: “The champagne bottle corks were popping as Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson announced his trillion-dollar bailout for the banks, buying up their toxic mortgages. To a skeptic, Paulson’s proposal looks like another of those shell games that Wall Street has honed to a fine art. Wall Street has always made money by slicing, dicing and recombining risk. This ‘cure’ is another one of these rearrangements: somehow, by stripping out the bad assets from the banks and paying fair market value for them, the value of the banks will soar.” 

Vincent BugliosiMonday    October 13th, 2008   at   7 p.m.The Camel 1621 W. Broad StreetCost:$5 (Suggested Donation)In his new book, The Prosecution of George W. Bush for Murder, Vincent Bugliosi makes a devastating, well documented case that President George W. Bush is guilty of murder as a result of the lies he told to justify the invasion of Iraq.As a Los Angeles prosecutor, Bugliosi represented the state in 106 major cases and won 105, including each of his 21 murder cases. Since his first book, Helter Skelter, he\’s been one of the top true crime writers with three number one best sellers and numerous awards.In his best known case, Bugliosi convicted Charles Manson of murder even though Manson was never at two of the crime scenes when the victims were murdered. Bugliosi\’s argument is simple. Bush wanted a war with Iraq. He had to show that a preemptive invasion of Iraq was justified. To do this Iraq had to be an imminent threat to the United States. There were two major problems. Bush couldn\’t prove any connection between Saddam Hussein and 9/11. More importantly, his own 2002 classified intelligence estimate found that Saddam was not an imminent threat to the United States. He simply reversed the findings of the National Intelligence Estimate (NEI) of 2002. For further details call Mary @ 804-347-7945.

A number of Richmond mayoral candidates are protesting the City Democratic Committee’s endorsement for Dwight Jones. Some of them are even suggesting that the City Democratic Committee is in violation of the Voting Rights Act and are acting against the values and principles of the Democratic Party. For Greens, this comes as no surprise. We question what those supposed Democratic values are. We list ours on the GP national website. Where do the Democrats or Republicans list theirs? More importantly, does anyone believe they follow any set values anymore? As times get tough in Richmond and the nation, please continue to ask leadership for values’ based decision making. And yes, this means more than just keeping track of who is having an affair or whose baby is whose. This continues to come down to democratic (notice the small ‘d’) basics of a fair vote and open debate.

Dear American: I need to ask you to support an urgent secret business relationship with a transfer of funds of great magnitude. I am Ministry of the Treasury of the Republic of America. My country has had crisis that has caused the need for large transfer of funds of 800 billion dollars US. If you would assist me in this transfer, it would be most profitable to you. I am working with Mr. Phil Gram, lobbyist for UBS, who will be my replacement as Ministry of the Treasury in January. As a Senator, you may know him as the leader of the American banking deregulation movement in the 1990s. This transactin is 100% safe. This is a matter of great urgency. We need a blank check. We need the funds as quickly as possible. We cannot directly transfer these funds in the names of our close friends because we are constantly under surveillance. My family lawyer advised me that I should look for a reliable and trustworthy person who will act as a next of kin so the funds can be transferred. Please reply with all of your bank account, IRA and college fund account numbers and those of your children and grandchildren to wallstreetbailout@treasury.gov so that we may transfer your commission for this transaction. After I receive that information, I will respond with detailed information about safeguards that will be used to protect the funds. Yours Faithfully Minister of Treasury Paulson 

Got this from the Canadian Green Party: As Elizabeth May’s train makes its way through the Prairies en route to Halifax, the Green Party is inviting all our friends and supporters to take a virtual ride along with her. Hop on board at greentrain.ca! Track Elizabeth’s progress, see when whistle stop rallies are scheduled for your community, and read the platform at the heart of this extraordinary cross-country journey. Sustainable transportation is a major part of the Green Party platform, and investing in our railways is a key component of our national strategy. Like Sir John A. Macdonald, we believe that government has a role to play by spearheading this and similar Pan-Canadian projects that benefit everyone in our vast country. Show your support for Elizabeth May, the Green Party, and the national rail dream that helped create Canada. Buy your “ticket to ride” by making a secure online donation today. Together, we can convince our fellow Canadians to climb on board and vote for tomorrow.