The Green
Diamond
e-newsletter
- vol. 6-1
January
8, 2006
a
publication of
The
Green Party of Delaware
www.gpde.us
greenpartyde@yahoo.com
Grassroots
Democracy - Economic & Social Justice - Nonviolence/Peace -
Ecological Wisdom
Join
the Revolution!
Become
a card-carrying Green
FOR
$36* A YEAR YOU
CAN HELP BUILD A POWERFUL, PROGRESSIVE
GREEN PARTY.
Buy
Your Green Party Card Online
www.gp.org
Email:
info@greenpartyus.org
Office:
PO Box 57065 Washington, D.C. 20037
202-319-7191
or toll-free (US): 866-41GREEN
(P.S.
Don't forget the Green Party of Delaware in you contributions!)
INSIDE
THIS ISSUE
Green
Party of Delaware
GPDE
Coordinating Committee Minutes, 11/29/05
Green
Pages Available
Green
Party of the United States
Congress
Must Impeach Bush and Cheney Say Greens
Greens
Win 1/4 of 2005 Races In Which They Competed
Green
Things
INTERNATIONAL
& STATE-WIDE TASK FORCE NAMED TO ADDRESS DELAWARE'S SOLID WASTE
PROBLEMS
Letters
to the Editor & Editorials
Greens
Involvement with Task Force Questioned
My
Dear Friend Johnny
Area
Organizations/Projects of Potential Interest to Green Party Members
and Sympathizers
Green
Party of Delaware
GPDE
Coordinating Committee Minutes, 11/29/05
Attending:
John Atkeison, David McCorquodale, Roger Horowitz, and Bernie August
Treasurer's Report
$501.04
in treasury. Paid bill to national GP for antiwar car ribbons and
other literature. Will ask for opportunities to print on reverse side
of palm card prepared by national.
Web page
Discussion
on what would be appropriate links to have on our web page. Agreed by
consensus that it can have any link to not for profit organizations
and green businesses. Businesses should be asked for advertising fees
based on size. Prior consultation with the CC is necessary before
inserting links to political organizations.
Clerk position
Jamie
Sloan has missed two consecutive meetings. Under the GPDE bylaws this
means the clerk position is vacant. Bernie August nominated and
elected clerk.
Newark local
Status
of local unclear. David will send email to local members seeing what
they want to do.
Berg
for Congress campaign
Agreed
to make campaign the major GP activity in 2006. Bernie will collect
information on Castle's votes for the campaign. John may serve as
Berg's campaign manager, with some pay if enough money is raised.
Red Clay School Board campaign
J.
Roy Cannon considering seeking seat on Red Clay School Board, hasn't
decided whether to run.
Green movies
Discussion
of organizing Green "movie nights" to draw in new members.
Alternate recycling board
John
Kearney creating alternative recycling board, has invited the GPDE to
send a representative. CC appoints John as representative with Bernie
as alternate.
Submitting
by Roger Horowitz, 1/1/06.
Editor's
note: In December, Cannon decided not to seek election to Red Clay
School Board after consulting with a number of people inside and
outside the Green Party. Based on his discussions, he concluded
there was inadequate support to win the election.
*
Green
Pages Available
We
have received the Winter 2006 issue of Green Pages. Anyone
wishing to distribute some or receive an individual copy contact
David McCorquodale.
mccorq@comcast.net
Green
Party of the United States
GREEN
PARTY OF THE UNITED STATES
http://www.gp.org
For
Immediate Release:
Tuesday,
January 3, 2006
Contacts:
Scott
McLarty, Media Coordinator, 202-518-5624, mclarty@greens.org
Starlene
Rankin, Media Coordinator, 916-995-3805, starlene@greens.org
Congress
Must Impeach Bush and Cheney Say Greens
Cite
White House lawlessness, growing threat to U.S. democracy, and war
crimes
WASHINGTON,
D.C. -- Citing a litany of alleged high crimes and misdemeanors,
abuses of power, and violations of the U.S. Constitution, Green Party
leaders urged Congress to initiate impeachment proceedings against
President George W. Bush and Vice President Cheney as soon as
possible.
"The
evidence that President Bush has abused his office and betrayed the
trust of the American people is now so overwhelming that failure to
undertake impeachment would make Congress even more complicit in this
administration's lawlessness," said Nan Garrett, Georgia Green
Party co-chair and spokesperson for the National Women's Caucus.
"Three more years of Bush and Cheney will do lasting damage to
the rule of law and result in even more death and destruction under
Bush's reckless policies."
"The
Bush Administration blocked an independent probe into 9/11 while
making fraudulent statements about the reasons for invading Iraq, and
now admits that it spies on American citizens in disregard of legal
limits. What more does Congress need before it says enough is
enough?" Ms. Garrett added.
The
Green Party of the United States called for Congress to commence
impeachment of President Bush in July, 2003, after he ordered the
invasion of Iraq. The resolution accused the President of numerous
deceptions to justify the invasion, as well as violations of the U.S.
Constitution (restriction in Article II on the deployment of Armed
Forces to defense of U.S. borders; required adherence to
international treaties in Article VI) and of international law (U.N.
Charter; Geneva conventions).
"In
early 2003, there already existed credible evidence that the war was
based on White House fraud: false claims that Saddam Hussein
possessed WMDs, sought nuclear weapons materials, and colluded with
al Qaeda. But most Democrats feared accusations that they'd be soft
on terrorism and unpatriotic if they criticized the invasion,"
said Jody Grage Haug, co-chair of the Green Party of the United
States. "Three years later, after more than 2,100 U.S. troop
deaths, tens of thousands of dead Iraqi civilians, a continuing
military quagmire in Iraq, and indications that the invasion and
occupation inflamed anti-U.S. sentiment around the world, especially
in Islamic nations, some Democrats have caught up to the Green
Party."
In
addition to White House falsehoods leading up to the war on Iraq,
Greens listed other grounds for impeachment:
*
President Bush ordered
the National Security Agency to spy on American citizens without
obtaining a warrant in accord with the Fourth Amendment and the 1978
Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA). Recent FBI targets of
surveillance (nonviolent peace and human rights organizations,
Catholic Workers Group, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals,
Vegan Community Project) prove that his administration's goals have
more to do with politics than with preventing terrorism. Mr. Bush's
insistence that such surveillance is justified and will continue is
further proof of his contempt for the law.
*
Numerous Bush
Administration policies -- denial of due process, extraordinary
rendition, secret detention centers, and torture at various sites,
including Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo Bay -- have violated U.S. and
international law. Vice President Cheney attempted to gain a license
from Congress for torture, even though it has been proven ineffective
for gathering accurate information (e.g., Ibn Al Shaykh Al Libi's
testimony about links between Saddam Hussein and al Qaeda, later
recanted). Greens noted that the agreement reached by Mr. Bush and
Sen. John McCain purportedly outlawing torture allows a significant
loophole (see "Tortured Logic: McCain-Bush deal has a big
loophole" by James Ridgeway with Michael Roston, The Village
Voice, December 19, 2005,
http://www.villagevoice.com/news/0551,ridgeway,71143,2.html
*
Congress must investigate
whether the White House endorsed the use of outlawed weapons
materials such as depleted uranium, which causes radioactive
contamination of humans (U.S. troops as well as Iraqi civilians) and
the environment; white phosphorus, a chemical whose use in warfare is
proscribed by international agreement; and cluster bombs, which do
not distinguish between civilians and combatants. Their use in Iraq
is a war crime for which either the President himself or the Defense
Department must be held accountable. Other war crimes, which require
impeachment if based on White House orders, include the military
targeting of journalists, individual reporters as well as television
stations (Al Jazeera and Abu Dhabi), and looting of hospitals,
museums, and private homes.
"Many
Americans have realized that the Bush-Cheney ideology is about
installing a permanent corporate elite in power, buttressed by
military power and public fear over perceived and fabricated threats,
while missing real dangers to our security," said Jake
Schneider, treasurer of the Green Party of the United States. "The
response to Katrina, dismissed evidence of global warming,
manipulated scientific research, energy policy crafted in secret with
corporate lobbies, new prescription drug policy, attack on Social
Security, 2000 and 2004 election irregularities, and other evidence
should lay to rest any illusion about this Administration's disregard
for the interests of the American people."
MORE
INFORMATION
Green
Party of the United States
http://www.gp.org
1700
Connecticut Avenue NW, Suite 404
Washington,
DC 20009.
202-319-7191,
866-41GREEN
Fax
202-319-7193
"Congress
Must Reject Patriot Act, Ban Warrantless Spying"
Press
release from the Green Party of the United States, December 19, 2005
http://www.gp.org/press/pr_2005_12_19.shtml
"Greens
Call for Impeachment of Bush, Withdrawal of Troops by the Winter
Holidays"
Press
release from the Green Party of the United States, July 21, 2003
http://www.gp.org/press/pr_07_21_03.html
~
END ~
*
GREEN
PARTY OF THE UNITED STATES
http://www.gp.org
For
Immediate Release:
Thursday,
January 5, 2006
Contacts:
Scott
McLarty, Media Coordinator, 202-518-5624, mclarty@greens.org
Starlene
Rankin, Media Coordinator, 916-995-3805, starlene@greens.org
Greens
Win 1/4 of 2005 Races In Which They Competed
After
GOP scandals and weak Democratic leadership, Greens expect 2006 to be
a good year for alternative party growth.
WASHINGTON,
D.C. -- Green Party candidates won a quarter of all the races in
which they competed in 2005.
Out
of 177 Green candidates, 46 were elected to public office in 2005 --
a 25.99% victory rate. A summary of Green wins in 2005 can be read
at http://www.gp.org/elections.shtml
"The
2005 off-year elections showed steady growth for the Green Party,"
said Jody Grage Haug, co-chair of the Green Party of the United
States.
The
only Green incumbent candidates who lost in 2005 were two Minneapolis
City Council members, Natalie Johnson Lee and Dean Zimmerman, who
were defeated after Democrats deliberately redistricted the city in
order to weaken Green support.
But
these defeats were offset by the election of nonincumbent Green
candidate Cam Gordon to the Minneapolis City Council.
Greens
enjoyed some 'surprise' victories in various states:
*
Mike Sellers was elected
Mayor of Cobbleskill, New York. There are now two Green mayors in
New York; the other is Jason West of New Paltz. While the Republican
incumbent and the Democratic ran negative campaigns against each
other, Mr. Sellers ran a positive campaign and focused on his Get Out
the Vote effort, gaining 46% of the vote.
*
On May 7, David Lanman
was elected Mayor of Marfa, Texas.
*
In a partisan three-way
race, Marty Qually was elected to the Gettysburg, Pennsylvania
Borough Council.
*
Hillary Bradbury-Huang
was elected to the Pasadena City College Board of Trustees.
"We
expect some dramatic Green victories in 2006," said Jennifer
Walling, co-chair of the Green Party's Coordinated Campaign
Committee. The public has grown disgusted with the nightly news
about Republican abuses of power, deceptions behind the Iraq war,
Katrina incompetence, election irregularities in 2000 and 2004, and
corruption, including the Abramoff charges and DeLay allegations."
"But
Americans also know that Democrats have facilitated such abuses and
are just as addicted to corporate money. A NPR poll released this
week found that the public has slightly less confidence in Democrats
than in President Bush on the question of ethics, and that the two
established parties are equal when it come to corruption
http://www.greenbergresearch.com/articles/1656/1786_npr_poll.pdf
The
time is ripe for a third party insurgence."
As
of January 1, 2006 there are at least 227 elected Green
officeholders.
MORE
INFORMATION
Green
Party of the United States
http://www.gp.org
1700
Connecticut Avenue NW, Suite 404
Washington,
DC 20009.
202-319-7191,
866-41GREEN
Fax
202-319-7193
Green
Victories in 2005
http://www.gp.org/elections.shtml
http://www.greens.org/elections/
~
END ~
Green
Things
Common Cause of
Delaware
1304 N. Rodney St., 3rd
Floor, Wilmington, Delaware
For immediate release:
December 27, 2005
Contact: John Kearney(302) 762-1586 e-mail:
jdf0000@aol.com
INTERNATIONAL
& STATE-WIDE TASK FORCE NAMED TO ADDRESS DELAWARE'S SOLID WASTE
PROBLEMS
The
urgent need to address solutions to Delaware's solid waste disposal
problems has spurred the formation of an international and statewide
task force to develop solutions to the problem. Task force members
are listed below.
The
formation of the task force was announced on Tue., December 27, 2005,
at 10:00 a.m., rm. 105, 2nd floor, Community Services Building, 100
W. 10th St., Wilm.
Common
Cause of Delaware, Environmentalists for Truth (EFT), Clean Air
Council, Urban Health & Environmental Learning Project (UHELP),
have joined a wide-ranging group of concerned citizens, legislators,
public health advocates, business and community leaders, industry
representatives and environmentalists to address solid waste disposal
issues in De.
The
task force will focus on the evaluation of solutions that will
protect public health, promote economic vitality, and be socially and
environmentally responsible.
The
task force will prepare a final report in May 2006 outlining
solutions to solid waste disposal problems. The group also will draft
legislation to implement the solutions chosen.
Common
Cause is a non-partisan, non-profit citizens' advocacy group
dedicated to government reform and accountability.
Members
Association of Community
Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN)
Richard V. Anthony
California Resource
Recovery Association, Grassroots Recycling Network,
Zero Waste International
Alliance, USA National Recycling Coalition, and
Keep California Beautiful
Philip Randolph
Institute
John Atkeison, Green
Party of Delaware
Charles E. Brittingham,
president, NAACP Delaware State Conference of Branches
Honorable John J.
Cartier, New Castle County Council, 8th district
Honorable
Catherine A. Cloutier, State Senator, 5th district
Honorable Charles L.
Copeland, State Senator, 4th district
TBA the Department of
Natural Resources and Environmental Control (DNREC)
TBA representative, the
DuPont Company
Michael D. Fiorentino,
Esq.
Executive Director
Mid-Atlantic Environmental Law Center
Brenda Gunter, director,
Urban Health & Environmental Learning Project (UHELP)
Stephanie L. Hansen,
Esq., environmental attorney
John M. Kearney, Ex.
Dir., Environmentalists for Truth
Richard J. Korn, public
member, Hockessin
John Kowalko, public member, Newark
Muna Lakhani, Zero Waste
Project Coordinator, Earthlife Africa, Johannesburg, Africa
Honorable, Gregory F.
Lavelle, State Representative, 11th district
Ellen Lebowitz, Waste
Crisis Working Group
Maryanne McGonegal, sec.,
Common Cause of Delaware
Honorable Karen E.
Peterson, State Senator, 9th district
Coralie Pryde, public
member, Wilmington
Steve Tindall, president,
Cragmere Civic Association
Patricia Todd, public
member, Wilmington
Honorable Jea P. Street,
New Castle County Council, 10th District
Brock J. Vinton II,
public member, Wilmington
Bill Zack, public member,
Lewes
Letters
to the Editor & Editorials
Greens
Involvement with Task Force Questioned
Dear
fellow Greens:
I
have been a GPDE member for quite a while. Since my primary
affiliation is with Green Delaware, I don't generally try to take any
role in the decision-making processes of the GPDE.
However,
I feel I must protest the recent handling of the GPDE representation
on a "task force" related to incineration and other waste
problems.
The
GPDE agreed to join in and support this effort without consultation
with key people working on this issue, without ensuring that
long-time workers on the issue supported it and participated in it,
and without making sure that it was a good-faith effort. Nor did the
GPDE make the decision in a transparent manner. When these concerns
were brought up to the leadership of the GPDE, the mistakes were not
corrected.
(The
"task force" is in fact loaded with incinerator promoters
and other questionable types, and its organizer has stated that
"nothing is off the table," including dump expansion and
incineration....)
In
other words, the GPDE has failed to "walk the talk."
Arguably, it has violated the medical dictum "first, do no
harm."
This
raises serious concerns in my mind as to how my concerns and efforts
in Delaware are aided by being a GPDE member.
I
hope this note will not start any sort of "flame war."
Sincerely,
Alan
Muller
amuller@dca.net
*
My
Dear Friend Johnny
Vic
A
man that my sisters and I grew up with was in the second tower, above
where the second plane hit. He saw the plane hit his tower. It
strikes me that conspiracy theories on subjects ranging from the
Kennedy assassination to the building of the pyramids have one thing
in common. That is the underestimation of the sophistication and
abilities of people. Oswald could swing the bolt. Inca people weren't
incapable of building civilizations with out the help of Martians.
Dedicate religious zealots are capable of monstrous deeds and the
sophisticated engineering to pull them off. At the core of denials of
all this is racism and the need for the cheap excitement of being in
the know. Sean saw the plane fly into his tower and stayed on the
phone for long enough to talk about it to his mother and wife. The
fuel load reduced the building to dust and Jell-O. A more alert
justice department would have prevented these attacks. The far left
helped Karl and the boys keep a more responsible party out of power.
Any election that isn't won by 5 points can be stolen. Welcome to
politics! We should have won the last two by ten points. Boots on
the ground. I hate to see energetic and well meaning people wasting
there efforts on odd dreams, (Ochum rolls in his grave!) when they
could make a real difference. Wasted effort on the left is Karl Roves
dream come true. I hope in future elections more people follow the
Nations lead.
In
the next election, hold your nose and get into the fray! Why do care?
I know you can make a difference!
Johnny
My
dear friend Johnny,
Your curt dismissal
reveals a common tendency to believe without proof...just because the
corporate media says so. What proof are you citing? Not what
newspapers! What proof?
You employ
a straw man argument with me, an argument that implies something that
I never said. I never said that planes did not hit towers
#1 and 2! I said that no plane hit tower #7!
Why
did #7 go down in 7 seconds into its own footprint and why did its
concrete, like that of the main towers, turn to a pile of dust?
Why are you arguing against something unsaid instead of looking into
the alternatives presented to you? The first question presented to
you was scientific, not even about opinion! At what
temperature does steel melt? (2,500 degrees is what we've been told
by physics professor Steven Jones at Brigham Young University. His
paper is below. Yet jet fuel burns under the best conditions at about
1800 degrees. Do the math! You fail to address the smoking gun
nature of the questions aimed at the official story about
Building #7. In fact, they should have hit it with a plane. Then, my
friend, would have the proof he needs, eh? It went down in
7 seconds, which can only be explained by controlled demolition! If
you can prove otherwise, then you can win 1 million dollars from
Jimmy Walter!) I would think that the burden of proof remains on
those asserting such absurd stories. Physics professor Steven Jones
of conservative Brigham Young University. Johnny, open your
mind. Do your homework! Then dismiss if you like!
You
were told of a free DVD offer by millionaire patriot Jimmy Walter
that will challenge your acceptance of the official conspiracy
story that 19 Arabs (Able Danger assets?) defeated the entire
billion dollar US military and intelligence establishment 4 times in
one day with nary a response and no firings or discipline as a
result, only praise and promotions! Is this not at all odd to you,
sir? That free offer stands.
If every deadly and
repressive policy is justified by 9/11, one would think that
some sort of forensic criminal investigation would be in order with a
focus on means, motive, opportunity, and who benefited or got
what they wanted. No? Isn't that what you expect of every detective
investigating a crime scene on TV? Why not the same scrutiny for
the murder of almost 3,000 American citizens? Did you explore even
one of the sites that I posted? Or is your argument that any
pursuit of the truth of 9/11 is nutty and off-limits to mere
citizens; that it must be left to a Commission that failed to
subpoena all video from the Pentagon and refused to consider any
but the Bush story given the day after 9/11 to announce the "war
on terror"?
Finally,
you ignore that many high level Republicans question the
official story. I again offer you the former chief economist in the
labor department, Republican Morgan Reynolds
John,
I do not want this to get personal. But if you say that you respect
me, then I need a response that is not a condescending
dismissal, one that does not avoid what I actually posit, one
that reveals a rather lazy level of intellectual curiosity and
engagement. I need to hear that you have explored what I offer.
And I need to hear some analysis in your thoughts, sir.
Respectfully
submitted by your long time friend and fellow citizen against
fascism,
Vic
Sadot
Share
your ideas and actions for a better community and world. Submit your
letters to the editor at jcannon11@comcast.net.
Area
Organizations/Projects of Potential Interest to Green Party Members
and Sympathizers
Pacem
in Terris
Pacem
in Terris is a non-profit organization that strives to facilitate the
active participation of people and organizations on the Delmarva
Peninsula, especially the religious community, on the issues and
projects relevant to the quest for peace and justice throughout the
world. Through seminars, activities, and experiences, we seek to
change community attitudes and help people understand that peace is
not a dream, but a necessity, now and in the future.
www.paceminterris.com
A.
Philip Randolph Institute (APRI)
The
Philip Randolph Institute was founded in 1965 by Philip Randolph and
Bayard Rustin. Funded by the AFL-CIO the main objective of the
organization is to bridge the gap between the African American
community and the trade union movement. Activities included local
civil rights campaigns, voter registration and job training.
www.apri.org
Latin
American Community Center
LACC
provides social services; information and referral; emergency food
closet; family and individual therapy; substance abuse prevention,
and education programs; AIDS education; pre-employment preparation
and occupational training.
ematusov.soe.udel.edu/LaRedMagica/La%20Red%20Magica%20project/LaRedMagica.htm
Progressive
Voices
Listen
to "Progressive Voices" every Monday evening, 7:30 to 8:00
p.m. on WVUD, 91.3 FM from the University of Delaware in Newark,
DE. From anywhere in the world listen on line at
http://www.wvud.org/listen_online.htm. Email
questions and comments to pvoices@gmail.com.
E-mails are read during the show and
receive comment if possible.
Progressive
Voices features people who believe in democracy, a healthy
environment, the right to organize, peace, and other "progressive"
values. If you are interested in appearing on Progressive
Voices contact Alan Muller at 302.834.3466, amuller@dca.net, or
Marian Peleski, msmarian@comcast.net
Green
Delaware
Green
Delaware is a grassroots organization concerned with environmental
and public health issues in Delaware and surrounding states. We
advocate policies consistent with good health, preservation of
biodiversity, and long-term sustainability. We believe that achieving
these ends also requires progress towards human relationships based
on peace, justice, and democratic forms of government.
While
the Green Party of Delaware and Green Delaware often agree on
important issues, the two organizations are not affiliated.
www.greendel.org
This
represents an initial list of area organizations/projects that the
Green Diamond wishes to recognize and bring to the attention of its
readers. The Green Diamond Advisory Board and its editor will add
other organizations/projects to this list in the near future with
on-going additions as deemed appropriate.
This
list does not mean the Green Party of Delaware endorses the listed
organizations/projects. However, with this list we do recognize
the straightforwardness and general progressive spirit with which
they approach their missions.
Readers
of the Green Diamond are encouraged to submit the names and a brief
description of organizations they would like to see listed in the
Green Diamond by writing the editor at jcannon11@comcast.net.
Fair
Use Notice: This site contains copyrighted material the use of
which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright
owner. We are making such material available in our efforts to
advance understanding of environmental, political, human rights,
economic, democracy, scientific, and social justice issues, etc. We
believe this constitutes a 'fair use' of any such copyrighted
material as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. In
accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, the material on this
site is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a
prior interest in receiving the included information for research and
educational purposes. For more information go to:
http://www.law.cornel.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml
If
you wish to use copyrighted material from this site for purposes of
your own that go beyond 'fair use', you must obtain permission from
the copyright owner.
The
Green Diamond is an endorsed publication of the Green Party of
Delaware. The editor with the Green Diamond Advisory Board reserves
the right to review and publish material that will build and expand
the Green Party as an alternative, independent politics striving to
achieve responsible government, empower citizens and communities,
offer hope to our citizens and call them to action.
If
you wish to contribute or think you are receiving the Green Diamond
in error, please contact the editor at:
jcannon11@comcast.net
Your
comments are welcome and needed.
|