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SF Green Party Weekly
by announce＠sfgreens.org 30 Sep '05

30 Sep '05

SFGP WEEKLY For The Week of 9/30/05 - 10/6/05 This Week: ********************************************************** News: 9/23: Between Those With Autos and Those Without 9/24: The Black 911: Bush has declared war on Black people ********************************************************** Events: 9/30: Protest Arnold's Veto! 10/2: Castro Street Fair 10/2: Brava Theaters Presents Truthsayers: A Hurricane Katrina Benefit with Matt Gonzalez, Ross Mirkarimi, Lines in Analog Sound, Malik Rahim and *more*! 10/3: Campaigns and Issues Working Group Meeting ********************************************************** Announcements: Joke of the Week "Opt-Out" Deadline for High School Students Become A Sustainer! ********************************************************** News ********************* ********************************************************** 9/23: Between Those With Autos and Those Without Note: In China and elsewhere around the globe, the automobile is being attacked as a symbol of inequality. By Philip Cunningham BEIJING -- The world is quickly being split into two hostile camps: those with cars, and those without. Nowhere is this division more apparent than in this city of 14 million people, where cars are pushing bicycles onto the sidewalk and people up against the wall. In China, the last big country nominally dedicated to the idea of social and economic equality, the onslaught of the auto has been particularly vexing. If Chinese were to enjoy access to automobiles on par with Americans, it would deplete the world's known oil reserves while turning rice fields into parking lots. China Daily recently opined, "In Beijing, some 4 million bikes now compete for road space with more than 2 million cars, and a quick glance at the newly widened boulevards, overpasses and ring roads of the capital clearly shows which means of transport has been getting priority." For more, go to: http://news.ncmonline.com/ NCM Ethnic Media Nationwide ********************************************************** 9/24: The Black 911: Bush has declared war on Black people by Suncere Ali Ahakur There is total devastation in the Black community down here in New Orleans. All the stories you hear about FEMA and the Red Cross, man, they are slow getting to the people down here. If it wasnt for the people on the ground, the grassroots folks getting supplies and water and things they need, they probably would just perish. Im in Algiers (a neighborhood on the West Bank across the river from downtown New Orleans) with brother Malik Rahim. With the people hes been able to organize, hes been able to save about 70 percent of the community. Youve got Homeland Security running up and down the streets; youve got private security running up and down the streets. The Army pulled in yesterday; now weve got the 82nd Airborne running up and down the streets. For more, go to: http://www.sfbayview.com/092105/theblack911092105.shtml ********************************************************** *********************************** Events *********************************** *********************************************************** 9/30: Protest Arnold's Veto Friday, September 30th 5pm Castro and Market Protest Gov. Schwarzenegger's veto of the Marriage Equality Bill with dozens of progressive groups atatewide. Meet at 5 p.m. at Harvey Milk Plaza (corner of Castro and Market) and then march to the LGBT Center (corner of Market and Octavia). Contact John Lewis at (415) 377 7924 or email sf(a)eqca.org. *********************************************************** 10/2: Castro Street Fair Sunday, October 2nd 12:00noon- 5:00pm Join the San Francisco Green Party for a fun time at the annual Castro Street Fair! Enjoy the booths, the events, and the sights, and help us register voters, collect donations, pass out literature, outreach to District 8 and the LGBT community, and let people know that, with our positive postion on same-sex marriage, queer rights, and pro-people policies, that it's *easy* being Green! Enjoy the afternoon at the Fair and then head over to the Brava Theater for Truthsayers (see below). This has been a tough year for registration - every event is critical for us so please step forward. For more information, contact Mark mwbsf(a)riseup.net *********************************************************** 10/2: Brava Theaters Presents Truthsayers: A Hurricane Katrina Benefit with Matt Gonzalez, Ross Mirkarimi, Lines in Analog Sound, Malik Rahim and *more*! Sunday, October 2nd 5pm- 8pm Brava Theater Center, 2729 24th Street (at York), San Francisco, CA $20 -$2000 Give til it hurts (no one turned away for lack of funds) A Benefit to Rebuild Green in New Orleans www.rebuildgreen.org and the Vanguard Foundation¹s Peoples Hurricane Relief Fund. (Prioritizing Children) With Luisah Teish, Marga Gomez, Dance Brigade, Keith Hennessy, Matt Gonzalez, Will Durst, Anne Galjour, Amara Tabor-Smith of Urban Bush Women, Maurice Campbell, Ross Mirkarimi, Beth Custer Ensemble, Molotov Mouths, Ahimsa Sumchai, Thea Hillman, Medea Benjamin, Lines in Analog Sound, Loco Bloco, Lichi Fuentes With a Report from Malik Rahim of the Green Party, New Orleans For more information call 415 647-2822 or go to www.brava.org http://www.brava.org/Pages/CurrentPro.html#katrina http://www.rebuildgreen.org *********************************************************** 10/03: Campaigns and Issues Working Group Meeting Monday, October 3rd 7:00pm- 9:00pm 1028A Howard St. (SFGP Office) The Campaigns and Issues working group will be planning our slate card and discussing ways to support the campaigns we have endorsed. Other items TBA. Please contact Susan King (funking(a)mindspring.com) Marc Solomon (marc(a)cybre.net) or Charlene Smythe (info(a)sfgreens.org) if you have an item relevant to this working group that you would like to have on the agenda *********************************************************** ************************* Announcements: ************************* *********************************************************** Joke of the Week (Due to massive support for this section, our staff now presents *two* jokes each week! Enjoy! -ed.) What Is A Tragedy President Bush was visiting a primary school and he dropped in on one of the classes. They were in the middle of a discussion related to words and their meanings. The teacher asked the President if he would like to lead the discussion on the word "tragedy". So the illustrious leader asked the class for an example of a "tragedy". One little boy stood up and offered: "If my best friend, who lives on a farm, is playing in the field and a tractor runs over him and kills him that would be a tragedy." "No," said Bush, "that would be an accident." A little girl raised her hand: "If a school bus carrying 50 children drove over a cliff, killing everyone inside, that would be a tragedy." "I'm afraid ! not," explained the president. "That's what we would call a great loss." The room went silent. No other children volunteered. Bush searched the room. "Isn't there someone here who can give me an example of a tragedy?" Finally at the back of the room a small boy raised his hand. In a quiet voice he said: "If Air Force One carrying you and Mrs. Bush was struck by a "friendly fire" missile and blown to smithereens that would be a tragedy." "Fantastic!" exclaimed Bush. "That's right. And can you tell me why that would be a tragedy?" "Well," says the boy, "It has to be a tragedy, because it certainly wouldn't be a great loss and it probably wouldn't be a fucking accident either." Ode To Tom DeLay (Sing to "To All The Girls I've Loved Before") By Madeleine Begun Kane A Rep whose name is Tom DeLay, He breaks the rules most ev'ry day. He don't respect the law, Thinks ethics are a bore. 'Tis time to show him crime don't pay. Tom practices dishonesty. Ignores the law with joy and glee. Misused the FBI, Golf junkets on the sly, How 'bout we stop his crim'nal spree... ( The entire Ode To Tom DeLay song parody is here: http://www.madkane.com/notable01_05a.html#03_30_05) *********************************************************** "Opt-Out" Deadline for High School Students Just a quick reminder to all parents of high school seniors that the deadline for turning in the paperwork that allows respective districts to deny military recruiters access to the name, address and telephone number of their child is Oct. 1. Most parents are still unaware that per No Child Left Behind unless parents submit necessary paperwork to "opt out", schools must provide access of students records to military recruiters. Michelle Crow Congressional District Aide U.S. Representative Raúl M. Grijalva (AZ-7) 810 E. 22nd St, Ste 102 Tucson, AZ 85713 Phone: (520) 622-6788 - Fax: (520) 622-0198 Michelle.Crow(a)mail.house.gov www.house.gov/grijalva *********************************************************** Become a Green Party Sustainer! As you may know, the SFGP is supported by our wonderful sustaining donors -- 175 and growing. In the next 12 months we hope to double that figure, and you can help us achieve our goal by signing up to make a regular contribution to the Green Party. Our sustainer program nearly pays all of our basic monthly operating expenses, including rent and utilities on the office, and drastically reduces the amount of work needed to raise money. Our sustainers free us up to do what we're really here for - to pursue Green values through the democratic system. Sustainers also ensure that we are able to keep our office, which has hosted numerous campaigns' headquarters including the successful Prop A, Instant Runoff Voting initiative. Becoming a Green Party sustainer is easy, fun, and secure! Online: http://www.sfgreenparty.org/makeadonation/makeadonation.html Phone: 415-701-7090 ************************************************************ For more info on our activities, please see our website, http://www.sfgreenparty.org. You can also email us questions, comments, Letters to the Editor, or fan mail, at info(a)sfgreens.org. To send us news items (short blurb please, plain text only), email news(a)sfgreens.org. Please don't put these addresses on mailing lists; messages not specifically addressed to us won't go through. Submissions for Joke of the Week are welcomed by the editor at ladypest(a)hotmail.com

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SF Green Party Weekly
by announce＠sfgreens.org 24 Sep '05

24 Sep '05

SFGP WEEKLY For The Week of 9/22/05 - 9/29/05 **Come join the SFGP contingent at the Anti-War Rally in Dolores Park! See Events for more information!* This Week: ********************************************************** News: 9/13: Four Green Local Interest Articles: - Ross Mirkarimi Battles Comcast - Pictures From Power to the Peaceful - Arlene Ackerman Petition - Voters Talk About IRV 9/15: GPCA/SFGP Endorsements (Updated) 9/16: Money And Power Are Good Things In The Right Hands 9/18: Nature Spots In SF 9/19: Government Is Good For You 9/19: Greens Join the September 24 Antiwar Protests 9/20: 4,755 ballots were cast by deceased voters 9/20: 104 Arrested as ADAPT Occupies House and Senate Leadership Offices 9/21: FBI forms anti-porn squad 'I guess this means we've won the war on terror,' one agent says ********************************************************** Events: 9/24: U.S. OUT OF IRAQ NOW - Rally, March, and Green Party Photo Shoot 9/24: Green Party tabling at the SUNSET FESTIVAL 9/27: Drug Companies Vs. The People 9/27: Can Public Power Gain A Foothold In Today's Electricity Market? 9/27: Protest Environmental Racism ********************************************************** Announcements: Joke of the Week "Opt-Out" Deadline for High School Students Register to Vote By Mail Become A Sustainer! ********************************************************** News ********************* ********************************************************** 9/13: Four Green Local Interest Articles Green Party member and District 5 Supervisor Ross Mirkarimi was one of many who tried to get more for workers and consumers out of local cable monopoly Comcast, but the company's contract was renewed by a 6 - 5 vote. http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2005/09/1… http://www.sfexaminer.com/articles/2005/09/14/news/20050914_ne10_comcast.txt Check out the San Francisco Sentinel for great pictures of the Power to the Peaceful Festival, where the Green Party was tabling along with many other great organizations over the weekend. http://www.sanfranciscosentinel.com/ Want to save the school district $375,000? Sign the online petition to keep Arlene Ackerman from taking her golden parachute when she leavers her post. http://www.wongo.com/petitionmain.php An analysis of voters attitudes toward Instant Runoff Voting (IRV) has been written by local political scientist Rich DeLeon. http://www.sfusualsuspects.com/deleon.shtml ********************************************************** 9/15: GPCA/SFGP Endorsements The SF Green Party has made the following endorsements: Candidates: City Attorney: No Endorsement Treasurer: No Endorsement Assessor: No Endorsement Local Measures: NO A- City College Bond No Position B-Resurfacing Bond YES C- Ethics Charter Reform YES D- Appointment of Municipal Transportation Agency Board of Directors YES E- Election Date of the Assessor - Recorder and Public Defender NO F- Local Firehouses YES G- No Widening of MLK Drive in Golden Gate Park No Position H- Gun Ban- No Position YES 1- College Not Combat Statewide Measures: NO - Prop. 73 - Termination of Minor's Pregnancy. NO - Prop. 74 - Public School Teachers. Waiting Period for Permanent Status. NO - Prop. 75 - Public Employee Union Dues. Required Employee Consent for Political Contributions. NO - Prop. 76 - School Funding. NO - Prop. 77 - Reapportionment. NO - Prop. 78 - Prescription Drug Discounts. YES - Prop 79 - Prescription Drugs. t NO - Prop. 80 - Electric Service Providers. Regulation. For details on the process, please contact Susan King (funking(a)mindspring.com) or Nicole Walter (ladypest(a)hotmail.com) for a written explanation of the endorsements. ********************************************************** 9/16: Money And Power Are Good Things In The Right Hands By: Jesse Michaels (Operation Ivy/Common Rider) Source: PunkVoter.com The amount of power in the hands of the wrong people is alarming. I want to state an opinion that may be counter-intuitive to most progressives but I think there is some truth in it. Before I get to it, let me introduce a very simple premise: Power is money and money is power. Unfortunately, due to leftover Marxist stuff and a massive sixties hangover, most people on the left overlook this fact over and over again. Meanwhile, most people on the right are not only aware of this but use it to their advantage every day of their lives. What will actually influence the world? For more, go to: http://www.sfgreenparty.org/news/newsitem-start.gem?idx=1381 ********************************************************** 9/18: Nature Spots In SF A good website for reminding us about good nature spots in SF. http://www.natureinthecity.org/ ********************************************************** 9/19: Government Is Good For You By: Steven Hill Source: Mother Jones.com Commentary: Hundreds of thousands of people on the Gulf Coast must be wishing they had more, not less, government. The effects of Hurricane Katrina will be felt for years. Financially the reconstruction of New Orleans and the Gulf Coast will cost unknown billions of dollars and resources. We still don't know how many are dead. One of America's icon cities may never recover. For more, go to: http://www.sfgreenparty.org/news/newsitem-start.gem?idx=1384 ********************************************************** 9/19: Greens Join the September 24 Antiwar Protests Press Release Source: Green Party of the United States GREENS JOIN THE SEPTEMBER 24 ANTIWAR PROTESTS, CALLING FOR IMMEDIATE WITHDRAWAL FROM IRAQ Green Party events highlighted in schedule of rallies planned for Washington, D.C. "To announce that there must be no criticism of the president, or that we are to stand by the president, right or wrong, is not only unpatriotic and servile, but is morally treasonable to the American public." (Theodore Roosevelt, remarks in 1918 on President Woodrow Wilson's suppression of dissent against U.S. involvement in World War I). WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Green Party members will join united peace coalitions United For Peace & Justice and A.N.S.W.E.R. and tens of thousands of other angry Americans at the September 24 rallies in Washington, D.C. against the war on Iraq. For more, go to: http://www.sfgreenparty.org/news/newsitem-start.gem?idx=1383 ********************************************************** 9/20: 4,755 ballots were cast by deceased voters Wilson said sloppy record-keeping cannot explain all of the irregularities the party found. The researchers found that 4,755 ballots were cast in November 2004 by registered voters who in other public records are listed as deceased, he said. "Clearly, if you're dead, you didn't vote," Wilson said, saying that such findings suggest voter fraud. To read more, go to: http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=15227187&BRD=1395&PAG=740&dept_id… ********************************************************** 9/20: 104 Arrested as ADAPT Occupies House and Senate Leadership Offices Washington, D.C. Fed up with being the targets of Congressional Medicaid cuts, and being pitted against Katrina survivors for essential services, 500 ADAPT activists occupied the offices of Congressional leaders for 5 hours Monday, resulting in 104 arrests. "Low income people with disabilities are hemorrhaging as a result of the continual cuts to Medicaid by the states and Congress," said Barb Toomer, ADAPT Organizer from Utah. "The leaders of the House and Senate are obviously in a position to stop the bleeding, so we came directly to them. We feel these cuts very personally, and we wanted the Senators and Representatives to feel it personally, too." Read more at: http://www.adapt.org/ ********************************************************** 9/21: FBI forms anti-porn squad 'I guess this means we've won the war on terror,' one agent says Barton Gellman, Washington Post Washington -- The FBI is joining the Bush administration's War on Porn. And it's looking for a few good agents. Last month, the bureau's Washington Field Office began recruiting for a new anti-obscenity squad. Attached to the job posting was a memo from FBI headquarters to all 56 field offices, describing the initiative as "one of the top priorities" of Attorney General Alberto Gonzales and, by extension, of "the Director," Robert Mueller. The new squad will divert eight agents, a supervisor and assorted support staff to gather evidence against "manufacturers and purveyors" of pornography -- not the kind exploiting children, but the kind that depicts, and is marketed to, consenting adults. "I guess this means we've won the war on terror," said one exasperated FBI agent, speaking on condition of anonymity because poking fun at headquarters is not regarded as career-enhancing. "We must not need any more resources for espionage." Read more at www.washingtonpost.com *********************************************************** *********************************** Events *********************************** *********************************************************** U.S. OUT OF IRAQ NOW - Rally & March Saturday, Spetember 24th 11:00am GREEN PARTY - THE PEACE PARTY SAYS NO TO WAR Greens will be joining the College Not Combat counter-recruitment contingent in support of Prop I at 10:00 a.m. at 16th and Mission and march over to Dolores Park. Bring banners, signs, buttons and wear GREEN! Rally: 11 a.m. assemble at Dolores Park, 18th and Dolores St. in San Francisco. The park is near 16th St. BART station. March: 12 noon from Dolores Park to Jefferson Square Park (Turk & Laguna.) VOLUNTEER: The San Francisco Green Party plans to deploy at the beginning and end of the march. We need volunteers for an ironing board brigade to register voters and distribute literature. For those not marching, we will assemble at 11:15 at Jefferson Square Park to begin setup there. Contact Micheas Herman for information at 415.424.5881 or m(a)micheas.net PHOTO SHOOT: Ray Tobey will be conducting a photo shoot in Dolores Park around 11 am The photos will be used in Green Party literature. Ross Mirkarimiis speaking at the anti-war protest, and we'll take a group picture whenRoss is off stage. Please dress to impress and flock to the Green Partybanner if you'd like to be in the photos. Look for Rosilind Lord, Ray Tobey, or Marc Solomon at thw ralley for details. *********************************************************** Green Party tabling at the SUNSET FESTIVAL Saturday, Spetember 24th 10:00AM- 4:00PM Green Party tabling at the SUNSET FESTIVAL Sunset Recreation Center, at Lawton and 28th Ave Transportation: From downtown, use MUNI N-Judah Streetcar Tabling with SF Green Party and Nov 2006 Supervisor D#4 Candidate *PIERRE FRAYSSE Come help to Register Greens Voters, Sign a Petition to PROTEST against MUNI service cut ( 66-Quintera Bus) and get organized for the next November 2005 election. (*note: The SF Green Party has not made an endorsement in this race) *********************************************************** Drug Companies Vs. The People Tuesday, September 27th 7:00pm- 9:00pm 626 Pacheco St., San Francisco ( At the corner of 10th Avenue, #6 Bus ) Speakers: Michael Steinman, MD, Assistant Professor of Medicine, University of California, SF & SF Veterans Affairs Medical Center. He will be speaking on How the Pharmaceutical Industry Influences Physicians Earl Lui, Senior Attorney, Consumers Union, will speak on Prop 78 and 79. Sponsored by the California Universal Health Care Organizing Project, Health Care for All San Francisco, and the California Physicians Alliance. For more information call 415-695-7891 or email dbechler(a)value.net And from the website of the advocates. Should the state of California create a new prescription drug discount program for residents at or below 400 percent of the federal poverty level, and change state law to make it illegal to engage in profiteering from the sale of prescription drugs? Summary Prepared by the State Attorney General: Provides drug discounts to Californians with qualifying incomes. Funded by state-negotiated drug manufacturer rebates. Prohibits Medi-Cal contracts with manufacturers not providing Medicaid best price. *********************************************************** Can Public Power Gain A Foothold In Today's Electricity Market? Tuesday, September 27th 7:00pm 1028A Howard St. Realities of the California Electricity Market Discussion includes: Renewables: advantages, practicalities, producers, and pricing Prop 80 and Community Choice Aggregation If you want to learn more about any aspect of the California energy market, you will The next SF Green Party energy working group meeting this next Tuesday, September 27th, 7 P.M. a the Green Party office promises to be interesting. This will NOT be a meeting to revisit our local's decision on Prop 80. I and many in the group with whom I have discussed it feel firmly that our decision to not support Prop 80 is the right one for an assortment of reasons. None the less, a lot is happening in the energy arena, and Matt Friedman will conduct what I hope will be a wide ranging discussion of some of the issues we are looking toward as we try to get more public control of our energy sources and delivery. I hope Paul Fenn and/or Julia Peters will also be able to join us. Matt Friedman of TURN will be doing a presentation and open discussion on: Prop 80 and Community Choice Aggregation Realities of the California Electricity Market Renewables: advantages, practicalities, producers, and pricing About Matt Friedman: Authored the California Renewables Portfolio which is now state law Authored Prop 80 Harvard Law School Makes sense of California energy market *********************************************************** Protest Environmental Racism Tuesday, September 27th 12 noon US EPA Region IX Headquarters (75 Hawthorne Street, San Francisco, between Howard and Folsom, 2nd and 3rd Streets - take Montgomery Street BART/Muni) In an act of environmental racism and injustice, the United States Environmental Protection Agency has announced that it wants to eliminate race and income as factors in developing the agencys strategic plan to protect public health and the environment from pollution. This action by US EPA is a direct threat to communities of color and other low-income communities that continue to suffer a direct, discriminatory and disproportionate impact on their health and environment due to the ongoing reality of environmental racism and injustice. Contrary to US EPA public relations statements, environmental racism is alive. Race and class are still major factors in determining who gets polluted and how communities are protected from pollution. For more information and to get involved please contact: West County Toxics Coalition (925) 432-1350 Greenaction for Health and Environmental Justice (415) 248-5010 Communities for a Better Environment (510) 209-7398 * Urban Habitat (510) 839-9615 *********************************************************** ************************* Announcements: ************************* *********************************************************** Joke of the Week (In honor of Fulsom Street Fair *and* Love Parade, we present not one, but *two* humorous pieces! Soon to be a once-a-month feature, from your friends at the SFGP Weekly! Enjoy! -ed.) Roe vs. Wade (Submitted by Pat Gerber) Q. What does Mr. Bush think about Roe versus Wade? A. He doesn't care what people did in New Orleans. Three Limiricks The FEMA Head Michael D. Brown By Madeleine Begun Kane The FEMA head Michael D. Brown Helped cause thousands to suffer and drown. Now he's dodging the blame. Who's at fault? Val'rie Plame? Let's throw Dubya and Brown out of town. Bush Is Fond Of Political Hacks By Madeleine Begun Kane Bush is fond of political hacks. He don't care what credentials they lack. When they crim'nally flop, He congrats them nonstop. While Rove launches a fall guy attack. Reader Dub By Madeleine Begun Kane Who cares what Dubya claims to read: The history of salt? Plus tomes on flu and Alex II What nonsense! Oy Gevalt! *********************************************************** "Opt-Out" Deadline for High School Students Just a quick reminder to all parents of high school seniors that the deadline for turning in the paperwork that allows respective districts to deny military recruiters access to the name, address and telephone number of their child is Oct. 1. Most parents are still unaware that per No Child Left Behind unless parents submit necessary paperwork to "opt out", schools must provide access of students records to military recruiters. Michelle Crow Congressional District Aide U.S. Representative Raúl M. Grijalva (AZ-7) 810 E. 22nd St, Ste 102 Tucson, AZ 85713 Phone: (520) 622-6788 - Fax: (520) 622-0198 Michelle.Crow(a)mail.house.gov www.house.gov/grijalva *********************************************************** Register to Vote by Mail (Sponsered by EQCA) Register to Vote by Mail--Get Your Friends to Do the Same When Republican Secretary of State Bruce McPherson sees tens of thousands of people registering to vote by mail from this action, it will send a strong message to the Governor about the amount of support marriage equality has with the voters of California. Tuesdays Special Election victory for pro-marriage equality candidate Ted Lieu in Assembly District 53 clearly shows how important it is that our supporters are registered to vote and participate in every election. Statistics prove that voters who are registered to vote by mail (absentee ballot) are much more likely to cast their vote in every election. Join the "Frequent Voter Club " and register to vote by mail today. *********************************************************** Become a Green Party Sustainer! As you may know, the SFGP is supported by our wonderful sustaining donors -- 175 and growing. In the next 12 months we hope to double that figure, and you can help us achieve our goal by signing up to make a regular contribution to the Green Party. Our sustainer program nearly pays all of our basic monthly operating expenses, including rent and utilities on the office, and drastically reduces the amount of work needed to raise money. Our sustainers free us up to do what we're really here for - to pursue Green values through the democratic system. Sustainers also ensure that we are able to keep our office, which has hosted numerous campaigns' headquarters including the successful Prop A, Instant Runoff Voting initiative. Becoming a Green Party sustainer is easy, fun, and secure! Online: http://www.sfgreenparty.org/makeadonation/makeadonation.html Phone: 415-701-7090 ************************************************************ For more info on our activities, please see our website, http://www.sfgreenparty.org. You can also email us questions at info(a)sfgreens.org. To send us news items (short blurb please, plain text only) for possible inclusion in the newsletter, email news(a)sfgreens.org. Please don't put these addresses on mailing lists; messages not specifically addressed to us won't go through. Submissions for Joke of the Week, or comments and questions on the content of the newsletter are welcomed by the editor at ladypest(a)hotmail.com

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SF Green Party Weekly
by announce＠sfgreens.org 16 Sep '05

16 Sep '05

SFGP WEEKLY For The Week of 9/15/05 - 9/22/05 Welcome to all our new subscribers from Power to the Peaceful! Special Hurricane Katrina Edition! Find out how you can help! See Events for more info. This Week: ********************************************************** News: 9/2: Notes from Inside New Orleans 9/5: Greens Send Aid to Stricken Areas, Urge FEMA Chief's Dismissal/ Radio Interview with New Orleans Green Party leader Malik Rahim 9/7: CA Greens Urge Quick Signature by Governor for Minimum Wage Legislation 9/7: Pot Use Down Where Medical Use OK 9/8: Schwarzenegger's Veto of Same-Sex Marriage Bill is an 'Outrage' 9/8: MUNI Fare Strike Update, Part 2 9/11: Truthout.org Articles Concerning Hurricane Katrina 9/12: Now Let's Rescue America: Nine Key Steps for the Left 9/12: Confronting Nancy Pelosi 9/14: Sierra Club Summit 9/15: Did Mayor Newsom make the same mistake as President Bush? ********************************************************** Events: Ongoing: List of Hurrican Katrina Relief Organizations 9/16- 9/18: Earthdance 2005 9/16: Ross Mirkarimi's Monthly Third Friday Art Opening 9/17- 9/18: "Back To School, Not War!" Green Gathering 9/19: Gun Ban Forum 9/20: Richard Heinberg Speaks on Peak Oil 9/21: San Francisco Green Party General Membership Meeting 9/22: Free Screening and Panel Discussion of The End of Suburbia ********************************************************** Announcements: Joke of the Week Register to Vote By Mail Become A Sustainer! ********************************************************** News ********************* ********************************************************** 9/2: Notes from Inside New Orleans By Jordan Flaherty t r u t h o u t | Perspective I just left New Orleans a couple of hours ago. I traveled from the apartment I was staying in - by boat - to a helicopter to a refugee camp. If anyone wants to examine the attitude of federal and state officials toward the victims of hurricane Katrina, I advise you to visit one of the refugee camps. In the refugee camp I just left, on the I-10 freeway near Causeway, thousands of people (at least 90% black and poor) stood and squatted in mud and trash behind metal barricades, under an unforgiving sun, with heavily armed soldiers standing guard over them. When a bus would come through, it would stop at a random spot, state police would open a gap in one of the barricades, and people would rush for the bus, with no information given about where the bus was going. Once inside, we were told, evacuees would be told where the bus was taking them - Baton Rouge, Houston, Arkansas, Dallas, or other locations. I was told that if you boarded a bus bound for Arkansas, for example, even people with family and a place to stay in Baton Rouge would not be allowed to get out of the bus as it passed through Baton Rouge. You had no choice but to go to the shelter in Arkansas. If you had people willing to come to New Orleans to pick you up, they could not come within 17 miles of the camp. I traveled throughout the camp and spoke to Red Cross workers, Salvation Army workers, National Guard, and state police, and although they were friendly, no one could give me any details on when buses would arrive, how many, where they would go to, or any other information. I spoke to the several teams of journalists nearby, and asked if any of them had been able to get any information from any federal or state officials on any of these questions, and all of them, from Australian TV to local Fox affiliates complained of an unorganized, non-communicative mess. One cameraman told me "as someone who's been here in this camp for two days, the only information I can give you is this: get out by nightfall. You don't want to be here at night." To read more, go to: www.truthout.org ********************************************************** 9/5: Greens Send Aid to Stricken Areas, Urge FEMA Chief's Dismissal/ Radio Interview with New Orleans Green Party leader Malik Rahim Source: GP.org Greens organize a campground shelter and send buses for victims; 2004 Green V.P. candidate LaMarche heads to Louisiana with the Red Cross; Greens warn that more destructive hurricanes are likely to strike the U.S. WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Green Party members intensified their efforts to help in the relief effort for victims of hurricane Katrina, and also called for the head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to be fired. Greens urged an independent investigation into the federal government's mismanagement of relief and rescue and failure to heed numerous warnings of an impending hurricane disaster in the Gulf region. Greens across the U.S. have helped organize numerous efforts to get aid to people in Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama. Andrea Garland and other Louisiana Greens have set up web pages to help provide shelter and other assistance and are heading to New Orleans with a trailer full of food, water, and supplies. Green Party of Florida co-chair Sarah "Echo" Steiner established a comfortable and safe haven for evacuees on a campground in Florida. The camp is also collecting water, food and supplies for immediate delivery to the New Orleans area. The Green-led Minnesota Coalition to Aid Hurricane Katrina Survivors' first bus left Minneapolis to transport evacuees from and provide vital supplies for survivors on Saturday evening. Pat LaMarche, the Green Party's vice presidential nominee in 2004 and co-chair of the Green Party of the United States, will travel to New Orleans as a journalist and a first aid worker with the Red Cross. Lethal Negligence, Ineptitude, and Racism Greens noted that in 2001, the same year in which FEMA called a major hurricane hitting New Orleans one of the three "likeliest, most catastrophic disasters facing this country," FEMA also announced that it would downsized and privatize its services and the Bush Administration and Congress began to scale back funding for FEMA and flood control projects in New Orleans. Read more at: http://www.sfgreenparty.org/news/newsitem-start.gem?idx=1375 Hear the radio interview with New Orleans Green Party leader Malik Rahim at: http://radio.indymedia.org/uploads/lotus-malik-katrina.mp3 ********************************************************** 9/7: CA Greens Urge Quick Signature by Governor for Minimum Wage Legislation Source: THE GREEN PARTY OF CALIFORNIA Minimum wage legislation to provide aid for 'working poor' SACRAMENTO (September 7, 2005) - While noting it doesn't come close to a living wage, the Green Party of California applauded the Senate's passage of legislation raising the state's minimum wage - and urged the governor to sign it to give urgent relief to the state's "working poor." AB 48, authored by Assembly person Sally Lieber, D-Mt. View, goes to the governor after the Senate passed it today. It was approved by the Assembly 49-30 in late June. The measure raises the minimum wage to $7.75 over two years, and indexes it for inflation annually. There hasn't been an increase in the minimum wage for the state's lowest paid workers since 2002. "Nearly 80 percent of low-wage workers are people of color and the majority of minimum wage earners are women. While the cost of everything goes up, from housing to food to gasoline, these workers haven't had an increase in three years," said Susan King, a spokesperson for the GPCA. The Greens are also quick to point out that even with the modest increase called for in Lieber's measure, the wage paid California's lowest-paid workers is not even close to the minimum wage way back in 1968. To equal that, workers today would have to be paid somewhere around $9 an hour. "Minimum wage workers are our working poor, and they continue to be exploited. Today's workers need to be paid a living wage, and $7.75 an hour or even $9 an hour doesn't come close. Shame on lawmakers who don't support this legislation, and the governor if he chooses not to support it," said Pat Driscoll, a GPCA spokesperson and treasurer with Californians for Fair Wages (CFW). Contact: Sara Amir, spokesperson 310.270-7106 saraamir(a)earthlink.net Pat Driscoll 916.320-6430 pat(a)sonicfrog.com Susan King 415.823-5524 funking(a)mindspring.com Beth Moore Haines 530.277-0610 beth(a)ncws.com ********************************************************** 9/7: Pot Use Down Where Medical Use OK By: Eric Bailey, Times Staff Writer Source: Los Angeles Times Study shows a sharp decline in teens smoking marijuana in states, including California, where the drug is legal for medicinal purposes SACRAMENTO Bucking dire predictions by anti-drug warriors, the 10 states that approved medical marijuana laws over the last decade have experienced sharp declines in cannabis use among teenagers, according to a new study by a marijuana advocacy group. California has seen usage among ninth-graders drop 47% since 1996, the year the state became the nations first to legalize medical marijuana. Over the same period, the nation as a whole experienced a 43% decline among eighth-graders. The study, released today, is based on data from national and state surveys, which show a drop in marijuana use by teens. Although debate over medical marijuana is often shaded by concerns about increasing drug abuse among young people, the report suggested the opposite has been true. The studys authors were Mitch Earleywine, a State University of New York psychology professor, and Karen OKeefe, a legislative analyst with Marijuana Policy Project, the organization that commissioned the research based on state and federal data. That data strongly suggests that approval of medical marijuana has not increased recreational use of cannabis among adolescents, Earleywine and OKeefe concluded. And the decline in many of the states with medical marijuana laws is slightly more favorable than trends nationwide, they said. California, Washington and Colorado have all experienced greater drops in marijuana usage than have occurred nationwide. Only three states with medical marijuana laws Maine, Oregon and Nevada have lagged behind the national drop in teen marijuana use, the report said. If medical marijuana laws send the wrong message to children, the authors said, widespread attention to the debate would be expected to produce a nationwide increase in marijuana use, the largest increase in those states enacting medical marijuana laws. But just the opposite has occurred. Tom Riley, of the presidents Office of National Drug Control Policy, said the drop in teen drug use across the nation is attributable to the federal anti-drug advertising campaign in recent years, including $125 million spent during the federal fiscal year that ends Oct. 1. Medical marijuana has only clouded that pitch, he said. "Its foolish to give kids a message that marijuana can be helpful to them, Riley said, adding that all Americans should be glad that teen drug use is going down. If the drug legalizers are recognizing that, too, I think that says something. But the researchers sketched a different hypothesis: that medical marijuana shifted the perception among some teens about pot. Perhaps medical marijuana laws send a very different message, they wrote. Teens may increasingly consider pot a treatment for serious illness, not a toy, and requires cautious and careful handling. The most extensive available data was in California, where a survey of about 6,000 students every two years showed that pot use among teens was climbing before passage of the 1996 medical marijuana law. For all grades, marijuana use dropped significantly between early 1996 and 2004, with the biggest downward shift among ninth-graders. Between 1996 and 2004, the number of high school freshmen in the state who reported using pot in the last 30 days dropped 47%, while the number of freshmen who had tried cannabis at least once dropped 35%. Copyright 2005 Los Angeles Times ********************************************************** 9/8: Schwarzenegger's Veto of Same-Sex Marriage Bill is an 'Outrage' Source: LAVENDER GREENS CAUCUS Greens' Lavender Caucus 'outraged' at Governor's decision to veto same-sex marriage bill, promise they will 'be back' SACRAMENTO - Members of the Green Party of California, and the National Lavender Greens Caucus said Thursday they are "outraged" at Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's decision to "terminate" equal marriage rights for same-sex couples by vetoing legislation to recognize same-sex marriages. The measure, AB 849, by Mark Leno, D-San Francisco, was approved Tuesday by the full legislature. It requires California to recognize marriages as gender neutral civil contracts. Massachusetts is the only state to currently recognize gay marriages, but did so only after an order from its Supreme Court. However, the governor - who has claimed he is a "social progressive" - now says he will veto the bill, disappointing the gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender community that celebrated the passage of "The Religious Freedom and Civil Marriage Protection Act." "California's Lavender Greens thank the California Legislature for finally acknowledging what the Green Party has said all along: we all deserve the right to marry the person of our choice, regardless of their gender," said Thomas Leavitt, a National Lavender Greens Caucus officer and Santa Cruz Green. "But, we are outraged by the Governator's decision to terminate marriage rights for same-sex couples, and have just one thing to say to him: 'We'll be back,'" added Thomas. "Now would have been the time for Governor Schwarzenegger to walk the walk as a socially progressive Republican by signing the Leno bill to show his commitment to full civil rights for all Californians," said Marc Salomon, a member of San Francisco Green Party County Council. "The governor had the opportunity to do the right thing. We're asking him to rethink this, and show us that his heart and mind are open and that he really does believe in equality for all," added Starlene Rankin, Green Party Lavender Caucus National Delegate. The Green Party of California platform supports the right of all persons to marry, with "without discrimination based on sex, gender or sexual orientation." (See www.cagreens.org/platform) The California Green Party gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community supported the lobbying effort of Equality California, the coalition responsible for the legislative success. Contact: Sara Amir, spokesperson 310.270-7106 saraamir(a)earthlink.net Pat Driscoll 916.320-6430 pat(a)sonicfrog.com Susan King 415.823-5524 funking(a)mindspring.com Beth Moore Haines 530.277-0610 beth(a)ncws.com GREEN PARTY OF CALIFORNIA www.cagreens.org ********************************************************** 9/8: MUNI Fare Strike Update, Part 2 MUNI INCREASES CASH FARE, CASH REVENUE DROPS Thursday, September 8, 2005 8:30 AM According to figures released by Muni, cash revenue collected at the farebox has dropped since the cash fare was increased on September 1. This decrease has occurred despite the 20% increase in the adult cash fare, and the 40% increase in the youth, senior and disabled cash fare. If this decrease in revenue continues, it will mean a loss of millions of dollars per year for Muni, rather than the multi-million dollar increase projected by Muni managers as a result of the fare increase. Here are the figures: Muni collected an average of $169,011 per day on Monday, August 29 through Wednesday, August 31. Yet on Thursday, September 1, the day the fare increase was implemented, cash fare revenue declined to $150,529. This is an 11% decrease from the average of the first three days of that week. Cash fare revenue was up at the beginning of the week starting Monday, August 29, most likely as a result of the opening of San Francisco's public schools. Even comparing Muni's farebox revenue to the whole month of August, which included only three days during which public schools were in session, the $150,529 cash revenue collected on September 1 represented a decline from the $152,654 cash revenue average for August. On Friday, September 2, cash revenue declined again to $143,305. This was the day before the Labor Day weekend. The decline in cash revenue continued through the Labor Day weekend. Compared to last year's Labor Day weekend, cash fares declined by nearly 14% -- despite the increase in the cash fare this year. To read more, go to: http://www.MuniFareStrike.net ********************************************************** 9/11: Truthout.org Articles Concerning Hurricane Katrina Molly Ivins; Mercenaries Deploy in New Orleans; Pentagon's "Freedom Walk" Criticized and more... Browse our continually updating front page at http://www.truthout.org Mayday Mississippi Delta http://www.truthout.org/mayday.shtml TO begins round-the-clock information support for everyone impacted by Katrina. We will provide the best sources available for the most up-to-date and expansive coverage possible. Go directly to our coverage of Cindy Sheehan's courageous stand. http://truthout.org/cindy.shtml Join fellow bloggers at the t r u t h o u t Town Meeting. Get perspective on today's important issues from TO's editorial team and prominent guest bloggers. Join the debate! http://forum.truthout.org/blog t r u t h o u t | 09.10 Blackwater Mercenaries Deploy in New Orleans http://www.truthout.org/docs_2005/091005A.shtml Heavily armed paramilitary mercenaries from the Blackwater private security firm, infamous for their work in Iraq, are openly patrolling the streets of New Orleans. Pentagon's "Freedom Walk" Criticized http://www.truthout.org/docs_2005/091005B.shtml The Pentagon's "America Supports You Freedom Walk" is intended to honor both the U.S. military and the victims of the terrorist attacks, but critics say the administration is using the occasion to try to stiffen American resolve in Iraq and to counter a major war protest in Washington two weeks later. The New Ground Zero http://www.truthout.org/docs_2005/091005C.shtml A noxious water still covers more than half of New Orleans, and through a 150-mile stretch of Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama people are still struggling to come to terms with a disaster the like of which the US has not seen in more than a century. Molly Ivins | Blame Game, Race Card http://www.truthout.org/docs_2005/091005D.shtml Molly Ivins argues that George W. Bush has come up with his worst idea since he decided to have the military investigate torture by the military at Abu Ghraib prison. He, George W. personally, plans to investigate to "find out what went right and what went wrong" in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Contractors 'Run Loose' in Iraq http://www.truthout.org/docs_2005/091005E.shtml Recent shootings of Iraqi civilians, allegedly involving the legion of U.S., British and other foreign security contractors operating in the country, are drawing increasing concern from Iraqi officials and U.S. commanders who say they undermine relations between foreign military forces and Iraqi civilians. The Contenders to Replace Justice O'Connor http://www.truthout.org/docs_2005/091005F.shtml Before Tuesday's cabinet meeting, President Bush told reporters that the short list of nominees to fill his second Supreme Court vacancy was wide open. With a smile toward the journalists present, he announced that he therefore welcomed wide media speculation, especially about Attorney General Alberto Gonzales. What a kidder. Bill Fletcher Jr. | The Titanic of Our Era http://www.truthout.org/docs_2005/091005G.shtml The complete failure of the Bush administration-and to a lesser extent state and local authorities on the Gulf Coast- to respond to the devastation of Hurricane Katrina has raised questions about the motives at play. Republicans Still Plan to Cut Welfare Spending http://www.truthout.org/docs_2005/091005H.shtml Republicans are going ahead with long-standing plans to trim Medicaid, food stamps and other benefits, even though party moderates are balking at cutting programs that aid the poor while hundreds of thousands are homeless from Hurricane Katrina. Stirling Newberry | Will FEBAR Bring Down the House? http://www.truthout.org/docs_2005/091005X.shtml With Friday's news that Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Director Michael Brown had been relieved of managing the storm clean-up, a bit of reality settled in to Washington. According to Stirling Newberry, Brown, you probably know, is a man who couldn't manage a horse breeder's association, and yet who was waved through hearings by an eager Joe Lieberman. It was an admission that New Orleans had been Federal Emergencied Beyond All Recognition. Roberts Refused to Defend FCC on Minority Ownership Policy http://www.truthout.org/docs_2005/091005Y.shtml In 1990, the Federal Communications Commission asked the first Bush administration to defend a policy aimed at encouraging more minority ownership of broadcast stations. As the number two man in the solicitor general's office, John G. Roberts Jr. played a critical role in the government's decision to reject the request, according to documents that came to light yesterday. General: Guard Deployment in Iraq Hurt Katrina Response http://www.truthout.org/docs_2005/091005Z.shtml Lt. Gen. Steven Blum, chief of the National Guard Bureau, said that "arguably" a day or so of response time was lost due to the absence of the Mississippi National Guard's 155th Brigade Combat Team and Louisiana's 256th Infantry Brigade, each with thousands of troops in Iraq. ********************************************************** 9/12: Now Let's Rescue America: Nine Key Steps for the Left By Van Jones President George W. Bush's disastrous mishandling of Hurricane Katrina exposes what is so desperately wrong with the right-wing ideology that now controls the U.S. government. We now have a rare opportunity to make a bold case for progressive approaches to the country's problems. Everyone can see now that we need a well-funded, functional government within U.S. borders not an emaciated, revenue-starved one. It is more clear than ever that over-funding the military and cutting services actually makes us LESS safe, not more safe, and it redeems those who have been concerned about racism, poverty, climate destabilization, petro-chemical toxics and the perils of over-reliance on oil. We can see that these are not just petty obsessions of the "politically correct" crowd. They are life-and-death issues for real people. Everyday Americans are already seeing this and saying it. Finally, after a long romance with those riverboat gamblers on the Right, the country is ready to hear something sensible from our side. If we articulate a bold action program, we can win support on a scale that we have not known for decades. FILL THE LEADERSHIP VACUUM: NINE KEY STEPS We were right. Bush was wrong. By stepping forward immediately, we can fill the huge, stunning leadership gap left by Team Bush. The following nine steps are critical. 1 Let's tell America that we want to fully fund FEMA by rolling back the Bush tax cuts to at least Clinton-era levels. The rich must help secure the country against the next disaster. Reckless revenue cuts that leave us vulnerable must be repealed. 2 Let's declare that the Katrina's flood-waters washed the GOP's proposal to repeal the "estate tax" off the table. There will be no tax breaks for the mega-rich while the nation is recovering from this historic blow and preparing itself for the next one. Any revenue cuts would both impair the rebuilding effort and risk lives down the road. Let's declare the repeal of the so-called "death tax" to be: D.O.A. (Dead On Arrival). 3 Let's publicly demand that George W. Bush either apologize to the people of the Gulf Coast for failing them or else resign. It is time stop fearing Bush Almighty, assuming that he and Karl Rove can keep trashing the country and never pay a price. The man just impaled himself on his own arrogance and contempt for life. Even conservative reporters were outraged by his team's indifference and dishonesty. Under Bush, America abandoned our poor, sick and disabled in a crisis and the whole world saw it on live TV. True patriots were appalled. To read more, please go to: www.HuffingtonPost.com ********************************************************** 9/12: Confronting Nancy Pelosi By Bill Simpich The purpose of this article is to give Counterpunch readers a glimpse into the backstory of the antiwar events planned for Monday, September 26 in San Francisco. Cindy Sheehan has both inspired us and made it plain - to end this war, we must put the heat on the people responsible for the war's continuation and say it in a way that connects with people on the most basic level. Here in the San Francisco Bay Area, that person is House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, congresswoman for most of the city. On September 26, those of us active in United for Peace and Justice are convinced that the peace movement can expose the terrible voting record of House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi and the gap between her words and her deeds. Although she describes the war as a "grotesque mistake", she has consistently voted to fund the war. To read more, please visit: www.counterpunch.org *********************************************************** 9/14: Sierra Club Summit The Sierra Club, the oldest environmental organization in the nation (founded in 1892), held its first annual summit at the Moscone Center this past weekend. There was a strong local Green presense in the audience and among the volunteers: Kevin Danaher, John Rizzo, Sue Vaughan Bruce Wolfe, and Daniele Erville, another local Green, was there as a volunteer.among others. Green Party presidential candidate David Cobb was one of the featured presenters. And there was even a strong "decline to state" voice on the podium -- that of Arianna Huffington who let the Democrats have it for CAFE standards and who lit into Bill Clinton for appearing behind the lectern with George H.W. Bush when George W. Bush was putting them in charge of private fundraising efforts on behalf of the victims of Hurricane Katrina. Private fundraising since the government, under the neo-liberal policies of George Bush the Far Lesser, is being deliberately underfunded and rendered unable to perform its function -- providing for the common good. She's gotta at least be decline to state, right? And shouldn't Bill Clinton have been down on the ground in New Orleans himself, wading with dispossessed in the Superdome and calling for the resignation of Bush? *********************************************************** 9/15: Did Mayor Newsom make the same mistake as President Bush? ...by naming an unqualified political appointee as our top disaster official? Many people think so. Check out this investigative report from ABC-7. http://abclocal.go.com/kgo/story?section=i_team&id=3443994 *********************************************************** *********************************** Events *********************************** *********************************************************** List of Hurrican Katrina Relief Organizations Ongoing 1. Families and Friends of Louisiana's Incarcerated Children How You Can Help: If you want to help FFLIC help our families survive the ineptitude and racism that has left thousands to die, here are some things you can do: 1) Donate: Send a check to the "FFLIC Hurricane Relief Fund" to 920 Platt Street, Sulphur, Louisiana, 70663. 2) Volunteer: Come and help us walk through the shelters, find people, help folks apply for FEMA assistance, figure out what needs they have, match folks up with other members willing to take people in. We especially need Black folks to help us as the racial divide between relief workers and evacuees is stark. Email us ASAP if you would like to help with this work. 3) Send supplies for the effort: We don't need tee-shirts and underwear. We need things like cars, computers, a copy machine, a fax machine. All of these items are going to what we need to have in place to better help our families. To find out exactly what we need, call us at the number below. 4) Organize others to send donations, supplies or come down here and help. 5) If you are of modest means and you can't volunteer your time, do what you believe gives us strength. Pray, write op-eds or letters to the editor, organize your block, write FEMA and tell them what you think, protest local racist media coverage. We can't promise you a 501(c) (3) letter to make your donation tax deductible. Contact Information: Kori Higgs Families and Friends of Louisiana's Incarcerated Children 1600 Orehta Castle Haley Blvd. New Orleans, LA 70115 504-522-5437 (phone) 504-522-5430 (fax) PLEASE email all 4 addresses: kdhiggs(a)hotmail.com, familiescantwait(a)yahoo.com, deenv_2000(a)yahoo.com, xochitl(a)mediajumpstart.org 2. Various Charities Reccomended by the Green Party of California http://www.charitynavigator.org/ Please give as you can, and forward widely: American Red Cross: http://www.redcross.org/ AmeriCares: http://www.americares.org/ Brother's Brother Foundation: http://www.brothersbrother.org/ Convoy Of Hope: http://www.convoyofhope.org/ Direct Relief International: http://www.directrelief.org/ Feed The Children: http://www.feedthechildren.org/ Food For The Poor: http://www.foodforthepoor.org/ Northwest Medical Teams International: http://www.nwmedicalteams.org/ Samaritan's Purse: http://www.samaritanspurse.org/ United Way of Miami-Dade: http://www.unitedwaymiami.org/ World Emergency Relief: http://www.wer-us.org/ 3. The Minnesota Coalition to Aid Hurricane Katrina Survivors http://www.mncahs.org The Minnesota Coalition to Aid Hurricane Katrina Survivors has formed to provide relief assistance to survivors of hurricane Katrina who are now residing in refugee shelters in Louisiana and surrounding states. We are in the process of collecting donations of desperately needed supplies and volunteer assistance, which we will personally deliver to the shelters. We are a coalition of community based, activist, faith, and political groups. Some of us have missing family in the hurricane ravaged state of Louisiana, some of us have friends there, and colleagues. We believe the best way to help is directly. We ask for your assistance. 3. Reccomendations from Green Activist Jonathan Lundell (Message to the Editor) Instead of American Red Cross or Pat Robertson's (I didn't know it was his!) Operation Blessing, folks might want to consider some additional options. Thanks to Kate Tanaka for forwarding the info on Red Cross and Operation Blessing, Nathan Newman has some thoughts on the subject. http://www.nathannewman.org/log/archives/003369.shtml ACORN looks like a good choice, and their national HQ is in NOLA. 4. Requests for People to Volunteer Space (From John-Marc Chandonia, SFGP CC) Since we organized temporary living space for people during the Gonzalez campaign, we may be able to hook people up with a place to stay for a month or two, while they get back on their feet. Anyone willing to offer temporary living space, or people who can collect/organize the list of spaces available and/or connect spaces with people, through relief agencies or directly using sites on the internet set up for this, please contact info(a)sfgreens.org *********************************************************** Earthdance 2005 Friday, September 16th through Sunday, September 18th Laytonville, CA A 3-day Camp Out Celebration for World Peace and Unity, set amidst a beautiful old growth oak forest, featuring 5 Stages of Entertainment uniting Jamband, World, Conscious Lyricism, Electronica, Reggae and Folk. Also featuring Global Artisans Market, Late Night Cinema, Healing Village, Kidlandia, Speakers Forum, Activist Alley, Workshops, All Night Music Cafés and much more... Zap Mama Michael Franti & Spearhead Ozomatli Steve Kimock Sound Tribe Sector Nine Lyrics Born Karl Denson's Tiny Universe Electric Apricot New Monsoon Culture Prezident Brown Al Howard & the K23 Orchestra ...and more! For more information, please visit: http://www.earthdance.org/sf/ *********************************************************** Ross Mirkarimi's Monthly Third Friday Art Opening Friday, September 16th 5:00pm-8:00pm San Francisco City Hall, 1 Carlton B Goodlett Place, Room 282 On Friday, September 16th, 2005, Supervisor Ross Mirkarimi hosts the monthly Third Fridays Art Reception in his City Hall office, Room 282. This month's featured artist is Sara Thustra. Sara Thustra is a San Francisco-based artist who specializes in site-specific installations. He is a political artist and activist whose work reflects our personal struggles. His installation for Supervisor Mirkarimi's City Hall Office poses and tackles the question "What would you say to all of our city representatives in three sentences or less?" Sara gathered resident's responses by walking the streets of San Francisco, engaging strangers, and by talking with friends. This stunning display of paintings, words, and installations leaves us with a powerful and creative look at what are arguably two things most effecting our lives: our government and our personal struggles. For more information, contact Regina Dick-Endrizzi (415) 554-7630 *********************************************************** Saturday, September 17th through Sunday, September 18th (See schedule below for exact times) The Forum at Laney College, Oakland 900 Fallon Ave. (One block from the Lake Merritt BART station) The Oakland Greens and the Green Party of Alameda County are hosting the upcoming state party Green Gathering (entitled "Back to School Not War") at Laney College in Oakland on Sat. & Sun., Sept. 17 & 18. Already Peter Camejo, Wilson Riles, Aimee Allison, Elaine Brown, Clarence Thomas of the ILWU, Agha Saeed of the American Muslim Alliance, Miguel Araujo of Centro Azteca, Jessie Muldoon of the OEA, and many others are scheduled to give workshops or other presentations, including a Saturday evening rally!! The planned schedule is as follows: RALLY: Sat., 68:00pm ----------------------- Recruiters Out of Schools US Troops Out of Iraq Guest Speakers include: - Aimee Allison, Army Conscientious Objector, Green Party Candidate - Elaine Brown (by phone), Black Panther Party, Green Party Candidate - Peter Camejo, Green Party candidate for Governor - Ragina Johnson, College Not Combat Proposition - Maria Poblet, Deporten a la Migra (Deport the INS) - Wilson Riles Jr., Former Oakland City Council member - Dr. Agha Saeed, Chair, American Muslim Alliance - Clarence Thomas, Longshoreman's Union ILWU Local 10 - plus music and spoken word poetry ----------------------------------- WORKSHOPS: Sat., 8am4:30pm ----------------------------------- Come participate in workshops on: - American Muslims and the Patriot Act - College Not Combat: Military Out of Schools - End poverty wages: a Calif. Fair Wage Initiative - Immigrant Rights - Labor and Greens - Myths of Genetic Engineering - Religion/Spirituality and the Green Party - Resource Depletion, Peak Oil, and Water Scarcity - Saving Public Education - Strategies for Universal Health Care - Tips and Tricks to Get the News Media to Cover Your Issue ----------------------------------- SPECIAL SUN. EVENTS: Sun., 9am4:30pm ----------------------------------- - Symposium on Strategies for the 2006 Campaign, led by gubernatorial candidate Peter Camejo and former Santa Monica Mayor Mike Feinstein - Lunchtime Lecture by David Zirin, author of "What's My name, Fool?" on "Sports and Resistance" - Green Party of California Working Group and Committee Meetings PLUS MUCH MORE!! PRICE: $20 in advance, per day Includes light breakfast and lunch (Sliding scale at the door: $20 to $40 per day) For more info, please see our website at: www.BackToSchoolNotWar.org *********************************************************** Gun Ban Forum Monday, September 19th 6:30pm- 8:30pm (Location TBA, please contact organizers) The SF Green Party is producing an informational forum on the Gun Ban Initiative that will be on the SF November ballot. Both sides will be represented equally at this forum. Tentative location is the African American Art and Culture Complex or other Western Addition venue. Please contact event organizers Marc Salomon (marc(a)cybre.net) Susan King (funking(a)mindspring.com) or Charlene Smythe (info(a)sfgreens.org) with suggestions, comments or questions. *********************************************************** Richard Heinberg Speaks on Peak Oil Tuesday, Spetember 20th 7:00pm New College Theater, 777 Valencia Street, (between 18th & 19th Streets), San Francisco $10 donation requested. No one turned away for lack of funds. Peak Oil Expert Richard Heinberg, author of The Partys Over and Powerdown, will give a power-point presentation and speak about Peak Oil and How to Avoid Oil Wars, Terrorism and Economic Collapse. Sponsered by: New College Center for Education and Social Action, Global Exchange and others. For more information, call Call 415-255-7296 ext. 253 *********************************************************** San Francisco Green Party General Membership Meeting Wednesday, Spetember 20th 7:30pm- 9:30pm 1028A Howard St. Agenda items include the last of our endorsement decisions, local propositions A (Community College Bond), B (Resurfacing Bond), G (Golden Gate Park street widening), and H (Handgun Ban). Other agenda items, TBA. Please contact the green party (info(a)greens.org) to request time on the agenda. *********************************************************** Free Screening and Panel Discussion of The End of Suburbia Thursday, September 22nd 6:30pm (doors open at 6:00pm) The Red Victorian Bed and Breakfast 1665 Haight St., San Francisco (at Belvedere One Block from the Movie Theater This groundbreaking documentary explores energy consumption and its effect on the American way of life. Its a study of peak of oil production on a global level and impact on the local level. The free screening will be followed by a panel discussion featuring: Ross Mirkarimi, District Five supervisor and longtime advocate for public power in San Francisco Leah Shahum, Executive Director of SF Bike Coalition Dave Room, Director of North American Operations for The Post Carbon Institute Sponsered by the SFGP Transportation Working Group. For more information, contace Sue Vaughn at: susan_e_vaughan(a)juno.com *********************************************************** ************************* Announcements: ************************* *********************************************************** Joke of the Week Going Through A Tunnel Peter Camejo and George W. Bush were riding on a train. A gorgeous blonde and an old woman sat down across from them. The train went into a tunnel and a loud kissing sound, then a *SLAP* was heard. When the train came out of the tunnel there was a bright red mark on Bush's cheek. The old woman thought, "Peter Camejo must have tried to kiss the blonde and she slapped Bush by mistake." The blonde thought, "Why would Peter Camejo kiss the old woman instead of me? She must have slapped Bush by mistake." George W. Bush thought, "Peter Camejo must have kissed the blonde and she slapped me by mistake." Peter Camejo thought, "Every time we go through a tunnel I'm going to kiss the back of my hand and then slap that smirking chimp." *********************************************************** Register to Vote by Mail (Sponsered by EQCA) Register to Vote by Mail--Get Your Friends to Do the Same (click here ) When Republican Secretary of State Bruce McPherson sees tens of thousands of people registering to vote by mail from this action, it will send a strong message to the Governor about the amount of support marriage equality has with the voters of California. Tuesdays Special Election victory for pro-marriage equality candidate Ted Lieu in Assembly District 53 clearly shows how important it is that our supporters are registered to vote and participate in every election. Statistics prove that voters who are registered to vote by mail (absentee ballot) are much more likely to cast their vote in every election. Join the "Frequent Voter Club " and register to vote by mail today. *********************************************************** Become a Green Party Sustainer! As you may know, the SFGP is supported by our wonderful sustaining donors -- 175 and growing. In the next 12 months we hope to double that figure, and you can help us achieve our goal by signing up to make a regular contribution to the Green Party. Our sustainer program nearly pays all of our basic monthly operating expenses, including rent and utilities on the office, and drastically reduces the amount of work needed to raise money. Our sustainers free us up to do what we're really here for - to pursue Green values through the democratic system. Sustainers also ensure that we are able to keep our office, which has hosted numerous campaigns' headquarters including the successful Prop A, Instant Runoff Voting initiative. Becoming a Green Party sustainer is easy, fun, and secure! Online: http://www.sfgreenparty.org/makeadonation/makeadonation.html Phone: 415-701-7090 ************************************************************ For more info on our activities, please see our website, http://www.sfgreenparty.org. You can also email us questions at info(a)sfgreens.org. To send us news items (short blurb please, plain text only) for possible inclusion in the newsletter, email news(a)sfgreens.org. Please don't put these addresses on mailing lists; messages not specifically addressed to us won't go through. Submissions for Joke of the Week, or comments and questions on the content of the newsletter are welcomed by the editor at ladypest(a)hotmail.com

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SF Green Party Weekly
by announce＠sfgreens.org 09 Sep '05

09 Sep '05

SFGP WEEKLY For The Week of 9/9/05 - 9/16/05 This Week: ********************************************************** News: 9/3: Two Press Releases From the GPUS on Hurricane Katrina 9/5: Louisiana Greens Express Outrage at Katrina "Planning" 9/6: MUNI Fare Strike Update 9/7: Governor Vetos LGBT Fair Political Campaign Bill 9/8: Smacking Children Becomes New Zeland, Green, Election Issue ********************************************************** Events: 9/9: Letters Needed to Support Three Educators on the Board 9/10: Volunteers Needed For Power to the Peaceful Festival 9/11: Social Justice Forum 9/12: GP Youth Caucus/Campus Greens Back-To-School National Conference 9/12: Isn't It Time For A Green Design? 9/16: Panel On Creating Quality Child Care ********************************************************** Announcements: Joke of the Week Green Meeting Space Avaliable at Progressive Coffee House Become A Sustainer! ********************************************************** News ********************* ********************************************************** 9/3: Two Press Releases From the GPUS on Hurrican Katrina Greens Rally to Assist Hurricane Victims; Call Katrina a Predictable Symptom of Global Warming <http://www.gp.org/press/pr_2005_09_01.shtml> 09.01.2005 WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Green Party members, rallying to help people hit hard by hurricane Katrina in Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama, began to ask hard questions about preparations for the disaster and the link between increased hurricanes and global warming. Read the press release <http://www.gp.org/press/pr_2005_09_01.shtml> . Greens Rally to Assist Hurricane Victims; Call Katrina a Predictable Symptom of Global Warming <http://www.gp.org/press/pr_2005_09_01.shtml> 09.01.2005 WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Green Party members, rallying to help people hit hard by hurricane Katrina in Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama, began to ask hard questions about preparations for the disaster and the link between increased hurricanes and global warming. Read the press release <http://www.gp.org/press/pr_2005_09_01.shtml> ********************************************************** 9/5: Louisiana Greens Express Outrage at Katrina "Planning" Press Release, Louisiana Green Party War, Racism, Coastal Mismanagement Exacerbate Devastation As the devastation in New Orleans from hurricane Katrina grows more and more deadly, disgraceful, and surrealwe find ourselves in a state of 'shock and awe' at the appalling carelessness to the rescue effort, the racist neglect of New Orleans' most vulnerable people, and the devastating mismanagement of our regional ecosystem which hastened and exacerbated the devastation. Greens are committed to rebuilding Louisiana sustainably and equitably! THE REAL COSTS OF WAR Fully one-third of the Louisiana National Guard, whose mission is to assist in rescue and relief operations during peacetime, have instead been sent to Iraq to fight for George Bush's war, based on lies and deception. This includes many troops who were trained specifically for high-water rescue operations. Yet four days after the hurricane hit, there's no National Guard in sight. Tens of thousands of New Orleaniansmost poor and African-Americanhave been without food, water and medicines for almost a week while the president cobbles together a hodgepodge of disaster relief teams from under-staffed and under-funded local authorities. Here's what stranded New Orleanians are saying about the rescue efforts: "It's unbelievable but its for real. That man [Bush] can spend all that money and send all those troops to Iraq but he can't do nothing for us right here!" "You mean to tell me they couldn't just drop some water and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches from all those helicopters?" (responding to the reasoning that no relief could be delivered because of the high waters) For more, go to: www.lagreens.org ********************************************************** 9/6: MUNI Fare Strike Update The following is a report from one of the Muni Fare Strike organizing teams on Day One of the fare strike. Their experiences are very instructive, and show the evolution over the course of the day from a team working at one fixed location, to a mobile organizing team spreading the word about the fare strike by example throughout the city. "On the first day of the fare strike, our team of six (including one Chinese, one Korean and one Spanish speaker) went to our post at Divisadero and Geary at 7:30 AM, where we had a steady flow of 38-Geary buses, the busiest line in the City, as well as a less frequent cross flow of the 24-Divisadero. We had one large banner that simply said: 'FARE STRIKE Starting Sept. 1' and lots of smaller posters that we either carried as picket signs or taped up to the bus shelters in all four directions -- see http://www.MuniFareStrike.net/25301.html. ********************************************************** 9/7: GOVERNOR VETOES LBGT FAIR POLITICAL CAMPAIGN BILL Press Release from EQCA Sacramento, CA - With only vague comments, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger vetoed AB 866, authored by Assembly Speaker pro Tem Leland Yee (D-San Francisco/Daly City) and sponsored by Equality California, which was designed to prevent discrimination against Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) individuals in political campaigns. This was the first of many bills Equality California sponsored this year to make it to the Governors desk. We are extremely disappointed by Governor Schwarzenegger's veto of legislation that would have added LGBT people to the list of groups covered by the Fair Political Practice Act's Voluntary Pledge, said Geoffrey Kors, Executive Director of Equality California. Regardless of what he thinks about the enforceability of the Voluntary Pledge, it is ludicrous to exclude one group of people from the rights and protections granted to others. The exclusion of LGBT citizens in this case is just simply an unacceptable form of discrimination. *********************************************************** 9/8: Smacking Children Becomes New Zeland, Green, Election Issue By David Barber Wellington - Is it okay for parents to hit their children when they are naughty? That question looms as an issue in the campaign leading up to New Zealand's election on September 17, as a Christian group claiming the Bible approves of smacking children, prepares to challenge proposals to outlaw parental discipline by force. A private member's bill currently before parliament would repeal a section of the Crimes Act which says parents who use "reasonable force" to discipline their children cannot be charged with assault. Children are not always 'little bundles of innocence' Green Party MP Sue Bradford, who says the law is out-of-date and hitting children is wrong, won support from the Labour government for the bill to go before a parliamentary committee for further discussion. For the full story, go to: http://www.nospank.net/n-p06r.htm ************************************************************ *********************************************** Events *********************************************** ************************************************************ Letters Needed to Support Three Educators on the Board Friday, September 9th (request submitted by GCC Member Kimberly Knox: kimberlyknox(a)hotmail.com) SFSOS has gone into attack mode. School Board Commissioners Mark Sanchez and Sarah Lipson has asked that as many possible people write letters to the SF Chronicle and SF Gate about School Board Superintendent Ackerman's resignation. It would be good to do it in a positive manner such "Dr. Ackerman has done some good things for the district" but with an affirmation to the future where w/o Dr. Ackerman, we look forward to working together with the entire community-and having district staff that listens to parents, school workers, students and the community to create a positive future for our children. We need to counter the letters that are coming by fax, truckload and pigeon carrier by SFSOS on how the Three Eductors on the Board need to be recalled and Ackerman must stay-and blaming the Green Party for her resignation. This is an SFSOS fax blast to the board of education. Feel free to follow this link and alter the text to reflect your views before sending if you wish. http://www.sfsos.org/speakout_detail.asp?letter=/cm/advocacy/letter_110.inc *********************************************************** Volunteers Needed for Power to the Peaceful Festival Saturday, September 10th Speedway Medow, Golden Gate Park We can use volunteers to help at the booth and register voters throughout the event. Everyone has a great time at the festival. Join us and enjoy the music! Please confirm with Mark Barnes mwbsf(a)riseup.net (240-0640) or Micheas Herman m(a)micheas.net (424-5881). *********************************************************** Social Justice Forum Sunday, September 12th 128PM CELLspace, 2050 Bryant Street @ 19th (from a press release by the Social Justice Forum) Last year, Michael Franti & Spearheads annual 911 Power to the Peaceful festival, a free concert in Golden Gate Park, attracted more than 50,000 people in the name of peace, social justice and equity. This was its seventh year of continuous, significant growth and raising consciousness. Thousands left inspired and ready to take action in their daily lives. This year, we will offer them a platform to capitalize on these positive intentions. The day after this years festival we will hosting a Social Justice Forum, produced in conjunction with Craigslist Foundation, Next Generation, Global Exchange, Ella Baker Center for Human Rights, Circle of Life Foundation, Agape Foundation, the Volunteer Center and Guerrilla Management. Get Involved, a job and volunteer matching fair, will start the days events from 12-5pm and will begin with an acoustic performance by Michael Franti. The fair will connect potential supporters with social justice organizations. Get Involved will be free and open to the public, with tables from dozens of nonprofits and community based organizations, and free food and drinks will be served. >From 5-8pm there will be a private summit, specifically geared towards the social justice organizations themselves. Van Jones, Founder & National Executive Director of the Ella Baker Center for Human Rights, will speak briefly about the importance of collaboration and solidarity and then moderate a discussion focused on realistic solutions for change. Again, the event will be free and food and drinks will be provided by generous in kind sponsors. Michael Franti and others will promote the Social Justice Forum from the stage during the festival, and will also be distributing flyers there. *********************************************************** GP Youth Caucus/Campus Greens Back-To-School National Conference Monday, September 12th 9:15pm CDT (this is outside the SF Bay Area, but dial-in access is avaliable) Hey Green brothers and sisters, Campus Greens will be holding our annual "Back to School" national conference call MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 12th, 2005 at 9:15pm CDT. A draft agenda will be posted to the national discussion listserve at and on the website as soon as possible. Please feel free to respond with ideas, concerns, questions, comments, etc. Let's get this quiet group back in action again! The details are below. Peace all, Dave Wilcox Steering Committee Campus Greens -- Scheduled Conference Date: Monday, September 12, 2005 Scheduled Start Time: 9:15 p.m. Central Daylight Time Scheduled End Time: 10:40 p.m. Central Daylight Time Scheduled # of Participants: 30 Type of Conference: Web-Scheduled Standard Dial-in Number: 1-712-580-8020 (Spencer, IA) Participant Access Code: 11281963 *********************************************************** Isn't It About Time For Green Design? Monday, September 12th 7:00pm- 9:00pm First Baptist Church 7 Octavia Blvd. at Market St. (ADA Access at Waller St.) The "green" in green design is a debatable term. Green design could describe the use of recycled building materials, natural lighting and ventilation, or the incorporation of advanced technology. Often it is criticized as prohibitively expensive. At this seminar our panelists will discuss the meaning of green design, and its affordability and existing certifications/standards, while considering what other cities are doing, what San Francisco's recent projects are and its plans to build greener buildings. With: Raphael Sperry is an architect at 450 Architects in San Francisco and current President of Architects / Designers / Planners for Social Responsibility. He designs residential and school projects, and leads ADPSR's Prison Design Boycott campaign. In 2005 he was appointed as the public member of the City of San Francisco's municipal Green Building Task Force. In 2004 He was the lead author of the San Mateo County Guide to Sustainable Buildings. As the Project Manager for Berkeley's Best Builders, the City of Berkeley's first green building program, Raphael developed a network of expert consultants in fields including energy efficiency, green materials, solar power, etc. While earning his masters degree from the Yale School of Architecture he assisted with the creation and teaching of green building classes. Erin Carson is Senior Project Manager of the Public Initiatives Development Corporation, a non-profit public benefit housing development corporation which is a subsidiary of the San Francisco Redevelopment Agency. Erin has nearly 15 years of experience in housing development both in affordable and market rate housing and has a particular interest in green and sustainable design and development. Erin is currently working on a LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) registered multi-family affordable housing development in San Francisco. Erin is a LEED Accredited Professional and member of the United States Green Building Council and its Northern California Chapter. Mark Palmer is San Francisco's Municipal Green Building Coordinator. During his thirty years in the construction industry, he has directed environmental design for a major homebuilder, initiated a renewable energy portfolio for utilities, and founded an innovative green building consultancy. Mark develops city policy for sustainable design and construction--LEED Silver is now the standard for all municipal construction projects in San Francisco. Mark also administers a training program for city design professionals, and oversees a growing number of municipal construction projects including the new California Academy of Sciences slated for a LEED Platinum certification and the redevelopment of Treasure Island, a mixed-use pedestrian and transit-oriented community. This seminar series is sponsered by the SF Green Party Housing and Land Use Working Group. For more information, contact Dave Wilbur at drwsf(a)yahoo.com ********************************************************** Panel on Creating Quality Child Care Thursday, Sept. 16 6:00 - 8:00 p.m. Northern Police Station, 1125 Fillmore Please attend the "Panel on Creating Quality Child Care" with School Board Vice President Norman Yee, Elaine Merriweather and Betty Harris-Robinson. This will be a panel discussion on the elements of creating an excellent early childhood education for your child. For more information, contact Kim Knox at kimberleyknox(a)hotmail.com *********************************************************** ************************* Announcements: ************************* *********************************************************** Joke of the Week Growing Up George W. Bush is out jogging one morning, notices a little boy on the corner with a box. Curious, he runs over to the child and says, "What's in the box, kid?" The little boy says, "Kittens, they're brand new kittens." George W. laughs and says, "What kind of kittens are they?" "Republicans," the child says. "Oh that's cute," George W. says and he runs off. A couple of days later George is running with his buddy Dick Cheney and he spies the same boy with his box just ahead. George W. says to Dick, "You gotta check this out" and they both jog over to the boy with the box. George W. says, "Look in the box Dick, isn't that cute? Look at those little kittens. Hey kid tell my friend Dick what kind of kittens they are." The boy replies, "They're all Greens." "Whoa!", George W. says, "I came by here the other day and you said they were Republicans. Now you say they're Greens. What's up?" "Well," the kid says, "Their eyes are open now" *********************************************************** Green Meeting Space Avaliable at Progressive Coffee House Hi. I'm a co-owner of Coffee to the People, a new progressive coffeeshop located near the corner of Masonic and Haight in the Haight-Ashbury. As part of our social mission, we offer free meeting space and a 15% discount on food and beverages to groups and causes we support. Toward this end, Coffee to the People would be honored to host meetings and events for the San Francisco Green Party. If you are interested, please contact me via email or call our manager, Megan Harkins, at 415-626-2435 for scheduling. ************************************************************ Become a Green Party Sustainer! As you may know, the SFGP is supported by our wonderful sustaining donors -- 175 and growing. In the next 12 months we hope to double that figure, and you can help us achieve our goal by signing up to make a regular contribution to the Green Party. Our sustainer program nearly pays all of our basic monthly operating expenses, including rent and utilities on the office, and drastically reduces the amount of work needed to raise money. Our sustainers free us up to do what we're really here for - to pursue Green values through the democratic system. Sustainers also ensure that we are able to keep our office, which has hosted numerous campaigns' headquarters including the successful Prop A, Instant Runoff Voting initiative. Becoming a Green Party sustainer is easy, fun, and secure! Online: http://www.sfgreenparty.org/makeadonation/makeadonation.html Phone: 415-701-7090 ************************************************************ For more info on our activities, please see our website, http://www.sfgreenparty.org. You can also email us questions at info(a)sfgreens.org. To send us news items (short blurb please, plain text only) for possible inclusion in the newsletter, email news(a)sfgreens.org. Please don't put these addresses on mailing lists; messages not specifically addressed to us won't go through. Submissions for Joke of the Week, or comments and questions on the content of the newsletter are welcomed by the editor at ladypest(a)hotmail.com

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SF Green Party Weekly
by announce＠sfgreens.org 03 Sep '05

03 Sep '05

SFGP WEEKLY For The Week of 9/2/05 - 9/9/05 This Week: ********************************************************** News: 8/29: MoveOn.org Should Listen to Their Members and Oppose the War 9/2: Message from New Orleans Green ********************************************************** Events: 9/6 - Housing and Land Use Working Group Meeting 9/6 - Campaigns and Issues Working Group Meeting 9/7- Green Party Candidate Forum 7-9:30 Ongoing: Muni Social Strike ********************************************************** Announcements: Joke of the Week Green Meeting Space Avaliable at Progressive Coffee House Become A Sustainer! ********************************************************** News *********************************************************** 8/29: MoveOn.org Should Listen to Their Members and Oppose the War 08/29/05 Source: http://www.gp.org While its members protest the Iraq occupation along with Cindy Sheehan, MoveOn.org itself favors continued occupation, say Greens. WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Green Party leaders are challenging MoveOn.org to support an immediate pullout of troops from Iraq. "MoveOn has done an admirable job of rallying people nationwide behind Cindy Sheehan's protest vigil in Crawford, Texas," said Rebecca Rotzler, co-chair of the Green Party of the United States and Deputy Mayor of New Paltz, New York. "But MoveOn itself has undermined such efforts by refusing to endorse an immediate end to the occupation of Iraq." Greens have rejected the claim of Democrats like Senators Hillary Clinton (NY) and Joe Biden (Del.) that the problem with the Iraq War is the Bush Administration's military miscalculations. "The invasion and occupation are crimes, based on deception about the motivations for the invasion, a radical ideology that embraces 'preventive war' -- condemned by international law after World War II -- and an oil grab," said Leenie Halbert, Louisiana Green and member of the party's International Committee. "This abuse of power was inevitable after most Democrats in October 2002 voted with Republicans to surrender Congress's constitutionally mandated power to declare war to the White House." MORE INFORMATION Contacts: Scott McLarty, Media Coordinator, 202-518-5624, mclarty(a)greens.org Starlene Rankin, Media Coordinator, 916-995-3805, starlene(a)greens.org 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 Party Peace Action Committee http://www.gp.org/committees/peace/ Gold Star Families For Peace http://www.GSFP.org ************************************************************* Message from New Orleans Green: " It's Criminal" Malik Rahim, a veteran of the Black Panther Party in New Orleans, for decades an organizer of public housing tenants both there and in San Francisco and a recent Green Party candidate for New Orleans City Council, lives in the Algiers neighborhood, the only part of New Orleans that is not flooded. They have no power, but the water is still good and the phones work. Their neighborhood could be sheltering and feeding at least 40,000 refugees, he says, but they are allowed to help no one. What he describes is nothing less than deliberate genocide against Black and poor people. - Ed. New Orleans, Sept. 1, 2005 - It's criminal. From what you're hearing, the people trapped in New Orleans are nothing but looters. We're told we should be more "neighborly." But nobody talked about being neighborly until after the people who could afford to leave left. more: go to www.sfgreenparty.org ************************************************************ Events Housing and Land Use Working Group Meeting Tuesday, September 6th 7:00PM- 9:00PM SFGP office, 1028 A Howard St Housing and Land Use Working Group meeting Our tenative agenda includes: * Isn't it Time for Green Design (30 minutes) * Transportation Working Group/HLU Mid-Market Letter (20 minutes) * Better Neighborhoods Plus Legislation (20 minutes) * October seminar (20 minutes) * Housing Element (40 minutes) * Announcements (5 minutes) Note: This meeting will be held in the Green Party kitchen *********************************************************** Campaigns and Issues Working Group Tuesday, September 6th 7:00pm- 9:00pm SFGP office, 1028 A Howard St NOTE: we moved the meeting one day in observance of Labor Day. We will finalize our endorsement schedule, prepare for the Sept 7th candidate forum and Sept 19 Gun Ban forum. We have endorsed all state measures. We need to consider local initiatives for Sept 21: A- Community College Bonds B- Street Resurfacing G- Golden Gate Park/MLK Drive H- Gun Ban *********************************************************** Special Endorsement Meeting Wednesday, September 6th 7:30pm - 9:30pm SFGP office, 1028 A Howard St This will be our candidate night, where we will interview the candidates for Assessor, Treasurer and City Attorney. following the presentation, the SF Green Party active membership will make the endorsements using IRV and consider None of The Above (NOTA) an option. *********************************************************** Ongoing: Muni Social Strike: MUNI Fare Strike Starts Thrurday, September 1st Ongoing On September 1, a social strike begins to combat MUNI fare hikes, service cuts, and layoffs. Riders don't pay, drivers won't collect. Legal Support: If you have any legal difficulties, we have a legal team that can help. Contact 415-285-1011 and make sure you leave your information. Someone will call you back and we'll help fight your ticket. WHAT WE STAND FOR * Riders and Workers, Together! We have the same interests. * Expand Public Transit. No layoffs! No service cuts! Prioritize service expansion for communities who depend most on public transit. Remedy inequalities in service. * Public Transit Should be Free. Reduce fares. No fare hikes, ever! * The City is Not Poor! Increase taxes on big businesses and private transportation to provide all necessary money. HOW DOES IT WORK? The key to a social strike is that it involves riders and workers -- acting in concert. Starting September 1st, riders don't pay to ride and drivers (or station agents) don't ask for fares. Other than that, MUNI will operate as it normally does. Our strike will last until MUNI satifies our demands by repealing the fare hike and reversing all service cuts and layoffs. RIDERS: * Acknowledge the driver or station agent as you enter the MUNI. * Show the "transfer" flyer we have distributed, or wink, or mention the strike. Be polite and don't antagonize the driver, or try to trick them and sneak on. * Other ways to help: If you must pay anything, consider paying partial fare -a few pennies, nickels or dimes. Ask for a transfer and pass it on to someone else as you leave MUNI. * If police or MUNI officials accost you, don't answer their questions or incriminate yourself. Contact legal(a)socialstrike.org as soon as you can. DRIVERS AND STATION AGENTS: * Do what you can to help riders avoid fares. Be creative! * If police or MUNI officials give you trouble, don't answer their questions or incriminate yourself. Contact legal(a)socialstrike.org or as soon as you can. Before September 1st, we need as many people as possible to discuss and publicize the strike. If you are a rider, get to know the drivers you see most often. Talk to fellow passengers at your stop. If you are a driver, let riders know you support the social strike. Talk to other drivers and encourage them to participate. The efforts to get the word out and grow the strike will continue past September 1, and the more people who know about the strike the more effective it will be. Click below to get even more involved: http://socialstrike.net/ http://munifarestrike.net/ ************************************************************ Joke of the Week Balance Once upon a time in the kingdom of Heaven, God was missing for six days. Eventually, Michael the archangel found him, resting on the seventh day. He inquired of God. "Where have you been?" God signed a deep sigh of satisfaction and proudly pointed downwards through the clouds, "Look, Michael. Look what I've made." Archangel Michael looked puzzled and said, "What is it?" "It's a planet," replied God, "and I've put Life on it. I'm going to call it Earth and it's going to be a great place of balance." "Balance?" Inquired Michael, still confused. God explained, pointing to different parts of earth. "For example, northern Europe will be a place of great opportunity and wealth while southern Europe is going to be poor. Over there I've placed a continent of white people and over there is a continent of black people," God continued pointing to different countries. "This one will be extremely hot and while this one will be very cold and covered in ice." The Archangel, impressed by God's work, then pointed to a land mass and said, "What's that one?" "Ah," said God. "That's California, the most glorious place on earth. There are beautiful beaches, deserts, streams, hills, and forests. The people from California are going to be handsome, modest, intelligent and humorous and they are going to be found traveling the world. They will be extremely sociable, hardworking and high achieving, and they will be known throughout the world as diplomats and carriers of peace." Michael gasped in wonder and admiration but then proclaimed, "What about balance, God? You said there would be balance!!!" God replied wisely, "Wait until you see the idiot ex-actor I'm going to put in Sacramento." ************************************************************ Announcements: Green Meeting Space Avaliable at Progressive Coffee House Hi. I'm a co-owner of Coffee to the People, a new progressive coffeeshop located near the corner of Masonic and Haight in the Haight-Ashbury. As part of our social mission, we offer free meeting space and a 15% discount on food and beverages to groups and causes we support. Toward this end, Coffee to the People would be honored to host meetings and events for the San Francisco Green Party. If you are interested, please contact me via email or call our manager, Megan Harkins, at 415-626-2435 for scheduling. ************************************************************ Become a Green Party Sustainer! As you may know, the SFGP is supported by our wonderful sustaining donors -- 175 and growing. In the next 12 months we hope to double that figure, and you can help us achieve our goal by signing up to make a regular contribution to the Green Party. Our sustainer program nearly pays all of our basic monthly operating expenses, including rent and utilities on the office, and drastically reduces the amount of work needed to raise money. Our sustainers free us up to do what we're really here for - to pursue Green values through the democratic system. Sustainers also ensure that we are able to keep our office, which has hosted numerous campaigns' headquarters including the successful Prop A, Instant Runoff Voting initiative. Becoming a Green Party sustainer is easy, fun, and secure! Online: http://www.sfgreenparty.org/makeadonation/makeadonation.html Phone: 415-701-7090 ************************************************************ For more info on our activities, please see our website, http://www.sfgreenparty.org. You can also email us questions at info(a)sfgreens.org. To send us news items (short blurb please, plain text only) for possible inclusion in the newsletter, email news(a)sfgreens.org. Please don't put these addresses on mailing lists; messages not specifically addressed to us won't go through. Submissions for Joke of the Week, or comments and questions on the content of the newsletter are welcomed by the editor at ladypest(a)hotmail.com

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