SFGP WEEKLY For The Week of 6/9/05 - 6/16/05 (Cause we're never gonna survive unless we get a little crazy!) This Week: ********************************************************** ************************************************** BRAND NEW!!!! SFGP Weekly Staff Presents: Joke of The Week Cheney and the Bushes on a Plane Dick Cheney, President Bush and his father are flying on Air Force One. Dick looks at Dubya, chuckles and says, "You know, I could throw a $100.00 bill out the window right now and make one person very happy." Dubya shrugs his shoulders and says, "Well, I could throw ten $10.00 bills out the window and make 10 people very happy." George Bush Senior says, "Of course then, I could throw one-hundred $1.00 bills out the window and make a hundred people very happy." The pilot rolls her eyes, looks at all of them and says, "I could throw all of you out the window and make the whole country happy." Bonus Joke!! California's Letter of Secession http://politicalhumor.about.com/library/jokes/bljokecaliforniasecession.htm ********************************************************** ********************************************************** News: 6/7: Federal IRV Bill in Congress 6/3: Green Party Presents Real Vision For World Environment Day 5/31: Bayview Gears Up For World Environment Day 5/31: NY Mayor Jason West Back In Court ********************************************************** Events: - 6/11: S.F. People's Convention - 6/12: Haight/Ashbury Street Fair - 6/13: Press Conference with School Board Members - 6/15: General Membership Meeting ********************************************************** Announcements: - Welcome new official SFGP Weekly Editor Nicole Walter - Formation of Animal Rights Working Group - Formation of Youth Working Group - Become A Sustainer! ********************************************************** ********************************************************** 6/7: Federal IRV Bill In Congress- It's Lobbyin' Time! Courtesy of GPUS Youth Caucus (article reprinted in full) From: Mike Gillis Guys, as you know, I'm a huge supporter of Instant Run-Off Voting ( http://www.chrisgates.net/irv/ )and Proportional Representation (if 40% of the vote is Democratic, 40% of the seats go to Democrats, if 10% of the vote is Green, Greens get 10% of the seats...etc.).. and there's a bill in Congress right now called the Voter Choice Act (HB 2690) sponsored by Rep. Cynthia McKinney of Georgia that would require that all federal elections would be using Instant Run-Off Voting by the 2008 Election. This would also provide the funds necessary for states to switch over to IRV technology, which isn't a giant change, since you can still use paper optical scan ballots. HB 2690 would also allow states to use proportional voting systems for Congress – indeed restoring a power states held as recently as 1967, when New Mexico and Hawaii elected House members from multi-seat districts. More info here: http://www.fairvote.org/index.php?page=1055 On the link above, you can read the entire language of the bill.... I'm going to provide you guys with all of the links and phone numbers to the House switch board to make this as painless as possible for you. IRV gives voters more power, eliminates the "spoiler" effect, makes elected officials more accountable to voters, makes elections more competitive and encourages more people to vote. It's a system that's been used by Australia, Ireland, the Utah Republican Party for primaries, The Heisman Trophy, the American Political Science Association, the Academy Awards and was just used to huge success in San Fransisco for citiwide elections, where 85% of people said they understood it, 60% said they preferred it and only 13% didn't like (the rest didn't care). It's supported by people like Howard Dean, Ralph Nader and Senator John McCain. It's a non-partisan reform that benefits all voters of all political stripes. It breaks the glass ceiling for third parties and independent candidates and gives voters more power over bad representatives who face worse opposition and allows the voter to leverage them into being better officials. Please, write and call your Congressmen and Senators about this, tell them to support the Voter Choice Act (HB 2690) because it makes elections more competitive, fairer, guarantees majority consent of the electorate and would increase voter turn out. Also tell them you will watch how they vote and remember it in 2006. Be sure to mention the name of the bill. You needn't write them a massive letter or talk their ear off.. Brief and to the point is best. I promise you you'll only be on the phone for like a minute. Here's how to find your Congressmen: You can find them below. Click in your zip code and your state and you'll get their email address and phone number for their office. http://www.house.gov/writerep If you can, both call and write a brief email. But it's the phone calls that really make an impact. Contact DNC Chair Howard Dean and remind him of his open support of IRV and encourage him to tell the Democratic Party to support it. http://www.democrats.org/contact/ Contact Senator John McCain and tell him to remember his past support for IRV (he did a radio ad for an IRV bill for Alaska) and telll him to work on a Senate version of the bill. http://mccain.senate.gov/index.cfm?fuseaction=Contact.Home Please let me know if you're written or called, it's nice to know if there's movement on this... Thanks guys! ********************************************************** 6/3: Green Party Presents Real Vision for World Environment Day By: Casey Mills Source: BeyondChron.org Across the street from the World Environmental Day (WED) celebration at City Hall, where a variety of $100,000-plus hydrogen cars, displays sponsored by the likes of Shell and Coca-Cola, and a supposedly ‘environmental-friendly’ Hummer sat, the San Francisco Green Party issued a call for real environmental justice in our city and the world. Rallying in front of the public library, a diverse array of Green Party members spoke on issues ranging from local to global. Green representatives from a variety of campaigns attended, including activists working to shut down a PG&E plant, improve public transportation, and to stop clear-cutting. Susan King, who helped organize the event, tied the high level of Green Party activism in city and national campaigns to the group's founding values. Read the whole article at http://www.sfgreenparty.org/news/newsitem-start.gem?idx=1344 ********************************************************** 5/31: Mayor Will Face Trial For Marrying Gay Couples A top N.Y. court acts after protests By Michael Gormley, Associated Press | May 28, 2005 ALBANY, N.Y. -- The village mayor who challenged New York law by marrying gay couples last year will face trial, the state's highest court ruled yesterday. Jason West, mayor of New Paltz, N.Y., faces 24 misdemeanor counts of violating the state's domestic relations law by marrying couples without licenses in late February 2004. He faces fines and up to a year in jail if convicted. Read the whole article at http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2005/05/28/a_mayor_will_face_tria... ********************************************************** 5/31: Bayview gears up for World Environment Day By: Marie Harrison Source: Bay View Newspaper As a week of activities for United Nations World Environment Day approaches, Bayview Hunters Point continues its fight for environmental justice. In the midst of feel-good, look-good events at posh venues like the Metreon Theater in San Francisco, grassroots organizations and residents are gearing up for the largest environmental justice rally in San Francisco’s history. Planned for the front steps of San Francisco City Hall on Saturday, June 4, at 11 a.m., the rally is sponsored by 48 groups so far, with more signing on daily. It’s entitled “From Bayview Hunters Point to Communities around the World.” We should feel tremendous pride that organizations from across the United States will be standing in solidarity with our struggles against the PG&E Hunters Point Power Plant and other polluters that foul our air, water and soil. We need to put those folks on the endangered species list — as they have for many residents in our community. Read the whole article at http://www.sfgreenparty.org/news/newsitem-start.gem?idx=1342 ********************************************************** ********************************************************** Events ************************************* S.F. People's Convention Saturday, June 11 8:30am- 5:00pm St. Mary's Cathedral, 1111 Gough Come to the San Francisco Peoples' Organization's founding convention and be a part of this burgeoning progressive coalition! Speakers for this event include Medea Benjamin, Michael Franti, Sup. Ross Mirkarimi,Matt Gonzalez, and Sup. Chris Daly. 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m. (415) 546-1342, www.sfpeople.org. ********************************************************** Haight Ashbury Street Fair Sunday, June 12 11:00am-5:30pm Haight Street from Stanyan to Masonic Join your fellow Greens to register voters, socialize, shop, hear great music, and just have fun! Look for the Green Party booth staffed by members of our own GROW Working Group! We always have a party at our Haight booth (between Ashbury & Clayton on Haight) and there will be food and drink for volunteers. This is the ideal location to start our summer voter registration drive. More details to follow. If you can help with transportation from the SFGP office or back, food or tabling, contact Mark Barnes: mwbsf@riseup.net Great local artists, progressive groups, and musicians. ********************************************************** School Board Press Conference Monday, June 13 4pm. 1088 Harrison St. Press Conference on the School District's budget cuts with President Eric Mar, Mark Sanchez and Sarah Lipson. ********************************************************** Green Party General Membership Meeting Wednesday, June 15 7:30pm- 9:30pm 1028A Howard St. (in SOMA between 6th and 7th Sts.) This is our regularly scheduled GM meeting. Agenda TBA, please contact the county council if you have an item you would like to see the SF Green Party discuss. contact Susan King at funking@mindspring.com ********************************************************** ********************************************************** Announcements: ********************** NEW SFGP EDITOR CONFIRMED A big welcome to the new official SFGP Weekly Editor Nicole Walter, confirmed by the SFGCC on Wednesday, June 8! Send her your suggestions about how to improve the Weekly to nicolewalter42@yahoo.com ********************************************************** ATTENTION ANIMAL-LOVING GREEN PARTY MEMBERS I am seeking people to start an animal working group with in the San Francisco Green Party. The mission of this group would be to become a voice for animals in the Green Party, and support, work with, and represent animal advocacy groups such as In Defense of Animals (www.idausa.org). Ecological wisdom is one of the Green Party's Ten Key Values. According to the Green Party of California's platform on ecology and earth stewardship, this also includes treating animals well and respecting their needs (http://cagreens.org/platform/ecology.htm#ethical). Let's live up to this promise! Of course, I'm open any kind of ideas and suggestions on how we can make this happen. To contact me, I can be emailed at rclord@seaserpent.com - Rosalind Lord ************************************************************ STUDENTS, TEENS, ALL YOUNG PEOPLE! Under 30? Feeling left out of the decision-making process? Have some really cool ideas? Want to talk about issues that matter to you? Want to have fun and be heard? Now is your chance! Did you know that one of the Green Party's goals is *promoting* youth empowerment? It's time to speak up and tell us what *you* want! We are looking for more young people to take part in active membership in the San Francisco Green Party. Not 18 yet? Not a problem- all you need to do is say that you identify with us, and you're in! We plan to meet one night a month somewhere in the city, hang out, have fun, and talk about issues important to youth today. We're still looking for people, so e-mail your suggestions to Nicole (ladypest@hotmail.com) with the subject "Youth WG" in the title. This week's topics: Writing Our Charter! ************************************************************ 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 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@sfgreens.org. To send us news items (short blurb please, plain text only) for possible inclusion in the newsletter, email news@sfgreens.org. Please don't put these addresses on mailing lists; messages not specifically addressed to us won't go through. _______________________________________________ San Francisco Green Party Announcement List To unsubscribe, go here: https://list.sfgreens.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/announce