[SFGP] SF Green Party Weekly

[announce at sfgreens.org]

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:
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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?
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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
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Announcements:
Joke of the Week
Register to Vote By Mail
Become A Sustainer!
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News
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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
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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 at earthlink.net
Pat Driscoll 916.320-6430 pat at sonicfrog.com
Susan King 415.823-5524 funking at mindspring.com
Beth Moore Haines 530.277-0610 beth at 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 nation’s 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 study’s authors were Mitch Earleywine, a State University of New York 
psychology professor, and Karen O’Keefe, 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 
O’Keefe 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 president’s 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.
"It’s 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
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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 at earthlink.net
Pat Driscoll 916.320-6430 pat at sonicfrog.com
Susan King 415.823-5524 funking at mindspring.com
Beth Moore Haines 530.277-0610 beth at ncws.com

GREEN PARTY OF CALIFORNIA
www.cagreens.org
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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
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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.
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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
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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
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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?
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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
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Events
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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 at hotmail.com, 
familiescantwait at yahoo.com,
deenv_2000 at yahoo.com, xochitl at 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 at 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
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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., 6–8:00pm
-----------------------
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., 8am–4:30pm
-----------------------------------
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., 9am–4:30pm
-----------------------------------
- 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 at cybre.net), Susan King 
(funking at mindspring.com) or Charlene Smythe (info at 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 Party’s 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 at 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. It’s 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 at juno.com
***********************************************************
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Announcements:
*************************
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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.

Tuesday’s 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 at sfgreens.org.  To send us news items (short blurb please, plain
text only) for possible inclusion in the newsletter, email
news at 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 at hotmail.com