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December 2003 Newsletter
Green Party of Sonoma County (GPSC) News for February:
1. Green Talk: Meet Local Candidates & Discuss the March Ballot
2. Discuss Green Issues Online!
3. Opinion: The Avocado Declaration
4. Calendar of Upcoming Meetings and Events
5. Contact information
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GREEN TALK: MEET LOCAL CANDIDATES & DISCUSS THE MARCH BALLOT
Thursday, February 5, 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM
Environmental Center, 404A Mendocino Ave (near 5th Street), Santa Rosa
Don't miss this opportunity to meet with local Green candidates for
the March election. Congressional District 1 candidates Pamela
Elizondo and Bill Meyers and the eight candidates for GPSC County
Council will give short statements about themselves and will be
answering your questions. Summaries of the state propositions will be
given with time for discussion on each.
For information on local Green Candidates, please visit:
http://www.sonomagreenparty.org/pages/hotstuff/gpsc_election_main.shtml
Bill Meyers: http://www.williampmeyers.org/cong2004/conghome
Green Talks are free, informal meetings hosted by the Green Party of
Sonoma County on the first Thursday of each month. For more
information or to suggest topics for future Green Talks, email
greentalk@sonomagreenparty.org or call (707)524-8818.
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DISCUSS GREEN ISSUES ONLINE!
If you are interested in discussing Green topics, but you don't always
have time for in-person meetings, consider joining the new "Sonoma
Greens Open Forum" listserve. This is not an official GPSC list, just
a free-for-all discussion list for Greens and the Green-curious in
Sonoma County for the purpose of advancing Green politics, activism,
and debate. What could be more fun in this election year?
To subscribe to the list, visit:
http://lists.riseup.net/www/info/sonomagreens
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OPINION: THE AVOCADO DECLARATION
by Peter Miguel Camejo and the Avocado Education Project.
01.01.04 -- The Green Party is at a crossroads. The 2004 elections
place before us a clear and unavoidable choice. On one side, we can
continue on the path of political independence, building a party of,
by and for the people by running our own campaign for President of the
United States. The other choice is the well-trodden path of
lesser-evil politics, sacrificing our own voice and independence to
support whoever the Democrats nominate in order, we are told, to
defeat Bush.
The difference is not over whether to "defeat Bush" - understanding
that to mean the program of corporate globalization and the wars and
trampling of the Constitution that come with it - but rather how to do
it. We do not believe it is possible to defeat the "greater" evil by
supporting a shamefaced version of the same evil. We believe it is
precisely by openly and sharply confronting the two major parties that
the policies of the corporate interests these parties represent can be
set back and defeated...
To download and read the entire article, click the link below:
http://www.sonomagreenparty.org/pdfs/THE_AVOCADO_DECLARATION.pdf
To read background on the Avocado Declaration, visit:
http://www.sonomagreenparty.org/pages/issues.shtml
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Calendar of Upcoming Meetings and Events
*NOTE* To check for new events and schedule changes, visit the GPSC
on-line calendar at http://www.cagreens.org/c/sonoma/calendar.pl
January --------------------------------------------------------
23 (Thu) IT (INFO TECHNOLOGIES) WORKING GROUP MEETING
7 PM. Contact: it@sonomagreenparty.org
25 (Sun) CANDIDATES' FORUM: CALIFORNIA'S WAR ON DRUGS
5-8 PM, Finley Community Center
2060 W. College Avenue in Santa Rosa
Green Party candidates Pamela Elizondo and Bill Meyers (running
for Congress in District 1) and other local, state, and federal
candidates for public office will take part in a forum about
California's War on Drugs. The forum's key speaker, US Senate
candidate Judge James Gray, will describe what California's drug
policies have accomplished and his vision for future drug policy.
The event is free to the public and wheelchair accessible, and
will be taped for broadcast on community cable television.
29 (Thu) BYLAWS WORKING GROUP MEETING
7 PM. Contact: bylaws@sonomagreenparty.org or call 707-542-3037
February --------------------------------------------------------
5 (Thu) GREEN TALK: MEET LOCAL CANDIDATES & DISCUSS THE MARCH BALLOT
7 PM, Environmental Center, 404A Mendocino Ave, Santa Rosa
For more info, see item #1 in this newsletter.
12 (Thu) GREEN TALKS WORKING GROUP MEETING
7 PM. Contact: greentalk@sonomagreenparty.org
18 (Wed) DEADLINE FOR GPSC NEWSLETTER SUBMISSIONS FOR MARCH
Email an outline for a newsletter article or information on a
Green-related event to pc@sonomagreenparty.org
19 (Thu) GENERAL BUSINESS MEETING
7-9 PM, Environmental Center, 404A Mendocino Ave, Santa Rosa
The general meeting is held every 3rd Thursday. All interested
Greens are welcome to attend!
Info: info@sonomagreenparty.org
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CONTACT INFORMATION
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WORKING GROUPS (WG)
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Bill of Rights Defense WG
If you haven't heard of the USA PATRIOT Act, you probably don't
know that shortly after 9/11/01 you lost some of your civil
liberties. If you have heard of the Act and you were counting on
some of its provisions expiring in 2005, be aware that in Bush's
State of the Union on 1/20/04, he called for renewing those
provisions. Organizers in three states and 234 cities, towns, and
counties across the nation have sounded their protest by
successfully lobbying for local and state resolutions in defense of
the Bill of Rights--Sebastopol, Cotati, and Sonoma are among those
cities. Add your support to Sonoma County and state of California
efforts by joining this working group!
Contact: bordc@sonomagreenparty.org
Info: http://www.roadtaken.com/srbordc/
Bylaws WG
Help draft the bylaws for the GPSC. This is important work that
will insure the GPSC's commitment to the 10 key values of the Green
Party.
Next Meeting: 1/29 at 7 PM
Contact: bylaws@sonomagreenparty.org or call 542-3037 for location
and directions.
Campus Greens
A Campus Greens chapter has been started on the Sonoma State
University campus. One of our long-term goals is to work for
implementation of IRV on campus, as well as of course promoting
Green candidates and politics (note: those interested in starting a
Campus Greens club at Santa Rosa Junior College should contact
James at jswingaling@hotmail.com )
Contact: jaredl@sbcglobal.net
Listserve: http://lists.riseup.net/www/info/sonomacampusgreens
Electoral Reform WG
This group is looking at issues regarding how elections are run at
the local, state and national level. In coordination with the
California Election Reform WG the group monitors changes and
potential changes in election laws that affect the rights of
voters. Positive changes to elections laws such as Instant Runoff
Voting and Proportional Representation are discussed and strategies
for such changes are reviewed. Green Party supporters are
encouraged to join the group.
Contact: er@sonomacountygreenparty.org or call Jim Housman at
823-7564 for information on activities and meeting schedules.
Green Talk WG
Help organize discussions and presentations that will provide
interested citizens with an attractive and energizing venue to get
involved in local, regional, state, and national Green politics.
Next Meeting: 2/12 (every 2nd Thursday of each month)
Contact: greentalk@sonomagreenparty.org
IT (Information Technologies) WG
Contribute your ideas and/or skills to help fine tune our website
and communication technologies.
Next Meeting: 1/23
Contact: it@sonomagreenparty.org
Outreach WG
The Outreach Working Group is focused on bringing new Green Party
members into the organization. The group meets with volunteers,
identifies their interests and talents, and connects them with
opportunities to help build the party. In addition, the Outreach
Working Group works on ways to spread word to county progressives,
regardless of party affiliation, and coordinates fundraising. Any
one interested in volunteering or has ideas about outreach
strategies is encouraged to contact this group.
Contact: outreach@sonomagreenparty.org, darius0@comcast.net or
call 953-4682 for more information.
PC (Public Communications) WG
Responsible for the development and delivery of the Green Party
message for local mass media outlets such as voicemail, website,
e-newsletter, press and GPSC mailings. The PC WG will coordinate
primarily with the GPCA Media Committee on a state level and
various GPSC working groups as well as news outlets on a local
level. The PC WG will act as a clearinghouse for local Green news
as well as actively recruit writers and editorial content for the
promotion of GP interests.
Contact: pc@sonomagreenparty.org
Tabling WG
There are several new statewide initiatives out that will be in
circulation for at least the next couple months, including a Green
friendly initiative funding Mental Health Programs that were cut
during the Reagan years. Those cuts have since contributed to
California's current, chronic, morally bankrupt, and excessively
expensive homeless problem. There is also a vital initiative to
reform current injustices in the Three Strikes law so that only
violent crimes and sex crimes are punished with life imprisonment.
Working on initiatives provides an excellent vehicle for Green
volunteer and paid activists to engage the man and woman on the
street in a political dialogue, and for planting the seeds of the
Ten Key Values. It also provides tablers the best ongoing
opportunity to register Greens on a steady, consistent basis. This
is what we need to be doing to keep growing the party, to expand
and diversify our base constituency, and to move out from
marginalization.
If you want more information, or to get more involved, please
contact Tim Smith, at 1-707-206-0260, or Rioryon@aol.com
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