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December 2005 Newsletter
Green Party of Sonoma County (GPSC) News for December:
1. GPCA
State Plenary at UC/DAVIS - 12/10 TO 12/11
2. A Discussion on "Ecological Wisdom"
3. Election Results for Replacement County Councilors
4. Twenty-Five Greens Elected to Office in November!
5. GE-Free Sonoma Fight is Not Over
6. Calendar of Upcoming Meetings and Events
7. Contact Information
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GPCA STATE PLENARY AT UC/DAVIS - 12/10 TO 12/11 [top]
The next Green Party of California (GPCA) state party plenary is
scheduled to be held the weekend of December 10-11 on the campus of
UC/Davis, hosted by the Green Party of Yolo County. Come meet Green
Party members from across the state, participate in discussions, and
learn about the workings of the state party. Meetings will be held all
day starting at 8 AM.
County party organizations are expected to select delegates and
register them on-line by Wednesday, December 7.
Additional details can be found at the following web address:
http://www.cagreens.org/plenary/
Our GPSC delegates to the plenary, elected at our November 17th
General Meeting, are Tim Smith, Tim Morgan, Susan Chunko and Amber
Mokelke. Alternates are Suzanne Reta, Edward Mendoza and Sharon
Abrahams.
All Greens are welcome to attend the plenary.
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A DISCUSSION ON "ECOLOGICAL WISDOM"
- A KEY VALUE OF THE GREEN PARTY [top]
With this newsletter issue we are beginning a series of discussions on
the Green Party's 10 key values. We are doing this because it is felt
that these values set us apart from all other political parties. And
because these values are meant to project a clear, principled and
uncompromising voice for all progressives which could/should lead to
public policies which are morally compelling and strategically smart.
These 10 key values were first enunciated in August of 1984 and
revised in March of 1986. They were put forward at the founding
meetings of the Greens of the USA. At that time, it was stated that
these "are values, not doctrines, and are thus outlined with questions
rather than assertions." They are not dogma (a settled opinion) nor
are they doctrine (authoritatively laid down). They are framed this
way so as to encourage and stimulate discussion. Therefore, we will
expect all readers to contact us to contribute their thoughts and
ideas to the continuing discussions.
We feel that there are compelling reasons to do this NOW! Because we
find ourselves, in 2005, living in a far different world, or paradigm,
then is desirable. It is, in point of fact, profoundly unhealthy, both
for us as individuals and as a planet. It is the legacy of a failed
political system. It is a failure of the system of duopoly (two party)
control corrupted as it is, by money and its use of focus groups and
polls that tend to dictate transient messages. It is, therefore, an
historic opportunity for the Green Party to fill the vacuum created by
such failure.
We begin, then, with our first key value: ECOLOGICAL WISDOM.
How can we operate human societies with the understanding that we are
part of nature, not on top of it? How can we live within the
ecological and resource limits of the planet, applying our
technological knowledge to the challenge of an energy-efficient
economy? How can we build a better relationship between cities and
countryside? How can we guarantee the rights of nonhuman species? How
can we promote sustainable agriculture and respect for self-regulating
natural systems? How can we further biocentric wisdom in all spheres
of life?
The word ecology is derived from the Greek word oikos, meaning house
or place to live, and from the word logos, meaning science or study.
The word was first promulgated by the German naturalist Ernst Haeckel
in 1869, and used by Charles Darwin shortly thereafter. In recent
years, many people have become aware of man's abuse of his
environment, and the words environment and ecology have become
publicly interchangeable. Often, however, the two words are confused.
Man pollutes the air he breathes and the water he drinks. His concern
with the problem of pollution may be purely an environmental issue
rather than an ecological issue in that he wants clean, noncorrosive
air and water and is concerned mainly with the quality of the physical
environment. If, however, the focus of his concern becomes the plants
and animals (including human) that are contaminated, then the issue
with which he is dealing is ecological. (Webster defines ecology as
that branch of science concerned with the interrelationship of
organisms and their environment and the branch of sociology that is
concerned with studying the relationships between human groups and
their physical and social environments.) Today, we are on the
threshold of an exciting new era for ecology in which the full
spectrum of knowledge from molecular biology through physiology and
community dynamics is used in the fabric of ecological theory. As with
any science, ecology is divided into various subdivisions and fields.
There is autecology, synecology, marine ecology, freshwater ecology
and terrestrial ecology among others. Time and space prohibits our
covering all of them. So, we want to concentrate on human ecology.
That is, the study of humans in relation to their environment,
including the relationships among individuals or groups of people and
the interdependency of all forms of life within an ecosystem.
This from SOCIETY AND NATURE, a publication of the INTERNATIONAL
JOURNAL OF POLITICAL ECOLOGY: "An ecological society implies the
abolition of the unequal distribution of political and economic power
as well as all hierarchical structures" and "Politics must cease to be
a technique for holding and exercising power and become again the
self-management of society by its members." Therefore the society that
Greens envision and seek to create sees an intimate connection between
our rights as individuals and our responsibilities to our neighbors,
our communities and the Earth. The balance between our rights and
responsibilities grows out of processes that promote the maximum
participation of everyone in the decisions that affect our well-being,
our economic security, our social and international policies, and the
way we live our lives.
What does all of this mean for us here in our community of Sonoma
County? Or, how do we here in our county practice Ecological Wisdom?
Ecological Wisdom, we argue, is a mandate for the Green Party of
Sonoma County to pay extraordinary attention to and follow closely the
decisions that affect our lives, being made by local decision-making
bodies. It means that we should have observers at all city councils
(all 9 jurisdictions + the county board of supervisors) to monitor
their conduct and their decisions. It means that we should support and
help actively those of our candidates running for local offices.....to
get green perspectives represented on them.
It means that we should see to it that every city in the county has
passed a Growth Control Ordinance, establishing growth limits so that
they become sustainable communities; i.e., understanding in the most
comprehensive way the resource needs of their community.....where its
energy, water and food come from and how its wastes are managed. To
quote from the THE ECOLOGY OF PLACE: "A community should forge a
sustainable relationship with its ecological home, recognizing natural
carrying capacities and limits. Resource needs often strain regional
ecosystems and waste generation often exceeds the natural assimilative
capacities. (The city of Santa Rosa is a vivid illustration of this,
with its waste-water problem....where to put it) A city should strive
to live off its ecological interest and to protect its ecological
capital."
In addition, it means that we should be monitoring the wayward ways of
our Sonoma County Water Agency when it makes decisions about our
precious water resource, the Russian River. Decisions which encourage
residential housing development with no concern with its impacts on
the restoration and preservation of this precious resource.
It means that we should be concerned about the push for 101 freeway
expansion and resist it. It will induce more unsustainable population
growth.
It means following closely and resisting the planned expansion of the
Sonoma County Airport being pushed by local big business interests!
It means watching the Board of Supervisors carefully so that they do
not violate our open-space preservation ordinance. And that they
preserve our community separators.
Finally, it means full support and actively working for such measures
as the GE Free Sonoma initiative; which, while it lost, was a noble
effort and all Greens should be proud of having worked on it.
All this represents a very busy agenda.....we admit....but if we are
to be true to our values, we argue, then we must with diligence
address them.
Again, we urge all who read this to contribute to the discussion by
making comments; write the newsletter with them. They are welcomed.
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This article was contributed by Bill Patterson, a member of the GPSC
County Council.
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ELECTION RESULTS FOR REPLACEMENT COUNTY COUNCILORS [top]
At the October 20, 2005 General Meeting of the GPSC, the following
persons were elected to fill two vacant seats on the GPSC County
Council: Suzanne Reta and Matt Rogina. Our congratulations to them!
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TWENTY-FIVE GREENS ELECTED TO OFFICE IN NOVEMBER! [top]
U.S. Greens won at 25 races in November elections, bringing to 39 the
number of Greens elected in 2005.
Most prominent among the November 2005 victories were
- Cam Gordon, City Council, Ward 2, Minneapolis, Minnesota After
losing by 108 votes for the same seat in 2001, Gordon won this
year by 141 (2481-2340).
- Annie Young, at-large seat, Parks and Recreation Board,
Minneapolis, Young was re-elected to her fourth term, her third as
a Green. Both
- Chuck Turner, City Council, Boston, Massachusetts. Turner ran
unopposed and won with 98.81 of the vote, retaining a Green City
Council seat one of America's largest cities.
- Susan Hopkins, School Committee, At-Large, Portand, Maine
Hopkins finished 1st among three candidates for one seat and
becomes the fourth Green on the nine member Committee, joining Ben
Meiklejohn, Stehen Spring and Jason Toothaker. Portland also
boasts the only U.S. Green current state legislator, John Eder,
who was elected there in 2002 and 2004.
- Hilary Bradbury-Huang, Board of Trustees, Pasadena City College,
California Bradbury-Huang finished 1st with 51.1 in a two way
race against a well-funded, long-term Republican incumbent. She
won by 232 votes (5299-5067) in a major upset victory. Bradbury
Huang's campaign manager Sharon Gilpin, previously managed the
victories City Council campaigns of Santa Monica Greens Mike
Feinstein and Kevin McKeown.
If you are interested in running for a non-partisan office in Sonoma
County and you are at least 18 years of age and a registered green
party member, the Green Party of Sonoma County offers assistance in
the form of advice from experienced office seekers and current office
holders. Some financial assistance could be available and help in
local fund-raising will be extended in your efforts.
For more information please contact Bill Patterson of the Green Party
of Sonoma County Candidates and Campaigns Committee.
billpatterson@earthlink.net and/or telephone 838-3079
For more U.S. Green Party election information, please visit
http://greens.org/elections/.
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GE-FREE SONOMA FIGHT IS NOT OVER! [top]
Measure M was defeated in the November election by a narrow margin of
44.4 to 55.6, but in many ways the effort was a great success.
Advocates for the measure, which would have placed a 10-year
moratorium on the production of Genetically Engineered (GE) organisms,
were successful in raising awareness in Sonoma County about the risks
associated with GE crops. The effort also brought together a group of
500 volunteers who are still very committed to protecting our food
from GE contamination. Daniel Solnit, the Campaign Coordinator for
GE-Free Sonoma County, says the fight is far from over. Please monitor
the organizations website at www.gefreesonoma.org to find out what's
next on the agenda.
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CALENDAR OF UPCOMING MEETINGS AND EVENTS [top]
*NOTE* To check for new events and schedule changes, visit our home
page at http://www.sonomagreenparty.org
November --------------------------------------------------------
25 (Fri) "BUY NOTHING DAY"
So go out and exercise your freedom of choice and buy nothing.
Info: http://www.buynothingday.org/
26 (Sat) ANTI-WAR DEMONSTRATION
12-1 PM. Petaluma at the corner of E. Washington & Petaluma Blvd.
Bring signs. Call Ellen at 765-9969 if you have questions. Help
keep the criminals on the defensive in the court of public
opinion!!
29 (Tue) FILM: "THE REVOLUTION WILL NOT BE TELEVISED"
7 PM. San Rafael. Matt Gonzales in person.
More info at the end of this newsletter under 'Other Events"
30 (Wed) CANDLELIGHT VIGIL FOR PEACE
Organized by the Sonoma State Campus Greens
6:30-7:30 PM at the Hub in Cotati every Wednesday night.
Contact: jaredl@sbcglobal.net
December --------------------------------------------------------
1 (Thu) "WAR: EYEWITNESSES TELL THE UNTOLD" - Lecture
7-9:30 PM, Healdsburg
More info at the end of this newsletter under 'Other Events'
2 (Fri) PC/IT WORKING GROUP MEETING
7 PM. Contact: pc@sonomagreenparty.org
6 (Tue) BYLAWS WORKING GROUP MEETING
7-9 PM. Contact: bylaws@sonomagreenparty.org or 542-3037
Please call Ann at 542-3037 if you plan to come.
7 (Wed) CANDLELIGHT VIGIL FOR PEACE - see 11/30 event.
8 (Thu) FILM: "THE GRAPES OF WRATH"
7 PM, San Rafael. Assemblyman Mark Leno in person.
More info at the end of this newsletter under 'Other Events'
10-11 (Sat-Sun) GPCA STATE PLENARY AT UC/DAVIS
See item #1 for details.
11 (Sun) FILM: "REDS"
1 PM, San Rafael. Congresswoman Lynn Woolsey in person.
More info at the end of this newsletter under 'Other Events"
14 (Wed) CANDLELIGHT VIGIL FOR PEACE - see 11/30 event.
14 (Wed) DEADLINE FOR GPSC NEWSLETTER SUBMISSIONS FOR JANUARY
If you have a Green-related article or event that you want
included in the next GPSC e-newsletter, email your draft or
completed submission to pc@sonomagreenparty.org by 12/14. If you
email a draft, please submit the completed article by Monday,
12/18.
15 (Thu) GENERAL BUSINESS MEETING
7-9 PM, Environmental Center, 404A Mendocino Ave, Santa Rosa The
general meeting is held every 3rd Thursday of the month. All
interested Greens are welcome to attend!
Info: info@sonomagreenparty.org
18 (Sun) "IN THE SEASON OF LIGHTS: CREATION AND DESTRUCTION OF THE
WORLD AS WE KNOW IT" - A lecture and discussion
2-4 PM, Petaluma
More info at the end of this newsletter under 'Other Events"
21 (Wed) CANDLELIGHT VIGIL FOR PEACE - see 11/30 event.
28 (Wed) CANDLELIGHT VIGIL FOR PEACE - see 11/30 event.
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CONTACT INFORMATION [top]
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WORKING GROUPS (WG)
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Bill of Rights Defense WG
Info: http://www.sonomagreenparty.org/pages/gi_bordc.shtml
Contact: bordc@sonomagreenparty.org
Bylaws WG
Info: http://www.sonomagreenparty.org/pages/gi_bylaws.shtml
Contact: bylaws@sonomagreenparty.org or 542-3037
Campaigns and Candidates WG
Info: billpatterson@earthlink.net
Green Talk and Outreach WG
Info: http://www.sonomagreenparty.org/pages/gi_greentalk.shtml
Contact: greentalk@sonomagreenparty.org or 542-3037
IT (Information Technologies) WG
Info: http://www.sonomagreenparty.org/pages/gi_it.shtml
Contact: it@sonomagreenparty.org
PC (Public Communications) WG
Info: http://www.sonomagreenparty.org/pages/gi_pc.shtml
Contact: pc@sonomagreenparty.org
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LOCALS
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Campus Greens - Sonoma State University Chapter
Contact: jaredl@sbcglobal.net
Listserve: http://lists.riseup.net/www/info/sonomacampusgreens
(Interested in starting a SRJC chapter? Email
jswingaling@hotmail.com)
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OTHER EVENTS
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The events listed below have not been officially endorsed by the Green
Party of Sonoma County, but they may be of interest to our readers:
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REEL POLITICS!
Please check out the films below. Matt Gonzalez and Congresswoman
Lynn Woolsey, frequent Praxis speakers, will be presenting two of
the films.
Location: Christopher Smith Rafael Film Center – 1118 4th St.,
San Rafael, TEL: 415-454-1222
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The Revolution Will Not Be Televised
Matt Gonzalez in Person
Tuesday, November 29, 7:00
To many, Matt Gonzalez is the very face of Bay Area progressive
politics. A lawyer by trade, he was the first member of the Green
Party to win office in San Francisco to the city’s Board of
Supervisors, and was later elected President of the Board by his
peers. Following a close 2003 mayoral run-off, he has recently
returned to his legal roots, partnering in the firm Gonzalez and
Leigh, L.L.P. His pick, The Revolution Will Not Be Televised, is a
riveting documentary that captures in real time the chaotic 2002
Venezuelan coup, supported by the US government, that failed to oust
the country’s populist president, Hugo Chávez. Directors: Kim
Bartley, Donnacha O’Briain. (Ireland/US 2003) 74 min.
Tickets: $9.25
Seniors: (60+): $6.00
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The Grapes of Wrath
Assemblyman Mark Leno in Person
Thursday, December 8, 7:00
Elected in 2002 after four years of service on the S.F. Board of
Supervisors, Assemblyman Mark Leno represents the 13th State
Assembly District in San Francisco. He is one of the first openly
gay men to be elected to the Assembly. In an historic moment, both
houses of the legislature recently passed his landmark gay marriage
bill. For the series, he has selected Oscar-winning director John
Ford’s all-time classic, The Grapes of Wrath, a triumphant
adaptation of the John Steinbeck novel starring Henry Fonda, in
which oppressed farmers migrate in desperation to California during
the Great Depression. With: Jane Darwell. Director: John Ford. (US
1940) 128 min.
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REDS
Congresswoman Lynn Woolsey in Person
Sunday, December 11, 1:00
First elected to the House of Representatives in 1992,
Representative Lynn Woolsey is unrivaled in her dedication to
children and families. As Chair of the Democratic Caucus Task Force
on Children and Families, she works on key working-family issues
such as expanded childcare and healthcare for children. She has
lived, worked and raised her family in the North Bay for over 30
years. Her choice is Warren Beatty’s epic Reds (winner of three
Oscars, including Best Director), a remarkably rich and romantic
film about a radical American journalist, John Reed, who tried to
bring the idealism of workers' rights to the United States. "Reds
exemplifies dedication to a cause and the resulting risk(s) and
sacrifice(s), that may or may not lead to success, but without which
we would certainly leave important issues (political or other)
without leadership and direction." Cast: Warren Beatty, Diane
Keaton, Jack Nicholson. Camera: Vittorio Storaro. Director: Warren
Beatty. (US 1981) 194 min.
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WAR: Eyewitnesses Tell the Untold
Thursday, December 1, 7 PM - 9:30 PM
Healdsburg High Cafeteria, 1024 Prince Street next to media center
Dahr Jamail is an unembedded photojournalist covering the Iraq War
and a frequent contributor to Democracy Now! and other progressive
media.
Jeff Paterson, the 1st US Marine to refuse to fight in the Gulf War
in 1990, is an anti-war speaker and photographer with Not In Our
Name.
Leuren Moret, a scientist featured in the acclaimed documentary
"Beyond Treason", is an international expert on depleted uranium.
Tickets:$10.00, free to high school and draft age young people.
Co-sponsors: Healdsburg Peace Project, HHS Progressive Club
For more information, call Heidi Marino at 707-431-1129
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"IN THE SEASON OF LIGHTS: CREATION AND DESTRUCTION OF THE
WORLD AS WE KNOW IT"
A Festive Holiday Tea and Refreshments with Inspiring Lecture and
Discussion!
Sunday December 18, 2 - 4 PM
Place: The Institute of Noetic Sciences campus
101 South San Antonio Rd, Petaluma
Tickets: $15.00
Register for this event online at www.praxispeace.org
Or call: 707-939-2973
Please RSVP by Dec. 15th.
James O'Dea is the President of the Institute of Noetic Sciences. He
was previously the director of the Washington DC office of Amnesty
International, where he represented Amnesty to the State Department,
the White House and the U.S. Congress. He also spent five years as the
executive director of Seva, a non-profit organization dedicated to
international health and development issues in Latin America, Asia,
and on American Indian reservations. James is a native of Ireland.
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THE GREEN PARTY of Sonoma County
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(707) 524-8818
info@sonomagreenparty.org
http://www.sonomagreenparty.org
PO Box 15073 Santa Rosa, CA 95402
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RECOMMENDED LINKS
14 Defining Characteristics of Fascism
http://www.ericblumrich.com/14.html
Forum and dialogue of issues and events that impact American
Hispanics http://www.HispanicVista.com
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