SAN FRANCISCO – The first, and only, live debate between candidates on the Green Party's California ballot for President of the United States – featuring a former Democratic Party member of Congress, consumer protection icon, professor and environmental engineer – is scheduled here January 13, said John Morton of the Green Party Presidential Debate Committee.

The debate will be held Sunday, January 13 at 2 PM at the Herbst Theater/Veterans Memorial Building, 401 Van Ness Avenue.

“Peace Mom” Cindy Sheehan – a former Democrat - will co-moderate the debate.

Former five-time Democratic Rep. Cynthia McKinney, longtime consumer advocate Ralph Nader – who is not yet an announced candidate, university professor Jared Ball and environmental engineer Kent Mesplay will participate in "Campaign 2008: A Presidential Debate that Matters."

Sheehan, running as an independent Congressional candidate against House Speaker Nancy Pelosi in San Francisco, will be joined by other prominent progressive elected officials, to be announced later.

The event is open to the public with a suggested donation of $10-25. For more information go to http://www.acgreens.org/debate.

The debate is sponsored by the Green Party of Alameda County, the San Francisco Green Party, the Sacramento County Green Party and endorsed by the Green Party of San Mateo County.

Cynthia McKinney was the keynote speaker for the 12th Dr. Donald H. Smith Distinguished Lecture Series at Baruch College on Wednesday, November 28, presenting to an equally noteworthy audience. "She didn't mention it in her talk, but the Honorable Cynthia McKinney has agreed to be the candidate for the presidency of the United States on the Green Party ticket," Dr. Donald H. Smith broke the news at the end of the former congresswoman's speech.

"The Green Party has always supported my candidacy, even when I was in the Georgia legislature," she said. "Members of the Green Party were supportive of my efforts then, when nobody thought that I could run and win. Members of the Green Party were a part of the volunteers that put me into the state legislature, and when I ran for Congress over the years, members of the Green Party would come to Georgia and volunteer in the campaign.

"They [the Green Party] first asked me in 2000 and again in 2004 to become a part of their national drive. With the Democratic Party having left so many of its base supporters behind, the appeal of the Green Party was one that I could hear," explained McKinney.

"It will take more than 43,000 signatures for the Green Party to get a ballot line in the state of Georgia, which is something we're going to work very hard to achieve. I have a lot of support in Georgia, and I would love for them to vote Green in support of the key values the party has always had---economic justice, environmental justice, public policy---for the good of the future, not just the term of election." McKinney went on to say, "People know me as one who places great value on human rights, on justice at home and justice abroad, on peace, and sound fiscal practices for our country, so that we're not losing $2.3 trillion and raising the debt limit while incessantly borrowing and spending that money on illegal wars."

For more information, visit http://www.allthingscynthiamckinney.com/

Martin Luther King, Jr.
Annual Birthday Celebration

Calling our community to a Higher Destiny -
A More Noble Expression of Humanness

Sunday, January 20, 2008
WELLS FARGO CENTER FOR THE ARTS
50 Mark West Springs Road (off Hwy 101), Santa Rosa

5-6 PM - Film About the Civil Rights Movement
6-8 PM - 'Danza Coyolxauqui' Aztec drumming and dance

'Heaven On Earth' a capella trio
Rebel Fagin, poetry
The Celebration Mass Choir, and more.

Middle School and High School Student Oratories and Awards Presentation

Children's Art Display and Awards

A Special Children's Program

707-546-0744 - FREE!

Note: If you would like to sing with the Celebration Choir during the MLK event at Wells Fargo Center, please call 546-0744 for rehearsal times (about two or three rehearsals).

Friday, January 18 - CHILDREN'S POETRY

6-8 PM - Children's Poetry Reading Celebrating the life of Martin Luther King, Jr.

For location and details,

call 707-664-2956 or 707-546-0744 - FREE!

Monday, January 21 - A DAY ON, NOT A DAY OFF!

10 AM-4 PM - Community Awareness Day,

Community Baptist Church, 1620 Sonoma Ave, Santa Rosa

Activities for the whole family - children, youth and adults

707-546-0744 - FREE!

When: Saturday, January 12, 2008 / 9 AM - 4 PM

Where: First Presbyterian Church, 1140 Cowper St. Palo Alto 94301

What: GPCA Standing Committees and Working Groups Strategy Meetings

All GPCA members are invited to a one-day meeting hosted by Standing Committee (SC) and Working Group (WG) Coordinators to discuss planning for 2008, including how different SC and WG projects can coordinate and work together in a presidential election year.  Also, this meeting is intended to serve as a substitute for the strategic planning "brainstorming" session  described in the GPCA Bylaws.    

9:00-9:45 AM   
Set up; Registrations; Morning snacks and beverages; socializing

9:45-10:00 AM
Start-up:  Presentation on goals for the day                    

10:00-12 Noon
Review SC/WG purposes and plans for 2008

12 Noon-1:30 PM
Lunch Break; Optional time for SC/WG or Caucus meetings

1:30-3:50 PM
Create monthly timeline of SC/WG 2008 projects and activities for transmittal to the CC and display at the March 2008 General Assembly

3:50-4:00 PM         
Closing Circle

All times approximate.  $10 donation will be requested for food expenses. Volunteers will be needed for:  Food setters, Time keepers, Scribes and Note-takers and Vibes Watchers

Please let us know if you plan to attend these working sessions by contacting Warner Bloomberg, CCWG Coordinator, at wsb3attyca_at_aol.com or  (408) 295-9353.

General Directions:  The site is located in the downtown Palo Alto area between Highway 101 and the El Camino Real.  The Santa Clara County VTA bus Route 22 runs on El Camino Real and there is a Palo Alto Caltrain station.

GROW is reviewing redistribution of its budget for up to ten travel subsidy reimbursements of up to $50 for those with financial need.  Applications will be considered in the order received, with priority to the farthest travel distances and to encourage participation by persons who have not previously attended a state meeting.  For more information, contact:  Michael Borenstein at thebor_at_jps.net or (530) 620.6659

The persons involved in planning this event are part of an on-going group of GPCA leaders working by consensus and collaboration to build the Green Party of California.

Warner Bloomberg, CCWG Coordinator
Michael Borenstein, CC Liaison to GROW
Ellen Maisen, GROW Coordinator
Larry Mullen, CC Liaison to ERWG
Jim Stauffer, IT Committee
Shane Que Hee, Platform Committee Coordinator
Bob Vizzard, Finance Committee Coordinator

Upcoming Events:

Sunday, January 27 to Friday, February 1, 2008 Esalen Institute, Big Sur, CA

"Transforming Relationships: Communication and Conflict Resolution for Everyday Life"

Facilitators: Georgia Kelly and Kim Weichel

Workshop will include

• Practical tools for clear and non-theatening communication
• Active listening skills
• How to deal with difficult people and situations
• How to establish ground rules for difficult communication, power imbalances, and to create trust
• Examination of conflict tendencies
• Connscious negotiation and mediation tools
• The art and practice of Forgiveness
• Develop an Action Plan for post-workshop use, and more!

Fee for 5 days, including room, meals, spa, and workshop: $535 to $1,120, depending on accommodation choice.

TO REGISTER, please call Esalen Institute at 831-667-3005 or register online at http://www.esalen.org If you have difficulty getting through, please call us at Praxis: 707-939-2973.

SAM KEEN

"The Lasting Appeal of War and the Quest for a Moral and Erotic Equivalent"
Tickets: $20 ($15 for Praxis members)
Available Online: http://www.praxispeace.org, at 707-939-2973, or at the door.
Praxis will provide refreshments for a post-presentation discussion.

How might we go beyond the myth and practice of war? Wake up from the nightmare of violence? See through the illusion created by the propaganda of warfare? Create a moral equivalent of war? Who are the individuals and NGO's that are already creating alternatives to war?

IMPORTANT: This is a riveting presentation --- an in-depth look at what we need to address in order to create lasting peace.

Sam Keen is an expert on propaganda and the mythos of war. Author of "Faces of the Enemy" and a PBS documentary by the same name, Keen has spent a lifetime asking the questions that are most relevant to Praxis Peace Institute. He is a graduate of Harvard Divinity School and holds a PhD in philosophy from Princeton University. He has taught philosophy and religion at Boston University, Princeton Seminary, Louisville Seminary, and several other educational institutions. He was a contributing editor of Psychology Today for 19 years and is perhaps best known for his best-seller, "Fire in the Belly."

News Advisory

THE GREEN PARTY OF CALIFORNIA
http://www.cagreens.org

Friday, December 28, 2007

Green Party of California marks 2007 electoral gains, separates from ‘major' parties by positions solidly against war, for impeachment, workers & planet

SACRAMENTO (December 28, 2007) – The Green Party of California-– noting its 2007 record cements its position as the state's solid anti-war, pro-healthcare and environmental political party--said today it is poised for big gains in 2008 local, state and national races as voters become even more dissatisfied with the Republican and Democratic parties.

As of November of this year, more Greens were in office than in 2006, with 55 elected offices in the state, numbering 16 mayors and city council members, including the mayor of Richmond (Gayle McLaughlin) and a San Francisco supervisor (Ross Mirkarimi). Greens hold majorities or near-majorities on city councils in several cities. At least 13 Greens are on boards of education.

Mirkarimi distinguished himself by leading the fight to San Francisco to ban all but compostable or recycled paper shopping bags, and supporting legislation that would allow San Francisco to garner 50 percent of its energy from wind or solar.

McLaughlin, who took office in 2006 in a surprise victory over the incumbent, promoted a tax on Chevron oil; joined with other cities to create "peacekeeping teams" with mediation skills to send into crime-ridden neighborhoods; established a Richmond Youth Corps to employ 1,000 at-risk kids to restore roads, creeks and work in libraries; and promoted a resolution that makes Richmond a "sanctuary" city that prevents Richmond's police from cooperating with immigration agents in raids on undocumented immigrants.

Among positions taken by the GPCA, and not by the Democratic and Republican parties:

Supported for amnesty for U.S. troops refusing to fight in the unpopular war in Iraq; Supported the impeachment of President George W. Bush, and Vice-President Dick Cheney; Supported legislation to bring state National Guard troops home from Iraq; Supported universal, single-payer health care for all Californians, proposed by a Democratic Senator but ignored by the party leadership; Opposed governor's plan to "save" the Delta, calling it "antiquated"; Opposed "fast-tracked" trade deals supported by Democrats and GOP that hurt workers and environment and encouraged Californians to prepare for a "post carbon" future without cheap oil.

Carol Wolman, long-time Mendocino Green, is running for Congress in the 1st District (Mike Thompson's district) which includes north and east portions of Sonoma County...

Contact Bill Meyers, 707-882-1818, or email Bill_at_iiipublishing.com, for more information...

NOTE:
- We sometimes include events that may not have been officially endorsed by the GPSC, but may be of interest to local Greens. - To check for new events and schedule changes, visit our home page at http://www.sonomagreenparty.org

12  

(Sat) Invitation to Help the GPCA Plan for 2008
9 AM - 4 PM, First Presbyterian Church
1140 Cowper St, Palo Alto
See item #4 above

13  

(Sun) Green Party Presidential Debate
2 PM, Herbst Theater/Veterans Memorial Building
401 Van Ness Avenue, San Francisco
See item #1 above

17  

(Thu) General Business Meeting
6:30-9 PM, State Building, 50 D Street, 4th floor, Santa Rosa (between 2nd Street & Sonoma Ave).  Direction signs posted inside the building will lead you to the right room. This meeting is held every 3rd Thursday of the month. 
All interested Greens are welcome to attend!
Info: info_at_sonomagreenparty.org

18  

(Fri) Childrens Poetry Reading Celebrating the Life of Martin Luther King, Jr.
6-8 PM
See item #3 above

20  

(Sun) Martin Luther King, Jr. Annual Birthday Celebration
5-8 PM, Wells Fargo Center for the Arts
50 Mark West Springs Road, Santa Rosa
See item #3 above

21  

(Mon) A Day On, Not a Day Off!
10 AM - 4 PM, Community Baptist Church
1620 Sonoma Ave, Santa Rosa
See item #3 above

27-1  

(Sun-Fri) Transforming Relationships: Communication and Conflict Resolution for Everyday Life
Esalen Institute, Big Sur, CA
See item #5 above

10  

(Sun) "The Lasting Appeal fo War and the Quest for a Moral and Erotic Equivalent"
3 PM, Burlingame Hall, 272 W. Spain St, Sonoma
See item #5 above

PC (Public Communications) WG
Info: http://www.sonomagreenparty.org/pages/gi_pc.shtml
Monthly newsletter submissions: editor_at_sonomagreenparty.org
Contact: info_at_sonomagreenparty.org

Campus Greens - Sonoma State University Chapter
Listserve: http://lists.riseup.net/www/info/sonomacampusgreens

PO Box 15073 Santa Rosa, CA 95402
Email: info_at_sonomagreenparty.org
Website: http://www.sonomagreenparty.org

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