Green
Party of Ohio Main Page
Newsletter Archive Index
--------------------------------------------------
Weekly Newsletter of the Green Party of Ohio
Vol. I, No. 5 -- June 2, 2001
(This newsletter distributed to 3,029)
--------------------------------------------------
***************************************************
F E A T U R E D I
N T H I S I S S U E
***************************************************
1) GREEN PARTY ENDORSED CANDIDATES IN OHIO
2) MINNEAPOLIS PARK COMMISSIONER
GOES GREEN
3) COMMUNITY FESTIVAL 2001: VOLUNTEERS NEEDED
4) 2002 COMMUNITY
TREE PLANTING GRANT PROGRAM
5) JOIN THE CAMPAIGN TO SAVE PACIFICA
6) NADER
ON BUSH POLICY
6) SUBSCRIBE TO THE ASGP NEWS CIRCULATOR
--------------------------------------------------
***************************************************
1) GREEN PARTY CANDIDATES IN OHIO
***************************************************
To date, the following candidates are running as
Greens in Ohio in 2001:
Paul
Dumouchelle (Non-Partisan), Dublin City Council
Patricia Fridrich (Independent),
Kent City Council
(See http://www.pcgreens.org/fridrich)
Bob Gragson (Non-Partisan), Kent City School Board
(See http://www.gragson.com)
Steve Steel (Non-Partisan), Toledo School Board
Tom Vondruska (Non-Partisan),
Yellow Springs Village
Council
The
following candidates are running as candidates
endorsed by local Green Parties:
Armiya
Muhammed (Non-Partisan), Mayor of Toledo
Kwame Mu'Min (Non-Partisan), Toledo
City Council
Others
interested in running as a Green Party candi-
date in Ohio on the local level
(municipal or county
offices including school board races), please contact
Bob Gragson (secretary@ohiogreens.org
or 330-677-6400)
requesting more information. Those interested in run-
ning as a Green Party candidate for statewide or
federal offices, please contact
Bill Safranek
(safranek@frognet.net
or 740-594-5047).
***************************************************
2) MINNEAPOLIS PARK COMMISSIONER GOES GREEN
***************************************************
Annie Young, a three-term Minneapolis park
commissioner, has announced she
will forgo the
Democratic-Farm-labor (DFL) endorsement she has
secured
twice in favor of running under the Green
Party banner in this fall's elections.
She says that
the Green label best fits the environmental
priorities she
brings to the race for an at-large
seat on the Park and Recreation Board.
She is seeking
endorsement at the Green Party's city endorsing con-
vention
today. Young said too few people decide to
whom the DFL Party endorsement
is bestowed, and "my
heart just told me it wasn't the right path."
She's
been a Democrat for almost 40 years but has been
considering the
break with the party for more than
two years. She is one of four DFLers and
two Greens
seeking three at-large seats.
For
more information on Annie Young, visit:
http://www.pbs.org/weta/planet/visionaries/young.html
***************************************************
3) COMMUNITY FESTIVAL 2001: VOLUNTEERS NEEDED
***************************************************
ComFest is a huge counter-cultural festival of arts,
crafts, social activism
and music, traditionally
occurring on the weekend nearest the summer solstice.
It is a thirty-year tradition in Columbus, Ohio and
an experience not to be
missed. (For details, see
http://www.comfest.com.)
The
Green Party of Central Ohio is sponsoring a booth
at this festival June 22-24.
The purpose of this booth
is to gather signatures for the PEER petition (to
help
fight sprawl near the Darby Creeks) and for the Green
Party petition
(to make the Green Party an officially
recognized party in Ohio). Additionally,
the Green
Party seeks to add new members and financial contri-
butors
to the party and to exchange for contributions
certain products (t-shirts,
baseball caps, buttons,
etc.) that feature the Green Party logo and carry
the
Green Party message.
Volunteers
at the Green Party booth are needed for
the length of the festival. In addition,
the party
is seeking official Comfest volunteers to help put
on the community
festival itself. These individuals
perform security, clean-up and other tasks
essential
to the smooth running of the festival.
Fifteen
party members have signed up to date for the
party booth and eight for the
festival in general,
but more are needed. If you are interested in volun-
teering for either the Green Party booth or for the
festival overall, please
contact Bill Kerwin at
wkerwin@hotmail.com
as soon as possible.
***************************************************
4) 2002 COMMUNITY TREE PLANTING GRANT PROGRAM
***************************************************
Consider a tree planting project when planning ser-
vice activities for the
year 2002. Since 1992,
National Tree Trust (NTT) has provided more than
8 million trees to community groups, non-profit
organizations, local governments,
and individuals
to plant on public lands. These projects have in-
volved
more than 428,000 volunteers in all 50 states.
The
NTT, a national nonprofit organization, was
established in 1990 as part of
the "America the
Beautiful" initiative. The mission of NTT is to
serve
as a catalyst for local volunteer and community ser-
vice groups
in the growing, planting and maintenance
of trees in rural communities, urban
areas and along
the nation's highways. NTT mobilizes volunteer groups,
promotes public awareness, provides grants, and unites
civic and corporate
institutions in support of local
tree planting and education projects.
Through
our Community Tree Planting program you are
eligible to receive (at no cost!):
* One-year-old regionally specific tree seedlings for
planting on public land
(roadsides, parks, schools,
cemeteries, etc.)
* Two-gallon plastic containers
if you wish to grow
seedlings to a larger size;
* A cash subsidy for potting
medium of ten dollars
per cubic yard; and
* The technical assistance Tip
Sheets that will guide
you through selecting your site, planning your event,
maintaining your trees, and more.
The
application for 2002 is available to download at
http://www.nationaltreetrust.org/CTP.htm.
The deadline
has been extended to June 29, 2001. You can also call
800-846-8733
if you would like to participate in the
NNT tree planting program, or if you
have any ques-
tions about Community Tree Planting.
Visit
the National Tree Trust at:
http://www.nationaltreetrust.org
***************************************************
5) JOIN THE CAMPAIGN TO SAVE PACIFICA
***************************************************
Whether it was East Timor or the war in Kosovo, the
WTO or the IMF meetings,
genetically modified foods
or hard-hitting reports on the Abner Louima police
brutality case, Pacifica programming has repeatedly
helped to shape the national
debate about major
issues of our time. As public radio and television
have increasingly come under the control or sway of
giant multinational corporations,
Pacifica has managed
to emerge as an all-important counterforce.
However,
the 55-year old progressive nationwide radio
network's future as a forum for
radical, pro-labor,
anti-racist, anti-sexist news and culture is now in
serious question. To help stop the takeover of Pacifica
by corporate predators
who have hijacked the Pacifica
board of directors and want to rewrite the
bylaws and
sell off affiliate stations, visit the following sites
and
act now:
Pacifica
Campaign
http://www.pacificacampaign.org/
Save
Pacifica
http://www.savepacifica.net/
***************************************************
6) NADER ON BUSH POLICY
***************************************************
Excerpts from an article in the April 23, 2001
New York Times entitled "An
Unrepentant Nader Sees
a Positive Side of Bush Policy":
".
. . It's like this, in the world according to
Mr. Nader: After eight years
of an 'anesthetizer' as
president who talked a good game but did little, the
nation now has a 'provocateur' as president. Yes,
President Bush has rolled
back regulations that were
friendly to workers and the environment, Mr. Nader
says. But here is the important part: a 'huge uproar'
ensued, and the 'provocateur
is backing down.' . . .
"'The
press reports them, people talk about them, people
argue about them,' he says.
'The environmental groups'
treasuries are swelling with expanded membership
and
foundation contributions.' In short, progressives are
being energized,
'There's a dynamic involved, there's
a reawakening involved, there's a churning.'
"And
so, Mr. Nader, 67, says, his only second thoughts
about last year's election
are regrets that he did not
get more votes. He says he does not believe that
he
helped in the defeat of Vice President Al Gore by
pulling nearly 97,000
votes in the excruciatingly close
contest in Florida: 'He beat himself. He
didn't get
Tennessee, he didn't get Arkansas.' Mr. Nader still
contends,
nearly 100 days into the Bush administration,
that 'the similarities tower
over the dwindling real
differences between the two parties that they're
willing to fight over.'
"So
Mr. Nader continues to travel the country, 25
states since the election, in
part trying to build
the Green Party, to raise money and encourage Green
candidates to run for state, local and federal office.
".
. . Mr. Nader says the Green Party hopes to field
candidates in 20 percent
of the 435 House districts
in 2002. And while these candidates are likely
to
run for open seats, he says, or against conservative
Democrats and
Republicans, he cannot guarantee that
they will not run against liberals or
environmentally
friendly incumbents, either. Already, in 2000, a few
environmentally
friendly candidates, like Representa-
tive Rush D. Holt, Democrat of New Jersey,
found them-
selves fighting two-front wars because of third-party
Green
challenges. . . .
"'Anybody
who's trying to build a party tries to build
the party,' he says. 'You don't
worry about how it
affects one or the other major parties.' . . .
"He
suggests that he had no choice. He had to go out
to the grass roots, beyond
the two parties, because
he was shut out of political Washington. 'How many
press conferences can you have at the National Press
Club on what you think
are important issues -- that
were important when they were widely covered,
25 or
30 years ago -- and get shut out?' he asks.
"'How
many times can you be told by Congressional
committees that we're not going
to consider this for
a hearing? How many times can you be told by Democrats,
that they won't even introduce this amendment? When
the civil society is shut
out of the national capital,
you do one of two things: you close down and
go to
Monterey and watch the whales, or you go into the
political arena,
as Jefferson said.'"
***************************************************
7) SUBSCRIBE TO THE ASGP NEWS CIRCULATOR
***************************************************
To receive a weekly email, the ASGP News Circulator,
-- news stories about
the Green Party throughout the
world -- send a blank email to:
ohiogreens-asgp@yahoogroups.com
To
read any of the previously posted issues of the
ASGP News Circulator, you
can read the list archives
after subscribing by visiting:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ohiogreens-asgp
***************************************************
You
can view the latest weekly segment of the
Association of State Green Parties
(ASGP) News
Circulator by visiting the ASGP Web site
at http://www.green-party.org
and selecting "ASGP
News Circulator" from the menu at the top of
the
left column.
***************************************************
We publish this newsletter weekly (with some
exceptions) to keep you informed
about events,
activities, and news of interest to the Green Party
of Ohio
-- http://www.ohiogreens.org.
We
invite you to review our party Web site
after you've read this newsletter.
We welcome your
comments or suggestions about our site or party.
Send
comments: mailto:secretary@ohiogreens.org.
We
value our relationship with you. If at any time
you wish to leave our mailing
list and not receive
future newsletter mailings, reply to this message
with "unsubscribe" in the subject field.
We
also encourage you to help us spread the word
about our newsletter and the
Green Party. Please
feel welcome to forward a copy of it to your friends.
They can be added to our mailing list by submitting
the form at: http://www.ohiogreens.org/newsletter/register.html.
***************************************************
Green Party of Ohio
PO Box 851, Kent OH 44240
Email: mailto:secretary@ohiogreens.org
Web: http://www.ohiogreens.org