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Newsletter of the Green Party of Ohio
Vol. II, No. 20 -- June 15, 2002
(This newsletter distributed to 2,795)
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FEATURED IN THIS ISSUE
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 1) HELP GREEN PARTY CANDIDATES IN OHIO
 2) URGENT APPEAL: COMFEST 2002 VOLUNTEERS
 3) GREEN PARTY NEWS FROM AROUND THE COUNTRY
 4) CONSERVATIVE MEETING HEARS FROM NADER
 5) WEB SITE TRACKS NUCLEAR WASTE'S PATH
 6) FLOC LAUNCHES PICKET AGAINST WALMART
 7) GRANNY D AT CITY CLUB IN CLEVELAND JUNE 21
 8) COMPANIES FRET THEIR SNACKS
 9) FEDERAL ELECTION WRECKING CREW
10) EARTHQUAKE STRIKES NEAR YUCCA MOUNTAIN
11) PROGRAM ON CORPORATIONS, LAW & DEMOCRACY
12) CLEAN AIR VILLAIN OF THE MONTH IN CLEVELAND
13) CONSUMER REPORTS EXAMINES HEALTH INSURANCE
14) U. S. CENSUS
15) MISCELLANEOUS ITEMS

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Join the Green Party of Ohio:
http://www.ohiogreens.org/membership/register.html
List of current Green Party members:
http://www.ohiogreens.org/membership/.

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 1) HELP GREEN PARTY CANDIDATES IN OHIO
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We have two Green Party candidates in Ohio this year.
They need your support of money and time.

Frank Doden is the Green Party candidate for U.S.
Congress in the 7th District. Send contributions to
support Frank's campaign to FRANK DODEN FOR CONGRESS,
Richard Donnelly, Treasurer, 422 N. Walnut St., Yellow
Springs, OH 45387, or visit Frank's Web site at
http://www.dodenfordemocracy.com to make an online
contribution.

Alan Amstutz is the Green Party candidate for Ohio
House of Representatives, District 22 (Clintonville,
Beechwald, Dublin & NW Columbus). Send contributions
to support Alan's campaign to VOTE AMSTUTZ, Greg Richey,
Treasurer, 2363 N. 4th St., Columbus OH 43202.

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 2) URGENT APPEAL: COMFEST 2002 VOLUNTEERS
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Comfest (see http://www.comfest.com) is less than
two weeks away! The Central Ohio Green Party (COGP)
still needs help at its booth particularly for the
following times:

FRI., JUNE 28: 8-11 PM
SAT., JUNE 29: 4-7 PM, 7-10 PM
SUN., JUNE 30: 1-4 PM, 7-10 PM
Contact Bill Kerwin at wkerwin@hotmail.com immedi-
ately if you can help.

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 3) GREEN PARTY NEWS FROM AROUND THE COUNTRY
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MAINE: LOOKING AHEAD TO BLAINE HOUSE
http://www.ohiogreens.org/features/020615/news.html#Maine

PENNSYLVANIA: GREEN APPOINTMENT
http://www.ohiogreens.org/features/020615/news.html#Penn1

TEXAS: THIRD PARTIES HOPE TO BE HEARD: LIBERTARIAN,
GREEN CONVENTIONS TRY TO APPEAL TO THE DISENCHANTED
http://www.ohiogreens.org/features/020615/news.html#Texas

NEW JERSEY: LOCAL FAMILY FINDS IT EASY BEING GREEN
http://www.ohiogreens.org/features/020615/news.html#NJ

PENNSYLVANIA: IT'S NOT EASY BEING GREEN
http://www.ohiogreens.org/features/020615/news.html#Penn2

NEW YORK: BEING GREEN - PROGRESSIVE PARTY CATCHES ON,
BUT CAN IT GAIN WIDESPREAD SUPPORT?
http://www.ohiogreens.org/features/020615/news.html#NY

CALIFORNIA: A LITTLE EASIER TO BE GREEN
http://abcnews.go.com/sections/politics/DailyNews/Green_020614.html

WISCONSIN: FULL DAY OF ALTERNATIVE VOICES (Conference of Mayors)
(Note: Benford, Zipperer, and Feinstein are all Greens)
http://www.madison.com/wisconsinstatejournal/mayors/27630.html

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 4) CONSERVATIVE MEETING HEARS FROM NADER
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On the other side of the conventional Washington di-
vide, the less famous, but perhaps as influential,
conservative Grover Norquist holds sway over his fa-
mous "Wednesday Meetings," where the capital's most
powerful Republican groups wage war, trying to decon-
struct nearly every piece of legislation Nader has
pushed Congress to pass over the years. Nader and
Norquist are in many ways the yin and yang of America's
Beltway ideological battles. Civility, a sense of irony,
and a bit of mischievousness helped convince Norquist
to invite Nader to his meeting this week. Nader took
full advantage, urging some of those conservatives to
rethink their fundamental political beliefs and reclaim
the Republican Party from the grip of corporate interests.
***More: http://abcnews.go.com/sections/politics/DailyNews/Nader_020612.html

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 5) WEB SITE TRACKS NUCLEAR WASTE'S PATH
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With the transcontinental shipping of nuclear waste for
storage in Yucca Mountain, The MapScience Center, a
public interest research group, has created a Web site
(http://www.mapscience.org) that allows citizens to
find out how close their home, work or children's
school is to the path of that radioactive waste. The
site enables visitors to get maps of transportation
routes by simply putting their address into a form.
***More: http://www.commondreams.org/headlines02/0611-01.htm

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 6) FLOC LAUNCHES PICKET AGAINST WALMART
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The Farm Labor Organizing Committee (FLOC) will launch
a picket campaign at the Bowling Green Walmart on
S. Main St. on Sat., June 29 at 1 PM to demand that
they remove Mt. Olive pickles from their shelves. FLOC
will continue to picket Walmart the second and fourth
Saturday of every month this summer and into the fall
if necessary. Walmart is the only store in northwest
Ohio that refuses to honor the Mt. Olive boycott. The
Green Party of Ohio (GPO) Coordinating Committee endorsed
FLOC's boycott of Mt. Olive Pickles two years ago (see http://www.ohiogreens.org/endorsements/floc.html).

The intolerable conditions of farmworkers in North
Carolina motivated FLOC's boycott. Workers are packed
into their housing far over capacity; they do not have
port-a-potties or handwashing facilities in the fields;
they are not getting the free water which is legally
required and necessary for their survival in the 98 degree
humidity of eastern North Carolina. Urbano Ramirez Miranda
was 35 years old when he died last summer on June 27 of
heat-stroke related causes. A subsequent Department of
Labor investigation found the farmer had been selling beer
to workers for $4 a bottle instead of giving them drinking
water. Only a union contract will guarantee the oversight
and accountability to prevent tragedies like this from
happening again. FLOC will boycott Mt. Olive until the
company agrees to negotiate.

This summer's actions in northwest Ohio are particularly
critical as FLOC fights to defend its union contracts in
the region. Bowling Green lawyer Jodie Stearns, owner of
a large Vlasic-contracted cucumber farm who has developed
a relationship with Mt. Olive CEO Bill Bryan, is trying
very hard to sabotage FLOC's negotiations. FLOC needs an
outpouring of support from this area in order to avoid
losing the gains they have fought so hard to defend on
their home turf.

As preparation for FLOC's pickets and to branch out in the
community, FLOC is holding a house meeting campaign. The
way it works is that you invite a small group to your
home or another appropriate gathering place to hear a
very brief presentation about farmworkers, ask any ques-
tions they want to, and figure out if and how they can
support the summer's campaign. FLOC wants to reach people
who have not heard the story and are not yet involved. If
you would like to consider doing a house meeting, email
Morgan Guyton, FLOC Communications Director, at
mguyton@floc.com ASAP.
***More: http://www.floc.com/boycott.htm

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 7) GRANNY D AT CITY CLUB IN CLEVELAND JUNE 21
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Campaign Finance Reform is gaining steam these days.
Back a few years (1999-2000), Granny D was gaining
steam by walking 10 miles a day across the country
from Pasadena to Washington, D.C., talking about the
issue at each stop. "Granny D", also known as Doris
Haddock, has been an activist since the 1960s, when
she and her husband helped stop planned atmospheric
testing of hydrogen bombs in Alaska. During the McCain-
Feingold debates in 2001, she walked around the Capitol
building for seven days, walking 24 hours a day during
the last three (with breaks for catnaps and food).
Today, at 92, she continues working for campaign finance
at the state and local level. She'll appear June 21 at the
Cleveland City Club, 850 Euclid Avenue, at 12 Noon.
Tickets $15 members, $20 non-members; corporate and
non-profit tables also available at 216-621-0082. If
you can't make it to hear this genuine American hero,
remember that the City Club forums are heard in real
time on WCLV-FM (104.9) and are broadcast on WVIZ-PBS
(Channel 25) on the Sunday following each forum.

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 8) COMPANIES FRET THEIR SNACKS
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A major battle is brewing in the United States and
across the globe about the marketing of junk food and
how to reduce the incidence of marketing-related dis-
eases such as obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular
disease. Fearing they may be held responsible for the
nation's expanding waistline, U.S. food and beverage
makers are going on the defensive with obesity.
***More: http://www.ohiogreens.org/features/020615/wsj.html

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 9) FEDERAL ELECTION WRECKING CREW
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Nearly four months have passed since enactment of the
most important election fund-raising reform in a gene-
ration. Now the McCain-Feingold law is threatened with
evisceration at the hands of operatives in both the
Democratic and Republican Parties who for many years
tried to block its passage. They have gotten the Federal
Election Commission, a supposedly independent body that
actually dances like a puppet to the tune of the parties
it is supposed to regulate, to propose ridiculously
elastic rules on the law's execution that open up the
very loopholes it explicitly closed. The commission's
sneak attack could be approved next week. That must not
be allowed to happen.
***More: http://www.nytimes.com/2002/06/15/opinion/15SAT1.html

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10) EARTHQUAKE STRIKES NEAR YUCCA MOUNTAIN
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An earthquake measuring 4.4 on the Richter Scale was
recorded early Friday morning deep beneath the desert
near the site chosen by the Bush administration for
the nation's permanent high-level nuclear waste repository.
***More: http://ens-news.com/ens/jun2002/2002-06-14-03.asp

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11) PROGRAM ON CORPORATIONS, LAW & DEMOCRACY
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The Program on Corporations, Law & Democracy (POCLAD)
is twelve activists who have spent the last several
years researching corporate, labor and legal histories,
rethinking past organizing strategies and talking with
people about democracy movements. They work in the
tradition of people's struggles to replace illegitimate
and tyrannical institutions with democratic ones that
disperse, rather than concentrate, wealth and power.

Visit POCLAD at: http://www.poclad.org

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12) CLEAN AIR VILLAIN OF THE MONTH IN CLEVELAND
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The Ohio-based nonprofit Clean Air Trust on June 12
named Catholic Charities of Cleveland as the clean
air "villain of the month" for June 2002.
***More: http://www.commondreams.org/news2002/0612-13.htm

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13) CONSUMER REPORTS EXAMINES HEALTH INSURANCE
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The current issue of Consumer Reports "explains the
new cost burdens" for workers with employer-sponsored
health insurance and offers advice on how to select
an appropriate health plan. The article outlines three
emerging strategies employers are using to lower their
health-related costs. These strategies include imple-
menting or raising subscriber copayments and deducti-
bles, creating personal health accounts and starting
disease-management programs. Consumer Reports states
that personal health accounts -- recently endorsed by
President Bush -- have the potential to "undermine the
adequacy of health coverage" in the United States and
leave employees "significantly underinsured when they
are injured or sick."
***See: http://www.consumerreports.org/main/detailv2.jsp?CONTENT%3C%3Ecnt_id=157033

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14) U. S. CENSUS
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America can now take a look at itself in a snapshot
of 2000 and take stock of the impact of one of the
longest economic booms and highest immigration rates
in our history. Slight improvements in poverty rates
for families and children may be cause to celebrate,
but the concentration of affluence at the top and the
failure of the economic boom to lift all boats is
cause for serious concern among those looking to
widening opportunities for low-income families.
***See: http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/date.html

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15) MISCELLANEOUS ITEMS
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Unions say Bush blocking them; Security plan concerns critics
http://www.usatoday.com/usatonline/20020613/4189985s.htm

S.F. attorney: Bush allowed 9/11
http://www.examiner.com/news/default.jsp?story=n.lawyer.0611w

The Route to Ruin: Enron Snared U.S. Support for Pipeline
http://archives.seattletimes.nwsource.com/cgi-bin/texis.cgi/web/vortex/display?slug=pipeline13&date=20020613&query=enron

Plutocracy and Politics
http://www.nytimes.com/2002/06/14/opinion/14KRUG.html

Deadly Floods Surprise Drought Stricken China
http://ens-news.com/ens/jun2002/2002-06-14-01.asp

Dirty Bombs, Blowback and Imperial Projections
http://www.counterpunch.org/shor0612.html

Signs of attacks well-known
http://www.miami.com/mld/miami/3387673.htm?template=contentModules/printstory.jsp

FBI & Bush Administration Sued Over Anthrax Documents
http://www.judicialwatch.org/1967.shtml

Rev. Al, Madison seems to love you
http://www.madison.com/captimes/news/report/27536.php

A Watcher for the Watchers
http://www.alternet.org/story.html?StoryID=13384

New Study Adds to Debate on E.P.A. Rules for Pesticide
http://www.nytimes.com/2002/06/02/politics/02POLL.html?todaysheadlines

Pak signs trilateral gas pipeline agreement
http://www.hindustantimes.com/nonfram/300502/dlfor80.asp

Secretive organization holds powwow in Virginia
http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=27814

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The views expressed in this newsletter are those
of the author or organization noted and do not
necessarily reflect the opinions of the Green Party
of Ohio.
***************************************************
To join the Green Party of Ohio, complete the form at
http://www.ohiogreens.org/membership/register.html.
To see the membership list of the GPO, see
http://www.ohiogreens.org/membership/.
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Copyright © 2002, Green Party of Ohio.
All rights reserved.
Paid for by the Green Party of Ohio PAC (OH1066)
Gina Ficociello, Treasurer
1427 Northstar Rd., Columbus OH 43212
Contributions to the Green Party of Ohio are not
deductible for federal tax purposes. This newsletter
is not authorized by any candidate or candidate
authorized committee.

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Green Party of Ohio
PO Box 851, Kent OH 44240
Email: secretary@ohiogreens.org
Web: http://www.ohiogreens.org