““As I look across this room, we’re old,” said George Martin, former co-chair of the Wisconsin Green Party and a founder of the Green Party Black Caucus. “Not to mention [a lack of] people of color.”

Martin said the Green Party had lost its “feeder system” when Campus Greens, a national student organization, folded due to organizational mishaps, including tax trouble and having no official ties to the national party.

“We’ve got to go back to our roots, and we’ve got to go young,” he said.”

Look at places like Canada, where the Greens often win outright majorities when students are polled on which political party they support. Not reaching out to students and young people is political suicide for the Green Party.

That’s why I advocate for the creation of Young Greens of America. We need a channel to get more young people into the party. Campus Greens is not it, and cannot be it for a number of reasons. Just as one example, according to its tax status Campus Greens CANNOT participate in partisan activity.

We need to start over, learn from our mistakes, and build a strong, national network of Young Greens to introduce young Americans to the party of the future.

Thank you for covering the national Green Party meeting.

Enjoyable reading.

http://www.indyweek.com/gyrobase/Content?oid=oid%3A398633

It’s smart politics, and plain good American common sense.

I am the Independent Green Party of Virginia’s House of Delegates District 37 Chair.

Also I am the Indy Green candidate for the House of Delegates in the 37th District.

You can learn more at http://www.VoteJoinRun.US

Gail for Rail Parker, our Indy Green House of Delegates candidate in the 44th District attended the National Meeting in Durham for the Indy Greens with her grand daughter, a college student.

Gail for Rail said the workshop for rail was informative and positive.

As you know the Indy Greens are an Independent state Green Party affiliated with Michael Bloomberg’s Independence Party of New York, and Jesse’s Ventura’s Independence Party of Minnesota. Indy Greens are not the affiliate of the national Green Party.

The Indy Greens are happy to support the Green Party, and Green Party candidates whenever that is possible.

We run Indy Green meetings by Robert’s Rules of Order. We embrace, encourage all Independents, and third parties on the ballot in Virginia. The Indy Greens are inclusive. That is how and why we have 27 endorse/nominated candidates on the ballot for House of Delegates in Virginia in 2009 – just as we did in previous years.

Gail was asked about this at the National Green Party meeting.

I am a centrist conservative Independent Green Party candidate advocating a pro small business agenda of build High Speed Rail across Virginia, and Light rail in all our cities. Rail will cut dependence on foreign oil, and keep us out of oil wars.

The Indy Greens recruited me to run. They helped me get on the ballot, and guided me in completing the paperwork.

We – the Indy Greens – believe our positive results speak for themselves.

Other state Green Parties – that have been willing to include centrists and conservatives, non ideological candidates have similar positive results.

We appreciate the opportunity to work with all Independents and Greens.

Thank you for Gail for Rail being able to attend the National Meeting Green Party meeting and considering our positive solutions.

We have endorsed the 1 Green Party candidate for House of Delegates in 2009, and the 1 Green Party candidate for Board of Supervisors in Virginia.

We wish the Green Party and both candidates great success.

We welcome the opportunity to work together.