Green Party Watch

Hot Indie News reports:

Green Parties in several states are co-sponsoring and hosting a ‘No Nukes Tour’ of North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, and Florida from Monday, October 3, to Saturday, October 8.The No Nukes Tour, with the slogan “Organize the South!”, will feature Green activist and candidate Howie Hawkins. Mr. Hawkins has been an organizer in movements for peace, justice, labor, the environment, and independent politics and against nuclear power since the late 1960s.

The tour will kick off with a press conference at 10 am at the Raleigh Old State House in North Carolina.

For more information and a schedule of tour events, read the article at Hot Indie News.

From the Daily Loaf:

In Florida, there are currently five nuclear reactors in operation in Florida, with two at Turkey Point on Biscayne Bay, two in Port St. Lucie, and one at Crystal River. The Crystal River reactor (CR-3) has been shut down for repairs since September 2009, when a large crack was discovered in the concrete and steel containment vessel. In recent weeks, just as the plant was being prepared to go back online, new cracks were discovered.

Now the Green Party of Florida says after Japan, no more.

“Floridians must tell President Obama and Governor Scott, as well as our elected representatives in Tallahassee, that we oppose any further public subsidies for the nuclear industry,” said Jayne King, co-chair of the Green Party of Florida. “The public and the government should not be guaranteeing profits for the companies building more nuclear reactors in the state,” King added, “because there are plenty of safer and less expensive options for meeting the state’s energy needs.”

Local Chapters of the Green Party are meeting across the Nation this week. Does your local chapter have a meeting or event coming up? If so, let us know! GPW@greenpartywatch.org See our Events Calendar for other meetings and events.

Tuesday February 1, 2011 – Hernando Greens (Florida)

6 PM at the Spring Hill Library, showing the film “Capitalism: A Love Story” followed by a meeting and discussion.

Wednesday February 2, 2011 – Arlington Greens (Virginia)

7 PM at the Clarendon Silver Diner, 3200 Wilson Blvd, Arlington, VA

Thursday February 3, 2011 – Alleghany County Greens (Pennsylvania)

7 PM at Citizen Power, 2121 Murray Ave, 2nd Floor, Pittsburgh, PA – General Assembly meeting, electing new officers.

Thursday February 3, 2011 – Long Beach Greens (California)

7 PM at Polly’s Coffee, 4606 E. 2nd St., Long Beach CA – Meeting

Friday February 4, 2011 – Clark County Greens (Nevada)

6 PM Meeting, contact them for location: http://clarkgreens.org/

Friday February 4, 2011 – Phily Greens (Pennsylvania) Tom Neilson Show and Fundraiser

7 PM, Roxborough Development Corporation, 6156 Ridge Avenue, Roxborough, Philadelphia. $20/person cover (includes food and drinks). Tom Neilson, www.tomneilsonmusic.com, specializes in songs of nonviolence, liberation and human rights.

Sunday February 6, 2011 – Orange County Greens (California)

2 PM – Super Slow Food Bowl Party! Featuring speaker Heather (Stoltzfus) Westenhofer for our February General Meeting. She will be serving up a Power Point presentation, along with bread and butter made on the spot in a Super Slow Food Bowl gathering! We hope you can join us for this special get together. Irvine Ranch Water District 15600 Sand Canyon, Irvine, CA

The Palm Beach County Green Party has a unique event to commemorate the first anniversary of the affirmation of corporate personhood. Former Green Party co-chair Ms. Sarah “Echo” Steiner is single, and ready to tie the knot with her dream corporate person:

FIRST EVER CORPORATE WEDDING CONTEMPLATED BY SINGLE, FEMALE, 39.

THE SEARCH FOR A CORPORATE HUSBAND WILL COMMEMORATE THE 1ST ANNIVERSARY OF THE SUPREME COURT RULING RE-AFFIRMING CORPORATE PERSONHOOD.

On January 21st, 2010 the Supreme Court of the United States re-affirmed that Corporations have the same Constitutional rights as people (Citizens United v FEC). In commemoration of that decision there will commence a national search for the ideal corporate groom for a mere mortal, Ms. Sarah “echo” Steiner, who has made it clear that she intends to take the Supreme Court at its word and honor her marriage when she finds a suitable candidate.

The search is on. A press conference will kick off the event on Saturday, January 22, 2011 at 2:00 p.m. at the Little Owl in Lake Worth, Florida located at 527 N. Dixie Highway. At this time, Ms. Steiner is expected to announce her decision to search for a suitable corporation to marry. There have been rumors circulating that a number of potential corporate grooms are already in the running (including green colored corporate persons).

So mark you calendars, tell your friends, and spread the word: if corporations are persons, then let us celebrate the end of discrimination against them by permitting them to get married just like everyone else… well, almost everyone else. See you there!!!

This event is sponsored by Florida Move to Amend, Palm Beach County Green Party, and Progressive Democrats of America, Florida. For more information on Move to Amend, go to www.movetoamend.org.

Here is the second installment of comprehensive election results from the November 2010 elections, covering Connecticut, the District of Columbia, Florida, and Hawaii:

CT:
Michael DeRosa, Secretary of State: 12,565 votes, 1.2%
Colin Bennet, Comptroller: 12,314 votes, 1.2%
Stephen Fournier, Attorney General: 27,803 votes, 2.7%
David Bue, Treasurer: 8,855 votes, 0.9%
Ken Krayeske, US House CT-1: 2,415 votes, 1.1%
Scott Deshefy, US House CT-2: 3,220 votes, 1.3%
Charlie Pillsbury, US House CT-3: 2,457 votes, 1.2% read more »

There are 60 candidates running for the United States House of Representatives on November 2.

This is the first of three posts on Green Party House candidates, beginning with the Eastern portion of the United States. There are candidates running in Connecticut, Florida, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania and South Carolina.

Connecticut
Ken Krayeske (CD 1) – Krayeske is no stranger to media attention ever since his notorious challenge to UCONN coach Calhoun over his salary. Krayeske, now running for the US House, has been picking up a lot of media, most recently from a high profile endorsement from Ralph Nader. Krayeske has a nice website and a great campaign video. (GPW coverage of Krayeske)
G. Scott Deshefy (CD 2) – G. Scott Deshefy is a retired environmental analyst with the Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection. He ran for this same seat in 2008, finishing with 6,287 votes (1.87%). I highly recommend his campaign blog.
Charlie Pillsbury (CD 3) – Pillsbury works part time for Mediators Without Borders. He is a veteran candidate, having run in 2008 for New Haven Registrar of voters (8.15%), in 2005 for Alderman (30.5%), in 2003 for Alderman (38.9%) and in 2002 for US House of Representatives (9,050 votes, 4.9%).

Florida
Nicholas Ruiz III (CD 24) – Ruiz is running a write-in campaign for US House in Florida’s 24th district. He has put out several campaign videos (find them on his website) and took part in debates as well. He is the author of America in Absentia (2008), Integral Reality (with Robert Hassan, forthcoming, 2010) and The Metaphysics of Capital, (2006). He is also the editor of Kritikos.

New Jersey
Mark Heacock (CD 1) – Mark Heacock is a Master Painter, Lacrosse coach and veteran candidate. He ran for New Jersey General Assembly in 2007 (2.86%) and 2005 (5.15%), and Borough Council in 2004 (24%) and 2003 (33%). Check out the videos on his site here.
Steve Welzer (CD 4) – Welzer has been a Green Activist for 20 years, a founding member of the New Jersey Green Party, and co-editor of Green Horizons Magazine. This is his first run for office. Watch his “Candidates on Demand” interview on Youtube here.
Ed Fanning (CD 5) – Fanning has worked for 29 years in the finance industry, and is the Secretary of the Green Party of New Jersey. He ran for this same seat in 2008, finishing with 4,950 votes (1.68%). See his “Candidates on Demand” interview on YouTube here.
Patricia Alessandrini (CD 9) – Alessandrini is a retired nurse who has run for Bergen Freeholder in 2008 and State Assembly in 2003 (1.48%). Watch her “Candidates on Demand” video on YouTube here.

New York
Anthony Gronowicz (CD 7) – A New York City native, Gronowicz was the Green Party candidate for Mayor of New York City in 2005, finishing third of 8 candidates. He has a PhD in New York City Political History and is the author of “Race and Class Politics in New York City Before the Civil War”. Here’s a clip of Gronowicz by Craig Seeman.
Hank Bardel (CD 13) – Bardel is a retired union worker and long time Green Party activist. He last ran for office in 2002 running for the US House and finishing with 1% of the vote. He has also run for City Council twice and State Assembly once. He did not get the signatures necessary to appear on the ballot so he is running a write in campaign.

Pennsylvania
Ed Bortz (CD 14) – Bortz is a retired engineer / electrician, and life long writer, poet, and Green Party activist in the Pittsburgh area. Here is a video of Bortz speaking at a Medicare rally that I highly recommend (watch the nervous people behind him.)

South Carolina
Faye Walters (CD 4) – This is C. Faye Walters’ fourth run for the US House as a Green Party candidate. She finished with 1.23% in 2004, 1.3% in 2006, and 3% in 2008. Furthermore she ran as a Natural Law Party Candidate for U.S. Congress District 4 Representative in 1996, 1998, 2000 and 2002. She has a rich and varied background, currently a small business owner in Greenville, SC.
Nammu Muhammad (CD 6) – Nammu Muhammad is a life-long resident of the threatened Waverly community in Columbia. An electrician, Nammu has worked against gentrification and the displacement of longstanding communities by a business driven and unaccountable development program.

From the Green Party of the United States:

On Tuesday night, President Obama addressed the nation in regards to the disaster that continues to pour oil from a damaged BP deep water well into the Gulf of Mexico.  The Green Party urges all its supporters to continue to contribute, volunteer, and support Green Party candidates on the local, state, and federal level as they put pressure on the United States Congress and Obama administration to respond quickly and effectively to the continuing crisis.

Green Party leaders and candidates have been responded to this crisis since the initial explosion on April 20th that killed eleven workers and caused the massive oil leak that has yet to be stopped.

Jill Stein, Green Party candidate for Governor of Massachusetts, said on April 22nd:

“We are shocked that President Obama has reversed his campaign position and adopted the Republicans’ ”drill, baby, drill” agenda. The President intends to allow the fossil fuel industry to drill in wide ocean expanses that have been off-limits to drilling for two decades. There is no way to guarantee complete safety from spills.

If part of the east coast of the US suffered a spill comparable to the Exxon Valdez spill of 1989, the result would be a catastrophe for public health and valuable natural habitats.”

On April 29th, the Green Party of Florida called on Florida Governor Charlie Crist and President Obama to declare a state of emergency and “take immediate action to mobilize all available resources to protect coastal communities and wildlife habitats”. read more »

In a posting to friends and supporters at Facebook, Florida Green Party leader Anita Stewart writes about the ever expanding Gulf Coast oil spill. Stewart is running for the Hillsborough County Soil and Water Conservation Board, and her insights are worth reading.

More on the oil gush
In the coming days and weeks and decades, we will see the true casualties and the destruction of our once pristine beaches, ecosystems and wildlife.

Floridians and Americans from elsewhere are talking about a boycott of BP and other oil companies. It is important to realize this: BP PAYS for barrels of Dawn dishwashing soap that it donates to the local wildlife sanctuaries for cleanup after accidents such as this latest one in the Gulf of Mexico. It is merely part of the payoff exchange plan for doing business and the unsuspecting public is unaware of these connections. But the problem goes even deeper than that… read more »

From the Green Party of Florida:

At least ten state Green Parties have statewide events coming up in May. Listed below are details for upcoming Green Party events in Colorado, Florida, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, North Carolina, New York, Ohio, and South Carolina. Attending statewide Green gatherings can be a good way to get more involved with your state’s Green Party.

Saturday 1 May

Colorado – Green Party of Colorado 2010 state convention – Florence, CO

Maine – Maine Green Independent Party 2010 state convention – Greene, ME

Minnesota – Green Party of Minnesota 2010 statewide nominating convention – Red Wing, MN

South Carolina – Green Party of South Carolina 2010 state convention – Columbia, SC

Tuesday 4 May

Ohio – Green Party of Ohio primary election

Friday 14 May

Florida – Green Party of Florida 2010 state meeting (5/14-5/16) – Peace Farm (near Gainesville, FL)

Saturday 15 May

Michigan – Green Party of Michigan 2010 state membership meeting – Lansing, MI

North Carolina – Green Party of North Carolina spring gathering – Greensboro, NC

New York – Green Party of New York 2010 state nominating convention – Albany, NY

Saturday 22 May

Maryland – Green Party of Maryland 2010 state assembly – Annapolis, MD

Green Party Among Groups Urging Feds to Suspend Nuclear Licensing of Westinghouse AP1000 Reactor, Citing Design Defect

Nuclear engineer says corrosion turns “passive” emergency feature into greater accident risk

Today, the Green Party of Florida joins eleven other national and regional environmental organizations in calling upon U.S. nuclear regulators to launch an investigation into newly identified flaws in Westinghouse’s new reactor design. read more »

Anita Stewart, a Florida Green, has been promoting her campaign with her website, her Facebook page, and most importantly, on the streets and in the community.

The Florida Greens will be holding their annual convention May 14-16.

More about Stewart and her qualifications below the fold. read more »

The Broward-Palm Beach New Times has an article about an electoral reform event scheduled for Saturday, 3/20 that will bring together Greens, Libertarians, and Tea Partiers as well as independents and members of other groups to call for solutions to fix America’s broken electoral system.

…King has banded together with some strange bedfellows: She says that the Electoral Reform event she’s helping to organize for this Saturday has support from a whole spectrum of political activists.

Sure, members of the Green Party and the ACLU will show up — you expected that, right? But so, King says, will Tea Party activists, Libertarians, Independents, and even a few Republicans. The common thread is that all agree that major reforms are due in our highly compromised elections system.

You can read the full article at the Broward-Palm Beach New Times.

From the Winter 2010 issue of Green Pages:

Greens play key role in growing anti-nuke movement
by Michael Canney; Green Party of Florida

Nuclear expansion threatens residents of the “Sunshine State,” but resistance is growing. read more »

Nicholas Ruiz III has announced his campaign for US House of Representatives representing Florida’s 24th House District. He needs to gather 5000 signatures on a ballot access petition to avoid paying a substantial filing fee. His campaign has set an initial goal of raising $10,000 as a foundation for success.

The district includes portions of Orange, Volusia, Seminole and Brevard counties. His campaign plans a “listening tour” of the district. Ruiz is author or co-author of three books, and donations to his campaign can be made here.