Green Focus January 08
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Green Presidential Primary Candidates: Full Bios and More - Page 8 to 12 Green Focus The Newspaper of the Green Party of California - Winter/Spring 2008 6 candidates fight for Green Party California presidential nomination Diverse field of 2 women and 4 men are lined up for showdown in primary on February 5th By Cres Vellucci * There are two women (McKinney and Swift), one Black (McKinney), When California Green Party and four men, including one Black voters – as many as 138,000 of them (Ball) and another with Native – go to the polls Feb. 5 to choose American heritage (Johnson). One their 2008 Presidential nominee, candidate has never registered with they will find something that voters a political party (Nader), and anoth- in the Democratic and Republican er is a former elected Democratic parties are lacking – a real choice. Congressperson, who just recently Because, not only does the re-registered Green (McKinney). Green Party provide a very real al- ternative for all voters to the gener- * Candidates include hip-hop schol- ally corporate-controlled candidates ar, professor and radio host Ball, of the Dems and GOP, it also offers actor/producer/union organizer a variety of candidates for Green Johnson, politician McKinney, en- Party voters to consider. vironmental engineer Mesplay, con- In fact, this Presidential Primary sumer advocate legend and former Like the End of a Bad Dream: While Greens and others hold their breath, waiting for for Greens portends to be the most Green presidential candidate Nader, the end of George Bush’s presidency, we all hope for a better choice ‘next time.’ The CA diverse, if not competitive ever, ac- the oldest candidate at 73, and the Green Party humbly suggests 6 fine people as potential successors to Dubya. See page 8. cording to veteran Green Party youngest candidate (not 35 until lat- and an opportunity to elect a Presi- The nomination will be decided members. er in 2008), Swift, a Texas organizer. dent who will make a real difference by about 800 delegates from state Those on the ballot in California The Green Party will hold pri- in truly ending the war in Iraq now, parties who will gather at the include, in alphabetical order, Jared maries in four states on February 5, protecting our planet now and pro- Green Party national convention in Ball, Jesse Johnson Jr., Cynthia including California. The Green viding universal, single-payer health Chicago, Illinois, July 10-13. McKinney, Kent Mesplay, Ralph Party has vowed to achieve 51 ballot care for all now," the GPCA said. Nader and Kat Swift. lines in 2008 in all the states and the Complete bios, statements and District of Columbia, and has com- photos are on Pages 8-11 inside. mitted party resources for this pur- Come Hear The Candidates Debate! While all candidates, declared or pose. Greens currently have ballot not, are opposed to the war in Iraq access in 21 states (including DC) Sunday, January 13, 2008 2 PM and want U.S. troops home now, http://www.gp.org/statelist.shtml. Herbst Theater - Veteran Memorial Bldg support universal single payer "This promises to be the most healthcare and fair and clean elec- competitive presidential primary on 401 Van Ness (opposite City Hall) tions, and want to fight global record for the Green Party of Cali- San Francisco warming immediately, there are dif- fornia. And it comes at a time in our Hosted by Cindy Sheehan and Matt Gonzalez ferences in their styles and their state and nation's history when vot- $15 - $25 donation at the door backgrounds, including: Green Party of California In This Issue P.O Box 2828 Place IRV Form for Presidential Primary...........11 Sacramento, CA Stamp Presidential Primary Candidates...............1 Here LA Greens Call for Impeachment..............2 95812 GPCA Endorses Amnesty for Resisters...3 Green ‘Family Guy’ In Writer’s Strike.......4 Greens Featured at Latino Congreso.......4 Green Female Youth Speaks to NAACP...5 CA Greens United For Peace....................6 LA Green Guy Goes Organic....................7 3 Strikes Reform Initiative Filed ............11 Brezenoff Campaign Success................14 Thinking Points: Book Reviews.............15 Ten Key Values & Subscription Info......16 Green Focus Newspaper of the GPCA Page 2 Greens Call on Democrats: “Come Clean on CIA Torture” By Green Focus Staff Writer of secrecy," said Cres Vellucci, a Vietnam veteran and member of the SACRAMENTO – The Green Party GPCA Veterans Caucus. of California called on California Democratic Party state and federal While the Democratic Party leader- lawmakers to urge House Speaker ship, including Pelosi, have main- Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-San Francis- tained they are opposed to the Iraq co) to respond about what she knew, war, and torture, and blame the Re- and what she did – if anything – in publican Party and the Bush Admin- 2002 when she was given a "virtual istration, the Green Party has tour" of the CIA's torture program. insisted both of the major parties are complicit in the continuing killing in According to reports this past week- Iraq. end, the CIA said there were no objections raised by members of "That Democratic Party lawmakers Congress, including at least two are being briefed about torture, and democrats, who were briefed and then tacitly agreeing with it is one given a virtual tour of the CIA's more example that voters in Califor- torture program, including the use nia are being misled when they are of the illegal and being told the Democratic Party is controversial water- boarding the answer to ending this war. technique. "The complicity of Democrats in "We are asking the Democratic state CIA torture is not necessarily a sur- leadership, including elected state prise to us. The Green Party of Cali- and federal lawmakers, to urge Rep. fornia has been opposed to the war Pelosi to tell all of us what happened before it even started, and our candi- dates for local, state and federal of- fice have insisted they are the true Green Focus anti-war alternative choice for vot- ers, not the Democratic Party," add- Editors: ed Vellucci. Don Boring In the Streets: Peter Thottam, (seen above,) speaks to a large crowd in Hollywood Cali- fornia, calling for and end to the war in Iraq and the impeachment of Bush/Cheney who Larry Cafiero falsified the alleged ‘evidence’ in justification of the current tragedy. See article below. Editorial Staff and Board: LA Greens Lead Call For Impeachment of Bush/Cheney Linda Piera-Avilla Serge Balkanin By Cres Vellucci and helped open the Impeachment Center to be false as a justification for the U.S. Michael Borenstein Don Boring earlier this month. invasion of Iraq; condoning and autho- Ellen Maissen The Green Party of the U.S. called rizing the torture of prisoners of war Orval Osborne Green Party 2006 Assembly candi- for the impeachment of Bush and and rendering detainees to date Peter Thottam, now executive di- Sharon Peterson Cheney in 2003, and the state party foreign countries known to torture; and rector of the Los Angeles National officially followed in 2006. The GPCA Wes Rolley authorizing warrantless wiretaps on Impeachment Center, praised the deci- cited the deception used by the Bush U.S. citizens for over five years," said Lisa Taylor sion by the West Hollywood City Administration to start the Iraq war, Thottam. Cres Vellucci Council to support the impeachment of the use of illegal chemical and Thottam, a Los Angeles attorney, President George W. Bush and Dick biological weapons by the U.S., the helped co-found the Los Angeles Na- Design and Layout: Cheney. targeting f civilians with tional Impeachment Center, which was Don Boring In adopting the resolution proposed military weapons, the sponsored in large part by Westside by the impeachment center that torture of prisoners and violation of Website: Greens and Los Angeles Greens, and Thottam now directs, West Hollywood international treaties prohibiting those progressive Democrats. The goal of the Pending became the first Southern California actions. center is to influence cities and counties Subscriptions: city and 80th municipality nationwide "Among a minimum of twelve high to approve impeachment resolutions, to sup- port impeachment, according to See Coupon, page 12 crimes and misdemeanors, Bush and and pressure state and federal represen- Thot- tam, who with other South State Cheney have abused their powers of tatives to do the same. Distribution: Hugh Moore Contact: Green Party of California P.O Box 2828 Sacramento, CA 95812 www.cagreens.org/greenfocus [email protected] Send Submissions and all queries or Letters to the Editor to: [email protected] or by sending regular mail to : Green Focus Editorial Board P.O Box 2828 Sacramento, CA 95812 No payment for articles. We look for maximum of 800 words on letters or articles. We reserve right to edit all articles for length and content or minor contextuals. Green Focus Newspaper of the GPCA Page 3 Progressives Move Impeachment Forward – Again! By David Cobb Notwithstanding the conspicuous Dick Cheney can also be made against As a result of this courageous act refusal of the corporate media to cover George Bush.) (and the failure of Democratic Majority Despite the best efforts of Demo- the growing movement for Impeach- The first Article of Impeachment Leader Nancy Pelosi's attempt to kill cratic Party leaders in Congress, the ment, Congressman Dennis Kucinich accuses Cheney of “purposely manipu- it), the resolution will now go to the citizen's movement demanding that the introduced impeachment resolution HR lating the intelligence process to de- Judiciary Committee of the House of Bush regime be held accountable for 333 on to the House Floor. This resolu- ceive the citizens and the Congress of Representatives.