Three Articles in Two Days...Not Bad!!!

The sun has three articles just in the last two days, catch 'em while they're hot!

On Keith Salkowski

On Keith Again

On Patsy Allen

If you haven't gotten involved in a campaign or donated, what the hell are you waiting for? An invitation set in stone? Get involved already! Go HERE to learn more and get involved.

Some article highlights:

On Keith:

Ruppersberger and Brooks are joined in the race by Green Party candidate Keith
Salkowski, a Towson filmmaker who says his presence is part of an effort to
"give voters a lot more choices than they've ever had."

Salkowski: Says the U.S. has a responsibility to reconstruct a country it "broke," but should aim to withdraw troops from Iraq within a year and immediately turn control of the political transition over to the United Nations. He says the U.S. should adopt a multinational approach.

Salkowski: Calls for an end to tax incentives for companies that move jobs out of the U.S. and says that a longterm energy policy focusing on renewable energy sources will create new jobs and infrastructure. He also supports increasing the minimum wage and making sure Americans earn a living wage.

On Patsy:

Green Party candidate Patsy Allen says she's running for Maryland's 3rd District congressional seat because she is tired of seeing such offices held by career politicians who are supported by wealthy donors and partisan interest groups.

Allen expressed strong objections to many of the Bush administration's policies.

She said she protested the war in Iraq and hopes the United States will remove its troops as soon as possible, adding that the United States should try to persuade other countries to send troops.

She supports rolling back most of President Bush's tax cuts and offering government-supported health care to all Americans. She also favors raising the minimum wage.

She said the country has gone backward on most environmental issues. She criticized measures such as the North American Free Trade Agreement for being lax on environmental and worker safety standards.

Great News Coverage

Following Thursday night's success, WaPo has a great article in today's Post.

Also, the Baltimore Sun had an article mostly about Matt Clark (although it did briefly mention Myles Hoenig as well).

Here are some excerpts:

From Washington Post:

To Maria Allwine, Maryland's Green Party candidate for the Senate, the 1 percent she drew in a recent League of Women Voters poll meant about 28,000 votes, or more than four times the number registered with the party.

"I would be very happy if I ended up with 1 percent," she said.

That Allwine even knows her poll numbers is a boost for the party, which is fielding its largest slate of candidates in Maryland, thanks to a 2003 court ruling that eased access to the ballot. In years past, the league hasn't always bothered to include the Greens in its polls.

This year, 15 Green Party candidates -- seven for Congress, eight for Baltimore City Council -- are carrying the party's banner of environmentalism, social justice and nonviolence.

The Greens offer a different perspective from Republicans and Democrats on a variety of issues. Their national platform calls for the legalization of gay marriage, monetary compensation for the descendants of slaves, stronger prosecution of polluters, and permanent border passes for Canadian and Mexican citizens whose identities can be verified.

...

The Greens are the largest minor party in Maryland and growing: Registration has gone from 3,700 in July 2002 to about 6,500 this year. The Greens won a significant victory last year when the Maryland Court of Appeals ruled that because the party is recognized by the state, its candidates no longer have to collect signatures to get on the ballot.

...

At a fundraiser Thursday evening aboard the USS Constellation in Baltimore's Inner Harbor, about 200 party members drank microbrewed beer and munched vegetarian finger food. They cheered for their candidates, even as many of them acknowledged that they have no chance of winning their races.

From the Baltimore Sun:

Clark, who's vying for the seat with Democrat James B. Kraft and Republican Roberto L. Marsili in the Nov. 2 election, faces daunting prospects. The roughly 1,300 people in town who have chosen the environmentally oriented Green Party live among more than 228,000 Democrats, 26,000 Republicans and 23,000 unaffiliated voters.

Though door-to-door campaigning is time-consuming, and as the beginning of Clark's evening demonstrates, often tedious, political veterans, academics and voters agree that it's the best way to reach people.

...

And as daylight fades, Clark hits pay dirt in Jim Reeb, a 42-year-old teacher with Living Classrooms, a nonprofit group that provides education and job training for at-risk children. Reeb says his "big issue," like Clark's, is a moratorium on waterfront development. And yes, he would gladly display a Clark sign in his front window. Actually, gimme two," Reeb says. "No, gimme three."

...

On Baltimore Street, it's dark now and Clark's working by the glow of street lamps.

A man comes to the door of one home as a woman peers out from an upstairs window. "I'm Matt Clark, I'm running for council. Just want to introduce myself."The man, in stocking feet and shorts, props his screen door open so it doesn't slam on Clark and listens intently as the candidate tries to explain the Green Party philosophy. The man, Kirk Robinson, 40, a railroad carman who just moved to the city from Baltimore County, promises to check out Clark's Web site.

As Clark continues down the street, Robinson says he's impressed with the candidate's initiative. "For people not all that active in politics," he says, "I think it's a great way to meet people and get his name out."

Md Green Party Fundraiser

Tonight was great! Lot's of people showed up (about 100). We had some great entertainment and some press, including the Washington Post. They were mostly looking to talk with more Washington-based candidates...Theresa Dudley and Bob Auerbach. Unfortunately, neither showed up. But Dan Kulpinski and Joe Horigan (bless their soles) were represeting the Montgomery County Greens. They gave good info to the Post, whose reporter seemed to be taking notes.

It really made me jazzed about election night. I think we're going to do well, though it's possible that none of our candidates will win. That wont't be the disappointment. I think the unspoken goal of the campaigns is to get 1/4 of MD voters to vote Green. That's about 675,000 voters. It might be a long shot, but look at Maria Allwine's campaign. According to Gonzalez Research, she's polling at 1% in MD. That doesn't include undecides or margin of error. Factoring in those numbers (6% and 3% respectively), Maria has a chance to garner about 2-3% of the vote. That's 81,000 votes alone. And that's a lot of people. Just going by the poll, there are 4 times the number of voters who will vote for her as there are registered Greens in the state.

The real goal, of course, it to register more Greens. It's possibly the only way we can a) maintain party status (i.e. LEGAL) and b) expect to win some elections.

What's most important isn't money, it's person-power. This is, after all, grassroots democracy in its finest. We can't do any of the things we'd like to do (in addition to actually election someone) without people. We need people to volunteer for campaigns. We need people to network with their friends, family and civic groups. We need people! Period.

I really don't know what else to say except that getting involved in the Green Party is the best thing you, or anyone, can do for our democracy.

Starving the Needy, Bankrupting America

They did it again. $143 billion tax breaks to corporations. It's good to know that welfare is alive and well in this country. Too bad it's going to the people that least need it.

What strikes me as really ironic about this bill is this:

The 69 to 17 vote, taken in a rare holiday session, belied the
acrimony underlying the measure, which includes $143 billion in tax
breaks over 10 years, offset by loophole closures and other revenue
raisers.

So, Congress gave money to companies that probably don't need it, just to keep them from exploiting the tax system. It's good to know that our private tax payer dollars are being used to bribe companies to obey the law.

What ever happened to enforcement?

This still begs the question, of course, what would a Green tax system look like?

Maria Allwine Polls at 1%

In an election match-up, 58% say they’d vote for Mikulski if the election were held today, while 34% say they’ll vote for Republican State Senator E.J. Pipkin, with 1% each going to Maria Allwine, the Green Party candidate, and Thomas Trump, the Constitution Party candidate, and 6% are undecided.

Considering that less than 1% of Maryland voters are registered Green, I’d say that’s a sign that we’re making some impact. The Libertarian candidate isn’t even registering, while only the Constitution Party candidate matches Maria’s 1%. Moreover, 6% are undecided. Add in the 3.5% margin of error and Maria may actually do well!

Upcoming Maryland Green Party Events

Lots of great stuff going on in the last 30 days of the election! I'm sooo excited. I heard on the radio today very positive feedback that Bill Barry has a shot at Baltimore City Council! Yay Bill!

Here's the skinny on a big fundraiser coming up in a week!

"CARNAVAL VERDE" SET FOR OCTOBER 14TH

The Baltimore Green Party is hosting a fundraising party aboard the historic Navy frigate USS Constellation in Baltimore's Inner Harbor from 6:30-9:00 PM on Thursday, October 14. The "Carnaval" is to support the Party's 15 candidates--eight Baltimore City Council candidates, six candidates for the U.S. House of Representatives, and one for the Senate.

Dragon Caravan, a local Tribal Fusion dance troupe, Johnny Fox the Amazing Sword Swallower, and the musical duo of Kristin Putchinski and Drew Vervan will provide the entertainment.

Ticket prices are affordable: $20 buys a "Green Curious" ticket, and $35 buys a "Green Solidarity" ticket for those who choose to give more. Non-alcoholic drinks and delicious food are included in the ticket price, and a cash bar will be available for beer and wine. The USS Constellation holds 250 people, so advanced ticket purchases are highly recommended.

To purchase a ticket, contact Ann Forno at 410-419-0411 or annforno@jhu.edu or send a check payable to the "Baltimore Green Party" to Baltimore Green Party / 1443 Gorsuch Ave. / Baltimore, MD, 21218. If you want your donation to support the Party's federal candidates, make your check payable to the "Maryland Green Party" and write "Joint Congressional Campaign" in the memo field.

As this is a fundraiser for a political party, all ticket purchases are political donations. As always, Greens accept donations only from individuals, not corporations, businesses or PACs. If you send $200 or more, please include your place of employment for FEC filing purposes.

Also, this Saturday (October 10), a bunch of Greens are going to be helping Keith Salkowski clean up Loch Raven Reservoir as part of an annual cleanup. It should be a good crowd. Of course, if you can't go, send Keith a donation!

Towards Sewing up the GP Schism

My fellow Maryland Green posted this open letter a few days ago to several local, state and national GP listserves. It's times like these that make me proud to be Green:

Fellow Greens,

It is somewhat paradoxical that I begin an optimistic letter to you with a statement of pessimism...but as we are aware, Greens speak the truth--and the truth, however unfortunate it may be, is that it is extremely unlikely that the American people, on November 2nd of this year, will elect either Ralph Nader or David Cobb to the office of President of the United States.

Outside observers and pundits, who are used to the usual brands of American politics offered by the corporate parties, may assume that this means the end of Green campaigns "intruding" on their comfortable duopoly on power. However - again, as speakers of the truth - we can say without a doubt that they are wrong. Across the country, in the towns, cities, counties, and states where average Americans live, Greens are taking up the call to elected office...to act as agents of positive change driven by unique and principled shared beliefs. These beliefs and these candidacies are planting the seed of a non-violent revolution of the common people, who are weary of business-as-usual and of a lack of meaningful change in their government.

In Maryland, we are proud to say that this revolution is blossoming into full bloom. Last year, thanks to hard work and foresight on the part of our talented legal team, the Maryland Green Party won a case in the Appeals Court of Maryland which struck down as un-Constitutional the unreasonable hurdles which had barred our way to ballot access. In this election, we have capitalized on that victory: Baltimore Greens are challenging the entrenched one-party rule of the City Council in several districts, and all but two of Maryland's Congresspeople currently running for re-election are facing Green challengers.

At the top of our ticket, Marylanders are of differing opinions. A strong contingent of Greens favor the candidacy of David Cobb. Many of Ralph Nader's key organizers have their home here. And yet a third, yet sizable faction, as so eloquently typified by Fred Campbell's speech to his fellow delegates in Milwaukee, have taken a principled stand against running any Green candidate for the Presidency. Again, outside observers would write the epitaph of the Maryland Greens based on this information, believing us yet another failed "third party" in American electoral history. But those pundits would never take into account that our Ten Key Values are more than mere words to us, but statements of action which unite us in a common purpose that is greater than any single decision in any election.

I have spoken to our candidate in the 7th Congressional District, Virginia Rodino, about my hometown of Columbia. I have advised her on some local city concerns, and we have strategized together about how to get her message out to the people...we are, in short, about the business of campaigning. That she is the state coordinator for the Nader/Camejo campaign and I am the state coordinator for the Cobb/LaMarche campaign does not enter into that business. While these labels are reflective of our firmly-held beliefs, they do not overshadow those values to which we committed ourselves at the outset. We are Maryland Greens, and through that association, Greens of the United States. We are committed together to electoral action to stop the true scourges of our age: global climate change, an imperial foreign policy, governmental intrusion on our most private civil rights, and self-interested corporate control at all levels of government. Those scourges have no person within our ranks.

Though we may be marching out of step for the moment, we are guided by a strong compass to march towards a common destination. We understand that the path of progress in making the new world we envision lies in a single direction. And that direction, as the Wisconsin Green Party so profoundly stated at our national convention, is "Forward!"

November 2, 2004, is but one day, and the changes it will herald will last for four short years. We are, as Greens, thinking much farther into the future...envisioning a day when we, or our children, or theirs, may enjoy true democracy, freedom of thought, a healthy environment, justice regardless of their circumstances, and, once and for all, peace. As we prepare for that day, each in our own way, we ask that all Greens keep that flame of hope for that day kindled within us. May they be joined together soon in a mighty fire, which will, as the abolitionist Wendell Phillips said, thaw the mountains of ice before us that we must melt.

We are joined together in a sacred business, and the terms of that joining do not end on Election Day. Indeed, in so many ways, that is when they begin. Let us be about that business-together.
==
Steve
Kramer
Howard County Green Party
Maryland Delegate to the Coordinating
Committee, GPUS