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GRP members take on Sec. of Commonwealth and media sidelining of GRP primary Secretary of the Commonwealth Bill Galvin has appeared in television PSAs informing unenrolled voters that they can vote in the Democratic and Republican party primaries, without mentioning the Green-Rainbow Party or the Working Families Party, despite a contested Green presidential primary and six candidates on the GRP ballot. A number of media outlets have similarly ignored the Green-Rainbow Party's primary on February 5th. Many unenrolled and Green-Rainbow voters across the Commonwealth are being kept in the dark about the only candidates running for President of the U.S. whose calls for change address the real problems facing the people of the country and the people of the world. The Op-Ed below by co-chairs Nat Fortune and Merelice has now been published by the Brookline Tab, the Somerville Journal, and the Greenfield Recorder. Please do what you can to get this Op-Ed to your local paper. Jamie O'Keefe from Somerville co-signed the piece so the Somerville paper would print it. Please email communications.director@green-rainbow.org to let Eli know that you have submitted a letter or op-ed. If you crafted an original letter, I'll try to publish it here. On January 24, 2008, the Green-Rainbow Party filed a formal complaint with the Secretary of State. Read the press release here. Please consider sending the press release and the complaint to your local paper, and even writing your own complaint to the Secretary of the Commonwealth, asking for corrective action. Upon learning that Secretary Galvin planned no corrective action before the primary, a February 1, 2008 follow-up press release was sent out calling for an immediate corrective press release by the Secretary's office, and equal treatment in providing post-election results and analysis. See The Recorder (Greenfield, MA) article that alerted us to the Secretary's non-response here. Letters to the Editor & Op-Eds Make a difference on February 5 By Nat Fortune and Merelice, GRP Co-Chairs Why do more Americans contribute to charities than show up to vote? Obviously we care about the world around us. And we believe one person can make a difference. And we trust that what we have to offer is not too small. Otherwise, we wouldn't bother with either charities or voting. We suggest that one reason so many don't vote is that the candidates in the traditional parties don't need to listen to what we think. And the reason they don't need to listen is because when we do vote --- unlike when we volunteer our time or money --- too many of us fail to say what we mean and vote for what we really want. Write all the letters you think of. Attend all the rallies you can. But if you don’t change how you vote, candidates and elected officials can ignore your letters and your rallies. They don't need to offer a genuine alternative. Indeed, even before the first primary, the traditional parties allowed some of their own candidates to be excluded from their televised debates. Even before many voters have had a chance to weigh in, candidates who fail to raise enough corporate funding are dropping out. Choices are already narrowed. Do you see anyone you could choose from among the faces allowed to appear on TV, assuming you want a candidate committed to replacing:
Where are the calls to stop fighting a war on Iraq based on lies, a war on our planet based on profiteering, a war on our own U.S. residents based on poverty and privatization, and a war on Katrina victims based on racism and warped priorities --- and to do it NOW? To find not one but half a dozen presidential candidates who support all of these ideas, you have to look to those seeking the Green Party presidential nomination. Those agreeing to have their name placed on the Green-Rainbow Party ballot for the Massachusetts presidential primary, in the order they will appear, included Jared Ball, an African-American journalist, professor, and hip-hop scholar; consumer advocate Ralph Nader, the Green Party presidential nominee in 1996 and 2000 and an independent candidate in 2004; Elaine Brown, a former leader of the Black Panther Party; Kat Swift, an activist for publicly financed elections and open government and former Campus Greens organizer; Cynthia McKinney, an African-American three-term former Democratic Party congresswoman; and Kent Mesplay, a Native-American environmental engineer, activist, and 2004 candidate for the Green Party presidential nomination. (Since that deadline, Jared Ball has thrown his support to Cynthia McKinney, and Elaine Brown has withdrawn from the race, though both names remain on the ballot.) You won't see, hear, or even read much about these candidates --- the ones actually listening to what increasing numbers of us have to say. But if you want every candidate to take notice and listen to what is important to you, here is your chance to lift your voice and speak clearly by voting for what you really want. You don't have to be registered Green-Rainbow to take a Green-Rainbow ballot. Every Massachusetts voter who is registered as Unenrolled (also known as “independent”) can vote in the Green-Rainbow Party presidential primary instead of the Democratic or Republican party primaries. Make a difference this time around, and vote Green this February 5th. Berkshire Eagle, Thursday, January 17 Green-Rainbow offers alternative If you agree with Marion Frommer ("Elect candidate with experience," letter, Jan. 15,) by all means vote for John McCain and his years of experience. But there's a real alternative on Feb. 5, a party of principle. In Massachusetts, it goes by the name Green-Rainbow Party and is designated by a J on the registration line. And we're having a real primary, with six exciting candidates. The two tired, old parties may talk change but they don't deliver. They talk about you but sell their services to the highest bidders. That's not democracy. If you want a government that's of the people, by the people and for the people, vote for a party that's democratic to its roots. Come to www.massgreens.org to see what the excitement's about. And if you're watching the polls on Election Day, be prepared for independent and J registrants who want a ballot that offers a clear choice on Feb. 5. JEFFREY TURNER, Pittsfield The writer is co-chair, Berkshire County Green-Rainbow Party. Berkshire Eagle, Saturday, January 19 Green is option in state primary While glad that you are running articles about the upcoming Massachusetts primary on Feb. 5., I wish that you would include information about the Green Party presidential party that same day in all of the same polling places. Perhaps you don't realize how many of your readers are Greens and would appreciate this information. Since you haven't been covering this political news, I have had to turn to the Internet (www.MassGreens.org). Here's a little of what I found there. On Feb. 5, Mass. Greens (called Green-Rainbow Party due to a political merger) and any registered unenrolled voters may ask for the Green-Rainbow ballot at the polls. On it there will be a choice between five candidates from across this great country. These candidates have widely different backgrounds and experience. Some of them have made national news before, while others are new to the national scene. Their résumés and positions on the issues can be explored at www.MassGreens.org Greens, from the grassroots up, haven't just started to talk about change. They've been working to make positive change. If we had a Green president, we would never have invaded Iraq, we would have alternative energy programs in place providing thousands of jobs to Americans, our environment would be cleaner and issues of global warming would have been addressed, our civil rights would be championed, not challenged, we would have universal single-payer health care for all. That's why the Greens are the fastest growing party in the state and in the country, and why we have had national presidential candidates for over a decade. Thank you for printing this letter and for including the Green primary information in future articles so that all of us who are Green can be prepared to vote Feb. 5 and in November. CECILIA A. ROCK, Pittsfield The writer is co-chair of the Berkshire Greens political club. The Evening News, Southbridge, MA, 29 January 2008 To the Editor: Just think: if you vote GREEN on February 5th and in November 2008, you will vote for a candidate who will address global climate change as the problem it really is; end the war (and not start a new one); present alternative energy solutions (which will create new jobs); create universal health care; and make this country and world a better place in which to live. You’ll be able to sleep better at night knowing that you voted to solve problems (not to exacerbate or to create new ones!!). The Green candidates who will be on the ballot on February 5th will be: Cynthia McKinney, Kat Swift, and Kent Mesplay. When you ask for a Green ballot (Green-Rainbow in MA), there will be other people listed on it. Jared Ball and Elaine Brown have withdrawn their candidacy and Ralph Nader has not asked for the Green’s nomination and is therefore not a candidate. You can go to www.MassGreens.org or www.green-rainbow.org for more information about Cynthia, Kat, and Kent. If you have trouble voting Green at the polls (as J , Green-Rainbow, or as an unenrolled voter) please call 508-654-8020 immediately. Vote Green on February 5th!! Maureen E. Doyle Lebanon Hill Road, Southbridge, MA Op-Ed submitted to the Boston Globe, 1/31/08 The OTHER Presidential Primary As we Massachusetts voters look out on the political horizon, we witness an incredible dumbing down of our democracy. Instead of potential leaders who can speak clearly to the real issues that face us, we see games of showmanship, charm and style, and a burying of issues beneath mountains of fluff. Instead of hearing about real solutions to the economic nightmare facing most of us, we get more of the same absurd policies –-- like one-off tax cuts and magical stimulus packages that are somehow going to make our housing debt, credit card debt, and student loan debt disappear. Instead of hearing about the mounting ecological crises facing our communities, our nation, and the world, and the deep societal changes we need to make in order to stave them off, and the small window of time we have in which to act, we hear about technological fixes and consumerist improvements that somehow remove the responsibility off of our individual and collective shoulders. We hear about nuclear, “clean” coal, hybrid and biofuel technologies that are somehow going to reduce our planetary emissions and halt catastrophic climate change without any unintended consequences, and without any change in our behavior. We hear about energy independence as a national security issue, but what about food independence, or manufacturing independence? Some of the most critical issues that face us include food security, economic security, health security, and environmental security, and yet the mainstream political candidates are unable to articulate these problems, let alone solve them. Issues like peak oil --- which is already having a devastating impact on the economics of suburban travel locally, and world food prices globally --- are entirely ignored. While our governments from the municipal level on up through the federal level are hawking policies that enrich the wealthy and destabilize (and even destroy) the working class, Americans are being fed a menu with fewer and fewer options, and none of them are worth their weight in corn syrup. On February 5th, however, Massachusetts voters who were clever enough to register as Unenrolled or Green-Rainbow, will have choices at the ballot that stand for an entirely different vision. The Green-Rainbow Party, which is the Massachusetts affiliate of the Green Party of the U.S., will have six candidates on its ballot, which any registered Unenrolled or Green-Rainbow voter can vote for. Former Democratic Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney, from Georgia, left the Democratic Party last year because she realized the desperate need for building a political alternative outside of the corporate duopoly, and she has joined the Greens and is now running for the Green Party nomination for President. Former Green Party candidate for President Ralph Nader is also on our ballot because of a Draft Nader effort within the Green Party, and he has recently formed an exploratory committee to decide if he will actively pursue the Green nomination. The Green Party’s own Kat Swift and Kent Mesplay are pursuing the nomination; Swift is an activist for publicly financed elections and women’s rights, while Mesplay is a Native American environmental activist and engineer. Jared Ball, an African American professor and hip-hop scholar, will appear on our ballot, though he has withdrawn his candidacy in support of Cynthia McKinney. And Elaine Brown, a former leader of the Black Panther Party, will also appear on the ballot, though she too has withdrawn her candidacy. What is remarkable about these choices is not the skin color of the candidates. Nor is it their gender or their experience. What is remarkable about these candidates is that they are articulating the real problems that all of us are facing as a nation, as a society, and as a people. And while they cannot offer we the voters any promises of easy fixes, they offer us a leap forward towards genuine solutions. The solutions begin with we the people, and until we have candidates that can honestly lay that out for us, we will continue to cling to false hopes, and sit around waiting for somebody to solve this mess we’re in. For those who believe that WE need to be the problem solvers, and that the political machinery of the U.S. is stacked against that happening, I recommend you ask for a Green-Rainbow Party ballot on Tuesday, and take that first step on a long road ahead. Eli Beckerman Carlisle Street, Cambridge, MA The writer is the Communications Director of the Green-Rainbow Party, the MA affiliate of the Green Party of the U.S. The Green-Rainbow Party was formed in 2003 when the Rainbow Coalition Party merged with the Massachusetts Green Party. Brookline TAB, January 17, 2008 Don't forget third-party candidates A current public service ad on TV falls short of its goal of encouraging and educating voters regarding the Feb. 5 presidential primary in Massachusetts. Secretary of the Commonwealth William Galvin compounds confusion by referring only to two ballots when, in fact, an “unenrolled” or independent voter can choose one of THREE ballots. Poll workers at many polling places already incorrectly offer their voters just two choices, leaving out the Green-Rainbow Party, which lists six Green Party candidates on the Feb. 5 primary ballot. It is completely improper, derelict in his duty and likely illegal for Secretary Galvin to allow this message to be underwritten and aired in this version. Regardless of your own political preferences, please let him and the stations know that voter rights should not be abridged in this way and that Secretary Galvin should release a corrected version. Thank you. You can learn more about the Green Party presidential candidates at www.green-rainbow.org. Merelice, co-chair Green-Rainbow Party White Place Credit where credit is due --- media coverage of GRP presidential primary
Please email communications.director@green-rainbow.org to let Eli know that you have submitted a letter or op-ed. If you crafted an original letter, we'd love to publish it here. Also send us any coverage of the Green-Rainbow Party primary that you find. |
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