Proposals for 2005 Summer State Committee Meeting

Proposals for the State Committee meeting can be submitted, revised, and commented on here. The State Committee meeting is on Sunday, July 17, 2005. State Committee proceedures say that the last day to submit anything here is Sunday, July 3, 2005.

Any two members of the State and Administrative Committees, or any Green-Rainbow Local, may submit a proposal for the State Committee to consider.

If you have proposals that are ready to post, do not hesitate as it gives people more of a chance to read it and comment on it ahead of time and possibly improve it.

If you have the proposal already in a word processor document, please attach the document at the bottom of your post to facilitate the process of making the proposal package for the meeting.

Please read them completely so you are prepared for clarifying questions, discussion, and decisionmaking. If you have comments ahead of time, you can post a follow up here and you can contact the sponsors of the proposal.

statement against military recruitment
Monday July 04, @07:14AM by Mystic River Green-Rainbow Action
This is the text of a flyer that Mystic River Green-Rainbow Action handed out at the Cambridge March to Abolish Poverty event on July 3. At the MRGRA meeting the previous week, it was decided that, once developed, the MRGRA position on anti military-recruitment work should be submitted to GRP State Committee for possible adoption by the state GRP.
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Proposal for GM foods initiative
Thursday June 30, @10:16AM by Jennifer Mazer
This is a proposal for the Green-Rainbow Party to
spearhead an initiative for a ban on genetically engineered foodsin the whole state of Massachusetts, or in Middlesex, or whatever county wants to do this
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Proposal for GM foods initiative
Thursday June 30, @10:15AM by Jennifer Mazer
This is a proposal for the Green-Rainbow Party to
spearhead an initiative for a ban on genetically engineered foodsin the whole state of Massachusetts, or in Middlesex, or whatever county wants to do this
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Affirmative Action and the State Committee
Sunday June 26, @02:31PM by Mike Heichman 617-265-8143
from the alternate delegate from Suffolk County committee.
I am an alternate delegate from Suffolk County. I am not a delegate because our delegation is not gender-balanced. I believe that we need to continue to work to make our state committee and entire party more diverse and especailly encourage non-white males to take on more leadership roles.
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new delegate from Suffolk County
Sunday June 26, @02:00PM by Mike Heichman in behalf of the Boston/JP chapter
Kim Lampereur attended our recent annual convention. On June 19, she attended the Boston March Committee (March to Abolish Poverty) and then attended the Boston/JP chapter meeting. Those present unanimously requested that the State Committee accept Kim as a delegate from Suffolk County.
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Green-Rainbow Party Plan for the Protection of Equal Marriage Rights in Massachusetts
Friday June 17, @04:48PM by Owen R. Broadhurst (on behalf of Mr. Colby Peterson)
from the n/a committee.
This proposal was first submitted as a floor proposal to the State Convention by Mr. Colby Peterson. I am resubmitting it as a proposal to StateCom, and am a sponsor. The language of the proposal as drafted by Mr. Peterson is below - while background and summary text authored by Mr. Peterson now follows:

Background:

Since the landmark decision in 2004 by the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court (SJC) to allow same-sex marriage in Massachusetts, there has been a legislative push and debate in the Massachusetts General Assembly and by the general population to amend the state constitution to restrict the marriage rights of same-sex couples and/ or redefine them as "civil unions," or lesser. Many non-partisan interest groups have come out on both sides of the issue. However the baehavior of the political parties has been inconsistent. Most Republicans are for the current amendment or for the use of stronger language that removes marriage and civil unions altogether, while Democrats are not clearly united on the issue with their own presidential candidate declaring that their support for equal marriage in Massachusetts was a poor decision. The Libertarians are also splintered on this issue, some believing that marriage licenses should not exist at all. The Green-Rainbow Party is the only official state political party that has a positive, clear, and consistent stance on the civil rights of same-sex couples, yet we have yet as a party to take an action on the issue other than a post-decision written statement.

The Challenge:

This is the pivotal year for action on this issue. The amendment with the proposed language change to "civil unions" has already been confirmed once by the General Assembly. If it is confirmed again, it will go to voters for final approval on the ballot. The clock is ticking on the already thousands of existing same-sex marriages in this Commonwealth, and the Green-Rainbow Party must be active in defending those rights. This issue is an opportunity the Green-Rainbow Party cannot remain silent on any longer, and cannot afford to miss. We have a legacy of diversity and acceptance in our party, and from the beginning have supported equal civil rights. It is certainly time to show that actions are greater than words.
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