Let Jill Stein Debate!!

Green Party Presidential Candidate Jill Stein needs to poll at 15% in order to be let in to national debates.  Help her get there to address issues like single-payer healthcare, workers rights, peace and freedom by signing the petition today!


Sign the Petition

Maine Green Independent Party to hold Fundraiser Dinner this Sunday

Featuring a Local Peruvian menu and a Presentation on
Street Cars

On Sunday, September 16th a plate dinner will be held at the Maine Irish Heritage Center, 34 Gray St. in Portland.  Dinner will be prepared by local Peruvian Chefs Maria, Crystal, and Heather Cron.  Vegetarian and gluten free options will be available.

The dinner will feature a presentation by Green Independent Portland City Councilor David Marshall on the history and future of streetcars in Maine.  

Proceeds will benefit the Maine Green Independent Party.  All are welcome!

“This event is comprised of delicious, homemade food and education on the timely & imperative topic of transportation choice in Maine.  It will benefit a grassroots, third-party movement based on peace, sustainability, & equality that does not take corporate or PAC contributions of any kind.  You don’t want to miss it,” said Asher Platts, Chair of the Maine Green Independent Party.

Doors will open at 5:00 p.m. on Sunday and dinner will be served at 5:30 p.m. The cost is $20 at the door.  For more information call Tom at 207-272-5833 or visitwww.mainegreens.org.

We hope to see you there!!

Reflections on my first year in the Occupy Movement: Political movements of 2011 and Activism in the instant media age

By Holly Seeliger

The year 2011 saw the beginning of a global activist movement to challenge the current corporatization of political, economic, and financial power by moneyed elites. From the indigenous battles and student protests in South America, the indignados in Spain, the Tar Sands and student protestors in Canada, the young anti-Putin movement and “Pussy Riot” in Russia, the masses at Tahrir square and the “Arab spring”, and the “Occupy” movements in the U.S. and around the world, the struggle of these social movements is the same.  It is a battle for autonomous control and collective ownership of production and labor, distribution of goods and services, and the communication of information and ideas. The movements of today are fundamentally changing democratic participation and civic norms to creative a future which is shaped by the people.

All around the world we are witness to the shattering of our social compacts, our rights, and our aspirations for the future under crippling cuts to services, and an increase in violence and pollution. Austerity measures have sought to decrease education, healthcare, and opportunities for a skilled workforce at the expense of ever-increasing military spending and the surveillance of our own people. Since 2007, recession deficits pose the biggest threat to economic recovery and global stability, yet the established consensus revolves around reduced investment in infrastructure and social services, under the guise of shared sacrifice for “living beyond our means”.

The failures of corporate industrialism upon our ecosystems, our health, economy and equality are too encompassing and too dangerous to ignore. No amount of energy spent on the defense of the “freedom” or the “American Way”, or excuses and adjustment to regulate or moralize capitalism can shield its failure. Compounded with the squeeze of austerity, the tenants of industrialism- the replacement of people as labor by transitioning to technology, and the concentration of wealth and resources into the elite minorities- seem closer to our world realities. How can these movements which began in 2011 stand up to such overwhelming and encompassing challenges? The answer is and always has been through non-violence and non-compliance to oppression, and holistic and egalitarian direct civic engagement and participation.

Protestors acknowledge the grave shape of our institutions, which have remained self-serving and have neglected the needs of the people. The relentless perusal of maximum profits by the privileged one percent has taken the form of corporatism, which must, by legal definition, place profit for shareholders over any other consideration. It is the duty of the people to create a new social ethos, which will value small group challenges, local issues and citizen control of political, social, and economic arenas.

More and more, activists realize that the global battle is against multi-national corporations and the antidote is a fight that says “not in my backyard”, and more importantly, “not on my planet”. From the XL pipelines and fracking, to the stripping of the Appalachians, the melting of our ice caps, the damming of the Amazon River, the Gulf Coast and Kalamazoo oil spills, and the Fukashima Nuclear disaster, it has become a global responsibility for all to stand up to the destruction of our people, animals, and planet.

These movements are lead by students who are over-burdened with debt, majority populations without affordable healthcare or a livable wage, and citizens and soldiers who are rejecting the decade-long wars on foreign and domestic terror. Whether on the serving or receiving end of the “Global war on terror”, the 

“War on Drugs”, or the “War on Illegal Immigration”, all of the youth who have grown up in this shadow are victims.  My generation will battle puppet regimes, destructive capitalism and our real environmental threats to our water, soil and air, which have been purchased by corporations and polluted and exploited. The youth of today are brave enough and open-minded enough to challenge previous economic and social structures and restrictions.

In an age of vast wealth inequality and blatant corruption of institutions a la “corporate personhood”, the activists of today do not only challenge capitalist institutions, but demand direct responsibility and decision-making. Because of globalization, the corporate model can reach vast economic, social, institutional, and political power, yet it is through this same advancement that activists can also connect around the world. These new movements utilize hand-held media technology to instantaneously stream video, post pictures, or share articles online with fellow activists.

Within the course of just one year, these movements have gained worldwide momentum and have protested against bailed-out banks, foreclosed homes, occupied workplaces and college campuses, defended rivers and waterways, demanded the closure of nuclear power plants, joined in the preservation of public spaces, and the called for an end to strip-mining, poaching, fracking, and clear-cutting. Online sharing of news and events around the world have taught activists that direct action and democratic participation creates tangible and often global results.

What connects all of these movements is the targeted use of new media sources and pragmatism in political involvement through the exchange of tactics, updates and ideas with other activists around the world. Because of the accessibility to real-time communication and the spread of news, new actions can spring up around the world and build a global movement. Today’s tech-savvy youth are aware of deliberate manipulation of facts by the corporate media, and the bias against activism by the media worldwide. Citizen and alternative journalism have empowered people around the world through sharing of stories. The Tahrir Square activists used Twitter, the indignados created newspapers, radio and television programs, and the Occupy Movements have connected though the “livestreaming” of events.

The movements which began in 2011 will change the status quo as students and others seek participation in civic life and “Occupy the ballot” through grassroots campaigns and elections into local political offices. Support for alternative politics and political parties have grown, as in the case of Ron Paul’s Libertarian and Jill Stein’s Green Party Presidential Campaigns. 

I graduated from the University of Southern Maine in Portland, Maine with my B.A. in Political Science in 2010. In the fall of 2011, I became joined the Occupy Maine Movement and wrote and reported for several episodes of “Occupy Maine TV News”, which appeared online and on Portland’s cable access network CTN-5. Many Occupy members have also joined the Green Party to seek election in local politics, and I have decided to run for the Portland School Board as a Green Party member in the November 2012 elections.                                         

There is now a global demand against the corporate elite’s control of the planet towards the pursuit of non-violence, transparency, health and equality. The powerful minorities are no longer needed as our overlord, our politician, our economic stimulator, or our “job creator”. Today’s political movements are holistic in tactic, seeing the potential for grass-roots change in every institution. It is my belief that the new status quo is non-violent direct participation and the utilization of new media to spread information and ideas, and structures that are subject to corporatism and elite minorities are in the process of falling apart. This is achieved through non-compliance with governments who no longer serve the people, and through the demand for collective ownership of production, communication, and distribution. As self-reliant individuals who seek collective ownership and responsibility towards our planet, today’s political movements use new media technology to create active stewardship of our destiny.

May First - General Strike Against the Status Quo

The Maine Green Independent Party is proud to join the growing list of organizations, businesses and individuals calling for a general strike on May 1, 2012 to express solidarity with workers across the world who both celebrate the achievements of the global workers’ rights movement and press for further progress.

We call on the more than 31,000 Greens across the state to join with Occupy Wall Street, Occupy Maine,  Occupy USM, Teamsters, the Maine AFL-CIO, local businesses and others in showing our true power as members of the 99%, by halting the flow of capital for just one day.

Events in Portland will be starting with a student and teacher walkout of USM at 10:30am, followed by a free university on Payson Smith Green.  Events are also schedualed all day by Occupy Maine in Congress Square.  Find a location near you (or start one) at www.mainemayday.org.

Occupy Wall Street is also engaging in a range of activities, ranging from teach-ins, gift economies, and street theater, to direct action.

Hope to see you!

Portland Green Independents Champion Rejection of Corporate Personhood

The Portland Green-Independent Party commends the Portland City Council for its passage of a resolution calling for a Constitutional amendment abolishing the concept of “corporate personhood.”

The Council passed the resolution in a 6-2 decision Wednesday night. The resolution specifically calls on Maine’s Congressional representatives to support a Constitutional amendment overturning the Supreme Court’s recent, highly controversial decision, Citizens United v. FEC. That ruling allows corporations to spend unlimited amounts of money on political advertising, thus further entrenching the influence of powerful business interests in elections. Councilor and Green Party member, David Marshall introduced the resolution, which he helped draft with members of the Portland Greens, the League of Young Voters and Occupy Maine protesters. The resolution was co-sponsored by Councilor Kevin Donoghue and Mayor Michael Brennan.

Though the resolution is largely symbolic, it nonetheless generated over an hour of public testimony from concerned citizens from in and around Portland. While Councilor Cheryl Leeman, one of the two dissenting votes, along with Councilor John Coyne, questioned whether it is the City Council’s place to take a stand on such a broad, national issue, most of the resolution’s proponents who showed up for the vote believed it is.

“It is absolutely the business of the City Council,” said Portland Green, Anna Trevorrow in her public comments. “The community has come together and asked you to make a statement.”

The Portland Greens offer their gratitude to the City Councilors who voted in favor of the resolution and to Councilor Marshall for proposing the measure. We also extend our thanks to the various local progressive groups who worked with us on crafting the language of the resolution—specifically members of Occupy Maine and the Portland branch of the League of Young Voters.

"The PGIC looks forward to taking this fight to end corporate personhood to the next level. We hope others will join us in our efforts," said Adam Marletta, Chair of the Portland Green Independent Committee.

Green Party Thanks 2011 Candidates

During the 2011 election, the Maine Green Independent Party endorsed three candidates for municipal office in Portland.

David Marshall sought the newly created office of directly-elected mayor. Marshall, who has served on the Portland City Council since 2006, was one of the primary catalysts for the directly elected mayoral position. He ran his campaign speaking about five issues: investing in school buildings, growing population in the downtown districts, getting homes and businesses off of oil, stimulate economic development with better mass transit and creating a 24 hour pothole guarantee. He ran an extremely competitive campaign in which a number of candidates raised more money than he did, but several of them finished well below him. He finished in fourth place of 15 candidates after knocking on 20,000 doors and having thousands of conversations with people across the city. His campaign also trained many new activists to the Portland committee and established a citywide information database which will help all Greens who seek office in Portland in the future be more competitive.

Josephine Okot sought to become the first person of African birth to ever hold office in Maine by seeking the school board at-large position. A mother of two, Okot ran on the promise that when elected, she would force the city’s school board to focus more on the issues of school violence and bullying. She also sought to increase city graduation rates by helping more students meet mentors. Lastly, Okot wanted to save taxpayer money and create a culture of public transportation by getting middle and high school onto public transit whenever possible. She ran a strong, Green campaign and met many people who strong support the notion that Portland’s immigrant community needs a voice on the school board. She gained nearly 5,800 votes and won several polling precints against the incumbent while finishing with just under 40% of the vote.

Dr. Jack (John) Safarik sought the office of Water District Trustee. Safarik, who has run as a Green Independent in the past for State Representative, pushed forward the issues of maintaining the watershed and making sure that large water companies such as Nestle and Poland Spring would not be able to compromise the regional water supply. Safarik obtained about 33% of the vote in a two-way race.

The Portland Green Independent Committee and the Maine Green Independent Party are extremely proud of our 2011 candidates and appreciate all of the hard work and dedication they put forth. The issues they supported are not forgotten and will continue to change Portland for the better. We look forward to the 2012 campaign and the struggle for a more sustainable and just future.

Youth Uprising by Roy Meredith

Roy Meredith is a member of the York County Greens and Founder of the SMCC Greens

One of my friends, Jennifer, has three jobs.  Often, the only time I get to talk to her is midnight, before she heads off to work.  Even then, speaking with her reveals a young woman who is about to collapse.  Her share of the dialog often consists of nothing more than “hmm” or barely audible affirmatives.  On top of all this, she suffers from a multitude of serious medical issues, and nobody is there to help her except her boyfriend.

But Jennifer is hardly unique.  Many of my classmates work at least two jobs in addition to attending college full-time, jobs which thanks to lax regulation are not unionized and offer little security.  And once we graduate, most of us are tens of thousands of dollars in debt and face dismal prospects for careers that suit our education.  Already, we’re projected to have a shorter life expectancy than our parents, a first in this country’s history.  By any measure, the standard of living for young Americans has dropped significantly.

What we’re dealing with, however, is not a complicated problem.  The laws which shape our lives are made by people who, more often than not, are at least in their forties.  They are voted into office by people who, more often than not, are also at least in their forties.  Is it any surprise that their policies usually only benefit those who are older than 40?  The median age for a member of the 112th Congress today is the highest it has ever been in the history of the institution.

Some of examples of this callous indifference are deeply disturbing.  In July this year House Majority Leader Eric Cantor demanded that college students start paying interest on their loans - while still in school.  In August, the Maine attorney general and the chair of the Maine Republican Party accused college students of widespread voter fraud.  And anybody who followed the massive crackdown on voting rights in red states this year knows exactly what this means.  Such an accusation is meant to set the stage for tougher restrictions on college students in the voting booth.

How does that old saying go? Use it or lose it? That’s the funny thing about rights.  The only reason why lawmakers like Cantor or Charlie Webster are able to get away with their disgusting proposals is our own apathy.  In 2010, for example, there was a 60% decline in voter turnout for ages 18 and 19.
Whenever I talk to Jennifer or some of my other friends about politics they try to change the subject.  Sometimes they even tell me I shouldn’t care.  And that’s exactly the problem.  Too many young Americans are unable to connect the commotion in Washington to their poor fortunes.  That kind of ignorance is incalculably dangerous.  Almost everything that impacts our lives is determined by politics, including military drafts, regulations on student loans, federal student aid, affirmative action, and job security.  It isn’t sane - let alone wise - to leave those decisions to people are generations apart from our needs and concerns.  It’s time to get active again.

But that goes beyond voting or protesting.  The people of Generation Y need to start running for elected offices on a massive scale.  Federal offices are mostly out of the question – in order to be a senator one has to be at least 30 years old – but local and state positions of leadership are certainly up for grabs.  In Maine, the minimum age for a state house representative is only 21. There’s nothing to hold us back from taking control over our own lives. 

The moment for optimism is now.  Students and other youthful activists were the bulk of Arab Spring earlier this year.  Within 18 days, a single age demographic managed to bring down a corrupt dictatorship in Egypt that had ruled with an iron fist since 1982. The task we face in America isn’t even half as difficult.  This country still is, after all, a democracy.  Let’s get moving.

American Legislative Exchange Council ’s long arm reaching into Maine policy

Posted By UnBylined On September 15, 2011 (7:05 pm) In Contributors, Opinion

Eric Russell’s story on the American Legislative Exchange Council (BDN, Sept. 14) leaves open more questions than it answers. Are our laws outsourced? Does it matter? Are our legislators taking their direction from deep-pocketed corporate interests? Does it matter that legislators’ travel and hotel costs are typically funded (all-expense-paid vacations) by ALEC to their national meetings? Yes, yes, yes and yes.

Thanks to the investigations of the nonprofit Center for Media and Democracy, alecexposed.org, we know of several Maine legislators with ALEC task-force assignments: Sen. Brian Langley (education), Rep. James Hamper and Sen. Mike Thibodeau (telecommunications and information technology), Sen. Deb Plowman (civil justice), Sen. Doug Thomas (energy, environment and agriculture), Sen. Chris Rector (international relations) and Rep. Ryan Harmon (tax and fiscal policy).

ALEC has task forces also on public safety and elections; commerce, insurance and economic development; and health and human services, so it would not be surprising to find other Maine lawmakers serving in those areas.

From the Dirigo Blue website we learn of numerous Maine bills taken from ALEC templates that promote school privatization. Indeed, ALEC advocates privatizing not only education but other public benefits such as health and medical care, transportation, consumer safety and environmental quality.

Tellingly, one of ALEC’s model bills would repeal zoning authority over “rural” counties (abolishing LURC in our state). And at least three bills call for state councils to streamline agency performance and outsource services to the private sector.

We have already seen such a council formed to decide the fate of LURC, and that commission is hand picked to do the bidding of leading Republican policymakers. Its constituency fits the description of ALEC’s proposed Environmental Priorities Council — a panel that would include no scientists or public-interest environmental delegates.

We will be watching closely for ALEC legislation calling for such a council, proposed to have just five members: a representative from the state Chamber of Commerce, an agency (DEP?), a representative selected by the governor, one Republican, one Democrat and an economist to chair the group and ensure that decisions are based on cost-benefit analysis, not on concerns for water quality, air pollution and other threats to public health and safety.

There are some 1,000 bills from ALEC’s playbook to be scrutinized, but here are a few that raise red flags for their potential impact on Maine’s environment and quality of life:

A bill to give polluters the opportunity to correct violations before issuance of “notice” or penalty.
A bill opposed to recycling laws on packaging (e.g., Styrofoam) and solid-waste reduction.
A bill that would favor private labs (reliant on corporate clients) over independent, low-cost government lab testing.
A bill that gives farms using corporate practices immunity from “nuisance” liability (from air or water pollution or animal abuse) as long as they follow industry-drafted best management practices.
A bill that advocates vegetative filter strips to minimize movement of pesticides, sediment, etc., out of growers’ fields (vegetation must tolerate pesticides used on farm fields).
A bill for groundwater protection that would give the Agriculture Department shared responsibility with DEP and would mandate standards less stringent than federal laws.
Several other agriculture bills promoting biotech (GMOs) and corporate timber harvesting.
Energy bills promoting nuclear power, LNG, fracking and oil/gas drilling on the outer continental shelf.
A number of ALEC bills bear directly on current proposals to protect wilderness areas in Maine. One opposes federal acquisition of public land (specifically, the Conservation and Reinvestment Act). Another resolves that local government must consent to national monument designation.

Yet another authorizes state governments to appropriate federal public lands (national parks, etc.) for oil, gas and coal extraction. The establishment of an ombudsman office within Maine’s Legislative Council would oppose any zoning perceived as threatening private-property rights.

And ALEC proposes bills criminalizing environmental activism that might be construed by law enforcement as “eco-terrorism.”

Although legislators typically do accept stipends from ALEC to attend their national gatherings, we are told by the director of Maine’s Legislative Council that Rep. Andre Cushing went to New Orleans last month on the taxpayer’s dime. Why?

I hope we can count on the BDN to dig deeper into this evolving story.

Jody Spear lives in Harborside.
Article taken from Bangor Daily News - http://bangordailynews.com
URL to article: http://bangordailynews.com/2011/09/15/opinion/american-legislative-exchange-council-%e2%80%99s-long-arm-reaching-into-maine-policy/

Maine Green Party Leader Attends Occupy Wall Street Protests Encourages Protesters To Run for Office

Portland, ME - 9/30/2011  The Maine Green Party stands in solidarity with the Occupy Wall Street protests, and the upcoming October 6th Protests in Freedom Plaza in Washington DC, and asks protesters to run as Green Party candidates in 2012.

“There is a real excitement surrounding these protests, a feeling that a better world is possible,” said Maine Green Party activist Asher Platts.  Platts will be attending the Occupy Wall Street protests on his way down to the October 6th occupation of Freedom Plaza in Washington DC, where he will be filming a documentary about these occupation protests.

The Maine Green Party recognizes the influence of Wall Street on both major political parties.  The financial sector has contributed over $5 billion in the last decade to assert political influence.(1)  Goldman Sachs gave over $1 million to President Obama’s 2008 campaign and over $200,000 to John McCain’s campaign.(2)  In contrast, the Green Independent Party does not accept corporate campaign contributions. 


“The Green Party has long recognized that the wealthy elite have polluted our electoral system with unlimited campaign contributions,” said Platts.  “This in turn has perverted the act of public service, as politicians put the needs of Wall Street before those of the people they are elected to serve.”

 “These peaceful protesters are very much aligned with the Green Party’s platform and values.” said Asher Platts.  “I want to see the people occupying Wall Street bring about the major reforms they are demanding. It’s my hope that they will carry this energy and excitement to their home towns, build their local Green Party, and run as candidates in 2012.  And in 2013 we hope to see them occupying their state capitols not as protesters, but to claim seats of power in government.”

Greens Come Out On Top in League of Young Voters’ Endorsement Slate

The Maine League of Young Voters announced their endorsements last week for Portland, municipal candidates including the historic mayor’s race. The Portland Green Party’s slate of candidates came out on top in every race in which they are running.   

In the race for mayor, both Green Independent candidates,  sitting city councilor David Marshall and former Green state legislator John Eder, received endorsements within the top 3 rank recommendations, with Marshall receiving the first-place League endorsement..  The mayoral election will be decided by ranked-choice voting.

Josephine Okot, the Green Party candidate for at-large school board who is seeking to become the first African immigrant to win office in Maine, earned the League’s endorsement over the incumbent candidate.

John (Jack) Safarik, PhD., the Green Party candidate running for water board of trustees on protecting the local watershed from privatization and pollution, also earned the League’s endorsement.

Breaking Party Ground: Okot for School Board

A Letter from Portland Greens' Chair, Anna Trevorrow

Dear Friends and Fellow Greens,

I am writing today to tell you about a dynamic Green candidate who presents an exciting opportunity for the Green Party in Portland, Maine.  Josephine Okot, Green candidate for At-Large School Board, first came to Maine as a refugee from South Sudan at the age of 12.  She navigated Portland Public Schools, benefiting from mentoring programs that helped her to catch-up with classmates and cope with school bullying.  Now 29, she has a two children with one  in Portland’s public schools and works as a multi-cultural youth educator for United Somali Women of Maine. Josephine is running for Portland’s School Board on a platform of promoting holistic approaches to address school bullying, expanding mentoring programs to encourage higher education, and safe & cost-efficient alternative transportation for students. When elected, Josephine will be the first African immigrant to serve in Maine’s history and a beacon for Portland’s burgeoning immigrant communities.

In a public school system where students speak more than 40 languages, and in a city with an increasing population of immigrant residents, Josephine’s election is instrumental in bringing much needed representation to the School Board and to Portland’s city government.  But even more than that, Josephine is a keen thinker with real-policy ideas to address fundamental issues.

This past Sunday I had the pleasure of knocking on doors with Josephine. We kicked-off her campaign by canvassing her neighborhood and were pleased to identify 65% of voters that we spoke with as affirmative supporters. Not bad right out of the starting gate! Over the next seven weeks Josephine will continue to pound the pavement, develop campaign literature, attend events and candidate forums, put up signs, and work hard in every way possible to ensure success on Election Day.

But in order to make it all possible, Josephine needs YOUR Support!  She has a fundraising goal of $3,000 in order to print literature, paint signs and run her campaign.  In a citywide race with at least 20,000 projected voters this November, broad name recognition is extremely important and Josephine will need every last sign she can purchase. Electing Josephine, who has been a Green for a many years, sends the message that the Green Party is serious about putting strong and diverse candidates into office. After canvassing with her today, I was so inspired that I personally made an initial campaign contribution of $50 and pledged another $50.  Please join me in digging deep to support this amazing young woman’s candidacy!  It is as important to the Green Party’s goals as it is to the City of Portland.  

See below for details on how YOU can make a contribution to Josephine’s campaign.  Thank you for your continued work and support for the Green Party!

In Solidarity,

Anna Trevorrow
Maine Green Independent Party

Donate Online: http://josephineokot.blogspot.com/

Donate by Check:
    Payable to: Josephine Okot
    Memo: Campaign Contribution
    Mail To: Tom MacMillan, Treasurer
          Josephine Okot for School Board
          8 Salem St.  # 8
          Portland, ME  04102

Bombing Tripoli is Wrong: Recommended Guidelines for Green Thinking and Action

By John Rensenbrink, Senior Advisor to the Maine Green Party

The continuous NATO bombing of Tripoli must stop. It’s wrong. It’s criminal. It’s self-defeating. It’s unutterably stupid. Bombing has never won a war. The bombing is a major departure from the United Nations R2P (Responsibility to Protect) resolution.  The R2P gave no authorization of any kind to bomb and bomb in order to bludgeon the Gadaffi regime into submission and elimination and thus achieve a regime change. The R2P resolution by the UN Security Council was to protect civilians in imminent danger.

If NATO, and the Obama-led hawks in Washington, had really wanted to protect civilians, and if they had really wanted to stave off the suppression of the rebellion by Gadaffi (as they say they did), why wouldn’t they have taken action to prevent the flow of all arms to Gadaffi; and, in order to do that, worked diligently through persistent diplomacy to persuade all nations to desist allowing arms to find their way to Gadaffi.  That could be effective and in keeping with R2P.

Green Parties in many places are in internal turmoil about this. Tempers are flying. Accusations abound. Some more reasonable voices say don’t get involved since both sides stink; and besides, we don’t really know enough about what is actually going on. Others say it’s a a clear instance of intervention and Greens should condemn all interventions.

This seems plausible. But I’d like to know more. Does being against intervention include being against non-military intervention, too?  Is supporting the people of Gaza, and thereby supporting Hamas, with shiploads of goods and medicines something that should not be done since it’s an intervention? If nations were to take critical non-military sanctions against the Syrian government, should that be opposed as  intervention? The action by the World Court to bring leaders of governments to the bar of justice – should that be opposed as intervention?

My answer to these questions is the need to distinguish carefully and sharply between military and non-military interventions, opposing the former and learning to judge each case of the latter with the following principle in mind: does the non-military intervention protect and help people in their struggle for freedom and justice with governments who use violence against them. If so, then such intervention should not be opposed and can be actively promoted.

When U.S. Greens, and other Greens in the world, declare strong opposition to military intervention (meaning physically violent actions) by the U.S. government, do they also mean that we should oppose military intervention and violent means of any kind by any nation or insurgent group? I hope so. Or is only the United States doing it that’s bad? I favor a clear stand of being opposed to military and any form of violent coercion by physical means by any government or insurgent group in the world. U.S Greens can get so mad at their government that they get mesmerized by their own anger and say or do what seems to be, and is often taken to be, unvarnished anti-Americanism.  We can do better than that.
 

Report From Netroots Nation By Asher Platts

Asher Platts is a Steering Committee Member of the Maine Green Independent Party

In the past few months, I learned that I won a scholarship to attend Netroots Nation through the organization “Democracy For America.”

            While in Minneapolis, I learned a lot and met with many amazing people from all around the United States, all working for a better country, through a wide variety of means.

            The first panel I attended was on wage theft, which as a worker and lounge-chair economist was of particular interest to me.  While I thought it was going to be about framing the argument around how average wages for working people have remained flat since 1965 while the cost of living and CEO pay has ballooned, I was surprised to learn that in addition to that, things are much more overtly terrible in the USA today.             

            Through abuse and intimidation, vulnerable low-income workers such as single mothers and undocumented immigrants are coerced into working without overtime pay, work off the clock, work full time without benefits, and much more, with the threat of being fired hanging over their heads.  It was illuminating to learn that here in the United State of America, we have a dirty underground labor market, akin to slavery.  In fact, there are instances uncovered by those on the panel that actually were legally prosecuted cases of slavery rings, where immigrants from eastern Europe are tricked into renting apartments from a temp agency, in which rent is purposefully higher than their wages, forcing workers into indentured servitude.  What’s worst of all is that this occurs in plain sight, in places you wouldn’t think-- high end retail stores and shopping malls, in the high-rent districts of cities like New York City, Chicago, and Los Angeles. 

            I would be remiss in my duties as a Green not to attend the panel on Dirty Energy.  There was little new information, though that didn’t make the stories of small victories from panelists like Tim DeChristopher, Mary Anne Hilt, and Michele Boyd, any less compelling.  This panel was both encouraging and discouraging simultaneously.  Encouraging because the energy issues that the Green Party has been pushing for years, issues on which Greens have been marginalized for being “extremist” or “soft-headed hippies,” are now being adopted by the progressive mainstream on the whole.  It was also discouraging, because the Green Party has been pushing these issues for decades now with little electoral or legislative gain to show for it.  Now that the issues are gaining mainstream traction, it is my hope that activists and organizations don’t become satisfied with action-less rhetoric from politicians in the Democratic Party, as is too often the case.

            The main purpose I attended Netroots Nation was the wide variety of classes taught on campaign best practices put on by Democracy For America and Wellstone Action: online analytics and testing, advanced strategies for social media, power mapping and targeting, targeting without a model, and “constructing kick ass emails.”  

            I was glad to find that these classes offered for me a mixture of reaffirming what I felt instinctually were best practices, as well as both filling in gaps and illuminating new information, techniques, and free campaign services.

            The last day of the conference, several volunteers and I headed to Hudson, Wisconsin to canvass in support of the recall effort against Republican incumbent Sheila Harsdorf.  Shelia Harsdorf was one of the instrumental authors of that terrible bill in Wisconsin that stripped union workers the right to collectively bargain, and increased taxes on working families to pay for massive tax breaks to corporations, as well as grant Governor Walker the authority to give away public property without a bidding process.  Despite the doubts of local organizers about “a bunch of bloggers” coming to help out, the 17 of us who came from Minneapolis to help in the canvass were able to knock on every door in the town of Hudson, Wisconsin in just 2 hours.  I am proud to have helped serve in the recall effort, both because I hope that the people on the ground in Wisconsin who are fighting back against kleptocracy will be victorious, but also because we are fighting against the same bad policies here in Maine, without the benefit of a recall process.   Their fight is our fight too.

            Most of all, I’m excited and energized; I’m looking forward to bringing back with me from Minneapolis a honed set of campaign and organizing skills to aid in the fights that we face ourselves here in Maine, to build the Maine Green Independent Party, to push in coalition with others for meaningful legislative and electoral change, and to win victories for the people of Maine.

Municipal Green

By Antonio Blasi

Take it from me. Being a Green Party member in municipal office is no fun. I've done it for over 10 years straight! The choices are Selectboard (SB), Planning Board, Town Clerk, Town Manager, Election Clerk, and various committee members. For me it's Planning Board (PB) and Election Clerk (EC). Most PB are appointed, which can lead to severe ingrainment of influence (corruption and conflict). In my town we are elected, unless SB appoints to fill an interim vacancy.

Single-Payer: The solution to the health care crisis

The Maine Green Independent Party has always advocated that health care must be a human right for all, and not a privilege for those who can pay, or a source of profit-making. We further believe that health is both a personal and a community responsibility.

Under a universal national single-payer health care system, we would pay less and receive more. The administrative waste of private insurance corporations (37 per cent of health dollars) would be redirected to patient care. The General Accounting Office of Congress has concluded that: "If the US were to shift to a system of universal coverage and a single payer plan ... the savings in administrative costs would be more than enough to offset the cost." According to Harvard researchers, the United States would save more than $200 billion dollars a year if we converted to a national universal single payer health care system. A single-payer system would allow the reorganization of existing health care expenditures toward substantial savings and broader coverage.

Mountaintop Industrial Wind is not Green

By Jonathan Carter, Director of the Forest Ecology Network

I have been advocating for wind power for decades. I never thought I would see the day when I would be opposing wind power development. However, the current frantic rush to install industrial wind on every viable mountaintop is both shortsighted and ecologically damaging. All one has to do is look at the impact of the Kibby TransCanada industrial wind operation in the remote Boundary Mountains of western Maine. This is nothing more than industrial wind mountaintop removal. It is being driven by dollars and cents, not ecological sense. To call mountaintop wind operations "farms" is nothing more than PR. Farms suggest a positive relationship with the land. The industrial wind operations are nothing less than massive electrical generating facilities that destroy the quality of place and pose serious health problems for both humans and wildlife.

Outlook 2010

By John Rensenbrink, Green Horizon Foundation

The Maine Green Independent Party entered the year 2010 with high hopes for a strong year, led by Lynne Williams their candidate for governor, a well spoken, widely acclaimed, and down to earth lawyer active on behalf of many grassroots groups in the state. But in January and February their hopes were blunted and at first seemed dashed altogether. Lynne's campaign was not able to qualify for Clean Election Funding and, in spite of heroic efforts on the part of several signature gatherers, with John Olsen in the forefront, did not get enough signatures to put Lynne on the ballot. For the first time in five gubernatorial election cycles, MGIP will not have a candidate on the ballot in November.

Water Rights

Water is essential for life, both for people and for ecological systems, which give life to all species. We all have a duty to safeguard the water both on and beneath the Earth's surface, and in the process protect the rights of the people in the communities of Maine, and the rights of the ecosystems of which we are a part.

The Maine Green Independent Party is dedicated to the principle that access to clean water is a human right. All water is held in the public trust as a common resource to be used for the benefit of the people of Maine and for the benefit of the natural ecosystems.