INSIDE:

Election Results Show Green Appeal

New Jersey Races

Green Party candidates put in a respectable showing in 1998, our second year on the electoral scene in New Jersey and the first time we have run something of a slate. Overall 5,581 people voted Green Party in New Jersey in this election; our candidates averaged 1% of the vote, up from .5% of the vote in 1997. We raised important issues, appeared in the press more prominently than ever before, and blanketed central New Jersey and Atlantic County with our distinctive lawn signs.

In the 12th Congressional District Madelyn Hoffman received 1,416 votes, about .8 percent of the total and almost twice as many votes as either the Reform Party or Natural Law Party candidates. Among third parties, she came in second to the Libertarian candidate who received about 1.15%.

In the 6th District, Carl Mayer had the distinction of being the first Green to get the highest vote total of third party candidates in a New Jersey election, 1,264 votes, about .9 percent of the total. He tied with the Conservative Party candidate, while a Libertarian candidate came in "third".

In the 4th District, Nick Mellis was not far behind the Conservative and Libertarian Party candidates. He got 1,039 votes, about .7 percent of the total.

Fred Disque and Paul Williams were the first home-grown Green Party candidates in New Jersey to get more than 1% of the vote. Fred, running for Freeholder in Burlington County, received 1,351 votes, almost 1.5% of the total. Paul, running for the at-large Freeholder seat in Atlantic County, got 511 votes, 1.1%.

These results make it clear that the Green Party is on track toward becoming recognized as one of the more significant of the third parties in the state.

Campaign '98:  Voters Approve Most Enviro Initiatives

Voters in several states considered a range of ballot measures with consequences for the environment. Most of these initiatives passed easily.

In New Jersey, voters approved 66% to 34% Gov. Christine Todd Whitman's (R) proposal to borrow $1 billion to preserve half of the state's remaining 2 million acres of farmland and woodlands over the next 10 years (Newark Star-Ledger). "One of the most ambitious spending programs for open space protection in the nation" will set aside $98 million of state sales tax revenue for the next 30 years to cover the expected $3 billion borrowing costs.  Unfortunately, NJ voters also approved 53% to 47% a measure to forgive $175 million in loans to county governments to help them recover some of the $1.4 billion in debt from building trash incinerators required by a state law. The US Supreme Court ruled the law unconstitutional in 1997 (Jennifer Preston, New York Times).

People's Tribunal Slated For New York 

On Friday, December 4, and Saturday, December 5, a coalition of New York organizations held a "People's Tribunal on Corporate Crimes against Humanity." Among the Green Party members attending were Jim Mohn, Arthur Kinoy, Madelyn Hoffman, Earl Grey, Joe Fortunato and Miranda Spencer.

The tribunal is focused on the activities of Disney, K-mart, Nike and Wal-Mart. These companies were arraigned for their complicity in sweatshop abuse, union busting, consumer deception, monopolistic practices and cultural manipulation.

Among the witnesses who testified are workers who have been victimized by these companies and their subcontractors. Witnesses also included labor representatives, consumer advocates and representatives from human rights organizations. A panel of distinguished jurists will hear the evidence, question the witnesses and make recommendations.

The People's Tribunal was organized by the Global Sweatshop Coalition (CISPES, Nicaragua Solidarity Network and the Disney/Haiti Justice Campaign) with the Center for Constitutional Rights.

The Global Sweatshop Coalition of New York City can be contacted by phone (212) 645-5230 or email <nicadlw@earthlink.net>. The Center for Constitutional Rights can be contacted by phone (212) 614-6464.

Commentary by Trim Bissell, national coordinator Campaign for Labor Rights

The People's Tribunal follows a precedent set by the Clean Clothes Campaign, a broad coalition of trade unions and non-governmental organizations in 9 European countries. The Clean Clothes Campaign held a People's Tribunal in Brussels, Belgium on April 30 through May 5 of this year.

A tribunal in which the companies "on trial" are not invited to testify may not match our sense of fairness. In a very real sense, people around the world are on trial every day of their working lives, sentenced to firing and sometimes violent repression when they commit the "crime" of standing up for their rights. The corporate-owned media amount to a court of public opinion where it is the multi-billion dollar corporations who get to testify, through advertising and through their control of the news.  These people's tribunals, then, provide a forum for an alternative voice.

These tribunals help to put the mis-deeds of powerful corporations in a human rights context. Corporations and the governments and other agencies which act on their behalf violate internationally recognized standards of labor rights and engage in other violations of our rights as human beings. They also despoil the planet on which we live. It is no rhetorical flourish to say that many corporations—and the global system of corporate control—commit crimes against humanity.

Often, corporate crimes against humanity are not even reported, let alone tried. The people's tribunals in a small way are an attempt to balance the scales of justice. If justice is truly to be served, however, it will be because people organize to resist the "business as usual" of corporate human rights abuses against workers, against nations and against our planet. Let's hope that the People's Tribunal in New York is another step toward organizing that resistance. 

Support for Plowshares

The Green Party is represented in Bergen County on the Support Committee for the defendants in a Plowshares action that occurred on August 5th of this year. A brief background: two peace activists entered a silo operated by Warren Air Force Base and with hammers and their own blood symbolically disarmed structures on the launching pad of a Minuteman III nuclear missile silo. They were arrested and have gone to trial.  They are being charged with destruction of government property amongst other things. At this time, they are being held at a Federal Detention Center in Littleton, Colorado. Their sentencing is due on January 20, 1999. The date they chose for their action {August 5th} is the anniversary of the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. 

New Jersey Coalition Against Police Brutality

Seventeen anti-police brutality activists attended a meeting in Montclair on Sunday, December 13th and decided to form the New Jersey Coalition Against Police Brutality. Several of the activists have themselves been victims of police brutality. The group is racially diverse and unified on the need to
firmly oppose police brutality and "criminalization." Another meeting has been scheduled for January 17th,1999, at 1:30 p.m. in New Brunswick at the new office of The New Brunswick Coalition Against Police Brutality, located above a print shop at 46 Paterson Street, New Brunswick.

Grassroots

Essex County Greens

The Essex County Greens met on Saturday, November 7th. We discussed possible projects for the future, including involvement in the Corporate Tribunal planning, on-going police brutality work and making contact with a local African-American church group in Elizabeth, which is involved in a land use struggle with a trucking company. Rob Henke will attend their next meeting in two weeks. Everyone present agreed on the necessity of building a base for the Green Party in the African-American community.

The Essex and Bergen Greens met on Saturday, December 5th. A resolution was passed to join the call for a new trial for Mumia Abu-Jamal and to encourage study of his case throughout the New Jersey Green Party. Other items discussed were the December 13th anti-police brutality meeting and the prospects for a progressive media network' including television.

The next meeting, also a joint Essex-Bergen meeting, will be held on January 9th, 1999 at the law
office of Joseph Fortunato, 49 Park Street, Montclair.

Hudson County Greens

The Hudson County Greens have encouraged the forming of a local group, the Hoboken Green Group. They meet every third Thursday at the Hoboken Farmboy; their current project is to make Hoboken a MAI free zone. For meeting information, please call 201.963.2177 or 201.798.3630. Green Party member Jack Egan has just published "A Priest Forever and No More" about the tension between his activism and his faith, with Fragile Twilight Press.

For information on the next Hudson County Greens meeting, please call 201.868.4481.

Middlesex-Somerset Greens

The MSGs are currently piloting a buddy system to increase their membership. We are volunteering to act as buddies to people who have indicated interest in the Greens via the web and the For Further Information sign-up sheets at the various activities we’ve attended this year. MSGs track down their assigned buddies, inform them of upcoming meetings and activities, offer to provide transportation to face-to-face meetings and/or technical support for cyberspace interactions.

The December 12 MSG meeting featured Dr. Jean Burger who spoke about the Piscataway fight to preserve 40 acres of the Ecological Preserve.

Committee Activities

Executive Committee

The Executive Committee declared a GPNJ goal to double membership before the GPNJ Convention in March. They also identified key supporting activities for this goal, including expanded support for and an increased role of the Local Coordinators, development of "Act Locally" materials for statewide, national and global issues and programs and organizing guidelines for local programs.

Membership Committee

The Membership Committee is leveraging the interest generated by the campaigns to identify potential new members. These "leads" will be referred to the relevant local coordinator or contacted directly by the committee to follow up on the show of interest.

Policy Committee

This issue of the GreenGram begins a new section dedicated to the publication of draft and proposed policies for discussion by the GPNJ membership at large. The Policy Committee invites (pleads for?) your thoughtful input to these policies. A project leader for a policy area will be identified with any discussion of that area. Please direct your comments to that project leader.

This month’s draft policy statement deals with de-regulation of the energy industry in New Jersey.

Calendar

Check the web calendar for updates!

Activities of Interest to Greens

GPNJ Meetings

Draft Policy Paper: Energy Policy—Utility Deregulation

New Jersey's Energy Deregulation

David D. Gregory

Background: Energy Policy

Consumption of non-renewable fuels is climbing and reserves are rapidly diminishing. This global industrial metabolism is deeply flawed, resulting in immense negative consequences, from pollution and social conflicts to economic and military impacts.

We believe that a new energy policy is critical to these issues of economic, ecological and cultural sustainability. Our goal is a transition to a more efficient use of energy, a structured deregulation and decentralization which allows a diverse, dynamically stable, and adaptable system of power  generation from new sources which are non-polluting, highly efficient, safe, and reliable. Our policies support research on the development of solar photovoltaics, fuel cell technology, hydrogen fuels, wind, hydro, and gas turbine co-generation.

Deregulation

All 50 states are deregulating their utility companies, hoping to increase competition and reduce rates for their citizens. The trend has great possibilities, and problems. With full disclosure about  sources of power, removal of government subsidies and regulatory loopholes, the true costs of power generation will become apparent,  opening a gateway for alternative energy suppliers. In California, "net metering" has already brought renewable energy systems into a far greater number of households, businesses, and institutions.  It also allows consumers to boycott Nuclear Power Plants.

Many consumers may chose to buy from the least expensive supplier, sending power from a highly polluting plant which is far away. Without structured deregulation and national  standards, a race to the bottom will ensue. For New Jersey residents, this is especially harmful: over 33% of our pollution blows in from out of  state, largely from coal burning power plants in the Midwest. These pose a grave threat to our health, and to the potential for alternative energy sources and energy efficiency programs.

Deregulation in New Jersey:

The legislation for deregulation (A529, text at http://www.njleg.state.nj.us/9899/Bills/a1000/529i1.htm) is fraught with  problems:

It allows an extended reduction time line, while being unclear about how the phase-in of reductions would occur. New Jersey has the 4th highest electricity rates in the nation, and we believe rates can be reduced 25%  within a very narrow time frame.

It prevents Municipal Aggregation, which would allow leveraging a lower rate through energy purchasing by groups, local, county, or other, for 3 years.

It leaves our utilities with "stranded costs" from prior  investments which will not be profitable after restructuring. The bill would have rate payers continue footing the bill, rather than the  investors taking the loss on a failed venture, and amounts to corporate welfare.

It imposes a 90-day delay on the minimum of provisions for Consumer Protection and Universal Service in place now. As the bill is currently worded, it will be a minimum of 9 months before this issue can even be heard. Every state that has restructured has included specific dollar amounts and programs to ensure Universal Service but the Legislation absolutely needs to include the recommendations of the Consumer Protection Advisory Task Force, preventing discrimination based on race or  income. There must also be reporting standards similar to those in the Home  Mortgage Disclosure Act.

It allows the BPU, with only two out of its three members appointed and little to no citizen representation, to decide many of these issues. We support the call in A1211 for an increase to 5  members, and greater citizen representation.

In short, we need to take strong action on this bill, shaping it to  include all the great benefits of restructuring, while removing the sections which do more harm that good. Proper restructuring will  facilitate our larger goals of a sustainable energy policy.