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GreenGram

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The Green Party of NJ Bulletin - September 2008

Inside:
* Successful Bergen Public Forum on Israel-Palestine
* Camden County Green Party News
* Mercer County Greens Welcome Gail Dixon
* News from our Candidates
* Communications Committee Report
* Seize the Time!
* Z Magazine interviews Rosa Clemente
* Alternative Candidates Unified Around Four Points
* First Green Party MP in Canada
* In Remembrance of Peter Camejo

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SUCCESSFUL BERGEN PUBLIC FORUM ON ISRAEL-PALESTINE

The Bergen County Green Party hosted a very successful
public forum in Teaneck on the evening of September 10.
Almost one hundred people turned out to hear Norman
Finkelstein, Larry Hamm, and Issa Mikel discuss the
topic: "The Israeli-Palestine Conflict: What's Next?"
The event was co-sponsored by the People's Organization
for Progress (POP) and was endorsed by Adalah-NY,
AAW-France (Americans Against War), Deir Yassin Remembered,
and the WESPAC Foundation. Kudos to Pat Alessandrini, who
was instrumental in coordinating this event.

Norman Finkelstein is an independent scholar who has
written extensively about the politics of the Holocaust
and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. In his
presentation he called it "the least controversial
[conflict] in the world," citing, as examples, the
overwhelming majorities attained by votes of the UN
and the International Court of Justice on this issue.
Year after year the UN General Assembly supports an
independent state for Palestine in the West Bank and
Gaza by majorities like 156 to 3, 147-5, etc. The
Advisory Opinion of the International Court condemning
the construction of the separation wall - and stating that
Israel is legally obligated to return to its 1967 borders -
was adopted in 2004 by a 14-1 vote.

Finkelstein noted that support for Israel is waning in
the US, even among Jewish Americans, and he warned
activists not to get bogged down in sectarian disputes,
or "games of ideological purity," but, rather, to
concentrate on points of agreement. In regard to the
question: what is to be done?, Finkelstein mentioned
Gandhi's Satyagraha strategy: nonviolent resistance
while "holding on to the truth" of the situation -
and publicizing that truth! He noted how successful
the Zionists were in making the public aware of the
1917 Balfour Declaration and the 1947 Partition Resolution
of the UN. It is incumbent upon us to be as effective
publicizing, for example, the UN General Assembly votes
and the 2004 International Court Advisory Opinion
mentioned above. Finkelstein said that such publicity,
geared toward correcting the current bias in public
opinion, will be the basis for developing pressure for
a just resolution of the conflict; therefore we must
make it our responsibility to foster the growth of a
committed and disciplined movement to get out the truth.

Issa Mikel is a lawyer and human rights activist. He is
a member of the National Council of Arab-Americans and
of Adalah-NY: The Coalition for Justice in the Middle
East. In his presentation he cited three problematic
conceptions about the conflict: 1) the idea that
the goal should be an amorphous "peace," i.e., mere
cessation of hostilities (rather, he said, the goal
must be something deeper and more complex: a just
and *sustainable* peace); 2) the fallacy that good faith
is prevalent on both sides of the negotiating table
(the truth is that Israel has been intransigent);
3) a naive view of the negotiations that does not take
into account the power differentials between the parties.

He said that during the 1990s he had been a victim of
the "Oslo Syndrome" (discouragement in the wake of the
lack of progress after the Oslo Accords of 1993). More
recently he has become encouraged due to the growth
of the "BDS" movement (Boycott/Divestment/Sanctions).
The combination of these three strategic initiatives,
applied over time, worked to transform the situation in
South Africa during the 1980s and can work again now
toward achieving resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian
conflict, he said. BDS can empower activists;
activists' successes can, in turn, empower Palestinians
at the bargaining table (by raising the cost of the
occupation for the Israelis).

Larry Hamm is the founder and president of the People's
Organization for Progress and served as the New Jersey
state director for the Million Man March (Larry and
Norman Finkelstein were classmates and co-activists when
they attended Princeton University during the 1970s).
He joined the forum belatedly after being called to an
emergency demonstration in Irvington at the last minute.
In the light of the issues addressed at the demonstration,
he focused his remarks on linking the struggles against
oppression here and in Palestine.

Hamm drew comparisons between the divestment and
sanctions campaign against South Africa and the
Palestinian struggle for self-determination. He related
how he was personally active in the anti-apartheid
movement in the 1970s. He noted that in 1975, when Kwame
Ture (aka Stokely Carmichael) spoke at Princeton he said
that the apartheid of South Africa was similar to that
of the Occupied Territories. Hamm, like Mikel, cited
Desmond Tutu's more recent comparisons along those
lines. "Tutu is right," he said, and he added: "At least
in South Africa they didn't build a wall." He called the
separation wall the ultimate symbol of "super-ordination
and sub-ordination."

During the question-and-answer period following the
presentations, Finkelstein said that, while the Israelis
might feel it is to their benefit to hinder and stall
the peace process, time is actually not on their side -
as indicated by their defeat in the Lebanon incursion of
2006. He also said that the pro-Israeli lobby in the US
is not as powerful as is sometimes imagined and its
influence should not be used as an excuse to avoid
engagement and action on our part.

Addressing another key issue, Finkelstein said he
thinks the two-state solution remains widely supported and
is the achievable option. Mikel, on the other hand, raised
the question of whether or not the apparent permanence
of the Israeli settlements on the West Bank argues for
a one-state solution to the conflict.

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CAMDEN COUNTY GREEN PARTY NEWS

Check out their recently upgraded Web site:
www.geocities.com/greens_camden/

At the monthly meeting of the Camden County Green Party
on Sept. 4, Mike Gellman suggested forming municipal
chapters of the Green Party with the objective of
running candidates in municipal races such as board of
education, town council and mayor. The idea would be to
contact all registered Greens in a township, inviting
them to participate in the local GP chapter. If a town
does not have many registered Greens, canvass the
neighborhoods to hand out our literature and try to
persuade unaffiliated voters to affiliate with the GP.
Roger Merle pointed out that attending town council
meetings is a good way to publicize the Green Party.

Mike suggested getting Greens onto voluntary municipal
boards and committees, as well as encouraging
participation in civic reform organizations. For
example, he has been involved with the Cherry Hill
Reform Committee over the last two years. They recently
persuaded the mayor and township council to pass four
ordinances that make the town government more
transparent and open to civic participation. This
follows their success in getting a pay-to-play reform
ordinance passed last year.

Mike said: "Pay-to-play reform and working for more
transparent government are issues that unite people from
across the political spectrum. The Cherry Hill Reform
Committee consists of people of every political party
and unaffiliated residents of Cherry Hill. These are
important issues that really change the way politics
works at the municipal level. These changes will result
in stronger civic participation and will eventually
restore the concept of public service to being an
elected official. The five ordinances that we passed
are available for other towns to adopt from the Center
for Civic Responsibility."

An editorial in the Courier-Post (9/14/08) lauded the
efforts of the Cherry Hill Reform Committee:

"In the end, democracy worked in Cherry Hill ... again.
It's refreshing to see that in a state where too often
politicians and politics as usual are enough to make
anyone throw up their hands in disgust. democracy worked
because this past week, the Cherry Hill Township Council
and Mayor Bernie Platt responded to a persistent group
of residents, as they've done in the past, and approved
an ordinance designed to make the township government
more open to Cherry Hill residents.

"Platt and council members initially raised objections
to a proposal from a group of organized residents - the
Cherry Hill Reform Committee. The committee brought
forward a model ordinance from the Citizens Campaign
regarding volunteer boards and commissions such as the
township planning board and environmental commission.

"The ordinance calls for several things designed to make
it easier for residents to learn about these boards and
commissions and to volunteer for positions on them.
Members of the Cherry Hill Reform Committee are to be
commended for their hard work to make this happen. They
spent weeks collecting more than 2,000 signatures from
registered voters in the township - enough to force the
township council to either vote on the ordinance or
ensure that residents would get to vote on it as a
referendum in November. The mayor and council were smart
to drop their objections and approve this ordinance immediately.

"Members of the reform committee last year forced the
council to adopt a tough ordinance designed to limit pay-
to-play -- the unethical practice of lawyers, engineers
and other professionals donating to candidates' election
campaigns, then being rewarded with hefty municipal
contracts once those candidates are elected. In two
years, this dedicated group of township residents has
done a tremendous amount to open up Cherry Hill's
government, and we applaud them for what they've done.
They should serve as an example to residents in towns
all over South Jersey; politicians can be made to
respond to the people."

- - - - - - - - -

The Cherry Hill Reform Committee will be sponsoring a
presentation, Q&A, and book-signing by Bob Ingle and
Sandy McClure, authors of "The Soprano State," which
details the corruption that has pervaded New Jersey
politics, government and business for the past 30 years.
The event will be held Saturday, October 4, 1:00pm, at
the Cherry Hill Public Library - 110 Kings Highway, North.
Admission is free, but seating is limited. To RSVP, or
for information, call Theresa Morfeld at 856-795-7233.

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MERCER COUNTY GREENS WELCOME GAIL DIXON, WHO
HELPED BUILD THE DC STATEHOOD GREEN PARTY

GPNJ and the Mercer County Greens are privileged
to have Gail Dixon join our ranks. Scott McLarty
of the DC Statehood Green Party (DCSGP) wrote the
following in July when Gail moved here from DC:

"We in the DC Statehood Green Party were sorry to see
Gail Dixon leave for New Jersey. Gail has been a
tireless activist for DC statehood, a leader in the
DC Statehood Party, and since the 1999 merger, a
leader in the DCSGP.

"In 1998, Gail was elected to the DC Board of Education.
One of our proudest moments came when Gail spoke before
the 2000 Green National Convention. Her speech was
broadcast nationally on C-SPAN. Her membership on the
school board came to an abrupt end when Mayor Anthony
Williams won his effort to convert the board into an
appointed body, depriving DC citizens of Gail Dixon
and other board members they had voted for.

"Gail is also a talented singer, who performed often
during the Friday night series of jazz concerts in DC at
Westminster Church. Members of the DCSGP were heart-
broken along with Gail when she lost her daughter Stephanie.
In countless ways, Stephanie made it possible for Gail
to be so politically active. Stephanie's passing led to
Gail's decision to move with her granddaughter McKenzie
back to the Trenton area, where she was originally from.

"We hope that Gail settles in quickly and comfortably as
a New Jersey Green and helps the party grow. But I think
I speak for all of us in DC when I say that we consider
Gail a DC Statehood Green ambassador to New Jersey,
and that she'll be checking in with us regularly back in
Washington, DC."

[In addition to staying in touch with her former
comrades, another reason Gail will continue to travel
back to DC is because she still sits on the board of
the Pacifica Radio outlet there, WPFW.]

Gail helped the DCSGP to become one of the most
successful Green parties in the country. The
per-capita GP registration in DC is second only to
that of the Green Party of Maine. Candidates of the
DC Statehood Green Party regularly come in second in
the races they engage in, ahead of the Republican Party
candidates! Their Web site (www.dcstatehoodgreen.org)
says: "It's time to give attention to the second party
in DC ... the Statehood-Greens. After squashing the
third-party GOP in the 2006 election cycle, almost
doubling them in total votes, our party is determined to
win major victories!"

The GreenGram interviewed Gail Dixon earlier this
month and inquired about the reasons for the success
of the DCSGP. She said:

"For one thing, our base there has been built up over
a long period, dating to the establishment of the
DC Statehood Party thirty years ago. The merger of that
party with the Greens [in 1999], while at first raising
some uncertainties and anxieties, turned out well, and
it enhanced our prospects.

"We made sure to keep our members in regular
communication with each other. In-person meetings
were held monthly. Through contact we inspired each other
to maintain a level of consistent activism. We picked some
specific burning issues to focus on and to have our
party become associated with in the minds of the public.

"I look forward to working with the Greens in New Jersey!"

[Gail has volunteered to head up a People of Color
Caucus if there is interest in establishing such.]

- - - - - - - -

On July 31 the DCSGP issued the following
press release (excerpts):

DC's 'Second Party' challenges the Washington Post to
give DC Statehood Green Party candidates fair coverage
in the 2008 election

The DC Statehood Green Party held a press conference
this morning in front of the downtown Washington, DC
offices of The Washington Post and challenged the
newspaper - and all DC area media - to give the party's
candidates fair coverage during the election year.

Speakers at the press conference, including three local
candidates, noted that the DC Statehood Green Party is
the District's 'Second Party' in terms of electoral
clout. Statehood Green candidates have collectively
received more votes than Republicans in recent general
elections for partisan office, even when the two parties
have run the same number of candidates. In 2006, the
five Statehood Green candidates received a total of
47,421 votes, while the five Republican candidates
received 32,658 votes.

The speakers noted that the Post has failed to recognize
the party's increasing political strength, and referred
to a May 29, 2008, online column by reporter Paul Kane
in which he said that his paper has no intention of
covering the Green Party.

The campaign manager for Green presidential candidate
Cynthia McKinney read a statement from Ms. McKinney
expressing support for the DC Statehood Green Party
[text below].

The DC Statehood Green Party is the only major party
in DC whose national party endorses statehood for DC.
The Democratic Party removed support for DC statehood
from its platform in 2004. The Republican Party has
never supported DC statehood.

- - - - - - - -

Statement from Cynthia McKinney

I want to applaud the efforts of the DC Statehood Green
Party today and over the years. They have consistently
run better candidates for local office than either the
Democratic or Republican parties in Washington, DC. They
are clearly a major party in the Nation's Capitol, where
the Republicans are the third party.

The Green Party is the only national party that supports
granting DC statehood status in its platform, a change
that would free a community of color, with a majority of
African Americans, from being a colony - and provide real
democracy and civil rights for those living there. The
Democratic Party removed this from their platform in 2004.

But the Green Party gets almost no coverage in the local
and national media that covers Washington, DC politics.
A reporter at the Washington Post has stated that they
refuse to give our Green Party any coverage, despite
its support from the population and its issues and
values which reflect majority opinions. This is what
my running mate, Rosa Clemente, correctly calls a
"White-Out" by the media of a political party that just
nominated two women of color to lead their campaign
for the White House. This censorship clearly reflects the
fear of the established powers that equal time for the
independent candidates might lead to their victory at
the polls. In a supposed democracy, it is equivalent to
rigging the election.

Let me also send my support and endorsement of the
four DC Statehood Green Party candidates running for
political office this year: Keith Ware for US Senate;
Joyce Robinson-Paul for US House; Maude Louise Hills for
Delegate to the US House; David Schwartzman for At-Large
Member of DC City Council.

We know that if the media would cover our platform, our
speakers and our candidates, they would gain a large
percentage of the vote nationally, win many state and
local campaigns, and establish us as a legitimate third
party in this country - and the only party that can make
the changes necessary for its survival and future well
being. If you took a poll about our peace, social
justice, environmental and democratic values and
policies, there is no doubt the majority of Americans
would support them. And if you stopped taking polls
telling the American people who can or can't win an
election ahead of time, the Green Party would long ago
have been established as the leading third party in this
country. It's time to end the White Out - [Ms. McKinney
and two of the four Statehood Green candidates are
African American; Ms. Clemente is Black Puerto Rican;
Ms. Hills is Native American] - and let the American people
see and decide what sort of politics they want in office.

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NEWS FROM OUR CANDIDATES

Matt Thieke (US Congress, 1st District) has updated
his campaign Web site to include the YouTube video
of his address at a public forum, "Reframing the
Iraq War," held June 13 in Cherry Hill. Visit:
www.newmenu.org/matthewthieke

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Steve Welzer (US Congress, 4th District) will tape a
Comcast Newsmakers interview on September 24 (airing
dates will be announced when the information becomes
available) and will participate in a candidates forum
at Brookdale Community College on October 9.
www.newmenu.org/stevenwelzer

- - - - - - - - - -

Ed Fanning (US Congress, 5th District) distributed
leaflets at local town festivals including Dumont Day,
Ramsey Day, the Wyckoff Greek Festival, and also on the
streets of Ridgewood. He'll be participating in a debate
with the Republican and Democratic candidates sponsored
by the League Of Women Voters of Bergen County on
October 16 at 7:30 at Bergen Community College (Greens
should turn out to support our candidate!). During
October Ed will be putting up campaign lawn signs.
If anyone in Passaic, Sussex or Warren County can
put up an 'Ed Fanning For Congress' lawn sign, or if
know of others who will do so, please contact Ed.
www.newmenu.org/edfanning

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EC/GC MEETING

The September meeting of the GPNJ Executive Committee
and Green Council will take place on Saturday, Sept. 27
starting at 11:00am. The location will be the Lawrence
Branch of the Mercer County Library (just off Business
Route 1 on Darrah Lane in Lawrence Township - see
www.mcl.org for directions).

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COMMUNICATIONS COMMITTEE REPORT

The Communications Committee met via conference call on
August 21. Steve Welzer was elected Chair of the
committee. He set a goal of producing the GreenGram on
a monthly basis. It is currently just a bulletin in
electronic format, but eventually we'd like to start
producing it in a formatted hardcopy version for wider
distribution.

Jane Hunter committed to updating the GPNJ Web site and
has since been making progress on that. In a recent
email Mike Skelly volunteered to help Jane and added the
following:

"Our counterparts in the RNC and DNC have made their
Web sites exemplars of user-friendliness that draw in
voters, donors and volunteers. We should aim for nothing
less. They use the Web to form local committees,
organize fundraisers, train volunteers, collect
donations, network with each other, and of course,
spread the latest news and messages. Anyone who is
interested in political party Web sites should put their
ideologies on hold for an hour or so and thoroughly
check out each of those sites for a 'wish list' of items
that the GPNJ Web site should have.

"We should have a discussion regarding what we
would like to accomplish. It should be set within
a perspective of the overall communications plan
for GPNJ. Only after goals and priorities have been
established by GPNJ leaders and candidates should there
be a review, analysis, or discussion of technical tools.
That discussion (of methods and tools) should be
primarily among the actual people who are most familiar
with what is technically possible. They can evaluate
what is needed in the way of task management, tools, and
volunteers to achieve those goals. The technical group
should be able to do a major overhaul and then turn it
over to less tech-savvy county local coordinators,
state-level party volunteers, and local candidates/
campaigns to make regular submissions to keep the
site up-to-date and useful.

"The Web site should become an easy to use tool and a
partner in making the party grow and become effective,
supported by motivated technically-savvy volunteers who
are constantly increasing its power, ease of use, and
relevancy to the ComCom and the entire party."

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SEIZE THE TIME!

By Cynthia McKinney 9/19/08 (excerpts)

The very foundation of the US economy is crumbling
underneath our feet. This represents a unique moment
in US history and we must now seize the time for
self-determination - for health care, education,
ecological wisdom, justice, and all the policies that
will make a difference in the lives of the people
including an end to all wars - including the drug war!

The Federal Reserve is becoming the lender of last
resort. The people should now have more say in how their
tax dollars are spent and what the priorities of
government and the public sector must be. We the people
must now set our demands to ensure and promote the
public good.

In a dizzying turn of recent events, we have all
witnessed the collapse of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac
mortgage providers, investment banks Lehman Brothers and
Bear Stearns, insurer American International Group
(AIG), and other companies. So far, at least eleven
banks have filed for bankruptcy this year. The case of
the AIG bailout is particularly curious as Merrill Lynch
was denied taxpayer largesse. I wonder if AIG was the
selected company for bailout because of its relationship
to the US intelligence community and what others would
discover if AIG's books were opened in an audit. The
last person to get close to AIG and its shady operations
was Eliot Spitzer.

But some more fundamental issues must be explored here,
relating to the underlying assumptions that have guided
US political and economic activity, particularly over
the last eight years. The Bush Administration's
"anything goes, just don't get caught" attitude has
set the tone for what we are witnessing today. To be sure
these problems didn't start in January of 2001, but they
were allowed to accelerate during the George W. Bush
administration.

I believe it is true that the very foundations of the
US economy and conventional political behavior have been
shaken. Now is not the time for business as usual. And
although this is in no way exhaustive, here are a few
things that I think the Democratic-led Congress could
work on now instead of adjourning:

1. Enactment of a foreclosure moratorium now before the next phase of ARM interest rate increases take effect;
2. Elimination of all ARM mortgages and their renegotiation into 30- or 40-year loans;
3. Establishment of new mortgage lending practices to end predatory and discriminatory practices;
4. Establishment of criteria and construction goals for affordable housing;
5. Redefinition of credit and regulation of the credit industry so that discriminatory practices are completely eliminated;
6. Full funding for initiatives that eliminate racial and ethnic disparities in home ownership;
7. Recognition of shelter as a right according to the United Nations Declaration of Human Rights to which the US is a signatory so that no one sleeps on US streets;
8. Full funding of a fund designed to cushion the job loss and provide for retraining of those at the bottom of the income scale as the economy transitions;
9. Close all tax loopholes and repeal of the Bush tax cuts for the top 1% of income earners;
10. Fairly tax corporations, denying federal subsidies to those who relocate jobs overseas; repeal NAFTA.

And since the Congress plans to adjourn early and leave
these problems to the Federal Reserve, the Federal
Reserve should operate in the interests of the US
taxpayer and not the interests of the private,
international bankers that it currently represents.
This, of course means that the Federal Reserve, too,
must undergo a fundamental ownership and mission change.

This crisis does not have to be treated as merely a
"market correction," or the result of a few rotten
apples in an otherwise pristine barrel. This crisis
truly represents the opportunity to introduce
fundamental changes in the way the US economy and
its political stewards operate. Responsible political
leadership demands that the pain and suffering being
experienced by the innocent today not be revisited upon
them or the next generation tomorrow. But sadly, instead
of action being taken in this direction, the Bush
Administration ratchets up the drumbeat for war,
Republican Party operatives busily remove duly-
registered voters from the voter rolls, and our elected
leaders in the Congress go home to campaign. For the
administration and the Democrat-led Congress, I declare:
MISSION UNACCOMPLISHED. For the public, whose moment
this is, I say: Power to the People!

Please visit www.runcynthiarun.org and read our
platform. If you like it, please make a donation so
we can spread the news and ... seize the time!

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FYI: Interesting McKinney Fundraiser in Los Angeles

"An Evening with Cynthia McKinney and Roseanne Barr."
September 25 - featuring a meet-and-greet dinner, followed
by a screening of American Blackout, then a Q&A session
with Cynthia and Roseanne ("First Ladies of Truth Q&A").
A hip-hop dance party will culminate the evening.

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"WE'RE FIGHTING FOR DEMOCRACY!"

Z Magazine interviews Rosa Clemente (excerpts)

Vijay Prashad of Z Magazine spoke with Rosa Clemente
on August 29 as she waited to board a flight to
Minneapolis-St. Paul to participate in the protests
around the Republican National Convention.

Q. What would the first 100 days of the McKinney-
Clemente administration look like?

A. Well, immediate withdrawal from Iraq. We'd stop the
blockade against Iran. And we'd put forward criminal
charges against Bush. Bush and his cohorts need to be
held responsible for what they did. For me, and
particularly for my generation of young people of color,
we need to have a livable wage. Not just a minimum wage!
We'd pass a health care bill along the lines of a
single-payer policy. It is completely do-able. As soon
as we withdraw from the wars and the pre-wars that we
are engaged in, we'd have the money to do this. Cynthia
McKinney has pledged to cut the Pentagon's budget by
half or three quarters. 34 cents of every tax dollar
goes to the Pentagon. We would cut this, we'd
demilitarize. We'd take care of people at home.

Q. What would the first 100 days of the Obama-Biden
administration look like?

A. There won't be a withdrawal of the troops. They'd
transfer troops to Afghanistan. Besides that, I don't
know what they'd do [because] the Democrats are not
responsible to their own platform at this point.

Q. Scott McLarty, the National Media Coordinator for the
Green Party, told me that it would have been easier to
run against Hillary Clinton. He says the Obamamania, or
the appeal of "Hope" is hard to untangle.

A. I don't think it would have been easier with Hillary
Clinton. Part of the battle for the third parties is
institutional. Elites and corporations run both parties.
If more people have information on third parties, they
wouldn't believe that we are spoilers. We're fighting
for democracy.

Q. As an Afro-Puerto Rican woman, what does Obama mean to you?

A. I, as a person, understand why Obama's candidacy is
so important. But I am not going to vote for someone
based on gender or color anymore. The day of voting for
identity is over. Both parties are not doing what the
people are telling them to do. There's history in
Cynthia McKinney's candidacy as much as there is in
Obama's candidacy. I happen to be voting for and working
with Cynthia McKinney of the Green Party.

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PRESS CONFERENCE RE: THIRD PARTY AND INDEPENDENT
CANDIDATES UNIFIED AROUND FOUR KEY POSITIONS

By Kevin Zeese (excerpts)

Ron Paul held a press conference on September 10 in
Washington, DC to announce that he and four alternative
candidates - Independent Ralph Nader, the Green nominee
Cynthia McKinney, the Constitution Party's Chuck
Baldwin, and the Libertarian Party's Bob Barr - agreed
on the following four principles [Barr endorsed the
principles, but declined to attend the press conference]:

Foreign Policy: The Iraq War must end as quickly as
possible with removal of all our soldiers from the
region. We must initiate the return of our soldiers from
around the world, including Korea, Japan, Europe and the
entire Middle East. We must cease the war propaganda,
threats of a blockade and plans for attacks on Iran, nor
should we re-ignite the cold war with Russia over
Georgia. We must be willing to talk to all countries
and offer friendship and trade and travel to all who
are willing. We must take off the table the threat of
a nuclear first strike against all nations.

Privacy: We must protect the privacy and civil liberties
of all persons under US jurisdiction. We must repeal or
radically change the Patriot Act, the Military Commissions
Act, and the FISA legislation. We must reject the notion
and practice of torture, eliminations of habeas corpus,
secret tribunals, and secret prisons. We must deny
immunity for corporations that spy willingly on the
people for the benefit of the government. We must
reject the unitary presidency, the illegal use of
signing statements and excessive use of executive orders.

The National Debt: We believe that there should be no
increase in the national debt. The burden of debt placed
on the next generation is unjust and already threatening
our economy and the value of our dollar. We must pay our
bills as we go along and not unfairly place this burden
on a future generation.

The Federal Reserve: We seek a thorough investigation,
evaluation and audit of the Federal Reserve System and
its cozy relationships with the banking, corporate, and
other financial institutions. The arbitrary power to
create money and credit out of thin air behind closed
doors for the benefit of commercial interests must
be ended. There should be no taxpayer bailouts of
corporations and no corporate subsidies. Corporations
should be aggressively prosecuted for their crimes
and frauds.

Further, they agree that the process of US presidential
elections is, as Paul said, a "charade, collusion of the
two parties and the media" where they "pretend great
differences where there is none" and where neither party
really "addresses subjects that are majority positions,"
referring to the points in the statement of principles
quoted above.

At the press conference a great deal of focus was placed
on the manipulated presidential debates. Paul said the
way to determine who is allowed to participate is if
they are on enough ballots to theoretically get 270
Electoral College votes.

Green Party candidate Cynthia McKinney described the
four pillars of the Green Party - peace, social justice,
ecological wisdom and grass roots democracy. She
described the situation we face today as akin to 160
years ago when a few hundred people got together to work
for the right of women to vote. "They achieved their end
and so can we by declaring our independence" - and she
pointed out how she declared her independence from the
Democratic Party one year ago in front of the Pentagon.
She no longer wanted to be complicit in illegal wars,
detentions without trial, torture and environmental
destruction. Voters need to declare their independence
from "conformity and control" by voting their values.

Ralph Nader described the agreement of the four
candidates on the statement of principles as "the
beginning of a realignment of American politics."
He sees the issues raised as pointing to a "crisis
in constitutional government." Nader described the
US Constitution as something that has been "degraded,
violated, nullified and twisted out of any semblance
of its real meaning." He urged people to pledge on
Constitution Day (September 17th) to support candidates
who will defend the Constitution (www.ConstitutionPledge.com)

The press conference came at a time when third party and
independent candidates are showing strength in several
key battleground states where, together, they are
garnering more than 10% of the vote. At this point, with
the race between Obama and McCain very close, the votes
for the alternative candidates is likely to affect the
outcome of the election. Paul said he is making a
"strong suggestion" on what people can do and that is
to vote for what they believe in and not be fooled by
the two party charade.

Kevin Zeese is Executive Director of the Campaign for
Fresh Air and Clean Politics (www.FreshAirCleanPolitics.net)
whose projects include Voters for Peace, True Vote and
Climate Security. He was a spokesperson for the Nader/Camejo
campaign in 2004 and was the Green Party candidate for
US Senate in Maryland in 2006.

------------------------------------------

FIRST GREEN PARTY MP IN CANADA

Elizabeth May welcomes Blair Wilson as
First Green Party Member of Parliament

OTTAWA (8/29/08) - Green Party leader Elizabeth May
is welcoming MP Blair Wilson to the Green Party as
the first Green Member of Parliament in Canada.
Mr. Wilson, an MP from British Columbia, will serve
in the Green Party Shadow Cabinet.

"Today we make history," said Ms. May. "I am grateful
for Mr. Wilson's principled belief that the Green Party
deserves a voice in Parliament and for his firm
commitment to democracy. With a Green MP sitting in
the House of Commons, it will now be impossible to
exclude the Green Party from the televised leaders'
debates in the next election."

Mr. Wilson has served as an Independent MP since autumn
of 2007. "There is a democracy deficit in Canadian
politics and this is one step in restoring effective
democracy," he said. "Democracy is threatened when
legitimate national leaders are barred from what is
arguably the single most important political event in
an election - the televised debates. It is shocking that
the Green Party was excluded from the debates in the
past, but by joining the Green Party, I can help
guarantee that this travesty will not be repeated in the
next election. More now than ever before, it is critical
that the voice of the Green Party is heard. I am looking
forward to working hard as Canada's first Green MP."

------------------------------------------

IN REMEMBRANCE OF PETER CAMEJO

News Advisory issued by the Green Party of California
www.cagreens.org

Distributed by the Green Party of the United States
www.gp.org

September 13, 2008

Peter Camejo, social justice activist and Green Party
gubernatorial candidate, dies at his Folsom home
Saturday after long bout with cancer

Videos of Peter in the 2003 California gubernatorial recall campaign:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=WTktNX0EbCA
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y6aO4MiH3H8

Pictures from the Camejo for Governor campaign:
www.flickr.com/photos/30416867@N07/sets/72157607232338914/

FOLSOM, CA - Peter Camejo, three-time Green Party
candidate for Governor and 2004 running mate with Ralph
Nader in his independent run for president, died
Saturday morning here at his home, just a few miles from
the State Capitol. Mr. Camejo was 68. He died after a
long bout with an especially virulent form of lymphoma.

The following statement was issued on behalf of the
Green Party of California by Mike Wyman, 2006 Green
Party candidate for Attorney General:

"The Green Party of California is honored to have
had Peter carry our standard in the recall and two
gubernatorial elections, and to work with him as a
national progressive candidate for the vice presidency
with Ralph Nader. We join with the Camejo family in
their grief and mourn for the passing of a truly unique
and exemplary individual. He will be sorely missed by us
all. Peter Camejo was a man of great passion and
boundless compassion for the poor, uninsured workers and
for immigrant workers in their struggle for justice and
legalization. He became a leader in the environmental
justice movement and helped organize communities of
color around environmental issues that affect them directly."

Mr. Camejo was the Green Party candidate for Governor
in 2002, 2003 (the recall) and 2006. He received
5.3 percent of the vote in 2002 and in 2003's recall
election finished fourth of the 135 candidates. He was
the Socialist Workers Party presidential candidate in
1976. Mr. Camejo was also a leader in the Free Speech
Movement in the 1960s at UC Berkeley.

Mr. Camejo was born in the US and raised in Venezuela.
He was on the 1960 Venezuelan Olympics team, and was a
socially responsible investment planner. He is survived
by his wife Morella, daughter Alexandra, son Victor, and
three grandchildren.

===========================================

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