The Green Party nominees

[D. Allan]

...are Cynthia McKinney and Rosa Clemente.

The Green Party convention was in Chicago this July. Never heard anything about it in the newspapers or on TV.

Quote:

McKinney/Clemente ticket also makes history

DETROIT — As the Democratic National Convention celebrates its first African American Presidential nominee in grand fashion—on a national stage with prime time TV coverage, the Green Party is also making electoral history, boasting the first ever all-women of color presidential ticket.

When Green Party Presidential candidate Cynthia McKinney visits Detroit over Labor Day weekend, she will do so on the heels of announcing Rosa Clemente as her pick for vice president. Clemente, a community organizer, journalist, and hip-hop activist, accepted the vice-presidential nomination at the Green Party’s national convention in Chicago in July. -from

The Michigan Citizen Newspaper

Official Green Party Web Site

[Woody]

No Thanks

[carolaa]

People who listen to Democracy Now! already know this information because DN! goes out of their way to present info about all the parties.

[D. Allan]

What and where is Democracy Now!? Sounds interesting.

A snippet from the Green Party website:

Quote:

Green Party nominee, Cynthia McKinney. She's a former Democrat and US Representative of Georgia. She's had a tumultuous political career, loosing her seat in the 2006 primary. But she has emerged as the leader, gaining the most delegates in a 30 state nomination process. She has adopted the Reconstruction platform, the investment of federal support into low income communities, focusing on people of color.

Here she is at an antiwar rally.

"Our country has been hijacked. What about a livable wage for America's workers? What about the right of return for Katrina survivors? What about revealing the Patriot Act, the Secret Evidence Act, the Military Tribunals Act?"

/dAb

[Bravus]

While I can get behind some of those policies (though not all - the right to find a new home in a sane place would be much better than a right to return to New Orleans), I'm pleased that the Greens have a relatively low-profile and fairly controversial (after run-ins with Capitol security, if I recall correctly) candidate who will not play the spoiler role that Nader did in 2000.

[carolaa]

What and where is Democracy Now!? Sounds interesting.

www.democracynow.org

[olger]

[D. Allan]

While I can get behind some of those policies (though not all - the right to find a new home in a sane place would be much better than a right to return to New Orleans), I'm pleased that the Greens have a relatively low-profile and fairly controversial (after run-ins with Capitol security, if I recall correctly) candidate who will not play the spoiler role that Nader did in 2000.

Just glancing at their website, they do seem to be somewhat odd. The mention of hiphop causes me to lose serious interest in electing them. It would be good however for everyone's policies to be available to all, wouldn't it? - the more choice we have the better - sort of a political "market economy" without the Republican/Democratic monopoly we are stuck with now.

I did notice that Nader is running as an independant this year. btw his running mate is a handsome young guy, that the ladies might enjoy having a look at.

"Spoiler role" - we'll never escape the Rep/Dem monoploy by worrying about it. Every voter could vote for the person they want in office - even if s/he has to write it in.

/dAb

[D. Allan]

Originally Posted By: D. Allan

What and where is Democracy Now!? Sounds interesting.

www.democracynow.org

Thanks much, carolaa

It is a really good site! /dAb

[D. Allan]

Thank's for the affirmation, Olger. I believe in peace too. And the free exchange of ideas. How else are we going to avoid being the marionettes of our Masters in DC? They've got the world on a string, sittin on a rainbow - got the string around their fingers! We need to put our ideas together and start pulling them off that rainbow, and putting them to work for us. -dAb

[carolaa]

Originally Posted By: carolaa

www.democracynow.org

Thanks much' date=' carolaa

It is a really good site! /dAb [/quote']

You're very welcome!

Did you catch today's report that the video of Amy Goodman's arrest on Monday was the top-viewed video on YouTube yesterday (Tuesday)?

[D. Allan]

From her speech at the Green Party Convention in Chicago this July.

Quote:

Cynthia McKinney [former Democratic Congresswoman for Georgia] : “And when I got to Washington, I saw that public policy is really made in a room at a table. There were real seats at the table. Well, imagine what has happened to public policymaking now. There is a real room with a window and a door, and there’s two seats at the table. The window is for us to look through, while our representatives make policy for us, so we can see what they’re doing. At the table, one seat is for the Democrats, one seat is for the Republicans. Now, we don’t know who did it, but one of them put a lock on the door and slipped a key to the corporate lobbyists who can come and go at will and whisper what they want to Democrats and Republicans, and the result is that we the people, who pay for those seats and determine who sits in them, want one thing, but because the corporate lobbyists can come and go at will, our values get overridden and our representatives give us something else. That’s how we end up with everyone saying they’re against the war and occupation, but war and occupation still gets funding. That’s how we end up with everyone saying they’re against illegal spying on innocent people, yet end up with a telecom immunity bill being signed into law. That’s how we end up with everyone saying they’re in favor of universal access to healthcare and no one supporting what the physicians, nurses and healthcare really want, and that’s a single-payer healthcare system in this country.”

Sounds good to me. I wonder to whom she lost her Democratic seat? /dAb

[Neil D]

Interesting....The police were used during 2004 and 2000 conventions and they just mass arrested all without thought.

At least the nut organizations were allowed to protest at the Democratic conventions, but NO ONE is allow to protest at the RNC....what's with that????

That strikes me as a fascist state....

[D. Allan]

Quote:

Did you catch today's report that the video of Amy Goodman's arrest on Monday was the top-viewed video on YouTube yesterday (Tuesday)?

Yes, I saw that! My isp connection is too slow to watch the video.

Quote:

AMY GOODMAN: I’m Amy Goodman from Democracy Now!, a daily public radio and television program. I was arrested yesterday by the police, along with my two producers. And I want to know what the policy is for reporters. We are fully credentialed, all of us, both from the convention and our own press credentials.

First, it was our two producers. It was over at 7th and Jackson. One of them, Nicole Salazar, had a camera. She was videotaping. The police moved in very quickly. She was stepping back behind the car. She was videotaping this whole thing. The police moved in at her. We have the videotape, played it on the show today. As she shouted “Press! Press!,” they said put your face in the ground. They pushed her to the ground. They put their boot in her back. Another one pulled on her leg, and they were telling her to keep her face down to pull along the gravel. Sharif Abdel Kouddous is our other producer. He was there. They threw him up against the wall. They bloodied his arm. They bloodied her face.

And I was called. I was on the convention floor interviewing the delegation from Minnesota and Alaska. I got a call, the producers are being arrested. I raced down here by foot. I went up to the riot police line. I said, “I would like to talk to a commanding officer.” This is all videotaped. And they took me, handcuffed me immediately, said, “You’re under arrest.” They pushed me to the ground. I said, “You can clearly see I have all the proper credentials.” I have my security clearance for the floor, for example, of the convention. So Secret Service came over, and they pulled it off. “Now you don’t,” they said.

So, my question is, they have—they face PC riot, probable cause riot. I’ve already been charged with a misdemeanor. What is your policy with the press? How is the press to operate in this kind of environment? And a last question is, our producers were here, but the police only allow in two people from each press, but this is empty, and all the police are here. They far outnumber us in the press. Why our reporters can’t be here? -http://www.democracynow.org/2008/9/3/amy_goodman_grills_st_paul_police

He couldn't answer her questions. She also asked about the I-Witness video arrests. No answer.

Quote:

And the second thing that he said, I asked him about, was whether—why there was a preemptive raid on I-Witness Video on Saturday at their home, the group that monitors police, where they’re staying in St. Paul. They come from New York and from around the country. The police moved in with a warrant that did not list their address but the house next door. They came into the house. One of those in charge, one of the authorities who moved in, had an AR-15 automatic weapon. When the police came into the living room, where the group was huddled, he had a pistol that was targeted at them. -ibid

It does sound like a police state here at times, doesn't it? -dAb

[carolaa]

Not to mention all the pre-emptive raids that took place before the RNC started.

[carolaa]

For sure.

One of the things they said about that I-Witness raid was that there was a 5-yr-old boy present, who was scared and crying, and all the adults were trying to sound light-hearted and saying "It's going to be ok" so he wouldn't be so traumatized. That really got to me, as a mom. Try telling that kid the policeman is our friend. And they didn't even have a search warrant.

[olger]

[carolaa]

Are you referring to me or to the Green Party?