[Marin-d] info on deacon alexander

Mon Feb 8 14:10:22 PST 2010

FYI

Begin forwarded message:

> From: "Sandy Stiassni" <dadcab at sbcglobal.net>
> Date: January 26, 2010 5:18:29 PM PST
> Subject: Fw: Deacon Sweeps San Diego Ballot Signature Event!
> 
>  
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: Sandy Stiassni
> To: Sandy Stiassni
> Sent: Tuesday, January 26, 2010 5:18 PM
> Subject: Deacon Sweeps San Diego Ballot Signature Event!
> 
> Green Gubernatorial candidate Deacon Alexander was in San Diego Saturday 
> January 23, along with declared U.S. Senate Green candidate, Duane Roberts 
> duaneroberts92804 at yahoo.com.  There was excellent Council dialogue, petition 
> results.  I'm happy to report, based on San Diego County Council having two 
> legitimate Gubernatorial Petitions In Lieu of Filing Fee; Deacon swept the 
> series, garnering all eligible petition signatures!
> 
> Deacon's articulate, and his issues spot-on for today's troubled economic, 
> social times; but he was also helped by what San Diego Green Party members 
> perceived as high-handed maneuvers in an e-mailed candidate slate.  A 'fine 
> line' within California Green Party appears to have been crossed.
> 
> According to San Diego County Green Party Council Vice-Chair Hugh Moore 
> hmpeace at COX.NET,  these forms, e-mailed to all Green Party County Councils, 
> were said to be the 'complete' California Green Party candidate list. 
> Another San Diego member, Tim Casebolt timc2 at sbcglobal.net alerted him--and 
> all California Greens--gubernatorial primary candidate Deacon Alexander's 
> name wasn't present.  Deacon's intent to enter gubernatorial race was well 
> known by the time this list was circulated.
> 
> As a Black man, Deacon's quite sensitive to being an 'invisible man', as 
> depicted by Ralph Ellison.  In Ellison's impassioned novel, The Invisible 
> Man, winner of prestigious American National Book Award, he tells of being 
> an invisible man "simply because people refuse to see me".  Whatever 
> Deacon's high merits or shortcomings, they're insufficient to justify 
> efforts to silence his candidacy through denials of figuratively hooded 
> California Green Party workers, who quietly do their work against him.
> 
> For the record, California gubernatorial candidate Laura Wells has publicly 
> endorsed idea of a contested Green Party primary, a rarity in this small 
> statewide ballot-ready political organization.  But we all find ourselves in 
> an opportune position to help Greens live up to standards of Grassroots 
> Democracy, in this contested California primary race.
> 
> If core Key Value of Grassroots Democracy defines an ideal Green Party 
> campaign and candidate, steps must be taken to reward positive behavior, 
> guard against negative ones.
> 
> Listed below are Deacon's prepared remarks, which were well received by San 
> Diego Greens.  Out of discussion in San Diego came a desire to organize a 
> "Summit" which will carry forward many issues articulated by Deacon; to take 
> a stand on Mumia abu Jamal and the death penalty; to highlight importance of 
> Green Party Haiti relief aid; to discuss injustice of recent Supreme Court 
> decision, which allows corporations to corrupt what's left of democracy in 
> the U.S.
> 
> Deacon calls all California Green Councils and Locals to action.  Each 
> Council has its own local orientation, membership, action plan.  But all 
> California Greens need to heed Deacon's call to activism!
> 
> I cordially invite all Greens to participate in California Green Party's 
> next statewide Plenary Candidate Forum Saturday March 6th; Deacon will be at 
> this event, and has simply advised fellow candidate Laura Wells, to not 
> forget to "bring her lunch".  This reflects neither racist nor sexist 
> remarks; I'm told, it connotes an old truism among working class members!
> 
> Best,
> 
> Sandy Stiassni
> Interim Campaign Director
> Deacon for Gov 2010
> DEACON FOR GOV 2010
> by Deacon Alexander
> San Diego Greens
>  General Meeting
> January, 23, 2010
>  
> Hello San Diego Greens, hello Greens across the state, hello Californians!
>  
> I'm Deacon Alexander.  I’m here to talk about my candidacy for highest office in California.  On January 3, in Orange County, I declared my intention to run for Governor, in primary race, to nominate Green Gubernatorial candidate, June 8. 
>  
> I'm going to tell you about myself, my campaign, and how Deacon is a Beacon for the Green Party.
>  
> Next, I’m going to tell you about a way you can get involved today, even if you haven’t yet decided to support Deacon for Gov 2010.
>  
> Finally, I'm going to ask for your help.
>  
> First, I want to give my endorsement to Duane Roberts, who just announced his intent to run for U.S. Senate.  I like what Duane has to say, and I know you will, too.
>  
> As you can see, I'm a Black man. I've been registered Green since 1999. I was born in 1946, in Chicago.  At an early age, my family moved to South Central LA, where I've spent most of my life.
>  
> My father was a working man, and strong believer in civil rights and social justice for all. In the 1950s, it wasn't considered a good thing to be called a Communist Party member, but he wore it proudly.  Many of my ideas about how to build a better society, how people should treat one other, howCalifornia and America can improve, come from my father, a bricklayer's assistant, social advocate and political activist.
>  
> I graduated with distinction from Los Angeles High School, in 1965.  Yup, 1965.  I was there, a fresh-faced, idealistic young man, and watched my community go up in smoke.  I remember what Jerry Brown's daddy, Governor Pat Brown, did to try to quiet us folk down, which only made things worse. And I saw it again and again 
>  in 1968, and 1992.
>  
> I walked arm-in-arm with Angela Davis, to fight those who sought to deny her rights, take away her employment, and silence her voice.  In 1970, I helped organize a movement to free her.  I was in Marin County, on that blessed day in 1972, when an all-White jury acquitted Angela Davis of all charges against her.
>  
> Over the past forty years, I've been an activist for liberation and social justice, including membership in the Black Panthers.  I pick my battles carefully. Several years ago, I helped organize immigrant farmers to fight for their rights at South Central Farm, and was joined in this struggle by many Greens, Hollywood celebrities, Progressives, and people of conscience, from all over California.
>  
> But the cause I fight for today is more than Angela Davis, more than The Garden, more than being President of the Black Panther Alumni Association.  I fight, today, for us all.
>  
> I’m running for Governor because I think we must do better. 
>  
> Better education, better infrastructure, better jobs.
>  
> Better Education: California is 50 out of 50 in per-student funding. I believe we can spend California taxpayer money better by educating, rather than incarcerating our youth. Send our young to community college instead of jail; that’s something as Governor I can do.  Let’s put them in school before they end up in jail.
>  
> Better Infrastructure: We all know our state is crumbling; we need to rebuild our basic infrastructure. I know, from my community activism, how to rebuild our communities; this is just as important.  If South Central Farm was saved instead of bulldozed, we would have had a local farmer’s market for thousands of LA residents.  Better, more affordable food, less need for transportation, more open space, more local business, that’s all part of my better infrastructure plan for California.
>  
> Better Jobs: California’s in big trouble.  Unemployment is 12%, even higher in most major cities.  As we re-think how to put people back to work, let’s put our communities first.  Community-based jobs, to grow our community gardens, empower our youth, rebuild our inner cities. That’s the type of job creation, as Governor, I’ll promote.
>  
> My campaign is simple.  We will go Poor-to-Poor, up and down the great State of California.  As first act of my gubernatorial campaign, I was on Skid Row in LA with the homeless, the disenfranchised, the down and out.  They have been excluded, denied and rejected for too long.  I pledge to bring them into my campaign for Governor, and to register them as Greens.
>  
> In the next six months, I plan to increase the number of registered Greens by 5%. With more Greens, we can vote for new ways to do things, for new change.
>  
> There’ll be lots of people who may laugh at this, that the future of California rests upon our shoulders. I challenge you to join me in this campaign, to build a New Green Party; a better, stronger, more sustainable political party. Instead of only being the party of great ideas, I challenge you to help me create a New Green Party of activism!
>  
> I hold here a copy of a check from Green Party member Dorothy Kemeny of Long Beach.  She’s one of many Greens who made a donation for Haiti. I ask you, today, to write a check for Haiti relief.  My heart reaches out to each victim of this devastatingly tragic ecological event, which gets worse and worse.  Despite my own limited means, on Social Security and unemployment, I've committed to help.   I've written a check to Doctors Without Borders.  I challenge Greens, and all Green Party candidates, to match or exceed my own small contributions to alleviate human suffering and carnage in Haiti.
>  
> On Saturday February 6th, I plan to announce, at 25th Anniversary Founding Party in Berkeley, how much solidarity and support to Haitian relief effort was given by California Greens.  Please write a check today, so your generous contribution may be counted as part of this total!  Make your check out to either of these relief organizations, or to one of your own choice; on bottom left corner, simply write, "Cal Green for Haiti".
>  
> Now, my campaign manger tells me I should only talk about things to help get me elected, but I think he’s wrong.  Being California Governor is more than just getting more jobs.  More than to ensure every young man and woman the right to an excellent college education.  More than to restore California’s basic and community infrastructure.  We must set forth basic beliefs about human rights, dignity and social justice which have been missing from our Governor’s office. 
>  
> Effective immediately, I want to take a stand on Mumia abu Jamal and the death penalty.  I call on all Greens to support me, as I plan a National Unity Committee to oppose this crime against humanity.
>  
> I want to clear up a misunderstanding that Blacks don’t care about protecting immigrant rights.  I just returned from a freedom bus ride inPhoenix, where I joined 50,000 Latino brothers and sisters to protest neo-Nazi tactics of Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio.  Make no mistake about it, Sheriff Joe must go! I call on all Greens to take a stand against this hater, and destroyer of freedom!
>  
> I am a revolutionary candidate; I want to revolutionize what Greens say, what we do, how we live our lives in California.  Haiti relief!  Free Mumia abu Jamal!  Immigrant rights NOW.  I ask you to join me on a new Green Revolution.  I ask you to join my campaign, for a better, stronger, more sustainable California.
>  
> I've worked hard all my life, as a bricklayer's assistant, like my father, then as a Union carpenter.  I've fought hard for ecological wisdom, social justice, for non-violence. I now ask you to fight with me, on a true grassroots democratic campaign.
>  
> I challenge you to join me, to be a beacon of light for Deacon, to show Californians what the New Green Party stands for.  True social justice, non-violence in word and deed, ecological wisdom that we can all believe in. And a real grassroots democracy effort, from Skid Row in LA to San Diego, from Bakersfield to Orange County, from Oakland to Marin County, and on to Sacramento!

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

Marnie Glickman  
Executive Director
Green Change

www.greenchange.org
My Green Change page:  http://network.greenchange.org/people/marnie
Green Change tweets:  www.twitter.com/greenchangeorg

Green Change is a community of people with Green values:  justice, grassroots democracy, sustainability and non-violence.  We work together to share Green art, politics and culture.

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