[Shasta-plus] FW: [usgp-coo] U.S. Green Party News Circulator for 9/22/03-10/1/03

[Peggy Lewis]

FYI


U.S. Green Party News Circulator for 9/22/03-10/1/03

For more Green Party news go to http://web.greens.org/news/

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1) NEW ZEALAND: GREENS CALL FOR VEGETARIAN LABELS
2) CANADA: ELECTION NOTEBOOK; GOING DOTTY
3) SCOTLAND: WILDLIFE GIVEN GREATER PROTECTION
4) CALIFORNIA: HUFFINGTON DROPS OUT OF RACE IN CALIFORNIA; INDEPENDENT
NOW BACKS DAVIS'S EFFORT TO KEEP JOB
5) CONNECTICUT: GREEN PARTY HOPEFUL STOPS IN CONNECTICUT
6) CANADA: SANTA FOR PREMIER
7) CALIFORNIA: Huffington weighs quitting race, backing Bustamante; She
might oppose the recall to help avoid a Schwarzenegger win
8) CALIFORNIA: STUDENT WILL DO HIS PART BY READING COMIC BOOKS
9) IRELAND: MIXED RESPONSE FROM AREA'S POLITICIANS AND REPRESENTATIVES
10) NEW ZEALAND: BIG INSURER REFUSES GE FARM COVER
11) NEW ZEALAND:  GREEN PARTY ATTACKS OPPOSITION TO CANNABIS LAW REFORM
([No Published Headline]
12) BRAZIL: BRAZIL AGREES TO GROW GM CROPS
13) IRELAND: GOVERNMENT SUPPORT DECLINES FURTHER AS FF HITS 20-YEAR LOW
COMFORT FOR ENDA KENNY AS FINE GAEL'S SUPPORT RISES BY TWO POINTS
14) CANADA: CANDIDATE HECKLED OVER HAIR SPRAY
15) CANADA: GIVE GREEN PARTY A GREATER VOICE; MCGUINTY RIPS EVES: WHAT
ABOUT HEALTH?
16) CANADA: Polls detect hint of Green in Eastern Ontario voter
preferences
17) CALIFORNIA: CALIFORNIA RECALL; DEBATE AT A GLANCE
18) CANADA: THINK GREEN
19) MARYLAND: WILL THE REAL PROGRESSIVE PLEASE STAND UP? WITH THE LIVING
WAGE PASSED, PROGRESSIVE MARYLAND FACES QUESTIONS OVER STRATEGY
20) NEW ZEALAND: SUPPORT FOR SCHOOL'S DRUG TESTING POLICY
21) NEW ZEALAND: GOVERNMENT WARNED AGAINST 'THINK BIG' FOLLY
22) CONNECTICUT; GREEN PARTY HOSTING CAMPAIGN FORUM
23) NJEW ZEALAND: GOVERNMENT MAKES CANCER RECORD U-TURN
24) CANADA: British Columbia: Great-grandmother found guilty for protest

25) IRELAND: GREEN PROTEST AT ODOUR PROBLEM
26) IRELAND: SARGENT WARNS GOVERNMENT IT FACES 'WINTER OF DISCONTENT'
27) CALIOFORNIA: 2 CANDIDATES SPEAK OUT IN SAN JOSE; BUSTAMANTE, CAMEJO
PROMISE TO FIGHT REVERSING OF LICENSE LAW
28) CALIFORNIA: DETERMINED ACTIVIST PUSHES AGENDA IN FACE OF LONG ODDS;
PETER CAMEJO: GREEN PARTY CANDIDATE REVELS IN HIS

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1) The Dominion Post (Wellington, New Zealand); October 1, 2003

NEW ZEALAND: GREENS CALL FOR VEGETARIAN LABELS

by Leah Haines

The Green Party is calling for food outlets to declare whether their
food is animal-free, as McDonald's reveals it will cook its fries in
vegetable oil from next month.

Today is world vegetarian day and Green MP Sue Kedgley is using the
occasion to call for a labelling regime similar to the heart foundation
tick or the voluntary "V" mark used by the Vegetarian Society.

"Many vegetarians would be horrified to learn that some food products
they assume are vegetarian actually contain animal products," she said.

Not a vegetarian herself, Ms Kedgley said those who were might not know
that a common flavour enhancer was derived from animal hair or that
McDonald's fries were cooked in beef fat.

According to food safety rules, food that is made and packaged where it
is sold or is sold out of a package does not need to be fully labelled.
McDonald's spokesman Liam Jeory said the restaurant was the only
takeaway outlet in New Zealand that provided fact sheets listing the
ingredients and nutritional value of its food.

He said that the fast-food outlet would switch to frying in GM-free
vegetable oil from next month to reduce the saturated fat content of its
food.

But vegetarians will have to wait till next year before they can eat
McDonald's fries as they will continue to be pre-fried in beef fat till
then.

The switch follows multimillion-dollar lawsuits against McDonald's in
the United States after some restaurants claimed their fries were
vegetarian when they were flavoured with beef.

In contrast, McDonald's in New Zealand had always made it known its
fries were cooked in beef tallow, Mr Jeory said.

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2) Ottawa Citizen; October 1, 2003

CANADA: ELECTION NOTEBOOK; GOING DOTTY


by Daniel Drolet


Raphael Thierrin, the Green Party candidate in Ottawa-Vanier, got into a
tussle with election officials over the spelling of his name. It seems
the people printing up the ballots couldn't figure out what buttons to
press to create the two little dots (trema in French, umlaut in German)
that appear above the letter "e" in his first name. So the riding's
returning officer called to ask him whether they could print his name
without the two dots. No, said Mr. Thierrin, the dots are an accent and
have to stay. After some hemming and hawing, it was promised the accent
would be added to his name. Mr. Thierrin told the Citizen he will see
the result when he goes to vote tomorrow.

Greens see red over debate slight

The Green Party, still smarting from leader Frank de Jong having been
excluded from the televised leaders' debate last week, posted a snippy
message on the party's main website yesterday: "On Sept. 23, the media
consortium muffled our voice," says the message, which (naturally) urges
Ontarians to speak up for democracy by voting Green.

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3) The Scotsman; October 1, 2003, Wednesday

SCOTLAND: WILDLIFE GIVEN GREATER PROTECTION

By James Reynolds Environment Correspondent

Scotland's flora and fauna were given greater protection under new
measures unveiled by Ross Finnie, the environment minister, yesterday.

The Nature Conservation Bill will reform the Site of Special Scientific
Interest (SSSI) system for Scotland's most special habitats for
vulnerable species, conserve biodiversity and clamp down on wildlife
crime, such as egg theft.

The new law will prevent land owners from being paid compensation for
not carrying out developments on SSSIs, as was previously common, and
will ensure that people who farm such areas in sympathy with the
wildlife and natural plants are rewarded for doing so.

The bill was broadly welcomed by environment and conservation groups,
but the Scottish Green Party said there were "yawning gaps" not covered,
such as the lack of provision for marine conservation, and certain
weaknesses which they will be seeking to correct in Parliament.

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4) The Washington Post; October 1, 2003

CALIFORNIA: HUFFINGTON DROPS OUT OF RACE IN CALIFORNIA; INDEPENDENT NOW
BACKS DAVIS'S EFFORT TO KEEP JOB

by Rene Sanchez

Los Angeles-- Arianna Huffington, the political provocateur who has
roiled California's recall election with stinging attacks against her
rivals on the ballot, quit the race tonight and vowed to spend the final
days of the campaign denouncing actor Arnold Schwarzenegger and urging
voters to keep Gov. Gray Davis (D) in office.

Huffington's decision is a sign of the anxiety spreading among many
liberals in California that the recall movement, led by Republicans, may
succeed in part because their votes are splintered among several
candidates. Her supporters and those of the Green Party's Peter Miguel
Camejo are a small fraction of the electorate. But their votes could be
crucial if the Oct. 7 election is close. ...

...Camejo is promising to stay in the race, but in recent days he has
told supporters that he would not object if they decide to oppose the
recall or to back a candidate who could prevent a Republican victory.
"If they can't get past their fear of Arnold, we're not going to condemn
them," Camejo's spokesman, Tyler Snortum-Phelps, said today.

Together, Huffington and Camejo are drawing the support of about 6
percent of voters questioned in recent polls. But some polls also have
suggested that Davis may need only that much more of the electorate to
survive the recall.

"It might seem like just a sliver of the electorate," said Mark
Baldassare, the polling director of the nonpartisan Public Policy
Institute of California, "but it could be a significant one. In a close
election, they could make a big difference."...

...For weeks, many liberal or independent voters who share that view
have fervently backed either her or Camejo, figuring that their
worst-case scenario would be the election of another Democrat more
liberal than Davis, Lt. Gov. Cruz M. Bustamante. Now, amid signs that
his campaign might be faltering, some of them are thinking twice.

John Alden, the Democratic Party chairman in liberal Marin County, said
today that while many voters there regard Huffington as a "fresh new
voice" who has shown guts challenging Schwarzenegger, they also were
getting worried she could be a spoiler in the race and inadvertently
help elect a Republican governor.

"A lot of progressives and liberals feel a little bit bitter about what
happened with Ralph Nader in the last presidential election," Alden
said. "If half the people who voted for Nader had voted for Gore, he
would have won. I think that is very much on the minds of people here.
People are concerned about not splitting the vote."...


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5) Hartford Courant (); September 30, 2003

CONNECTICUT: GREEN PARTY HOPEFUL STOPS IN CONNECTICUT

Middletown -- David Cobb, vying for the national Green Party's
presidential nomination, will drop in on a local party meeting tonight
at Wesleyan University after speaking at Connecticut College in New
London.

Cobb, who is anticipating facing off against Ralph Nader for the
nomination, will attend the Connecticut Green Party meeting from 7 to 9
p.m. at Wesleyan's Fisk Hall, Room 302.
He is scheduled to speak at 4 p.m. at Connecticut College, in the Ernst
Common Room.

Cobb is legal counsel to the national party. He will discuss the growth
of the Green Party and his plan to avoid the "spoiler" label that Nader
was given during the 2000 campaign.

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6) Ottawa Citizen; September 30, 2003

CANADA: SANTA FOR PREMIER

by Daniel Drolet, with files from Siri Agrell and Lee Greenberg

Over in Lanark-Carleton, supporters of Liberal candidate Marianne
Wilkinson found themselves in a friendly debate with some supporters of
the Green Party recently and they decided they had some ideas in common.
They started to wonder jokingly what an alliance between the Greens and
the Liberals would be like. Hmmm, take Green and add Liberal red and
what do you have? The Christmas Party. It became a running gag.

***************************************************************

7) The San Francisco Chronicle; September 30, 2003

CALIFORNIA: HUFFINGTON WEIGHS QUITTING RACE, BACKING BUSTAMANTE; SHE
MIGHT OPPOSE THE RECALL TO HELP AVOID A SCHWARZENEGGER WIN

by Zachary Coile

Independent commentator Arianna Huffington said Monday she is strongly
considering leaving the recall race, signaling a growing fear among the
political left that Republican Arnold Schwarzenegger stands a good
chance of becoming California's next governor.
Huffington, appearing at a campaign event in San Francisco, said she
would decide as soon as today whether to urge her supporters to oppose
the recall and possibly back Democratic Lt. Gov. Cruz Bustamante --
reflecting the view that in a close race, votes by progressives for
Huffington and Green Party candidate Peter Camejo could help elect
Schwarzenegger....

POLL QUESTIONED

A recent CNN/USA Today poll showed strong support for recalling Davis
and a widening lead for Schwarzenegger. However, the poll's results have
been hotly contested.

The survey, conducted by Gallup and released Sunday, showed 63 percent
of "probable" voters support the recall to 35 percent opposed. The
survey also found Schwarzenegger leading with 40 percent, followed by
Bustamante at 25 percent, McClintock at 18 percent, Camejo with 5
percent and Huffington with just 2 percent.

But the poll's results are based on the assumption that Republicans will
comprise 47 percent of voters on Oct. 7 -- even though GOP registration
in California is only 35 percent....

...CAMEJO IN TO THE END

Camejo, in an interview Monday, said he's just as concerned as
Huffington about Schwarzenegger becoming governor. But he said he has no
intention of leaving the race or urging Green Party voters to vote no on
the recall.

"If some of my supporters decide to vote for Cruz, as a way to stop
Arnold Schwarzenegger, I'm not angry at them," Camejo said.

But he added, "I will stay in until the end. I want to use this last
week to convince the base of the Democratic Party of how they have
suffered because of the dysfunctional nature of the Democratic Party and
its subservience to the same interests that fund the Republican Party."

Camejo said Huffington had called him Monday to discuss her decision,
and he's urging her to stay in the race.

"If she stays in, she will be able to be far more outspoken about issues
that she feels strongly about, such as preventing Arnold Schwarzenegger
from being elected," he said....

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8) The San Diego Union-Tribune; September 29, 2003

CALIFORNIA: STUDENT WILL DO HIS PART BY READING COMIC BOOKS

by Lindsay Boyd.

Candidate Daniel Watts was not happy when he heard the recall might be
delayed.

"It's going to be really inconvenient if I have to keep campaigning for
the next six months," said the UCSD political science major. "I'm not
going to have time to do a whole lot of stuff. I'm going to school,
too."

Fortunately, for Watts and the state of California, the recall is back
on track and UCSD's only candidate for governor will only miss a couple
classes as he campaigns on a single-issue platform he says will cure the
state's budget ills.

"If you lower student fees, it solves all of the state's problems,"
Watts said. "(The state) is taking $1,000 dollars away from me right
now. If I was paying for my own college education and they gave that
money back to me, I would spend that money on comic books and video
games and that would stimulate the economy."

Those who knew Daniel Watts as a kid are probably not surprised he is
running for governor. His political ambitions date to his becoming
president of his elementary school in San Jose.

But it was ambition of a different sort that brought him to the recall
race. Last May, "Wheel of Fortune" came to UCSD looking for college-age
contestants, and Watts appeared on the show. He won $11,300, and, on the
suggestion of a friend, he used a portion of his earnings to get his
name on the ballot.

"I only had to pay $1,500 to get on the ballot," Watts said. "Green
Party candidates only need 150 signatures to waive the complete filing
fee. I got 85 valid ones. That's a little more than half, so I paid
$1,516.67."

Watts has not been Green for long. As a high school senior, he was
registered as a Republican and has since been Democratic and Green.

"I change my party registration about every six months," he said. "My
political views are all over the place. I don't subscribe straight down
the line to any one of the parties. I pick and choose the things I
like."

Watts said that some in the Green Party would like him to step aside for
the sake of party unity.

"I get e-mails from people in the Green Party urging me to drop out so
(Green Party candidate Peter) Camejo has a better chance of getting
elected," Watts said. "He has about as much of a chance of getting
elected as I do, and he's not even talking about student fee
increases."...

With his one-issue campaign, which he hopes will prompt the major
candidates to talk about student fees, Watts has touted himself as the
students' candidate. But those shoes are hard to fill.

"I don't think anyone could represent everyone's interests," said UCSD
Associated Student President Jeremy Gallagher. On the issue of fee
increases, though, Gallagher and Watts are in agreement. "Access to
higher education needs to be as cheap as possible," Gallagher said. "The
more barriers there are, the worse it is for Californians."

Not all undergraduates, however, are against fee increases. Evan
McLaughlin, editor in chief of UCSD's student newspaper, The Guardian,
said that even though he's not enthusiastic about paying more money, the
University of California is still giving students a quality education
for much less than private schools. "UC is still a pretty affordable
education," McLaughlin said.

Still, Watts continues to sound the fee alarm, which may resonate in
some quarters.

"I get about 30 e-mails a day," he said. "And my cell phone bill for
this month will probably be about $200 dollars because people call me
during the day when I don't have free minutes."

As for his future aspirations, Watts still does not know if this will be
his only campaign for elected office. He hopes to go to Georgetown Law
School.

"This will look good on a law school resume," Watts said.
"Extracurricular activities: running for governor. How many people have
that?"

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9) The Irish Times; September 27, 2003

IRELAND: MIXED RESPONSE FROM AREA'S POLITICIANS AND REPRESENTATIVES

by Joe Humphreys

The granting of permission for the Adamstown development has received a
mixed response from local politicians, with the Labour Party welcoming
the move but the Greens describing it as "a major blow to sustainable
development". The Green Party TD for Dublin Mid West, Mr Paul Gogarty,
said the decision would place "huge hardship on the people of Lucan, in
terms of extra traffic, extra pressure on schools, as well as major
disruption while Adamstown is being built.

"It is not sustainable, even with the addition of extra conditions." But
a local Labour councillor, Senator Joanna Tuffy, said she believed the
scheme offered the best prospect for the future as the developers were
required to ensure the phased delivery of housing and infrastructure,
including school buildings, public transport infrastructure and
community facilities.

She said that, in adopting the plan, South Dublin County Council had
taken a strategic approach rather than going back to the old ways of
allowing ad-hoc construction and ill-thought-out, piecemeal development.

Ms Attracta Ui Bhroin, a spokeswoman for a local community group,
Deliver It Right, said the Bord Pleanala ruling contained positive and
negative elements.

A "major win" was the inclusion of public transport conditions,
requiring the movement by rail of 3,000 commuters per peak hour. The
inclusion of permanent, rather than temporary, school structures and the
upgrading of certain roads were also welcomed. But, said Ms Ui Bhroin,
the group was disappointed at both the absence of an Environmental
Impact Statement (EIS) and the failure to strengthen enforcement
procedures.

"South Dublin County Council does not have the resources to manage
enforcement of current developments, let alone a project of this scale,"
she said.

Mr Gogarty said the Green Party was raising the issue of the absence of
an EIS with the European Commission, which had stipulated in previous
rulings that such a statement was required with any major development.

Mr Gogarty added: "The real battle is now with the Departments of
Education and Transport, and others, to ensure that funding is provided
to lessen the negative impact of the Adamstown development."

An Independent councillor, Mr Derek Keating, said he continued to have
serious concerns about the project in the absence of an EIS; the
upgrading of local road networks, including the M50 and N4; and an
improvement of the operational capacity of the local bus service.

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10) The New Zealand Herald; September 27, 2003

NEW ZEALAND: BIG INSURER REFUSES GE FARM COVER

by Ruth Berry

New Zealand's second-biggest insurer, Vero, will not cover farmers for
liability against damage or injury from the use of genetic modification
technology.

Green Party co-leader Jeanette Fitzsimons warns that other insurance
companies are likely to follow suit and says the decision reveals "just
how big a risk insurers believe the GE industry to be".

"The combined result of the liability regime and the lack of insurance
is that the full risk for any GE organism that goes wrong will be borne
by the victim."

Environment Minister Marian Hobbs, Federated Farmers and the Insurance
Council agreed that other companies would follow the lead set by Vero,
formerly Royal & SunAlliance, in refusing cover.

But they played down the significance, saying it had been predicted and
simply reflected the newness of the technology.

Vero informed its brokers in a memo this week of the decision to include
the exclusion in farmers' liability policies. The memo was released by
the Greens yesterday.

The moratorium on the commercial release of GM crops will be lifted at
the end of next month.

"We perceive that the use of genetic modification technology in farming
will present liability risks that we do not wish to insure," the memo
said.

The exclusion meant farmers would not be covered for personal injury or
damage to property directly or indirectly caused by:

"The presence on any premises of, or the production of or supply of any
GMO [genetically modified organism] or any other material that has been
genetically modified where liability may be directly or indirectly
attributed to the genetic characteristics of such organism or material."

"The spread of or the threat of spread of any GMO characteristics into
the environment or any change to the environment arising from research
into, testing of or production of GMOs or other material."

Ms Fitzsimons said the combination of lack of insurance and the
Government's strict liability regime meant people were liable for GM
damages only if they broke the law, which would be hard to prove.

Ms Hobbs said insurance was based on past history.

"There is no past history in New Zealand and limited information
elsewhere in the world for GMOs."

It was not unusual for the industry to be conservative about covering
something like a GMO until it had better information about the sort of
financial exposure it might carry.

The liability regime being introduced in the New Organisms and Other
Matters Bill would strengthen incentives to comply with the Hazardous
Substances and New Organisms Act.

Anyone who caused injury or damage through use of a GMO could be held
liable whether or not they were insured, said Ms Hobbs.

If there was any possibility of significant harm to the environment or
human health, the expert independent regulatory authority, Erma, would
not approve an application for release in the first place.

Insurance Council chief executive Chris Ryan said it was likely, as the
Greens said, that other companies would follow Vero, but this was not
necessarily a long-term stance.

Insurance companies overseas were beginning to offer GM protection and
the same thing would probably happen in New Zealand.

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11) The Dominion Post (Wellington, New Zealand); September 26, 2003,
Friday

NEW ZEALAND:  GREEN PARTY ATTACKS OPPOSITION TO CANNABIS LAW REFORM ([No
Published Headline]

United Future leader Peter Dunne, pictured, is bemused by the Green
Party's attacks on his opposition to cannabis law reform. One activist
this week called him "Peter Dunhill", a "dirty lunger", and said he
should smoke cannabis, not tobacco. Dunne does not smoke tobacco, but
admits to the odd joint in his youth. Unlike Bill Clinton, he doesn't
deny inhaling.

Maori leaders are outraged at the four-hour limit on hui discussing
seabed and foreshore issues, and the fact ministers are regularly late
hasn't helped. But the shoe was on the other foot at Wellington's
Pipitea Marae yesterday, where the hui was cut short by the Tenths
Trust. Trustee Morrie Love said the reduction was because of a
pre-arranged hui in Lower Hutt. That's what you get when you do things
in a rush.

It seems Prime Minister Helen Clark is not the sharpest tongued.
Education Minister Trevor Mallard was told off this week by early
childhood and primary teachers union boss Bruce Adin for saying half of
teachers were below average. Mallard said he felt like he'd been called
into the principal's office. "It's a worse telling off than the boss
gives me."

Environment Court judge John Treadwell, who died last month, was fondly
remembered at a special sitting this week. Treadwell's 31 years on the
court's bench was unparalleled, and his work highly regarded. But former
colleague, Lincoln University associate professor Peter Skelton,
recalled that some of his decisions in other jurisdictions had been less
welcome. Like the time he presided over the Ohakune Magistrate's Court
and caused great consternation by jailing half the local rugby team for
"various after-match misdemeanours".

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12) The Guardian - Final Edition; September 26, 2003

BRAZIL: BRAZIL AGREES TO GROW GM CROPS

by John Vidal and Gareth Chetwynd in Sao Paulo

Brazil, the last big country to resist GM crops, dashed the hopes of
environmentalists yesterday and gave in to pressure from the US and its
own big farmers to allow them to be grown for at least a year.

After a day of protests, Greenpeace Brazil, the Brazilian Green party
and non-governmental groups announced that they would seek to get the
decision overturned in the courts.

The government was divided on the decision, which was supported by
agriculture officials, who said they were anxious to keep abreast of the
latest technological developments.

Opponents of GM foods were disappointed by the apparent u-turn by
President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, whose Workers Party (PT) resisted
GM crops when it was in opposition.

It was presented as a one-year emergency measure because farmers in Rio
Grande do Sul state have for several years smuggled large quantities of
GM soya seed across the Argentine border. The government accepted that
there was little prospect of forcing them to buy conventional seed when
the planting season begins in the next two weeks.

The GM company Monsanto now stands to gain up to Dollars 100m (Dollars
62m) a year from farmers who have been growing its seed illegally.

It has invested more than Dollars 600m in setting up seed plants and
buying Brazilian seed companies. It recently announced that it would
start charging farmers royalties on this year's soya crop.

US producers have long complained that Brazil has had an unfair
advantage because many of its farmers do not pay royalties for
black-market GM soya.

The lifting of the planting ban was described by critics as a triumph
for the company.

"Instead of enforcing the law, the authorities have allowed big farming
interests to dictate their own terms," said Karin Silverwood-Cope, a
coordinator for the NGP Campaign for a GM Free Brazil.

Bob Callanan, head of the American Soybean Association, which is
fervently pro-GM, said: "We have long been frustrated by Brazil growing
illegal GM seeds. This would be a step towards allowing Monsanto to
collect the fees due to it and help to end the paper shuffle where EU
countries bought Brazilian foods and pretended that it was not GM."

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13) The Irish Times; September 26, 2003

IRELAND: GOVERNMENT SUPPORT DECLINES FURTHER AS FF HITS 20-YEAR LOW
COMFORT FOR ENDA KENNY AS FINE GAEL'S SUPPORT RISES BY TWO POINTS

by Mark Brennock, Chief Political Correspondent

Support for the Government and the Taoiseach has dropped to record low
points since they took power in 1997 while Fianna Fail core support has
fallen to the lowest level since Irish Times/MRBI polling began over 20
years ago.

The latest Irish Times/TNS mrbi opinion poll shows a modest recovery for
Fine Gael with its support rising two points to 22 per cent, the level
it achieved in last year's general election. Labour has lost three
points since its post-conference high last May, but at 19 per cent is
retaining significant gains since the 2002 election.

Sinn Fein has consolidated its support with a rise of 1 point to 10 per
cent. The state of the parties is: Fianna Fail, 30 per cent, down 2
points since May; Fine Gael 22 per cent, up 2; Labour 19 per cent, down
3; Sinn Fein, 10 per cent, up 1; Progressive Democrats 5 per cent, up 1;
Green Party 4 per cent, unchanged; Others 10 per cent, up 1.

Core support for the parties is: Fianna Fail 27 per cent, down 2; Fine
Gael 16 per cent, up 2; Labour 12 per cent, down 2; Sinn Fein 7 per
cent, unchanged; Progressive Democrats 3 per cent, unchanged; Others 8
per cent, up 1. Some 24 per cent were undecided, up 1.

In the May 2002 general election, party support was: Fianna Fail 41.5
per cent; Fine Gael 22 per cent; Labour 11 per cent; PDs 4 per cent;
Green Party 4 per cent; Sinn Fein 6.5 per cent; others 11 per cent....

...The Green Party leader, Mr Trevor Sargent, has seen a 4 point
increase in his satisfaction rating to 30 per cent, a partial reversal
of the 10 point drop he suffered in May. Some 23 per cent are
dissatisfied with his performance, unchanged, while 47 per cent have no
opinion, down 4.

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14) Ottawa Citizen; September 26, 2003 Friday Final Edition

CANADA: CANDIDATE HECKLED OVER HAIR SPRAY

by Juliet O'Neill

A claim by Progressive Conservative candidate Maurice Lamirande that
hair spray is a bigger pollution threat than pesticide provoked booing
and heckling during an Ottawa-Vanier all-candidates' meeting last night.

Many in the audience of more than 150 at the Sandy Hill community centre
started booing when Mr. Lamirande said, "I don't think we have any proof
yet that pesticide is such a problem."

Someone heckled, "What century are you from?" as the candidate took his
point a step further, adding "I think we should be more concerned about
hair spray and things like that" poking a hole in the ozone layer.

The boos shifted to applause and laughter as New Democratic Party
candidate Joseph Zebrowski mocked his Tory rival by saying he believed
toxic chemicals caused public health problems, smoking caused cancer,
and "I don't believe in space aliens who don't eat kittens, either."

Liberal candidate Madeleine Meilleur said pesticides had been linked to
breast and prostate cancer and she had campaigned against their use as a
city councillor.

Green Party candidate Raphael Thierrin said that, if the city banned
pesticides, the provincial government had no right to interfere....

...Mr. Thierrin, while calling it "a symptom of malaise in the riding,"
said it was internal Liberal business.

If voters want real democracy, Mr. Thierrin said, they should push for a
proportional representation system of government, as the Green Party
advocates.


15) The Toronto Star; September 26,

CANADA: GIVE GREEN PARTY A GREATER VOICE; MCGUINTY RIPS EVES: WHAT ABOUT
HEALTH?

Sept. 24 -- During the televised debate, the leaders of the three main
parties provided an appalling example of how our political system has
degenerated to an image-conscious, vote-grabbing, back-stabbing circus.
The only one of the three who approached the idea-oriented, principled
leader that Ontarians need was NDP Leader Howard Hampton.

Too bad Ontarians did not have a chance to hear Green Party Leader Frank
de Jong talk about the healthy alternative approaches that the Green
Party endorses. I hope the voters of Ontario will think about giving the
Green Party a larger voice in the democratic process.

Albert Kaprielian, Kingston

*********************************************************************

16) Ottawa Citizen; September 25, 2003

CANADA: POLLS DETECT HINT OF GREEN IN EASTERN ONTARIO VOTER PREFERENCES

by Don Butler

Is a Green tide rising in Eastern Ontario?

Buried in the detailed tables of the latest Ipsos-Reid poll on voters
preferences in the Oct. 2 Ontario election is a tantalizing suggestion
that Green Party fortunes are on the upswing in this part of the
province.

The poll, released earlier this week, gives the Greens the backing of
seven per cent of decided voters in Eastern Ontario. That's nearly
double the party's support in the province as a whole -- and just one
percentage point behind the NDP's eight-per-cent support in this region.

It's also significantly higher than support for the Greens anywhere else
in the province. Only the city of Toronto, where five per cent say they
intend to vote Green, comes close.

John Wright, Ipsos-Reid's senior vice-president, cautioned against
reading too much into the regional numbers because the small sample size
of about 100 means the margin of error is plus or minus 10 per cent.

"When you're that far into the numbers and with that sample size," he
said, "you have to be careful.

"However, what it does suggest is that directionally the Green Party
obviously are higher than they are in other places, and that
directionally, they may be picking up some more support."

Both the Greens and the NDP remain far behind the other two parties in
Eastern Ontario. According to Ipsos-Reid, the Liberals have the backing
of 54 per cent of decided voters here and the Conservatives have 30 per
cent.

Despite this, Chris Bradshaw, the Green Party candidate in Ottawa
Centre, was buoyed by the party's showing in the polls, both locally and
province-wide.

"I think there's a definite feeling of momentum," he said.

In 1999, the Greens ran candidates in 58 ridings and polled about one
per cent of the vote provincially. This time, the party is fielding
candidates in 102 ridings, and the Ipsos-Reid poll put its support at
four per cent.

Mr. Bradshaw, who led all Green candidates in 1999 by polling 2.6 per
cent of the vote in Ottawa Centre, said the party is unlikely to elect
anyone this time around despite its improved numbers, in part because
the first-past-the-post electoral system penalizes smaller parties.

"We'll be shut out, most probably," he conceded.

However, he said the party has a realistic hope of coming third in two
or three Eastern Ontario ridings where NDP support is weak.

"I wouldn't be surprised if the party exceeds five per cent in Ontario,"
he said, "and Eastern Ontario could hit 10 per cent. That's my
prediction."

*********************************************************************

17) The San Francisco Chronicle; SEPTEMBER 25, 2003

CALIFORNIA: CALIFORNIA RECALL; DEBATE AT A GLANCE

...Peter Camejo; Green Party

APPARENT DEBATE STRATEGY: Be happy to be here, hold your own, stay on
message in the first major campaign debate to include a Green Party
candidate as an equal to the Democrats and Republicans.
BEST MOMENT: When, in the midst of an argument over taxes and spending,
he said he was the only candidate who has promised to cut taxes -
stating he would cut taxes for 60 percent of the state's residents and
raise taxes on the wealthiest 1 percent.
WORST MOMENT: When he attacked the dominance of European Americans in
California and U.S. politics, he might have been addressing an important
issue to his Green constituency, but it was likely to slow the inroads
he wanted to make among mainstream Democrats, many of whom are European
Americans.
MOST MEMORABLE LINE: "The wealthy people are not paying their fair share
of taxes."
HUH?: Began a hurried list of his own priorities, which included cutting
taxes on the middle class, raising taxes on the wealthy and making sure
California is a "leader in renewable sources of energy."
ON GOVERNMENT, THE BUDGET, TAXES AND THE ECONOMY: "They want to cut
taxes on the wealthiest and raise your taxes. I want to reverse that."
DEBATE DECORUM: Tried to stay out of the cross-fire and stay on message.
As he put it during another exchange between Schwarzenegger and
Huffington, "I'm trying to be respectful to everyone here."
PERFORMANCE: Hung with the big parties. This was a significant moment in
the long-term growth strategy of the Green Party and Camejo made the
most of it, coming across as the most issue-oriented as he detailed
several meat-and-potatoes Green Party issues.

*********************************************************************

18) Ottawa Citizen; September 24,

CANADA: THINK GREEN

by Ross Victor Hermiston

Re: Liberals headed for majority, Sept. 20.

The biggest news of the election, namely the dramatic rise in popularity
of the Green Party of Ontario, was completely ignored in your story. In
fact, the Green party was not even mentioned.
It is the only party that knows what the heck it's talking about, and
that has a fully comprehensive platform and clear progressive vision for
the future of this province. Check out www.greenparty.on.ca for details.

Ross Victor Hermiston,
Kingston

*********************************************************************

19) Takoma/Silver Spring Voice; September 24th, 2003

MARYLAND: WILL THE REAL PROGRESSIVE PLEASE STAND UP? WITH THE LIVING
WAGE PASSED, PROGRESSIVE MARYLAND FACES QUESTIONS OVER STRATEGY

by Ethan Goffman,

With gloomy news showering down upon workers lately, July found
Montgomery County with a rare piece of good news: $10.50 per hour.

If you work for projects funded by the county, that is now the minimum
wage.

The living wage is a premier program advocated by Progressive Maryland
(PM), an advocacy organization that lobbies for workers’ rights.

By identifying issues that appeal to basic fairness, the organization
has been surprisingly successful in an atmosphere generally hostile to
progressive issues. According to Tom Hucker, the organization’s
Executive Director, PM succeeds by focusing on "issues that the public
believes in but the politicians have yet to act on."

Yet in Montgomery County, and particularly Takoma Park, Progressive
Maryland has its detractors, who question its strategy of supporting
politicians who are likely to win, as opposed to those with more
progressive platforms.

No one can doubt that PM is effective, and that its actions will help
workers. After four years as Progressive Montgomery, the organization
incorporated statewide in 2001.

"We started Progressive Maryland," Hucker explains, "after having
numerous discussions with community groups and faith-based groups and
labor unions who felt that there was a real vacuum at the state level,
and no one who brought people together across race and class lines."

The living wage has been their flagship issue, with the basic principle
that those who work full time are entitled to a decent life. With the
minimum wage at an historic low and rental costs at historic highs,
providing basic needs has become simply impossible for some families.

As the Progressive Maryland web page explains, "Most adults in poverty
are working full time, and the rate of poverty is growing."

Many work multiple jobs; some work as much as 90 hours per week. Hucker
believes that the government should hire contractors that work "to end
poverty, not to support it."

For those concerned with the ability of the county to pay higher worker
salaries at a time fiscal difficulties, there is more good news.
According to a study by the Brennan Center for Justice, a living wage
virtually pays for itself. The increase in city budgets where living
wages have gone into effect ranges from 0.0 percent in Ypsilanti
Township, Mich. to .079 percent in Berkeley, Calif.

Why? Hucker explains that low-wage jobs lead to tired, demoralized, and
unproductive workers and high turnover rates, which guarantee low
productivity. Paying workers decent wages is a keystone of demand-side
economics, since those workers will then turn around and buy products.

Besides living wages, Progressive Maryland’s other key issues also
appeal to a broad political spectrum while empowering working families.
Its 2002 report, "Looting The Treasury: The Best Loopholes Money Can Buy
In The Maryland State Tax Code," is a landmark in documenting why in
Maryland (and many other states) low and middle income families pay a
relatively higher tax rate than corporations and the wealthy.

The report has already been instrumental in spurring legislation that
would have closed corporate tax loopholes; for instance, forcing
Maryland businesses with New Hampshire mailing addresses, and little
else there, to pay Maryland taxes.

Although Governor Ehrlich vetoed this legislation, the fact that it was
initially passed is significant. As Hucker points out, "no one was
talking about corporate loopholes before that report came out."

Progressive Maryland is also working on "clean money" legislation that
would allow campaign financing through the state, similar to statutes
already enacted in Maine and Arizona. Politicians who renounce private
funding are eligible to receive state financing.

Rather than mortgaging their political futures to special interests with
large budgets, they are therefore able to campaign–and vote–based upon
the issues.

Progressive Maryland’s agenda is remarkably close to that of Linda
Schade, the 2002 Green Party candidate for state legislature who
currently runs the Campaign for Fresh Air and Clean Politics.

Linda Schade says that ProgressiveMaryland squandered an opportunity to
elect
a real progressive. Schade ran as a Green Party candidate for District
20 delegate.

Progressive Maryland did not endorse her 2002 campaign; of the three
candidates they did endorse, none comes as close to their positions as
Schade.

Although the results of that campaign have descended into personal
rancor between Schade, Hucker, and a few others, beyond the tension are
important questions of progressive political strategy. How closely
should progressives tie themselves to the Democratic Party? What, if
any, should be the role of third parties?

On the one hand, United States elections are structured to favor a
two-party system. Ralph Nader’s role in the 2000 elections, which some
argue allowed George W. Bush to claim the presidency, vividly
illustrates the spoiler role third parties may play. On the other hand,
parts of Maryland are a virtual one-party monopoly–a situation that,
according to critics, fosters corruption and stifles new ideas.

Hucker’s rationale for withholding the endorsement from Schade is
simple: "She never had a prayer. It would be like winning the lottery."

In Montgomery County, according to Hucker, the primaries are the real
election, with the actual election simply validating those results.

"Why not just run in the Democratic primary?" he asks. The day she
announced her candidacy with the Greens, he explains, she lost the
Progressive Maryland endorsement.

Schade counters this assertion with the fact that a poll one week prior
to the election showed her actually winning a seat, ahead of candidate
Gareth Murray. She also claims that the Progressive Maryland membership
was denied a voice in whether to endorse her–that the decided was made
behind closed doors.

"It was anything but an ethical and transparent endorsement process,"
Schade said.

A last-minute canvassing drive by Progressive Maryland probably played a
part in Schade’s loss; Murray received some 15,000 votes to her 10,000.
This drive was subsequently investigated by Maryland’s state prosecutor
for breaking a statute against door-to-door campaigning on the day of
the election. The charges were dropped.

Schade further responds to Hucker’s dismissal of her campaign:
"apparently 35 percent of people in this district don’t agree with
him...10,000 people were very excited to vote for a Green."

Kevin Zeese of the Campaign for Fresh Air and Clean Politics questions
Progressive Maryland’s choice to endorse only Democrats.

"A one-party system doesn’t work very well," he said. "Is Progressive
Maryland just going to pick people who are going to win, and not
progressives?"

Schade contrasts the 900 volunteers her campaign mobilized to
Progressive Maryland’s paid canvassers. And she questions the positions
of the three Democratic candidates Progressive Maryland did endorse.
Sheila Hixson and Peter Franchot, she points out, accept substantial
funds from corporations and Political Action Committees.

"How does this fit Progressive Maryland’s support of clean campaigns?"
she said, adding that Hixon has been instrumental in raising campaign
funding limits from $4,000 to $20,000.

She also points to Murray’s lack of support for campaign finance reform,
and to his alleged homophobia.

"Are these candidates progressives should be endorsing?" she said.

Besides the ability to win, Hucker gives another key reason for
withholding support from Linda Schade: "She didn’t build a multi-racial
coalition, and that’s essential to win in this district." As an
African-American Minister, Murray provides representation for a huge
part of the county’s population. Hucker describes the old delegation as
"what Montgomery County used to look like."

Hucker characterizes Takoma Park politics as isolated, ineffective, and
out of touch. Schade agrees that Takoma Park activists are too often
"focused internally," but argues that her campaign took place throughout
District 20.

"I had volunteers from all over the county," she said.

She points out that early in the campaign, she and Murray endorsed each
other. She also cites her strong civil rights record, particularly her
leadership of the Justice Action Coalition, an organization that fights
police brutality, and her endorsement by African-American leaders Ron
Daniels and the Reverend Graylan Scott Hagler, and by the National Black
Police Association.

Sam Pizzigati, a Progressive Maryland board member, summarized political
differences this way: "In the United States, among folks working for
progressive social change, there has always been tension between
‘inside’ and ‘outside’ strategies. That tension is natural–and
unavoidable–because no one side to this divide has all the answers. The
truth is we need both inside and outside approaches."

Tension between groups might be unavoidable, but the differences between
PM and the Schade campaign seem to be destructive, not creative or
productive.

Schade said that although she had courted their support and was
continually rebuffed, she still respects their vision.

"They do pick some good issues," she said. "I would love to be working
together."

For his part, Hucker says, "We’ll work with everybody that wants to work
with us."

It remains to be seen whether these are merely words; whether local
progressive organizations will be willing to work together and able to
devise a coherent strategy.

*********************************************************************

20) The Press (Christchurch, New Zealand); September 24, 2003, Wednesday

NEW ZEALAND: SUPPORT FOR SCHOOL'S DRUG TESTING POLICY

by Helen Murdoch

Nelson College's new policy to drug- test pupils whose academic
performance is falling has excited the interest of colleges nationwide.

Twenty schools have contacted Nelson College principal Salvi Gargiulo
since the new rule was introduced 10 days ago.

Parents and pupils of the all-boys school have also endorsed the policy.
Under the policy students "mucking around and not working as hard as
they used to" would undergo a urine test for drugs, followed by
counselling if the tests were positive, he said. No students have yet
been tested under the policy. ...

...The Greens education spokeswoman Metiria Turei said the policy aimed
to develop a climate of fear to keep the students in line.
Meanwhile, Nelson MP Nick Smith said the Green Party's criticism was
similar to prostitutes giving advice on chastity.

"Drugs pose a huge risk to young people and we should support every step
taken by boards to keep their colleges drug-free," he said.

*********************************************************************

21) The Dominion Post (Wellington, New Zealand); September 23, 2003

NEW ZEALAND: GOVERNMENT WARNED AGAINST 'THINK BIG' FOLLY

by Tracy Watkins

A plan to fast-track nationally significant projects through planning
laws is sparking warnings about New Zealand heading back down the path
of failed "Think Big" policies of the past.

The Government was in danger of repeating the "folly" of the Muldoon
Government's "Think Big" polices, Green Party co-leader Jeanette
Fitzsimons said. The Motunui synthetic petrol plant and Clyde dam were
products of that era.

"Both were the result of government intervention in the normal planning
process. The Synfuel plant was an economic disaster and never broke even
and the Clyde dam turned into the most expensive electricity plant we
have ever built," Ms Fitzsimons said.
National MP Nick Smith said letting ministers dish out favours was "open
to abuse and corruption" and questioned the record of Economic
Development Minister Jim Anderton.

Mr Anderton will have the power to declare which projects are of
national significance and they will be fast-tracked through the consents
process, The Dominion Post understands. The proposal is expected to
target energy, water and transport projects and is seen as an
acknowledgment the Resource Management Act imposes unacceptable delays
and lacks a national focus.

Mr Anderton's Industry New Zealand "picking winners" grants scheme has
been controversial and he has been criticised for his backing of a
boat-building venture.

Sovereign Yachts promised several hundred jobs and $ 600 million worth
of export earnings which were never realised in return for Mr Anderton
fast-tracking the sale of prime Auckland defence land at a knockdown
price.

Dr Smith said the record of schemes which picked favourites was "less
than impressive". It included a $ 75,000 Industry New Zealand grant to
The Warehouse, which makes around $ 1.4 billion in sales, and which
later had to be repaid because it did not meet the rules.
Dr Smith said everyone should have to play by the same rules under the
Resource Management Act.

ACT MP Ken Shirley said the act placed a burden on the economy. "The
Government's remedy, however, is unfair and morally wrong." The
Government's "pet projects" would be able to circumvent planning
blockages which imposed costs and delays on other businesses.

*********************************************************************

22) Hartford Courant (Connecticut); September 23,


CONNECTICUT; GREEN PARTY HOSTING CAMPAIGN FORUM

Vernon -- The Green Party will hold a public forum on strategies for the
2004 presidential campaign tonight from 7 to 9 p.m. in the Community
Room at the Vernon YMCA, 375 Hartford Turnpike.
Public participation is being sought to decide the best strategy for
promoting the party's progressive platform, and if Ralph Nader or some
other Green Party candidate should run for president.

*********************************************************************

23) The New Zealand Herald; September 23, 2003

NJEW ZEALAND: GOVERNMENT MAKES CANCER RECORD U-TURN

by Martin Johnson, health reporter

General practitioners' records on a million women are likely to be
opened to cervical cancer researchers under a plan presented to
Parliament.

The health select committee yesterday recommended that official auditors
of the cervical screening programme be allowed to use certain primary
healthcare records of enrolled women without their consent.

This reversal of proposed legislation has outraged women's health
advocates, who thought they had defeated a measure they consider a
needless invasion of patient privacy.

They, the Medical Association and Green Party committee member Sue
Kedgley, who also oppose the move, predict many women will desert the
programme.

The committee's recommendation is in line with the Gisborne cervical
cancer inquiry and subsequent reports by Government-appointed watchdog
Dr Euphemia McGoogan.

It seems assured of safe passage through Parliament since all parties on
the committee except the Greens supported it, and Health Minister
Annette King yesterday gave it the Government's blessing.

In 2001 the Government proposed that auditors be able to obtain enrolled
women's records from hospitals, GPs and nurses without consent....

*********************************************************************

24) Ottawa Citizen; September 23,

CANADA: BRITISH COLUMBIA: GREAT-GRANDMOTHER FOUND GUILTY FOR PROTEST

An elderly anti-logging protester who has already spent more than 100
days in jail has been found guilty again for her demonstrations in the
Walbran Valley on southern Vancouver Island.

B.C. Supreme Court Justice Bruce Harvey found Betty Krawczyk, a
75-year-old great-grandmother, author, and former Green Party candidate,
guilty of criminal contempt of court. "The contempt shown by the
defendant here was open, public, continuous and flagrant disobedience of
a court order on two occasions," Judge Harvey wrote.

Ms. Krawczyk was caught protesting despite an injunction stopping her
from blocking roads or preventing logging operations in the area.

*********************************************************************

25) The Irish Times; September 22, 2003

IRELAND: GREEN PROTEST AT ODOUR PROBLEM

The Green Party is to stage a demonstration outside the Ringsend sewage
treatment plant on Thursday, in protest at the continuing odour problem
at the site. The party chairman, Mr John Gormley, has accused Dublin
City Council of taking no action on the problem, despite repeated
requests.

Mr Gormley said he intended to raise the issue in the Dail this week.
The Green MEP, Ms Patricia McKenna, is also to raise the issue in the
European Parliament.

*********************************************************************

26) The Irish Times; September 22, 2003

IRELAND: SARGENT WARNS GOVERNMENT IT FACES 'WINTER OF DISCONTENT'

by Mark Brennock, Political Correspondent

The Green Party leader, Mr Trevor Sargent, has accused the Government of
dishonesty and warned that it faces a "winter of discontent" when the
Dail resumes next week.

Speaking at the close of his party's strategy weekend in Rosslare, Co
Wexford, Mr Sargent said the Government was experiencing such high
levels of public dissatisfaction because it had "squandered the benefits
of the Celtic tiger". He called on disillusioned voters to join the
Green Party "and bring honesty, equity, ecology and long-term
sustainable economies into Irish politics".

Over the past year the Government had wreaked havoc, imposing
indiscriminate cuts which affected the most vulnerable people in
society.

"This Government's failure to take action and tackle growing levels of
unemployment, shocking levels of crime, a widening gap between rich and
poor, and the critical issue of climate change, are all proof that the
people elected a dishonest Government," he said.

The Government promoted "flagrant lack of transparency", and recent
developments at the Laffoy commission had been the most recent example
of this.

"The Government has already restricted the Freedom of Information laws
and appears to be in favour of increasing the limit on corporate
donations," Mr Sargent said.

"There is absolutely no end to the brass neck of this Government.
"Their reputation is tarnished, and the word 'crisis' does not seem to
be in their vocabulary despite the current situation in our schools and
our health service in particular," he said.

*********************************************************************

27) The San Francisco Chronicle; September 22, 2003

CALIOFORNIA: 2 CANDIDATES SPEAK OUT IN SAN JOSE; BUSTAMANTE, CAMEJO
PROMISE TO FIGHT REVERSING OF LICENSE LAW

by Mark Simon

Two recall replacement candidates racing to tell voters what they stand
for were reminded Sunday of the problems that await them should they win
the governorship -- the crisis in affordable health care, the scarcity
and rising cost of housing, the declining performance of the state's
schools and the dispute over providing driver's licenses to undocumented
immigrants.

The Green Party's Peter Camejo and Democratic Lt. Gov. Cruz Bustamante
were the only two of the major replacement candidates in the recall
election to appear at "Who Will Listen to the People," a forum in San
Jose sponsored by the Pacific Institute for Community Organization, a
statewide network of church-based community organizations that has
affiliates in 70 cities and boasts a membership of 450,000 families.

More than 2,000 people crowded into the overheated gym of Overfelt High
School in San Jose's heavily Latino eastside neighborhood to hear the
candidates -- and their fellow PICO members detail the current crises
facing the state.

Members of PICO talked about their inability to drive critically ill
children to the hospital for lack of a driver's license.

Camejo and Bustamante vowed they would fight efforts to overturn the
recent legislation allowing illegal immigrants to obtain driver's
licenses.

A student from Berkeley High School said there are 40 students in some
classes and described students being forced to sit on counters and
floors.

Bustamante and Camejo promised they would pour more resources into the
state's schools.

"I can't afford to live in this beautiful state, and I am mad about it,"
said Yolanda Cunningham, an African American who said her decent-paying
job as a court clerk leaves her without enough money to buy a house for
herself and her three children.

"Decent affordable housing is not just for a privileged few," said
Danielle Hassan, a single mother of five, "but for everyone."

She urged Bustamante and Camejo: "Remember me."

Camejo said he would institute a state fund to provide down payments to
renters who find more than half their income going to pay their rent.

Bustamante said there is a "social contract -- if you work real hard all
week long, you ought to be able to take care of your family and . . .
have our own place we call our home."

Camejo laid most of the blame for the problems at the feet of corporate
America and the nation's wealthiest individuals, saying neither pays its
fair share in taxes, while the average Californian has seen his or her
tax bill increase.

"I will lower taxes on 60 percent of the people, but increase taxes on
those who are not paying their fair share," Camejo said.

Bustamante was greeted with a roar and the chant "Si se puede" ("Yes, we
can!" or "Yes, it can be done!") from the crowd, despite assurances from
organizers that PICO is nonpartisan and doesn't endorse in political
campaigns.

He spoke of his roots as a Central Valley child with five siblings and a
father who worked three jobs to provide for his family.

"I can't separate myself from my politics," he said. "I believe we as a
government have a responsibility to make sure (everyone) has health
care. I also believe employers in the state also have a responsibility."

In closing remarks, Camejo, a native of Venezuela, said he looked
forward to the day when the governor of California "is someone who is
not a European American male. . . . We have to open up California."

Bustamante said, "This state will not be a better state if it's a Latino
state. This state will not be a better state if it's an African American
state. We will be a great California if we are one California, working
together as one California."

**********************************************************************

28) San Jose Mercury News, September 22, 2003

CALIFORNIA: DETERMINED ACTIVIST PUSHES AGENDA IN FACE OF LONG ODDS;
PETER CAMEJO: GREEN PARTY CANDIDATE REVELS IN HIS ROLE AS FAR-LEFT
OUTSIDER

by Mike Zapler

LOS ANGELES - If there were ever a moment for him to bask in
satisfaction during the breakneck recall-election season, this probably
was it. But Peter Camejo was in no such mood.

At a televised debate a day earlier, the excitable Green Party candidate
for governor shared the stage as an equal among some of the top
contenders to replace Gray Davis should he be recalled. Camejo's words
and picture appeared all over the morning newspapers, exposure almost
unheard of for a man who just a year ago often accused the
``corporate-dominated media'' of ignoring him in his first bid for
governor.

But Camejo -- who was expelled from UC-Berkeley a generation ago for
Vietnam War protest activities, who once ran for president as the
Socialist Workers Party candidate, and who seems to revel in his role as
the far-left outsider railing against the established political parties
-- was on a rant.

He was outraged that the news coverage failed to mention a chart he said
would revolutionize the election -- if only people knew about it. It
shows that low-income people pay a bigger share of their earnings in
state and local taxes than the rich – a cornerstone of his plan to raise
taxes for the top earners in California to plug the budget gap.

``Not a single newspaper mentioned it, not even one. Unbelievable,''
Camejo, 63, said, his hands gesticulating and voice rising as they do
whenever he gets worked up over a perceived injustice, which seems to be
several times an hour. ``People would be shocked to learn this and they
would rebel against it.''

That Camejo would be upset at what may be a high point in the 13-year
history of California's Green Party is just one of the many ironies of
his remarkable life.

As standard-bearer for the party, which advocates renewable energy and
opposes the Iraq war, among other positions, Camejo is committed enough
to argue his causes in the face of overwhelming odds. He also is astute
enough to know that his best hope, at this point, is to nudge the major
candidates toward a more progressive agenda.

But he'll never stop pushing for more.

Wealthy father

Born into privilege as the son of a wealthy Venezuelan real estate
developer, he was drawn to leftist politics in his teens after
subscribing to socialist literature he saw advertised in the New York
Times, and by observing the poverty in which his father's construction
workers lived. Camejo says it's ``obvious capitalism is not working,''
yet he makes about $250,000 a year advising clients how to invest in
companies (albeit socially responsible ones).

And while he criticizes both political parties as tools of corporate
interests, Camejo praises the top Democratic replacement candidate, Lt.
Gov. Cruz Bustamante, and sometimes seems concerned about possibly being
blamed for costing him the election by drawing votes from liberals.

``I've decided in my life I will not go by what people tell me, but by
what I see,'' Camejo said recently over a dinner of shrimp linguine,
green salad and ice water. ``I met with Bustamante for two hours in
July, we talked mostly in Spanish, and I saw a guy who's very frank,
very straightforward. I don't see a guy who's slamming the door in my
face, like Gray Davis.''

It was just a year ago that Camejo, shut out of the major debates and
struggling for attention, was running against Davis for the first time.
Camejo got 5 percent, or 381,000 votes in 2002. This year, he is
considered among the top half-dozen candidates in the huge recall field.
Camejo has participated in all three of the debates so far, and is
expected to sit alongside Arnold Schwarzenegger and the other top
candidates at a debate this week to be hosted by the California
Broadcasters Association.

But despite the exposure, Camejo hasn't emerged as a significant factor
in the race. Recent polls put him at about 2 percent. Camejo discounts
the polls because they question only likely voters, who he says tend to
be mostly white. He has no illusions of a come-from-behind victory,
though.

Mark Petracca, an associate professor of political science at the
University of California-Irvine, said he has been impressed with Camejo.

``He's a good illustration of someone who is very knowledgeable, has
thought a lot about what he believes in and isn't afraid to say it,''
Petracca said. At the same time, the professor added: ``He strikes me as
a little too angry. His passion can sometimes be misinterpreted for
anger.''

Camejo is well aware of that. At the last debate, he wrote notes
reminding himself to ``stay calm.'' But Camejo has a long history of
speaking out -- loudly and forcefully -- and he can't seem to help
himself.

Camejo says his ideological underpinnings were cemented at a young age.
His parents divorced, and he grew up mostly in suburban Long Island,
N.Y., with his mother. He spent summers in Venezuela with his father,
the country's largest resort developer, he said.

``I grew up knowing my father was wealthy, which makes you very
fearless,'' he said.

Camejo played soccer with his father's workers, and he was struck by
their threadbare living conditions, especially in contrast to those of
people in similar jobs in the United States. When he asked his father
about their plight, ``he would give the same answer anyone in his
position would -- that he paid them better than anyone else, which was
probably true. He never abused workers.''

Ideological differences

Despite their growing ideological differences, Camejo remained close
with his father, Daniel, and the two sailed for the Venezuelan team in
the 1960 Olympics, nearly winning a medal.

After scoring a perfect 800 on his math SAT, Camejo enrolled at the
prestigious Massachusetts Institute of Technology. But he soon dropped
out to begin a long period of anti-war and civil-rights protests, which
he said included marching with the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. in
Alabama. He wound up at UC-Berkeley, where he was arrested and then
expelled in 1967, two semesters before he was to receive a degree in
history. (Camejo still has not received a college degree.)

Camejo, who said he later learned that he was included on then-Gov.
Ronald Reagan's list of the state's ``most dangerous people,'' said he
was targeted for giving a speech at an unauthorized rally.

Camejo continued his political activism in the 1970s, working to free
political prisoners, including his brother, from oppressive Central
American regimes. In 1976, he was the presidential nominee of the
Socialist Workers Party, appearing on the ballot in 18 states, he said.

It wasn't until age 42 that Camejo tried to find a day job. He first
applied to be a postal worker in San Francisco, but was turned away
because of a bad back. Then, in 1985, a friend persuaded him to apply
for a job as a stockbroker at Merrill Lynch ``because they like people
who talk fast.''

Camejo said he lied on his résumé, claiming he was busy working for his
father all those years he spent immersed in left-wing politics. Within
two years, which included a short stint at Prudential, he co-founded
Progressive Asset Management, a financial investment firm that steers
money to companies that don't pollute the environment or mistreat
workers.

Eric Leenson, who helped Camejo create the firm, called him ``one of the
highest-energy people I know. He's really curious. He'll come into the
office after having read something and say, `What do you think about
this?' His mind is always really active.'' Leenson added: ``In some
cases it's been terrific. But at times it can be a little too much, in
the sense there are too many things going at once.''

Years after his 1976 presidential bid, Camejo said he learned through a
court case that FBI agents had infiltrated his campaign. In his current
campaign, Camejo's perpetual suspicion of the two main parties,
especially Democrats, seems to border on paranoia at times.

Can't get a break

When a high school official in Los Angeles refused to let him speak to
students last week because Camejo had brought along a reporter, Camejo
said he ``would bet'' the principal was a Democrat.

``When it's Arnold or Gray Davis, they can come with all the TV cameras
and reporters, but not the Green Party,'' he said. ``It's another
example of discrimination.'' After Camejo issued a press release, the
school apologized and invited him back.

But Camejo, who has the look and demeanor of an animated college
professor, also shows a lighter side on the campaign trail. He deflects
a question about his current thinking on socialism by joking that he's
``like a watermelon: green on the outside, red on the inside.'' And when
he decides to kill time before a flight to Sacramento by enjoying a
cappuccino at Starbucks -- the bane of many environmentalists because of
how the giant coffee chain grows and buys beans -- he says: ``I'll lose
10 percent of the Green vote if you report this.''

Camejo, who swims laps in his home pool in Folsom for exercise and
enjoys sailing when he has a spare afternoon, even takes a moment now
and then to think about the progress his party is making.

``It's amazing that we've broken through, even partially,'' Camejo says,
before returning to the tax chart he says could transform the election
-- if only people would pay attention.

***********************************************************************

NOTICE: In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, this material is
distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest
in receiving the included information for research and educational
purposes.

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