[Sosfbay-discuss] Ideas from Far-Flung Places

[alexcathy at aol.com]

 Dear Friends, 
 
 A question has come up on the South San Francisco Bay Green list about the participation of a Green activist from Ohio. 
    
 -----Begin Original Message-----
 From: MLause at cinci.rr.com
 To: jamboi at yahoo.com; tnharter at ispwest.com; sosfbay-discuss at cagreens.org
 Sent: Fri, 2 Mar 2007 4:55 AM
 Subject: Re: [Sosfbay-discuss] Lorna Salzman on Chris Hedges
 
  Ah, well.



If you read the email address, you know I'm in Ohio, and have been on this

list for some time because I wanted to see how a healthy organization with

an engaged membership functions.  We don't have one.



. . . 



In keeping with your wishes, I'll unsub from this list and leave you

"leaders" the "autonomy" to manage information about how good your past

decisions have been and, particularly, how peachy keen those decisions have

made things here in the cornbelt.



Solidarity!

Mark L.



-----End Original Message-----





This situation is precisely why I was originally so excited about the Green Commons Web Site.  



Since we are totally ignored by the mainstream media, it is almost impossible 

to know about Green activity around the country or even around the State.  I used to

live in Northern California, but my wife and I recently moved to Los Angeles.  I follow 

sosfbay-discuss because I am interested, I personally know many of the people, and I we get 

nothing from the Los Angeles MSM about what goes on among Bay Area Greens. 



Furthermore, if an individual Green is successful, then that person is seen as even 

more threatening to the status quo, and therefore, more likely to be blackballed by the

MSM.  Thus, for example, when Gayle McLaughlin was elected Mayor of Richmond, that 

should have been a big, statewide story.  Instead, the MSM buried it.  As I write this the 

City of Los Angeles is struggling (yet, again) to deal with new wave of gang violence.  Alas,

it is unthinkable that the good-for-nothing MSM would even mention that McLaughlin is dealing

with these very issues in Richmond or that Donna Warren has literally been on the front lines

in this particular battle right in inner-city LA for many years. The Los Angeles Times  

dutifuly reported the current troubles of San Fransisco Democratic Mayor Gavin Newsome, 

but of course, they never mention that the good people of San Francisco had a superior alternative

when they elected San Francisco's "Little Bill Clinton" back in 2003.  



As an African-American I have been dying to get input about what works and what doesn't work 

for Greens organizing in so-called minority communities.  



I have had a nice exchange of views with one sister in Los Angeles about Barack Obama.  I 

received an e-mail from KCM Curry touting her own candidacy, but otherwise I'm getting nothing. 



In 2004 a tremendous amount of time and effort went into certifying the Green Party Black Caucus.  

Members of the GPBC went to the national convention and gave a nice presentation.  There were the

familiar charges and counter-charges of racism. Almost every day somebody would post that 

Green Party was hopelessly "racist."  And almost every day I replied with a post that said: 

"Compared to what?"      



Despite all this, fights over Nader vs Cobb, a silly dispute with the Lavender Greens, and an even 

sillier objection to a Black Latina joining the group (BTW, I am proud to say that when the matter 

finally came to a vote, the group voted overwhelmingly to accept the Latina sister), 

the Green Party Black Caucus was duly certified and Michelle Tingling-Simmons elected chair.  



Guess what?



It almost immediately fell apart!



I have seen this sort of thing in other organizations before and it's one of the reasons why I am 

one of the very few "minority" activists nowadays who does not believe in "minority" caucuses.  

Despite the best intentions of the best people involved in these efforts, they almost always end up 

being both divisive and a waste of money, energy, and time.  This "caucuses" model is a throwback 

to the '40s, '50s, and '60s when old white men in smoke-filled rooms in the Democratic Party and 

in the AFL-CIO allowed... grudgingly... a few "minorites" to participate.  It is just my eccentric

personal opinion, but I think this is part of the Democratic-Repubican legacy that Greens would discard.



But I digress.  



My point in relating this story is that some mechanism needs to be in place to allow an exchange

of ideas, techniques, and experiences among far-flung Greens.  When the Green Party Black Caucus 

was active, I read posts by couple of well-informed members of the Illinois Green Party 

about a certain Illinois State Senator named Barack Obama.  I'd love to know what these brothers 

think today but I've lost those contacts. 



One of the posts to sosfbay-discuss asked the fellow from Ohio whatever happened to all the Green

activity right after the 2004 elections in Ohio?  Good question.  I would really like to know. Ohio 

happens to be one of the states where we could surely use some hard-hitting Black Greens.  I mean, 

the Black Republican Kenneth Blackwell was the one who masterminded the stolen election, and the 

clueless, weak Black Democrats around Cleveland were the ones who let the "Brotha" get away with

it.  And working-class Cleveland is the base for none other than Dennis Kucinich.  By now Cleveland

should be ripe for revolution!  



Comes now, from out of nowhere, Elaine Brown declaring her candidacy for president.  



I know she ran as Green Party candidate for mayor of a city in Georgia.  



I know her history in the Black Panther Party in California (and most of what I know is not good).  



Now she wants the Green Party to nominate her for President of the United States?  



For PRESIDENT? 



I guess it falls on me, the Black guy, to say out loud what some may be thinking privately. Are 

Greens in Ohio and Oregon and Montana and in the Central Valley of California going to go tabling 

at their local farmer's market and say: 



"Here's our Black Panther Green Party candidate FOR PRESIDENT!" ? 



Rhetoric aside, what do any of us really know about this candidate?



We need to know.  




   
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