[Sosfbay-discuss] Ideas from Far-Flung Places
Gerry Gras
gerrygras at earthlink.net
Fri Mar 2 12:04:34 PST 2007
Alex,
I am unclear what you are trying to do here. Are you asking for
input from others on what they/we think of having someone from
outside the county on the list?
I don't have an easy answer. Some thoughts:
- I think anyone should be able to subscribe.
- I am not sure how much participation should be ok from
someone outside the county.
- I was on the Vermont Green Party list until they discontinued
it due to excessive infighting. I rarely participated, but
when I did it was usually to provide some perspective available
only to outsiders. I think I always/usually mentioned that I
was in California. No one ever objected to my participation
(at least I never heard of any objections).
- Mark sent 4 emails in a short period on a specific subject,
but had never sent any emails before. So I don't think his
emails are excessive so far.
- I appreciate the emails from you (Alex) whether you are in
or out of the county.
Gerry Gras
Member of the County Council
alexcathy at aol.com wrote:
> 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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