[Sosfbay-discuss] Ideas from Far-Flung Places

[Duende]

I wasn't going to say any more than I had when I gave Tian's comment  
concerning Drew's admonishment of Mark an amen. However I hadn't  
really read what Mark had posted at the time (I was working from most  
recent posts to old). I'd assumed it was something at least a bit  
invasive for Drew to make the comment he did.(though I still didn't  
agree with it). After having read the whole thread, I'm embarrassed  
for us that we had such a thoughtful person as Mark asked to refrain  
from commenting on "our" list. The only way we will ever make it on  
this planet is by inclusion and for a Green group to allow this to go  
down on another with the only comment being in the vein of "let's not  
fight amongst each other"  is inexcusable.

Mark is CC'd on this email and I'm extending a personal apology and a  
request that he please rejoin this list.

So here goes.

Mark. I'm really sorry for what transpired when you expressed your  
opinion concerning Nader and the relevance (or not) of the 2004 Green  
candidates. Having input from others from a possibly diverse  
geopolitical point of view can only strengthen us all, as individuals  
and as a group. Please consider rejoining the Sosfbay Discussion list.

If other fell as I do (and I know there are more than a few) I'd hope  
they'd make their feelings known on this.

Peace

Duende


_________________________________________________________________
"A human being is a part of a whole, called by us _universe_, a part  
limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts and  
feelings as something separated from the rest... a kind of optical  
delusion of his consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison for  
us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few  
persons nearest to us. Our task must be to free ourselves from this  
prison by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living  
creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty."

Albert Einstein


On Mar 7, 2007, at 7:05 PM, Andrea Dorey wrote:

> Yeah, man, what are YOU doing here, you la-la land emigre???   ;- ))
> Andrea
>
>
> On Mar 2, 2007, at 11:14 AM, 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.
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> AOL now offers free email to everyone. Find out more about what's  
>> free from AOL at AOL.com.
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>
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