[Sosfbay-discuss] Need help re Climate Change message

[Andrea Dorey]

Hi, Gerry,
I heard Chomsky on Democracy Now, but I don't remember him making  
those statements.  I also heard Nader discussing his new "fiction"  
book that discusses the reasons why the rich might want to join us to  
do the right thing about global warming, etc.  Nader will be in town  
on Oct 16th, but I guess that is too late to get your global warming  
letter off to the recipients you listed.

Interestingly, I heard someone on KALW 91.7, while discussing the  
challenges for progressives in this political climate, say that the  
Green Party did not support McKinney as they should have done and so  
lost their chance to make a meaningful difference in the outcome of  
the lst election.  I had to laugh over that one.  I guess he thinks  
we wasted McKinney the way I think we wasted Nader!  We seem to lack  
the spine to stand up to the Demos (in particular) and feel  
collectively embarrassed and guilty about running SERIOUSLY against  
the two-party system.  We have taken on the label "spoiler" just as  
the conservative framers wished us to do.

And we seem unable to create the framing that voting for one of the  
majors is REALLY wasting one's vote, and that voting for any third  
party (we'd prefer Green) is a POWERFUL protest vote that adds up  
quickly when people are ALLOWED to believe in its power.   
Unfortunately we have too many enablers who opt for a future that  
denies power to third party votes, thereby crippling this strategy so  
severely that we don't even approach the results that the believer  
Matt Gonzales achieved in San Francisco—a personal success so  
amazingly close that it caused the sitting President and VP  to  
personally visit The City to overcome his momentum.  (The arguments  
by enablers against the chance of 3rd parties ever succeeding reminds  
me of the history of scoffing at anti-slavery politicos who were  
determined to win—and did!)

Nader's move to try to stitch the 3rd parties together to form a  
powerful protest block was another interesting strategy that could  
have substantially damaged the win of the major parties.  But, again,  
we Greens seemed unable to go with the flow by shaking hands across  
the minor parties' lines.  We could have quilted together a platform  
of mutual agreement.

Has anyone checked with the other minor parties to see what their  
take is on this latest move toward "clean" elections?  Because we may  
have to form a stronger political block to have any impact on an  
issue, say, global warming.    ???
Just wondering.
Andrea

On Sep 25, 2009, at 1:36 PM, Gerry Gras wrote:
>
> Hi,
>
> I need help!!!
>
> I would like to send an email to my Reps about the need
> to take strong action re global warming.  I would like
> to make as strong a statment as possible.
>
> I believe that climate change is our #1 problem.
>
> I know that the 350 org (350.org) believes we need to go
> back to a CO2 level of 350 (and we are now at 380).
>
> I know that Al Gore made a proposal about changing our
> electricity infrasture to be fossil free within 10 years.
>
> I know that the U.S. did not ratify the Kyoto protocal.
>
> I know that recently (2 or 3 years ago?) the U.S. Senate
> considered about 5 climate change bills, all weak, but
> I don't know what they did with them.
>
> I don't know what proposals are being made now.
>
> I don't know what will happen at Copenhagen.
>
> I just heard Chomsky on KPFA refer to something said by
> Bill McKibben about something said by a Mr. Stern.
> apparently Bill McKibben said that 2009 is a crucial
> year re global warming.  And therefore the Copenhagen
> meeting will be very important.  Which apparently
> starts on Dec. 6, 2009, 72 days from now.
> http://www.erantis.com/events/denmark/copenhagen/climate- 
> conference-2009/index.htm
>
> NOTE: Although I don't know what Chomsky is referring to,
> here is an item that is relevant:
> 'Bill McKibben Reviews "The Global Deal" by Nicholas Stern'
> http://www.progressivebookclub.com/blog/2009/05/31/bill-mckibben- 
> reviews-the-global-deal-by-nicholas-stern/
>
> I don't know anything about a Henry Waxman bill (referred
> to in the above item).
>
> So I am asking for whatever help you can provide in making
> the strongest possible statement to send to my political
> representatives.
>
> NOTE: At the moment I am considering sending this proposed
> statement to my U.S. Congresswoman, (Anna Eshoo), my 2 U.S.
> Senators, and the U.S. President.  But I may send to others
> as seems appropriate.
>
> Thank you,
>
> Gerry
>
> P.S. I think it is appropriate to keep in mind George
> Lakoff's ideas about "The Political Mind", but what that
> means in practice, I have not yet learned.
>
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