<HTML><BODY style="word-wrap: break-word; -khtml-nbsp-mode: space; -khtml-line-break: after-white-space; ">Yeah, man, what are YOU doing here, you la-la land emigre??? ;- ))<DIV>Andrea<DIV><BR class="khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV><BR><DIV><DIV>On Mar 2, 2007, at 11:14 AM, <A href="mailto:alexcathy@aol.com">alexcathy@aol.com</A> wrote:</DIV><BR class="Apple-interchange-newline"><BLOCKQUOTE type="cite"> <DIV>Dear Friends, <BR> <BR> A question has come up on the South San Francisco Bay Green list about the participation of a Green activist from Ohio. <BR> </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <BR> -----Begin Original Message-----<BR> From: <A href="mailto:MLause@cinci.rr.com">MLause@cinci.rr.com</A><BR> To: <A href="mailto:jamboi@yahoo.com">jamboi@yahoo.com</A>; <A href="mailto:tnharter@ispwest.com">tnharter@ispwest.com</A>; <A href="mailto:sosfbay-discuss@cagreens.org">sosfbay-discuss@cagreens.org</A><BR> Sent: Fri, 2 Mar 2007 4:55 AM<BR> Subject: Re: [Sosfbay-discuss] Lorna Salzman on Chris Hedges<BR> <BR> <DIV id="AOLMsgPart_0_a57212ca-5406-4e12-87bc-b4e8025508dd" class="AOLPlainTextBody"> <PRE><TT>Ah, well.<BR>
<BR>
If you read the email address, you know I'm in Ohio, and have been on this<BR>
list for some time because I wanted to see how a healthy organization with<BR>
an engaged membership functions. We don't have one.<BR>
<BR>
. . . <BR>
<BR>
In keeping with your wishes, I'll unsub from this list and leave you<BR>
"leaders" the "autonomy" to manage information about how good your past<BR>
decisions have been and, particularly, how peachy keen those decisions have<BR>
made things here in the cornbelt.<BR>
<BR>
Solidarity!<BR>
Mark L.<BR>
<BR>
</TT>-----End Original Message-----<BR>
<BR>
<BR>
This situation is precisely why I was originally so excited about the Green Commons Web Site. <BR>
<BR>
Since we are totally ignored by the mainstream media, it is almost impossible <BR>
to know about Green activity around the country or even around the State. I used to<BR>
live in Northern California, but my wife and I recently moved to Los Angeles. I follow <BR>
sosfbay-discuss because I am interested, I personally know many of the people, and I we get <BR>
nothing from the Los Angeles MSM about what goes on among Bay Area Greens. <BR>
<BR>
Furthermore, if an individual Green is successful, then that person is seen as even <BR>
more threatening to the status quo, and therefore, more likely to be blackballed by the<BR>
MSM. Thus, for example, when Gayle McLaughlin <SPAN style="font-family: mon;">was elected Mayor of Richmond, that <BR>
should have been a big, statewide story. Instead, the MSM buried it. As I write this the <BR>
City of Los Angeles is struggling (yet, again) to deal with new wave of gang violence. Alas,<BR>
it is unthinkable that the good-for-nothing MSM would even mention that McLaughlin is dealing<BR>
with these very issues in Richmond or that Donna Warren has literally been on the front lines<BR>
in this particular battle right in inner-city LA for many years. The Los Angeles Times <BR>
dutifuly reported the current troubles of San Fransisco Democratic Mayor Gavin Newsome, <BR>
but of course, they never mention that the good people of San Francisco had a superior alternative<BR>
when they elected San Francisco's "Little Bill Clinton" back in 2003. <BR>
<BR>
As an African-American I have been dying to get input about what works and what doesn't work <BR>
for Greens organizing in so-called minority communities. <BR>
<BR>
I have had a nice exchange of views with one sister in Los Angeles about Barack Obama. I <BR>
received an e-mail from KCM Curry touting her own candidacy, but otherwise I'm getting nothing. <BR>
<BR>
In 2004 a tremendous amount of time and effort went into certifying the Green Party Black Caucus. <BR>
Members of the GPBC went to the national convention and gave a nice presentation. There were the<BR>
familiar charges and counter-charges of racism. Almost every day somebody would post that <BR>
Green Party was hopelessly "racist." And almost every day I replied with a post that said: <BR>
"Compared to what?" <BR>
<BR>
Despite all this, fights over Nader vs Cobb, a silly dispute with the Lavender Greens, and an even <BR>
sillier objection to a Black Latina joining the group (BTW, I am proud to say that when the matter <BR>
finally came to a vote, the group voted overwhelmingly to accept the Latina sister), <BR>
the Green Party Black Caucus was duly certified and Michelle Tingling-Simmons elected chair. <BR>
<BR>
Guess what?<BR>
<BR>
It almost immediately fell apart!<BR>
<BR>
I have seen this sort of thing in other organizations before and it's one of the reasons why I am <BR>
one of the very few "minority" activists nowadays who does not believe in "minority" caucuses. <BR>
Despite the best intentions of the best people involved in these efforts, they almost always end up <BR>
being both divisive and a waste of money, energy, and time. This "caucuses" model is a throwback <BR>
to the '40s, '50s, and '60s when old white men in smoke-filled rooms in the Democratic Party and <BR>
in the AFL-CIO allowed... grudgingly... a few "minorites" to participate. It is just my eccentric<BR>
personal opinion, but I think this is part of the Democratic-Repubican legacy that Greens would discard.<BR>
<BR>
But I digress. <BR>
<BR>
My point in relating this story is that some mechanism needs to be in place to allow an exchange<BR>
of ideas, techniques, and experiences among far-flung Greens. When the Green Party Black Caucus <BR>
was active, I read posts by couple of well-informed members of the Illinois Green Party <BR>
about a certain Illinois State Senator named Barack Obama. I'd love to know what these brothers <BR>
think today but I've lost those contacts. <BR>
<BR>
One of the posts to sosfbay-discuss asked the fellow from Ohio whatever happened to all the Green<BR>
activity right after the 2004 elections in Ohio? Good question. I would really like to know. Ohio <BR>
happens to be one of the states where we could surely use some hard-hitting Black Greens. I mean, <BR>
the Black Republican Kenneth Blackwell was the one who masterminded the stolen election, and the <BR>
clueless, weak Black Democrats around Cleveland were the ones who let the "Brotha" get away with<BR>
it. And working-class Cleveland is the base for none other than Dennis Kucinich. By now Cleveland<BR>
should be ripe for revolution! <BR>
<BR>
Comes now, from out of nowhere, Elaine Brown declaring her candidacy for president. <BR>
<BR>
I know she ran as Green Party candidate for mayor of a city in Georgia. <BR>
<BR>
I know her history in the Black Panther Party in California (and most of what I know is not good). <BR>
<BR>
Now she wants the Green Party to nominate her for President of the United States? <BR>
<BR>
For PRESIDENT? <BR>
<BR>
I guess it falls on me, the Black guy, to say out loud what some may be thinking privately. Are <BR>
Greens in Ohio and Oregon and Montana and in the Central Valley of California going to go tabling <BR>
at their local farmer's market and say: <BR>
<BR>
"Here's our Black Panther Green Party candidate FOR PRESIDENT!" ? <BR>
<BR>
Rhetoric aside, what do any of us really know about this candidate?<BR>
<BR>
</SPAN><TT>We need to know. <BR>
<BR>
</TT></PRE></DIV> <DIV class="AOLPromoFooter"> <HR style="margin-top:10px;"> AOL now offers free email to everyone. Find out more about what's free from AOL at <A href="http://pr.atwola.com/promoclk/1615326657x4311227241x4298082137/aol?redir=http://www.aol.com" target="_blank"><B>AOL.com</B></A>.<BR> </DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">_______________________________________________</DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">sosfbay-discuss mailing list</DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><A href="mailto:sosfbay-discuss@cagreens.org">sosfbay-discuss@cagreens.org</A></DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><A href="http://lists.cagreens.org/mailman/listinfo/sosfbay-discuss">http://lists.cagreens.org/mailman/listinfo/sosfbay-discuss</A></DIV> </BLOCKQUOTE></DIV><BR></DIV></DIV></BODY></HTML>