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Hi, Caroline: <br>
<br>
<br>
Do we have serious grounds for a legal challenge to Prop. 14?
I'm not an attorney, so I can't speak on the legal issues. However,
it takes time and money to fight something in court, and we might be
better off spending that time and money on other things. <br>
<br>
<br>
Besides, we may not experience in California what the Green
parties elsewhere experienced from similar legislation. <br>
<br>
<br>
In 1993, the ruling party in Canada was almost completely
wiped out in one single election: Prime Minister Brian Mulroney's
policies became so massively unpopular that he gave his seat to
Canada's first (and so far only) female prime minister, Kim
Campbell, who then led her party not to defeat but virtual
extinction in the slightly over 4 months later (<a
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Canadian_Prime_Ministers">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Canadian_Prime_Ministers</a>;
<a
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Canadian_federal_parliaments">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Canadian_federal_parliaments</a>).
<br>
<br>
<br>
The election of 1828 made Andrew Jackson President and marked
the extinction of the Federalist party of Andrew Jackson (and George
Washington). The Federalists were replaced by the Whigs, who became
extinct a few years later, to be replaced by the modern Republican
party. If I'm not mistaken, a substantial contributor to both
extinctions was their pandering too openly after the ultra wealthy.
<br>
<br>
<br>
My point here is that we shouldn't be excessively
pessimistic: If the US economy continues to decline, almost
anything could happen. Either or both of our major parties could
become extinct and replaced either by Libertarians or Greens. <br>
<br>
<br>
To strengthen our ability to influence events, I think we need
to find new ways to reach potential voters. Obama got the
Democratic nomination last year by using the Internet better than
his competition. I think we can reach young people with energy by
learning and using the new web tools they use: Twitter, Facebook,
You Tube, Wikipedia, etc. I think we can reach millions with pithy
messages relevant to current affairs on You Tube. We can influence
the face of international politics via quiet contributions to
Wikipedia. For example, the Wikipedia entry on "media bias" (<a
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Media_bias">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Media_bias</a>)
is the only thing I know that's easily accessible and cites serious
research, not just the rabid rants of Right or Left. I've already
cited that to some of my arch right wing relatives. <br>
<br>
<br>
Comments? <br>
Spencer <br>
<br>
<br>
On 9/7/2010 2:11 PM, Caroline Yacoub wrote:
<blockquote cite="mid:274211.42735.qm@web81201.mail.mud.yahoo.com"
type="cite">
<pre wrap="">Why are we not mounting a legal challenge to Prop.14? It disenfranchises us.
----- Forwarded Message ----
From: shane que hee <a class="moz-txt-link-rfc2396E" href="mailto:squehee@ucla.edu"><squehee@ucla.edu></a>
Sent: Tue, August 31, 2010 10:35:45 AM
Subject: Fwd: RELEASE North Carolina Green & Libertarian Parties file lawsuite
for equitable ballot access
</pre>
<blockquote type="cite">
<pre wrap="">Date: Tue, 31 Aug 2010 13:02:57 -0400
Subject: RELEASE North Carolina Green & Libertarian Parties file lawsuite for
equitable ballot access
From: Green News - DC <a class="moz-txt-link-rfc2396E" href="mailto:dcsgpnews10@gmail.com"><dcsgpnews10@gmail.com></a>
(Distributed by the Green Party of the United States, <a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://www.gp.org">http://www.gp.org</a>)
North Carolina Green Party
For immediate release
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Contact: Theresa El-Amin
Phone Number: 919-824-0659
E-mail: <a class="moz-txt-link-abbreviated" href="mailto:teagreenparty@aol.com">teagreenparty@aol.com</a>
Web site: <a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://www.ncgreenparty.org">http://www.ncgreenparty.org</a>
Green and Libertarian Parties File Lawsuit for Equitable Ballot Access
in North Carolina
• Press conference, 9 am in front of the courthouse in Raleigh on Sept. 9
On September 9, 2010 , the North Carolina Supreme Court will hear oral
arguments from the North Carolina Green Party and the Libertarian
Party of North Carolina at 9:30 am, 2 East Morgan Street, Raleigh
27601.
The action was filed by the Libertarian Party in 2005 and joined later
by the North Carolina Green Party (<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://www.ncgreenparty.org">http://www.ncgreenparty.org</a>). Both
parties will argue that current ballot access laws deny third parties
full rights guaranteed by the state constitution. Members and
supporters of both parties will gather at 9 am in front of the court
for a press conference.
North Carolina Green Party members are active in the national Green
Party (<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://www.gp.org">http://www.gp.org</a>) and hosted the Annual National Meeting of
the Green Party in 2009 in Durham at North Carolina Central University
(NCCU). The Durham meeting was the first time an annual national
meeting of the Green Party was held at an historically black college
or university (HBCU).
"The Green Party has 27 ballot lines throughout the US and continues
to grow in spite of attempts to suppress voter access to choices other
than the two major parties," said Theresa El-Amin, North Carolina
Green Party activist and recently elected co-chair of the Green Party
of the United States. "There are 321 Greens running in 2010 for local,
statewide and Congressional seats. All fair-minded people support
ballot access laws that do not require unreasonable use of time and
financial resources. We will continue to fight for justice in North
Carolina."
"It's a matter of giving voters alternative choices at election
times," said Alan Burns, Green Party member and environmental activist
of Charlotte, NC. "Every two years in North Carolina, over 50% of
House and Senate seats have only one name on the ballot, and more than
85% of results are predictable for the two major parties before polls
open. It's far cry from democratic rights for voters."
According to Richard Winger, the country's foremost expert on ballot
access laws, "North Carolina requires 2% of voters in the most recent
statewide election to sign petitions for a political party to be
listed with candidates on the ballot. The massive turnout of over 4
million voters in 2008 in North Carolina set the requirement for
ballot access at 85,379 valid signatures of registered voters."
In 2008, the Green Party nominated Cynthia McKinney, former Georgia
Congresswoman, for President of the United States. The North Carolina
Green Party ran a write-in campaign for McKinney. Given the low number
of write-in votes reported, NC Greens questioned whether all the votes
were actually counted. Greens assert that ballot access is the only
way to know for certain whether one's vote will be counted.
#######
</pre>
<pre wrap="">
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<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://lists.cagreens.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/sosfbay-discuss">http://lists.cagreens.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/sosfbay-discuss</a></pre>
</blockquote>
</blockquote>
<br>
<pre class="moz-signature" cols="72">--
Spencer Graves, PE, PhD
President and Chief Operating Officer
Structure Inspection and Monitoring, Inc.
751 Emerson Ct.
San José, CA 95126
ph: 408-655-4567
</pre>
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