A Green State of Mind

2010 is fast approaching. For the Green Party of New York State that means a chance to regain ballot status. We need to find a slate of candidates who will best represent our core values and also excite the people of NY. We are hoping to announce our candidates by February 2010, which means we need to start thinking about the selection process now.
Our candidate for Governor is the key to future ballot access. If s/he receives at least 50,000 votes then all GP candidates for all offices in NY State will have ballot status in subsequent elections, at least until the next race for Governor, without the onerous petitioning requirements we have now. (Ballot-status parties have dramatically reduced petitioning requirements.) Ballot status also gives us more standing politically when we ask to be included in debates, seek coverage in the news media, etc.

In addition to a candidate for Governor our statewide slate should include Lieutenant Governor, Comptroller, Attorney General, and two US Senate campaigns. (Chuck Schumer is up for re-election in 2010 and there will also be an election for the seat vacated by Hillary Clinton when she became US Secretary of State).

We’re asking Greens from around NY to help us find candidates who are up to the challenge ahead. Each should be willing and able to campaign everywhere in NY, a state with a large and diverse geography. Individuals need not have statewide name recognition, at least not at the outset. We have also had good experiences with candidates who are less well-known at the start. What’s most important is to find those who can deliver a strong message that resonates with voters who might be sympathetic to the goals and perspectives of the Green Party.

We hope that several possibilities will emerge for each office, giving NY Greens an opportunity to select the candidates best suited to act as our spokespeople during the campaign and, if elected, as our representatives while in office.

Please discuss possibilities with your families, friends, political associates. Each member of the Green Party should freely approach individuals to find out if they might be willing to put their names forward. If there are people you think would be good candidates, and if they are willing to run, please ask them to submit their names and contact info to Campaign Committee Co-chairs Gloria Mattera at gmattera@gmail.com or Michael Emperor at BrooklynEmperor@yahoo.com.

Feel free to contact Michael Emperor at 347-403-0892 if you have any questions about this letter or about the process of Green Party state-wide candidate selection for 2010.

Thank you,
Gloria Mattera & Michael Emperor
Co-chairs
Campaign Committee of GPNYS

The use of civil unions instead of same-sex marriage does not adequately address the reality of love or the unique nature of each human.

In the aftermath of the passing of Proposition 8 in California, there has been much debate about whether or not gay marriage is an issue that most of America is willing to support. This debate has illuminated a comparison between same-sex marriages and civil unions, with many arguing that civil unions allow legal rights without extremely changing the definition of marriage. Though there is a kernel of truth in this argument, if one is only looking at legal rights, there is also the need to address the fact that civil unions and same-sex marriage exist independently of each other and describe an overall different social reality. Though the current trend is toward equal legal rights regardless of gender in the relationships, the linguistic and meaningful difference between marriage and civil unions reveals much more than the fight for legal rights.

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By Hank Bardel:

This Economic Stimulus Plan has been created basically to quickly inform masses of people on how we as a people, through our elected government, can stimulate the American economy. Obviously it is not designed to go into needed details at this point. At some point in the future details can be filled in.

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