[Platform] Summaries of Green-Rainbow Party Annual Conventions 2001-2007

[Larry Ely]

We all have a lot in common in ways we can not rattle off quickly.  Here's 
one.  I bet we all thought that George Carlin was a great stand up 
comic.  This is an example of how we are questioners like him - not being 
irreverent for irreverence's sake, but to cast light on matters.  I have 
been very impressed by the intelligence of our group and also by the 
dedication.  If we could just put all the vectors in the same direction, we 
could really take off.  This reminds me of a comment that John Andrews made 
to me when I was working on an editorial for the Spingfield Republican on 
Jill's campaign - which miraculously, since they had editorially backed 
Galvin - they published.  John's criticism of my piece was that I was 
trying to work in too many different ideas.  As he is such a great writer, 
I took this instantly to heart.  Well, I think we have too darn many 
projects going on in our Party - too many that is for our human resources, 
let alone financial resources.  Time to concentrate our efforts.  Reminds 
me of when I was a kid with a magnifying glass burning a hole in a dry 
leaf.  If I did not place the glass at just the right height, I did not 
focus the rays, and nothing happened.
Larry

At 04:06 PM 6/23/08, gary hicks wrote:

>"This observer notices two distinct directions or camps within our Party at
>the present.  Both camps are interested in altering opinions amidst the
>Massachusetts public at large in the areas of economic and health justice.
>In addition to these vital areas, the majority camp of 75% to 80% has as
>its top area of concern the immediate grave dangers of global warming and
>peak oil - an equal opportunity destroyer of life - whatever a person's
>diversity makeup.  The minority camp representing some 20% - 25% has as its
>top area of concern the psychological injustice (having an impact on
>economic and health injustice) coming from the range of diversity areas."
>
>
>
>the problem with this paradigm is that it assumes that there are majority 
>and minority camps outside of the specific issue of delegate selection to 
>the national gpus convention. this has never been established. and the 
>reason this has never been established is that global warming and peak oil 
>issues have been issues that show up in the 'hood as poor people's need 
>for winter heating, sick buildings leading to medical problems for 
>children especially, both winter and summer.
>
>
>
>in short, people suffer from the physical AND psychological effects of 
>these realities- and other realities around education,police -community 
>mis-relationships,, not from the theoretical and legislative expressions 
>of these. and in response there are all kinds of community organizing 
>responses that take place. occasionally the community organizing meets the 
>legal community, such as around the coalition that rainbow coalition 
>caucus has built, along with city life and others, around predatory 
>lending and related issues. other times, community organizing expresses 
>itself electorally, such as the development of the new majority coalition, 
>the boston-based asian-american, african-american, and latino/a coalition 
>built over these past 5 years with green-rainbow participation, and 
>responsible for a number of electoral concessions wrung out of city hall, 
>as well as some continuing victories of incumbebts of color in 
>non-partisan elections.
>
>
>
>the other item that the above paradigm ignores is one that cannot be 
>embraced in percentages, such as history. the greens for example have a 
>relatively short 20-30 year history focused largely around 
>ecology/environment issues, largely though not exclusively bucolic. 
>rainbow activities have to do with the city, human and civil rights, 
>public education, and has a history that goes back, in its present 
>formation, to the end of world war 2.
>
>
>
>gary hicks
>
>
>--- On Sat, 6/21/08, Larry Ely <tetrahedrons at crocker.com> wrote:
>From: Larry Ely <tetrahedrons at crocker.com>
>Subject: Summaries of Green-Rainbow Party Annual Conventions 2001-2007
>To: "state Committee Official Business" <statecom at green-rainbow.org>, 
>platform at green-rainbow.org, candidate-development at green-rainbow.org, 
>adcom.members at green-rainbow.org
>Date: Saturday, June 21, 2008, 1:05 PM
>
>
>Dear GRP member,
>
>
>The attached document entitled "Summaries of Green-Rainbow Party Annual
>
>Conventions 2001-2007" gives a bird's eye view of the history and
>
>evolution
>
>of our Party.  I took the most important information available for each
>
>annual convention from the GRP webpage, and formed a chronolog of Party
>
>activity and the players in the years from 2001-2007.
>
>
>I think this chronolog will help people in the Party see where the Party
>
>has been, where it is now, and where it should or could go.
>
>
>I am trying to find out who the AdCom members were for the years 2005 and
>
>2006 (Co-chairs, Secretary, Treasurer, Membership, Communications, and
>
>Fundraising) and also who the GPUS reps were for these two years.  As you
>
>will see in the chronolog I constructed, there are no minutes for the
>
>annual Conventions posted on the webpage Green-Rainbow.org for these two
>
>years that relate this information.   Please email me whatever information
>
>you have, whether from personal notes or documents or from memory.  You
>
>could also call me at 413-256-6044.
>
>
>I am also looking for information about the size of the Party membership
>
>for each year.  In some instances the Party size was given in the
>
>minutes.  Another parameter of interest would be the voter turnouts each year.
>
>
>I am intrigued by the apparent reduction in energy and enthusiasm in the
>
>Party commencing in the year 2005 and continuing to the present, albeit
>
>perhaps with some upswing in energy and enthusiasm now.  The reduction in
>
>energy and enthusiasm since 2004  may obviously be laid at the feet of the
>
>increasingly great obstacles the American public feels with Bush's
>
>reelection in 2004, with no ground swell for his impeachment, with the
>
>increasing economic and cultural degradation and hardship people have been
>
>reeling under, etc.  All factors that produce a dispirited public, which
>
>naturally have repercussions in the energy and time Green people can put
>
>into our Party's positive activities.
>
>
>On the other hand, perhaps some soul searching is in order within our Party
>
>to see if leadership approaches, directions taken, policies adopted and
>
>published, workshop topics covered and political messages conveyed in
>
>Conventions have detracted from the energy and enthusiasm that had existed
>
>up through 2004.
>
>
>This observer notices two distinct directions or camps within our Party at
>
>the present.  Both camps are interested in altering opinions amidst the
>
>Massachusetts public at large in the areas of economic and health justice.
>
>In addition to these vital areas, the majority camp of 75% to 80% has as
>
>its top area of concern the immediate grave dangers of global warming and
>
>peak oil - an equal opportunity destroyer of life - whatever a person's
>
>diversity makeup.  The minority camp representing some 20% - 25% has as its
>
>top area of concern the psychological injustice (having an impact on
>
>economic and health injustice) coming from the range of diversity areas.
>
>
>It is this Party member's opinion that it is past time that this general
>
>disagreement as to Party priority-identity-mission be addressed in a deep,
>
>rigorous, and extensive discussion - perhaps in a roundtable, free-flowing
>
>discussion without the artificial strictures of the stacking mechanism
>
>(going round and round the circle instead, with a person passing if they
>
>want).  Perhaps an October surprise StateCom could give over its morning
>
>session to this, with a limited number of proposals to deal with in the
>
>afternoon.
>
>
>Otherwise we are really two parties acting as though we were one, when we
>
>are not.  It is as though some people on one side of a canoe are paddling
>
>the opposite direction from the people on the other side.
>
>
>Thanks,
>
>
>Larry Ely, Secretary GRP
>