[statecom-discuss] Green-Rainbow Party Press Release: GRP leaders respond to Constitutional Convention

[gracegrnrnbw at aol.com]

John - this entire statement was written by me and Colby - so it is all 
our voice.  On the other hand perhaps it is worth clarifying again that 
Wendy and Luc are our co-chairs so they had to have the quotes 
representing our politics.  I can not speak for the party's politics 
with their authority - it would undermine their position.  My quote was 
the process, going forward quote - it is supposed to constructive and 
positve - and as an organizer in the party that is an appropriate role 
for me publically.

Second, I am the one who followed this, work dozens of hours on 
strategy with many people in the party, tried to reach all the 
coalition players so they would change what they were planning to do 
and we could avoid this most horrenous of outcomes.

Third, I am also the one who made this case- not just to the press we 
called last night, but today.  and pushed the legislators I talked to, 
have begun the mending of wounds of many different players.  AndI am 
still working on concrete steps  - coalition-building, direct action 
and media strategy.

I am too often the one out front and out there alone.  If you want me 
to be so in people's faces, perhaps you could practice being supportive 
and backing me - instead of expecting me to be a martyr for causes you 
won't even take pro-active steps on.

Why weren't you on the UMass nurses' picket line with me?  It was close 
to you, convenient, a huge chance to be in the face of corporate power 
trying to crush the rights of people and huge media event for our 
campaign.  It clearly differentiated us as a party from the Democratic 
candidates who everyone knew would not show up, it reached a critical 
constituency for us, more and more of whom are likely to come over to 
our party - and we asked you to join us - so you knew about it and got 
a personal outreach?

Such a great opportunity for you to be with me in the face of 
Democratic-sanctioned corporate muscle-flexing - could have used you!

yours, Grace

-----Original Message-----
From: jvwalshmd at gmail.com
To: statecom-discuss at green-rainbow.org
Cc: locals at green-rainbow.org; comcom at green-rainbow.org
Sent: Wed, 3 Jan 2007 11:13 AM
Subject: Re: [statecom-discuss] Green-Rainbow Party Press Release: GRP 
leaders respond to Constitutional Convention

    Let me begin by saying that I congratulate Grace and everyone else 
for 
 their work on this statement. That is the good news. 
 
 But I find that Grace's statement is inadequate in the same way that 
 her debates were. Where is the condemnation of the Democrats? Where 
 is the call to dump them for betraying the people and their own rank 
 and file who overwhelmingly support single payer. (At the Dem state 
 convention single-payer always has the support of a big majority when 
 votes on it occur.) The word "Democrat" does not appear once in this 
 statement - but the Democrats are the adversary we face and whose base 
 we are competing for in solidly Dem Mass. I find Wendy's statement 
 comes closer to the tone that we need but I feel that she should have 
 condemned the Democrats in addition to what she said. 
 
 Where is the militancy? If you do not fight, you cannot win. 
 Sweetness and light may endear us to the establishment media, but they 
 do not let the people know that we are willing to fight for them. 
 jw 
 
 On 1/2/07, Colby Peterson <saphron at verizon.net> wrote: 
  > Green-Rainbows say legislators violated oath of office and 
constitution 
 > Legislators pass discrimination and violate law by killing health 
 > care amendment 
 > 
 > CONTACT: 
 > Colby Peterson, Communications Director (contact for all inquiries) 
 > communications.director at green-rainbow.org 
 > saphron at verizon.net 
 > 978-895-0650 
 > 
 > Luc Schuster, Co-chair 
 > Wendy Van Horne, Co-chair 
 > Grace Ross, 2006 GRP candidate for Governor 
 > 
 > Green-Rainbow Party (GRP) leaders responded to the results of 
 > Tuesday's constitutional convention in Massachusetts, saying that 
  > legislators had "failed to fulfill their oath of office, violated 
the 
 > clear instructions of the Supreme Judicial Court (SJC), and trounced 
 > upon the rights of the people in favor of corporate interests." 
 > 
 > GRP co-chair Luc Schuster described the sentiment after the 
 > convention, "Many people were disgusted by what they saw today. In 
 > two decisions, the legislature voted against our right to marry, 
  > against our rights as citizens to amend the constitution, and 
against 
 > our right to health care. The people needed the constitution to 
 > protect us today against the powerful, but today it did not because 
  > the legislature that swore to uphold it chose their corporate 
funders 
  > over their constitutional duties." The GRP has long supported 
efforts 
 > to maintain equal marriage rights in Massachusetts, including being 
 > the only political party that requires its candidates for public 
 > office to support equal marriage prior to nomination. 
 > 
 > Two amendments were considered at the constitutional convention. 
 > 
 > The first amendment, one that would change existing marriage laws in 
 > Massachusetts by excluding same-sex couples, was voted on and passed 
 > today in its first joint-legislative session and constitutional 
 > convention, and requires passage in a second joint-legislative 
 > session, where if it does, will require passage by statewide ballot 
 > in 2008 where it would amend the constitution. 
 > 
  > The second amendment, one that would enshrine the right to 
affordable 
 > and equitably financed health care for all residents in the state 
 > constitution, was not voted upon because the motion to release it 
 > from committee did not pass. Late in December, the Supreme Judicial 
 > Court (SJC) ruled in a law-suit filed by supporters of the health 
 > care amendment, without consultation of the equal-marriage 
 > supporters, that the legislature must vote on the merits of both 
  > amendments. The vote on the merits of the health care amendment 
never 
 > happened. 
 > 
 > GRP co-chair Wendy Van Horne, responded, saying, "the SJC was clear 
 > that the legislature must vote on the merits of the amendments, we 
 > are disappointed with the results of the vote on equal marriage, and 
 > will be there to defeat it when it comes up again, but the vote on 
 > the health care amendment never even happened, and that's 
  > unconstitutional and directly circumvents the instructions of the 
SJC." 
 > 
 > The amendment, which if passed today would have gone to the 2008 
 > ballot, is now officially dead. Van Horne, who also works as a 
  > registered nurse, called it "a missed opportunity" by the 
legislature 
 > to easily help "pass a popular referendum that would dramatically 
 > help every resident of the commonwealth." 
 > 
 > Seconds after the amendment died and before adjourning, the 
 > legislature broke out in cheers and applause, recognizing outgoing 
 > legislators. 
 > 
 > Grace Ross, recent GRP candidate for governor, also identified steps 
 > for moving forward, "Delaying the opportunity for real universal 
 > health care hurts, but today is also an opportunity- we know that 
 > protecting human rights, whether it be for marriage or health care, 
 > is not done and cannot be done in a vacuum. We need to all come 
  > together and demand a better government and a better life- we need 
to 
 > demand and fight for what's good for everybody. If we can work 
  > collectively to achieve what we want, then the uncertainty and 
insane 
 > outcomes that we witnessed today will fade away. The Green-Rainbow 
 > Party invites all of its coalition partners to be part of that 
 > movement that is working to transform our world into the place we 
 > need it to be." 
 > 
 > The anti-marriage amendment will be considered again, possibly later 
 > this year, in a second joint-legislative session. The Green-Rainbow 
 > Party has vowed to remain an advocate for equal marriage rights and 
  > will support all constitutional means to defeat the amendment and 
any 
 > others that remove rights in the future. 
 > 
 > [END] 
 > 
 > _______________________________________________ 
 > statecom-discuss mailing list 
 > statecom-discuss at green-rainbow.org 
 > http://www.green-rainbow.org/mailman/listinfo/statecom-discuss 
 > 
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