GRP endorses the Climate Strikes

Statement from Green-Rainbow Party of MA co-chair, Charlene DiCalogero: “The Green-Rainbow Party of Massachusetts, the state’s affiliate of the Green Party of the US, is proud to endorse the Boston and Worcester Climate Strikes. As the only national political party founded on principles of environmental and social justice and sustainability, we particularly applaud the member groups of the Worcester Climate Strike Coalition (WCSC) who decided to “pump up the volume” in the city of Worcester and the region in response to the climate emergency. Through multiple demonstrations and actions that have already taken place this summer, and continuing through September, the 9/20/19 Youth Strike and the 9/27/19 General Strike groups will inform, educate and activate people in our region. As part of this coalition, the GRP demands that local, state and national governments act decisively to stem the crisis within the next ten years. Together, we can insist that our public officials accelerate the conversion to 100% renewable energy, end sacrifice zones that hurt poor and Black and Brown people first and worst, and create the Green and just economy and society we need. I warmly invite you to join the millions worldwide who will walk out of school and work on September 20th and September 27th to demand action now. And I do mean you, and everyone you can bring with you, because to change everything, we need everyone.” For more information on the Worcester Climate Strike: www.350centralmass.org/climate-strike-2019 .

The Value of Mental Healthcare

Letter to the Editor published in The Republican and Masslive.com by 2018 GRP Candidate for Secretary of the Commonwealth, Juan G. Sanchez I often wonder about my mother who suffered with drug addiction beginning in her early teens and whether she had the support she needed. I wonder if anyone ever reached out to her to make sure she was OK. I’ve wondered what kind of person she would’ve been had drugs not been a part of her life. Would she have been a good mom? A good friend? These are things I will never have an answer to as she left when I was 2 years old and passed when I was 10. She was 28. Some things have a price such as homes, products, etc., and those are very important things to many people but what price do we put on a life? What do you tell a parent, a child, a loved one when the person they love passes from an overdose? The help wasn’t there when I was a child. Opioid abuse wasn't considered an epidemic in the 90s but today services are available, and we have a state government that is trying to strategically target drug addiction so that no other family needs to end up broken again.I have heard neighbors argue that the new group home that the Mental Health Association (MHA) is planning on Yale Street in Holyoke is about safety, property taxes, and comfort but what’s safer and better for property taxes than helping someone become a productive member of their community? What’s more comforting than knowing that by being a good neighbor you are helping someone reunite with their loved ones and become healthy again? People argue that Holyoke is a nonprofit haven and should stop being ground zero for so many non-tax paying services yet offer no plan, just fear and judgment of the most vulnerable in our community. I’m open to dialogue on growing the tax-base, but we can do that together and still welcome our new neighbors. I have full confidence that our new neighbors will cause no problem in Holyoke or the neighborhood they have chosen and look forward to welcoming them as members of our community. Juan G. Sanchez, Holyoke   Letter on Masslive https://www.masslive.com/opinion/2019/06/group-home-planned-for-holyoke-good-for-community-letters.html?fbclid=IwAR19sfzrG_ewN2tuaBQDdxr-jNDyHs5knsOdzIXZmI97PVjvyN4eGJZQxG4 Continue reading

July in Massachusetts ANM Registration

Hey this mention is a bit overdue so I'm posting it right here for all the GRP to see. The GRP, The Green-Rainbow Party, is the Massachusetts affiliate of the National Green Party, which will be having their Annual National Meeting here, in Massachusetts. Registration for this, potentially once in a lifetime event (if you don't travel much) is open and on the GPUS page. http://salem.gp.org/hello-world/. Once there you can use the menu at the top of the page…oh you'll figure it out. I hope to see you all in late July if not earlier.

FUND THE GOVERNMENT! DEFEND MIGRANTS! NO TRUMP WALL!

The Green-Rainbow Party of Massachusetts calls for collective non-violent resistance at this critical time to prevent the deaths of more children at the US-Mexico border, stop funding for Trump’s border wall, and put our government back to work. Continue reading

Jack Beatty Scapegoats Greens - Why?

Jack Beatty Scapegoated Greens As Spoilers, When Non-Voters Decided Elections. August 10th, WBUR, ‘On Point’ “...But if I may just let me just divergate to looking at the role of the Green Party in this…The nefarious role of this party in our politics can’t be understated. I say one word alone: Ralph Nader. But then, 2016 – the role of the Jill Stein campaign …The Green Party has a lot to answer for... I’m just pointing to the facts, and to the, sort of, aura of suspicion around the Jill Stein campaign in 2016.“ Jack Beatty (8) Year Green Candidate Ratio: Non-voters to Green Voters Citation 2000 Nader 31+ to 1 (1,2) 2004 Nader 193+ to 1 (3,4) 2016 Stein 36+ to 1 (5,6) Jack’s wrong conclusion: Blame the Greens. Continue reading