The Green Party of the United States Contacts:
Nancy Allen, Media Coordinator 207-326-4576, nallen@acadia.net
Scott McLarty, Media Coordinator, 202-518-5624, scottmclarty@yahoo.com
NOTE - A discussion listserve will be established
to provide conference participants and other Greens with a means for
further communication regarding Green strategy in this era of global
crisis. If you wish to participate in this listserve, please email: manski@greens.org
CONTENTS
A) Conference Stats
B) Speakers
C) Workgroup Breakout Reports
D) Text of Sam Smith's Speech
E) Photo
A) Conference Stats
* Over 70 participants representing 19 state Green parties turned out
on less than a week's notice to participate in the Green Party's
Saturday, September 29th, emergency organizing conference at the
University of the District of Columbia campus in Washington D.C.
* States and colonies represented included California, Arizona, Texas,
Louisiana, Tennessee, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, Michigan, Ohio,
Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, Washington D.C, Maryland,
Massachusetts, Kansas, Virginia, and Georgia.
* Thanks to Gail Dixon, Steve Shaferman, Erik Gustafson, George
Ripley, and the D.C. Statehood Green Party for hosting the conference!
* * * * * * * * * * * * *
B) Speakers
Keynote Panel - "A Democratic Response to the Crisis"
* Chris Toensing - Middle East Research and Information Project - http://www.merip.org
- Understanding the effects of U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East
* Kit Gage - National Coalition to Protect Political Freedom - http://www.secretevidence.com
- Status of efforts to defeat so-called "anti-terrorism"
legislation in Congress and to protect political freedom in the U.S.
* Sam Smith - The Progressive Review - http://www.prorev.com/
- See text (Section D)
* Anita Rios - Green Party of the United States - http://www.gp-us.org/
- Green Party's roll in responding to the current crisis
Second Panel - "Electoral Politics in the These Times"
* David Cobb - Texas Green Party
* Gail Dixon - D.C. Statehood Green Party
* Julia Willebrand - Green Party Nominee for Mayor of New York
* * * * * * * * * * * * *
C) Workgroup Breakout Reports - Conference
participants broke into four workgroups to discuss future organizing
in the context of the current political crisis. Thanks to Susan Metz
for taking notes.
* Media & Message - The Media & Message group is establishing
a listserve for media work and communication. Additionally, thoughts
that were shared included: Sound bite reality means that complicated
messages get shortchanged in most media; need to talk folks
"where they are at", and be based in emotional and
values-based appeals; "Americans need to insure no innocent
people pay for "this crime"; sense that "Holy War"
is an oxymoron; "Rambo is fantasy, graves are reality"; need
to emphasize public need for "transparency in government
policy"; focus on positive vision of Green politics for
non-violent society; see following website for advice on good media
work: http://www.fenton.com
* Non-Violence - Notes available from: hrezz@earthling.net
* Coalition Building - General discussion: Need to look for unlikely
allies (e.g., Cato Institute); do your homework to find out what
messages your potential partners are likely to spread; be sure that
you are "seen being Green" and are identified as a Green
whenever appropriate; assert your "Green" message outside of
the coalition as well as within it; ensure that Greens are represented
on any public platforms; make use of Green perspectives to dig into
deeper and broader issues; be sensitive to support and participate in
leadership, and not to exploit.
* Direct Action - Can enhance or complicate electoral politics; need
to continue use of direct action especially now, to remain visible and
expand democracy; possibility of shutting down shareholder meetings to
protest crisis profiteering; protest exclusion from debates, establish
our own debates, in coming elections; use of theater and ability to
act spontaneously and/or quickly both still valuable; develop programs
for community self-protection in place of police; consider bringing
"witness" idea to new level - attempt direct engagement with
other people to focus on emotional and compassionate response to
crisis (i.e. - going into cafe's, bars, libraries, other public spaces
with purpose of engaging public in a compassionate way).
* * * * * * * * * * * * *
D) Text of Sam Smith's Speech to the conference:
I want to talk about the problem of talking about the problem.
We are doing something difficult, something that
many wish we were not doing at all.
"Life is at the start a chaos in which one is
lost," wrote José Ortega y Gasset: "The individual suspects
this, but he is frightened at finding himself face to face with this
terrible reality, and tries to cover it over with a curtain of
fantasy, where everything is clear. It does not worry him that his
'ideas' are not true, he uses them as trenches for the defense of his
existence, as scarecrows to frighten away reality.
We are taking away people's scarecrows at a time
when they are deeply wanting them. We can not eliminate the tension
this involves but we can perhaps mitigate it and make it work more to
the advantage of peace and justice.
How, for example, do we discuss this issue? In the
manner of a debate? With the fervor of a true believer? In anger? With
a data dump of facts and arguments?
These aren't the only alternatives.
There is the probing and the prodding of the teacher, raising a
question here, a doubt there, and skepticism along the way.
There is the quiet witness which when pressed says something like: my
faith teaches me that we must find answers outside of anger and
violence.
There are the examples from history - best of all American or military
history. I sometimes remind people that we haven't won a war since
World War II, unless you count Granada. A simple fact like this can
alter the tone of the conversation.
We have lost much of what was gained in the 1960s and 1970s because we
traded in our passion, our energy, our magic and our music for the
rational, technocratic and media ways of our leaders. We will not
overcome the current crisis solely with political logic. We need
living rooms like those in which women once discovered they were not
alone. The freedom schools of SNCC. The politics of the folk guitar.
The plays of Vaclav Havel. The pain of James Baldwin. The laughter of
Abbie Hoffman. The strategy of Gandhi and King. Unexpected gatherings
and unpredicted coalitions. People coming together because they
disagree on every subject save one: the need to preserve the human.
Savage satire and gentle poetry. Boisterous revival and silent
meditation. Grand assemblies and simple suppers.
Here are some pocket paradigms to carry around:
We pledge allegiance to the republic for which America stands and not
to its empire for which it is now suffering.
Why does the media always refer to people defending our civil
liberties and the Constitution as "activists" or
"advocates?" Wouldn't "citizens" do just as well?
The World Trade Center disaster is a globalized version of the
Columbine High School disaster. When you bully people long enough they
are going to strike back.
Some day our leaders may again be as good as our firefighters.
* * * * * * * * * * * * *
E) Photo - by Elizabeth Shanklin
Greens remaining after the D.C. organizing conference gathered for a
group photo:
Ben Manski Green Party of the United States
Steering Committee
manski@greens.org
http://www.gp-us.org/
