[PAA-Discuss] Money, politics, and the Green Party

[ChasMauch at aol.com]

Kris, those who want to rebuild (or  replace) the entire system might be  
interested in the program being organized by Znet to try to do exactly that 
(see  their email copied below). The "Interim Consultative Committee" 
consists of  people from all over the world - socialists, communists, anarchists, 
and many  others - who will do the initial work. The presence of Noam Chomsky 
on the list  (he has worked with the Z group for years) gives this rather  
ambitious undertaking considerable credibility, IMO. Look it over and see  
if it is something like what you have in mind.
Charlie
 
Hello Charles Mauch

We are writing  all those who have successfully taken, who have 
unsuccessfully tried to take, or  who could still possibly take the organization poll 
now online on  ZNet.

We are close to reaching a critical plateau in our tally.  

With about 3,100 people having taken the poll, we need to get at least  
another 400 takers if we are to make the decision to attempt to implement the  
favored result. In other words, if 400 more people take the poll, then in 
light  of the results we will very likely proceed with our three step plan to 
help  facilitate creation of a new organization like that described in the 
poll. That  plan has two parts. 

First, Z and friends will work to: 
(a) raise  funds

(b) use the funds to build a powerful web system for a new  organization 
and its branches and chapters

(c) use the funds to help  recruit additional participants and to plan and 
when possible implement  conferences to actually establish such an 
organization bringing to an end the  interim period.  
Second, the Interim Consultative Committee whose  members are listed below 
will make recommendations the consensus from which will  guide decisions 
about all controversial choices made during the interim period.  Once 
established, the new organization will of course take over all assets and  decision 
making with the committee no longer required.
    
Interim Consultative  Committee  Ezequiel Adamovsky - Argen
Michael  Albert  - US
Stanley Aronowitz - US
Elaine Bernard -  US/Can
Patrick Bond - S. Africa
Jason Chrysostomou - UK
Noam  Chomsky - US
John Cronan - US
Ben Dangl - US
Denitsa Dimitrova -  UK/Bul
Mark Evans - UK
Ann Ferguson - US
Bill Fletcher -  US
Justin George - Aus
Eva Gollinger - Ven  
David  Graeber - US/UK
Andrej Gubacic - US/Balkans
David Harvey -  US
Antti Jauhiainen - Fin
Dim Konstantinou - Greece
Pat Korte -  US
Yoann Le Guen - Wales
Mandisi Majavu - S. Africa
Yotam Marom -  US
David Marty - Spain
Pablo Ortellado - Brazil
Harpreet Paul -  UK
Cynthia Peters  - US
John Pilger - UK
Justin Podur -  Canada
Vijay Prashad - US  
Nikos  Raptis - Greece
Paolo Rodriguez - Belgium
Anders Sandstrom -  Swe
Boaventua Santos - Port
Lydia Sargent  - US
Steve  Shalom  - US
Uruj Sheikh - US
Chris Spannos - US
Paul Street  - US
Emma Tarver - US
Fernando Vegas - Ven
Marie Trigona -  Argen
Chico Whitacker- Brazil
Gregory Wilpert   -  US
Florian Zollmann - UK/Ger
If you haven't already done so, taking the  poll only requires reading a 
carefully developed description of a possible  future organization and then 
answering three questions. Do that, and such an  organization will likely come 
into being. Don't do it, and it likely  won't.
If,  however, you have already taken the poll, we thank you very much for 
your  participation and we hope you will urge others to take it as well. 

And  if you tried to take the poll but were unable to do so, well, we know 
there are  quite a few people - probably hundreds, maybe more - like you. We 
have heard  from some people feel the poll has too many questions. Others 
feel it requires  too much information. And many couldn't get it to work. 
Although any of those  could be daunting reasons for giving up, we strongly 
urge you all to try again  anyhow.  
First,  please note. The real poll has only three questions (those seeing 
more are  finding a different, old, and no longer operative poll). The real 
poll requires  only that you enter your name, email, and country in our 
database as a free  member. Those thinking it wants more are probably trying to 
sign up as a  Sustainer.  And as far as actually succeeding at taking the 
poll, the trick  is to follow the instructions exactly. We apologize that 
things get dicey  sometimes, and are convoluted in places. You can find full 
instructions in the  text area under the menu to the left of the top page of 
ZNet. And here is a  summary...as well, to help you take the poll 
successfully... 
If you are a Free Member or Sustainer, go to ZNet  and log in. In the first 
column of the page, where there are recent items, near  the top, in the 
content box labelled "Need More Poll Takers," click the link to  take the poll 
if you have already read the organization description and know  your 
reactions to it. If you haven't, then click the link to see the  organization 
description. From there, once ready, you can click to take the  poll.

If you are not a Free Member or Sustainer, please, do as above  after you 
become a Free Member for which you only need to enter your email,  name, and 
country. If you have trouble such as it saying your email is taken,  and it 
not sending you a password, it may be that you have an old account that  is 
no longer operative and is blocking your actions. If so, just drop us an  
email and we will help out.

Finally, once you click to take the poll, you  toggle your answers to the 
three questions, and submit/save. LAter, if you click  to take it again, or 
to see the results, you will have the option to edit your  answers or see 
cumulative results. You can't take it  twice.
This will  hopefully be our last email urging our large list of users to 
take the poll. We  are sorry to have been so persistent, including using an 
alternative top page  and a three column overlay on the site, as well as 
multiple emails. We know our  persistence can be annoying - and that tells you 
the importance we give taking  the poll. Annoying Z users is not something we 
do lightly. But building a new  organization has a large potential benefit 
for everyone. 

We know you are  busy - who isn't? And we know you have doubts about the 
efficacy of ambitious  left projects - who doesn't? And we know that the idea 
of developing a new  organization strikes many as redundant or premature. As 
well it ought to, unless  the organization sought has very desirable 
attributes and some serious  support.

Nonetheless, we confidently ask you to look closely at the  description for 
the proposed organization. It emerged from a long process  involving many 
dozens of people - called the reimagining society project. While  there 
wasn't total support for the emerging description, it was overwhelming,  just as 
it has been overwhelming for those who have so far taken the poll.  Indeed, 
so far, of those taking the poll so far only 2% say they certainly would  
not join such an organization. Add that to the Composition of the Consultative 
 Committee and surely it is at least worth your taking a look!

So please,  take the poll. If you have doubts about the organization 
register them. If you  think the proposed organization would be harmful, say so. 
But if you believe it  would likely be very positive, and you would likely 
want to become a member,  then register that opinion. Add to the tally. And 
let's all see where we  stand. 
Michael  Albert
For ZNet
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In a message dated 5/5/2011 8:14:48 A.M. Central Daylight Time,  
graham2639 at mindspring.com writes:

 
Yeah,  Don, but according to George Reiter  at Mangos the other night, any 
monies donated right now would go to pay off  the lawyer fees incurred by 
the Green Party as a result of the lawsuit filed  by the TX Democratic Party. 
The monies will not be going to purchase fliers,  set up a campaign office 
or anything else typically associated with a  political campaign. The answer 
to our problems does not lie within the  political system, Don. Voting for 
somebody in an alternate party is not going  to change anything. I’ve come to 
that conclusion.   
First,  we, in our millions, are going to have to drive out the people who 
have put  this nation and the rest of the world in such jeopardy. Then, we 
are going to  have to form coalitions of people who want another way and who 
are willing to  work together to achieve that new way. 
Voting  is a waste of time, Don, and I won’t be participating in the sham 
any  longer. 
Kris 
 
____________________________________
 
From: donald  cook [mailto:zenblews at hotmail.com] 
Sent: Wednesday, May 04, 2011 10:31  PM
To: HCGP discussion;  discuss paa; Code Pink; Code Pink
Subject: [PAA-Discuss] Money, politics,  and the Green Party
The Selling of the President  1960, as I believe the book was called 
(please correct me if I am mistaken),  marked the public acknowledgment of the use 
of Madison Avenue advertising  techniques in American Political campaigns, 
and was an eye-opener for many in  1961.  The so-called Founding Fathers no 
doubt failed to realize the  ability of money to manipulate present day 
corporate media when they  set up a republic in which only propertied, white, 
non-slave, males could  vote.  Some of them would certainly have been relieved 
to learn of the  media-organizing power of money these days.  A political 
party without  money is pretty nearly a party without power in this country,  
now.

And of course the Supreme Court over the last 35 years or so  has not 
helped, declaring money the equivalent of Free Speech in the 1970's,  and just a 
little over a year ago determining that corporations can make  direct 
political contributions, just like real people.

Well, rest  assured that no capitalist corporate money is coming the way of 
the  Green Party.  What we have to sell - positions on the issues  that 
support the people, not the rich and the corporations - the  corporations ain't 
buyin', and the GP is, therefore, unable to purchase  time from the 
corporate media.  This leaves the GP with the  obvious two pronged hope that, as 
things get worse in our plutocratic  democracy, the people will discredit the 
corporate media more and  more and turn to an alternative media uncorrupted, 
or not as badly  corrupted by the corporations, and that, while unable to 
fundraise on the  scale of the Duopoly, the ever increasing number of 
discriminating people  who realize the importance of supporting the non-corporate 
party will begin  donating.

We are in a better position than we have ever been  before in Texas.  The 
Green Party of  Texas has survived ten years of incredible austerity, we are 
guaranteed  ballot access through 2012 and we are in a good position to 
extend that after  2012, and in our poverty (and endurance) we have learned  to 
stretch a dollar and be more cost effective than any other  party.  We don't 
need as much money as the Duopoly, but some money would  help . . . you 
know, until we can effect the separation of corporation and  state.

Tomorrow, Thursday, May 5, 2011, at 8:00 pm at  Bohemeo's, 708 Telephone  
Rd., Houston, TX, there will be Benefit for the Green  Party.  You may enjoy 
either the three musical acts, or help us  figure out what needs to be done 
and how we can best do it in a special,  extra meeting of the planning 
session we call G3.  The suggested donation  is $10, but no one will be turned 
away.  And if you want  to donate more, that's okay, too.  

And  if you want to donate but you cannot make it to Bohemeo's, feel free 
to go to  txgreens.org or hcgp.org and make internet arrangements.  If you 
prefer  paper and ink, make it out to the Harris County Green Party and mail 
it  to me at 7954 Glenheath, Houston, 77061.  Call me if any  questions.

-- Don,  713-705-5594
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