Members and Friends,

2012 is shaping up as a pivotal year in our community and worldwide.  With financial systems tottering and the young people hitting the streets, the upcoming political year promises to be “interesting times” indeed.  We in the Vashon Greens want to make a positive contribution in our own small way, and we think it will be useful to spend a little time prioritizing our activities for the coming year.

Please respond to sngraham@centurytel.net

Members and friends of VMIGP,
The next meeting of the Vashon-Maury Island Green party will be tomorrow.

According to: www.king5.com/news/local/Sentencing-day-for-elderly-Bangor-protesters-118776574.html, Five elderly peace activists who broke into Naval Base Kitsap-Bangor in 2009 to protest nuclear weapons were sentenced Monday in Tacoma federal court.

The sentences for the activists, who range in age from 61 to 84 years, varied from two to 15 months each:
• 61-year-old Jesuit priest Stephen Kelly of Oakland, Calif., was sentenced to 15 months in prison.
• 67-year-old retired teacher Susan Crane of Baltimore was sentenced to 15 months.
• 82-year-old Jesuit priest Bill Bichsel of Tacoma was sentened to 3 months.
• 84-year-old Sister Anne Montgomery of Redwood City, Calif., was sentenced to 2 months.
• 61-year-old social worker Lynne Greenwald of Tacoma was sentenced to 6 months.
Court documents said the group, referred to by some as the "Bangor Five," cut through fences on November 2, 2009, to reach an area near where nuclear warheads are stored in bunkers. The weapons facility in Puget Sound assembles and maintains nuclear-tipped Trident missiles and other weapons.
 

The board of directors of People For Puget Sound is happy to announce the hiring of Tom Bancroft as the organization’s next executive director.

Bancroft, who holds a PhD in ecology, has had a distinguished career as an environmentalist and leader. Most recently he was Chief Scientist and Vice President of the National Audubon Society. Prior to that he was Vice President of The Wilderness Society. While he will be new to the Puget Sound region, he is well-acquainted with our challenges. Just last year, he headed up National Audubon’s scientific evaluations of the massive BP oil spill in the Gulf. He has worked for many years on restoration and management of the Everglades, and he is familiar with Puget Sound and its watersheds from his work with The Wilderness Society.
 
He will be relocating to Puget Sound from the Washington, DC area, and will be introduced at People For Puget Sound’s April 6 "New Day for Puget Sound" luncheon in Seattle, featuring speaker Sylvia Earle.

"It’s great to have an internationally-known scientist lead our organization and to carry on speaking the truth based on the best available science," said Board President Bill Derry. "I am confident that he will take us to new levels, grow the organization and make us even more successful at protecting Puget Sound."

"I am excited to be joining the People For Puget Sound team," said Bancroft. "I am looking forward to working on the conservation of Puget Sound, a world-renowned estuary system. It's a great time to be part of this effort."

"I had the pleasure of meeting Tom during the selection process, and I am delighted that he will be the new leader of People For Puget Sound," said Martha Kongsgaard, chair of the Puget Sound Partnership’s Leadership Council. "People For Puget Sound is one of our key partners in the effort to restore the Sound’s health, and I look forward to working with Tom as he moves into this new role."

Tom will be succeeding founder and Executive Director Kathy Fletcher who will be retiring at the end of June 2011.

"I am thrilled and confident about People For Puget Sound’s future under Tom Bancroft’s leadership," said Fletcher. "He has the outstanding background and personal qualities we were looking for.

The Green Party of Washington State (GPoWS) is proud to announce that it will be hosting a regional gathering of members (and persons interested in becoming members) of the Green Party on the second Saturday in November. Greens from Washington, Oregon, Idaho, British Columbia, Alaska, and beyond are invited to join us in Seattle for a day of fun, including discussion groups, motivational speakers, workshops, entertainment, and food.

Share our common vision, meet new friends, discuss the state of the world and what we can do together to better it, listen to author David Korten talk about how the illusion of our national economy has been based on massive fraud and self-deception, interact with retired Human Ecology professor Don Wilkin about over-population issues, enjoy a singing performance by the popular group Raging Grannies, and more!

When: Saturday, 13 November 2010 (doors open at 8:30am)

Where: Calvary Lutheran Church, 7002 23rd Avenue NW, Seattle, WA

Registration: $25 suggested donation, a bit more if you can help a financially strapped person attend, but nobody will be turned away for lack of funds.

For the latest details as we finalize them, see our website, www.gpows.org

The Vashon-Maury Island Green Party’s monthly meeting (second Tuesday of each month) will be at Joy Goldstein’s home.

Greens, Democrats, Independents, and other interested progressives always welcome!

DATE: Tuesday, June 8, 7:00 to 9:00 PM LOCATION: 10329 SW Bank Road, Vashon

DIRECTIONS: From Vashon center, go west on SW Bank Road 0.3 miles. Joy’s home is on the south side. Park along Bank Road.

Discussion issues:
1) Status of Richard Curtis for U.S. Senate
2) Vashon Credit Union
3) “The End of Money” at Vashon College
4) Vashon Strawberry Festival

Questions: Melvin Mackey, Secretary

2010 SPRING CONVENTION, Green Party of Washington State
See: http://gpows.org/convention,2010-Spring.shtml

Saturday, 17 April 2010, 1:00PM – 5:00PM (with registration beginning at 12:30PM)
Trinity United Methodist Church, 6512 23rd Avenue NW, Seattle, Washington
Price: free to all members (with donations accepted to cover our costs, of course)

Session Schedule:
1:00 PM – 1:30 PM Welcome, Introductions, and Overview of 2010 Political Offices
1:30 PM – 2:30 PM Selection of State Coordinating Council and GPUS Delegates
2:30 PM – 3:00 PM “Prefers Green Party” — 2010 endorsements of vibrant Green Party candidates
3:00 PM – 3:30 PM Reports from our “Locals” around the state of Washington
3:30 PM – 4:00 PM Next Steps for the GPoWS
4:00 PM – 5:00 PM GPoWS Governance — Voting on proposed Bylaws changes

Five proposed amendments to the GPoWS Bylaws were properly received at least 30 days prior to the 2010 GPoWS Spring Convention and will be voted upon at that convention. See http://gpows.org/bylaws.shtml for details on each of these proposals.

- - - - - - - - - -

CAMPAIGN SKILLS SCHOOL – It’s not just for candidates!
See: http://gpows.org/campaign-skills-school,2010.shtml

Presented by Brent McMillan, Executive Director, Green Party of the United States

PART I - Saturday, 17 April 2010, 8:45AM - 12:15PM (with registration beginning at 8:30AM)
Trinity United Methodist Church, 6512 23rd Avenue NW, Seattle, Washington

PART II – Sunday, 18 April 2010, 8:45AM - 12:15PM
Ballard neighborhood, with the address and directions to be provided at registration.

If you’ve ever wanted to know what you can do to REALLY help a candidate, or perhaps even considered running for office yourself, then this is a “MUST ATTEND” EVENT! There are many offices up for election in 2010, from U.S. Senator, on down to water district commissioner. We encourage members interested in public service to look up the offices available, and consider stepping up to the plate. Want to know more about being a candidate? Email us at: running-for-office@gpows.org

Fellow Greens:

Are you experiencing numbness in any of your extremities at the thought of facing another election season with no decent candidates to vote for? Do you have anxiety attacks when thinking about the “top two” voting system in Washington State? Are you worried that this great country may not exist for your kids or grandkids to enjoy? Does the thought of corporations now having virtually limitless freedom to drop money into political advertising keep you awake at night? Are you or someone close to you out of work or have a job that will soon be outsourced overseas? Have you lost your health care insurance or have you been denied access to health insurance? Are you facing the loss of your home to a bank that was “too big to fail” where the management is receiving huge bonuses? Do you fear that the country is no longer headed in the right direction? Is that what's troubling you, Bunky?

Well, the Green Party of Washington State has just the solution for you! It's our 2010 Spring Convention and Campaign Skills School events coming up on April 17th and 18th. Just think of the possibilities ... at the end of the weekend you will no longer fear becoming involved in politics, you will be a whiz at organizing a campaign and supporting green candidates, your future will be productive, and you may even want leave home without your umbrella. Life will be good, so don't waste another day thinking "Should I attend the 2010 Spring Convention and the Campaign Skills School or not?" Be sure to mark the weekend on your calendar today and tell your friends about it as well!

Here are the details.

2010 SPRING CONVENTION, Green Party of Washington State

Saturday, 17 April 2010, 1:00PM – 5:00PM (with registration beginning at 12:30PM) Trinity United Methodist Church, 6512 23rd Avenue NW, Seattle, Washington

Price: free to all members (with donations accepted to cover our costs, of course). Bring your friends, they can easily join at the registration table.

Hear about local success stories. Be a part of the candidate vetting process and vote on our statewide candidate endorsements. Network with green candidates. Help us nominate quality candidates for our State Coordinating Council and delegates to the national party.

Want to know more about this convention? Information updates will be posted on our website (http://www.gpows.org) or you can send us specific questions via to: 2010-convention@gpows.org

And yes, we also vote on bylaws amendments beginning at around 4PM. The deadline for submitting proposed changes is midnight Pacific Time on Thursday, 18 March. Each bylaws amendment proposal must be sponsored by three or more GPoWS members in good standing. Email any proposals to: bylaws-ammendments@gpows.org

CAMPAIGN SKILLS SCHOOL – It’s not just for candidates!

PART I - Saturday, 17 April 2010, 8:45AM - 12:15PM (with registration beginning at 8:30AM) Trinity United Methodist Church, 6512 23rd Avenue NW, Seattle, Washington

PART II – Sunday, 18 April 2010, morning location to be announced

Presented by Brent McMillan, Executive Director, Green Party of the United States

If you've ever wanted to know what you can do to REALLY help a candidate, or perhaps even considered running for office yourself, then this is a MUST ATTEND EVENT! There are many offices up for election in 2010, from U.S. Senator, on down to sewer district commissioner. We encourage members interested in public service to look up the offices available, and consider stepping up to the plate.

Tuition for this fantastic school is just $25-$50 (sliding scale), but no member will be turned away for lack of funds.

Want to know more about being a candidate? Email us at: running-for-office@gpows.org

All state-level offices up for election are listed at http://wei.secstate.wa.gov/osos/en/PreviousElections/2010/general/Pages/2010OfficesSubjecttoElection.aspx

For local offices, check out your county website at http://www.mrsc.org/byndmrsc/counties.aspx

Logistics:
* If you plan on being at the school/convention venue over the lunch hour on Saturday, please bring a sack lunch plus some munchies to share.
* Should you live outside of reasonable commuting distance from Seattle and want to attend, opportunities for home stays are available. If you need a place to stay, or are willing to volunteer to host other like-minded folks from across the state, email us at: home-stay@gpows.org

We look forward to seeing you at both events!
Your GPoWS Interim Advisory Board

My Friend (or friend of friend),

I am writing you today because I know you in some capacity (perhaps just email) or I know someone who knows you. I am writing because I am deeply concerned about the abysmal state of American Democracy and due to a curious confluence of events it is suddenly possible for me, personally, to do something profound to contribute to a solution.

Tomorrow I will formally announce my intention to run for the U.S. Senate as an Independent (WA). Let me hasten to add that this was not my idea. I was drafted into this effort, and actually said “no” when first asked. It is an ominous undertaking to run for the United States Senate, especially when one intends to win. It is an ominous undertaking to do the work of a United States Senator, especially when one intends to represent the will of the people instead of corporations.

There can be no better illustration of what is broken in our political system than the “Health Care Debate” of late. Shakespeare wrote (Macbeth 5:5):

Life's but a walking shadow, a poor player
That struts and frets his hour upon the stage
And then is heard no more: it is a tale
Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury,
Signifying nothing.

One might say the same about the “health care debate.” It was nothing more than tales told by idiots full of sound and fury, signifying nothing. The Democrats have wasted a year and a half and have produced a watered-down compromise with big insurance corporations that will result in an estimated 23,000 American deaths next year due to a lack of health care – they are incompetent. The Republicans have wasted a year and a half ranting and raving hysterically about a bill that does very little and only covers half of uninsured Americans, leaving an estimate 10% of them to die from a lack of health care – they are malicious.

Our electoral system is run by the incompetent and malicious. This is not acceptable to me as a philosopher, nor is it worthy of the American people, as human beings with human rights. What is most amazing is that the American people have tolerated this dynamic for so long. Enough! We have had enough. Across the country incumbents will face historic levels of discontent, Independents and third party candidates will see unprecedented success. Our government was broken by an incompetent and malicious two-party system in which any person of good will is ultimately destroyed if they insist on being part of it.

The greatest threat facing the American people today is the two-party system – because everything else is either caused by or made worse by that system. To change American politics we must first attack the two-party system head-on. This is what I intend to do, and with the careful preparations of those who drafted me into this effort and your help I will be the next U.S. Senator from Washington State, and business as usual will stop – or at least have one Senator fighting for the people to deal with.

Normally in a race like this the independent would be running as a protest. They might protest endless wars, broken promises, irrational debates, rampant corruption, perverse “solutions” to the health care crisis, or any number of evils in our system. But things are different now and an independent in Washington State can – and will – win.

In 2004 the voters of Washington approved a ballot initiative that established a Top-Two Primary. This was challenged but eventually upheld by the Supreme Court. Given the long terms Senators have, this is the first election in which the voters of Washington will experience this new way of doing a Senate primary. It is very different, and this is vitally important. The primary is August 17th and the intent of the change was to have everyone who wanted to run for a certain race run in the same primary. From there, the top two vote getters would advance to the general election in November. It was believed that one possibility of this change would be that two people from the same party could be in the general election if they were the top two. That is unlikely now as the two corporate parties moved their state conventions back and will nominate candidates in June. At present there are at least nine other individuals who have declared their intent to run for the U.S. Senate, but all of them – save me – are actually running for the Republican nomination. The Republicans will choose from among them, or someone else, and nominate that person – legally they “endorse” that person. The Democrats will do the same, but they have the incumbent. This will produce, we think, a three-person race in the primary. A Republican who does not get the nomination could still run, but would do so angering the party they look to for support, so this is unlikely. Two people will win in the primary. My intent is to be one of those two people.

Because of this dynamic the Democrats cannot complain that I am spoiling the election for their candidate since she will be one of the top two. There is no spoiler issue here. People of good will who support universal single-payer health care (as I do) and oppose endless irrational wars (as I do) can vote their values because their lesser evil candidate is safe. No doubt some will try to confuse people into thinking they still ought to vote the lesser evil, but it doesn’t work that way any longer. This is the first chance to use this new primary and it is powerful. An independent representing democracy instead of petty infighting can, and will, win.

The big parties have a lot of money and money is useful in elections to either confuse or educate. We can be sure they will produce a lot of sound and a great deal of fury, but it signifies nothing. Repeated often enough it does confuse people, so this campaign has to get our message out too – a message of real change and new growth, of reason in politics instead of talking points, of decency and conversation instead of hyperbole and endless compromises with evil. The American people, the people of Washington, all people deserve better than this. With your help I hope to be a voice of reason and common decency, at least as much as I can given the pettiness, ignorance, and hysteria that define D.C. today.

A political campaign needs volunteers and you can write back to this email address if you are interested. A political campaign needs money. We are aiming for hundreds of thousands of dollars, and hopefully many hundreds. This is a tremendous amount of money to raise from ordinary people. Since I don’t respect big corporations, it seems likely they will not be interested in funding my efforts to have them de-recognized as people (only human beings are people). In a primary election, the most any individual can donate is $2,400. Corporations can spend as much as they want “in support of a candidate” (the Supreme Court ruling allowed unlimited spending, not donations, but still, do any of us really believe that is democracy?). Non-U.S. citizens and non-naturalized residents cannot donate, but there is nothing preventing citizens from other states from donating. For legal reasons we need the name and address of every donor and for donations over $200 the donor’s occupation, name of employer and the state where that employer is located. Checks can be sent to “Richard Curtis for U.S. Senate,” P.O. Box 30666, Seattle, WA 98113, and the web site www.richardcurtis4senate.org accepts all manner of donations – as well as having a full range of information about the campaign.

Thank you very much for your support. This will be a very grassroots effort relying extensively (but not exclusively) on word of mouth – so please forward this email widely and tell all your friends to vote Curtis for U.S. Senate in the August primary.

Sincerely,

Richard

PS: You may have heard bits and pieces about the campaign already but tomorrow is the official launch. We need $50,000 quickly to get up and running so that we will be taken seriously by the establishment (both political and media). We are 10% there already (the day before we officially start, not bad). Please donate what you can. Thanks!

Vashon Maury Island Green Party Proposed Agenda for Monthly Membership Meeting
Tuesday, February 9, 2010 – 7:00 PM Joy Goldstein’s

7:00 Modify/Approve Agenda
7:05 Modify/Approve January 12, 2010 Minutes
7:10 Treasurer’s Report
7:15 Choose facilitator for March meeting
7:20 Announcements
7:25 Melvin Mackey -- Status of "The End of Money" at Vashon College.
 7:30 Joy Goldstein -- Status of the Political Party forum for Ms. Powell's High School Government Class.
7:40 "Feminism" as one of the Ten Key Values -- Changes?
8:10 "Decentralization" as one of the Ten Key Values -- Changes?
8:50 New Business / Good of the Order
8:58 Next Meeting -- Date, Time, and Place
9:00 Adjourn

The Vashon-Maury Island Green Party will meet on Thursday, November 12 instead of our regular date of the second Tuesday of the month.

Many of us want to attend the discussion by Tom Greco of his new book, "The End of Money and the Future of Civilization" at the Red Bicycle Bistro on Tuesday, November 10, 7 PM, Free Admission.

From their website at:
http://redbicyclebistro.com/index.php?module=calendar&calendar[view]=event&id=361

TOM GRECO - BOOK DISCUSSION

Tom Greco, author of "The End of Money and the Future of Civilization" will discuss his book at Red Bicycle Bistro on Tuesday, November 10th at 7 pm.

Like the proverbial fish who doesn’t know what water is, we swim in an economy built on money that few of us comprehend, and, most definitely, what we don’t know is hurting us.

Very few people realize that the nature of money has changed profoundly over the past three centuries, or—as has been clear with the latest global financial crisis—the extent to which it has become a political instrument used to centralize power, concentrate wealth, and subvert popular government. On top of that, the economic growth imperative inherent in the present global monetary system is a main driver of global warming and other environmental crises.

The End of Money and the Future of Civilization demystifies the subjects of money, banking, and finance by tracing historical landmarks and important evolutionary shifts that have changed the essential nature of money. Greco’s masterful work lays out the problems and then looks to the future for a next stage in money’s evolution that can liberate us as individuals and communities from the current grip of centralized and politicized money power.

Greco provides specific design proposals and exchange-system architectures for local, regional, national, and global financial systems. He offers strategies for their implementation and outlines actions grassroots organizations, businesses, and governments will need to take to achieve success.

Ultimately, The End of Money and the Future of Civilization provides the necessary understanding— for entrepreneurs, activists, and civic leaders—to implement approaches toward monetary liberation. These approaches would empower communities, preserve democratic institutions, and begin to build economies that are sustainable, democratic, and insulated from the financial crises that plague the dominant monetary system. All-Ages.

FREE ADMISSION

Greens March on Vashon

Greeners from Vashon will celebrate Strawberry Festival on Vashon by marching in Saturday's parade. Come join the fun and help get out to create a presence for our group, recruit new members and make a statement about the importance of peace and environmental values in the Puget Sound!

Plans are being made now and volunteers are welcome! Contact Jeannie to help out.

Cindy Sheehan, the well-known anti-war activist and Bush antagonist, is running as an Independent for the House of Representatives in Nancy Pelosi's district in California.  Cindy made this decision based on Pelosi's decision to take impeachment "off the table."

Come help us raise funds for this courageous anti-war leader. It’s time to deliver a strong message to the do-nothing Democrats in the House, and Cindy is a candidate who can make a real difference!

Tickets: $10-25 (sliding scale): Purchase tickets at the Vashon Book Shop or Books by the Way.

The March meeting will be held on Tuesday, the 11th at 7 PM, 10329 SW Bank Rd.

Only the membership provisions are changing:

We moved to a new website host, WebSecureStores, about 2 weeks ago. The goal was to make our email discussion lists operate more reliably and ensure proper delivery to everyone. We're still working on getting this all to work properly however, so please bare with us and feel free to send email to John or Steve with any issues you see.

Steve Graham (and others of us) are trying to figure out what's a member and what it takes to be allowed to vote in the Greens. Contact him (sngraham at centurytel net) and let him know your thoughts!

Concerned you might have missed a pearl ? Well now you can reread all of Tom's (fairly practical) vision for Vashon at http://vashongreen.org/Blogs/TomHerring/tabid/84/Default.aspx Hopefully this is just the first of many delightful expositions from the master of the keyboard.

At the Land Trust, from 5:00 - 7:00 pm, the Vashon-Maury Island Green Party will host a community discussion on "Car-Free Vashon."  Pros and cons of biodiesels, use of electric car shuttles, ways to increase bicycle use, and working with Metro will all be covered.  The VMIGP hopes to lead the community in effecting a change in how we view our automobiles and perhaps serve as a model for how communities can become car free.