“Clearly, the MAPC gave more thought to the significance of those whose struggle for peace is based on principle . . . than did the Nobel Peace Committee that rewarded our President for war.”

Former Congresswoman and 2008 Green Party Presidential Candidate Cynthia McKinney announced today that she has been invited to participate in an International Peace Conference scheduled to take place in Munich, Germany on February 6 – 7, 2010 while the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) meets in the same city to plan war. McKinney, a long-time proponent of abolishing NATO, is scheduled to speak on February 6 at a rally to protest the NATO “security” conference. After the rally, McKinney will participate in the International Peace Conference whose schedule and call to demonstrate against NATO war policies are included below.

Included in McKinney’s program is a meeting with the Munich American Peace Committee (MAPC) which will present to McKinney its third annual award, “Peace through Conscience,” during the ceremonies of the Munich Peace Conference on the evening of February 6, 2010. The MAPC Peace Prize is normally awarded by the previous year’s winner. In McKinney’s case the honors will be done by André Shepherd, a U.S. Army deserter from the Afghanistan and Iraq wars and asylum seeker in Germany. Said McKinney of her selection for the award, “I am humbled to be so recognized. Clearly, the MAPC gave more thought to the significance of those whose struggle for peace is based on principle and an unshakeable commitment, despite the personal sacrificies required, than did the Nobel Peace Committee that rewarded our President for war.” McKinney continued, “In this way of thinking, peace is now war, lies are now truth, and ignorance is strength.”

McKinney calls on Americans across Germany to converge on Munich and protest U.S. and NATO war policies. McKinney will meet with American ex-patriots in multiple meetings while in Munich.

The recent Supreme Court decision on the Citizens United case has granted freedom of speech to corporate entities, and there is a need to illustrate how the unequal distribution of money results in the unequal right to free speech using the lens of a past Supreme Court case.

Read more at>> A Green State of Mind

Long time Green Party member Hank Bardel is running for congress in New York’s 13th Congressional District. Hank owns acreage in eastern Pennsyvania which is over the Marcellus Shale formation. Recently Hank was offered over $264,000 with 21% royalties to allow companies to drill there and he turned them down.

I’m very worried about keeping the ground water, where I own the property, very clean. We have a lot of dairy farms in the area and I would like to see them and the people who live in the area to continue to get good clean water. Until the oil and gas companies can prove to me scientifically that the fracturing process will not leave harmful chemicals behind, I cannot in good conscience allow the drilling to start.

Many New Yorkers are very concerned about the the New York City water supply, especially since a lot of its water comes from water sheds that sit over the Marcellus Shale. I think many gas and oil companies would like to drill in near those areas.

Hank Bardel previously ran in 2002 for congress in NY’s 13th Congressional District, and is seeking the Green Party line again this year. The 13th CD includes all of Staten Island and parts of Brooklyn like Bensonhurst, Bay Ridge, Fort Hamilton, Dyker Heights and Gravesend. His website.

The State Committee of the GPNYS met Saturday, January 30, 2010 at in Rensselaer.

The meeting opened with Matthew Wootton, a member of the Green Party of England and Wales, addressing the meeting on the experience of the GP of England and Wales.

Much of the rest of the meeting focused on plans and strategies for the 2010 statewide campaigns so the party can reach its goal of getting over 50,000 votes for our Gubernatorial candidate.

In addition, a number of candidates are planning on running and information on them will be up on the candidates page soon.

To help out, please sign up to volunteer.

Obama, in his State of the Union speech, must reverse his failed policies on health, war, climate change, fiscal responsibility, jobs

Online (audio/video) Green Party discussion and response to Obama's State of the Union speech TONIGHT, featuring 2008 Green presidential nominee and former US Rep. Cynthia McKinney, Green candidates, and Green Party leaders, 6 pm to 9 pm PT, 9 pm to midnight ET.

WASHINGTON, DC -- Green Party candidates and leaders called on President Obama to announce a reversal in his administration's current actions and policies when he delivers his 2010 State of the Union address on Wednesday, January 27.

HEALTH CARE

Lisa Green, 2010 Green candidate for the California State Assembly, 53rd District:

The failure of the Obama Adminstration to offer a health care plan passed that delivers guaranteed coverage for all Americans will cost votes. As the Massachusetts Green-Rainbow Party recently noted, a Republican senator was elected last week in Massachusetts where many voters expressed disappointment with the Democrats' insurance company bail-out plan.

President Obama has admitted that Single-Payer is the best plan for America. There's still time for Mr. Obama to drop the current legislation and demand the Single-Payer plan to expand Medicare to cover every American. By taking the high road now with a pitch for Medicare For All in his State of the Union address, Mr. Obama could undercut the criticism of Republicans and anti-reform ads placed by corporate lobbies. Support for Single-Payer from the President is especially critical now in the wake of the Supreme Court's Citizens United ruling, which promises a flood of corporate advertising in 2010 on behalf of those Democratic and Republican politicians willing to sell out to the insurance, pharmaceutical, and other lobbies on health care.

GLOBAL WARMING

Sheldon Schafer, astronomer and Illinois Green Candidate for Congress, 18th District:

President Obama's talk about green energy and a green economy has turned out to be lip service. He could turn that around during his State of the Union speech by announcing that he no longer backs the cap and trade scheme and will instead seek emissions reduction mandates, and by demanding an end to the mountaintop coal removal that is devastating West Virginia and other states and feeding climate change. Unfortunately, the actions of the US delegation at the Copenhagen negotiations in December indicate that Mr. Obama is compromising on the real steps necessary to curb climate change -- conservation, green conversion and retrofitting of infrastructure, carbon taxes, greenhouse gas emissions rules, and a massive public transportation program to reduce car traffic. All of these would create millions of jobs

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The Green Party of New York State stated today that it opposed the ethics reform deal announced earlier this week as being too late, too late, an attempt at damage control rather than the real reform New York taxpayers deserve. The Greens said that it agreed with Gov. Paterson that this bill is “election-year window dressing.”

“With the defeat of incumbents like Tom Suozzi and Andy Spano, lawmakers are scared that many voters have reached their breaking point, disgusted by a political system that benefits special interests rather than the average New Yorker. The trial and convinction of Senator Bruno really exposed the seamy side of Albany wheeling and dealing, shocking many. The so-called ethics deal bill is a desperate attempt to put some fancy new wrapping paper around a corrupt system. This deal is about providing cover for incumbent state lawmakers, not ending the ability of special interests to buy lawmakers. Reformers need to demand a whole lot more rather than be satisified with a few crumbs,” said Eric Jones, GPNYS co-chair, who thanked groups like Common Cause for their opposition to the proposed deal.

The compromise ethics bill proposed by the Legislature on Tuesday does not go nearly far enough in addressing what is already a crisis in New York State politics. Real ethics reform would include an ethics commission independent of legislative control as well as a requirement that all clients of legislators be made public. Allowing legislators to appoint members to the proposed Legislative Office of Ethics Investigation is akin to letting the inmates continue running the asylum. The reform package should include public financing of campaigns, certainly a total ban on contributions from those doing business with the state (e.g., a ban on pay to play).
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