News

November Elections are almost upon us!

We're into the home stretch of the campaign season.  The Green Party of San Mateo County is proud to provide information on the campaign of Cynthia McKinney and Rosa Clemente for President and Vice President on the Green Party ticket.  Green Party member Barry Hermanson is running for US Representative of the CA12 district, against incumbent Jackie Speier, who supported the $700 bailout of Wall Street from the first vote.  And Californians will be voting on a wide variety of propositions and measures, both statewide and local.  We have our recommendations for you!  Read on for more information on all these races.

Cynthia McKinney and Rosa Clemente--Go Green Gals!

In July, at the Chicago nominating convention, Green Party delegates nominated former Georgia US Representative Cynthia McKinney to be the party's presidential candidate.  Ms. McKinney selected community activist Rosa Clemente to be her running mate, becoming the first ticket in American history to feature two women.  Find out the latest on their historic campaign at http://votetruth08.com.

Barry Hermanson for Congress!

Our very own Green Party member Barry Hermanson is running for US Representative of the CA12 district.  We strongly encourage all San Mateo County Greens (most of San Mateo County is in CA12; the remainder in CA14), Democrats and other progressives to support Barry.  Let's send a message to the Democratic Party that progressives around the country know that the Democratic Party is failing to represent them in Washington.

Barry is challenging not only the other candidates, but the entire Democratic Party to end the war and reverse the enormous spending on militarism, so that needs of ordinary Americans can be addressed.  Barry is challenging the Democratic Party's support of the most massive corporate bailout in history.  Barry is speaking out about things you don't hear on the corporate-sponsored Presidential debates.

See video of Barry debating the other candidates and hold their feet to the fire on their support for massive military budgets.  Read about his history as a businessman who puts people over profits successfully . Support Barry with a contribution of a few dollars.  He's pledged to take no contribution larger than $100, and only from individuals, as is the Green Party way.

Visit Barry Hermanson's web site and see what's going on!

Statewide and Local propositions--a Green voting guide

With every California election comes many ballot propositions and measures.  Some are clear, some are complicated.  The Green Party of San Mateo County met to debate the merits of the propositions and measures, and has compiled a voting guide to help you decide.

Upcoming Events

All are invited and welcome

Thursday October 16th, 7-9 pm. County Council Formation Meeting.  At Araujo's La Taqueria.  San Mateo Greens--come out to elect your new County Council!  Eat great mexican food at a restaurant belonging to a fellow Green.  Contact gpsmc@cagreens.org for more information.

For more events, see the GPSMC Calendar (click on individual events to see their details).

Other calendars of interest:


GPSMC Office

Our office space is in transition!

Our old office on 2nd Ave in San Mateo is now closed.  We are currently seeking office space in San Mateo County.  If you know of an office space for rent in San Mateo county, let us know.  We're looking for a 1st-floor space (upper-story space with handicapped access) that's close to public transportation.  Sharing space with an organization which uses office space during the day on weekdays would be beneficial.

 

The Four Pillars of the Green Party

G

Democracy • Ecology • Economic Justice • Nonviolence

The Four Pillars grew out of the two fundamental principles of the German Green Party as formulated by its founders, Petra Kelly, Joseph Beuys and Heinrich Böll.

The two principles are Democracy and Ecology, or Ecology and Democracy. They are equal and the order is not important; what is important is that each imposes limits on the other.

A totalitarian state could be built on an ecological platform. If the primary ecological problem is perceived to be overpopulation, then the state could solve the problem by killing large numbers of people. This is not a Green solution because a totalitarian state is by definition undemocratic.

On the other hand, a society could decide by a democratic decision-making process to plunder the Earth for the benefit of the present generation and let the future take care of itself. This might be democratic, but it is not ecological, and therefore also not Green.

But what if a democratic decision was made to murder large numbers of people for the good of the environment? What if a decision was made to keep large numbers of people in abject poverty because the really poor use less of the Earth's resources? For these reasons the two principles were expanded to the Four Pillars.

Economic Justice was added because without some level of material well-being individuals do not have the time, education, or peace of mind to take part in society, and without such participation no real democracy is possible.

Nonviolence was added as a very broad concept. It is not simply the absence of war. Our commitment to nonviolence doesn't mean only that we should stop killing, maiming, and torturing each other (although that would be a good idea), but also that we should stop the violence that we commit on the world around us, on the biosphere, on all the forms of life on our planet. Atomic weapons are wrong not just because they kill people, but also because of the general mess they create even if never used, from the mining of uranium to the disposal of the waste, and all the steps in between.

—George McGuire, New York, September 2002