Green Notes Week of September 23, 2012

GREEN PARTY PRESIDENTIAL UPDATE . . . The Secretary of State has notified Nebraska Green Party that we did not submit enough valid registered voters’ signatures to qualify Jill Stein and Cheri Honkala for non-partisan ballot status in November.
Quoting a September 17th letter to Lincoln Journal Star from Richard Felsing, “In reality, both sides have failed miserably over the past 20 years and have no one to blame but themselves. If there was ever a time for a third party in politics, it surely is now.” That is exactly what a few local Greens thought when we started collecting signatures last year for a 2012 NGP ballot line. There were too few of us to gather the required 4,880, plus cushion, and the deadline passed. The Stein/Honkala campaign sent a team of paid circulators to help collect 2,500+ signatures so the candidates could be on Nebraska’s ballot as non-partisan (Greens). We had more than 1,500 extra signatures, but too many of them were not valid. Now that deadline has also passed. Our only option now is a Write-In campaign. We will file the necessary papers so that any write-in votes will be counted.
Watch a 23:54 minute video of Stein and Honkala on Moyers & Company at http://billmoyers.com/segment/jill-stein-and-cheri-honkala-on-third-party-politics/.
Petition the Commission on Presidential Debates to allow Jill to participate in all of the presidential debates this year. “The Republican and Democratic Parties control the presidential debates and exclude third party candidates. This is anti-thetical to democracy. We petition the Commission on Presidential Debates to allow Jill Stein to participate in all of the presidential debates.”
Major polling organizations are also ignoring independent party candidates. Gallup Organization is the only official advisor on polling to the CPD. Tell Gallup to take 3 important actions: 1) Include Jill Stein in ALL Gallup polling. 2) Encourage other polling organizations to include Jill Stein. 3) Advise the CPD to only consider polls that have included all legitimate candidates. (The Stein campaign made history and secured Federal matching funds! Doesn’t that demonstrate significant public support?)
Write an old-fashioned letter or postcard and mail to: The Gallup Organization, 502 Carnegie Center, Suite 300, Princeton , NJ 08450
Contact: Alyssa Brown at 1.202.715.3104, alyssa_brown [at] gallup [dot] com
Contact: Zach Bikus at 1.202.715.3100, zach_bikus [at] gallup [dot] com
Post on their Facebook wall: https://www.facebook.com/gallup
Tweet: Hey @gallupnews! Don’t be so biased! Include @JillStein2012 in your #Election2012 polling!
Another U.S. is Possible — Another Party is Necessary.

FARMERS MARKETS . . . There are more than 90 local Farmers Markets in Nebraska this year. For a partial schedule of current Buy Fresh Buy Local Markets, click here.

Lincoln area: Congressional District 1

OCCUPY EDUCATION . . . Each week, a different member of the Lincoln community will host a short class on a topic of their choosing, Sundays, 7:00 to 8:00pm, September 9 through October 7, 2012, at Meadowlark Café, 1624 South Street. September 23, 2012, 7:00 to 8:00pm, Barb Van den Berg will present Mending Clothes II/Crowd-sourced Project from September 9th, at the weekly Occupy Education class.

VIGIL AGAINST THE DEATH PENALTY . . . Every Monday, noon to 1:00pm, Nebraskans for abolition of the death penalty meet in front of the governor’s mansion when weather is good, 1425 H Street, Lincoln. When weather is bad, the vigil is inside the capitol, near the Information Desk. The lunch-hour presence reminds the governor of a constituency that does not want state killings. Weekly vigils have taken place year-round since July, 1991. All abolitionists are welcome to participate for a few minutes, or the hour. Mark your calendar now for NADP’s Annual Reception and Silent Auction, Thursday, October 11, 2012, 7:00 to 8:30pm. “It’s barbaric. It’s outlawed in all but a few extremely repressive countries like Iran, China, and not many others. It’s shameful that it continues to be performed. It’s well established that mistakes are made–yet half of our states practice pre-meditated state-sponsored murder. It’s also known that it’s not effective. So why is it done? Revenge & retribution? That’s not what our justice system is supposed to be about. It’s not an effective deterrent.” –Jill Stein, GP Presidential Nominee.

NEBRASKA ENERGY DEVELOPMENT . . . State Senator Ken Haar will host a presentation on energy, public power and how we can move our state forward Monday, September 24, 2012, from 3:00 to 5:00pm, at the Hardin Hall Auditorium, 33rd and Holdrege Streets, on the University of Nebraska Lincoln East Campus. The meeting on Energy Choices for the 21st Century is free, open to the public, and will feature a question and answer period following the presentation by nationally known energy expert Ron Binz, a 30-year veteran of utility and energy policy. To share a ride from Omaha, call Mark Welsch at 402-453-0776. The Carpool would need to leave around 1:45pm on Monday.

TUESDAY FARMERS MARKET . . . Tuesdays, 4:30-7:30pm, there is a Farmers Market at St. Paul United Church of Christ, 13th & F Streets, in Lincoln, through October 9th.

WEDNESDAY FARMERS MARKETS . . . The Downtown Garden Market, M Street between 16th & Centennial, continues every Wednesday, 12:00 noon to 4:00pm. The University Place Community Market, 48th Street & Madison Avenue, is every Wednesday from 3:00 to 7:00pm.

LINCOLN PEACE VIGILS . . . Lincoln peace vigils continue at the Federal Building, 15th and O streets, every Wednesday from 5:00 to 6:00pm. Contact Mark at 402.499.6672 or e-mail mark [at] weddleton [dot] com for more information.

ATM LEAFLETTING . . . Alternatives To the Military has scheduled this fall’s first two leafletting opportunities at Lincoln High Schools: Thursday, September 27, 2012, Lincoln Southeast High School, 2930 South 37th. Meet at 38th and Van Dorn, 7:15am; and Friday, September 28th, Lincoln North Star High School, 5801 North 33rd. Meet at 7:15am in the area in front of the main doors on the east side of the school, northwest of the big (student) parking lot. This fall’s leaflet can be found here. [pdf]
An LPS opt-out form will also be enclosed. EveryOne is welcome to join ATM’s efforts to inform high school students routinely recruited by the military that they have other options. If you’d like to get involved with ATM in this way, or have questions about this work, please e-mail atmlincoln [at] gmail [dot] com. The FB link is http://www.facebook.com/atmlincoln. Twitter is http://www.twitter.com/ATMLincolnNE.

BEER, BRATS & BIRDS . . . Friday, September 28, 2012, support environmental education and birds of the Pioneers Park Nature Center located at the intersections of South Coddington and West Van Dorn Streets, Lincoln. The benefit will begin at 6:30pm with a Social Time and Music, at 7:00pm there will be Brats and More Provided by Hy-Vee, 7:30pm there will be a Bird and Raptors Presentation, and at 8:00pm at Moonlit Stroll Through the Nature Center. Tickets are available at the Nature Center. Phone 402.441.7895 for more information.

SATURDAY FARMERS MARKET . . . The Haymarket Farmers Market, on 8th Street in Lincoln’s Historic Haymarket District, is open every Saturday, 8:00am to noon, through October 13, 2012. More than 100 vendors bring farm-fresh produce, flowers, baked goods and handmade items to the local gathering place that also features a “Performance Showcase” for Nebraska folk, jazz, blues, classical, and dance talent, plus educational demonstrations and informational booths. Buy Fresh. Shop Local.

SUNDAY FARMERS MARKET . . . The Old Cheney Road Farmers Market offers local produce, baked goods and natural meats every Sunday, 10:00am to 2:00pm, at 55th Street and Old Cheney Road, through October 28th.

OCCUPY EDUCATION . . . Everyone is a teacher! Sunday, September 30, 2012, 7:00 to 8:00pm, Nick Svoboda will present Basic Bicycle Maintenance at the weekly Occupy Education class. **This teach-in will meet the Bike Kitchen, 1720 South 15th Street, Lincoln.**

OCCUPY LINCOLN . . . There is a calendar of Occupy Lincoln events here. The Facebook page is here. The Twitter feed is @OccupyLincoln. For more information, e-mail occupylincoln [at] gmail [dot] com or phone 402.585.5865. Corporate Greed is Revolution’s Seed!

Omaha area: Congressional District 2

OMAHA GREEN DRINKS . . . Omaha Green Drinks will meet Wednesday, September 26, 2012, 5:30 to 8:30pm, at Whole Foods Market, 10020 Regency Circle, in the education room by restaurant seating, across from coffee bar. Walk, cycle, bus, or carpool. EveryOne interested in environmental issues is welcome. Green Drinks Chapters are now active in 679 cities around the world.

OMAHA PEOPLE’S FILM FESTIVAL . . . There is a People’s Film Festival every Wednesday, 7:00pm, at McFoster’s Natural Kind Cafe, 38th and Harney in Omaha. Wednesday, September 26, 2012, join the People’s Film Festival for its first-ever Occupy Omaha Night, spotlighting the ever-evolving major opus of historian Howard Zinn, A People’s History of the United States. For more information, go to http://www.progressiveomaha.com/films.htm. The People’s Film Festival – Expanding Political Consciousness Since 2004. EveryOne is welcome.

RELIGION AND THE ENVIRONMENT LECTURE . . . Thursday, September 27, 2012, 6:30pm, “Serving the Crucified People: Duties to Promote Environmental Justice” will be presented by Professor Kristin Shrader-Frechette, the O’Neill Family Endowed Professor at Notre Dame, at the Creighton University Harper Center Ballroom. Shrader-Frechette is a very distinguished scientists and philosopher–a forceful, no nonsense activist for the poor and children. This will be the third annual Religion & the Environment Lecture.

SIERRA CLUB SEPTEMBER . . . “Urban Redevelopment” is the theme of this month’s Sierra Club, Thursday, September 27, 2012, 7:00pm, at First United Methodist Church, 69th & Cass Streets, Omaha. (Room 112—enter north “Education Wing” door). Jerry Reimer, Urban Village Development, and Todd Swirczek, Omaha Planning Department, will speak about how to help Omaha grow in ways that avoid urban sprawl, and develop walkable urban centers. Learn about what’s happening to revitalize the midtown core, preserve neighborhoods, and make them attractive places to live, work and play. Sierra programs are always free and open to the public.

COMMUNITY GARDENING MOVEMENT . . . Thursday, September 27, 2012, 7:30pm, there will be a discussion with Katherine Brown, Founder of City Sprouts, on “The National Community Gardening Movement: Achievements and Challenges,” at the Maurer College of Public Health Building, Room 3001, University of Nebraska Medical Center. A reception before the presentation will begin at 6:45pm. All are invited; attendance is free. For more information, e-mail ajameton [at] unmc [dot] edu. “Food is the most commanding connector of our time. People who are growing food understand that connection; the connection to each other, and to the land. [As community gardeners] we have been entrusted to create safe spaces where people can feed their families but also feed the part of them that craves connection.” – Katherine Brown

SECOND KERREY/FISCHER DEBATE . . . The Second Kerrey/Fischer Debate will be Friday, September 28, 2012, 11:00am, at the Omaha Community Playhouse, 6915 Cass Street. KETV will rebroadcast at 6:00pm, Sunday, September 30th. The Third US Senate Candidates’Debate will air Monday, October 1, 2012, 7:00pm, live from NET TV.

OMAHA PEACE VIGILS . . . Every Saturday, 1:00-2:00pm, there is a Peace Vigil at the northwest corner of 72nd and Dodge Streets in Omaha. Park next to 72nd Street, in the pet store lot. Contact Steve Horn, 402.426.9068, for more information about Saturday vigils.

OMAHA FARMERS MARKETS . . . Click here for an Omaha Market schedule.

ENGAGE OMAHA . . . One of the nation’s first city-wide, virtual town hall websites, EngageOmaha, is now online. Omaha residents may weigh in on issues for the city to consider. Pick a topic, and join the mix at http://www.engageomaha.com/.

Greater Nebraska: Congressional District 3

ENERGY POLICY IN NEBRASKA . . . The Platte Institute for Economic Research is hosting a conference to engage Nebraska’s lawmakers, citizens, and energy stakeholders in an open dialogue to address the future of energy policy in the state.
Conference participants include experts in fields such as renewable energy, ethanol production, natural gas, and public utilities. The Platte Institute’s goal is to initiate the discussion of how Nebraska can best utilize its energy resources.
When: Wednesday, September 26, 2012, 9:00am to 3:30pm. (Registration opens at 8:00am.) Where: Holiday Inn Convention Center, 110 South 2nd Avenue, Kearney. (Bold Nebraska will cover the registration cost if money is a problem for AnyOne who wants to participate.) If you have questions, please contact Kimberly Stephenson, kims [at] platteinstitute [dot] org, or phone 402.452.3737.

KEYSTONE XL PIPELINE UPDATE . . . “Keystone XL pipeline raises tribal concerns,” by Steven Mufson, was published September 17, 2012 in the Washington Post: “In energy circles, the town of Cushing is well known as the hub used by New York oil traders to set the benchmark price for all U.S. crude oil. Row after row of giant oil storage tanks are lined up around a
moribund downtown and a shopping strip. At the edge of town stands a sign made of white pipes declaring: “Pipeline Crossroads of the World.” This is also where TransCanada’s existing Keystone pipeline ends and the southern leg of its new Keystone XL pipeline will begin. Less well known is the fact that Cushing sits in the Sac and Fox Nation, part of a patchwork of land belonging to Oklahoma’s 38 tribes, each with sovereignty over its own affairs and land.” The article focused on tribal land was also published in the Lincoln Journal Star.
An e-mail from ForestEthics begins “Last month we told you about our hard-hitting report exposing the appalling health problems that tar sands refineries dump onto U.S. communities. Now we have published the report, Tar Sands Refineries: Communities at Risk. Here are some facts from the report that make it a must-read:
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) says short-term exposure to sulfur dioxide is associated with a host of respiratory problems, including decreased lung function, respiratory illness, and deterioration of the lung’s defense system.
Despite the EPA’s knowledge that health problems from refinery pollution are greater for disadvantaged groups than for others, it has failed to address the problem of tar sands refinery impacts on community health.
Big Oil wants to dramatically increase US refinery use of tar sands, further harming some of the most vulnerable populations in our society.
Take a few minutes to read this report and share it with your contacts. It is crucial that everyone know the severe health consequences of allowing more tar sands refining in our communities.
Bold Nebraska has launched a new ad featuring landowners and citizens asking Deb Fischer and Bob Kerrey whose side they are on. Same tweet/FB link: New Pipeline Ad asking @kerreybob and @DebFischer2012 whose side they are on Nebraskans or a foreign oil company #nokxl. Landowners can see if the new route crosses their land with this map. (Click on purple box to see detailed map.)
“TransCanada – The Neighbor from Hell for Many Landowners,” by Tony Iallonardo, Wildlife Promise, National Wildlife Federation, September 20th: “The company that’s been bullying landowners across the U.S. to put the dangerous Keystone XL tar sands pipeline under their private land wants you to feel okay about it. So they’ve hatched a handy slogan the boys from Mad Men would be proud of. They’ve been running a series of syrupy ads like this one to soothe our concerns and forget their past transgressions.
Here’s the thing, saying you are a good neighbor to landowners, and repeating it over and over in TV ads does not make it so. So it saddened me when the Washington Post recently quoted a TransCanada official repeating their slogan. In referring to their consultations with Native Americans he said, “There is no legal obligation to work with the tribes. We do it because we have a policy. We believe it’s a good, neighborly thing to do.” Actually they do have a legal obligation, but that’s another blog post. Continued at http://blog.nwf.org/2012/09/transcanada-the-neighbor-from-hell-for-many-landowners/.
“Few Oil Pipeline Spills Detected by Much-Touted Technology,” by Lisa Song, InsideClimate News, September 19th, is an analysis of a decade of federal data showing the general public detected far more spills than leak detection technology. Between 2002 and July 2012, remote sensors detected only 5 percent of the nation’s pipeline spills, according to data from the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration.
From “Keystone XL Re-Route Does Little to Change Direction of Debate,” by Meg Handley, published by US News “….But all the promises of minimal environmental impact and safer operations are giving some critics a sense of déjà vu. “They said the same thing [about the pipeline’s safety] the first time around,” says Anthony Swift, an attorney with the National Resource Defense Council, adding that the original Keystone pipeline was temporarily shut down after a string of more than a dozen oil spills in its first year of operation. According to Swift, many of the “special safety conditions” TransCanada has pledged to adopt in its new plan simply restate and repackage measures they proposed before.”
“TransCanada Attempts to Reroute Keystone XL Pipeline, But Tar Sands Blockade Activists Halt Construction,” by Candice Bernd, Trouthout, AlterNet, also on September 11: “The Tar Sands Blockade is coordinating a series of rolling protests along the proposed southern route through Texas and Oklahoma. …Does TransCanada really think that 1,200 people were arrested in front of the White House – and another 12,000 encircled it – just to protest the pipeline route? “I’ve realized that the traditional means to effect change, while still useful, can only go so far, and not far enough,” says Occupy Dallas member Gary Stuard who locked down Wednesday. “It is completely clear to me now that massive nonviolent direct action is really the only way to protect the rights of citizens, to protect our land, water, air – and to prevent ecological catastrophe from happening.”
Tell the Obama Administration: Reject Keystone XL. Again. The following message accompanies a new petition from Credo Action: In the same week that record June heat blanketed the southeast, Minnesota tried to recover from record flooding, and the biggest fire in Colorado’s history continued to burn out of control — President Obama doubled down in his support for the energy that is causing this deepening climate change spiral approving the first portion of the Keystone XL tar sands pipeline, giving away 720 million tons of publicly owned coal to a coal company for virtually nothing, and promising to lease more arctic offshore areas for oil drilling. Now, the Canada to Oklahoma portion of the Keystone XL pipeline – which would turn up the spigot on deadly, “game over for the climate” tar sands production – is back before the State Department after being rejected by President Obama earlier this year when Republicans tried to force his decision.
Without the pressures of the election, President Obama could conceivably cave when a decision is made in 2013 – if he is re-elected. This public comment period is our opportunity to go on the record, before the election, with our fierce opposition. Please urge President Obama to reject the Keystone XL Pipeline. (Note: Credo Action petitions do generate e-mail from other petitions.)
Sign a Natural Resources Defense Council Action Alert telling Congress to reject all attempts to force approval of the Keystone XL tar sands pipeline by attaching it to any unrelated legislation. The Keystone XL will deliver billions in profits to Big Oil while the people get stuck with poisoned water, contaminated land and an overheated planet.
“The Keystone pipeline will spew a massive amount of carbon pollution into our fragile atmosphere. It should be stopped. ” –Jill Stein, 2012 Green Party Presidential Nominee.

STOP FRACKING NOW . . . At the First-Ever National Mobilization Against Fracking on July 28th, celebrities, community groups, and more than 100 organizations joined forces for “Stop the Frack Attack” in Washington, DC, where they made three demands of Congress: 1. Stop dangerous fracking; 2. Close 7 legal loopholes that exempt the oil and gas industry from parts of the Safe Drinking Water, Clean Air, and Clean Water Acts; and 3. Implement a pathway towards 100% clean renewable energy. Learn more about the event here. Petition Congress: “We, the undersigned, call on Congress to pass the Fracturing Responsibility and Awareness of Chemicals Act this year. It’s time to hold the oil and gas production industry to the same standards as any other industry to ensure the safe protection of America’s drinking water.”

PETITION THE EPA BY MONDAY . . . The deadline is Monday, September 24, 2012, to tell the EPA: Stop stalling. Save the Bees! Submit a public comment urging the EPA to stop stalling, and take action to protect bees from the harmful pesticide clothianidin. Now is a crucial moment to make our voices heard for the bees. Submit a public comment to the EPA now.
Astonishingly, clothianidin was approved by the EPA based on virtually no scientific study. Yet the EPA continues to allow its use. Now, a group of senators have joined the call, writing a letter urging the EPA that waiting until 2018 to again review clothianidin and other neonicotinoids will be too late. Please submit a comment right now, urging the EPA to immediately suspend approval of clothianidin to protect honey bees and our food system.

BUY FRESH. BUY LOCAL . . . . Farmers, gardeners, and craftspeople meet through The Nebraska Food Cooperative, an on-line, year-round farmers’ market and local food distribution service offering the best in local freshness. For ordering and pickup schedules, refer to the calendar here. Click here for products and prices from North Star Neighbors, a Cooperative member that doesn’t therapeutically medicate or unduly confine animals. Click here for Tomato Tomäto, Omaha’s year-round indoor Farmer’s Market at 156th & West Center. Shop for fresh foods grown in or very near your own community at Open Harvest, Lincoln’s member-owned natural foods retail cooperative at 1618 South Street. Buying local grows family farming, grows the local economy, and is thousands of miles fresher.

HELP NEBRASKA GREENS WITH GOODSEARCH . . . Each time you search the Internet (or shop online at a participating store), a donation can be made to Nebraska Green Party at no cost to you! To help NGP in this way, enter Nebraska Green Party where it asks you to name your cause here. Bookmark the GoodSearch Homepage, or make it your own Home Page. Enter the url you want in the GoodSearch search box. Each time you do, one penny will be donated to Nebraska Greens. THANK YOU for your support!

Remember, every man-made by-product of the petroleum industry could be replaced by hemp. “Help Save the Earth, Time to Substitute Hemp for oil.“