“The Nebraska Green Party is more than an “alternative” party. It is the IMPERATIVE PARTY.  It is imperative that we redirect our nation’s economy away from perpetual wars over oil. We need to redirect our nation’s resources toward renewable energy education so our young people can spend their lives inventing and building the clean and renewable Green Energy Economy of the 21st century and beyond. With a growing global population of more than 6.8 billion people and a declining natural resource base to work with, it is essential that we move as quickly as possible toward a clean and renewable Green Energy Economy to revitalize our family farms, rural communities, nations and global community. By voting Green, you are NOT throwing away your vote. You are building a global Green Movement working in over 80 countires for world peace and clean, renewable energy that meets the needs of current generations without depleting natural resources for future generations. GREEN VOTES COUNT MORE THAN EVER IN THIS ELECTION!” –Steve Larrick

NEBRASKA GREEN PARTY CANDIDATES . . . Green Party candidates for 2008 in Partisan elections are Steve Larrick, U.S. Senate; and for Douglas County Board, District 1: Scott Hoffman. LaVerne Thraen has filed for the Non-Partisan OPPD Board of Directors Metro District, and Doug Paterson is a candidate for Public Service Commission District 2 in Omaha.

LARRICK FOR SENATE YARD SIGNS and T’s AVAILABLE . . . Pick up a Larrick for Senate yard sign at 920 South 8th Street, Lincoln. Find signs on the front porch. Or leave a message with your phone number and address at 402.483.0425 to have signs delivered. If you can help place signs, especially on high traffic streets, or if you want a Larrick for Senate T-shirt, phone Steve at 435.5612. In Omaha, phone 402.561.9281 for pick up or delivery of signs and T’s. To help Steve purchase tv time, send checks to Larrick for Senate, 920 South 8th Street, Lincoln, NE. 68508. Financial assistance of any amount will go directly to tv outreach. The future of Nebraska Green Party depends on a 5% Larrick for Senate vote November 4, 2008. Help counteract the media blackout by spreading the word. Click here to learn about Steve’s background and issues positions.

BENSON CANDIDATES FORUM . . . Monday October 27, 2008, Omaha’s Benson Neighborhood Association will host a Candidates Forum at the Benson Baptist Church, 6319 Maple Street. Steve Larrick will be there. The other two active US Senate candidates are sending stand-ins. The event is from 7:00 to 8:30pm. There are is plenty of parking at the accessible meeting location.

VIGIL AGAINST THE DEATH PENALTY . . . Death Penalty Abolitionists vigil every Monday from noon to 1:00pm in front of the governor’s mansion, 1425 H Street, Lincoln. Make a simple sign, and join the vigil for a few minutes, or the hour. On Tuesday, October 28, 2008, Kathleen Hawk Norman, founder of Jurors for Justice and head of The New Orleans Innocence Project, will be interviewed by Molly Pitcher on KZUM’s Melting Pot, 89.3fm, at 9:00am. The interview will be streamed live at KZUM 89.3. Click here for an October 18, 2008 Omaha World Herald article on Ms. Norman. For more information, phone Nebraskans Against the Death Penalty at 402.477.7787.

DISTRICT 1 CHAPTER MEETING . . . Lincoln area Greens will meet at the home of US Senate candidate Steve Larrick, 920 South 8th Street, 7:00pm, Tuesday, October 28, 2008, for the October Congressional District 1 Chapter meeting. Plans for the last week of campaign activities in Lincoln will be finalized.

“DEMOCRACY AND RELIGION: AMERICA AND ISRAEL” . . . Tuesday, October 28, 2008, at 7:00pm, professor and author Ronald Dworkin will present the E.N. Thompson Lecture on World Issues at the Lied Center for Performing Arts, 12th & R Streets, Lincoln. The lecture is free, but required tickets are available here.  There will be a follow-up discussion on Dworkin’s lecture, “Democracy and Religion: America and Israel,” led by Ron Hull, in rooms 155 and 157 at St. Paul United Methodist Church, 12th & M Streets, on Thursday, October 30, 2008, at 7:30pm. A recording of the lecture will be presented at 6:30.

PAKISTANI WOMEN’S ADVOCATE TO SPEAK IN LINCOLN . . . Shamsa Ali, an attorney and Fulbright Scholar, will speak on Women and Islam, Tuesday, October 28, 2008, 7:00pm at Notheast United Church of Christ, 6200 Adams Street, in Lincoln. After a brief presentation, Ms. Ali will answer questions. An informal reception will follow. The public is invited. For more information, click here.

LINCOLN PEACE VIGILS . . . Join weekly peace vigils at the Federal Building, 15th and O streets in Lincoln, 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.

CENTRAL NEBRASKA PEACEWORKERS VIGIL . . . Congressional District 3 Greens and Central Nebraska Peaceworkers will meet for a one hour Peaceful Solidarity Gathering on Thursday, October 30, 2008, 5:30pm, at Webb and State Streets in Grand Island, Nebraska. Peace signs will be available, or bring your own.

THE FUTURE OF PERSHING CENTER . . . Lincolnites are invited to an open house and meeting on the future of Pershing Center, Wednesday, October 29, 2008, 5:00 to 7:30pm, at Pershing, 226 Centennial Mall South. Presentations on the history of event facilities in Lincoln will be at 5:15, 5:45, 6:15, and 6:45pm. The Mayor, Pershing Advisory Board members, and NU Athletic Director Tom Osborne will be present to hear from residents. The meeting is part of a Pershing Adaptive Reuse and Site Study being managed through the Lincoln-Lancaster County Planning Department in cooperation with the Pershing Advisory Board and Pershing Center staff. The study includes a design contest for UNL architecture students. Student entries will be on display at the meeting.

FLIER LARRICK FOR SENATE AT “CAPITOL STEPS” . . . Political Satirists Capitol Steps will perform Thursday, October 30, 2008, 7:30pm at the Lied Center, 12th & R Streets in Lincoln.  Join Steve Larrick and Greens between 6:45 and 7:30pm to flier Larrick for Senate information as the audience arrives.

2009 STATE ENERGY PLAN . . . Nebraskans statewide are invited to provide input on a new State Energy Plan with three areas of focus: Energy Independence, Job Creation/Economic Development, and Energy Efficiency for Government. Scheduled Comment Sessions are as follows: Wednesday, October 29, 2008, 9:00-11:00am in Broken Bow, Custer County Fairgrounds Paddock Room, 1710 Cherokee Lane; Thursday, October 30, 9:00-11:00am in Scottsbluff, University of Nebraska Panhandle Research Center, Bluestem Room; Monday, November 3, 1:00-4:00pm, in Chadron, Chadron State College, Burkheiser Hall Room 109, 10th & Main Street; in Valentine, Cherry County Coop Extension Conference Room, 132 South Hall Street Suite 1; in Norfolk, NECC, Maclay Building Room 122, 801 E. Benjamin Avenue; Wednesday November 5, 1:00-4:00pm in McCook, McMillen Hall Room 208; in Hastings, Hastings Public Library 2nd Floor, 517 West 4th Street; Thursday, November 6, 9:00-11:00am in Riverview Lodge, Mahoney State Park; Friday, November 7, 9:00-11:00am in Nebraska City, Steinhart Lodge, 125 Steinhart Park Road. The 2009 Energy Plan will be available here after October 28. Written comments will be accepted through November 21 at energy [at] nebraska [dot] gov or to the Nebraska Energy Office by 5:00pm, November 21, 2008.

7 STEPS TO END WAR AND SAVE THE PLANET . . . Former Lincoln pastor Steve Ratzlaff will be in Lincoln to present his new book and lead a discussion at First Mennonite Church, 7300 Holdrege Street, on Thursday, October 30, 2008, 7:00pm. 7 Steps to End War and Save the Planet makes a passionate case for finding ways to stop war and global warming by working peacefully together. The public is welcome. More information is available here.

COMMUNITY SERVICE OPPORTUNITY . . . The Lancaster County Board of Commissioners is seeking community members to serve on the County Extension Board for 3-year terms beginning January, 2009. The Extension Board represents and assists UN-L Extension staff with Agricultural Profitability and Sustainability and issues concerning Children, 4-H, Youth and Families, Food Safety, Health and Wellness, Water Quality and the Environment. Monthly board meetings are usually at 8:00am on the second Friday. Registered Lancaster County voters must apply for an appointment by November 1, 2008. Applications are available here. (.pdf)

RECYCLE CFLs NOW THROUGH NOVEMBER 30 . . . WasteCap Nebraska is coordinating a pilot recycling program for individuals and businesses. Drop off burned-out compact fluorescent lamps at Ace Hardward stores in Lincoln, now through November 30, 2008. A 60 cent recycling fee per bulb will be offset by a 60 cent coupon toward the purchase of a new CFL. Learn the benefits of CFLs and how to safely dispose of broken bulbs here or phone 1.888.E-Waste-9.

STATE’S FIRST WIND ENERGY CONFERENCE . . . Nebraska’s first Wind Energy Conference is November 11 and 12, 2008 in Kearney at the Holiday Inn Convention Center. Hosted by the Nebraska Wind Working Group and the Nebraska Energy Office, the Conference will feature nationally known wind experts, industry exhibits, and sessions on small wind turbines, land issues, and financing. Registration is $60 per person until November 1, 2008. After November 1, registration is $75 per person. Pre-Register here.

“I am running for the US Senate to help America become a world leader in peaceful economic development, renewable energy, universal health care, a just economy, and a model of democracy shaped by the people rather than by war profiteers and multinational corporations.”   –Steve Larrick

We are not the alternative; we are the imperative. ReShape ’08. Register Green. Vote Green.