GREEN PARTY PRESIDENTIAL UPDATE . . . October 18, 2012, Jill Stein reported “Our arrest went viral in the U.S. We’re trending in Egypt on Twitter. The world is watching. Interview requests are pouring in from around the globe.
On election day, winning 1% of the vote puts us squarely back on the political map. We’ll make history with a win of 3%. And we’re dealing with a total game changer at 5% by unleashing $20 million in public funds for the Green Party’s 2016 presidential bid. Please contribute today. Every dollar will increase our outreach. Thank you for your support. I’m so proud to be part of a campaign owned and operated by supporters like you.”
Amy Goodman wrote “Binders Full of Women, and Two Women Bound,” for Truthdig, October 19th. It begins “You may have noticed that the Green Party presidential candidate, Dr. Jill Stein, was absent from the “town hall” presidential debate at Hofstra University the other night. That’s because she was shackled to a chair in a nearby New York police facility, along with her running mate, Green Party vice president nominee Cheri Honkala. Their crime: attempting to get to the debate so Stein could participate in it. While Mitt Romney uttered the now-famous line that he was given “whole binders full of women” while seeking staff as newly-elected governor of Massachusetts in 2002, the real binders were handcuffs used to shackle these two women, who are mothers, activists and the Green Party’s presidential ticket for 2012.”
Democracy Now! coverage of the arrests, “Green Party Candidates Arrested, Shackled to Chairs For 8 Hours After Trying to Enter Hofstra Debate,” October 17th, quotes Stein’s condemnation of “this mock debate, this mockery of democracy.” Just hours after being released, Stein was in the Democracy Now! studio.
Exclusive: Expanding the Debate with Third-Party Candidates Jill Stein, Virgil Goode, Rocky Anderson, on Democracy Now! October 17th gave Dr. Stein, Goode and Anderson the same amount of time to answer the same questions posed to the corporate candidates. Amy Goodman introduces the expanded debate: “President Obama and Republican challenger Mitt Romney sparred last night in their second of three debates. Today, in a two-hour special, we expand the debate by including the voices of three presidential candidates shut out of the official debate. We are joined by Jill Stein of the Green Party, Constitution Party nominee Virgil Goode, and Justice Party candidate Rocky Anderson. We re-air parts of last night’s presidential debate, pausing the videotape to give third-party candidates a chance to respond to the same questions put to the major-party candidates.”
Another DN! video, “Secret Debate Contract Reveals Obama and Romney Campaigns Exclude Third Parties, Control Questions,” October 16th, reveals “As President Obama and Republican challenger Mitt Romney prepare for their second debate tonight at Hofstra University on Long Island, we speak with George Farah, author of “No Debate: How the Republican and Democratic Parties Secretly Control the Presidential Debates.” The debate will feature questions from the audience that have been pre-selected by moderator Candy Crowley of CNN — a detail revealed when Time magazine published the contract secretly negotiated by the Obama and Romney campaigns and the Commission on Presidential Debates.”
Also from the October 16th Democracy Now!, “Presidential Debates Highlight “Faux Objectivity” of Mainstream Journalists: “The issue is not what separates Romney and Obama, but how much they agree. This hidden consensus has to be exposed,” writes Guardian columnist Glenn Greenwald about the presidential debates as he criticizes the recent performances of the debate moderators. Greenwald also criticizes the exclusion of third-party candidates. “Only by excluding those candidates and having the two parties focus on the tiny differences that they have … can this mythology be maintained that we have massive and real choice in this country,” Greenwald says. We also speak to George Farah, author of “No Debate: How the Republican and Democratic Parties Secretly Control the Presidential Debates.”
SEE MEDIA COVERAGE FROM THROUGHOUT THE CAMPAIGN at http://www.jillstein.org/media_coverage.
This coming Monday and Tuesday evening, October 22 and 23, Jill Stein will take part in two real debates. All of the national ballot-qualified presidential candidates have been invited. Larry King, Amy Goodman, Thom Hartmann, and others will moderate. In the real debates, Jill Stein will be talking about the issues neglected in the CPD debates -climate change, civil liberties, drone warfare, drug policy, and the student loan debt, for example.
Monday Oct. 22, Democracy Now!’s expanded online presidential debate: Jill Stein will respond in real time to the same questions as Barack Obama and Mitt Romney. Click here for more details.
Tuesday Oct. 23, Broadcast live on Al Jazeera and on the web: Free & Equal’s live online debate with Jill Stein and presidential candidates Gary Johnson (LP), Rocky Anderson (JP), and Virgil Goode (CP), with host Larry King accepting debate questions in advance on Reddit. Click here for more details.
“We need a serious debate focused on energy: Phasing out coal plants, ending mountaintop removal, banning fracking, and halting the Keystone XL pipeline.” –Jill Stein
From “Imagine All the Voters Treating the Green Party like another realistic option,” by Carrie Peyton Dahlberg, North Coast Journal, September 27, 2012, quoting Jill Stein, “To go into the voting booth and vote for either Wall-Street-backed candidate, that is the definition of throwing away your vote.” WRITE-IN JILL STEIN AND CHERI HONKALA IN NEBRASKA. Another U.S. is Possible — Another Party is Necessary.
Lincoln area: Congressional District 1
UNITED NATIONS DAY BANQUET . . . Sunday, October 21, 2012, 6:00pm, the Nebraska Chapter of UNA-USA will present “Global Water, Food Security, and the United Nations,” at the Nebraska Wesleyan University Student Center, 50th and St. Paul, in Lincoln. Keynote Speaker will be Roberto Lenton, Founding Director of the Daugherty Water for Food Program at UN-L. For more information, and to make a reservation, e-mail unanebraska [at] gmail [dot] com.
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. “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.
L.E.S. NEEDS YOUR INPUT . . . Lincoln Electric System is developing an Integrated Resources Plan that will serve as a road map for how LES will provide electricity to Lincoln residents in the future. 85% of Lincoln’s electricity now comes from coal-fired power plants. Do you want more wind? More solar? More energy efficiency? Learn about the LES draft plan, ask questions, and make your voice heard Tuesday, October 23, 7:00pm, on the LES proposed 2013 budget and rate adjustment, at the LES Walter Canney Service Center, 2620 Fairfield, Lincoln.
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.
TAR SANDS AWARENESS AT BOURBON . . . Saturday, October 27, 2012, 5:30 to 6:30pm, “Raising the Red Flag on Tarsands, Be a New Energy Voter” will be presented at the Bourbon Theatre/Bar, 1415 O Street, Lincoln. There will be Movie Talk featuring Pipe Dreams, with Moms from Michigan and Nebraskans featured in the film speaking to the devastation to our land, water and air, caused from toxic tar sands, as documented in the film. All ages are welcome. FB event link: http://www.facebook.com/events/322040707887684/.
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.
NEBRASKA WIND CONFERENCE . . . The 5th annual Nebraska Wind Conference, will be Monday and Tuesday, October 22 and 23, 2012, at the Cornhusker Hotel, 333 South 13th Street, in Lincoln. Register, view the program, and learn more about Nebraska’s largest conference on renewable energy at http://nebraskawindconference.com/
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 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, October 24, 2012, the film will be “Matewan,” John Sayles’ period feature about a volatile 1920s labor dispute in the town of Matewan, West Virginia, a coal town where local miners’ lives are controlled by the powerful Stone Mountain Coal Company. A discussion will follow the film. EveryOne is welcome. For more information, click here. The People’s Film Festival – Expanding Political Consciousness Since 2004.
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.
ATM LEAFLETTING IN OMAHA . . . An Alternatives To the Military supporter who lives in Omaha would like to put together and participate in a local leafletting group there. She wants to start small–maybe leafletting at just one or two schools. If you have an interest in joining a Omaha ATM group, please contact Kevin Haake, atmlincoln@gmail.com. The FB link is http://www.facebook.com/atmlincoln. Twitter is http://www.twitter.com/ATMLincolnNE.
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
GREEN TEAM IN HASTINGS . . . Central Community College Hastings Campus will host a Green Team Roundtable meeting on Wednesday, October 24, 2012, 11:30am to 1:00pm, in the Walnut Room of the Platte Building on CCC Campus, 550 South Technical Blvd., three miles east of Hastings on U.S. Highway 6. CCC’s efforts to reduce its environmental impacts will be discussed, and a newly organized Hastings Green Team will be present to give a report on its progress to-date. For more information on upcoming Roundtable locations and topics go to www.wastecapne.org/greenteams or contact Julie Diegel, 402.434.7376; or email jdiegel [at] wastecapne [dot] org.
KEYSTONE XL PIPELINE UPDATE . . . “Public addresses commissioners about pipeline issues,” from the York News Times, October 18, 2012, begins “A number of people addressed the York County Commissioners this week, as the board readdresses its haul route agreement with TransCanada for the proposed Keystone XL pipeline.” The article is Part II of a series on landowners’ concerns along the route.
The Tar Sands Blockade sent out a big expression of gratitude to those who have joined the Blockade. Following a weekend of direct action training, 50 blockaders attempted to break through police lines and some succeeded in reaching the people sitting in trees to restock their food and water supplies. More engaged in other types of actions to stop the construction of the Keystone XL Pipeline. Occupier Dave Warren was moved by his experience at the training to write a poem. This week Chris Hedges interviewed Tom Weis of Climate Crisis Solutions. Tom is riding his rocket trike throughout Colorado delivering letters to campaign headquarters asking both candidates to withdraw support for the pipeline. You can learn more about his travels on this week’s edition of Clearing the FOG Radio Show. And if you are still not convinced that this campaign is not only winnable, but necessary for our future survival, watch the newest Planetary Service Announcement, and please share this video widely!
Reader Supported News reported on the temporary shut down of Keystone I on October 19th “after tests showed possible safety issues.”
From “Keystone XL Pipeline Brings Out the Protest in Locals,” by Molly Hennessy-Fiske, LA Times, also in RSN October 20th: “Texas landowners are joining outside activists in the fight against the massive tar sands pipeline going in across their properties. Some, including one great-grandmother, have been hauled to jail.”
“Why I’m Standing Up To the Keystone Pipeline,” by Daryl Hannah, was published in RSN, October 17th. “Seems there’s showdown in Texas, but, in fact, it’s a battle being waged all over the United States.” From the article, “Make no mistake, we are going through fire. If we just stand there doing nothing, we are going to get burned. But if we accept our ethical responsibility to stand up for each other, and for our life support systems, and if we focus on and work tirelessly for a better future, then that just may be within our reach.”
From Page 1 of 2, “Join the Blockade of the Keystone Pipeline,” by Chris Hedges, Truthdig, October 15th: “The next great battle of the Occupy movement may not take place in city parks and plazas, where the security and surveillance state is blocking protesters from setting up urban encampments. Instead it could arise in the nation’s heartland, where some ranchers, farmers and enraged citizens, often after seeing their land seized by eminent domain and their water supplies placed under mortal threat, have united with Occupiers and activists to oppose the building of the Keystone XL tar sand pipeline. They have formed an unusual coalition called Tar Sands Blockade (TSB). Centers of resistance being set up in Texas and Oklahoma and on tribal lands along the proposed route of this six-state, 1,700-mile proposed pipeline are fast becoming flashpoints in the war of attrition we have begun against the corporate state. Join them.”
Video of “Texas Landowners Join Environmentalists for Historic Blockade of Keystone XL Tar Sands Pipeline,” was on Democracy Now! October 15th: “A standoff is underway in Texas over construction of the Keystone XL oil pipeline, which would run oil from the Canadian tar sands fields to U.S. refineries on the Gulf Coast. In a protest now entering its fourth week, dozens of environmental activists working with local Texas landowners have blocked the pipeline’s path with tree sits and other nonviolent protests. We speak to Susan Scott, who owns land where the pipeline will run; actress Daryl Hannah, who was arrested there last week and has long been active in protests against the pipeline; and Tar Sands Blockade coalition spokesperson Ron Seifert.”
“Fresh Recruits, More Arrests Begin Week Four in Texas Tar Sands Blockade,” by Candice Bernd, Truthout, October 15th reported “As the Texas tar sands tree-sit enters its fourth week, activists re-enter the tree village to supply and defend members of the Tar Sands Blockade. The arrests continue.”
From “Keystone XL Contractor and SUNY Buffalo Shale Institute Conduct LA County’s Fracking Study,” by Steve Horn, DeSmogBlog, also in Truthout, October 16th, “A huge report was published on Oct. 10 by Los Angeles County that’ll likely open the floodgates for hydraulic fracturing (“fracking”) for unconventional oil and gas in the Monterey Shale basin. The report, as it turns out, was done by LA County in name only. …In the opening paragraphs of his article, Ruben Vives of the Times wrote, “A long-awaited study released Wednesday says the controversial oil extraction method known as hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, would not harm the environment if used at the Inglewood Oil Field in the Baldwin Hills area.” …It’s not until the middle of the story that Vives says the study wasn’t done by LA County itself, but rather what he describes as a “consulting firm that conducted the study” by the name of Cardno Entrix. Cardno Entrix isn’t any ordinary “consulting firm.” It’s the third party contractor that conducted the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS), ran the public hearings and made the website all on behalf of the Obama State Department’s review process for the controversial Keystone XL tar sands pipeline. Cardno Entrix, in turn, was hired by TransCanada to do the EIS, a conflict-of-interest blatant enough that it’s yielded an ongoing Office of the Inspector General investigation of State’s entire review process.”
“With pipeline, Texas landowners take a rare stand against Big Oil,” by AP, was published in Lincoln Journal-Star October 18th. The article quotes Julia Trigg Crawford, and other Texas landowners, about their opposition to construction of TransCanada’s 1,179-mile-long tar sands XL pipeline.
LJS also published “PSC official now agrees about secondary pipeline role” October 16th, reviewing how confused elected officials are on the role of the Public Service Commission vs Department of Environmental Quality when it comes to the pipeline issue.
“Why Scientists Are in Alarm Mode Over the Keystone XL Pipeline,” by Laray Polk, was published by Alternet October 18th. “Environmental science gets politicized because it has economic implications,” says a leading scientist. …it is time to consider environment and economy as mutually dependent: “We’re at a stage we can’t afford to lose any more forests in the world. The building up of carbon, year after the year, is the problem. We’re pulling climate out from under all life including civilization, and the consequences of that are devastating.”
From “Alberta Tar Sands Illegal Under Treaty 8, First Nations Charge,” by Kristin Moe, The First Perspective, October 19th: “In 1899, First Nations in northern Alberta signed a treaty with Queen Victoria that enshrined their right to practice traditional lifeways. Today, it’s the basis for a legal challenge to Shell Oil’s mining of tar sands.”
October 15th, “Nebraska Pipeline Debate Dies Down Despite Unresolved Problems with Keystone XL Route,” Lisa Song reported for InsideClimate News: “The decision to detour the Keystone XL around land owned by its noisiest opponents, plus the distraction of the fall election, has lowered the volume of protests against the proposed pipeline. In the reroute TransCanada released in early September, 55 miles of the pipeline still run through Holt County, an area that sits above the aquifer and is especially vulnerable to oil spills due to its permeable soils and high water table. Despite a few small adjustments, the route through the county is nearly identical to the route TransCanada, the pipeline operator, proposed in April.”
SAVE THE DATES: Saturday, October 27, 2012, and Saturday, December 1, 2012. “Raising the Red Flag on Tar Sands,” will be Saturday, October 27th, 5:30-6:30pm, at the Bourbon Theatrer, 1415 O Street, Lincoln. This will be a Movie Talk featuring Pipe Dreams. Moms from Michigan have been invited to speak on the devastating tar sands spill in their state that is documented in the movie, and the ongoing threat of the TransCanada Keystone XL to our land, water and air. Nebraskans featured in the movie will also be present. All ages are welcome. Facebook event link: http://www.facebook.com/events/322040707887684/.
And tickets are now on sale for the “Do the Math” tour with Bill McKibben in Omaha on December 1st, at the Joslyn Museum, 2200 Dodge Street, 6:00 to 9:00pm. McKibben will be on a nationwide tour talking about climate, oil subsidies, and the pipeline. Purchase tickets online here.
An e-mail from ForestEthics covers a new report, “Tar Sands Refineries: Communities at Risk,” that exposes the appalling health problems that tar sands refineries dump onto U.S. communities. The Environmental Protection Agency 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.
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, 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.”
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.“