OntheWilderSide

More reasons to end the wars now! (A Liberty perspective)

Posted on July 22, 2010 by kwilder

Hat/tip to Paulie at Independent Political Report for reporting on this story. -KW

Libertarian Party Monday Message:
10 reasons to end the wars now

Dear Friend of Liberty,

The long wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have been back in the news recently, and we just had the bizarre spectacle of the Republican National Committee Chairman saying he didn’t like Obama’s war in Afghanistan, while the DNC chastised him for failing to support the troops.

Here are ten reasons to end the wars now. I hope you’ll take a look at some of the links.

1. American military and contractor casualties in Iraq and Afghanistan.

2. Iraqi and Afghanistan civilian and military casualties.

3. These wars are a tremendous waste of taxpayer money in a time of extreme deficits, high unemployment and a falling stock market. Read more »

Filed under: 3rd party, afghanistan, Anti-War, international politics, Iraq, News, politics, third party, US Politics, war | Tagged: afghanistan, Anti-War, Iraq, Libertarian Party, military, military casualties, Patriot Act, Peace, Third Party politics, Wes Benedict | 2 Comments »

Guv cand Hawkins (G-NY) Opposes Increased Jail Time for Lawyer Lynne Stewart

Posted on July 21, 2010 by iwilder

The only way that the Green Party can regain ballot status in NY is to get 50,000 votes for their Governor candidate in 2010. This opportunity comes only once every four years, and it only applies to the Governor’s race. Gaining ballot status will enable the Green Party to run more peace candidates, more single-payer candidates, more anti-fracking candidates, and more sustainable energy candidates. The last time that the Green Party of New York State had ballot status it set the record for running the most Green candidates of any state.

Calls it an Attempt to Intimidate Lawyers Representing Unpopular Clients

Howie Hawkins, the Green Party of New York State candidate for Governor, harshly condemned the increased jail time ordered for civil rights attorney Lynne Stewart, calling it an affront to the American legal system.

Hawkins, who was arrested last November at a single payer universal health care protest at the Syracuse offices of WellPoint, the largest health insurance conglomerate in the US. said:

This is not about Lynne Stewart. This is about any lawyer defending an unpopular client. It undermines our system of legal representation, which is based on an adversarial system where the defendant has the right to confront their accusers. Her increased sentence is an effort to intimidate lawyers who defend controversial clients. Ms. Stewart has an exemplary record as a legal advocate for the poor and the oppressed and should be released from prison. I call upon President Obama to immediately provide her clemency and to put an end to this travesty of justice,.

Lynne Stewart was re-sentenced as per order of the higher court from original sentence of 28 months to 10 years and a month. This could keep her behind bars until she turns 80. Read more »

Filed under: 3rd party, Action Alert!, activism, election, Election 2010, elections, grassroots democracy, Green Party, New York State Politics, News | 2 Comments »

Labor Committee for Hawkins for Governor (G-NY) is Launched

Posted on July 21, 2010 by iwilder

Labor activists from throughout New York State have started a committee to support the gubernatorial campaign of Green Party nominee Howie Hawkins.

Howie Hawkins is a member of Teamsters Local 317 and active in the national Teamster rank-and-file reform caucus, Teamsters for a Democratic Union. Howie presently works unloading trucks and rail cars at UPS. He is the former Director of CommonWorks, a federation of cooperatives working for an economy that is cooperatively owned, democratically controlled, and ecologically sustainable.

Jon Flanders

Jon Flanders, a railroad machinist, past president of Local 1145 of International Association of Machinists, co-chair of Railroad Workers United, a cross craft caucus of North American railroad workers. and a trustee of the Troy Area Labor Council said:

I’m supporting Howie Hawkins because I believe that working people will never move forward in the political field until we support candidates and a party by and for workers. The Democrats and Republicans are fundamentally creatures of the corporations that fund them and therefore represent their interests. Howie Hawkins is a working Teamster who understands this question, and who will fight with us for a working class agenda. Read more »

Filed under: 3rd party, Action Alert!, activism, Election 2010, elections, grassroots democracy, Green Party, Labor, New York State Politics, News | Tagged: Labor, union | 2 Comments »

What would a new black political strategy for the 21st century look like?

Posted on July 21, 2010 by iwilder

from Black Agenda Report

Going Republican is not an option. Today’s Republican party is the party of white supremacy and empire, pure and simple. If it’s time to jump the Democratic ship, this time we have to build a new one that goes where we need to go.

Democrats and Republicans don’t want anybody building parties outside the two party duopoly, and have constructed a maze of discriminatory ballot access laws to prevent it. Law firms affiliated with the Democratic Party caused the 2000 and 2004 Ralph Nader campaigns to spend millions defending itself in court against spurious legal challenges. If it wasn’t a weak point, an obvious point of assault, Democrats and Republicans would not make putting a new party’s candidates on the ballot so difficult.

There is a network of Green parties all over the world, and while the Green party in the US has internal problems, its structure makes each individual state organization virtually independent and self sufficient. On the state level, many Green parties already have won a degree of ballot access, but are nearly empty shells, buses parked by the roadside with the keys and title in the glove compartments. It’s time for black activists to walk in, put our names on those titles, take the keys, and drive these buses off.

Filed under: 3rd party, activism, Anti-War, election, Election 2010, elections, grassroots democracy, Green Party, Political Websites, politics, US Politics | 1 Comment »

Guv cand Whitney (G-IL) Calls for Real Primary Reform

Posted on July 21, 2010 by iwilder

Rich Whitney’s Reaction to Public Policy Polling Results

Rich Whitney

Green Party governor candidate Rich Whitney was critical of Illinois Governor Pat Quinn for his amendatory veto that would partially change the way voters participate in primaries. Whitney’s issue with Quinn was twofold: the technique used and the limited reform it will institute. Quinn used the instrument to amend HB4842. Quinn’s amendment removed the necessity for one to publicly declare party affiliation before voting in the primary.

For Whitney, the reform does not go far enough. He concluded that “I would not support such legislation. The more fundamental question is whether the state has any right to dictate to any political party the process by which it selects it’s candidates. As a free association of individuals, political parties should be permitted to decide for itself how it wishes to choose it’s officers and candidates: whether that is through a primary, a series of caucuses, a vote of dues paying members, a convention or some other process. That’s the real issue. Quinn is trying to address a rotten structure by replacing one floorboard. It’s the whole system that’s the problem.” Read more »

Filed under: News | 5 Comments »

Sheehan: Stop Voting for Either Wing of the War Party

Posted on July 21, 2010 by iwilder

Requiem for the Antiwar Movement by Cindy Sheehan