State & Ntl Green News

The members of the Green Party's slate for local office in 2013, called Green Rochester, begins the release of their economic plan Tuesday, June 18th at 10 am at 267 Monroe Ave, in front of Monroe Square – also known as the old Sears Building. The economic plan, called A Green New Deal for Rochester, features key points focusing on local resources to affect all Rochestarians in spite of continued deference to out-of-town developers.

The GPMN will be holding its Annual Meeting on Saturday, June 22, at Brookdale Library, 6125 Shingle Creek Pkwy., Brooklyn Center.

There is good bus transportation from Minneapolis to the Brookdale terminal. Rides from the terminal to the library will be provided for those who arrive before 10 AM. Contact Allan Hancock 763-561-9758 to schedule a pickup.

The agenda includes: GPUS Elections, CC Elections, Bylaw Change, Video and Break Out Sessions, and a Candidate Panel.

The Annual Meeting provides an opportunity to amend the GPMN's Bylaws. To see the current Bylaws, go to www.mngreens.org and click on "About". There is one proposal to be considered:

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Article V. Meetings

Currently:

C. To vote, a member must be registered and in good standing for at least sixty (60)
days before an Annual Meeting, Special Meeting, Biennial Convention or Statewide
Membership Meeting. Members registered less than sixty (60) days before the meeting
or who register as members at that meeting may vote if vouched for by a member who
is qualified to vote, each of whom can vouch for no more than one person. The
Coordinating Committee or its delegate(s) shall maintain the list of registered
members of the Green Party of Minnesota. At all such meetings, final arbitration of
membership status shall be the responsibility of the Coordinating Committee.

Amended to;

C. To vote, a member must be registered and in good standing for at least sixty (60)
days and are at least 16 years of age for at least sixty (60) days before an Annual
Meeting, Special Meeting, Biennial Convention or Statewide Membership Meeting.
Members registered less than sixty (60) days and are at least 16 years of age for at
least sixty (60) days before the meeting or who register as members at that meeting
may vote if vouched for by a member who is qualified to vote, each of whom can vouch
for no more than one person. The Coordinating Committee or its delegate(s) shall
maintain the list of registered members of the Green Party of Minnesota. At all such
meetings, final arbitration of membership status shall be the responsibility of the
Coordinating Committee.
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Dr. Jill Stein and Cheri Honkala, the 2012 Green Party presidential and vice-presidential nominees, marked the beginning of Earth Week by announcing a new Green Shadow Cabinet that will serve as an independent voice in U.S. politics, putting the needs of people and protection of the planet ahead of profits for big corporations. The Cabinet will operate in the tradition of shadow cabinets in other countries, such as the United Kingdom and France, responding to actions of the government in office, and demonstrating that another government is possible.

The Green Shadow Cabinet, which is viewable at www.GreenShadowCabinet.US, includes nearly 100 prominent scientists, community and labor leaders, physicians, cultural workers, veterans, and more (http://greenshadowcabinet.us/members), and will provide an ongoing opposition and alternative voice to the dysfunctional government in Washington D.C.. It is organized into six federal branches: Democracy, Economy, Ecology, Foreign Affairs, General Welfare, and Justice. Topics include the economy, environment and climate change, health and general welfare, democratization, rights of workers, wages and labor, community power, closing military bases, ending wars for resources and restoring the rule of law. Among the top priorities will be advocating for full employment through a Green New Deal (http://www.jillstein.org/green_new_deal) and confronting climate change and the ecological crisis through a program of creating a carbon-free and nuclear free energy economy.

In honor of the launch of the Green Shadow Cabinet, members have issued public statements for Earth Week. These are available for republication at http://greenshadowcabinet.us/statements

The Green Party of the United States will hold its 2013 Annual National Meeting at Iowa Memorial Union University in Iowa City, Iowa, from Thursday, July 25 to Sunday, July 28.

Green Party leaders will begin organizing for the 2014 midterm election season. The 2013 meeting in Iowa City will also feature Green Party panels, workshops, meetings of the Green National Committee, and other events. Several Green candidates and elected officials are expected to attend.

"The meeting gives us the chance to evaluate the Presidential Campaign, plan future electoral and advocacy efforts and network with Greens from around the nation," said Tamar Yager, co-chair of the party's Annual National Meeting Committee. "It's potentially the largest face-to-face gathering of U.S. Green Party members in a non-presidental election year."

The meeting is open to the media and public. A credentialing page for reporters, bloggers, and other members of the media interested in covering the meeting will be posted online soon.

"Iowans, who live in a 'first caucus in the nation' state, have a history of being out in front on important issues: marriage equality, gender balance in state boards and commissions, integration of public schools. Henry Wallace, who ran for President in 1948 on the Progressive Party ticket, was an Iowan. Greens belong here in Iowa," said Holly Hart, secretary of the Iowa Green Party (http://www.greens.org/iowa).

"Like Iowans, Greens are ahead of the curve. We're the party that's promoting a serious approach to climate change, reducing carbon emissions, winning a single-payer national health care program, moving money to locally owned and controlled banks, gaining a constitutional amendment to overturn the doctrine of corporate personhood, and ensuring integrity of the vote," added Ms. Hart.

Visit http://gp.org/convention/Iowa2013 for more information and updates.