According to Brummel, the Greens petition coordinator, David Levner, is a "schmuck" who "screwed up" the campaign. Levner claimed that Brummel "did not cooperate" with the Greens. The dispute arose because Brummel was too busy collecting signatures to get on the ballot for the Democratic primary to appear at campaign events that Levner had scheduled for him.
Brummel submitted his Democratic petition on July 10 but it was
successfully challenged. His name will not appear on the primary ballot
on September 9.
NY City Candidates File Petitions
Manhattan--Errol Louis and Hank Bardel have filed petitions to get on
the ballot as Green Party candidates for the N.Y. City Council in the
November elections.
Louis, a community activist who founded the Central Brooklyn Federal
Credit Union, is from the 35th Council District in central Brooklyn.
Bardel, a retired parks department employee, is running in the 51st
district on the south shore of Staten Island.
Syracuse Greens Run a Slate
Syracuse--The Syracuse Greens are running six candidates: Howie Hawkins
for Mayor; Jolie Cameron and Millicent Collins for Commissioners of
Education; Albert Mitchell for Common Council; and Charles Kahl and Dania
Vega for Onondoga County Legislators.
The candidates share a common platform with several Democrats and one
Republican and call themselves the Progressive Slate.
LIE May Be Widened in Eastern Queens
Kew Gardens--State Judge Price ruled that the Department of Transportation
can go ahead with its plan to add high-occupancy vehicle lanes to the
Long Island Expressway in eastern Queens. Mayor Guiliani, Borough
President Shulman and State Senator Padavan oppose this construction
and may appeal the ruling.
The new lanes are controversial because they will destroy parts of Alley Pond Park, bring the highway to within 10 feet of some homes and may eventually increase traffic. Initially, commuters are expected to save one minute in their trips to and from work.
"Wildman" Steve Brill (718-291-6825) will lead a walk through some of
the threatened parts of Alley Pond Park on October 18.
U.S. Resists Curbing Greenhouse Gases
Manhattan--In June, on the fifth anniversary of the 1992 Earth Summit
in Rio de Janeiro, the United Nations held a conference in N.Y. City to
review the world's progress towards the goal of sustainable development.
Despite increasing evidence of global warming, the conference was unable
to agree to binding limits on the amount of carbon dioxide that humans
put into the air because of objections from the U.S.
The nations of the world will meet again in Kyoto, Japan in December to
continue the negotiations. It now appears likely that the U.S. will not
be able to keep its pledge to reduce its carbon dioxide emissions to
1990 levels.
Gasoline Demand Sets Record
Washington--The U.S. appetite for gasoline and the imported oil to
produce it has never been greater. For the first time in recent memory,
the vehicles bought in 1997 will consume more gasoline than the vehicles
that are scrapped.
It appears that Americans have forgotten the gas lines of the early 1970s.
Low prices at the pump have encouraged consumers to buy less fuel-efficient
vehicles, especially minivans and trucks. To assure that the flow of
imported oil continues, the U.S. spends hundreds of billions of dollars
per year on its military.
Pataki Signs Net Metering Bill
Albany--At the end of August, Governor Pataki signed into law a bill
requiring electric utilities to allow residential customers to feed
solar-generated electricity back into the electric grid, turning their
meters backwards. If a homeowner generates enough electricity, he or
she could receive a check instead of a bill from the power company.
The new law also provides a tax credit for installing solar panels.
Pataki was criticized by environmentalists for vetoing similar
legislation in 1996.
Bronx Incinerator Closes
South Bronx--Stung by a critical report prepared by consultants,
Browning Ferris Industries has shut down its medical waste incinerator
in the South Bronx. The incinerator was suspected of causing the high
rates of asthma and other pulmonary diseases in Harlem and the South Bronx.
Community groups had fought for years to close the incinerator. In May
they staged a large rally that many Greens attended. The future of the
site is now uncertain.
Craig Seeman Prints Money
Brooklyn--Don't call the FBI: it's legal. Craig Seeman of the Brooklyn
Greens is printing Brooklyn Greenbacks, a new local currency. Each
Greenback is worth about $12.
The idea is to keep money in the local economy. Only Brooklyn residents will spend or accept Greenbacks.
Seeman prints Greenbacks with his inkjet printer on recycled dollar bills.
New Green Party Meeting Poorly Attended
Manhattan--On June 28, about 40 people attended the first convention of a
new party that calls itself the
New York State Green Party.
Of those 40, approximately 15 were protesters from the existing
Green Party of New York State.
The new party adopted a platform and bylaws calling for one-person, one-vote. This differs from the existing party in which local chapters receive votes in proportion to their number of active members.
Tom Leighton, one of the founders of the new party, has split away from
it. He attended the June 28 meeting as a dissident. Leighton has submitted
petitions to get on the ballot this Fall for Manhattan Borough President.
His platform is the legalization of marijuana, and he calls his party the
Marijuana Greens.
Unity Group Encourages the Two National Organizations to Merge
Minneapolis--The unity movement's founders met in Minneapolis on May 31
and June 1 to find a way to mend the split between the two national Green
organizations,
the Greens/Green Party USA (GPUSA)
and the
Association of State Green Parties (ASGP).
What emerged was a call for negotiations with the goal of a merger of the two organizations. The proposed negotiating committee would consist of three representatives from GPUSA, three from ASGP and three members of unaligned local Green chapters.
GPUSA has agreed to negotiate and chose its three representatives. ASGP has refused to participate unless GPUSA changes to a state-based structure and eliminates the payment of dues as a requirement for voting. The unaligned negotiators have not yet been selected.
GPUSA's annual convention, the Green Gathering, will occur at the end of
August in Lawrence, Massachusetts. A Unity Roundtable will meet there to
discuss the next steps in the negotiations.
by David Levner
Who Needs a Constitutional Convention Anyway?
Surely, our state's constitution is not perfect. Most of us would like to see ballot access reform, stronger environmental protection, term limits for state elected officials and proportional representation for the State Legislature written into the constitution.
What chance do these reforms have if a constitutional convention is held next year? Almost none!
The problem is that the process of selecting delegates to the convention is biased in favor of professional politicians. At the last convention in 1967, 80% of the delegates had previous professional government experience. They began by electing the Speaker of the Assembly to be the President of the convention. Then they made lots of deals and changes and submitted them to the voters in 1968 as a package. The voters rejected the package. So millions of dollars were spent and nothing changed.
To see how well our state government normally works, look at this year's state budget. One hundred days after the deadline, Governor Pataki, Speaker of the Assembly Silver and Senate Majority Leader Bruno worked out a deal behind closed doors. The deal was approved in an all-night session by legislators, most of whom had not even read the document they voted for. You can expect a similar performance at a constitutional convention.
Under current law, State Senators and Assemblypersons can be elected as delegates to the convention. If elected, these politicians draw two salaries and their pensions increase accordingly. And you and I will pay for it.
For all its faults, our state's constitution has some very good features. One famous clause, written over 100 years ago, declares the wilderness of Adirondack Park "forever wild." Another clause, added in 1938, requires the state government to provide "aid, care, and support of the needy." With a conservative wind blowing, do we really want to risk losing these jewels?
The clause protecting the needy is especially at risk. The federal welfare "reform" passed in 1996 by Congress increases the financial burden on N.Y. State to care for its poor. We would end up fighting far more to preserve the good clauses of the constitution than we would making improvements.
For these reasons, the Queens Green Party joins the League of Women Voters
and many other groups in opposing a constitutional convention. We urge you
to vote "No" in November.
Upcoming Events
Saturday September 6: Demonstrate at Indian Point against nuclear power.
914-454-7673 (Andy Mele of Clearwater)
Monday September 8: Queens Green Party monthly meeting, Jamaica. Future meetings are on the second Monday of the month. 718-897-1448 (David Levner)
Wednesday September 17: Vegetarian dinner in Flushing. 718-352-1380 (Joan Walker)
Saturday September 20: Rally at the United Nations to stop the Cassini mission. 718-426-5361 (Mark Elsis of Lovearth)
Tuesday November 4: Election Day.
Most weekends: "Wildman" Steve Brill leads edible wild food walks.
718-291-6825
Greenmail Celebrates Its First Birthday
Columbia--The Greenmail staff celebrated the publication of his first
anniversary issue on a camping trip to Worthington State Forest in New
Jersey.
Amid the sounds of crickets crooning and bullfrogs bellowing love songs, the editor roasted organic, sugar-free marshmellows for the reporters and proofreaders. Despite heated disagreements during the stormy first year, the team always pulled together to get the newsletter out on time.
The campfire celebration was cut short when it started to rain. The staff
fled to his tent to start work on the next issue by flashlight.
Green TV
Mondays, 6-7 P.M., channel 56, and Thursdays, 8:30-9:30 P.M., channel 35,
Ecology in Queens. Frans Verhagen discusses the fundamentals of
environmentalism.
Tuesdays, 6-7 P.M., and Fridays 9-10 P.M., channel 56, The Enquiring Naturalist. "Wildman" Steve Brill covers all areas of environmental science and conservation, focusing on hands-on activities that the public can participate in.
Because of a shortage of trained crew, no new episodes of The Enquiring
Naturalist have been produced in the last two years, and Ecology in
Queens can usually be seen in the The Enquiring Naturalist time
slot. If you would like to receive video training to help Steve Brill get
his show back on the air, please call him at 718-291-6825.
Puzzles
1. Besides the Association of State Green Parties, what else does ASGP
stand for?
2. Which county in N.Y. State had the highest percentage of voters who cast their ballots for Ralph Nader in the 1996 Presidential election?
3. The Rainbow Keepers, a radical environmental group, were attacked by workers at the entrance to a nuclear power plant recently. Where did this occur?
For the answers, click here.
About Greenmail
Greenmail is published quarterly by the
Queens Green Party
in paper
form and as a part of our World-Wide Web site. The Queens Green Party
home page is http://www.panix.com/~levner/greens/ and this issue of
Greenmail is http://www.panix.com/~levner/greens/gmail/v2n3.htm.
Publisher: Frans Verhagen Ph.D., 97-37 63rd Road, #15E, Rego Park, N.Y.
11374, 718-275-3932,
gaia1@aol.com
Editor: David Levner, 63-36 98th Place, #5J, Rego Park, N.Y. 11374,
718-897-1448,
levner@panix.com
An annual subscription costs $8. You can also receive Greenmail by
joining the Queens Green Party for $15. Make your check payable to the
Queens Green Party and send it to David Levner, 63-36
98th Place, #5J, Rego Park, N.Y. 11374.
Copyright Queens Green Party, 1997. You may reproduce articles from
Greenmail as long as proper credit is given.
Make your check payable to the Queens Green Party and
send it to David Levner, 63-36 98th Place, #5J, Rego Park, N.Y. 11374.
Copyright Queens Green Party, 1997.
2. In Tompkins County, Nader received 5% of the vote.
3. Rostov, Russia. I'll bet you didn't see that on the evening news!
Subscriptions
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without it! Subscribe to Greenmail today for
$8 per year and get a 33% discount from the
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joining the Queens Green Party for $15.
Answers to the Puzzles
1. Besides the
Association of State Green Parties, ASGP also stands for
A Small Garlic Press (a publisher in Chicago),
Association of Secretaries General of Parliaments,
Alaska Space Grant Program and
Alabama Student Grant Program.
Back Issues
June 1997 (Volume 2, Number 2)
March 1997 (Volume 2, Number 1)
December 1996 (Volume 1, Number 2)
September 1996 (Volume 1, Number 1)
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