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October 2020
Working
toward a future where people and planet are valued, and our government
represents all of us.
PA Green Party warns of rule by corporate club
 With a 5-2 Democratic majority, the PA
Supreme Court ruled on 9/17 that Green Party Presidential Candidate Howie Hawkins would be taken off the PA ballot for
the General Election. This overturned a previous ruling by the PA
Commonwealth Court.
In response to this loss, by the Green Party of Pennsylvania (GPPA), Co-chair Alan
Smith (Chester) lamented, "All the hard work we did, being forced to
petition during a pandemic, risking our lives and the lives of others,
over 30 volunteers painstakingly reviewing our petitions line by line,
thousands of dollars spent in lawyers fees, and the courts still
manage to kick two of our candidates off the ballot, one of them a
queer, working-class Black woman".
"The extensive bureaucratic
processes to run for office or even get on the ballot are designed to
keep everyday people disempowered and discouraged. If we want to live
in a truly representative democracy we must push to eliminate these
voter suppression techniques built into the system. We must rally to
end these Jim Crow like processes so that the Commonwealth of
Pennsylvania will have true freedom of choice and will not be ruled by
a corporate club. As it stands now there is no integrity to our
elections. They are fraudulent."
GPPA Co-Chair Sheri Miller (Adams)
warned, “I know there is a lot of fear around this election, however,
the idea that any political party can successfully remove a legitimate
opponent from the ballot through bureaucratic manipulation should
greatly concern every person who wants to live in a free society,
regardless of whether they personally believe a Green Party candidate
on the ballot would swing the election to the ‘greater evil.’ The
greater evil is the acceptance of disenfranchising voters in a
democracy. What did this exercise in voter suppression accomplish?
Possibly the loss of the election for the Democrats in PA as thousands
of angry people, many of whom would likely have voted for what they
considered to be the lesser evil, decide to stay home on election day,
disgusted with this entire mockery of our democracy. Apparently, the
Democrats learned nothing (show all)
GPPA
News Highlights
edited by Chris Robinson
Green Party of PA Will End Housing Insecurity
by Justin Bell, 9/18/20
 The Green Party would begin by ensuring that people do not
become homeless. That part won't be easy. The Green Party’s Howie
Hawkins, candidate for president of the U.S., has put forth an
Economic Bill of Rights. This would include ending poverty as we know
it. Hawkins says, “We will end poverty by guaranteeing every person
has an income above the poverty line. The income guarantee will be
built into the federal progressive income tax structure. If your
income is below poverty, the federal government will send you a
monthly check to bring your income above the poverty line. . . . We
will update the official poverty line to reflect a realistic income
needed for self-sufficiency to pay for basic needs. Researchers find
that 200% of the current poverty line is a more realistic poverty
line.” (show all)
Opinion: “PA Democrats should give up ballot fight against
Green Party candidate” by Tina Olson, Lehigh Valley Green Party,
9/16/20
 [Democrats] believe, wrongly, that if they kick the Greens
off of the ballots that we will vote for their unworthy and inadequate
candidate. . . . The Green Party is a hub of progressive politics, the
home of grassroots, and a beacon for the disenfranchised voter. With
this affront to our civil rights, we can no longer support their
progressive candidates hailing from such factions as Democratic
Socialists, Working Families Party, or volunteer for common causes.
That bridge has been burned. (show all)
GPPA State Virtual Meeting 9/13/20
On September 13, GPPA held its fall virtual meeting of
county delegates. There were 36 delegates participating and 11
observers. There were reports from active county Green Parties, and
reports from GPPA’s four teams. Delegates were asked to nominate
candidates for 2021 Green Party leadership election, which will be
held on January 10, 2021. The nomination form is here, https://www.gpofpa.org/nominations
PA Greens Charge Democrats With Delaying 2020 Ballot
9/12/20
 “The Green Party of Pennsylvania calls on the PA Democratic
Party to drop its frivolous legal challenge,” demanded GPPA Secretary
Beth Scroggin (Chester). “Democrats should allow the mail-in ballots
to be printed and distributed widely as soon as possible, and instead
use their energy and money to join the Green Party in fighting against
climate change, poverty, war, and the growing creep of fascism. The
Democratic Party is now reinforcing growing concerns that cuts to the
U.S. Postal Service by the current administration may further delay
the return of mail-in ballots.” (show all)
Badges-Canning Announces Run For Green Party In PA District 64
by Tyler Frielon, 9/4/20
 A local teacher, union leader, and community organizer has
formally announced his intentions to run for a seat in the state House
of Representatives. During a virtual rally [9/4] on Facebook, Michael
Bagdes-Canning formally declared his candidacy for the District 64
seat currently occupied by Republican R. Lee James. Bagdes-Canning is
a Green Party candidate with an anti-corruption platform focused on
bringing green jobs to the district and expanding healthcare access.
(show all)
Green Party: Allegheny County, PA, Must Ban ‘Less Lethal
Devices' by Jay Walker, 8/31/20
 The Allegheny County Council has voted down a bill banning
“less lethal weapons” by a vote of 12 to 3. The bill would have
prevented the use of weapons like tear gas, flash-bang grenades, and
rubber bullets by the Allegheny County Police. The bill was introduced
in response to the use of tear gas by the Pittsburgh Police against
nonviolent, Black Lives Matter demonstrators. There were nine
Democrats and three Republicans voting against the ban on “less lethal
weapons.” The following testimony was delivered by Chair Jay Walker,
Green Party of Allegheny County (GPOAC, http://www.alleghenygreens.org), at the Allegheny
County Council meeting. (show all)
PA Green Party stands with Dr. Rachel Levine
8/24/20
The Green Party of Pennsylvania (GPPA) unanimously upholds
an unwavering commitment to ending harassment and violence towards
LGBTQA+ by standing with Dr. Rachel Levine, secretary of the PA
Department of Health. This decision by the GPPA Steering Committee on
August 16 was made in response to the continued transphobic attacks
Levine has incurred. The platform of the Green Party of the U.S. says,
"We affirm the right of choosing non-binary and gender-fluid
identifications. We, therefore, support the right of individuals to be
free from coercion and involuntary assignment of gender or sex." (show all)
Letter to the Editor: “Do Democrats believe in democracy?”
by Bob Small, former chair of Delco Greens,
8/22/20
As Ronald Reagan famously said in 1980, "There you go
again." This time the Pennsylvania Democratic Party reacts in fear and
trembling to the big bad Pennsylvania Green Party by once again taking
them to court to keep them off the November ballot, as though
Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden is afraid of Green Party
presidential candidate Howie Hawkins. (show all)
Campaign Updates
edited by Chris Robinson
Jay Ting Walker for PA
Representative, District 23
Jay
told GREEN STAR, "As Election Day approaches, we're fighting an uphill
battle against a 21-year incumbent to finally bring action on Climate
Change and Racial Justice to the people of PA District 23. We need you
fighting alongside us, and we have volunteer opportunities from now
until Election Day. Every little bit goes a long way for us.”
Follow Jay’s campaign on Facebook, https://www.facebook.com/JayTingWalker;
Twitter, https://twitter.com/Jaytingwalker;
or Instagram, https://www.instagram.com/jaytingwalker/.
Donations and volunteers from across the state are more than welcome
on my website, http://jaytingwalker.com/
Garret Wassermann for PA
Representative, District 45
Garret told GREEN STAR, “Please WRITE IN Garret
Wassermann for PA House District 45 on November 3! We were unable to
get on the ballot this year, but I will not back down. You can still
write in my name, as the only candidate in support of a #GreenNewDeal,
#MedicareForAll, and community control of the police to end police
brutality. There are too many issues at stake in this election, and
neither Democrats nor Republicans have solutions.” You can learn more
about Garret’s campaign or donate at http://www.votegarret.org/.
Garret’s Facebook is https://www.facebook.com/VoteGarret/
Michael Bagdes-Canning for
PA Representative, District 64
Michael told GREEN STAR, “The people of my region
need a voice that will reflect the hopes and aspirations of the
residents of Franklin, Oil City, Eau Claire, Pleasantville and
Barkeyville, not the boardrooms in Houston, New York, or Amsterdam.
For decades, we’ve watched as businesses leave, stores close,
opportunities dry up and our children move away to find employment. My
campaign is about bringing 21st century jobs that do not leave or
poison our air and water, restoring workplace democracy and a living
wage, ensuring that we all have access to high quality and affordable
healthcare, restoring the funding to guarantee that every child gets a
quality education and that students are not saddled with crippling
debt when they graduate from college, and getting dirty money out of
politics. We aren’t only running for office, we’re also building a
democracy movement, people over profits, Main Street over Wall
Street.” You can follow Michael on Instagram, https://www.instagram.com/mike4pa64/;
Twitter, https://mobile.twitter.com/bagdescanning;
Facebook, https://m.facebook.com/mikebagdescanning;
and his website, https://www.mikeforpa64.com/
Noel Antonio Rivera for PA
Representative, District 127
Noel
told GREEN STAR, “I have seen the various inequities that exist in the
U.S. and PA. I have held labor, retail, and office jobs. I have served
in the military. I've been homeless, transient, and stable. I am a
college graduate and a family man. I truly believe that positive
changes can happen and not at the expense of the people. I am
passionate about consumer protection, community engagement, and
economic development. I support local entrepreneurs over corporations
the best I can.” Noel’s Facebook is, https://www.facebook.com/riveraforpa/,
and his website is https://riveraforpa.wixsite.com/bethechange.
He can be reached at [email protected]
Three State-wide Green
Party Candidates, https://www.greenslate2020.org/
Richard L. Weiss, Esq. for
PA Attorney General
Richard told
GREEN STAR, “Our system of justice is based on the principle that it
is better to let a guilty person go free than to convict an innocent
one. I would rather take a bullet than shoot an innocent person. Let
us develop a system of policing based on that principle. Police should
have the best body armor. Train not to shoot unless an actual gun
being drawn is seen. People running away who are not a clear danger to
the community should not be fired upon. With these rules in place, new
methods of engagement can be developed and implemented that protect
both police and the community. I support citizen review boards and
special prosecutors for police misconduct. All interactions between
police and members of the public should be on camera and subject to
citizen review. Therefore I support requiring body cameras to be worn
by all police and to be placed on all detainees as well.
"I support
recruiting police officers who never carry a gun. They would have body
armor, a nightstick, a taser, maybe pepper spray, even a (bulletproof)
shield and helmet in certain situations, but they wouldn't carry a
firearm. They would wear a body camera. One of their jobs would be to
film interactions of police with the public. Their responsibility
would be to de-escalate situations and not rely on firearms or solely
on force. If circumstances are beyond their capability, then they can
call in armed backup. They may eventually become a majority of
police.
"The U.S. incarcerates a greater percentage of its
population than any other country. The current system incarcerates
many who have not been convicted of a crime, for no reason other than
they do not have money to post bail. This is a tremendous waste of
resources. Overcrowded conditions in prisons during a pandemic is
cruel and unusual punishment. Instead of building more prisons, we
should not pursue charges for mere possession or use of cannabis or
for sex work, nor seek cash bail. In addition, we should divert
non-dangerous offenders as much as possible to programs other than
incarceration, fight against crime that threatens the community,
against corruption and for consumer protection.”
Tim Runkle for PA
Treasurer
Pleased follow Tim on
Facebook, https://www.facebook.com/Tim4ElectedOffice/
Olivia Faison for PA Auditor
General
Team
Updates
Finance Team
by Tim Runkle
 To join the Finance Team,
please visit HERE.
GreenWave
Team by Garret Wassermann
 Thank you so much to the
volunteers and donors who ensured our slate of state row offices are
on the ballot! With their help, we turned in over 8,500 nomination
signatures, quickly validated them against voter records with a large
team of volunteers, and raised nearly $15,000 to cover legal expenses.
Unfortunately, the Democratic Party was successful at kicking Howie
Hawkins and Angela Walker off the ballot by appealing our lower court
victory to the PA Supreme Court. You will be able vote for them by
write-in on the space provided on your ballot. From now until November
3, we'll be working hard to promote our candidates with social media,
phone banking, and more. Find out about all of our statewide
candidates at http://greenslate2020.org/
and our Green presidential ticket Howie Hawkins and Angela Walker at
http://howiehawkins.us/.
Please share the website and information about our candidates. We're
asking Greens statewide to volunteer to phone bank for Michael
Bagdes-Canning's exciting campaign for PA Representative District 64
at http://mikeforpa64.com/phonebank.
To join the Green Wave Team, please
visit HERETo receive an invitation to the
next Green Wave virtual meeting, please contact us HERE
Communications
Team by Chris Robinson
 The GPPA ComTeam
believes it is important to tell the world what the Green Party is
doing. We have emailed 31 news releases to the media this year. To
join our team, please volunteer at https://www.gpofpa.org/, or to join online,
sign up HERE.
Core Team by
Charles Sherrouse
 If you are interested in
helping, sign up HERE.
edited by David
Ochmanowicz
Please volunteer to
edit this page for future issues of GREEN STAR. Instruction is
available.
Journal Times editorial: Elections Commission, state high court
failed Wisconsin voters
 Another dissent dismissed the high court majority's "made-up
standard of 'it is too late' in order to deny ballot access and limit
voter choice" and noted that the high court had previously directed
that Ralph Nader and Peter Camejo be added to the November ballot on
Sept. 30, 2004, "notably weeks later than what the court here
considers too late." The byzantine actions of the Wisconsin Elections
Commission point to the need for reform and a less political makeup.
We get no justice, fairness or equity in our elections when partisan
commissioners are focused on the political end-game. The high court
only compounded the dysfunction of the Elections Commission by being
stamped into a hasty decision. The Green Party never got its day in
court — either before the commission or the high court. That is a
travesty and an affront to all voters in the state. (show all)
Green Party's Muller Paz seeks to unseat Democrat Stokes in
Baltimore's only competitive City Council race
 A community organizer and an immigrant, Muller Paz is
funneling her experiences into a potentially historic campaign for
City Council. She's challenging Democratic City Councilman Robert
Stokes in the Nov. 3 election, and hopes to become the first Green
Party candidate to win a seat in City Hall. "There's so much work that
needs to be done," she said, arguing that the status quo isn't working
for the voters of District 12, which includes areas of Central, East
and North Baltimore. (show all)
Lisa Savage participates in first of four debates
 Appearing together for the first time, alongside
independents Lisa Savage and Max Linn, Collins and her
well-funded opponent were more respectful than the barrage of negative
advertising that is filling Maine's television airwaves. But the
debate – jointly sponsored by the Portland Press Herald, the Bangor
Daily News and News Center Maine – highlighted major policy
differences between the two front-runners on issues such as access to
quality health care. (show all)
Letter: Harris another reason to vote Green Party
Harris and
Governor Brown enabled PG&E to continue putting profits ahead of
maintenance, resulting in the Camp Fire, killing more than 80 and
destroying Paradise. Of course, if Republicans were in power, PG&E
would have bought them, as they had bought the Democrats. That’s US
style “democracy.” In choosing Harris, Biden chose “ethnic allure”
over values and vision. (show all)
Busch Light boycott? How Iowa's favorite beer upholds the
two-party system
Supporters of the Green Party and Libertarian Party
presidential candidates are calling for a boycott of Busch’s parent
company over its surprisingly strong ties to the two-party
system.
Anheuser-Busch is the
longest-running sponsor of the Commission
on Presidential Debates, which has long been accused of blocking
third-party participation in the democratic process. In addition to
Busch Light, a favorite
among Iowans and only Iowans, the company sells Budweiser, Stella
Artois, the ‘Rita line of fruity drinks, and a long list of other
alcoholic beverage brands.
(show all)
edited by Hal
Brown
AustralianGreens ready for major campaign October 24 council
Election
Exciting news from the Victorian Greens ahead of council
elections slated to be held on October 24th. From their website: The
Victorian Greens have welcomed reports that this year’s local
government election will be held on October 24, saying their 80+ metro
and regional candidates are ready to go. The COVID-19 crisis has
understandably hit communities hard, and councillors will play a vital
role in our post-pandemic recovery. (show all)
Iceland PM Katrin Jakobsdottir Advocates for Demilitarized
Arctic
Speaking with Agence France Presse, Islands Left Greens
Prime Minister Katrín Jakobsdóttir said “Generally speaking, we have
obviously seen a rise in tensions between the two countries (USA and
China) and specifically on the Arctic we have seen a very growing
interest, both from the United States and China. This is something
that we have felt very clearly here in Iceland, and indeed throughout
the region. (show all)
French Greens sweep Municipal
Elections
It has been a day of historic major breakthroughs for the
Green Party of France as voters went to the polls to elect new local
governments. The new Mayor of Lyon is Green Party candidate Grégory
Doucet. He captured a highly impressive 50.8% of the vote on his way
to victory. Another huge upset occurred in Marseille where the Greens
took 39.9% of the vote with Michele Rubirola becoming the new
Mayor-Elect. (show all)
Green Party of India calls for Solidarity in response to
COVID-19
Rajakhet, Tehri Garhwal, Uttarakhand, 23 March 2020: The
India Greens Party (IGP) has formed the “COVID-19 Task Force” to
spread awareness about Coronavirus and persuade people to practice
social distancing and personal hygiene so that the disease can be
contained from spreading. (show all)
edited by Chris
Robinson
Green Party
events are in GREEN. Other
Movement events are in RED.
October
Great Green Clean-up!
Sponsored
by the Green Party of Lackawanna County, thru 11/1. To register,
please contact [email protected].
https://www.facebook.com/events/742624116521385
October 2, 11:30 am
Stop Banking the Bomb
PNC, 300 Fifth Avenue, Pittsburgh
Endorsed by Green
Party of Allegheny County. More information from
[email protected]
October 3, 10:00 am thru October 4, 8:00
pm
PA Cannabis Festival
Renningers Market, 740
Noble Street, Kutztown.
Host: Green Party of PA
More
information from:
https://www.facebook.com/events/507987716567256
October 6, 6:00 pm
Green Party of Allegheny County Virtual
General Assembly
Zoom contact and more information
from
[email protected]
October 9 thru October 11
People's Pride PGH: Black
Trans Lives Matter Too
Online event, endorsed by
Green Party of Allegheny County.
More information from:
https://www.facebook.com/events/2459172931016487
Westmoreland County Adult Mental Health Expo
Ramada Inn, 100 Ramada Inn Drive, Greensburg.
More
information from:
https://www.co.westmoreland.pa.us/Calendar.aspx?EID=3203
October 15, 5:30 pm
Art of Activism: A Choir, Not a Solo
Mural Arts Philadelphia. Please register in advance
https://www.facebook.com/events/1361358377399622
October 17, 11:00 am
Stop Banking the Bomb
PNC, 730 Shenango Road, Beaver Falls.
Endorsed by
Green Party of Allegheny County. More information from
mailto:[email protected]”
October 17, 4:00 pm
Speak Out Against the Wars at Home &
Abroad
Sponsored by United National Antiwar
Coalition, Youth Against Empire.
More information from:
https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_ZAe_FB0yRs2RGqlq6TPh6A
October 19
LAST DAY to Register to Vote in General Election
More information from:
https://www.pavoterservices.pa.gov/Pages/VoterRegistrationApplication.aspx
October 19, 7:00 pm
Green Party of Montgomery County Virtual
Meeting
Virtual business meeting. More information
from: [email protected]
October 24, noon
Lancaster Pride Fest
Online. Sponsored by GPPA and the Green Party of
Lancaster County.
More information from:
https://www.facebook.com/events/519665768962810/
October 25, 11:00 am
Trees of Murrysville
Tour with Sue Miller, Roberts’ Trailhead Visitors Center,
4301 William Penn Highway, Murrysville.
More information from:
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/wildlife-events-at-the-roberts-trailhead-murrysville-visitors-center-tickets-95676128877
October 25, 1:30 pm
Green Party of Chester County Virtual
Meeting
More information from:
[email protected]
October 27, 7:00 pm
Green Party of Philadelphia (GPOP) Virtual
Meeting
More information from:
[email protected]
https://www.facebook.com/events/260828885223070
October 31, 7:00 pm
PPEHRC Halloween Party
Poor Peoples’ Economic Human Rights Campaign at
Jenny’s Joint (backyard), 2025 Margaret Street,
Philadelphia.
RSVP to 215-869-4753.
GPPA Meeting Dates for 2020:
- November, Post-Election Day
(virtual) - Sunday, November 15
- January 10, Winter Web Conference
(officer elections & 2021 candidate selection), noon.
- March 14, Spring State Committee
(in person, location to be determined), noon.
- June 13, Summer Web Conference,
noon.
Web Conferences are online - RSVP to get
connection information. The locations for in-person conferences are
to be determined. In-person conferences can be hosted by counties,
county groups or regions. These events are fundraisers. When hosted
locally, the host group receives back half of the revenue after
expenses. To apply for hosting, submit your info to our Application for Local Hosting of GPPA State Meetings
or GPPA-Sponsored Events. We strive for geographic diversity in reviewing
applications, however, all submissions are considered.
Green Party
of Pennsylvania Communications Team & Media
Committee
Issue
Credits:
EDITORS:
Chris Robinson, David Ochmanowicz, &Hal Brown
CONTRIBUTORS: Tim Runkle, Chris Robinson,
Garret Wassermann, Jay Sweeney, Bob Small, Jay Walker, Tyler Frielon,
Tina Olson & Justin Bell
LAYOUT: Dannee Schoepfer & Hal Brown
GRAPHIC ARTS: Kevin Richardson
Everything we do is based on our Four Pillars and Ten Key
Values. If you find
that you share these ideals, come and join the movement.
You can
support the Green Party in many ways; however, a
monthly sustaining donation helps to fund a solid infrastructure to
help local chapters coordinate candidates and provide resources to
make their campaigns successful. As little as $3 per month can have a significant
impact!
Sustaining Donation
Single Donation Purchase Green Merchandise
Join
us and help bring about a future where people and
planet are valued over profits. We have a new, tiered membership
structure that allows you to determine your level of commitment and
support. And if you want to get more directly involved,
consider joining an action
team. Work with
other committed progressives and activists in activities such as
planning events, developing media content, or helping with
campaigns. Let's join together to make 2020 the year of
progressives!
The Green Star is an official publication of the
Green Party of Pennsylvania Communications Team * 2020
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