December 2021
Democrats Throw Meatballs in the 2021 Election
By Co-chair Tina Olson.
The results of the 2021 elections
aren’t looking great for progress in the next season. The spreadsheet
from this year’s results shows many easy misses and many hard-ball
truths. The Democratic Party continues to spread itself too thin while
boasting that their big tent can represent both Centrists and
Leftists. Certainly from the bullpen, the Blue Sox appear to appeal to
a large number of spectators. From the national league, you have
rookie Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez in left field striking out with
Democratic Socialists by putting Medicare for All back into the
batting cage. While they also have seasoned-player Kyrsten Sinema
playing short-stop on raising the minimum wage. These broad swaths of
ideology should give them a hometown advantage, but when a
conservative batter charges the mound, there simply is no solidarity,
no nine-on-one fight.
This is where the four pillars of
the Green Party give our pitchers better guidance. Green Party elected
officials from school boards to mayors have fundamental shared beliefs
in Peace, Ecological Wisdom, Social Justice, and Democracy, https://www.gp.org/the_four_pillars.
The penalty for the Blue Sox’s MVP
Joe Biden's trajectory towards right field was especially shocking to
many since his election. Even when the pitch towards progress appears
right down the pike, he surprises us with new levels of
disappointment. This renowned switch-pitcher cares more for those
sitting in their box seats as high-paying patrons, rather than most of
us sitting in the nosebleed seats trying to catch a fly-ball, just
once. . . .
In PA, the Blue Sox aren’t even
playing ball. While their opponents are filling up the bases,
Democrats are busy at the concession stand, selling merchandise for
whatever clever social buzzwords and hashtags they can put on a team
jersey. Which is not to say that supporting social causes via
merchandise is bad, but when that money is being funneled and held by
the team owners, that’s a problem. By the way, the Green Party does
also have merchandise, but the money you spend on our cool items goes
right back into building a league of our own. Check it out here, https://www.gpofpa.org/merchandise.
GPPA
News Highlights
edited by Chris Robinson
The Green Party
is now recruiting candidates to run for election during 2022. If you
are a registered Green Party member who lives in Pennsylvania, please
let us know if you are interested, [email protected].
Green Party Meets in Lively Session
Elected delegates to the Green Party of
Pennsylvania met virtually on November 14. Including visitors, there
were 20 people present from eight counties. They passed a resolution
calling for a ban on new fossil fuel pipelines and another resolution
supporting the Shut Down Berks Coalition. The GPPA Communication Team
offered three reasons why members should write news releases, and the
GPPA Finance Team asked members to fill out a 2022 budget survey.
Nominations for the GPPA Steering Committee may be offered on https://www.gpofpa.org/
Green Party Supports Divest Philadelphia from the War
Machine
The Green Party of Philadelphia City Committee (GPOP, www.gpop.org) continued its support for Divest
Philly from the War Machine by calling on people to join a campaign to
divest the Philadelphia Board of Pensions from the nuclear weapon
industry. Divest Philly is a coalition of 27 local organizations which
desire a cut in the Pentagon budget and greater investment in public
services. At the present time, the managers of Philadelphia’s pensions
have more than $11 billion invested in the nuclear weapon industry.
Divest Philly would like the pension board to screen Philadelphia’s
funds to eliminate all investments in the nuclear weapon industry. . .
. Volunteers who wish to join Divest Philly from the War Machine may
register right here, https://docs.google.com/forms/d/15cAI8Y48IxLjragHw7N5egsOywiiAhJDy5IoJx5oC9A/.
Community organizations which would like to endorse this Divest
campaign may sign up right here, https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScGq6N4-1BUJv_tfmw5xiySlKvYQgpRwXM8TXaKNcdjxlyeHw/viewform.
(show all)
Campaign Updates
edited by Chris Robinson
Congratulations To Our 2021 Green
Party Candidates!
The GPPA ran 14 candidates for
office in 2021. The Communication Team congratulates all of our
candidates. At press time, the complete results were not available,
but the GPUS had some early (uncertified) results:
ELECTED Matthew Reitenauer, School Board, Brandywine Heights,
Topton, Berks County, PA. 3rd/4 candidates for three seats, 885 votes,
15.38%
ELECTED incumbent Jay Sweeney, Auditor, Falls Township, Wyoming
County, PA. 1st/1 candidate for one seat , 276 votes, 96.19%
ELECTED Abigail “Abi” Hunter, Judge of Elections Ward 7, Precinct
8, Pittsburgh, Allegheny County, PA. 1st/1 candidate for one seat
ELECTED Jay Ting Walker, Judge of Elections, Ward 7, District 6,
Pittsburgh, Allegheny County, PA. 1st/1 candidate for one seat
ELECTED Andrew Moses Yanez Oliva, Judge of Elections, Ward 15,
District 6, Reading, Berks County, PA.
ELECTED incumbent William Pilkonis, Judge of Elections,
Ward 10, Precinct 1, Scranton, Lackawanna County, PA. 1st/1 candidate
for one seat, 16 votes 100% Write-in.
ELECTED Bert Schultz, Inspector of Elections, Ward 9, Division 6,
Philadelphia, PA. Write-in.
OTHER GREENS
RUNNING
Loriane Stangl Burgess, Mayor, Ambridge, Beaver County, PA. 3rd/3
for one seat, 164 votes, 16.08%
Ward Allebach, Borough Council, Bradford Woods, Allegheny County,
PA. 6th/6 candidates for four seats, 233 votes, 14.34%
Connor Mulvaney, City Council District 4, Pittsburgh, Allegheny
County, PA. 2nd/2 candidates for one seat, 2,362 votes, 30.79%
Steven Martinez, Borough Council, Dormont, Allegheny County, PA.
5th/5 candidates for four seats, 550 votes, 9.01%
Kearni Warren, City Council, Chester, Delaware County, PA. 3rd/3
candidates for two seats, 792 votes, 17.35%
Jubalyn ExWilliams, School Director Harrisburg School District,
Harrisburg, Dauphin County, PA. 3rd/3 candidates for two seats, 1,020
votes, 10.8%
Richard L. Weiss, Judge of the Court Court of Common Pleas,
Allegheny County, PA. 18th/18 candidates for eleven seats, 41,028
votes, 1.89%
Read here.
edited by Noah
Alter
COP26 Agreements Will Lead to Climate Collapse, Says Green
Party
Last month, world leaders flew
into Glasgow, Scotland on individual jumbo jets for yet another
publicity stunt to save our planet. The entire event failed to produce
the radical action scientists say is needed to avoid climate collapse,
and the only way for humanity to prevent catastrophe for life on Earth
is a global Green New Deal.
With over 25 years of COP gatherings failing to produce real
climate solutions, the Green Party said direct action by climate
organizers is needed to halt fossil fuel use. Media coverage called
Glasgow the “Last Chance COP,” referring to the scant years left to
prevent global heating from exceeding 1.5 C (2.7 F). The most
optimistic reading of the Glasgow pledges has the world on track for
2.4 C (4.3 F) of heating (though prior pledges have almost never been
fulfilled). The climate crisis is already happening and getting worse,
as extreme weather events become more frequent with massive
hurricanes, flooding, drought, wildfires, and heatwaves.
“Solving the climate crisis requires wholescale system change: A
Green New Deal that combines a rapid transition to zero greenhouse gas
emissions and 100% clean renewable energy with investments in social
programs such as health care, living wage jobs, education and housing.
We need to create a different world where the focus is on meeting the
common needs,” said Mark Dunlea, co-chair of the Green Party’s
EcoAction Committee. (show all)
Greens Score at Least 17 Victories in November Elections
After the
November 2021 elections, like previous local elections, it is becoming
increasingly clear that the Green Party of the U.S. has developed into
a strong contender on the political playing field. In November, Greens
claimed over 17 victories across the U.S. In Maine, Green Independent
Party candidates Anna Trevorrow and Scott Harriman won city council
races in both Portland and Lewiston (the state’s first and second most
populous cities, respectively). Furthermore, in Minneapolis, MN, Green
candidate Samantha Pree-Stinson became the first Black Woman to be
elected to the city’s Board of Estimation & Taxation . . .
.
November victories in races that have been called, so far, include:
(show all)
- Anna Trevorrow, City Council,
District 1, Portland (Cumberland County) ME
- Scott Harriman, City Council,
District 2, Lewiston, ME
- Dagmar Noll, Town Council,
Willimantic (Windham County) CT
- Joseph Wetmore, Town Board,
Lansing (Tompkins County) NY
- Megan Parks, School Committee,
Lewiston Public Schools (Androscoggin County) ME
- Matthew Reitenhauer, School Board,
Brandywine Heights, Topton (Berks County) PA
- Samantha Pree-Stinson, Board of
Estimation and Taxation At-large, Minneapolis (Hennepin County)
MN
- Charlie Krich, At-large, Board of
Directors, Willimantic Taxing District, Windham (Windham County)
CT
- Cassandra Martineau, At-large,
Board of Directors, Willimantic Taxing District, Windham (Windham
County) CT
- Leif Smith, Constable, Redding
(Fairfield County) CT
- Hugh Birdsall, Zoning Board of
Appeals, Clinton (Middlesex County) CT
- Emery Ng, Zoning Board of Appeals
Alternate, Windham (Windham County) CT
- Michael Westerfield, Board of
Assessment Appeals, Windham (Windham County) CT
- Jay Sweeney, Auditor, Falls
Township (Wyoming County) PA
- Abigail Hunter, Judge of Elections
Ward 7, Precinct 8, Pittsburgh (Allegheny County) PA
- Jay Ting Walker, Judge of
Elections, Ward 7, District 6, Pittsburgh (Allegheny County)
PA
- Andrew Moses Yanez Oliva, Judge of
Elections, Ward 15, District 6, Reading (Berks County) PA
Greens nationwide also hailed successful ballot
measures to implement Ranked Choice Voting in Broomfield, CO; Ann
Arbor, MI; and Westbrook, ME.
edited by Hal
Brown
Germany’s 2021 federal election has
ended with the German Green Party securing 14.8% of the national vote
and 16 seats in parliament. This is considered a historical win for
the German Greens. Now the party, led by Annalena Baerbock, is
entering negotiation talks to form a government. . . . As of now, the
‘Traffic Light Coalition’ (SPD, FDP, Green Party) is in favour of
becoming the next German government. Preliminary talks have marked some
agreement on social and environmental issues, with a slight push
back on some matters. The Green’s conditions for phasing out coal by
2038 and a minimum wage increase to €12 were agreed upon by all
parties. However, their demand for a speed limit on German motorways
was not supported. . . .(show all)
U.S. Green Party condemns Canada invoking Treaty to keep Line 5
Open
The Green Party of
the U.S. is condemning the Canadian government’s attempt to invoke a
1977 treaty in the escalating legal disputes surrounding the closure
of Enbridge’s Line 5 pipeline. Line 5 moves crude oil from Superior,
Wisconsin, to Sarnia, Ontario, passing through the Straits of Mackinac
along the way. This six kilometre stretch of the pipeline is at risk
of leaking into the Great Lakes, with potentially severe consequences
for the environment. Amid concerns of a leak, Michigan Gov. Gretchen
Whitmer ordered the pipeline shut down in November of 2020, but
pipeline company Enbridge refused. They are now embroiled in a legal
battle. . . .
Mark Dunlea, co-chair of the
‘EcoAction Committee of the U.S.’ and Green Party spokesperson . . .
said he strongly opposed what he called a “desperate effort” by the
Canadian government to use the 1977 Treaty. He said that the American
Green Party has “long advocated for the halt (sic) of all fossil fuel
infrastructure and the rapid phaseout of all uses.” Concerns regarding
the pipeline included “catastrophic oil pipeline rupture” and the
“existential crisis” of climate change. (show all)
DRC Conservationists urge the Government to Reverse the
decision Authorizing
Poaching/span>
In the DRC [Democratic Republic of Congo], an
interministerial decree authorizes the slaughter or sale of certain
species protected against a tax. Environmentalists are mobilized and
denouncing this decision. . . . “Today, the ICCN cannot arrest a
person for illegal possession of ivory or okapi skins, there is no
more illegal trafficking of protected species” in the DRC, lamented
Cosma Wilungula [Director General of the Congolese Institute for the
Conservation of Nature (ICCN)]. “The 32 million U.S. dollars spent
each year on conservation has no reason to be released by donors to be
used for the protection of protected areas and endangered species,” he
added.
According to this decree, it is now legally authorized to capture,
kill or hunt animal species, totally or partially protected, thanks to
a permit obtained from the Directorate of Nature Conservation. It is
therefore now possible to kill a forest elephant, as long as you pay $
2,885 to the state or detain it for $1,860. Likewise, capturing a
mountain gorilla will cost $ 1,545. . . .(show all)
South Korea’s Green Party
Furious over Government’s Nuclear Plans
Korea’s Green Party
has condemned a joint summit in Budapest between South Korea and
Hungary on November 3. The Green Party of Korea is angry over a
decision made during the summit in which the two countries expressed a
commitment to achieving carbon neutrality by 2050, BUT with the help
of nuclear power. Hungary’s President, Janos Ader said: “The common
intention of both countries is that carbon neutrality is impossible
without the use of nuclear energy.”
Korea’s Greens stated that president Moon Jae-in’s declaration of
‘carbon neutrality’ in 2050 is not realistic. . . . Korea Greens say
the administration of Moon Jae-in wants to increase nuclear power
reactors in the name of decarbonization. (show all)
GPPA Meeting Dates for 2022:
- Sunday, January 9, 2022
- Sunday, March 13, 2022
- Sunday, June 12, 2022
- Sunday, September 11, 2022
- Sunday, November 13, 2022
Green Party
of Pennsylvania Communications Team & Media
Committee
Issue
Credits:
EDITORS:
Noah Alter, Hal Brown, and Chris Robinson CONTRIBUTORS: Tina Olson & Chris
Robinson LAYOUT: Tina Olson
& Sheri Miller 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.
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Green Party of Pennsylvania Communications Team * 2020
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