Author: gpabqmetro

Long-time Green John D. Lockridge passed away this month. If we all emulated his gentle nature and dedication to peace, the world would be very different.

Another video from Mistahi Corkill from spring 2023: Palestine

Here is another video from Mistahi Corkill that he first published in March of 2021.

We are sharing a video with you that has been distributed to Green Parties by the creator. We think it presents the interrelatedness of the Four Pillars. Enjoy.

UPDATE: City of Albuquerque Redistricting Process well underway. Two public meetings of Redistricting Committee remain: June 8 and June 29 on Zoom. https://www.cabq.gov/council/projects/current-projects/2022-city-council-redistricting-process

FYI: The letter to the editor was published in the December 7th edition of the Albuquerque Journal.

Post-census redistricting has begun. There is a somewhat hierarchical list of requirements for good redistricting: population balance (one person, one vote), protection and representation of under-represented and oppressed groups, district contiguity and compactness, party and incumbent neutrality, and representation for communities of interest. A former, long-time state representative once said that politics is about the division or distribution of resources. Basically, who gets what and how much. It is important for the breadth of diversity of a state, county, or city to be represented in the decision makers. With these concepts in mind, a coalition of groups (including GPAMA and GPNM), led by Fair Districts New Mexico, supports the adoption of redistricting maps from the sets of maps adopted by the Citizen Redistricting Committee. We strongly encourage you to write letters to the editor of your local newspapers, print and electronic, and to contact your legislators directly to encourage adoption of one of the CRC maps for Congress, State Senate, State House, and Public Education Commission.

Let’s not forget counties, cities, and school districts. Bernalillo and Sandoval Counties are nearing the end of their adoption processes with the Sandoval County Commission generating controversy by considering a party-centered map. Cities, towns, and school districts–with odd-numbered year elections–will undertake redistricting in 2022.

GPAMA sent a letter to the editors of news publications in Bernalillo, Sandoval, Torrance, and Valencia Counties. Read or download it below.

The GPAX webinar on November 18, 2021, should contain lots of insight and useful information for how proponents of peace move forward in a violent world. Check out this list of speakers!

• Ajamu Baraka, Black Alliance for Peace
• Allen McGonagill, Extinction Rebellion
• Christopher Velazquez, Veterans for Peace
• Henry Stoever, PeaceWorks Kansas City
• Jill Stein, Green Party Presidential Candidate 2012 & 2016
• Kelly Maracle, Water Protector & Land Defender – Line 3 Arrestee

Register below:

https://www.gp.org/nonviolence_in_a_violent_world

October 31-November 12, 2021, Glasgow, Scotland

As indicated in the primer below, the rise of global corporate power may be the greatest obstacle to saving the planet. In the name of profit, international corporations have led a destructive campaign of misinformation to undermine science, and governments have chosen to protect corporate profits rather than their citizens.

Greens need to press to roll-back the supremacy of corporate rights over those of nation states, humanity and nature itself.

Elizabeth May, Green MP, Canada

What is COP? A primer for Newcomers.

In this post, we remind ourselves and others that the Green Party is the party of Peace and Non-violence.

Peace/Non-violence is one of the Four Pillars of the Green Party. The corporate parties are the parties of war. Greens recognize the interconnections between peace and non-violence and the other pillars. Exploitation and destruction of the natural world and its resources are not possible without the exploitation and destruction of humans. Reducing our consumption of energy and water is essential to preserving communities around the world and promoting peace between communities.

Toward that end, we share some letter and petition links from World Beyond War, a 501(3)(c) organization and global movement to end all wars.

Tell Congress to Reduce Military Spending

Stop Excluding Military Pollution from Climate Agreements

End the U.S. Military Air Base Construction in Henoko, Okinawa 辺野古米軍基地建設中止を求めて

Learn more about the displacement of Puerto Rican electrical workers and consider signing this petition in solidarity.

Let’s think about candidate suppression for a bit. The Green Party is fully in support of protecting and restoring voting rights. See local rally flyer below. Voter enfranchisement includes having candidates who represent your views. What the major parties and corporate media do not talk about is candidate suppression. Remember H. R. 1 and the outcry about voter disenfranchisement? In that same bill were these elements:

• the matching fund requirement was increased by a factor of five;
• the limits on donations and expenditures candidates can receive and make was eliminated;
• the amount of money national party committees can give to candidates was increased from ~$5,000,000* to $100 million.

*correction: two percent of estimated voting age population

Some legislatures across the country have been busy limiting access to be on the ballot and others to cast a ballot. Both efforts stifle democracy. Source

The Green Party of England and Wales won 99 new seats and now have 445 councillors. The party has representatives on 141 of 343 local authorities. Scottish Greens gained two more Members of Parliament, taking their parliamentary representation to a record eight seats out of 129!

https://campaigns.greenparty.org.uk/local-election-results-2021/

Scottish Greens win Seats

Check out great information and various webinars at the Global Greens web site.

UPDATE! (29 July 2021) GPNM has started petitioning to reclaim the Green Party ballot line. Please contact us if you can help collect signatures at outdoor markets, fairs, festivals, or other events. You can download the petition and a script/guide at the GPNM web site and begin collecting signatures from anyone registered to vote in New Mexico.

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Registered Greens in New Mexico have probably received by now a letter from the Office of the Secretary of State informing them that the Green Party is no longer ballot qualified. The Hawkins/Walker ticket came this close to maintaining ballot qualification, 194 votes. Voter support was solid, but the number of overall voters was higher than previous years. So we ended up about two hundredths of a percent shy of the threshold to maintain ballot qualification.

This means that having a line for the Green Party on the next General Election ballot will require collecting signatures.

We sent a mailing of our own. Look for this post card:

The Long Road of US Repression Wednesday, January 11, 2023, 6:30 p. m. MST on Zoom or Facebook.

Join the discussion of how peace and justice organizations are targeted in the USA after speaking out against the profit-driven drumbeat of war that is a large part of U. S. foreign policy.

Minimizing Future Flood Damage Wednesday, December 7, 2022, 6:30 p. m. MST on Zoom or Facebook.

• Urban streams and rivers can thrive with the diverse ecosystems, critical for water absorption.
• Flood threats to low income renters, solidarity support for victims
• Reduce stormwater problems via rain barrels, rain gardens, detention ponds, bioswales, greenways, and rainscaping.
• Reduce impervious surfaces and expand gray infrastructure (stormwater drainage pipes, stormwater vaults, and pumps).

Inequities of Legalized Marijuana Wednesday, March 2, 2022, 6:00 p. m. MST on Zoom or Facebook.

The billion-dollar marijuana market should have room for every ethnic group. But going from decriminalization to medical and recreational use has resulted in a patchwork of dangerous inconsistencies. The weaponization of marijuana laws against communities of color leaves victims incarcerated or economically incapable of high non-refundable application fees in licensing lotteries for dispensaries, growing, transporting, and/or processing legalized marijuana. Cannabis users are vulnerable to pesticide use by industrial growers.  What is the best science? Have we lost expertise to incarceration?  These barriers are not from the era of slavery or Jim Crow; but today.

Protecting Waters of the Earth Wednesday, February 2, 2022, 6:00 p. m. MST on Zoom

Speakers:

• • Silvia Secchi, Water Quality and Agricultural Production
  • Luwezi Kinshasa, Colonialism and Water Disputes in Africa
  • Don Fitz, Dams, Climate Change, Habitat Loss and Poisoning
  • David Josue, Over-fishing by Rich Nations in Waters of Poor Nations
  • Natalie Lowrey, Dangers of Deep Sea Mining

Jason Donofrio, moderator

Healing a Broken Agricultural System Wednesday, December 1, 2021, 6:00 p. m. MST on Zoom

Speakers:

• John Ikerd, Agricultural Economist
• Ollie Fisher, Ghan Eden Agriculture & Ecology
• Suprabha Seshan, Gurukula Botanical Sanctuary
• Mitch Pearson, The Urban Farm School

Stan Cox, Moderator, The Land Institute, author of The Path to a Livable Future

Agriculture as a Weapon of Domination Wednesday, November 3, 2021, 6:00 p. m. on Zoom

Speakers:

• Wes Jackson, The Land Institute
• Asa Anpu, AAPDEP South Africa Director
• Nely Rodriguez, Coalition of Immokalee Workers
• Jaideep Hardikar, People’s Archive of Rural India

Resisting Israel’s Attacks on Palestine, Wednesday, Aug 4, 2021, 6:00 p. m. MDT.  Free registration

The ugly truth of what is happening to Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza has been effectively hidden by media silence.  Israelis don’t want to look, and the West doesn’t know.  The Israeli Defense Force (IDF) and police protect and reinforce attacks by “settlers” which are increasingly vicious and frequent.  Israeli courts, police, and settlers have worked with the IDF and Civil Administration for de facto annexation of most of the West Bank.  What is happening to Palestinians exemplifies colonialism throughout the world.  Join the panelists listed below for an eye-opening discussion.

• Bob Suberi, the son of immigrants from Jerusalem, is a dual citizen of the U.S. and Israel, a Vietnam War veteran and a member of the Green Party of St. Louis. He spent three months living in a Palestinian village from March to June, 2021.  He is currently active in Veterans For Peace, Friends of Bethlehem St. Louis, and the Center for Jewish Non-Violence.
• Zaki Baruti is President/General of the Universal African Peoples Organization and was the 2000 Green Party Candidate for Missouri Governor.  He has been a TV host, radio host and a decades-long leader in St. Louis area struggles against police violence.  He publishes the African Newsworld and is a retired educator and author of educational booklets.
• Awdah Hathaleen, a Palestinian activist in Umm Al Khair, South Hebron Hills, is a victim of house demolition and organized rebuilding a community center demolished twice.   He is an English teacher and the inspiration behind a village library and a campaign to educate preschoolers.  He assists Palestinians who are forced to work and sometimes sleep far from where they live.
• Yonatan Shapira is a former Israeli captain and Air Force pilot.  He was one of the organizers of a 2003 letter signed by 27 Air Force pilots who refused to participate in Israeli military operations against Palestinians.  Shapira has also signed onto the internal Israeli movement for Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) known as “Boycott from Within.”
• Moderator Madelyn Hoffman has been a lifelong activist for peace/environmental justice and is Professor of Political Science and Public Speaking.  She is the 2021 NJ Green Party Candidate for Governor and Co-chair of the Green Party Peace Action Committee.

==== Envisioning a Greener New Deal, Wednesday, May 5, 2021, 6:00 p. m. MDT. We must halt environmental destruction while providing a better quality of life for everyone on Earth. Since our hope has been that alternative energy can replace fossil fuels, it can be overwhelming to learn of its limitations. How real are concerns with nuclear, solar, wind, and hydro-power

• Joan McKiernan, Broome Tioga Green Party.
• Katie Singer, Reports on Our Digital Footprint.
• Stan Cox, The Land Institute.
• Omali Yeshitela, Chairman, African People's Socialist Party.  
• Don Fitz, Green Party of St. Louis.

Moderator Delilah Barrios (Green Party Latinx Caucus) hosts “As All Get Out” on the The Populist Voice channel. Registration required: https://zoom.us/meeting/register/tJMkduyrrD0sH9zpNMVQ6GraMf-j7jxSA2eW

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GPAMA will have a panelist on the program on “Removing Pesticides From our Public Spaces” on Thursday, April 8, 2021 at 6:00 p. m. MDT.

Speakers:
Dr. Warren Porter (Emeritus Professor of Integrative Biology, University of Wisconsin) will share how agricultural chemicals influence immune systems, endocrine systems, and neurological health.

Bertha Lewis (Executive Director, The Black Institute, Brooklyn NY) will present evidence of the overuse of pesticides in communities of color.

Em Ward (Green Party of the Albuquerque Metro Area) will share pearls and pitfalls in the effort to stop the use of glyphosate on county-administered properties in Bernalillo County.

Daniel Romano (St. Louis Green Party and No Spray St. Louis) will share difficulties  using Sunshine Requests to document herbicide usage in city parks.

Kent Rowe (engineer and air pollution investigator in Wichita, works with the Sierra Club and Green Party) will share alternatives to herbicides for pest control.

Delilah Barrios (Texas Green Party, The Populist Voice podcast) will moderate.

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We shared earlier information about the webinar on suppression of minor parties. The Gateway Greens out of the St. Louis area have hosted multiple informative webinars. GPAMA is a co-sponsor of the Zoom webinar, Berta Cáceres in Defense of Water Rights (click link to register).