[MGP Newsletter] March 2005
MGP Newsletter
Newsletter at MDGreens.org
Thu Mar 3 06:45:53 PST 2005
MARYLAND GREEN PARTY NEWSLETTER
Volume 2(3) March 2005
http://www.mdgreens.org
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A. NEWS AND EVENTS
(1) Meetings Committee Prepares for Annual Assembly
(2) Coordinating Council Authorizes Petition Drive
(3) Anne Arundel Greens Host Lobby Night & Film Series
(4) Mt. Rainier Greens Organize Community Forums
(5) Greens Join in Equality Maryland's Rally
(6) New Frederick Local Plans Organizational Meeting
B. MEETINGS
C. ELECTRONIC FORUMS
D. PUBLISHING NOTES
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A. NEWS AND EVENTS
MEETINGS COMMITTEE PREPARES FOR ANNUAL ASSEMBLY
Under the coordination of Ann Forno, the MGP Meetings Committee has been
preparing for the Party's 6th annual Assembly to be held on Saturday,
June 4th at the University of Baltimore's Thumel Business Center located
at Mount Royal Avenue and Charles Street in Baltimore.
The annual Assembly brings together Greens from across the state to
participate in workshops, hear speakers, plan activities, elect Party
officers, approve policy decisions, and just catch up on old
acquaintances. The Assembly often has been among the region's most
well attended Green gatherings, attracting Greens from around the
region for its food, fun, education, and business.
This year, the Meetings Committee is preparing to host a record number
of participants and will be inviting numerous allied organizations to
set up tables so that Assembly-goers can learn about important political
actives taking place in Maryland. The Meetings Committee also is
planning a fundraiser for the Party to be scheduled in conjunction with
the Assembly. To participate in the planning contact Ann Forno at
annforno at jhu.edu.
COORDINATING COUNCIL AUTHORIZES PETITION DRIVE
Despite the success of Maryland Green Party candidates in 2004 and the
extraordinary growth in the Party's membership, Maryland Law does not
guarantee that the MGP will remain recognized as a political party after
December 2006. So at its meeting last month, the Coordinating Council
authorized the launch of a petition drive designed to guarantee that the
Party will be recognized through the year 2010.
This is the fourth such petition drive that the Party has conducted
since its inception. The first successful drive took place in 2000. A
party-continuing petition drive ensures that the Party will be able to
place candidates on the ballot for two general election cycles.
For the drive to be successful, 10,000 voters, registered in the State
of Maryland, must call for the Party to remain a recognized political
party in Maryland by signing the petition. Unlike all other petition
drives, the MGP's drive is conducted by Party volunteers. As a result,
petition pages turned in to County Boards of Elections have shown
impressively high validation rates. Typically, 80 to 85% of the
signatures gathered by the Party are found to be valid.
The recently authorized petition drive will be conducted by all MGP
Locals and by Greens and other Green Party supporters from across the
state. For information about how to participate in the petition drive
contact Alan Mattlage at am215 at umail.umd.edu.
ANNE ARUNDEL GREENS HOST LOBBY NIGHT & FILM SERIES
On Monday, March 7th, the Anne Arundel Greens are hosting the first
annual Green Party Lobby Night. All Greens from around the state are
welcome to join the AA Greens as they visit Maryland State Delegates and
Senators to lobby on behalf of the MGP's legislative agenda. Green
Party activists will be gathering Monday night at 6:30 in the back
dining room at 49 West Street Cafe in Annapolis and will then proceed to
meet with their Delegates and Senators. For more information please
contact Erik Michelsen at erikmichelsen at hotmail.com.
The Anne Arundel Greens also held what is to be the first of a quarterly
Green Film Fest at 49 West Street Cafe in Annapolis. At the first event
held on February 20th, three films, "The End of Suburbia", "We are all
Smith Islanders" and "Super Size Me" were screened. About 20 people
came out to watch one or more of the films during the afternoon. Not
only did the event increase awareness of important issues, but the Anne
Arundel Greens raised over $100 in the process.
MT. RAINIER GREENS ORGANIZE COMMUNITY FORUMS
Since November, Greens and other activists living in and around Mt.
Rainier and have organized several Community Forums addressing various
social and political topics. The forums are sponsored by Neighbors
United for Justice and Peace (NUJ&P) which was born of its member's
participation in the IMF/World Bank protest of April 16, 2000. Since
its inception, NUJ&P has remained a vibrant political force in and
around Mt. Rainier.
The next Community Forum will show and discuss the film "The End of
Suburbia" on Sunday, March 6th from 4:00 to 6:00 at the Mt. Rainier City
Hall on Baltimore Ave. (Highway 1). "The End of Suburbia" highlights
how the rise of energy costs will affect us and how we can prepare for
the pending changes.
Other Community Forums have featured an open forum on the presidential
election results as well as speakers discussing the School of the
Americas, paperless electronic voting, a local community land trust, and
nuclear power. Further Community Forums are being planned.
GREENS JOIN IN EQUALITY MARYLAND'S RALLY
On Monday, February 14th (Valentines Day), Equality Maryland organized a
lobby day and rally in Annapolis for support of gay marriage in
Maryland. The rally in part was a response to legislation introduced to
prohibit such unions from being recognized in Maryland. Greens from
around the state turned out to join about 200-300 people who showed up
at the rally. In particular, the Anne Arundel Greens were present with
their banner and received a big thumbs up from the Howard County P-FLAG
organization.
NEW FREDERICK LOCAL PLANS ORGANIZATIONAL MEETING
In the year 2000 Frederick, Maryland was one of the first municipalities
to host an MGP Local, drawing members from the surrounding area.
However, recently, Green activity in town and in Frederick County has
been limited. Due to recent pressure from developer interests and other
political controversies, Frederick Greens have decided to reorganize.
To this end, Frederick Greens will be holding an informational and
organizational meeting on Wednesday, March 30th at 7:30 PM in the
library in Downtown Frederick.
Frederick County, particularly the city of Frederick, has a sizable
population of Greens which has been growing roughly at same rate as the
Green population of the state. Whitney Trettien is organizing the event
and writes, "I think now is a great time to get things going again. I'm
trying to re-start the Frederick Greens." Trettien's efforts coincide
with contacts and conversations between the MGP Coordinating Council and
Greens from Frederick County. For more information contact Whitney
Trettien at whitney at moonslush.com or 240-422-9048.
B. MEETINGS
Anne Arundel:
Meets each Tuesday at 7:00 in the 49 West Cafe on West Street and
for brunch on the first Sunday of each month at 11:00 AM at the
Ramshead Tavern. For latest information contact Erik Michelsen at
410-956-3216 or erikmichelsen at hotmail.com.
Baltimore City:
Meets at 7:30 PM on the 2nd and 4th Thursday of each month at 1443
Gorsuch Ave. For latest information contact Mike Shea at 410-662-8169
or office at baltimoregreens.org.
Baltimore County:
Meets at 7:00 PM on the 3rd Monday of each month at Ruby Tuesday
in Towson. For latest information contact Dave Goldsmith at
410-480-5256 or dave at baltimorecountygreens.org.
Carroll:
To be decided. For latest information contact David Stysley at
410-751-8966 or dstysley at hotmail.com.
Charm City:
Meets at 1:00 PM, March 12 at the University of Baltimore. The meeting
will be in the Academic Center (corner of Charles and Mt Royal) in the
Lounge across from Records and Registration.
Frederick:
Frederick Greens will hold an informational and organizational meeting
on Wednesday, March 30th at 7:30 PM in the library in Downtown
Frederick. For latest information contact Whitney Trettien at
whitney at moonslush.com or 240-422-9048.
Greenbelt:
Meets on the second Monday of each the month at 7:30 PM in the
public meeting room in the Greenbelt police building near the
corner of Ridge and Crescent Roads (close to Kenilworth Avenue)
and each Tuesday at 7:00 PM at the New Deal Cafe for an informal
meeting. For latest information contact Bob Auerbach at 202-722-4303
or Anya Bull at goveggie00 at hotmail.com.
Howard:
To be decided. For latest information contact Mike Cornell at
HC-Greens at thalia.org.
Montgomery:
To be decided. For latest information, contact Dan Kulpinski at
dankulpinski at comcast.net.
Mt. Rainier/Hyattsville:
To be decided. For latest information contact Andrew Agostinelli at
301-887-0920 or andrewagos at aol.com.
Southern Maryland:
Meets on the first Tuesday of each month at 7:00 PM with the
location rotating through the region. For latest information contact
chriswhf at yahoo.com.
Towson University Greens:
Meets twice a month. For latest information contact Mike Depew at
410-292-8267 or fenderfan6 at aol.com.
C. ELECTRONIC FORUMS
For more news and information about Party activities and concerns,
Newsletter readers are encouraged to join and participate in the MGP's
various electronic forums. These include email lists associated with
several MGP Locals, the MGP sponsored "Village Green," and the
unofficial "MGP-Disc." To join, go to:
http://www.mdgreens.org/locals.html
http://www.mdgreens.org/lists/village-green/
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/mgp-disc/
D. PUBLISHING NOTES
The MGP Newsletter circulates 12 times per year and is edited by
volunteers for the Maryland Green Party. Information is believed
to be accurate at the time it is disseminated, but readers are
urged to confirm the latest event details. MGP Newsletter items
may be submitted through your MGP Local. Please encourage your
friends to subscribe by directing them to
http://www.mdgreens.org/lists/newsletter/
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