[act-ma] SAT AUG 25-Green-Rainbow STATE CONVENTION

[BillCunningham]

challenging political workshops... keynote presentation on the financial and housing
crisis... 2008 Green presidential candidates....

2007 GREEN-RAINBOW PARTY STATE CONVENTION
SATURDAY AUGUST 25th 
COMMUNITY CHURCH OF BOSTON, 565 BOYLSTON STREET
in COPLEY SQUARE, BOSTON

Child care and lunch included with registration fee.

The registration fee will be on a sliding scale, based on ability to pay—$35 recommended,
more if you can, less if you can't.


Let us know how many kids are coming and their age— 
email to <infoATgreen-rainbow.org> (but replace AT with @)

wheelchair accessibility—
call (978) 688-2068 for details


PROPOSALS— Floor proposals will be accepted for consideration by the state convention
if they are co-sponsored by fourteen members or at least twenty-five percent of 
the official attendance of the State Convention, whichever is lower. The primary
sponsors must provide copies (handouts) of the proposal text to all present.

ELECTION OF OFFICERS— candidates must be have ten valid nominations

SCHEDULE FOR THE DAY

9:00    REGISTRATION and credentialing

PLENARY—FIRST SITTING

10:00 welcome
———— state of the party
———— announcement of officers to be elected

11:00 – 12:45    WORKSHOPS:
Promote the party using the Web; Explaining Sudan— What's going on and what 
we can do; Protecting community rights; Relocalization—a new economy; The 2008 elections—building
the movement and growing our party; Bullying—the abuse of power and non-violence;
Everyday living as if the Earth matters  
[workshop details at bottom of message]

12:45 – 1: 45    LUNCH
1:15    KEYNOTE (during lunch)— peak oil, housing and financial crisis

PLENARY—SECOND SITTING

2:00  Strategic Planning report 
2:15  nominations and vote for officers
3:15  review of decisions made since last convention
———— floor proposals
————sudan panel
4:45    2008 presidentail candidates
5:00    Results of vote for officers

5:30    FUNDRAISING DINNER: Veggie Lasagna

7:30    FUNDRAISING CONCERT: world performing political musician David Rovics $15:00
with $10.00 sliding scale

HOW TO GET TO THE CONVENTION

If you can, take public transportation into Copley Square. PARKING IS VERY EXPENSIVE!

by car:   Via Mass Pike or Storrow Drive take the Copley Square exits. Turn left,
2 blocks to Boylston Street. Public parking is available at the Back Bay Garage.
Entrances are on Clarendon Street and St. James Ave.

by public transportation:  take any Green Line train to Copley, the convention is
less than a block away. 
—or take Orange Line to Back Bay station, walk 3 blocks down to Boylston St
— or take the 39 MBTA Bus from Forest Hills to Boston Public Library

WORKSHOP DETAILS:

I. PROMOTE THE PARTY USING THE WEB — Come learn about the new technologies the GRP
is using to expand our membership and increase communication among party members.
Learn how you can use them to increase your local and promote your activities.

1I. EXPLAINING SUDAN: What's going on and what can we do about it? — As a response
to the recent controversy involving the framework of discussion for GRP's relationship
to Africa, we are focusing on Sudan since it has been the subject of a lot of misleading
media propaganda. Our purpose is to rationally explain what kind of help Sudanese
people need and the necessity of civil discourse. 4 Speakers: Sudanese and people
who have been to Sudan. Each will speak for 15 minutes, followed by a discussion.

III. PROTECTING COMMUNITY RIGHTS — In the past few years, laws such as “expedited
permitting” and “special development districts” and “surplus land reform” and “Chapter
91 tidelands reform” have been advanced to allow profit-seeking private development
interests from outside the community to sweep aside concerns of local democratic
bodies. This workshop will describe the scope of the assault on community rights
and show how community groups are fighting back.

IV. RELOCALIZATION: A NEW ECONOMY — An economy built on cheap oil is heading toward
collapse. In the looming disaster there is opportunity: We can relocalize our economy,
saving energy, reducing our dependence on fossil fuels, creating good jobs, raising
healthier food, and revitalizing grassroots democracy. This workshop describes relocalization
and how volunteers can plug in.

V. THE 2008 ELECTIONS: BUILDING THE MOVEMENT AND GROWING OUR PARTY —  Information
sharing on campaigns —  Presidential, US Senate, US Congress, State Legislature,
ballot questions.  How can our campaigns help build the movement? How can our campaigns
help grow our party? What does our party need from our candidates? What do our candidates
need from our party? How can people get involved?

VI. BULLYING: THE ABUSE OF POWER AND NON-VIOLENCE — Come explore non-violence in
contrast to the examples of bullying — from within our own organizations to the 
biggest bully of the present world order, President Bush.  Non-violence as a set
of principles looks at how power is defined, how we can shift it and most often 
on the  strategies to intervene which we so desperately need to learn to  change
our organizations, our lives and reclaim the future of our society and the planet.

VII. EVERYDAY LIVING AS IF THE EARTH MATTERS — no details available
                

Bill Cunningham