home of the wildlife conservation environmental and freedom activist

Green Party of New York State E-News Vol. 1, No. 7, June 20, 2001

In this issue:

1. Introduction

2. Action and Activity alerts (AAAs)
-                       Rally at NYC Stock Exchange: Oppose $1.1B Public
Subsidy for new Trading Floor, June 21, New York City
-       Dioxin/Cancer Protest, Thursday, June 21st, 2001, Syracuse,
NY;  NYS Dioxin Work Group Forming
-       Roll Your Own Blackout  June 21st 7-10 PM anywhere
-       Celebrate Reopening of Manhattan Bridge Bike Path, June 29, New
York City
-       Reminder: State Committee Seats Are Vacant!
-       New web site for Green Party of New York State: http://www.gpnys.org/
-                       Tell Ford To Publicly Support the Kyoto Treaty to
Stop Global Warming


  3. Meetings and Events:
-                       Cool Not Cruel Show and Benefit, Tuesday, June 19,
6:00 p.m, New York City
-       Stop Global Aids Now -- March and Rally June 23, New York City
-       Rally for Rockefeller Drug Laws Reform, Harlem, New York City, June 30
-                       Campus Greens Founding Convention  August 9 -
August 12, University of Illinois, Chicago
4. Featured Local: Bay Ridge Greens



5. News, News Links, Resources
News
-                       Getting turned on over a turn-off, By Carrie Peyton
-       Instant Runoff Voting Makes Good Sense for Democracy
-       German Government And Energy Bosses To Sign Nuclear Deal Monday
-       Schenectady Greens rally for civilian review, Daily Gazette
Newslinks
-                       WINDPOWER - A New Crop for Farmers
-       Seeds Of Discontent: Farmers - And The Public - May Soon Learn
There's No Turning Back On Genetically Modified Foods. . . ."


1.      INTRODUCTION

Welcome to another issue of the Green Party of New York State's
E-News!  Our goal is to update Greens across the state about important
issues, news, events, and resources. We hope you will find E-News
informative and entertaining. We welcome your comments, contributions and
assistance. Send your news, events, and Alerts for the next issue to Cathy
Sadell at csadell@prodigy.net and let us know if you would like to help
write the next issue.  Special thanks to Ann Link, who is now coordinating
the News and Featured Local sections. Note that E-News will print letters
to the editor from Greens, Nader supporters, and people with something
interesting to say. Deadline for submissions to next issue: Friday, July
20, 2001. If you would prefer not to receive the newsletter, please notify
Masada Disenhouse at masada@akula.com. To learn more about green issues
work in New York or to contact your local Green chapter please visit
www.greens.org/ny. For information about green party electoral work in New
York, including state committee news and elections, please visit
http://www.gpnys.org/.

2. ACTION AND ACTIVITY alerts ( AAAs)

RALLY AT STOCK EXCHANGE TO OPPOSE $1.1 BILLION PUBLIC SUBSIDY FOR NEW
TRADING FLOOR
Thursday, June 21, New York City

The Campaign for Corporate Accountability will hold a rally on the steps of
Federal Hall at Broad and Wall Streets on Thursday, June 21 from 4:00 to
5:00 P.M. to call upon the Governor and Mayor to eliminate the proposed
$1.1 billion public subsidy to construct a new trading for the New York
Stock Exchange.

A growing number of community organizations are opposing the largest
corporate welfare deal in the City's history as a waste of taxpayer monies,
particularly when the City has major unmet needs in the areas of education,
health care, hunger, homelessness, infrastructure maintenance, genuine
community development, mass transit and the environment. The groups are
also calling for the State Legislature to enact the Corporate Disclosure
and Taxpayer Protection Act (A7291 - Luster) to require standardized
disclosure, reporting and performance standards for such economic
development projects. Speakers at the rally will include Rabbi Michael
Feinberg, Executive Director of the NYS Labor-Religion Coalition; Jonathan
Bowles, Center for an Urban Future, who handled corporate welfare issues
for former State Senator Franz Leichter; Samara Swanstrom, Watch Person
Project (Brooklyn), a leader of the environmental justice movement; Kwong
Hui, a City Council candidate and organizer on immigrant workers' rights;
Barbara Whittie, Community Voices Heard (welfare rights group); Steve
DiBrienza, City Council Member; Ray Fleischhacker, an attorney and
representative of the tenants at 45 Wall Street who will be evicted by the
project; and Ray Rogers, Director of Corporate Campaigns Inc.  Critics note
that it is hard to imagine a less deserving candidate for a government
subsidy than the New York Stock Exchange, the world wide symbol of
free-market capitalism. Last year the 1,366 member companies of NYSE had
gross revenues of $245 billion and after-tax profits of $13 billion - a 30%
increase from the prior year. If in fact the NYSE needs a new facility, it
should have no trouble raising funds to construct one, or drawing on the
immense wealth of its member and listed firms. Some of the groups opposing
the proposed $1.1 billion subsidy include City Project, Community Voices
Heard, NYC Labor-Religion Coalition, West Side Campaign Against Hunger,
Citizens Environmental Coalition, Save the Earth, Brooklyn Greens, Lower
East Side Greens, United for a Fair Economy, Center for an Urban Future,
Urban Justice Center, National Employment Law Project, Fifth Avenue
Committee, Community Food Resource Center, Alliance for Democracy, NYS
Greens, North American Coalition for Christianity and Ecology, Jews for
Racial & Economic Justice, The Third Wave, Association for Neighborhood and
Housing Development, Metropolitan Council on Housing, Goddard Riverside
Community Center, Bronx Greens, LI Progressive Coalition, Corporate
Campaigns Inc., Mt. Vernon United Tenants.


DIOXIN/CANCER PROTEST -- GREEN ACTIVISM BATTLING CANCER CAUSING POLLUTION
AND GOVERNMENT INACTION IN NEW YORK STATE, THURSDAY, JUNE 21ST, 2001, 10:00 AM

Where: Federal Building, 100 S. Clinton St., Syracuse, NY

Industry, agribusiness and the federal government must stop deceiving the
american public about the cancer risk imposed by dioxin emissions. Release
the final draft of the dioxin reassessment now.
Syracuse greens, st. Lawrence river valley greens acting in unison.

Our federal government must move forward quickly with measures aimed at
reducing dioxin emissions and informing the public upon how to avoid
exposures to these chemical carcinogens. Americans who consume moderate to
heavy quantities of animal fats have a 1 in 100 excess risk of developing
cancer due to the dioxin, furan and dioxin-like PCB contaminants in such
foods as dairy products, beef and fish.

In "Exposure and Human Health Reassessment of 2,3,7,8-Tetrachloro-
dibenzo-p-Dioxin (TCDD) and Related Compounds", the US EPA quantifies what
is clearly a major cause of cancer in the United States. Breast cancer and
colorectal cancer are highly associated with animal fat consumption. To
what degree are these cancers caused by the dioxin contaminants and other
carcinogenic persistent organic pollutants in animal fats?

The US Senate Environment and Health Committee held hearings on breast
cancer and pollution at Adelphi College, Garden City, on June 11th, 2001.
Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton presided at four hours of testimony from
environmental health experts. Now that US EPA's dioxin reassessment is in
the hands of Administrator Whitman, final draft release should occur before
summer's end. Events such as these bring America ever closer to a
revolutionary viewpoint change on carcinogens, manufacturing processes,
waste disposal and cancer prevention.

This is a powerful time for Green Movement building. Greens interested in
the cancer/pollution connection are requested to participate in a series of
activist events at the federal buildings across New York State. We can take
a dominant role to the other political parties in these matters. Democrats
and Republicans are seriously weakened by the lobbying pressures of the
Chlorine Chemistry Council, and agribusiness groups such as Farm Bureau and
the National Cattlemen's Beef Association, when it comes to cancer
prevention via pollution elimination. Contact the St. Lawrence River Valley
Greens at: canceraction@hotmail.com or 315 393-1975. In Nature, Donald L.
Hassig, St. Lawrence River Valley Greens

JOIN NYS DIOXIN WORK GROUP
Now that the assembly has endorsed the concept of Greens working together
across NY to eliminate open waste burning, incineration and the burning of
tires, creosoted wood and plastics in electric generation facilities, we
propose that a Greens working group on dioxins be established. Any NY State
Green interested in participating is asked to contact Donald L. Hassig, St.
Lawrence River Valley Greens, canceraction@hotmail.com The pace of dioxin
activism is rapidly accelerating with imminent release of the dioxin
reassessment to be followed by the first draft of the CROSS-MEDIA DIOXIN
STRATEGY. These advances should occur by no later than
September.  Ratification effort on the Stockholm Convention/ Persistent
Organic Pollutants Treaty serve to further maintain the dioxin focus.
Senator Charles Schumer has promised a supporting vote. A great amount of
latitude exists in the treaty, allowing each nation to decide just how
serious its efforts will be to reduce dioxin pollution. Strong grassroots
support for virtual elimination will pressure the Bush administration to
accomplish significant abatement of dioxin creation, via both combustion
and PVC production changes.

For Further Information: Donald L. Hassig, St. Lawrence River Valley
Greens, canceraction@hotmail.com or 315-393-1975.

************************************************************************************************************************************

ROLL YOUR OWN BLACK OUT for THE FIRST DAY OF SUMMER, Thurs. June 21st 7-10pm:
In protest of George W. Bush's energy policies and lack of emphasis on
efficiency, conservation and alternative fuels, there will be a voluntary
rolling blackout on the first day of summer, 7-10pm in any time zone (this
will roll it across the
planet). Its a simple protest and a symbolic act. Turn out your lights from
7pm-10pm on June 21. Unplug whatever you can unplug in your house. Light a
candle and do something instead of watching television, have fun in the
dark. Forward this email as widely as possible, to your government
representatives and environmental contacts. Let them know we want global
education, participation and funding in conservation, efficiency and
alternative fuel efforts -- and an end to over exploitation and misuse of
the earth's resources.  See article in News section, below.


CELEBRATE REOPENING OF MANHATTAN BRIDGE BIKE PATH, June 29, New York City
New York Time's Up!, the direct action environmental group announces the
Manhattan Bridge Opening Celebration taking place June 29 at approximately
8:00 p.m. at the Manhattan side of the bridge to celebrate the planned
opening of the renovated and long overdue Manhattan Bridge pedestrian and
bike path linking Chinatown and Lower Manhattan with D.U.M.B.O. and other
neighborhoods of Brooklyn. Hundreds of participants are expected. Call
(212) 802-8222 for more info.


REMINDER: STATE COMMITTEE SEATS ARE VACANT!
The State Committee is the elected green body that develops bylaws for
green electoral process, nominates state-wide candidates, considers
authorizations and interfaces with the Board of Elections. We are looking
to fill vacancies on the State Committee, especially in counties where
there is no representation currently. Only enrolled Greens are eligible to
run for a seat on the State Committee. Duties consist of up to 4 meetings
per year generally held in the Hudson Valley region.  If you are an
enrolled Green in New York State and want to learn more about running for
State Committee, please contact Dan Schaffer at 718-499-6527 or Mark Dunlea
at 518 286-3411.


NEW WEB SITE FOR GREEN PARTY OF NEW YORK STATE: HTTP://WWW.GPNYS.ORG/
The Green Party of New York State announces a new website to keep greens in
New York state updated about electoral issues. It will provide information
about: who your state committee representatives are; the schedule for
petitioning and elections from the Board of Election; information on
existing green campaigns and how to run your own, and much more. It will
also soon provide a web-based version of THIS E-NEWS, including back
issues! Information on the New York State Greens Assembly, including
information regarding local green chapters and non-electoral issues that
greens are pursuing may still be found at: www.greens.org/ny. Please note
that the web site is new and many links are still inactive, but will
hopefully be working very soon so bookmark today! For more information or
to help out with the web page, please contact Rachel Treichler at:
718-623-2698 or treichler@ecobooks.com.


TELL FORD TO PUBLICLY SUPPORT THE KYOTO TREATY TO STOP GLOBAL WARMING
On May 8, the Ford Motor Company spent an estimated $200,000 on
advertisements in USA Today, the New York Times, and the Financial Times
professing its concern about global warming. Yet, Ford has said directly:
it doesn't
support the treaty. That's greenwashing.

The Ford Motor Company is also part of an industry lobbying group - the
U.S. Council of International Business - which is backing President Bush's
move to derail the only international effort to stop global warming - the
Kyoto Treaty. Tell Ford to replace rhetoric with action and publicly
support the Kyoto Treaty!
Act Now:
http://www.greenpeaceusa.org/takeaction/ford.htm
Learn More:
http://www.greenpeaceusa.org/save/alerts/ford.htm
http://www.greenpeaceusa.org/features/fortune100.htm


3. MEETINGS AND EVENTS

COLL NOT CRUEL SHOW AND BENEFIT
Tuesday, June 19, 6:00 p.m., Session 73 - First Avenue at 73rd Street -
Manhattan, New York, NY
Contact :  Sara Cross, 646-221-6363
coolnotcruel is pleased to invite you to a special sale and party to
benefit NYCAP. Styling the world of change, changing the world of style,
coolnotcruel caters to the urban chic, fashion conscious, socially and
environmentally responsible consumer. New York Coalition for Alternatives
to Pesticides (NYCAP) is a non-profit, grass-roots organization committed
to the elimination of pesticide hazards through education and outreach.
Clothing for both men and women, made from such materials as organic
cotton, hemp, alpaca wool and organic wool, in a range of sizes and
colours, will be sold at wholesale prices. 10% of sales will be donated to
NYCAP. Cash and checks only, no credit cards. Raffle prizes donated by
environmental companies will be drawn and awarded at 8:30pm. Drinks will
include organic wine.



STOP GLOBAL AIDS NOW  -- MARCH AND RALLY JUNE 23, NYC

Add your voice to speakers from South Africa, Thailand, Uganda, Brazil,
Kenya, Ghana in demanding action to STOP GLOBAL AIDS NOW.

Meet 11am Washington Square Park and March to Bryant Park (Permit
Pending).  The rally at Bryant Park will be hosted by a number of speakers
will including people living with HIV and activists from grass-roots
movements from the Global South issuing calls to action.

Before world leaders discuss HIV/AIDS at the United Nations and before the
G8 Summit in Genoa, Italy WE WILL BE IN THE STREETS DEMANDING ACTION FROM
OUR POLICY MAKERS:

Dollars: We call on the U.S. and other wealthy countries to invest multiple
billions in grants to the Global AIDS FUND and to national AIDS plans in
developing countries.

Debt: We call on the World Bank and IMF to cancel 100% of the odious
international debt owed to them by all impoverished countries heavily
impacted by HIV/AIDS.

Drugs: We call on the U.S. and other wealthy countries to ensure access to
lifesaving AIDS medications, including generically manufactured drugs, at
the lowest cost.

FOR INFO:
vmail 212-208-4533
email  info@stopglobalaidsnow.org
For a list of endorsers, campaign materials and info go to:
www.stopglobalaidsnow.org
For background information go to: www.globaltreatmentaccess.org


RALLY FOR ROCKEFELLER DRUG LAWS REFORM, HARLEM, NYC, JUNE 30
Come to a rally hosted by the Interfaith Partnership for Criminal Justice
in NY City (IFP) on the Rockefeller Drug Laws, June 30, at 12-3 p.m.  We
will march from 116th St and Adam Clayton Powell Blvd. to 125th and Malcolm
X Blvd, and will rally on Malcolm X Blvd.  The rally is co-sponsored by the
New York City Greens.

The IFP is the local organizing vehicle of JusticeWorks' national
organizing campaign, Mothers in Prison, Children in Crisis. This campaign
seeks mandatory alternatives for women convicted of non-violent offences
beginning with mothers and their children. The IFP is actively organizing
and mobilizing faith based and progressive groups in New York City, and in
particular the seven neighborhoods most impacted by the Rockefeller Drug Laws.

IFP has invited state legislators who will speak to the Rockefeller Drug
Laws and its impact on communities and families. At this Rally we will hear
from ex-prisoners, family and friends of the incarcerated and members of
the larger community.

In preparation for the Rally, IFP will be conducting an organizers'
training on June 9 at St. Aloysius Church in Harlem to provide individuals
with organizing skills. For information, contact Jessica Dias at
JusticeWorks Community at 718 499 6704, or visit www.justiceworks.org


CAMPUS GREENS FOUNDING CONVENTION, Thurs. 8/9  Sun. 8/12, 2001, University
of Illinois-Chicago

The Campus Greens, a democratic organization that seeks to unite the Green
and progressive third-party groups based on academic campuses nationwide,
will hold its founding convention August 9 through 12 at U. Illinois-Chicago.

The convention will include a plenary session in which delegates will
ratify bylaws, elect leadership, and determine national organizing strategy
for the year to come.

To affiliate your college chapter with the Campus Greens and get full
voting rights at the convention, contact: corey@campusgreenparties.org, or
download our chapter registration form at www.campusgreenparties.org.

EVENTS
From late afternoon of August 9, through the late morning of August 12,
the Campus Greens will pack a schedule chock-full of events for you to
attend --including a Super Rally in the style of the Nader2000 campaign.

The main goal of our convention is for everyone who attends to leave a more
enlightened, and empowered activist than they were when they came. To this
end, we will schedule skills, issues, and identity workshops, and panel
discussions designed to explore the dynamics of being a successful radical
organizer.

Convention will include:
Skills Workshops
Issues Workshops
Identity Workshops
Panel Discussions
Caucus Meetings
Committee Meetings
Plenary Session
SUPER RALLY (Friday, August 10)

For further information on attending, volunteering, signing up your school,
transportation, housing and registration contact:
corey@campusgreenparties.org right away!!!


4. FEATURED LOCAL: BAY RIDGE GREENS

The Bay Ridge Greens were formed in December 2000, so we are one of the
newest locals in New York. We are also a relatively small local, averaging
eight to ten people per meeting. We believe that is good, since most of our
members are new to the Green party, and new to activism. This allows every
member to have input into what the local will do, and how best to make it
grow.

There are several issues that we are working on as a local. One is the lack
of documents provided by the City translated into Arabic. There is a
sizable contingent of Arabs in Bay Ridge, and the services they receive are
meager. We have translated the "Parent's Bill of Rights," which explains
all rights and obligations expected of parents of children attending public
school. We hope to distribute this to public schools in the area, then to
schools throughout the city.

We are also focusing on transportation in Bay Ridge. We are underserved in
this community as far as public transit goes. There is no regular bus
service into Manhattan except for the express buses, and they both run
infrequently, and are unsafe "tour style" buses, with only one exit, narrow
aisles, and handrails that are too high for average passengers to reach. We
are fighting for more and better service in Bay Ridge.

The Bay Ridge Greens are also trying to get more people participating in
the Recycling program, and we'd also like to start exploring ways in which
it could be expanded to include more materials to be recycled.

Tying all this together, we are also running a candidate for City Council.
Michael Emperor is running in the 43rd district. He hopes to highlight what
the bay Ridge Greens have been working on and make them part of his platform.

Although the Bay Ridge Greens are a small and new local, we believe the
seeds are in place to grow a strong and diverse local that participates
strongly in improving the quality of life for ordinary citizens. For
further information, please contact Michael Emperor at (212) 334-9435 or
BrooklynEmperor@aol.com.


5. NEWS, NEWS LINKS, RESOURCES

GETTING TURNED ON OVER A TURN-OFF
By Carrie Peyton, Sacramento Bee (California) Staff Writer (Published June
14, 2001)

Political action doesn't get much easier than this: Pull a plug. Flip a switch.

If you dislike utilities, like the environment or know anyone who does you
might already have received an e-mail call to "Roll Your Own Blackout" for
three hours next week on the day of the summer solstice.

Flocks of anonymous e-mails have been swooping across the Internet for
weeks promoting the hand-rolled, voluntary blackout aimed at fostering
conservation.

It is a phenomenon that points out just how deeply energy issues have
wormed into the national consciousness, as well as how much the Internet
has become the world's water cooler and its bulletin board.

The messages urge people everywhere to turn out their lights and unplug
what they can from 7 to 10 p.m. Thursday, creating a dip in energy use that
would roll across time zones -- part protest and part party.

"Talk to your kids. Watch the stars come out. Cuddle. Pretend the TV's
broken. Think what can happen when tens of thousands join this peaceful
protest against price-gouging and environmental irresponsibility," exhorts
a Web page devoted to the idea.

Marilyn Nyborg of Grass Valley says she's thinking about flipping a circuit
breaker to cut off all power to her house Thursday night, but at the very
least her lights and television will be off.

"It's beautiful outside now. It's nice to sit on the porch. As it gets
darker I don't mind using a flashlight to read and spend some time with my
partner and our new kitties," she said.

Nyborg, 62, a high-tech recruiter who calls herself a "quiet activist,"
said she'll be taking part to demonstrate that people can come together to
conserve.

"I take great offense at (President) Bush's comment that it's our right as
Americans to waste fuel. I don't think it is. We're also stewards of the
planet," she said.

David Aragon, a Berkeley engineer who says he coined the phrase "Roll Your
Own Blackout" online for a similar protest, said the idea had its roots in
politics but is nonpartisan.

He said he just learned this week that Los Angeles artist Monica Rex was
the one who expanded his notion, scheduled it for the first day of summer
and sent it out into the world.

Rex said she e-mailed a few paragraphs to about 50 friends in mid-April and
posted them on a handful of Web sites to make people aware that they have
the power over how energy is used.

She thought so little of it at the time that she didn't keep a copy.

"I didn't know it would get anywhere, actually," she said. But it took off.

By mid-May, multiple copies were landing in e-mail boxes of nearly everyone
with environmental or energy interests. An organic farming public relations
firm publicized it further, saying "millions" of people had been alerted.
Newspapers from Seattle to Denver began writing about the anonymous
upswelling. Web pages sprang up dedicated to it.

"Everyone I know has seen it. This has swept the globe," said Jeff Softley,
a West Hollywood bartender and longtime environmentalist who has tried for
more than a decade to promote the idea of an "Energy Fast" on Earth Day.

Softley, who knows a little about stirring up community action, was so
struck by how quickly the message moved that he speculated a big
environmental group was probably behind it, trying to appear grass roots.

"I just think it caught people's imagination," said Rex. "I am just amazed
at how things move around the Internet." She theorizes that her name was
stripped off early in the forwarding process, making it appear anonymous
when she had no particular interest in either hiding from the idea or in
promoting it.

It really doesn't take much to bring a single idea to millions of people,
said David Goff, a University of Southern Mississippi professor who
co-edited the book "Understanding the Web."

"When you get it in the hands of like-minded people, it doesn't take long
for that multiplier effect to operate, and it will go very far very fast,"
he said.

E-mail- and Web-driven protests have triggered fuel boycotts in Great
Britain and Internet boycotts in France, Goff said, and "we're in the early
stages of this."

The whimsical blackout message -- circulated in several versions -- calls
on people turn off what they can, then "light a candle to the sun god, kiss
and tell, make love, tell ghost stories, do something instead of watching
television, have fun in the dark."

Many versions say the voluntary blackout -- "a simple protest and a
symbolic act" -- is being held to protest Bush's disdain for conservation,
energy efficiency and alternative fuels.

Some variants direct people to books on alternative energy and energy
efficiency. Some say the candle should burn for the sun goddess. Some add a
gentle caution, to unplug only what can be "safely" dispensed with.

Michael Straus of Point Reyes said he plans to take part by having a
candlelight dinner with his parents. Straus, whose "Beyond Organic" PR firm
helped tout the idea, said he put the message out over a public interest
and academic news wire after it kept landing in his mailbox.

The message has zinged from state to state and reportedly reached Europe
and Asia. It has hit e-mail lists devoted to everything from feminism to
used-book sellers. A Texas newspaper credited it to a river protection
group called American Rivers, something the flattered but bemused
organization denied.

Millions of people would have to be involved for their efforts to show up
on the computers of the California Independent System Operator in Folsom,
which constantly monitors electricity use to match demand with supply.

If 10 million households turned off a single 100 watt light bulb at once,
100 megawatts would drop off the state's electric grid -- probably not
noticeable amid 30,000 or so megawatts of early evening demand, said Jim
Detmers, an ISO vice president.

But 200 to 300 megawatts of reduced demand might be detectable under the
right conditions, if sudden changes in wind or temperatures or cloud cover
don't obscure the effect, he said.

Computer engineer Aragon said he has no idea how many people will turn off
and tune out June 21.

"That's almost like speculating on the spot price of electricity," he said.
"I wouldn't touch it." ''

*********************************************************************************************************************************

INSTANT RUNOFF VOTING MAKES GOOD SENSE FOR DEMOCRACY
editorial by Xander Patterson, co-chairman of the Pacific Green Party, The
Oregonian, June 8, 2001

The Oregonian's editorial attacking instant runoff voting ("Don't dilute
meaning of vote," June 4) insults not only voters' intelligence but
fundamental American values, including democracy itself. Instant runoff
enhances rather than "dilutes" the meaning of our votes.

First, instant runoff voting, called IRV, is not too complicated for
Oregonians to understand and to use. IRV has been in use in Australia,
Ireland, Malta, and Cambridge, Mass., for many decades, and was recently
adopted to elect the mayor of London. Unlike The Oregonian, Greens have
confidence that Oregonians are just as capable of filling out a ballot as
these voters. And we trust our election officials are as capable of
counting them.

IRV is a modified form of the runoff election process currently used for
many local offices, including Portland's City Council. The difference
between "instant" runoff elections and the runoffs we are used to is that
voters are able to express their second choice in one trip to the polls
instead of two. This saves time and money.

IRV works like this: When voters fill out their ballots, they rank their
preference in candidates, rather than pick just one. (Example: 1st Perot,
2nd Bush Sr., 3rd Clinton). If no candidate receives a clear majority of
first-choice votes, the lowest vote-getter is eliminated and his or her
votes are transferred to the next choice marked on each ballot. The process
continues until a candidate obtains a clear majority.

Second, your editorial suggests that allowing voters to express their
preferences would somehow dilute the meaning of our votes. By that logic, a
menu with more than two choices makes eating less meaningful. IRV simply
says that if I order meatloaf, but the restaurant is out, I can still get
ameal.

Freedom of choice is one of the most fundamental American values. We
guarantee free speech and extol free markets to ensure that we will have a
full range of ideas and products to choose from. Many Oregonians want more
choices on the ballot. In 1950, only 1.5 percent of voters were registered
in minor parties or as Independents. Today, 24 percent are.

Even old party stalwarts such as Vermont's Sen. Jim Jeffords are abandoning
the major parties. As he left the Republican Party to become an independent
this week, so did Oregon's State Rep. Jan Lee. The Republicans and
Democrats maintain their "duopoly" on political power not because they are
doing such a great job or because they so completely represent the full
diversity of American political opinion.

We are stuck with them because our first-by-the-post electoral system robs
us of full and free political choice as effectively as if other parties
were banned altogether. Minor party supporters aren't hauled off to jail.
Instead, their votes are "thrown away" or twisted to have the opposite
effect of the voters' intent ("a vote for Nader is a vote for Bush").
That's what you call a meaningful vote?

Third, you dismiss IRV as if it were some frivolous indulgence. Tell that
to the ever-whimsical Alan Greenspan and the Federal Reserve Banks. They
use a variation on IRV to elect their board of directors. So does the
American Political Science Association. IRV is supported by groups as
diverse as Common Cause and the Alaskan Republicans, who are tired of
having Libertarians cost them elections.

In 1908, Oregonians passed a ballot measure to amend the state constitution
to explicitly permit IRV. We should now implement IRV simply because it is
more democratic than our current system. It eliminates the spoiler dilemma
and the wasted-vote syndrome. It ensures that the candidates preferred by a
majority of voters will win.

Above all, IRV allows voters to use their ballots to express their
political views loudly, clearly and sincerely.

Now that's a meaningful vote. Got the message?

*********************************************************************************************************************************

GERMAN GOVERNMENT AND ENERGY BOSSES TO SIGN NUCLEAR DEAL MONDAY
by Michael Adler, Agence France Presse, June 11

German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder was Monday to sign what the government
has called a "historic" agreement with executives from the country's top
energy firms to phase out nuclear energy there.

The agreement, which will open the way for a parliamentary debate on the
issue, will formalise an accord reached one year ago that stipulates an
average working life of 32 years for each of Germany's 19 nuclear power plants.

That would mean most of the plants will be phased out by around 2018.

The agreement would also ban as of 2005 Germany's highly controversial
export of nuclear waste.

"It is a historic moment," Trittin, a member of the Greens party, said in
an interview published Monday in the Berlin newspaper Tagespiegel.

"Overseas in particular it is considered as such, as Germany is committing
itself to a complete ecological programme that contrasts with those in
other countries.

"It is not a question of the end of a particular technology, but of
creating a durable alternative, by the development of renewable energies
and the boosting of ec