Wednesday, March 07, 2007
A Green with lots of opinions
I have written here from time to time about the personalities involved in the Green Party. From locally successful Greens like those who make up the city government in Arcata and Sebastapol and who serve on county councils like those in CO and HI, to more "national" figures like Jason West and Rebecca Rotzler of the Village of New Paltz NY, Matt Gonzalez of San Francisco to internally prominent voices like Phil Huckleberry and Marc Sanson of IL and Mato Ska of New Mexico.
I have also written about groups associated with or a part of the Green Party. Groups like Greens for Democracy and Independence, GPAX, the Women's and Black caucuses and the Green Institute as well as the various committees of the Green Party have all been written about here from time to time.
I served for a bit on the national Media Committee. These folks do serious work under tight scheduling and accomplish more than any other committee I am aware of, including the Green National Committee.
Even so, I left the committee because I had been unsuccessful in reviving "Greensweek", the weekly email "newsletter" we used to get. I was unable to get it going again because of personal failings. No one stood in my way and kept me from getting it out.
Even so, I have wondered for some time if we Greens, and especially the members of the Green National Committee, have been missing the boat by not getting our positions, especially our personal positions, into the public debate. I read amazing, passionate, well thought out discourse on the national mailing lists, but it gets drown out by the stupid, needlessly angry, and self-serving clatter that is so strong on the lists.
And I say that as one who has done so myself in the past.
So, here's the point. Martin Zehr is Mato Ska. He has written a dozen articles and had them published at OpEdNews.org. I and other Greens have been published there too, and they are looking for more.
Mato/Martin's latest piece, and I have not read any of them yet, is entitled The Kirkuk Referendum.
There are other Green voices who are prominent, and the list of people/groups is far from comprehensive. The more folks who are internally important to the conversation speak up, like Mato has done here, the better we define who we are and what we are about.
I have also written about groups associated with or a part of the Green Party. Groups like Greens for Democracy and Independence, GPAX, the Women's and Black caucuses and the Green Institute as well as the various committees of the Green Party have all been written about here from time to time.
I served for a bit on the national Media Committee. These folks do serious work under tight scheduling and accomplish more than any other committee I am aware of, including the Green National Committee.
Even so, I left the committee because I had been unsuccessful in reviving "Greensweek", the weekly email "newsletter" we used to get. I was unable to get it going again because of personal failings. No one stood in my way and kept me from getting it out.
Even so, I have wondered for some time if we Greens, and especially the members of the Green National Committee, have been missing the boat by not getting our positions, especially our personal positions, into the public debate. I read amazing, passionate, well thought out discourse on the national mailing lists, but it gets drown out by the stupid, needlessly angry, and self-serving clatter that is so strong on the lists.
And I say that as one who has done so myself in the past.
So, here's the point. Martin Zehr is Mato Ska. He has written a dozen articles and had them published at OpEdNews.org. I and other Greens have been published there too, and they are looking for more.
Mato/Martin's latest piece, and I have not read any of them yet, is entitled The Kirkuk Referendum.
There are other Green voices who are prominent, and the list of people/groups is far from comprehensive. The more folks who are internally important to the conversation speak up, like Mato has done here, the better we define who we are and what we are about.
// posted by Gregg Jocoy @ 8:32 AM 
