Monday, April 16, 2007
Libertarian advice
I am not a Libertarian, although I am a libertarian. I am a Green libertarian, which basically means, to me, that I believe that individual rights must be protected from unnecessary (and it almost always is) and oppressive government or corporate control. Individual people should be free to do with and to themselves as they see fit. Your government, nor your employer, should be allowed to regulate your personal behavior so long as it does not directly adversely impact others. But I fall out of company with Libertarians in two areas by and large. First, corporations and other legal myths don't have rights. We can, legally, take every dime from every corporate bank account and do with it as we wish. It would do immeasurable harm to the people to do this, but it should be considered legal. The only reason corporations exist is because we the people allow them to exist. Secondly, the Green Party is based on the Ten Key Values, and as such has a moral and ethical foundation. The Libertarian Party has, as far as I know, no similar set of foundational principles.
Even so, Dr. Carl Milstead writes at the Free Market News Service that the Libertarian Party faces daunting tasks. Insurmountable tasks. Un-doable tasks. And yet, the call and opportunity can't be ignored.
I feel exactly the same way about the Green Party. We can't succeed. The money is stacked up against us. The media ignores or ridicules us. We suffer from internal argument and childish behavior by adults who should know better. We are still too white, too educated, too upper-middle-class, too...too US.
But there has never been a better opportunity to change the world, and our nation. Green Parties across the planet are working, hundreds of thousands of us, every day for Non-Violence, Grassroots Democracy, Ecological Wisdom and Social Justice. Our party's policies and platform are solid enough, good enough, that with ALL our dis-function, we have been able to draw to our side people like Winnona LaDuke, Ralph Nader, Aaron Dixon, Medea Benjamin, Peter Coyote, Patti Smith, Peter Camejo, Matt Gonzalez, Matt Ahern, Jason West and Efia Nwangaza. Don't recognize a name there? Google them! These are only a FEW of the folks who believe in us and our principles that they have invested time, energy and money into our efforts.
So...IF we get our act together, allow each other to run our own show, forget about internal "politics" and allow others to do as they please, and set up a simple, streamlined national structure that does NOT try to do too much, and WATCH OUT. There is no limit to what we can do, especially on the local level.
Go GREENS! We have a world to save, and our lifetimes to save it.
Even so, Dr. Carl Milstead writes at the Free Market News Service that the Libertarian Party faces daunting tasks. Insurmountable tasks. Un-doable tasks. And yet, the call and opportunity can't be ignored.
I feel exactly the same way about the Green Party. We can't succeed. The money is stacked up against us. The media ignores or ridicules us. We suffer from internal argument and childish behavior by adults who should know better. We are still too white, too educated, too upper-middle-class, too...too US.
But there has never been a better opportunity to change the world, and our nation. Green Parties across the planet are working, hundreds of thousands of us, every day for Non-Violence, Grassroots Democracy, Ecological Wisdom and Social Justice. Our party's policies and platform are solid enough, good enough, that with ALL our dis-function, we have been able to draw to our side people like Winnona LaDuke, Ralph Nader, Aaron Dixon, Medea Benjamin, Peter Coyote, Patti Smith, Peter Camejo, Matt Gonzalez, Matt Ahern, Jason West and Efia Nwangaza. Don't recognize a name there? Google them! These are only a FEW of the folks who believe in us and our principles that they have invested time, energy and money into our efforts.
So...IF we get our act together, allow each other to run our own show, forget about internal "politics" and allow others to do as they please, and set up a simple, streamlined national structure that does NOT try to do too much, and WATCH OUT. There is no limit to what we can do, especially on the local level.
Go GREENS! We have a world to save, and our lifetimes to save it.
// posted by Gregg Jocoy @ 11:33 AM 
Comments:
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You wrote, "We are still too white, too educated, too upper-middle-class, too...too US."
What does this mean? Too white? Too educated?
What does this mean? Too white? Too educated?
# posted by 
: 6:44 PM
: 6:44 PM
Perhaps that was poorly worded. Perhaps it would have sounded better to say that we are not diverse enough yet.
Instead of "We are too white", perhaps "We don't have enough people of color in the party. Instead of "We're too educated" it should have read "We must do outreach to the less educated."
My fundamental point is that we must reach beyond our current membership, and looking at who we are today can help us figure out who we want to be tomorrow.
Instead of "We are too white", perhaps "We don't have enough people of color in the party. Instead of "We're too educated" it should have read "We must do outreach to the less educated."
My fundamental point is that we must reach beyond our current membership, and looking at who we are today can help us figure out who we want to be tomorrow.
Gregg...
Your wording may have been rephrased, however, it would have said the same thing.
For all it's efforts to promote diversity, the Green Party seems to attract primarily white, college educated, middle class/upper middle class people. In most cases these are the people who can "afford" to be Green.
It is hard to "sell" supporting local business to someone earning $8 per hour, when this person has to pay $2 more for an item from Bob's hardware than from the Super Mega Hardware Store.
If you are driving a car, blowing oil smoke all over York County, with 200k on the odometer because it's all you can afford, can you be convinced that you should abandon this car for a 25k+ hybrid?
These examples are not meant to be negative...they are just facts...
We CAN change this thing! By embracing the Spanish speaking landscapers who "cash" their checks because they don't have a bank account. By embracing the workers who fear joining unions because of risk of their jobs. By FIGHTING for the improvements to infra-structure in neglected areas. By FIGHTING for the students who wish to continue their education but can't afford it. By FIGHTING for Social and Economic Justice...
Sorry to get long winded, but the end result in my opinion is...if we wish to grow as a party we must embrace the phrase from Field of Dreams..."if you build it, they will come..."
Your wording may have been rephrased, however, it would have said the same thing.
For all it's efforts to promote diversity, the Green Party seems to attract primarily white, college educated, middle class/upper middle class people. In most cases these are the people who can "afford" to be Green.
It is hard to "sell" supporting local business to someone earning $8 per hour, when this person has to pay $2 more for an item from Bob's hardware than from the Super Mega Hardware Store.
If you are driving a car, blowing oil smoke all over York County, with 200k on the odometer because it's all you can afford, can you be convinced that you should abandon this car for a 25k+ hybrid?
These examples are not meant to be negative...they are just facts...
We CAN change this thing! By embracing the Spanish speaking landscapers who "cash" their checks because they don't have a bank account. By embracing the workers who fear joining unions because of risk of their jobs. By FIGHTING for the improvements to infra-structure in neglected areas. By FIGHTING for the students who wish to continue their education but can't afford it. By FIGHTING for Social and Economic Justice...
Sorry to get long winded, but the end result in my opinion is...if we wish to grow as a party we must embrace the phrase from Field of Dreams..."if you build it, they will come..."
Not long winded at all Bry. I really would appreciate it if you would consider doing the York County (SC) Greens column soon for YC Magazine. The most recent one is by Liz and addresses the state legislators, ALL men BTW, who want to force women to "look at their sin" and view a video of an ultrasound of the baby before having an abortion.
Personally, I believe we in each of our local Green Partys have to decide: What sort of Green Party do we want to be? If we want to win, and there are a LOT of people who have never voted in the United States, it might make sense to reach them now, find out how we may serve them, and within a single generation we could be owned lock-stock-and-barrel by the Latino community.
So long as the Latino community that owns the Green Party is still pushing for Grassroots Democracy, Social Justice, Ecological Wisdom and Non-Violence, then I say Yahoo! Go Doggies! All I want is a safe, sane and sustainable society. I don't care if I lead it, of just benefit from it, but I want to breathe cleaner air. I want fluoride out of our water. I want students to have more power. Only the Green Party can deliver that for me.
Personally, I believe we in each of our local Green Partys have to decide: What sort of Green Party do we want to be? If we want to win, and there are a LOT of people who have never voted in the United States, it might make sense to reach them now, find out how we may serve them, and within a single generation we could be owned lock-stock-and-barrel by the Latino community.
So long as the Latino community that owns the Green Party is still pushing for Grassroots Democracy, Social Justice, Ecological Wisdom and Non-Violence, then I say Yahoo! Go Doggies! All I want is a safe, sane and sustainable society. I don't care if I lead it, of just benefit from it, but I want to breathe cleaner air. I want fluoride out of our water. I want students to have more power. Only the Green Party can deliver that for me.
I think one of the most glaring of inconsistencies within the Green movement, is its refusal to fight against the Rising Tide of Islamo-Fascism.
I'm a Euro-backpacker. In the last few years I've been horrified with how my beloved Europe has changed, from a formerly "good times, rock 'n rolling, sexually tolerant" paradise, to a dour, gloomey, don't speak your mind, quasi-totalitarian land.
The Muslims rampaging all over Western Europe have destroyed the formerly libertine atmosphere of France, the Netherlands, Denmark, and Germany.
We're next.
Greens need to stand up to the greatest threat to our civil liberties ever faces by our civilization.
I'm attracted to the Greens cause of their Pro-Marijuana stance. But if the Radical Muslims had their way, they'd throw all my marijuana smoking buddys in jail for life. And they'd cut off the balls of my Gay friends.
Greens need to rise up to the threat of Islamo-Fascism, like us Libertarians are doing, before they will be taking seriously.
Eric Dondero, CEO
MainstreamLibertarian.com
I'm a Euro-backpacker. In the last few years I've been horrified with how my beloved Europe has changed, from a formerly "good times, rock 'n rolling, sexually tolerant" paradise, to a dour, gloomey, don't speak your mind, quasi-totalitarian land.
The Muslims rampaging all over Western Europe have destroyed the formerly libertine atmosphere of France, the Netherlands, Denmark, and Germany.
We're next.
Greens need to stand up to the greatest threat to our civil liberties ever faces by our civilization.
I'm attracted to the Greens cause of their Pro-Marijuana stance. But if the Radical Muslims had their way, they'd throw all my marijuana smoking buddys in jail for life. And they'd cut off the balls of my Gay friends.
Greens need to rise up to the threat of Islamo-Fascism, like us Libertarians are doing, before they will be taking seriously.
Eric Dondero, CEO
MainstreamLibertarian.com
You cannot be a true libertarian and be anti-corporation like that. That doesn't make sense. We libertarians like to give corparations freedom, and have little in common with the Green Party. Sorry, but that's how it is.
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# posted by : 9:41 PM
: 9:41 PM << Home
