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January 14, 2011

Open Letter to a Broken Green Party

By Joe Giambrone

The Green Party where I live does not seem to care about new members. Without acknowledging new people and giving them some ways to participate, one might argue the party no longer exists. Hello? Red flags. Is this thing on?

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Since the debacle of 2000, the Green Party has been under attack primarily by the Democratic Party and their media allies.  We were told (fibs) how Ralph Nader was the reason that George W. Bush was elected in a stolen election that relied upon disenfranchising tens of thousands of voters in Florida.  Clearly Nader was not the factor, but Jeb Bush -- the candidate's brother -- was involved and should have been investigated for election fraud and conspiracy.  This was exposed by Greg Palast of BBC at the time, and a procession of protests on the floor of Congress -- by thoroughly ignored African-American representatives -- can be seen in Michael Moore's Fahrenheit 9/11.

The 2000 Florida vote theft was permitted to stand, and the United States transformed into a banana republic.

I have even talked to rabid right wingers who winked and smiled and said, " Bush stole the election fair and square ."

Al Gore, by choosing the most unlikable US running-mate in modern history, Joseph Lieberman, put his own election at risk.  Again, nothing to do with the Green Party, or Ralph Nader, but everything to do with business as usual with the corporatist Democrats.

When the Democrats sent these "blame Nader" attack messages out to their gullible legions, they made a conscious effort to undermine the legitimate third party challenge that the Greens represented.  This was strategic psychological warfare.

I have heard time and again how the Green Party was subsequently " infiltrated " by wolf in sheep's clothing Democrats whose mission was to eliminate the Green threat to that party's entrenched power.  Sabotage from within.

Some archaic procedural rules that deny equal representation to all Green Party members have taken a toll on the party.  It is not one-green / one-vote for national candidates, and this singular issue has divided the party and derailed efforts at unity and solidarity.  It skews and distorts the balance... enough to topple the whole thing over?

I'll not harp on this, as my own interest in the party was primarily to help on the state and local level: to build.  And this brings me to my real topic: a completely broken system of bringing in new members.

Let me explain in more concrete terms.  I live in Northern California, the wellspring of the Green movement right?  How hard can it be to simply join the Green Party here and talk to someone about what I can do to help?

It turns out that years later I am still talking to myself. 

Several years ago I attended a Green meeting or two.  The topics of the meetings were alternative energy and organic food.  Nothing whatsoever concerned what political parties actually do to attain power.  This local "chapter" seems to have simply disintegrated. 

I've emailed the chapter address, as listed on the greens.org website multiple times, perhaps half a dozen.  But it's a black hole.  No response at all.

I've filled in the form at the same website, informing them that this chapter appears to be defunct.  I've listed how I want to assist in new recruitment.  I've mentioned some special skills in the areas that could help bring in new blood. 

I get no response at all.  Nothing.

Does the Green Party of California still exist?

While the world moved to web 2.0, social networking, videos everywhere, multi dimensional platforms and the whatnot, the Green's website is apparently stuck in 1995, and it doesn't even acknowledge that you exist -- nevermind give you anything to actually do.

These are the issues I wish to address first.  Fix the intake processes.  Fix the system so that valuable new members are treated with the respect and care they deserve.  This is job one (a decade late, but hey, I have no standing to start tinkering with someone else's web and organizational structure).

There are a world of artists, creatives, writers, filmmakers, social justice activists, interested people, and they seem to get nothing from the Green Party as it exists today.  It is completely irrelevant to their lives in any meaningful way.  There's zero interaction.  They are not brought in.  They are not invited to participate.  They are given nothing to share.  They are not treated like VIPs.  One might question whether the party actually wants to continue at all?

I write from a place of some frustration, and out of a sense of guilt at having not done more before.  But, of course, I was not technically permitted to do more as part of the party.  I checked a box upon registering to vote.  Then I never heard a peep from the party.  Absolute zero.  They don't actually acknowledge the existence of the little people like myself. 

I could be crafting popular viral videos to promote the laudable Green principles and platform, but there's no direct connection to or involvement with this monolith of an organization, which exists quite apart from average shmucks like me.  So where's the incentive?

Has the party been derailed, crashed and burned?  If so, can it be put back on the tracks?  Should I just forget about it entirely ( I know what the Democrat dittoheads would answer there )?

As the Democrats have become the Republicans and the Republicans have become the black-shirted fascists, one would perhaps long for some alternative to the atrocious national political leadership and their pursuit of empire and unrestricted power for themselves.  You'd think a market exists.  You'd think the American people would like something resembling a choice. 

If the Green Party does not intend to be that choice, then it's time to go somewhere else.  No bull.  Step up.  Final offer.



Authors Website: http://politicalfilm.wordpress.com/

Authors Bio:

Joe Giambrone is an American author, freelance writer and filmmaker. Non-fiction works appear at International Policy Digest, WhoWhatWhy, Foreign Policy Journal, Counterpunch, Globalresearch, , OpedNews, High Times and other online outlets. His science fiction thriller Transfixion and his Hollywood satire Hell of a Deal are available through Amazon, B&N, Smashwords and Createspace.

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