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Monday, December 8, 2003 |
FEATURED ARTICLES
- New surveillance guidelines fuel debate in California, The Boston Globe
- Why Partisanship Over Progressivism? by John Nichols, Madison Capital Times
QUOTE OF THE DAY
"If (Matt) Gonzalez wins (the San Francisco mayoral election), then San Francisco will become almost overnight the leading laboratory for activist social policy, the place other cities look to for ideas, the crucible of progressive programs and visions."
- - San Francisco Bay Guardian newspaper
KNOW YOUR HISTORY - DECEMBER 8th
1980 -- John Lennon is shot & killed by Mark David Chapman, a schizophrenic with the delusion that he himself was John.
1987 -- US President Reagan & Soviet Premier Gorbachev meet in Washington, D.C. & sign the INF (Intermediate-range Nuclear Forces) Treaty calling for the dismantling of all 1,752 U.S. & 859 Soviet missiles with a 300-3,400 mile range.
1999 -- A civil trial jury in Memphis ruled that the 1968 killing of Rev. Martin Luther King was a conspiracy. The jury concluded that Loyd Jowers, a former café owner, had conspired with elements of the Memphis Police Dept., the federal government and organized crime to kill King.
2000 -- California gets FERCed. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) lifted California's $250 per megawatt-hour price cap. Prices skyrocket. Enron's Kenny Boy Lay makes out like a bandit.
RHINO HERE:
There's a fascinating & possibly telling mayoral election campaign going on in San Francisco between Gavin Newsom, a middle of the road, business-loyal Democrat, & Matt Gonzalez, a community based left leaning activist who's also a Green. Many friends of The Rhino tell him they're working hard for Gonzalez, walking the streets canvassing, kids in tow. Rhino's Blog reader & San Francisco native actor Benjamin Bratt (Pinero, Law & Order) is also releasing a public statement endorsing Gonzalez, who brings with his candidacy a history of tackling tough challenges, forging unprecedented coalitions & achieving radical reforms. NOTE: If you haven't seen the movie, Pinero, about the visionary yet troubled poet, Miguel Pinero, Rhino suggests renting it. Rated R)
Today's BOTTOM LINE article by John Nichols, documents several recent elections in which Green Party voters crossed party lines to vote for a progressive Democratic candidate, & in so doing, made the difference in the outcome. In his piece, Nichols asks why supposedly progressive Dems are campaigning for the moderate business backed Newsom, instead of being willing to cross the line to vote for the man who more closely represents their heart felt positions. He also asks what will this bode for the upcoming 2004 presidential election in which the Dems are hoping, even assuming that Greens in large part will cross over to vote for whoever gains the Democratic nomination. Rhino echoes the inquiry, "Shouldn't it work both ways?"
But 1st, a different development in California with ramifications to the whole country.
New surveillance guidelines fuel debate in California
Concerns raised on civil liberties
By Bobby Caina Calvan, Boston Globe, 11/30/03
SACRAMENTO -- Federal authorities may now have broad powers under the USA Patriot Act to monitor the public in its fight against terrorism, but guidelines distributed last month by the California attorney general's office contradict the surveillance methods used by federal agencies -- and advise local police to observe stricter state limits when it comes to spying on the public.
"Put bluntly, it is a mistake of constitutional dimension to gather information for a criminal intelligence file where there is no reasonable suspicion" of criminal activity, the guidelines state. The guidelines, entitled "Criminal Intelligence Systems: A California Perspective," were prompted by concerns over law enforcement responses to antiwar protests...
http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2003/11/30/new_surveillance_guidelines_fuel_debate_in_california/
8:36:02 AM 
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Why Partisanship Over Progressivism?
by John Nichols, Madison Capital Times (Wisconsin), 12/4/03
When Dave Cieslewicz was campaigning for mayor of Madison earlier this year, the veteran environmental activist received valuable support from leading local Greens. Cieslewicz is a Democrat, but his record as director of the 1,000 Friends of Wisconsin environmental group, his very progressive stances on economic and social issues, and his freewheeling style made him attractive to a number of committed Green activists and elected officials in Madison. Arguably, Cieslewicz's appeal to the core Green voting bloc, and to the broader bloc of Green-leaning voters in the city, made the difference in his narrow win over Paul Soglin in the April vote.
The same thing happened in Minneapolis, where R.T. Rybak, a progressive Democrat with close ties to Paul Wellstone, attracted substantial Green support when he ran as a reform candidate for mayor of that city. The volunteer army that helped Rybak beat the incumbent mayor, a more conservative, establishment-tied Democrat, had a substantial Green component. And, after his election, Rybak recognized that fact and praised his Green backers for their political flexibility and vision
These examples of Greens providing essential support to progressive Democrats running in nonpartisan elections are worth noting because they serve as a reminder that the overwhelming majority of Greens and Green-leaning voters are motivated by their concern about issues, as opposed to simple partisanship. Yes, the Greens want to form a powerful third party that they hope will eventually effectively compete against the two major parties at all levels. But Green activists have proven their willingness, especially at the local level, to forge effective coalitions. And those coalitions have elected some of America's most progressive mayors.
Contrast the work by Greens to elect progressive leaders, no matter what their party affiliation, with what Democratic Party leaders are doing in San Francisco this fall...
http://www.madison.com/captimes/opinion/column/nichols/62590.php
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7:40:04 AM
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© Copyright 2005 Gary Rhine.
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