Detroit Greens a local of the Green Party of Michigan

WASHINGTON, DC -- Green Party candidates and leaders said today that Americans should learn something about democracy and change from voters in Greece and France, as well as Iceland, in recent elections that overturned their respective governments.

US Greens also congratulated UK Greens, after strong Green advances in recent local elections in England and Scotland (http://www.globalgreens.org/news/green-victories-in-uk-local-elections).

Carol Brouillet, Green candidate for the US House in California's 18th District (http://www.carol4congress.org):

"Greek and French voters said, we don't have to accept austerity measures to pay back bailouts for bankers whose recklessness and fraud damaged the US economy. Americans shouldn't have to accept such measures either. Democratic and Republican politicians have enacted policies that enrich the one percent while demanding sacrifice from the rest of us. Working people are losing their job security and financial stability. Benefits, workplace organizing rights, and even Social Security and Medicare are facing the axe. We're seeing a redistribution of wealth -- from the bottom to the top. Both parties have been responsible for policies that have widened the gap between the superrich and the rest of us. This is why people in the Occupy movement are protesting in the streets. We urge Americans to carry that outrage to the voting booth and put an end to the exclusive rule by two corporate-money parties."

Co-Sponsored by the League of Women Voters; KALW-FM's Rose Aguilar Will Moderate
The forum will be livestreamed at http://www.livestream.com/greenpartyus

SAN FRANCISCO--Presidential candidates Roseanne Barr, Kent Mesplay and Jill Stein will face-off the evening of May 12 as Greens all across California are getting ready to go to the polls and vote.

Joining them on stage at the Victoria Theatre will be Rose Aguilar, Host of "Your Call" on KALW-FM and author of "Red Highways, A Liberal's Journey Through the Heartland."

Co-sponsored by the League of Women Voters of San Francisco, the forum is scheduled to coincide with a Green Party of California plenary May 12 and 13, also in San Francisco.

California Greens will have the largest delegation heading into the Green Party's Presidential Nominating Convention in Baltimore, Maryland, July 12-15 (http://www.gpconvention2012.com).

Date/Time
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Saturday, June 2 -- 8am to 10:30pm
Sunday, June 3 -- 8am to 5pm

Place
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Central Michigan University
Wesley Center
1400 South Washington Street
Mount Pleasant, MI 48858

map:
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http://cmu.miwesley.org/node/6 OR
http://maps.google.com/?mid=1333803540

WASHINGTON, DC -- Green Party members will participate in the May 1 General Strike organized by the Occupy Movement and the May 1 Coalition and will join thousands of union members, students, immigrants, and others across the US in the first national strike in the nation's history, with simultaneous strikes in other countries.

Rallies, marches, and picket lines are planned for over 115 cities to assert the rights of working people and democracy, in the face of growing power of financial elites over government and the lives of the "99 percent" and the threat this represents to the future of the US.

"The Occupy Movement is nonpartisan and is not affiliated with any political party, including the Green Party. But the presence of Greens in Occupy protests, including the May Day strike, is a reminder that the demands of the Occupy Movement will be represented on the ballot on Election Day. They won't be represented by the Wall Street candidates -- Republicans and Democrats -- but by Green candidates, who accept no money from corporate PACs," said Ursula Rozum, peace activist and organizer in Syracuse, NY, and Green Party candidate for Congress in New York's 24th Congressional district (http://www.ursulaforcongress.com).

LANSING MI The Board of State Canvassers approved the sufficiency of the signatures on the petition submitted by Stand Up for Democracy attempting to repeal the Emergency Manager Law, Public Act 4. The projection of 203,238 valid signatures far exceeds the 161,305 required to put the measure on the ballot. However, the measure today was kept off the ballot by the group Citizens for Fiscal Responsibility, claiming it is invalid on a small technicality, effectively silencing the voice of the majority of Michiganders.

The Green Party of Michigan, and especially those members of the strong branch in Detroit, have been watching this process with much anticipation. “The Green Party has long taken a stance for Grassroots Democracy and Decentralization, two concepts challenged by the current Emergency Manager Law.” Stated John A. La Pietra, elections coordinator for the Green Party of Michigan.

WASHINGTON, DC -- The Green Party of the United States honored Australian Senator Bob Brown today and praised him for his Green leadership in Australia and around the world.

Sen. Brown announced his retirement on Friday, telling fellow party members "It is now time for me to hand on leadership to the experience and talent of my colleagues" (http://greensmps.org.au/time-has-come).

There are now nine Greens in the Australian Senate and one in the House. US Greens have called Bob Brown an inspiration and a friend and consider the Australian Greens a model for what the Green Party of the United States can achieve in the coming years.

Sen. Brown, who represented the state of Tasmania, will be replaced as party leader by Greens Deputy Leader Christine Milne. US Greens congratulated Ms. Milne on her new position as the leader of the Australian Greens party.

US Greens attend the meeting, which also passes "Rio+20 Summit" resolution in advance of the UN Conference on Sustainable Development

WASHINGTON, DC -- The third Global Greens Congress, meeting in Dakar, Senegal, last weekend, has adopted a statement of support for popular democratic movements around the world, including Arab Spring, the Spanish Indignants, and the Occupy Movement. The statement is appended below.

More than 400 Greens representing 76 countries including the US met in Dakar from March 29 to April 1 for the third Global Greens Congress (http://www.dakar2012.org). Dakar was chosen to highlight the growing presence of Green Parties in Africa and the strength of the Green Party (Fédération Démocratique des Ecologistes du Sénégal) in Senegal ("Congratulations to Senegalese Green Party Leader for becoming Senegal's Minister of Environment," African Greens, April 5, http://www.africangreens.org/news/congratulations-senegalese-green-party...).

The Green Party of the United States was represented by Bob Marsh (California). Jack Ailey (Illinois) and Mike Feinstein (California) attended as observers. The meeting was also attended by Eliza Diop, an African-American (California) and Senegalese young woman attending Oberlin College, class of 2014, who participated in the Global Young Greens Congress (http://www.globalyounggreens.org).

(Lansing) Stand Up for Democracy (http://standup4democracy.com/), a coalition against the Emergency Manager Law currently in effect in Michigan, brought its petition with 40% more than the required 161,305 signatures to Lansing on February 29 for review.

By law, the Board of State Canvassers has 60 days to review the signatures of a referendum petition for accuracy. They are meeting on Monday the 19th in Lansing to establish a deadline for challenging signatures on this petition.

The Green Party of Michigan (GPMI) calls on the Board to get this petition reviewed and processed promptly, honestly, and -- most importantly -- openly for the public to view. According to its newly adopted 2012 platform, The Green Party of Michigan strongly urges repeal of the emergency-manager law, which destroys local democratic control of governments wherever it is applied (emphasis in original).