sust-mar: Invisible green

From: "Don Black" <dblack@chebucto.ns.ca>
To: <sust-mar@chebucto.ca>
Date: Fri, 11 Jun 2004 10:17:23 -0300
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I think this story might interest sust-mariners, and I hope you'll forward
it to your networks.

Last week, the Nova Scotia Environment Network circulated a note from Josh
at Clean Nova Scotia encouraging people to vote in a CTV opinion poll to
allow the Green Party to participate in the televised leaders debate.

I did that, because it just seems obvious that a registered political party
with candidates in all the ridings should be there.

But it also made me realize that I had never paid attention to the Green
Party as a factor in this federal election, even tho I would generally
consider myself a "green".

Good CBC listener that I am, I was astonished to realize that I had been an
unaware victim of marginalization. The issue of participation in the
televised debate goes to the heart of the matter. If our views are not
visible or heard in our media, even we discount their importance, because
they "can't win".

So to remedy my ignorance, I went to the Green Party website, and read their
statement of values

 http://www.greenparty.ca/index.php?module=article&view=37

which turned out to be a far truer expression of my values than anything
I've heard from any of the other parties.

In other words, for the first time, I have the opportunity to vote FOR
something that is clearly not like any traditional political party.

And then I thought, what if a lot of us voted green, suddenly and for no
good reason beyond a healthy exhuberance about the possibilities of life,
and developing a national political party to represent us.

The Green Party doesn't have to win to be successful. Don't you find that
interesting?

When I told this story to Veronica Sherwood, coordinator of  the Nova Scotia
Environmental Network, she replied:

"It's very interesting Don. You are indeed echoing everything I just went
through. I offered to help Martin Willison out with his campaign - still
voting NDP, then last night I read the Greens complete platform. It was
fantastic. What a wonderful document...so I will be calling Michael and
getting some signs...interested in helping out. V"

The NSEN is now distributing "Green Notes" to its list-serve, with
information about the Green campaign in Halifax.

If this goes through the pipe quickly, there'll be about two weeks to go.
Michael Oddy in Halifax, Michael Marshall in Dartmouth-Cole Harbour, and
Martin Willison for gosh sakes in Halifax West. I don't know the other
candidates personally yet, but I'd very happy to have Martin Willison as my
MP. And think what that would do for our efforts on behalf of the
environment.

So I say, let's see if we can use our media to get a buzz going about our
candidates. Thanks to Josh and Veronica for the heads-up. Cheers. Don Black





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