Unconventional Sources

If you’ve ever known an Upstate New Yorker, you know how sensitive they can be about the whole Upstate/Downstate distinction. Say that they’re from New York, and they’ll say, “Yes, but I’m not from that New York.”

They have good reason for being so conscientious with their identity. Upstate New York is a very different kind of place than New York City and Long Island – culturally, geographically, and economically.

So, it makes sense that if there’s going to be coverage of the Green Party in New York State, there ought to be separate coverage for Upstate New York. That’s what Upstate Greens intends to provide, writing about issues and events that matter particularly to Green Party members and enthusiasts in Upstate New York.

Increasing numbers of Democrats are growing disillusioned with the direction that President Obama and the Democratic Congress are taking. Progressive promises are being broken, and replaced with a decidedly non-progressive agenda that looks too much like the politics of Bush for comfort.

So, now is a time when the Green Party could be picking up a lot of new members – if they can take advantage of the political dynamics of the moment. There is no powerful central Green Party organization, so it’s up to Green Party members themselves to make it work, from the grassroots up.

One place Green Party members can start is by going to the Green Party Central discussion boards, introduce yourself, and find out a little bit about what’s going on in your neck of the woods.

If you’re looking for information about what’s going on in Green Party politics these days, you might go to the official Green Party web site, and find something useful there. You’re guaranteed to find useful information, however, day after day, at Green Party Watch. Pay attention, Green Party activists, to the way the creators of the site keep up the effort, day after day. That’s the way to make a change.

As Albert Einstein said, you’ve got to keep things moving in order to stay in balance… or something to that effect

In a quick survey of online activism in North Carolina, there are some worrying signs for those who work against war. Two groups, the North Carolina Peace Hub and the High Country Citizens for Peace and Justice, have abandoned their posts on the Internet over the last couple of years. The North Carolina groups Community for Peace and Duct Tape for Peace now also appear to be defunct. North Carolina Peace Action hasn’t put out a newsletter since March 2008. I wonder, do the people who once made up these organizations not care about peace so much when it ceases to be an easy campaign issue for the Democrats?

Is this a sign that North Carolina is less peace-loving today than it was just a few years ago? Not necessarily. Where these peace activist sites have faltered, two other activist sites have risen to take their place. The Charlotte Area Green Party and the Buncombe Greens are now online, and looking to support candidates for public office who will promote the politics of peace.