Upstate SC Greens Meeting Minutes, 7/21

Upstate Greens Meeting Minutes

Thursday, 7/21/16

Java Jolt, Mauldin

 

• Sign-in. 7 Greens in attendance.

 

• Handout: Mike prepared handout with minutes from last meeting. Highlights from Mike and Jessica’s attendance in Athens, GA for Dr. Stein’s talk, as well as info on Citizens Climate Lobby and how to join SCGP. It was mentioned that GP dues are important for the party on a state and national level due to tiny operating budgets, and attending Greens were urged to pay dues when and if possible.

 

• Update on a possible table at Pride: Gregg will follow up with his connections and forward info to Mike/Jessica. May be able to get an inexpensive table since we are not actually vendors.

 

• National GP Convention talking points for Upstate Greens: How can we take international concepts and apply them locally? Example from Gregg: try to get free tuition for a necessary program at G-Tech or USC-Upstate. Mike and Jessica will bring back info from National Convention to share at next meeting.

 

• Can we volunteer locally? John Herold’s idea of GHS Swamp Rabbit Trail cleanup/getting our name on trail somehow. Blueway on the Saluda was also mentioned. Jessica will research these items and see if there are any other local environmental volunteer opportunities.

 

• Glass recycling: Mike will continue to investigate how we can get involved with any local effort for this in the absence of Greenville County’s glass recycling program.

 

• Drinking Liberally: Spartanburg — Tuesdays at 6:30, NuWay, Spartanburg. Greenville — IPA, Thursdays at 6.

 

• Green Party ballot in November in SC: Jill Stein for president; Thomas Dixon, fusion candidate for U.S. Senate.

 

• Thomas Dixon visit to Upstate: Gregg is planning. Late August. Stay tuned for more details.

 

• Getting Greens on the local ballot: Gregg mentioned school board seat; soil and water commission. Mike will do soil and water if seat is available. Jessica will research availability, process, deadlines, and level of involvement. UPDATE, 8:45 a.m. Friday, July 22: Gregg reports that filing deadline for Non-Partisan parties is August 15. Jessica will also see if any offices are available in adjoining counties (Pickens, Anderson, Spartanburg, Laurens).

 

• Can we register people to vote? Angela suggested picking places locally and getting people registered. Jessica will check with county elections offices to see if this is a possibility and update accordingly. UPDATE, 8:45 a.m. Friday, July 22: Greenville county — one person can pick up 50 voter registration forms at a time. Must return all forms, filled out or unused. Jessica will check on any accompanying regulations; times/opportunities to register people forthcoming.

 

• Concrete goals/actions: How can we be progressive on a personal, practical, achievable level? John mentioned that people who want to be involved may not know where to start. Ideas were discussed for making opportunities start at home in ways that are accessible to anyone. Book resources were mentioned. Social media would be a good way to communicate bits of this to those who get all of their info online.

 

• Are there other Upstate events at which we can be seen? We have a tiny to non-existent operating budget, but we can show up with literature and a banner. Event suggestions were local festivals and weekly gatherings in upstate cities. Angela has a connection for printing. Jessica will be in touch once material designs are completed (before next meeting).

 

• Next Upstate Greens meeting will be last week of August or first week of September (time/location TBD). Ed mentioned having a monthly scheduled meeting: updates on action items from minutes, National Convention, and any other items that arise. Thursdays were a good day for all to meet.

 

• Don’t forget to look us up on social media for immediate updates and info!

Facebook: Upstate SC Green Party

Twitter and Instagram: UpstateGreensSC

 

You Are Triggering me! The Neo-Liberal Rhetoric of Harm, Danger and Trauma

Bully Bloggers

by Jack Halberstam

I was watching Monty Python’s The Life of Brian from 1979 recently, a hilarious rewriting of the life and death of Christ, and I realized how outrageous most of the jokes from the film would seem today. In fact, the film, with its religious satire and scenes of Christ and the thieves singing on the cross, would never make it into cinemas now. The Life of Brian was certainly received as controversial in its own day but when censors tried to repress the film in several different countries, The Monty Python crew used their florid sense of humor to their advantage. So, when the film was banned in a few places, they gave it a tagline of: “So funny it was banned in Norway!”

Humor, in fact, in general, depends upon the unexpected (“No one expects the Spanish Inquisition!”); repetition to the point of hilarity “you can…

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Platt case goes to the state supreme court

The Charleston Post and Courier is carrying story about Eugene Platt and his appeal to the South Carolina Supreme Court to protect his free speech rights, and the same rights for the South Carolina Green Party.

Platt had sought the Green Party and Working Families Party nomination in spring of 2008. He was nominated by both parties, and Platt’s nomination by the Democratic Party in a primary would seem to make his election all the more likely. South Carolina is one of the states which permit fusion voting.

However, when the Democratic Party primary was held, Anne Peterson Hutto won the nomination. The South Carolina Green Party assured Platt that he was their nominee, and the November election was expected to be a three way race.

The Democratic Party, in the form of Charleston County chair George Tempel, sued to keep Platt off the ballot. Platt had signed a pledge that he would not seek write-in votes nor seek nomination by petition should he lose the primary. Platt was represented by the Voting Rights Project of the American Civil Liberties Union. Despite the fact that Platt had not violated any of the actual terms of the pledge, as he was not seeking nomination by petition nor write-in votes, the court in Charleston ruled in favor of Tempel.

The state supreme court will hear oral arguments this Wednesday in Columbia. Several members of the South Carolina Green Party steering committee will be in attendance.

Greenville SC Greens to meet November 18th, 2009

The Greenville SC Greens will meet Wednesday, November 18th from 7 to 8 PM at The Open Book. Located at 110 South Pleasantburg Drive, Greenville, S. C. 29607, The Open Book is a local independent book store. The public is invited to attend. For a map and directions click here.

The Greenville Greens is a local chapter of the South Carolina Green Party. The South Carolina Green Party is a certified, ballot qualified political party in South Carolina, and is a state chapter of the Green Party of the United States.

To contact the Greenville Greens, please call 1-877-282-2236 toll free, or write us at GreenvilleGreens@Gmail.com

State Green Party Coordinating Committee to meet November 14th, 2009

The South Carolina Green Party Coordinating Committee will meet Saturday, November 14th from 1-3pm, at the at the new Black Caucus Community Center, 2523 Read Street, Columbia, SC 29204. Agenda items and suggestions can be sent to SC-GreenParty_SteeringCom@yahoo.com. The public is invited to attend. To carpool from the Upstate, call 1-877-282-2236 toll free or write GreenvilleGreens@Gmail.com