Know a college student or a young person? Encourage them to get out and vote. Writer’s Note: I decided to address this letter to ESF Students as it is my alma-mater and I am engaging in party building here in Syracuse, but in reality, it is addressed to all college students in New York. And I would even extend that address to alumni, or anyone who has not been actively engaged in political dialogue or activism and wouldn’t mind being impressed upon before Election Day on Tuesday. The reason for this letter is to let you know that it is okay to vote for Howie Hawkins, 2014 Green Party candidate for Governor of New York State. Why would me, giving you permission to do so, matter you might be wondering at this juncture? Because the commercial media, the current two-party system of Democrats and Republicans, the political financing system, and the private interests of corporations have suppressed third parties quite successfully over the years. Leading to what a recent scientific study titled “Testing Theories of American Politics’ by Martin Gilens and Benjamin I. Page concluded – that the United States of America is not a democracy, but an oligarchy ruled by a privileged elite, and that “the preferences of the average American appear to have only a minuscule, near-zero, statistically non-significant impact upon public policy.” Is that okay with you? If not, stand up and listen, and stand up and make a scene. So first, let’s get something simple out of the way. It’s not something to be guilty or to hide your head about, if you don’t know that Hawkins is running, and if you don’t know how progressive and amazing the Green Party platform and principles are. I’ll admit it, when I was an undergrad, and even for a number of years afterward, I wasn’t aware of the nuances within the political system, the actual similarities and differences between the major parties, or the history of 3rd parties and how that has led us to the state of despair our electoral system currently resides within. You don’t need to be afraid that voting for Hawkins will result in “the wrong” candidate winning the election. Both the right and the left leave comments on Howie’s Facebook page and on his online media stories that they are afraid he will steal votes from their candidate. That is because the Green Party platform attracts voters from across the partisan lines – because it is people-centric and not partisan-centric or private interest-centric. In any case, Governor 1% Cuomo will almost surely win another term, but the Green Party could amass enough votes, currently polling at 9% in NYS, to accede to the third line of the ballot for the next four years, showcase true progressive policies to the people, and make the incumbents and entrenched duopoly squirm. Are you facing the possibility of working for a gas and oil company who is practicing fracking, even though you question the safety of it, even though it is only a temporary solution? Do you feel as if you are a hostage to this potential employment? It doesn’t need to be this way. Taking immediate steps outlined in the Green New Deal would create an alternative energy economy with enough jobs for everyone, and removal of the risks associated with fracking technologies. Ask the many people living in Pennsylvania, just a short drive south, if they enjoy polluted water and industrial backyards. Don’t believe in voting because you think the system is cracked and broken? Well it is too late if you are not already registered for this Election Day. But if you are registered, get out to the polls. Or do you think that a mass armed revolution is going to be the change? How about a mass protest sit-in? Or a petition writing campaign? Or a hunger strike? Only if accompanied by electoral political victories is what I believe. I invite you to invite me to dialogue about my statements here. This letter is not enough to prove the points that I make. It is enough to encourage you to vote for principles and not parties. And to start your practice of participatory democracy. We are at one of the highest points of economic inequality and racial segregation that has ever been seen in NYS. This has come on the coattails of years of corporately controlled representatives, people who make decisions for you, that results in increased political and resource control by the 1%. We have bombed more countries during Obama’s administration than during Bush’s, the difference between the major political parties is getting excruciatingly smaller and smaller. A movement for a third party such as the Greens that fight for people’s rights is a way to move the pendulum. I am sitting here on Sunday night in the Green Party of Onondaga County’s office on East Genesee Street, which is doubling for the 2014 Hawkins for Governor Campaign office, typing this out quickly after a full weekend of coordinating about 15 volunteers for phone-banking and door-to-door flyering in Syracuse – trying to think about what other ways I can reach voters and potential supporters, thanks for taking the time to read this. The email I sent out tonight to our supporters and on Facebook was titled “Let’s Make a Scene” in an attempt to get even more volunteers active Monday and Tuesday with sign holding in the streets, and flyering everywhere they go. I’m trying to make a scene, and encourage you to be part of that scene making, otherwise, the cast on the main stage might never change. Vote Green, Row F, Hawkins for Governor in 2014. Bleed Green #SUNYESF. https://intoanaturaldeepness.wordpress/2014/11/02/open-letter-to-esf-students-about-voting-green/
Posted on: Mon, 03 Nov 2014 16:32:10 +0000
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