from Howie Hawkins Press Release:

Cindy Sheehan Reiterates Her Endorsements of Howie Hawkins and Malachy McCourt

A mailer from the Working Families Party that arrived in many voters’  mailboxes on Friday and Saturday depicts Cindy Sheehan, along with Pete Seeger and Michael Moore, urging voters to voters to support bringing the troops home by voting for Democrats running on the Working Families Party line.

Last month, Cindy Sheehan had endorsed the Green Party candidates Howie Hawkins for US Senator and Malachy McCourt for Governor.

The Working Families Party endorsed all the Democrats running for statewide office….

Early Saturday evening Cindy Sheehan issued the following clarification of her position:

“I support a lot of the work of the Working Families Party and especially Mr. Pete Seeger who has been an amazing warrior for peace. However, I cannot support the candidacy of Hillary Clinton who is ensconced in the all-Democratic slate. She is not pro-peace, or even anti-war and has been a rubber stamp for George Bush’s war of terror. Many of the candidates that the WFP supports are worthy of support, but certainly not Senator Clinton.

“I support Howie Hawkins in his campaign against Hillary Clinton and I support Malachy McCourt in his campaign for governor.

“Peace, Cindy Sheehan.”

_____________________

A video of Peace Mom Cindy Sheehan endorsing Green Party candidate Malachy McCourt for New York Governor can be found on the homepage of www.LongIslandforMalachyMcCourt.com

Happy Halloween 2007 update:

Looks from the blog stats like some people are coming here by looking up pumpkins and window art. So, for what it is worth, I think I will tell you what you may have been looking for. I went to the paint store and learned that the best way to do this is with tempera paint. It takes soap and water and some elbow grease to get off, but it worked well. My first idea of bathtub crayons was not a great idea. Wipeable markers were slightly adequate, but, messy, and less vibrant, and took a long time to cover the surface.

Back to the post from the campaign:

Here is my latest “Cultural Workers for Malachy” project. I created a huge, window art display to celebrate Malachy, the Green Party and Halloween.

I also had an idea. Let’s have a contest–well more of a motivational game and a creative challenge. Long Island for Malachy/Cultural Workers for Malachy will accept submissions until Election Day of art, music, poetry, or whatever, from any cultural worker who supports Malachy. We will post the best ideas here and at the Cultural Workers for Malachy site. And, we will give one winner a free t-shirt from the LI for Malachy shop! (You can pick, but isn’t the neon Cultural Workers design cool?)

About Charles Schulz, my window art, and Linus: It was so fun to create this window display. I have been discouraged that since I live in a co-op apartment, we are not allowed to plant a lawn sign. At least I had my window to decorate.

The most fun I had was mixing the orange paint, and realizing that an orange peace sign would look something like a pumpkin. Hence, The Great Peace Pumpkin. (I had wanted a little whimsy on my window.)

I will admit, I was the kind of kid who stayed up for Santa until I was 12 years old. And, while I never actually believed in The Great Pumpkin, the story did really resonate for me. I found it to be so beautiful and magical. I could be Linus. I believe in miracles.

Hey, I’m not a kid anymore, but I can still believe that people all around New York, will paint Great Peace Pumpkins on their windows and walls.

Hope you have a Happy Halloween, and create some awesome art to spread the word about Malachy and the Green Party. And, maybe, just maybe you will find time to stop and meditate at The Most Sincere Pumpkin Patch.

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“Kids are overtested in schools today. It is test enough just to be born.”

Since the height of his radio days, Malachy McCourt has been outspoken about the need for government to support a sound, joyful, education. Below are some of Malachy’s thoughts on education from various press releases, news stories, and public appearances:

“Schools should be joyful places of inspiration, with books, poetry and songs, and where teachers and librarians are honored,”

“We spend so few dollars for education and then spend $50,000 a year to keep a person in prison,”

“Free education through college.”

The only way for the Green Party to be  able to run  hundreds of peace candidates in New York next year, is to get 50,000 votes for our governor candidate, Malachy McCourt, this year. 50,000 votes for Malachy will give the Green Party an automatic ballot line, which levels the playing field for Greens, so they can get on the ballot as easily as Democrats and Republicans. This will allow the Green Party to run candidates in your town, in your State Assembly District, in your Congressional District.

In New York state, this opportunity only comes around once every four years…And it is only the governor’s race that matters for regaining the ballot line.

Please, vote for Malachy McCourt for Governor.

Help build the Green Party.

Why We Need You

The Democrats and Republicans both take money from corporations. Corporations are who is beating the drumbeat for war. Corporate donations and corporate lobbyists make your voice count less and less to your elected officials. 

Green Party candidates do not accept corporate contributions.

(Since the Green Party does not take corporate contributions, we cannot depend on buying our way to ballot success. That’s why we need your help to get out the vote. See 5 Things You Can Do below.)

Why is the Green Party 

called America’s Peace Party?

The Green Party is America’s Peace Party. It’s time for the rank and file of America’s Peace Movement to come home to America’s Peace Party. That’s why local peace activists like Bill McNulty are supporting Malachy McCourt for Governor. (In fact, Bill has just become a Green Party of NY State Committeeman.) That’s why Peace Mom Cindy Sheehan has called for NYers who support peace to support Green Party Governor candidate Malachy McCourt. Cindy Sheehan says:

“I am supporting Malachy McCourt…He is a man of courage, integrity, he’s a dear friend of mine. I believe the people of NY want peace. I do a lot of work here, everywhere I go, people are energized for peace. And, people really are tired of the same party politics as usual.”

Author/actor Malachy McCourt is the Green Party candidate for Governor. Both Democratic candidate Eliot Spitzer and Republican candidate John Faso support the Iraq War. Both Spitzer and Faso support the death penalty. The Green Party is proud to offer New Yorkers a progressive choice on the ballot. McCourt has spoken out loudly against the death penalty. And McCourt’s campaign calls for an immediate withdrawal from Iraq:

Every dollar we send to Washington supports this war, so we must find ways to not send money to Washington. Our State Legislature must condemn this war. And we must condemn war as a way of solving problems.

In 2004 , the Green Party ran War Resisters League Co-Secretary David McReynolds for US Senate. McReynolds has called for New Yorkers to vote for Governor candidate Malachy McCourt and Green Party US Senate candidate Howie Hawkins.

5 things you can do

1. Vote for our Green Party Governor candidate, Malachy McCourt. Election day is Tuesday, November 7, 2006. Make sure you make time to vote. Without your vote we will never reach 50,000 votes in the governor’s race. Malachy McCourt will be on Row F. (In Long Island and upstate, that means Column 1, Row F. The New York City ballot is formatted somewhat differently. Though, you still look for the Sunflower ballot symbol and “F”)

2. Each One — Reach One. Get one person who was not planning on voting for Malachy McCourt for Governor to do so. Explain to her how her vote has singular significance in the governor’s race by granting the Green Party ballot status. Explain that with 37,000 enrolled Greens in NYS, if each one just gets 1 additional person to vote Green we will safely have 50,000. Offer your friend a ride to the polls if necessary.

3. Call, send a letter, or write to at least four other friends or family members explaining to them the importance of voting for Malachy McCourt for Governor.

A talking point and words of wisdom from a green activist and yoga teacher who ran for NY State Senate: “Realize your importance, vote Green Party.”

4. Share Malachy for Governor literature. Please come by our home any time to take literature off the door. Or, call to make arrangements. You can also make your own literature or download some to copy here. Walk around and flier at rallies, meetings, and marches and/or drop a handful at your local coffeehouse, laundromat or library. Be creative!

5. Donate to Long Island for Malachy! You can donate by mail to:

Long Island for Malachy
c/o Ian Wilder, Treasurer
11 Edmunton Drive, #E6
North Babylon, NY 11703

Or, donate online here.

We have paid for and distributed Malachy signs placed on lawns across Suffolk and Nassau. We have made and distributed 1000’s of pieces of palmcards, and, with recent donations, we have just ordered some Why Vote Green/Malachy trifolds. We have designed and distributed bumper stickers, buttons, and magnets. We need your support to finish this work. Some green volunteers have volunteered to leaflet at train stations. And, the more funds we raise, the more literature we can all share.

Vote Green Party

for Proportional Representation

In the best of all possible worlds, there would not even be a reason to think that you had to choose the “lesser of two evils.” In other countries, they have parliamentary systems and other formulas that allow minor parties and diverse voices to be heard.

If we had some form of IRV - Instant Runoff Voting - or if we had Proportional Representation, then in every election, people’s votes would matter more, even if they did not pick the winner as their first choice.  John Cleese explains Proportional Representation.

Creating a more proportional voting system is in the Green platform.

Until then, VOTE GREEN PARTY to support Proportional Representation, Grassroots Democracy, and other Electoral Reforms.

One last thought from Peace Mom Cindy Sheehan:

We will never have a viable third party, though, as long as we vote out of fear and not out of integrity. Instead of voting for the “lesser of two evils” we should be voting for a candidate that reflects our “beatitudes” and not the war machine’s.

Other Writings on going Green:

• Greenwave by Patricia Goldsmith
• My Green Manifesto by Matt Gonzalez
• The Biggest Media Sin by Sam Smith

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Democrats are dominating the races for New York’s top leadership posts heading into next month’s elections, spurred by widespread discontent about the direction the state is headed, a new Zogby International poll shows.

Nearly two out of three respondents (63%) said they believe the state is on the wrong track, while only 23% of those polled said the state is going in the right direction.

The Zogby Interactive poll of likely New York voters, conducted Oct. 5-9, included 761 respondents and carries a margin of error of +/- 3.6 percentage points. The poll is part of a joint project between Zogby International and the League of Women Voters of New York State.

As three-term incumbent Gov. George Pataki steps down, the office seems poised to return to Democratic hands, as Attorney General Eliot Spitzer leads by a wide margin, with 63% saying they would vote for him, while 25% say they support Republican John Faso.

Spitzer has locked up his base, winning the support of 93% of Democrats, compared to just 65% of Republicans who said they would support Faso. More than one in four Republicans (27%) said they would vote for Spitzer. Among independent voters, 53% support Spitzer, while 20% would vote for Faso, 14% for Green Party Candidate Malachy McCourt and 8% supporting Libertarian John Clifton. Spitzer boasted a 73% favorable rating among those polled, compared to just one in three who gave a favorable rating to Faso.

In the race for U.S. Senate from New York, a majority of those polled (53%) said they would vote for Democratic Senator Hillary Clinton over her Republican opponent John Spencer (28%). Clinton has a strong edge over Spencer among partisans - 83% of Democrats would vote for Clinton and 5% for Spencer while 67% of Republicans would vote for Spencer and 18% for Clinton. Among independent voters, 38% would vote for Clinton, 24% for Spencer, 21% for Green Party candidate Howie Hawkins and 5% for Libertarian candidate Jeff Russell. Slightly more than half of those polled (52%) gave Clinton a favorable rating. One in four gave Spencer a favorable rating.

The majority of voters polled appear ready for another Democrat to take over as Attorney General, with 47% supporting Andrew Cuomo, compared to 31% who said they would vote for Republican Jeanine Pirro and 10% said they were not sure. Democrats overwhelmingly support Cuomo (77%) compared to just 10% who would vote for Pirro, while 67% of Republicans would vote for Pirro and 16% would throw their support to Cuomo. Among independent voters, 31% would vote for Cuomo, 25% for Pirro, 17% for Green Party candidate Rachel Treichler and 11% for Libertarian Chris Garvey. Only one third gave a favorable opinion of Pirro, compared to 44% for Cuomo.

Despite New York State Comptroller Alan Hevesi’s recent admission that he allowed a state employee to chauffer his wife, 42% of those polled favor the Democrat, compared to 23% who would vote for Republican J. Christopher Callaghan. But many voters have yet to make up their minds in this race - 17% unsure of whom they will vote for.

Younger voters receptive to debate messages

When it comes to reaching voters through debates, voters younger than 25 may be the most receptive. While than half of those polled (53%) said a candidate’s performance in debates is important in helping them decide for whom to vote, two thirds of younger voters said debate performance was important to helping them make up their minds, compared to 55% of those 25-34, 52% of those 35-54, 48% of those 55-69 and 56% of those older than 70. Voters younger than 25 were also most likely to believe debates are valuable, with 45% holding that view.

Nearly one in three respondents said they had seen debates between candidates running for statewide office this year. Nearly 40% of Democrats said they had seen state candidate debates, compared to around a quarter of Republicans (26%), the poll showed. More men (35%) than women (26%) reported watching debates. When broken down by age, younger voters showed the most interest in debates, with 39% of voters age 18-24 watching state debates.

While the majority of respondents (63%) said they had never changed their mind about voting for a candidate in a race because of that candidate’s performance in a debate, 29% indicated that how well a candidate came off during a debate had been enough to change their vote in the past. Slightly more women (31%) report changing their minds due to a debate, as opposed to 28% of men.

Nearly half of those polled (48%) said they believed debates are carefully staged political events that offer little new information about the candidates, compared with 37% who said debates are valuable because they offer voters a chance to compare candidates side by side. More than half (54%) of Republicans were skeptical of the value of debates compared with 41% of Democrats and 53% of independents. Forty-one percent of Democrats said they see value in debates, compared with 32% of Republicans and 32% of independents.

LWVNYS announces 2006 statewide debates

The League of Women Voters of New York State (LWVNYS) and Zogby International will co-sponsor a Gubernatorial Debate at WNED Studios in Buffalo at 8 p.m. Thursday, October 12. The debate will be offered live on WNED-TV and WNED-AM. All nine New York State public television stations have agreed to carry the debate. The debate will also be offered to all public radio stations in New York.

Debates for the Attorney General race are planned October 15 at WABC Studios in New York City, October 18 at WCNY Studios in Syracuse, Oct. 24 at SUNY Oneonta and October 30 at WXXI Studios in Rochester.

A debate for the U.S. Senate race is planned October 22 at WABC Studios in New York City.

For more information on the debates, visit The League of Women Voters of New York State Web site at www.lwvny.org.

Video at: http://thirdplanetvideo.com/CindySheehanEndorses2.html
Youtube version: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9B6jFzKthsY

A new Cindy Sheehan video unveils her support for Green Party Governor Candidate Malachy McCourt. In the video, Sheehan states, “I am supporting Malachy McCourt…I believe the people of New York want peace.”

Cindy Sheehan is a grieving mother, who, in 2004, lost her son, Casey, to the War in Iraq . Now, Cindy is a peace activist and the founder of Camp Casey , a series of peace gatherings around the country. Sheehan has a new book out entitled, “Peace Mom: A Mother’s Journey Through Heartache To Activism.”

Malachy McCourt is a NY Times Best-Selling author and a politically-minded radio host. McCourt is presently running for Governor of the State of New York on the Green Party line.

Cindy Sheehan and Malachy McCourt met in 2004, long before McCourt dreamed of being a candidate, or even a Green Party member. They met only a few days after Sheehan’s son Casey had died. It was long before anyone would have dreamed that Sheehan’s grief would transform her into a national spokesperson for peace. They became friends when Malachy McCourt called to offer condolences, after seeing the picture in the NY Times of Sheehan’s other son kissing Casey’s coffin. The Sheehan name was in McCourt’s family tree, so he felt a special connection to her family. Over the years, they became friends.

This past week, Sheehan decided to make a public statement supporting his candidacy. The statement says, “I am supporting Malachy McCourt…He is a man of courage, integrity, he’s a dear friend of mine.”

Sheehan went on to say, “I believe the people of New York want peace. I do a lot of work here. Everywhere I go, people are energized for peace. And, people really are tired of the same party politics as usual.”

In turn, McCourt supports the work of Sheehan and other peace activists. Malachy McCourt and Sheehan marched together as part of the lead contingent in the UFPJ April 29^th peace march in New York City . At a recent Black-47 Fundraising Concert for his campaign, Malachy McCourt spoke of Sheehan from the stage, “The name Sheehan in the Gaelic is siochain [SHEE’-a-kwan], which means “peace.” So, Malachy said of Cindy Sheehan, she is “The Apostle of Peace.”

Malachy McCourt has taken the issue of peace as an important part of his campaign. Both the Democratic and the Republican governor candidates support the War in Iraq . Malachy McCourt has made it a campaign pledge to call the NY National Guard home. In addition, the Green Party’s four pillars include: Ecological Wisdom, Grassroots Democracy, Social and Economic Justice and Peace/Non-violence.

Article by Kimberly Wilder