On December 31, 2008, the Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court again refused to reconsider the matter of costs that Ralph Nader was ordered to pay to the people who challenged his petition in 2004. The original request for reconsideration had been based on new revelations that the challengers had been indicted for using state resources. The new request had rebutted the Commonwealth Court’s response. That Commonwealth Court’s response had been that the money is owed to different entities than the entities that were indicted. The new request for reconsideration had proved that assertion to be mistaken. But, the Commonwealth Court on December 31 simply denied the request without explanation. This will now be appealed to the Pennsylvania Supreme Court.
Ballot Access News
Edited By Richard Winger
Phil Sawyer entered (in an earlier post):
Gene Says:
December 19th, 2008 at 10:21 am
There’s no torch to be passed. Run if you want to run. You ought to thank Ralph and others for making that possible in face of the obstacles so thoroughly documented on this site.
Phil Sawyer adds:
What is needed is not the passing of the torch from one independent presidential candidate to another independent presidential candidate. What is necessary is the birth of a new, leftist, party of the people – or, at least, a new coalition that represents most (if not all) of the leftist parties that currently exist. I have been saying and writing that since 1974.
Phil Sawyer, California Elector for:
Eugene McCarthy for President in 1976;
Eugene McCarthy for President in 1988;
Ralph Nader for President in 2008.
Michal Mudd Says:
December 27th, 2008 at 11:19 am
I’m proud of our party [Green Party of the United States] in both elections and hardly think we are “dead.â€
Forming a new political party, as Phil Sawyer wishes, is harder than you think in this day and age, and any “new, leftist, party of the people†will face the same hardships that the Green Party has faced and continues to face. We need to continue to push for, in the court of public opinion as well as in the statehouses of America, electoral laws that are truly fair and democratic (that’s little d).
I predict the love-fest between American progressives, including those that deserted the Green Party’s candidates, and the Obama Administration will be short-lived, as the unfortunate curve to the center materialized [sic], and they’ll soon come to their senses that true “change†requires more than just a Democrat in the Oval Office.
Phil Sawyer responds:
Well, at the present time I am not involved in any efforts to start a new political party. I have been involved in such efforts over the decades and I know that what Michal says is true: it is very difficult. We did pretty darn well with the Reform Party of the United States, though.
Regarding the Green Party of the United States, I am actually a card-carrying member (and frequent donor, when possible), Michal. However, my political activism these days is with the Communist Party USA; and the Peace and Freedom Party of California (member of the State and Sacramento County Central Committees). You could correctly call me a watermelon green (green on the outside and red – very red – on the inside).
There has been a lot of talk, it seems, among many people in the Green Party of the US and the Peace and Freedom Party of California about a merger between PFP-CA and the watermelon greens. Just talk, though, and no action of any sort that I am aware of.
If someone else wants to take the leadership on starting a new party or coalition, I would be interested in following. I have been a leader down that path so many times in the past that I am not now interested in doing it myself. That all brings everything back to “square one.†Where is the strong, mass, Party of the People when we really need it the most? We are living in revolutionary times but there is no mass Party of the People to organize and lead the Revolution. So, we are left with the Democratic Party (the Party that Michal does not seem to think will bring “true ‘change’â€) as a main center of organization. Until we (â€progressive†independents) have a mass Party of our own, we need to accept the fact that most of the action is going to be happening within the Democratic Party. As V.I. Lenin wrote: “If you want to … win the sympathy and support of the ‘masses,’ you … must absolutely work wherever the masses are to be found.â€
AND ON THE INTERNATIONAL SCENE:
URGENT: Humanitarian boat to Gaza with [P2008 Green USA candidate] Cynthia McKinney on board attacked by Israeli Navy!
Tuesday, December 30, 2008 9:36 AM
From:
“Cindy for Congress, 2010”
Add sender to Contacts
To Citizens For A Better Veterans Home[s]
From the Free Gaza Movement:
(This is the sixth boat that the Free Gaza movement has sent to Gaza … in a symbolic effort to end the seige of Gaza. These are small boats, and they do not cross into Israeli waters at all. This Israeli attack on the boat, which occured in international waters, cannot be described as ‘self defence’ by any stretch of delusional imagination. CNN has report on this–it helps that one CNN reporter is on board– : http://edition.cnn.com/video/#/video/world/2008/12/29/penhaul.gaza.bpr.boat.cnn )
===============================================
URGENT! Israeli Navy Attacking Civilian Mercy Ship! TAKE ACTION IMMEDIATELY!
The Dignity, a Free Gaza boat on a mission of mercy to besieged Gaza, is being attacked by the Israeli Navy in international waters. The Dignity has been surrounded by at least half-a-dozen Israeli warships. They are firing live ammunition around the Dignity, and one of the warships has rammed the civilian craft causing an unknown amount of damage. Contrary to international maritime law, the Israelis are actively preventing the Dignity from approaching Gaza or finding safe haven in either Egypt or Lebanon. Instead, the Israeli navy is demanding that the Dignity return to Cyprus – despite the fact that the ship does not carry enough fuel to do so. Fortunately, no one aboard the ship has yet been seriously injured.
There are 15 civilian passengers representing 11 different countries (see below for a complete list). At approximately 5am (UST), well out in international waters, Israeli warships began surrounding the Dignity, threatening the ship. At 6:45am (UST) we were able to establish brief contact with the crew and were told that the ship had been rammed by the Israeli Navy in international waters, and that the Israelis were preventing the ship from finding safe harbor. We heard heavy gunfire in the background before all contact was lost with the Dignity.
It is urgent that you TAKE IMMEDIATE ACTION!
CALL the Israeli Government and demand that it immediately STOP attacking the Dignity and endangering the lives of its passengers!
CALL Mark Regev in the Prime Minister’s office at:
+972 2670 5354 or +972 5062 3264
mark.regev@it.pmo.gov.il
CALL Shlomo Dror in the Ministry of Defence at:
+972 33697 5339 or +972 50629 8148
mediasar@mod.gov.il
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
The Dignity departed from Larnaca Port in Cyprus at 7pm (UST) on Monday 29 December, bound for war-devastated Gaza with a cargo of over 3 tons of desperately needed medical supplies donated by the people of Cyprus. At our request, the ship was searched by Cypriot Port authorities prior to departure, to certify that there was nothing “threatening” aboard – only emergency medical supplies.
TAKE ACTION IMMEDIATELY TO STOP THE ISRAELI NAVY FROM ENDANGERING THE DIGNITY AND ITS PASSENGERS!
Civilians aboard the Dignity being threatened by the Israeli military:
(UK) Denis Healey, Captain
Captain of the Dignity, Denis has been involved with boats for 45 years, beginning with small fishing boats in Portsmouth. He learned to sail while at school and has been part of the sea ever since. He’s a certified yachtmaster and has also worked on heavy marine equipment from yachts to large dredgers. This is his fourth trip to Gaza.
(Greece) Nikolas Bolos, First Mate
Nikolas is a chemical engineer and human rights activist. He has served as a crewmember on several Free Gaza voyages, including the first one in August.
(Jordan) Othman Abu Falah
Othman is a senior producer with Al-Jazeera Television. He will remain in Gaza to report on the ongoing military onslaught.
(Australia) Renee Bowyer
Renee is a schoolteacher and human rights activist. She will remain in Gaza to do human rights monitoring and reporting.
(Ireland) Caoimhe Butterly
Caoimhe is a reknowned human rights activist and Gaza Coordinator for the Free Gaza Movement. She will be remaining in Gaza to do human rights monitoring, assist with relief efforts, and work on project development with Free Gaza.
(Cyprus) Ekaterini Christodulou
Ekaterini is a well-known and respected freelance journalist in Cyprus. She is traveling to Gaza to report on the conflict.
(Sudan) Sami El-Haj
Sami is a former detainee at Guantanamo Bay, and head of the human rights section at Al-Jazeera Television. He will remain in Gaza to report on the ongoing military onslaught.
(UK) Dr. David Halpin
Dr. Halpin is an experienced orthopaedic surgeon, medical professor, and ship’s captain. He has organized humanitarian relief efforts in Gaza on several occasions with the Dove and Dolphin. He is traveling to Gaza to volunteer in hospitals and clinics.
(Germany) Dr. Mohamed Issa
Dr. Issa is a pediatric surgeon from Germany. He is traveling to Gaza to volunteer in hospitals and clinics.
(UK/Tunisia) Fathi Jaouadi
Fathi is a television producer and human rights activist. He will remain in Gaza to do human rights monitoring and reporting.
(USA) Cynthia McKinney
Cynthia is a former U.S. Congresswoman from Georgia, and the 2008 Green Party presidential candidate. She is traveling to Gaza to assess the ongoing conflict.
(Cyprus) Martha Paisi
Martha is a senior research fellow and experienced human rights activist. She is traveling to Gaza to do human rights work and to assist with humanitarian relief efforts.
(UK) Karl Penhaul
Karl Penhaul is a video correspondent for CNN, based out of Bogotá, Colombia. Appointed to this position in February 2004, he covers breaking news around the world utilizing CNN’s new laptop-based ‘Digital Newsgathering’ system. He is traveling to Gaza to report on the ongoing conflict.
(Iraq) Thaer Shaker
Thaer is a cameraman with Al-Jazeera television. He will remain in Gaza to report on the ongoing military onslaught.
(Cyprus) Dr. Elena Theoharous, MP
Dr. Theoharous is a surgeon and a Member of the Cypriot Parliament. She is traveling to Gaza to assess the ongoing conflict, assist with humanitarian relief efforts, and volunteer in hospitals.
Elf Ninos Mom (“Last Free Voice”) Is Tamara Johnson from Huntington WV
badda bing badda bang badda boom
allahu akhbar