This blog entry is by Jean Athey of Peace Action Montgomery. Jean recently switched her registration from Democrat to Green.

“I haven’t given up on the American people, but I have given up on the Democrats,” my friend told me last week. A life-long Democrat and an active participant in several legislative campaigns in Maryland, she has dropped her membership in the party. “The debt deal was the last straw,” she said.

The housing bubble of 2008 and the subsequent credit crunch have played havoc with our economy. While the Federal reserve has provided $12.3 trillion in aid to the major banks in the form of liquidity, short term loans and other financial arrangements, local businesses have found credit drying up, homeowners have
been unable to refinance their mortgages, and state and local governments have been forced to make severe budget cuts.

We believe that the establishment of a state owned bank offer help for all of these problems.

Our ballot access case was heard today in Anne Arundel Circuit Court and the judge awarded our request for summary judgment on all points. The disputed signatures will count and we will retain ballot access.

There is still the possibility that the BoE could appeal the case or that the Appeals Court could move to hear it on their own. We will know if they do within a couple of weeks. But for now we are back on the ballot.

Our lawyer, Mark Granniss was outstanding; very articulate in arguing both the constitutional issues and the legal cases involved.

The Maryland Green Party is shocked and saddened by the loss of Natasha
Pettigrew, the party's 2010 nominee for United States Senate. Natasha
had been fatally injured when her bicycle was struck early Sunday
morning and has passed away as a result of her injuries.

“As a party, we have never experienced a loss like this,” said Brian
Bittner, party Co-Chair. “We all looked forward to working with
Natasha for years to come.”

Click through on the following links to our candidates webpages and help out by donating some time or money to the effort.

Maria Allwine for Governor.

Natasha Pettigrew for Senate.

Mike Shay for Anne Arundel County Executive.

George Gluck for Montgomery County Council.

Joe Lane for Washington County Commission.

The Green Party made a strong showing in city council races across the US on Election Day, November 3, 2009.

Greens now make up a majority on the Fairfax Town Council in Marin County, California, where first-place finisher Pam Hartwell-Herrero joins incumbents Lew Tremaine and Larry Bragman. Fairfax becomes the fourth municipality in the US to have a Green majority, following Arcata and Sebastopol in California and New Paltz in New York.

John Mackey, the CEO of Whole Foods has publicly opposed health care reform. He does not believe Americans have any right to health care, food and shelter. He fires employees who dare to organize themselves into a union.

Mr Mackey uses the money he makes when we buy at Whole Foods to promote myths and propaganda created by the insurance industry and big drug companies to derail health care reform.

Check out the Green Pary Watch. It's the best blog for general news about the party.

Of Note:

Green Party candidate for Mayor of New York, Billy Talen will be appearing at Busboys and Poets: 5th and K Street, Washington DC, Tuesday Sept 29, 8 PM

Medea Benjamin, Code Pink co-founder, hosts the fundraising part of the evening.

Admission is free — we appreciate your on-site donations to support our campaign!

New Urbanism, or Smart Growth, has always been sold as a green idea--high density, mixed use, walkable neighborhoods close to mass transit to lessen the need for car travel.

Montgomery County, with dwindling land for new development, has seized upon New Urbanism with a vengeance. In 2006, the county already had existing plans to bring in 160,000 more jobs, and build 80,000 to 90,000 more housing units--which would support some 200,000 more residents--a 20% population growth for the county.

A new study just released by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology predicts that the Earth's median surface temperature could rise 9.3 degrees Fahrenheit (5.2 degrees Celsius) by 210o, about twice what was predicted just six years ago. The study cations that it will take "rapid and massive action" to prevent a rise this large.