• Vast amounts of water are required.
• Fracking uses various chemical lubricants, many of which are toxic.
• The chemicals used in fracking are considered proprietary, and are therefore secret.
• The water used in fracking poses a major disposal problem.
• There have been over a thousand instances of groundwater contamination in areas near fracking sites.
• Fracking has never been subject to an independent assessment of its environmental impact.
• Fracking isn’t subject to federal regulation. (This was done via an EPA exemption pushed through Congress by then Vice-President Dick Cheney in 2005.)
• The full long-term environmental impact of fracking is unknown.

This alternative Independence Day celebration features musical acts including The Gremlins (winners of last year’s City Talent Show at Everyday Joe’s), speakers, a Silent Auction to benefit Fort Collins Ranked Voting, presentation of the 2011 Green Giant Awards, great Avo’s food, beer and other beverages. Escape the summer heat on the cool back patio of Avo’s before heading out to City Park for the fireworks.

The Green Giant awards honor local individuals and organizations who embody the Ten Key Values of the Green Party such as Ecological Wisdom, Social Justice, Grassroots Democracy and Nonviolence. Past winners include such local luminaries as the late Peace Corps founder Maury Albertson, state representatives Randy Fischer and John Kefalas, Gailmarie Kimmel, Cheryl Distaso, John “The Worm Man” Anderson, Gina Janett, Professor Norberto Valdez, and organizations like Save the Poudre, Coloradoans Against Resource Destruction, and New Belgium Brewery.

Suggested donation is $5 per person. Further details will be announced as they become available. For more information, call Eric at 970-214-4548.

The tentative schedule for the weekend is as follows (updated on June 18):
Sat., June 25, 9 am  to 4 or 5 pm
(7:30 or 8 am Optional breakfast gathering at Two Dog Diner, just across the Park from our meeting venue, at the community table which we could reserve. RSVP with your interest in joining others for breakfast to Bonnie at 303-678-5650 or bonniebe(at)mac.com by Friday, June 17)

Morning Session: (bagels and coffee provided by Boulder Greens courtesy of local businesses)

1) Art Goodtimes opens the meeting with a blessing/recognition of ancestors/earth etc.

2) Bonnie gives a welcome (and any logistical information)

3) Credentialing of voting delegates and  establishment of quorum.

4) Discussion and approval of agenda

5) Each local introduces its members and gives chapter report (10 min max per local). Greens unaffiliated with a local introduce themselves (2min max per person).

6) Proposal by Kevin Alumbaugh to revoke state party privileges from Claire Ryder and Tom Kelly

Noon – 1:45 pm Lunch break (all are welcome to go to nearby restaurants or bring own lunch for picnic) Five neighborhood options: Big Daddy, Vic’s, Two Dog Diner, the Rib House and Sushi  Jainken

Afternoon Session:

7) Reports from state officers, active committees (fundraising, bylaws and website), and state email moderator/manager

8) Report by council facilitator and review of online state council actions for past year

9) Election of state officers (2 co-chairs, 1 treasurer and 1 secretary), 2-3 national delegates, council facilitator, and state e-list moderator

10) Delegation of state  mailing address and phone number

11) Adjourn business portion of state meeting and begin discussion of statewide topics:

Sun., June 26, 10 am to Noon
(8:30 or 9 am Optional breakfast gathering at Two Dog Diner, just across the Park from our meeting venue, at the community table which we could reserve. RSVP with your interest in joining others for breakfast to Bonnie at 303-678-5650 or bonniebe(at)mac.com by Friday, June 17)

(Optional: Prospect Artist’s Association Studio Tour from 12:00Pm to 6:00PM on Saturday and Sunday)
(Optional: Easy 1 to 2 hour hike below the Flatirons in Boulder or in Eldorado Canyon on Sunday after lunch or with picnic lunch. RSVP with your interest to Tanya Ishikawa at i.tanya(at)comcast.net or 303-284-6762 by Friday, June 17)

IMPORTANT NOTICE: All people who wish to vote at the state meeting should be registered Green Party members according to the most recently updated Secretary of State list of Jan. 28, 2011, or bring proof of their Green party registration (voter registration card, printout of their voter registration status downloaded off the Internet, signed document from county clerk, etc.).
If you would like to check if your name is on the SOS list before the meeting, please contact GPCO Secretary Eric Fried at eric@pvgreens.org or 970-214-4548.
Guests who are not registered Greens may attend this public meeting, but they can not participate in votes and their participation in discussions will be up to the group’s decision.

Big Daddy will donate bagels to the meeting. Photos from Yelp.com (left, Laurie G.; right, Carlos R.)

Or better yet, attend one of the last tour stops, co-sponsored by the Green Party of Colorado.

Monday, May 23, 6:00 p.m. – PUEBLO: Pueblo Democratic Party HQ, 305 N Santa Fe Ave, Pueblo, CO 81003. Hosted by the Pueblo Democratic Party;

Tuesday May 24, 6:00 p.m. – COLORADO SPRINGS: High Plains Unitarian Universalist Church, 1825 Dominion Way, Colorado Springs, CO 80918.Hosted by the High Plains Unitarian Universalist Church;

Wednesday, May 25, 6:00 p.m. – FORT COLLINS: Harmony Library, 4616 S. Shields Ft. Collins, CO 80526. Co-hosted by the Ft. Collins MoveOn Council and the Poudre Valley Green Party.

For more information contact Stephen Justino, Co-chair, Colorado Move to Amend CO at sajustino@comcast.net.

Move to Amend
P.O. Box 260217
Madison, WI 53726-0217
United States

End Corporate Rule. Legalize Democracy. Move to Amend.

We’re on Facebook & Twitter!
–

“History records that moneychangers have used every form of abuse, intrigue, deceit, and violent means possible to maintain their control over governments by controlling money and its issuance.” – James Madison (4th President, and principal architect of the Constitution).

While these events are free and open to the general public they are not cost-free.  David is donating his time, and he is traveling to Colorado at his own expense.  As our way of saying thanks, CoMTA would like to pay for David’s food, and lodging, and for the gas to drive him around the state.  Please click this link to DONATE to help us with those tour-related expenses.  Thank you, in advance for everyone who contributes!

Democracy is not something you believe or a place to hang your hat, it is something you do. You participate. If we stop participating democracy crumbles. (paraphrasing Abby Hoffman).

Legalize democracy.
End corporate rule.
Move to Amend.

Prospect, billed as Colorado’s first New Urbanist community, was developed with the goal of becoming a distinctive project, which would minimize negative impacts on the land. Located on a former 80-acre tree farm, it is near the southern edge of Longmont, on U.S. Highway 287 and Pike Road, in Boulder County. It’s a 10 minute drive from Boulder and 30 minutes from downtown Denver.

On January 21, 2010, with its ruling in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, the Supreme Court ruled that corporations are persons, entitled by the U.S. Constitution to buy elections and run our government. Human beings are people; corporations are legal fictions.

Join David Cobb, a fiery speaker, and former Green Party presidential candidate, to discuss “Creating Democracy & Challenging Corporate Rule.” This event is part history lesson and part heartfelt call- to-action! Cobb is an organizer and national spokesman for MoveToAmend.org, a coalition of more than 107,000 people and organizations whose goal is to amend the United States Constitution to end corporate rule and legalize democracy.

“Creating Democracy & Challenging Corporate Rule” Colorado Tour Dates

Friday, May 20, 6:00 p.m. – DENVER: University of Denver, College of Law, Room #270, 2255 E. Evans Avenue, Denver, CO 80208. Hosted by DU Law School ACLU

Saturday, May 21, 2:00 p.m. – BOULDER: Boulder Unity Church, 2855 Folsom Street, Boulder, CO 80304. Co-hosted by the Greater Boulder Green Party and The Rocky Mountain Peace and Justice Center

Sunday, May 22, 2:00 p.m. – THORNTON: In the Community Room of the Villas at Sunny Acres, 2513 E. 104th Ave., Thornton, CO 80233. Hosted by the MoveOn Denver-Metro Council

Monday, May 23, 6:00 p.m. – PUEBLO: Pueblo Democratic Party HQ, 305 N Santa Fe Ave., Pueblo, CO 81003. Hosted by the Pueblo Democratic Party

Tuesday May 24, 6:00 p.m. – COLORADO SPRINGS: High Plains Unitarian Universalist Church, 1825 Dominion Way, Colorado Springs, CO 80918. Hosted by the High Plains Unitarian Universalist Church

Wednesday, May 25, 6:00 p.m. – FT. COLLINS: Harmony Library, 4616 S. Shields, Ft. Collins, CO 80526. Co-hosted by the Ft. Collins MoveOn Council and the Poudre Valley Green Party

These events are free to the public! Thank you to co-sponsors: Move to Amend, Green Party of Colorado, Colorado Common Cause, and Progressive Democrats of Colorado.

CLE credits have been requested For more information, please go to Colorado Move to Amend’s website: www.comovetoamend.org

We want to personally thank you for all of your support of the campaign to bring Ranked Voting to Fort Collins.  We couldn’t have done nearly as well as we did without your help. Of course we are all disappointed with the results, but we should feel encouraged that nearly 11,000 voters turned out to show their support for a better way to hold city elections. That is a direct result of your efforts.

With your contributions of money and time, we contacted over 40,000 voters multiple times through literature drops, emails, and phone calls.  We maintained a full-time office for supporters to pick up assignments, brochures, and yard signs, or just learn more about Ranked Voting. We went on local, state and national radio shows, wrote letters to the editor, took part in debates and forums, made presentations to local organizations, and waved signs on busy street corners.

It was a great effort, but it is not over. There are a couple more things we are asking of you in the short term:

Please come to our Supporter Appreciation Party on Friday, May 6, 6:30 p.m. at 307 Leeward Ct., Fort Collins.
Snacks and non-alcoholic beverages provided. Please BYOB if you prefer.

Make a contribution to help us retire our debt.
https://integrityhostingservices.com/fortcollinsrankedvoting/donate.html

We ended up taking on $10,000 in debt in an effort to counter the $14,000 dumped into the race by the Fort Collins Chamber of Commerce – which accounted for 90% of the opposition’s funding – as well as the unfair tilt in the Coloradoan, which omitted numerous letters in favor of ranked voting even as it ran a series of opposition pieces in the campaign’s final days. We need your help pay off our loans quickly so we can begin building for the next campaign. Showing its confidence in the future of ranked voting in Fort Collins, FairVote – The Center for Voting and Democracy – has generously offer to match the first $5,000 in contributions given to help retire this debt.

Please contribute today to ensure your donation counts twice.
https://integrityhostingservices.com/fortcollinsrankedvoting/donate.html

We didn’t win this year, but we did introduce the voters of Fort Collins to Ranked Voting, and are in a great position to continue educating and activating residents of Fort Collins, and eventually bring the question back in front of the voters. To do that, we need your help and involvement.

Please join us for our Volunteer Appreciation Party, our Wrap-up Meeting and contribute today so we can pay off our loans quickly and begin building for the next campaign.

Please join us in keeping this effort moving forward by contributing to Fort Collins Ranked Voting today! And please don’t leave some of our most dedicated supporters – who generously loaned the campaign the money it needed to be competitive –  personally in debt for thousands of dollars.

Eric Fried and Seth Anthony, Campaign Co-chairs
Marc Sanson, Campaign Coordinator
Website - http://www.fortcollinsrankedvoting.com
facebook - http://facebook.com/fortcollinsrankedvoting
Twitter - http://twitter.com/focorv
Contribute: https://integrityhostingservices.com/fortcollinsrankedvoting/donate.html

Toby Hemenway: How Permaculture Can Save Humanity And The Earth, But Not Civilization

Pulitzer-prize winning author Jared Diamond calls it “the worst mistake in the history of the human race.” Founder of permaculture Bill Mollison says it can “destroy whole landscapes.” Are they describing nuclear energy? Suburbia? No. They are talking about agriculture, which at its doorstep can also be laid our culture’s split between people and nature, disease and poor health, and the origins of class inequality and police states.

Those are big claims, and this lecture will explore them, showing that new fuels and high technology are not the way out of the dilemma that agriculture has gotten us into. However, there are ways to live sustainably on the Earth without going back to the Stone Age. This model of sustainability looks a lot like what today is known as permaculture, an ecological design approach based on knowledge gained from nature. Toby’s lecture will show us what makes agriculture, and the industrial society that relies on it, fundamentally unsustainable, and how permaculture offers us a better way.

Proceeds of the event benefit Transition Colorado and the Colorado Permaculture Guild.