The Steering Committee of the South Carolina Green Party endorses the South Carolina Immigration Coalition’s call for rallies against the Anti-Immigrant Law, S.B. 20.   Please attend these rallies in Columbia, Charleston, Greenville and Spartanburg on Sunday, December 18 and the Unity & Peace Rally held in Charleston at Washington Park on Monday, December 19.   As we meet with other South Carolinians we will build a social movement which can achieve a solution to the nation’s crisis in immigration and citizenship.

MEDIA ADVISORY

Contact-Tammy Besherse- Tammy@scjustice.org

 

–Photo and Live News Shot Opportunity–

The SC Faith Community to Hold Interfaith Prayer Vigils across the State to Reflect on Anti-Immigrant Law, S.B. 20

Sunday, December 18, 2011

South Carolina faith leaders and the faith community will gather at prayer vigils across the state on Sunday, December 18, to call attention to a hearing the following day in U.S. District Court in Charleston, where the U.S. Department of Justice and several civil and human rights organizations are challenging the constitutionality of South Carolina’s anti-immigrant law, SB 20.

SB 20, signed into law in June, encourages racial profiling by allowing law enforcement to investigate the immigration status of anyone they pull over whom they suspect may be in the state illegally.

The prayer vigils will offer reflections on the scriptural support of immigrants, the moral dimensions of the immigration issue, and the real-life consequences of SB 20. The vigils will be held in Columbia, Charleston, Greenville, Spartanburg, and Hilton Head.

Organizers of the prayer vigils, led by the South Carolina Immigration Coalition, are calling on the U.S. District Court to overturn SB 20.  On Monday, December 19, a rally in opposition to SB 20 will start at Washington Square Park before the hearing and continue outside the U.S. District Courthouse during the hearing.

Charleston Interfaith Service

Who: South Carolina Faith leaders, organized by the South Carolina Immigration Coalition

What:  Interfaith SB 20 Prayer Vigil

When: Sunday, December 18, 6 pm

Where: Midland Park United Methodist Church (2301 Midland Park Road in North Charleston)

Columbia Interfaith Service

Who: South Carolina Faith leaders, organized by the South Carolina Immigration Coalition

What:  Interfaith walk and prayer vigil

When:  Sunday, December 18, 1:15 pm

Where: Gather at 1:15 pm at Zion Baptist Church (810 Washington Street, Columbia); Walk to the Statehouse at 1:30 pm for vigil

Greenville Interfaith Service

Who: South Carolina Faith leaders, organized by the South Carolina Immigration Coalition

What:  Interfaith SB 20 Prayer Vigil

When: Sunday, December 18, 6 pm

Where: Fall Park

Spartanburg Interfaith Service

Who: South Carolina Faith leaders, organized by the South Carolina Immigration Coalition

What:  Interfaith SB 20 Prayer Vigil

When: Sunday, December 18, 6 pm

Where: Morgan Square on East Main St.

 

Unity and Peace Rally

Who: South Carolinians who oppose SB 20, organized by the South Carolina Immigration Coalition

What:  Rally at Washington Square Park and demonstrate outside U.S. District Courthouse

When:  December 19, 9:00 am

Where:  Washington Square Park (78 Broad Street, Charleston); Walk over to U.S. District Courthouse (85 Broad Street, Charleston)

URL: http://www.sc-coalition.org/home

Article in The State:

Occupy Columbia protesters can continue their around-the-clock demonstration on State House grounds, U.S. Judge Cameron McGowan Currie ruled today.

Currie told attorneys for South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley that if the state wants to regulate who uses the grounds – and how – then it should develop written rules.

Because the First Amendment’s free speech issues are involved, however, any rules would have to be strictly limited and applied equitably.

Read more: http://www.thestate.com/2011/12/14/2080001/judge-occupiers-can-stay-at-state.html#ixzz1gXBJmjoo

More announcements will be made throughout the day.   Check OC media for more breaking information.  We will post a transcript of the press conference when it becomes available.

Website: http://occupycolumbiasc.org

Livestream: http://occupycolumbiasc.org/livestream/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/occupycolumbia

More news reports [UPDATED]

• WIS, Channel 10:   Federal judge: Occupy Columbia protestors can stay: http://www.wistv.com/story/16323441/federal-judge

• WLTX, Channel 19 (via AP): Federal Judge: Occupy Columbia Can Stay at State House: http://www.wltx.com/news/article/163466/2/Federal-Judge-Occupy-Columbia-Can-Stay-at-State-House

Occupy Columbia, Occupy Wall Street, Occupy Together

Bankrolling Climate Change NGOs present groundbreaking research on banks’ involvement in coal financing. The State of South Carolina Retirement System invests in many of the worst offenders.

We all know that climate change is happening.
But do we know who is financing the dirty energy investments that are heating up the globe?

Until now, little was known about banks’ role and responsibility for global warming. While most large commercial banks provide figures on their annual investments into renewable energy, they neither track nor publish their annual investments into fossil fuel projects. Many banks have made farreaching statements on climate, but are they putting their money where their mouth is?

This study presents new research on the portfolios of 93 of the world’s leading banks. It examines their lending for the coal industry, the prime source of global CO2 emissions. It provides the first comprehensive climate ranking for financial institutions and identifies the top “climate killers” in the banking world.

By naming and shaming these banks, we hope to set the stage for a race to the top, where banks compete with each other to clean up their portfolios and stop financing investments which are pushing our climate over the brink. We want banks to act and we want them to act now.

This study was produced by the environment organization urgewald from Germany, the social and environmental justice organizations GroundWork and Earthlife Africa from South Africa, and the international NGO network BankTrack.

URL of the original (large PDF) document here.

Note: Banks marked above are banks in which the state of South Carolina Retirement System is invested according to their 2011 annual report: 

http://rsic.sc.gov/Publications/Reports/2011annualreport.pdf

December 11, 2011 Conversion Rates: http://finance.yahoo.com/currency-converter/#from=EUR;to=USD;amt=1.

For an overview of the Durban conference from the BBC, please see here.

UN climate change negotiations in Durban, South Africa (COP17)

Congress Resolution adopted as amended European Green Party Congress • 11 – 13 November 2011 – Paris

Adopted Congress Resolution:

COP17 Durban- Making Up for Lost Time

The European Green Party Congress…

1. Notes with ever-increasing concern that progress in the Climate Change negotiations are proceeding at an irresponsibly slow pace and that the global community needs to rediscover the political will to make radical improvements in our climate policies. The planet is fast running out of time and patience!;

2. Considers that all parties to these negotiations must ensure that the COP 17 meeting in Durban in late November 2011 represents a turning point in multilateral climate negotiations and that they must forge legally binding agreements, which will contribute to securing the future against climate-related threats to the well-being of our planet and to its citizens;

3. Demands therefore that the Durban climate conference must make up for lost time in international climate negotiations and agree on:

• A peak year for global emissions of 2015 and a 2050 reduction target of at least 80% globally and 95% for Annex I countries, and establishing a process to address the gigatonne gap between current mitigation pledges and the objectives of limiting climate change to levels, not exceeding a temperature rise of 1.5°C;

• A second commitment period for the Kyoto Protocol 2013-2017, closing forest management accounting and hot air loopholes, to ensure environmental effectiveness of the reduction targets;

• A mandate with a timetable for a legally binding outcome to be implemented by 2015 under the Convention track, including industrialised countries as well as emerging economies and developing countries;

4. Considers that in Durban concrete decisions are required regarding financing for climate action in developing countries, namely:

• The implementation of the Copenhagen and Cancun agreements regarding long term financing (annual $ 100bn by 2020) including on sources of public finance (financial transaction tax, shipping/aviation levies) and scaling up from fast start finance levels starting in 2013;

• Agreeing to increase climate financing even more from 2020 onwards in line with the UN-Department of Economic and Social Affairs recommendations.

• Modalities ensuring that fast start finance for 2010-2012 will be new and additional and ensure transparency in the delivery of this finance;

5. Calls on the EU and its Member States in particular to:

• Increase unilaterally, the EU target at least to a 30% domestic reductions in greenhouse gas (or CO2e) emissions by 2020 compared to 1990 and to a 40% target if other industrial countries do similar efforts, and ensure EU foreign policy is directed to achieving a binding international agreement, which is in line with the UN objective of limiting climate change to below 2°C;

• Ensure fast start financing is fully delivered, with funds that are new and additional to Official Development Assistance (ODA) and that a part of the Emissions Trading System (ETS) revenues are earmarked for financing of climate action in developing countries from 2013;

6. Insists that in Durban the EU is responsible for ensuring that:

• An agreement is reached on a second commitment period under the Kyoto Protocol, without a gap in implementation;

• The system of legally binding commitments under the UNFCCC is applied rather than a pledge & review system and that an approach of different speeds be adopted. The inaction of some must not be a reason for others, namely the EU, to slow down their own progress;

• Kyoto Protocol forest accounting and hot air loopholes are tackled, taking environmental integrity of climate targets as a basis, namely through agreement on forest management accounting rules, with reference to historical baselines and no carry forward of overachievement of Kyoto Protocol (KP) first commitment period targets;

• An international burden-sharing mechanism, based on a nation’s respective capabilities and responsibilities following scientific data, will replace the current system, in which negotiations only result in weak commitments.

7. Considers that European countries face critical choices, to preserve their future prosperity and security. Moving to a domestic greenhouse gas reduction target, which is in line with the EU’s climate objectives, can be combined with a healthier economy and an increase in green jobs and innovation;

8. Reminds that greenhouse gases remain in the atmosphere and contribute to global warming long after they have been emitted. Cumulative emissions are decisive for the climate system and even when meeting the targets with the pathway set out in the European Commission 2050 Roadmap (domestic 25% for 2020, 40% for 2030, 60% for 2040 and 80% for 2050) the EU would still be responsible for approximately double its fair share of the global carbon budget compatible with the EU target of maintaining warming to 2 degrees and the concentration of carbon dioxide of 450ppm. Delaying emissions reductions increases the cumulative share of the EU’s greenhouse gases in the atmosphere significantly and makes it impossible to reach a fair distribution of emission rights if the 1,5°C target is to be reached;

9. Underlines the need to develop new and sustainable business models that reflect the limits of growing resource use and that are not based on quantitative economic growth;

10. Underlines the need to develop and use alternative indicators to measure wealth, happiness and development.

11. Stresses that the design of the Reduce Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD+) mechanism should enhance biodiversity and vital ecosystem services beyond climate change mitigation and should contribute to strengthening the rights and improving the livelihood of indigenous and local communities, who are highly dependant on the livelihood of forests;

12. Underlines that REDD+ must not be included in the emission trading, that instead a fund-solution has to be pursued; and that there is need to speed up public financing for REDD+ action that rewards reducing deforestation compared to national baselines and to halt gross tropical deforestation by 2020 at the latest;

13. Considers that sectoral mechanisms, for economically more advanced developing countries, should be agreed for the period beyond 2012, while Clean Development Mechanisms (CDM) should be limited to Least Developed Countries (LDCs). We call for an urgent reform of the CDM. The aim of this reform is to reduce the transaction costs and barriers for LDCs while improving the environmental and social integrity of the scheme. Certain type of projects with dubious benefits in terms of sustainable development should be banned while other type of projects should be given privileged access to carbon finance;

14. Calls for any new international sectoral offset crediting mechanisms to ensure environmental and social integrity and incorporate climate benefits beyond the 15-30% deviation from business-as-usual;

15. Calls for the introduction of international market based and / or other appropriate instruments to curb the impact of international aviation and maritime transport on the climate and to generate revenues for supporting climate action in developing countries.

16. Notes that our window of opportunity to act on Climate Change mitigation is closing rapidly and emphasizes the need for tough, ambitious decisions in Durban leading to near term action to prevent run away Climate Change.

BÜNDNIS 90/DIE GRÜNEN : Alliance 90/The Greens

Note: This position paper was adopted by the Green Party of Germany at their recent convention of November 27, 2011. Thanks for the link goes to the techblog Techdirt, which notes:

The founding of the Pirate Party in Sweden in 2006 was regarded by many as a joke. After all, the argument went, who would want to be associated with “pirates” or vote for such a narrow platform? This overlooked the fact that the traditional political parties had consistently ignored the concerns of voters who understood that the Internet raised important questions about areas such as copyright and privacy. By focusing on precisely those issues, the Pirate Party gave disaffected voters the opportunity to express their dissatisfaction with the old political parties and their outdated policies.

The U.S. lacks a Pirate Party, but the concerns of tech libertarians are at the cutting edge of intellectual property and freedom of speech issues around the world. The concerns of this paper are not uniquely German or European. We’re reposting the paper here because activists in the U.S. have a great deal of work to do to address copyright in particular, and digital rights in general in the Internet age.

Original via Techdirt. Translation by Google Translate. Original here.

Exploit the opportunities of the Internet – - openness, freedom, participation, making the digital transformation go green!

Our social cohabitation has changed fundamentally over the past 20 years. After the peaceful revolution and the end of the Cold War began with the pioneering development of the World Wide Web a more decisive phase of globalization. Since then, we find ourselves in an ongoing process of global democratization, have increased while at the same dangers of censorship and surveillance by state and private agencies rapidly. Increasing transparency and participation, which we are commanded by the possibilities of the Internet have changed society and politics around the world sustainably. The digitization of the educational landscape and access to knowledge for all is the challenge before us. There are now some two billion people on our planet online, only 60 million users inside of them in Germany. All these people have more or less free access to global knowledge resources, economic, social, political and cultural participation. They use, how we could find recently in North Africa and the Middle East, which they offered new ways of communicating, to demand more democracy and transparency and to introduce to document human rights abuses and to create a global public. In many dictatorships and authoritarian regimes, the Internet – at least in part – the last voice and the only remaining bastion of freedom, even when individuals or state agencies through the manipulation of information, resources, pictures and videos to try another public through its propaganda . produce All this makes the Internet and the digital revolution of the largest media achievements since the invention of printing.

In light of these positive innovations, we are aware that we are at a decisive crossroads. The question of how and in what digital future, we want to live together democratically, as we want to tackle the new challenges that arise with increasing digitization and dissemination of the Internet to solve, and it must now be answered. We take as the Alliance 90/The Greens are passionate about this issue since in a decade, the public debate is also influenced for years by green cast. We fight not for one group, the most active or hardly active uses the Internet, or take only one perspective, but argue for the possibilities and strengthening of the Internet as a whole.

The global spread of the Internet raises questions that can not be answered from today to tomorrow. It is about processes that shape our own, where we will learn green again. In an exchange with other actors from science, culture, civil society and business, we want to develop our ideas and concepts. The challenges of the Internet can not be with the responses of the 20 Century master. If the program code and algorithms, the basis of the digital advances, more and more the central control mechanisms of the 21 Century, we also know that these are not rigid, but fluid, constantly moving. This motion is based not on a political topic or remain in a niche, but affect all policy areas. The digitization of our lives and the society will have an impact on all policy fields, power politics in the future even more mainstreamed, because it not only technical, but it is primarily about social changes and chances are that we want politically. We understand this as an opportunity to network policy by our core values ​​- ecology, self-determination, justice and enhanced living democracy – align.

The sovereignty of states has in the past centuries in the exercise of state power and thus also manifests the law enforcement through a clearly defined territory. The Internet creates a new global reality in parts: the digital sphere is literally endless. This shows us the need to democratically legitimized institutions to develop and establish new locations for democratic participation, and to preserve the freedom of the Internet. This is against the backdrop of increased government intervention in the infrastructure of the Internet, not only in countries like China or Iran, but also in Europe, including Turkey and Ukraine, the more crucial.

This claim we must nevertheless not be confused with the call for a maximum possible deregulation of the Internet. The Internet undoubtedly needs some rules: In order to suppress the economic dominance of less, to ensure maximum participation, to allow proportionate legal enforcement, to promote innovation and openness to life. We want to encourage creativity and do not depend on creative take, but a reasonable way and allow financial participation. Ensure an open and free Internet for all, one of the central challenges of our democracy and green politics will be in the coming decades.

The digital transition is in full swing

The increasingly intensive use of the Internet world is in motion changes, the impact of political systems influence and change structurally and permanently. Even in Germany, which uses digital opportunities often been far too timid, this transformation process must be made more democratic and solidarity. The freedom of the Internet in the 21st Century, but unfortunately no longer be taken for granted. Worldwide accumulate state intervention and circumcisions of civil rights on the Internet – is so necessary for active planning and sustaining the Internet freedom. The free and equal access to information contributes to a democratic awakening in small or large, by creating transparency and participation is possible. At the same time opens up for a free and open Internet is a new educational opportunities to more feeling, more and more new knowledge to new opportunities for social participation and economic development. The Greens want to use the Internet and its digital forms of public and supported the development in order to establish a new democratic culture that is more closely attuned to the citizens and so can be a real citizen government.

The uprisings in the MENA countries were the world’s first revolution, overthrew the dictatorship and it functioned primarily under the rules of the digital world. Worldwide searchable videos were to shield against further escalating state violence excesses, text messages have contributed to the mobilization of democratic protest and critical bloggers who were eyewitnesses to the spot and enriched the coverage or were frequently their function completely. Even the Green Movement in Iran mobilized and protected in part by new digital technologies in China and are revealed through short messages within a very short time and generates political pressure scandals.

All this makes the social importance of the Internet in all its facets and clearly demonstrates clearly why the urge to identify with us and growing state, but also economic control of the Internet must be suppressed. Software and hardware from Germany is used for Internet censorship and control of citizens in the dictatorships of our time. Internet access will be cut including from European companies, by government pressures. Human rights policy in the 21st Century thus receives a digital component. For the Alliance 90/The Greens, this means nothing less than the struggle for expression and press freedom on the Internet to perform with the utmost determination. A free Internet reinforces the freedom of information, the informational self-determination and freedom of assembly and association. To this end we sat down one – both nationally, as well as European and international.

For a free and open Internet

The errors which the world after the attacks of 11 September 2001 were committed with the dismantling of civil rights, shall not, especially when it comes to the defense of attacks of state and private actors in the Internet is not repeated. The slogan of “cyber security” should not lead to a cover for a reduction of free and open Internet. Concretely this means for us that we suspected the independent storage of information, including how to reject the retention (VDS) is required from telecommunication data, in no uncertain terms. It leads to a national data collection and monitoring of the law in our country shaken to its foundations. The consequence is a permanent general suspicion against all citizens and their constant controllability comprehensive data access. We Greens should enter Europe for a quick end to this practice and instead civil rights compliant solutions in law enforcement – a – for example through the Quick Freeze, the temporary backup data for the purpose of prosecution of traffic data in the specific case of suspicion.

Also we defend ourselves against the privatization of law enforcement without due process of law. Interference with fundamental rights such as freedom of expression or freedom of information may exist only on a statutory basis and by judicial decision. The secret to spy on computers, we reject the secret online searches, we want to abolish the federal and state governments, and help the newly created fundamental right to ensure the confidentiality and integrity of information technology systems, finally political also to its effect and protect privacy in the digital age . The Internet is not fundamental rights free!

To safeguard this, we call for a global code of one to secure our liberties and civil rights on the Internet. Some call this goal as Magna Carta of the 21 Century, while others want a transfer of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in the Internet age. The United Nations in 2003 clarified unanimously that these are the basis for the information society should be. For us Greens is clear: We must protect the universal human and civil rights in the Internet world.

Therefore, we argue for a stronger and more effective control and allow the end of the export of know-how, technology and software, censorship, bans and surveillance of the Internet. Even though we are the technical complexity and the possibilities of the dual use are aware in this area, it is still to find political ways to stop these practices and outlaw, so that the restriction of press freedom and freedom forced back on the Internet and the For example, tracking of bloggers and internet activists is tackled effectively. We have to give the greatest respect and recognition from those who venture into undemocratic regimes in the public and high personal risk in the world with their contributions, videos and Tweets a glimpse into the everyday political and social changes in their homeland.

We will strive to continue with all their strength for the expression and press freedom and fight against torture and draconian penalties and risk life and limb.

But even in Germany, the diversity of opinion, for example, with an impending abolition of net neutrality in danger. Since its inception, the technical structure of the Internet is neutral – no matter what content to do it: Whether video data, text data, images, or language – the data packets and files on an equal footing and without discrimination directed through the network. This principle of net neutrality was not only the guarantor of the past, democratic development of the Internet, but is also fundamental to the future of the Internet. Alliance 90/The Greens understand net neutrality as the equitable transfer of data over the Internet, regardless of their origin, destination, content, type of applications or used products, and as equal transmission of the transmission of data over the transmission medium of the Internet without disabling procedures such as locks is to understand Slowing and distortions. This is accompanied by a prohibition of discrimination is for the transport of data.

Because of the preferred transmission of certain data undermine democratic principles and hinders free competition. The further development and expansion of the Internet should not lead to less freedom in the use, unless the broadband connection in their own homes or in mobile Internet access. This massive intrusion into the democratic structure of the Internet in favor of the preferred transmission of data by a few big companies, we totally reject and put us instead for an effective protection of the equal freedom of speech on the Internet. We fight for the legal establishment of the network neutrality and to future funding for network expansion to an obligation of network operators coupled to network neutrality.

In areas where the increased deployment of broadband networks, or not yet progressed so far is to have the white spots are finally closed. For fiber-optic expansion, support is important and useful – the only way we can overcome the digital divide in our society. At the Green understanding of social participation in the 21 Century belongs to the broadband access as part of the general interest of ensuring a mandatory universal service and to establish the immunity from seizure of Internet access. We therefore want to stipulate by law that there must be from 2013, all citizens access to the Internet at a speed of 6 Mbit / second. Within the next five years we want to ensure full coverage of each household with a transmission rate in the double-digit Mbps range. Medium term, we want to adapt a dynamic embodied universal service regularly and gradually increase this bandwidth in order to make Germany fit for the digital age. By 2020 – its 30 Mbit / sec available everywhere – along the Digital Agenda. To us as an increase in upload speeds, since the uploading of data for a participatory Internet, in which one recipient is SenderIn and at the same time, fundamental. In addition, we want projects that have the expansion of free wireless networks to the goal – whether publicly or privately, whether in cities, public places or in public transport – to actively support and thus create a citizen-driven technological infrastructure.

We also want to promote technologies that enable the sharing of Internet bandwidth and guaranteeing the anonymity of accessing or using the Internet. We might organize not only a desirable site for all global exchange of knowledge, but at the same time the people could be passed on to the hand tools to use in authoritarian and totalitarian states, the Internet anonymously. Because for us is the possibility of the use of pseudonyms or anonymity be protected legally and central part of a free Internet. Even against the background that the Telemedia Act already makes clear guidelines for good reason, by the committed provider of tele-media services, to enable anonymous usage, we provide a so-called real names required a clear rejection. Who “Vermummungsverbot” calls on the Internet documenting his ignorance of the existing legal and risk while other data scandals.

As the upheaval in the Middle East and the Arab world have shown, the Internet’s openness with his fundamental for the development of our democracy and its revitalization. It enables new opportunities for participation in political and social processes. The Internet also opens up new forms of protest, either by publication of information and new ways of civil disobedience. The joint visit web pages and as a consequence, the blocking of these, without the aid of technical aids such as illegal or botnets, a network of infected computers controlled remotely and centrally, is for us to civil disobedience.

Freedom of Information 2.0: Transparent Democracy in a time of digitizing

The opportunities to create transparency to uncover human rights violations and denouncing social injustices, have received new impetus through the Internet. The publication of Wikileaks on environmental pollution in Africa, corruption in the banking system or human rights abuses in the war in Iraq have created a global public for these abuses. Although the right to transparency is not boundless, we are still guaranteed green for a new culture of openness, transparency, participation allows secrecy minimized while ensuring individual rights, and protected areas.

Therefore, we argue for an expansion and modernization of the Freedom of Information, where the existing fragmented access to information laws can be converted into a common citizenship law information. Must be justified in the future, why administrative documents or other public documents classified as secret and thus not be made available to the public. We want to turn the previously existing principle and oblige administrations to documents, analyzes, reports, surveys and statistics on demand not only surrendered, but proactively from the outset as an open data (open data) to make freely available. All government publications, including those of parliaments, we urge the use of machine-readable and free formats and the appropriate selection of operating licenses for private and for commercial use, to enable information value chains. Following the example of Bremen information register and of the Berlin Open Data Portal, we want to establish a centralized nationwide portal for open data introduce its decentralized data are entered from the federal, state and local governments.

We want to establish a culture of cooperation between citizens and administration, and develop it step by step together with the management, science and the interested public. 200 years of German management culture must be in the 21 Century continue to develop and we want to enable greater participation and transparency, also against anticipated resistance. We want a stronger accountability of political decision-making, more participation in social debate, reducing corruption and opaque back-room politics and motivation of many people to participate in our political and social life.

We feel here the principles of open government and administrative action (Open Government) is committed. To us, the Internet-based collaboration with innovative collaborative tools that are used for communication with the citizens. We support initiatives from green helps rule countries, government action and citizen participation to shape within the meaning of open government.

The Internet is the medium of choice when it comes to the active participation of citizens. Plan approval process should be made online at the earliest possible stage transparent, the public sector to publish contracts with mandatory private sector actors. We aim above all at increasing participation in decisions of government and administration, benefit from the knowledge of citizens and ensure their participation. The administration modernization in the context of e-government must not only rationalize, but above all, transparency and participation are aimed.

It will involve the establishment of effective protection of whistleblowers or informants inside. Who uncovers social grievances, criminal activity makes public or exposed illegal practices, is protected and covered with non-labor processes or actions for damages. It will come up more and more platforms such as Wikileaks, they will focus thematically or limited to certain regions. These platforms are protected as well as new intermediaries, for us they are part of an information culture that is covered by the principle of freedom of the press. Accordingly, we reject the methods of individual companies, as it was practiced in the Wikileaks case decisively. Whether on public pressure, or out of personal interest: must be protected press and freedom of expression, content on servers without a court decision may not be deleted due to pressure from state agencies from, accounts are not locked or domain names and IP addresses are not withdrawn. We welcome the efforts of a modern, journalists and whistleblowers inside-friendly media and Internet law, as it is currently being developed in Iceland, and want to work for a similar “Modern Media” package in Germany.

Privacy in the Digital Age

Fundamental reform of data protection, on the principle of informational self-determination and focus to our motto, “My data belongs to me” are essential. Alliance 90/The Greens continue to call this one emphatically. We do not believe that the privacy and protection are obsolete, but it requires an interplay of law, social debate and technical solutions in order to secure this. A world without privacy, we do not consider worth living. Privacy and intimacy, secrets and selective flow of information are the essential foundation of a free society, part of the creative and cultural expression of autonomous personalities. We want a privacy that is explicitly enshrined in the Constitution and guaranteed, but it allows each and every free and self-determination to self-publish their own data and information and to actively share with others. There must be legal clarity on what information may be published in what way and upon what principles to protect privacy.

Therefore we need to develop a comprehensive modernization of data protection. Modern data protection laws are characterized by innovative approaches, starting as a preventive measure also address indirect control mechanisms such as time limits and procedural arrangements and ongoing evaluations of their effectiveness is always included with. Regardless of constructs such as the Foundation privacy must be ensured in the case that privacy is also effective as a competitive factor. Therefore, we call the finite presentation of a demanding label and Auditing Act. Here explicitly the private sector has a responsibility. Collecting and analyzing data as a business model of social networks, e-commerce providers or search engine operators must conform with data protection, for this we need a strong legal basis for enforcement.

With the increasing digitalization and networking is the exploitation of databases becoming easier and arouses interest from both private and state actors. So we enter the European and international level for mandatory standards for data protection and fundamental rights on the Internet to push back the cuts in the Internet freedom. Free Memory orgies occasion, like the airline passenger data collection, we reject. The data further approvals in the U.S. for security purposes (PNR, SWIFT, etc.) are still not sufficiently narrowed, the legal protection is pathetic. The agreements are terminated or require massive renegotiations. We support the EU Justice Commissioner in her ambitious plans to regulate the European Data Protection Directive should be recast, the data better enforcement – think with help, with concepts such as “privacy by design”, the data in the design or “privacy by – even internationally default “, the highest data protection standards include by default.

No Internet blocking

Freedom in a digital world means protecting both the individual and his or her rights enforcement. The completely unreasonable and constitutionally hardly tenable blocking of Internet access to copyright infringement in France, the use of filtering technology in the UK or revocation lists in Finland fall massively in basic individual rights. They make the design of appropriate blocking and censorship infrastructures feed. As a civil rights party Alliance 90/The Greens stand for the strengthening of our civil rights and not for their degradation. When youth media protection on the Internet, hateful or inflammatory content, protection of personal rights or platforms which only have the libel and defamation of other people to the goal, when a criminal offense, the prosecution will be carried out consistently. The Greens are still set for an effective cancellation of forbidden content corresponding to a given rule of law, but also blocking fantasies still a clear rejection. In addition to effective, proportionate and also prosecution of crime, it is equally important to support the acquisition of media literacy and to expand the strengthening of self-determination of its users and users with appropriate programs.

It is for us the youth media protection no antiquated phrase, outdated thinking, but also in the digital world is a necessary task for society. We want to strongly differentiate between the protection of children and adolescents. However it must be designed in the youth media protection course in consideration of other fundamental rights of freedom. To put this together in a balance is the challenge we face in the future. The rejected by our new version of the Youth Media Protection State Treaty (JMStV) that is entitled to fairness and reasonableness is not done justice. Rather, it has taken a direction, which preferred commercial offers, and more difficult access to global opportunities. For us it’s about allowing minors while maintaining access. Mandatory pre-control and not affordable classifications we reject. We want to promote a youth policy, with the media literacy of all stakeholders will be strengthened and guardians will be given assistance. Youth media protection is united in our view, a multi-stakeholder task can only solve legal guardians, children and young people, teachers, professionals in child and youth work and the operators of Internet sites with this complex challenge. Mandatory programs or pre-filtering techniques are of the wrong approach. Important for us is that the criteria, why content should be accessible or inaccessible, are transparent and understandable. Otherwise, would prevent abuse or unilateral commercialization is difficult. The first decisions of the Commission on Youth (KJM) for certification of youth protection programs, we will check on that basis, accurately and accompany the application and the results of this critical software.

The knowledge about chances and risks is a prerequisite, so work can youth media protection. This ability to make critical use of the Internet can not be issued driver’s licenses through the Internet. Concepts of media literacy understood as pure knowledge query, such as some “media licenses,” the case, we therefore reject. Media literacy requires experienced and progressive learning, interactivity, use, and the use of media in different situations and needs to be developed further. The argument that such programs and must not end with leaving school. This process continues for life – and applies to both digital natives, for whom the Internet has always been present, as well as for the so-called silver surfers, who use the Internet again in old age and often intense. Here we will look at more international success and increasing funding for such programs, for example, the Media Education, at the country level. This is accompanied us to the recognition that change through the digitization of our cultural environment.

Computer games are part of the culture of video games, and for our cultural heritage. Populist calls for a ban on games that are in the general public called “killer games”, we like to keep the name wrong. The current boundaries for restricting the sale and advertising or the prosecution of games ranging from completely. Finally, we see computer games and multimedia applications as increasingly important field of action of the creative economy which should be supported with the tools of media production.

The experience of recent years have shown that for better law enforcement requires a strengthening of cross-border cooperation between the European and international law enforcement agencies. This must be our basic approach to introduce a global Internet governance structures are embedded. Here are many decisions are made. We want to push this through dialogue with all parties involved, in a multi-stakeholder approach. Because if it is equally basic to safeguard the freedom of the Internet, as well as for law enforcement is, are excessive monitoring and blocking measures that threaten our fundamental rights and have also proved purposeful as little, hopefully, finally part of the past.

Accessibility to live

The ability to make full use of the Internet is not only through the mediation of special skills, but also in the provision of appropriate content and platforms. Accessibility must be lived on the Internet. Here we want to implement the finally adopted barrier-free information technology ordinance (BITV 2.0) to make mandatory for all public facilities and advocate for intensive use in the private sector. This is the first step towards poverty barrier with the aim to achieve a real web accessibility. We want to live viewing and inclusion for people with disabilities here central rewarding ways the Internet can assist and support them. These potentials we want to promote, be it virtual city maps for wheelchair users or training platforms for the mentally handicapped.

Offers so as to be possible in the field of accessibility, it also needs the Internet standards that safeguard the open access and free use, and prevent complications by incompatibility.

The question of what kind of society we want to live tomorrow, is directly linked to the question of which technology is used. Alliance 90/The Greens are committed, that is considered nationally and internationally, the social role of technical standards, the standardization of formats, interfaces and protocols. Be involved in the development of standards must be our democratic vision of society, this applies to the content, as well as for the process. Digital technology for a free society can not develop into anti-democratic, closed circles. A free digital knowledge society can flourish only under conditions of openness and pluralism. Our goal is to increase the social and civic participation of all, and with the internet, difference and discrimination, whether based on reducing the gender, origin, appearance, social position or age.

Openness and fair balance of interests for the digital knowledge society

The digitization of our lives is one of the most powerful engine for social change wheels. The fast, affordable, unlimited reproduction possibility of certain content while maintaining quality and the global spread via the internet can create great opportunities. The digitization brings with it an enormous gain in freedom, as information, knowledge and cultural goods are freely accessible and easier, new ways of sharing knowledge and culture through a growing collection of public goods. The knowledge society in the Internet age may strengthen social participation massively improve educational opportunities for all and energize sustainable primarily and fundamentally strengthen our democracy. Instead of excluding other knowledge and information, we want to allow all participation, including through the free transfer of knowledge between the global north and global south.

We Greens are committed to continue to modernize and reform of copyright law and a fair balance between the interests of copyright users inside and the inside, so all in one internet participants. We want to strengthen the copyright owners and artists – also against the exploitation and marketing of their content, but also adequate financial compensation for the free use of their copyrighted content on the Internet. At the same time we want to end the criminalization of non-commercial use of copyrighted works on the Internet and facilitate access to them in principle. If copyrighted material on a website or platform offered directly, which has in no slight degree (higher than cost recovery) income from contributions from members as buyers or through advertising or links, this is a commercial scale.

With great concern we see in practice that many “new exploiters” benefit in the distribution of creative works from the Internet, without artists to participate and invest accordingly in their promotion and development. Even so, we want to reform the law of contract at European level to bring authors in a stronger negotiating position and enable new ways to access and use.

For the Alliance 90/The Greens has a make on the challenges of the digital world adapted to the intellectual goal of balancing the interests, needs, personal connections and rights of the creators of a work and the interests of cultural participation in society. By a temporary exclusivity of uses for the copyright inside to copyright allow, for example, the creators, as a building block of finance, from his work itself to benefit adequately funded (if he / she wants it) and indirect, not only of related revenues (such as performances , merchandise, marketing personality, etc.). Therefore is to ensure that artists have the opportunity to focus on the creation of new works and not to exercise a further the profession, which does not meet his / her artistic or creative skill forced. Thus, we expect a greater variety of cultural goods and thus a higher cultural wealth for the society, as it would without the copyright case.

Through the establishment of dominant recycling facilities was this fundamental goal of the highest cultural diversity and participation, while participation of creators in the past undermined in many areas and has thus also contributed to the acceptance of copyright law in parts of society has fallen sharply. Equate the debate over the introduction of credit protection laws for press publishers, which we reject, or public campaigns against copyright violations with serious crimes, only reinforce this trend. At the same time, in recent years established a system of Abmahnwesens that this acceptance of loss increased. It sets the wrong incentives and leads to mass warning letters, which often hit innocent bystanders. Therefore we want to change the system of Abmahnwesens, particularly in the area of ​​copyright infringement, fundamentally. Proposals on the amount in dispute reduction, elimination of reimbursement for the first warning, the reduction of control amounts in dispute, the abolition of the flying venue or an improvement of the proposed cost cap for simple cases are necessary and are supported by us and followed up.

With the digitization of cultural goods face new opportunities and new challenges in terms of the availability of content and usage habits of the user inside. Could the earlier vinyl record can only be played on your home or at friend record player, so plants are now stored on the phone, tablet, notebook or even in the cloud and play on different devices. More profit to use these achievements, we want to strengthen and protect and therefore argue for the right to private copying and the possibility of Wiederveräußerbarkeit of intellectual property, we want to instill consumer law. The private copying through technical measures may not be prevented by name, especially digital rights management (DRM), or by legal restrictions. Such a copy for private use and the right to copy them to your own devices, be it a laptop, an MP3 player, a tablet PC, or transferred to the smartphone, does not automatically include the right to share it with others and to publicly . The digital private copying is just as offset by a corresponding compensation, as the analogue private copying.

Remix culture and transformative use

Digitization makes it possible to produce content with relatively simple technical means and costs themselves, share, and the Internet accessible to the general public. This allows users also to be partly self-creative and use it for parts and copyrighted material for their creations. artists who create with their digital content on other creative works are, in turn, thus even in the user role. The Internet usage habits and develop creative formats that make it difficult to observe even from assumed goodwill, foreign copyrights.

The copyright should be in terms of its compatibility with the new use and licensing opportunities and in terms of its comprehensibility for users and authors in improving. In a society in which the technical capabilities of both the creation and editing of virtually any content and each are given, it must open up the copyright and this potential by making it easier to understand and designed.

Be emancipated, sustainable management of their own creative content, but also the fair treatment of the content of third parties must have a vision for the necessary transformation of the copyright. Copyright law must not ignore the potential of digitization or impede. Nor, however, allowed the rights of artists to be circumcised.

Therefore, we want comparable to fair-use provisions in U.S. law to introduce a copyright barrier to allow non-commercial use forms, which aims at the development and editing of existing works. Creative work must not fail on a restrictive copyright. The existing restrictions on copyright, we want to modify by alternative licensing forms, such as promoting Creative Commons, and will also use more, the clear distinction between the approach of commercial and non-commercial use.

To facilitate a culture of transformative use, the aim of our policy of providing as much knowledge and cultural products as possible, free to use. Therefore, we find that collecting societies allow Creative Commons licenses, so the artist can choose freely what they want to pursue ways of utilization want. A significant shortening of the periods of protection and flexibility as to five years with the possibility of renegotiation must go hand in hand. This means: A five-year period of protection from disclosure and subsequent chargeable repeated renewal option. We want to extend a barrier for the blind, so that they can easily come into the enjoyment of books.

A special responsibility to promote free knowledge and cultural goods, we see in the area of ​​public service broadcasting. Here, by the community, with substantial funds, financed a variety of works that are provided in our view, under free licenses, digitized for re-use in freely accessible archives. We see public broadcasting as part of our digital world and make us so against the current artificial lung passages and arbitrary time constraints. The obligation of public service broadcasting through legislation for de-publication of content is contrary to our notions of diversity and digital inclusion. Remove the control, a considerable part of the contents after seven days from the libraries to have to do is wrong and is rejected by us.

In the film archives of the Federal Republic deposited a rich and historically relevant film heritage. The digitization of this heritage is a great opportunity and more and more a necessity. The durability of the film roll is limited even with good storage conditions. We are committed to a long-term digital archiving, so that the film heritage alive and well in the future to a wider audience remains. A broader digitization of heritage can also open up new avenues of access through the Internet or DVD.

Even science has all the chances to benefit from the new digital realities drastically, if we create the political conditions for this. Many of the current copyright regulations do not meet the requirements and the practice of scientific research, the academic discourse and the dissemination of knowledge in research and teaching. In the scientific context, we support the principle of open access, free access to publications and other information. We aim to ensure that all future research and data, which were made possible through public funding, the public be made permanently available free of charge. Against the background of international experience, we want to consider what means and instruments – such as appropriate clauses in public allocations – are particularly suited to achieve this goal. Also, the copyright will be designed so that it makes scientific articles using the open-access publications and facilitated. Scientists need legal certainty if they publish in open access principle, for example via a secondary use rights indispensable for scientific journals and edited volumes, provided that these have arisen in the context of publicly funded or partially funded teaching and research activities. In addition, a modern copyright law workable and legally sound barriers include arrangements for the benefit of science, also in terms of fair use. This applies especially to work with digital documents on teaching and learning platforms, in seminars and research environments as well as long-term digital archiving and digital copy delivery.

In Total

Also in the field of private use will require sustainable new solutions to provide the required balance of interests between copyright and users. The increasing persecution of users, limiting their potential uses and the escalating invasion of privacy, as they are in France or Great Britain in the case contradict our goal of an open knowledge society. We expressly disclaim – they are disproportionate and counterproductive. Our goal is to appropriate remuneration of the non-commercial use of copyrighted works whose use is not subject to criminal nor civil law.

Thereby to maintain the balance between use and the right to financial compensation, we use the standard fee for the continuation of an established system in the digital age. For over 40 years pursuing paid in Germany in the field of non-commercial use instead. Sun levies on blank media such as CD or DVD media, photo copier or media will be charged.

This system we want the Internet to transmit and collect a monthly lump sum, which is based on the bandwidth. The report from the Institute for European Media Law for the Bundestag and European fraction from the year 2009 shows that such an approach is legally feasible, even if it would alter existing structures of the distribution and utilization of cultural goods radically. This approach we want to develop a concrete concept further, discuss it, and thus ultimately enable an information and knowledge society that is not characterized by criminalization, warning letters, civil rights restrictions, tracking and blocking of Internet connections. This policy is part of our green new social contract, because they are aligned on target, think the changes in our political world in new contexts.

Engine for innovation and progress

The openness of the Internet also enables new economic impetus and support the socio-ecological transformation. Investments to the Internet or the Internet are ubiquitous, it is to explain why this makes it no longer, because the positive spillover effects of investments in this area are far reaching. Free and Open software is further developed globally. People plan to continue in small start-ups and innovative ideas to create many new jobs. The securing of this innovation potential may not be prevented by restricting access to the Internet. Internet companies are among the most valuable brands of our time, this does not justify the closure of markets for a few large corporations. On the contrary: We turn on the Internet against the formation of monopolies and oligopolies. We continue to argue in terms of users for diversity and effective consumer rights.

During the focus therefore include business models that feel our goal of an open knowledge society especially committed. Open Business Models and socio-ecological business ideas rely on the approach of sharing, openness and sharing, and thus contribute greatly to a welfare gain for all. The time of foreclosure must be overcome. We fight for openness rather than patent wars and support free and open source software (FOSS) at all levels, as is the use of adequate provision is also a political statement for openness and against monopolies. For our Internet economy, therefore, the rights of the users especially in focus. Privacy and consumer rights are lived here all key points.

Alliance 90/The Greens, therefore, set to open standards that enable seamless interaction between different software (interoperability) and a ban on software patents, a. We want to change network externalities and lock-in effects of social networks that prevent the example that each and every social networking and easy porting resulting contacts and content can counteract this and open, where we examine the possibilities for separation bids. Networks or platforms should operate so independently of the supply or storage of data or information.

From innovation policy point of view would be the end of net neutrality a severe setback. Entrepreneurial creativity and ideas would be inhibited if the free access to end customers without any additional costs would not be possible or could shut out other platforms in the Internet offers.

The openness as we pursue economic engine must work but also socially. The Internet today is to show a significant economic factor and the successes of recent years, prosperity and new jobs are created with appropriate offerings. We want to support a culture-founders, the creative start-ups, promotes independence and enhances them concedes the social acceptance of this step in the independence and female entrepreneurship in the Internet itself. We are committed to improving the opportunities to get to risk capital because venture capital is fundamental to promote start-ups in the Internet economy. Germany is renowned as a land of engineers and a worldwide reputation with innovative business ideas can become the most attractive location for young and creative internet start-ups are outside North America. This goal we want to support politically. The power transfer between science and economy must be strengthened.

Green IT policy has always been a social level, nationally and internationally. In Germany, many workers in IT and the creative economy – at least at the beginning of her career – a precarious employment situation. Not least, the “generation” is particularly well represented. Even the restless project-based employment self-employed, we want to get a better social security counter. Thus social security contributions are paid permanently and unsettled life histories from becoming a risk factor in the social work agency or the will to put our labor market policies in this target group straight on. In addition, exemplified especially in the IT industry new models of flexible, familiengemäßeren working hours and employee participation, which include further promoted.

But internationally, there is a high responsibility of the IT industry, be it in the conditions of production or waste disposal. We focus on sustainable IT and communications solutions for the purposes of fair and green information technology (IT Fair / Green IT), instead of the short life cycles and an oversized More performance, storage space and pixels. The production of electronics must follow the principles of sustainability and held under humane conditions. Harmful substances, recyclability and low power consumption must be promoted as quality characteristics of modern electronics in all operational areas. Especially international companies but also public authorities are required here in order to lobby for appropriate labor and environmental conditions in their own businesses but also their suppliers. Not least, the conflict over rare earths makes it clear that must take place under the aspect of sustainability is a rethink. Information technology also offers potential to better shape our environmental future: Opportunities and Challenges, “by green information technology” to be, as we see in the area of ​​telework in the development of smart grids and sustainable urban environment and traffic management.

Designing with green values ​​digitizing

Network policy affected almost all sectors of our society and policies, science and culture policy, legal and domestic policy, children and youth politics, business and consumer, environmental and labor market policy – the list could be durchdeklinieren for all departments. The network policy is the major cross-cutting issue of our time. The Internet itself is not just a technical instrument, but a social place that should be exploited for more democratic participation. So it must also always be possible to participate without fully digital literacy to the social processes can. Our network has an established policy on socially inclusive and participation of all. The process of the digital future, both nationally and internationally to support politically, will require multiple solutions, which are not the right approach. It is a global process that necessitates the discussion with numerous actors come into the lobby interests are more visible and conflicts are inevitable. The Green approach is aimed at it from our values ​​and not current political grandstanding. For us, the interests and rights of its users and users in the foreground, not the interests of a few. Together with an interested public, in a culture of transparency, civil liberties and openness lives and respects individual choices, we want to further develop our network policies continuously and continue to fight for a progressive political power with its many opportunities.

Alliance 90/The Greens are located in developing their network policies in addition to their responsibility to all users of the Internet also aware of their responsibility towards those who do not participate in the Internet and therefore may not be suspended. In an open knowledge society in a participatory life, but just be possible even outside of the Internet.

Alliance 90/The Greens face the challenge of online and offline, the upheaval of 20 in the 21 Century design with all its new and exciting democratic possibilities to start with. We accept this challenge to the countryside.

Direct feed: http://occupycolumbiasc.org/livestream/

Rebroacast by The State (!): http://www.thestate.com/2011/10/18/2014150/live-video-occupy-columbia-protestors.html

Many pictures have been taken over the past week out there.  Here are a few dozen that have mostly appeared on the SC Green Party Facebook page, now reposted here for the world to see.

It is important to note that the Occupy events aren’t partisan.  They aren’t Democratic, Republican, Libertarian or Green events.  The Green Party of the US broadly supports the movement, as do other groups like the AFL-CIO.   It is evident from participating on the ground that the occupations are going to work in their own way.  Preexisting groups can be revitalized by the movement, or they can fight it, but they shouldn’t try to control it.

Our October meeting is Wednesday, October 19, 7:00pm at Earth Fare on Folly Road Blvd (in the South Windermere shopping center). Look for us in the cafe. Please bring a friend and join us!

Please also make plans to attend these important events (Green Party events and events involving Greens are listed in green.

Events

• Occupy Brittlebank Park, Wed, Oct 19 5:00pm – Sun Oct 23 3:00pm, Brittlebank Park, 180 Lockwood
  

  Occupy Brittlebank Park

  Blvd. Occupy Charleston will be occupying Brittlebank Park for 99 hours in a show of solidarity with our sisters and brothers fighting the good fight up on Wall St, demanding accountability from corporate America for ruining our economy and demanding that they loose their iron hold on our politics.  OBP will be erecting a tent city, cooking food, doing marches and holding meetings. They will have live music and open assemblies and speeches and whatever else they decide to plan!

• Is the Party Over? Thur, Oct 20 11:00am – 12:00pm, Brittlebank Park, 180 Lockwood Blvd. Local party leaders talk about their views regarding the continuing relevance or irrelevance of traditional political parties. Larry Carter Center will represent the Green Party. George Temple, Chairman of the Charleston County party, and Carol Temple will represent the Democrats. Republicans TBA. The Libertarians are also invited to participate.

• Lowcountry Progressive Network Meeting, Mon, Oct. 24, 7:00pm, ILA Hall, 1142 Morrison Dr.  Come be updated on the photo ID law, elect regional Progressive Network coordinators, and make plans for the Oct. 29 state Network conference. Call 803-808-3384 or email network@scpronet.com for information.

• 16th Annual SC Progressive Network Strategy Summit, Sat, Oct. 29, 10:00am – 5:00pm, Brookland Baptist Fellowship Hall, 1o66 Sunset Blvd, Columbia.  Activists from across the state will gather in Columbia to shape organizing efforts for the coming year. This is an all-day event. Registration is $10 and includes lunch. Call 803-808-3384 or email network@scpronet.com with agenda suggestions and to RSVP. Map: http://g.co/maps/baq76

• Adopt-a-Highway trash pickup, Sat, Nov 5, 10:30am, 5th Ave/St Andrews Blvd.  Our last pickup of 2011 is Saturday, Nov 5. Meet in front of the historic Emanuel AME Church on the corner of 5th Ave and St Andrews Blvd in the Maryville section of West Ashley at 10:30am.

• South Carolina Green Party Steering Committee monthly meeting, Sat, Nov 12 noon – 4:00pm, Richland County Public Library, Columbia (downtown/Main branch). Monthly meetings are open to the public and everyone is welcome.

• Vigil to Close the School of Americas (aka School of Assassins), Fort Benning, Georgia, Nov 18-20
  If you want to attend, contact anna@charlestonpeace.net for carpooling info.

Occupy Columbia is ongoing at the State house. A few hundred people are enjoying the day with a spirited and fun protest. The reaction from people driving by is tremendous!

Occupy Columbia, facing the NCSB building. October 15, 2011

Permission has been worked out with the State House troopers to camp! People will be staying overnight! Participants cannot bring tents, but they can lay down bedding and sleeping bags. People intend to stay for several days.  Donated food is being served by Food Not Bombs and area restaurants.

Head down there if you can go yourself to check it out, or catch up on the goings on via these websites:

http://occupycolumbiasc.org

http://occupycolumbiasc.org/livestream/

http://twitter.com/#!/OccupyColumbia

Lots of media were there before Noon. For example WIS, interviewing mostly the most outrageously attired folks at first. I think that they got some more serious stuff in before the end.

Edit: a story with video is here: http://www.midlandsconnect.com/news/story.aspx?id=674364#.TpoDcZuXu7u

Occupy Columbia, Evening General Assembly, October 15, 2011

“Occupy” protesters take to the State House grounds

Posted: Oct 15, 2011 11:52 AM EDT
Updated: Oct 15, 2011 5:18 PM EDT
By Mary King

COLUMBIA, SC (WIS) – A protest group who says there is a problem with greed, government and Wall Street took their cause to the State House Saturday morning.

Around 150 protesters, calling themselves “Occupy Columbia”, gathered in front of the State House at 9:00am.

“That’s been the so-called beauty of this whole thing is that everybody has their grievances and the here’s a forum for my voice to be heard,” said protestor Travis Bland.

The group got its roots from the “Occupy Wall Street” demonstrations in New York where cries for a separation of big corporations and politics began back in September.

“They need to stay over there and hand money to their people,” said Sarah Parker. “Don’t feed money to my president or to try to get them to do what they want.”

Political science experts like USC professor Dr. Robert Oldendick who have been monitoring the Occupy movement say it symbolizes the frustration of Americans on many levels. But they add the argument for change may be better steered in another direction.

“They’re concentrating efforts on Wall Street to look to those people who haven’t suffered to get some relief,” said Dr. Oldendick. “The solution to that is not on Wall Street — it’s in Washington because the Congress is the one who gets to make the rules.

Some Columbia protestors agree. While calls for change ring nationwide, experts add if political change is made, it won’t happen overnight.

“To get money out of politics involves campaign finance reform and as we’ve seen in the past couple of years it’s been going in the opposite direction,” said Dr. Oldendick.

It is not known when the protest will end, but protest organizers say they are prepared to stay overnight if they are allowed.

Associated Press gets it wrong below, there were about 150 people later around 3:00 PM in the heat of the day. In the morning, there were at least 350.

‘Occupy Columbia’ protestors gather at State House
- BRETT FLASHNICK /AP

Protesters took to the State House grounds today to express their unhappiness with Wall Street greed.

About 150 people waved signs declaring they are the “99 percent” who are not among the nation’s wealthiest, who they say should be paying more taxes. They are also angry with banks and their role in causing the recession, then taking government bailouts and stubbornly tightening up credit.

Folks with signs asked passing motorists to honk if they supported their ‘Occupy Columbia’ causes.

The demonstration is part of a sweep of similar gatherings across the country on Saturday. Each was being held in support of the ‘Occupy Wall Street’ sit-in that began last month in Lower Manhattan. On Saturday, part of the New York City group made a second orderly march of the week onto streets where wealthy corporate executives live in expensive high-rises.

In Columbia, the group was not certain how long they would stay on the capitol grounds. Some said they would stay overnight, if allowed.

The coverage leaves a lot to be desired, but isn’t as bad as it could be.   Journalists around the world seem to be allergic to actually counting crowds.

The opinions expressed by USC Political Scientist Dr. Bob Oldendick that people ought to concentrate on Congress because “that’s where decisions are made” is an ivory tower fallacy.  People who care about civic society and who have loyally participated in politics have seen the economic and civic situation for working people steadily worsen  over the last 40 years .

If relief were going to come from Congress, people would be able to affect the change they want.  Yet time and time again, the desire of the majority of people to avoid war and to fund social programs first are blunted then ignored.  It is perfectly correct for people to accuse the corporations and political action committees of gaming politics to benefit the wealthy and well-connected in this country.

Simply demonstrating that the vast majority of people are dissatisfied with government and economic authorities of this country is a necessary and highly civic-minded act.  Politics can come later.  People who care about the condition of their neighbors and the sickness in civil society need to be heard.  These multitudinous complaints can change the national conversation and establish priorities that put peoples’ needs for education, health care, honest government, and an open and equitable society first.

The occupation of Columbia is to begin October 15th, 9 AM on the State House Grounds. This event does not have an end date.

Description
We need to make sure that this growth in the population’s awareness does not falter. Though most of the media has decided to black out the heroic actions of the collection in new york it can be certain that it has caught the attention of both the 1 percenters and the other 99 we reside in.

General Information
If you are unsure what this is or wish more information just google OCCUPY WALLSTREET or visit www.occupywallstreet.org or www.occupytogether.org for more information. We need to let our own local politicians and media know our own anger and resentment on a system that is strangling the world through greed and convenience.

-Occupy Columbia is not a partisan movement; it has no political leaning toward any party of America’s political system. It is a movement seeking alter a broken political system though this is not the sole intent of the movement and all opinions have voice in Occupy Columbia.
-No drug and alcohol use is allowed

Email: OccupyColumbia@gmail.com
Website: http://occupywallstreet.org and http://occupycolumbiasc.org/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/occupycolumbia

-

http://www.gp.org

For Immediate Release:
Sunday, October 9, 2011

Contacts:
Scott McLarty, Media Coordinator, 202-518-5624, cell 202-904-7614, mclarty@greens.org
Starlene Rankin, Media Coordinator, 916-995-3805, starlene@gp.org

Video and Livestreaming:
Green Party Occupy America http://www.gp.org/campaigns/occupy-america/index.php
Cheri Honkala, Green candidate for Sheriff of Philadelphia, visits Occupy Wall Street  http://vimeo.com/29997382
Cheri Honkala speaks at Occupy DC Â http://www.vimeo.com/30200014
Interview with New York Green Mark Dunlea at Occupy Wall Street  http://www.gp.org/video/display.php?ID=59
Interview with Michael O’Neil, Secretary of the Green Party of New York State, Occupy Wall Street  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=orcQYUyfUyY

WASHINGTON, DC — Green Party leaders sharply criticized Democratic Party supporters online and in the media who have tried to turn the ongoing Occupy Wall Street, Occupy America, and October 2011 demonstrations across America into an appeal to vote Democrat and reelect President Obama in 2012.

Many of the protesters have expressed their disgust with two-party politics (http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/wall-street-protesters-disgusted-parties-14687840) and the influence of corporate money. Â Organizers have rejected attempts to shoehorn the movement into any party and assert that the protesters come from diverse political persuasions.

Greens, who are participating in the protests and among the organizers, have pointed to the Green Party’s alternative vision for America, as expressed in the Green New Deal (http://www.greenpartywatch.org/2010/08/11/62-green-candidates-endorse-green-new-deal) and on the party’s web site (http://www.gp.org).

The Green Party offers a platform for peace, economic security for working people, millions of new green jobs in conservation and clean energy development, an end to fossil fuel addiction, real steps for curbing global climate change and restoring the health of the planet, universal health care (Medicare For All), and reforms that would limit the power of corporations and restore the promise of participatory democracy and fair elections. Â Green candidates do not accept corporate money.

Mark Dunlea, co-founder of the Green Party of New York State: “The Democratic Party does not speak for the Occupy Wall Street, Occupy America, and October 2011 protesters.  No political party speaks for the protesters, not even the Green Party.  The protesters speak for themselves.  The Green Party has endorsed and joined the demos because we share the same frustration and anger as the other protesters.  Greens are there because we bring alternative ideas like the Green New Deal.  And we’re there because we encourage the 99 percent — We The People — to organize, end pro-corporate two-party rule, and replace the politicians in public office who enabled Wall Street’s theft of America’s future.  This can only happen through an independent alliance with the same diversity we’re seeing at the protests: labor activists, Greens, progressives, anarchists, libertarians, nonvoters, disappointed Democrats and Republicans, and all others who want real change.”

Sanda Everette, co-coordinator of the Coordinating Committee of the Green Party of California: “If pro-Democrat web sites and the media believe that the message of the protests is ‘Vote Democrat’ and ‘Reelect Obama’ in 2012, they’ve missed the point. Â The current demonstrations became necessary after Election Day 2008, when too many liberal, progressive, and antiwar Democrats declared ‘Mission Accomplished’ with Barack Obama’s election victory. Â The Democratic Party has proved itself as dedicated to Wall Street as the GOP. Â We look forward to more protests and direct action as the election season unfolds, especially during the 2012 Democratic and Republican conventions.”

Farheen Hakeem, Green candidate for the Minnesota State Senate in District 61 (http://www.farheenhakeem.org) and co-chair of the Green Party of the United States: “Say no to the parties of war and corporate money! Â That’s our message to all Americans who are worried about the dangerous direction that the two Titanic Parties have steered our country. Â If the field of presidential candidates is limited to incumbent Obama and the Republican nominee after the primaries, then everything the Wall Street protesters are talking about will be erased from the election season debate and from the media. Â Hopes for a progressive challenge in the Democratic primaries are unrealistic. Â The challenger will inevitably be defeated by the Obama campaign juggernaut, which is already loaded with corporate campaign checks, and the challenger’s supporters will find themselves muzzled, with the expectation that they’ll vote Democrat.”

Terry Baum, Green candidate for Mayor of San Francisco (http://terryjoanbaum.com): “Barack Obama received more Wall Street money than any other candidate in US history.  Instead of change, the Obama Administration gave us Phase 2 of the Bush-Cheney agenda: more Wall Street bailouts, more endless war, more offshore oil drilling and the dangerous Keystone XL pipeline, more mountaintop detonation mining.  Instead of financial security for Americans, we got plans to slash Social Security and Medicare.  We got minimal assistance for people facing home foreclosures and more crushing debt for college students.  We got silence about the racist death penalty and record-high mass incarceration of young black, brown, and poor people in a greedy private prison system.  We got a health care bill with mandates that are a direct public subsidy for the insurance industry (originally a Republican proposal), but no universal health care or controls for skyrocketing medical costs.  We got impunity for Bush officials who authorized torture and other war crimes — and more extraordinary rendition, more warrantless surveillance of US citizens, more erosion of due process, more persecution of whistleblowers, and even a secret presidential hit list of Americans targeted for assassination.”

Cheri Honkala, Green candidate for Sheriff of Philadelphia (http://www.cherihonkala.com) running on an anti-foreclosure platform, speaking at Freedom Plaza in Washington, DC on October 6: “What I’m doing is not symbolic. Â It’s concrete and Bill and Aida and Glenn who’s here with me today, like millions of people across this country are gonna lose their homes… unless you take this seriously and not just march about it, pray about it, and sing about it but help me fill every damn poll in Philadelphia where there’s a birthplace of revolution and change… Â We can do this again in this country and take our country back!”

See also:

“Green Party of the US endorses, joins ‘October 2011′ protest against the Afghanistan and Iraq wars and 2012 austerity budget”
Green Party media advisory, September 27, 2011

http://www.gp.org/press/pr-national.php?ID=450

October 2011 http://october2011.org

Occupy Wall Street http://www.occupywallst.org

Occupy Together: events across the US and in other countries in solidarity with Occupy Wall Street http://www.occupytogether.org

Declaration of the Occupation of New York City
NYC General Assembly: The Official Website of the GA at #OccupyWallStreet

http://nycga.cc/2011/09/30/declaration-of-the-occupation-of-new-york-city

It’s Our Economy http://itsoureconomy.us

MORE INFORMATION

Green Party of the United States http://www.gp.org
202-319-7191
Green candidate database and campaign information: http://www.gp.org/elections.shtml
News Center http://www.gp.org/newscenter.shtml
Speakers Bureau http://www.gp.org/speakers
Ballot Access Page http://www.gp.org/ballotstatus
Livestream Channel http://www.livestream.com/greenpartyus
Video Page http://www.gp.org/video/index.php

Press conferences, forums, and other events at the Green Party’s 2011 Annual National Meeting in Alfred, NY, broadcast and archived on the Green Party’s Livestream Channel http://www.livestream.com/greenpartyus
2011 Annual National Meeting http://nygreenfest.org

Green Pages: The official publication of record of the Green Party of the United States (Summer 2011 issue now online)

http://gp.org/greenpages-blog

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