Declare your independence from tweedle dum / tweedle dee politics

With a week to go, the Green Party is preparing to meet in Chicago. Forty years after the tumultuous Democratic Party convention in that same city, Greens are poised to put a true heavyweight on ballots all across America. Former Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney spent twelve years representing the voters of her Atlanta area Congressional District. This followed her four years in the Georgia state legislature. Her steadfast advocacy for civil rights, environmental sanity, an end to perpetual war, and voter protection has earned the respect of millions across the globe. From Port-au-Prince, Haiti to Jamaica, NYC the name Cynthia McKinney is synonymous with the phrase "on my side".

The McKinney campaign has laid out a set of common sense goals for the campaign. She plans to help state chapters across the nation win ballot access. She will work to support local and state wide Greens in their campaigns, as she has already done. And she hopes to secure federal matching funds for her primary campaign. These goals, while reachable, cannot be assumed. The federal matching funds effort needs your support, and needs it today.

Why should you consider donating to Cynthia McKinney's campaign? Well, for many there may be no reason. If you believe the nation is better off with the USA PATRIOT act, then McKinney's demands that the law be repealed will not set well with you. If you believe women don't suffer violence at the hands of those they love, she's not your choice, since she has supported legislation on violence against women. If you believe that corporations should be allowed to pollute in foreign lands in ways that would mean jail time here in the US, her demand that US companies abide by environment & labor standards overseas would put her off the table. Then again, if you agree with her on those things, why not pony up a few dollars in support of her campaign?

Not persuaded yet? Perhaps you believe Barack Obama is the right place to put your dollars. I won't tell you not to give to Obama if you are so moved. Considering the hundreds of millions of dollars to be raised and spent over the course of this campaign, those donations are important.

But for McKinney they are crucial. If twenty people from a state donate $250 a piece to her campaign she will move one step closer to the goal of $5000 each from 20 states. Seven states have raised that much and more, while a dozen others are painfully close. Several more states, including my state of South Carolina, are pushing hard to bring in the money needed to wrap this up for McKinney, and for the future of the Green Party. Ballot access will be one of the things the McKinney campaign will use matching funds to support.

So, even if you have given to Obama, why not donate to McKinney as well. You know that her campaign will help build the Green Party and it's base of support in the Black community, as well as in already established Green communities where her campaign has been well received. Remember, McKinney has attended and spoken at Green Party national meetings in the past, and has also sent video taped greetings. Many Greens from across the nation went to Georgia to help her in her race for Congress because they knew that she was as Green as she can be, and our values are her values.

So, I have a proposal for you. Declare your independence by going to McKinney's website and donating $177.60 to her campaign. Or, if that is too deep in the wallet, give $17.76. Of course, if you can swing it, give $1776.00 But the main thing is, give. Give to keep Cynthia McKinney's voice in the debate. Give to build an alternative to the tweedle-dum / tweedle-dee politics of the Democrats and Republicans. Give to support a champion for grassroots democracy, ecological wisdom, non-violence and social justice. Give to support yourself, your values, your family's future. And please, give today.