Arne Naess

Arne Næss is dead, 96 years old. The Green party wishes to thank its honorary member since 1997 for everything he has contributed in the 20 years of the party’s existence. Næss has been a source of inspiration not only to us, but to the entire international movement of green parties. As the father of ecosophy and a real pioneer of holistic ecological thinking, he has created the basis on which much green thinking rests. In many ways he was far ahead of his time. – his humility, sense of wonder and playful attitude towards all that surrounds us, are values we now need more than ever.

Arne Næss was not only a man of big thoughts, but also a man of action. Many remember his participation in nonviolent direct action at Mardøla in 1970 and at Alta ten years later. Arne Næss was environmentalism in practice.

Arne Næss was indeed a great man. We are very grateful for what he gave us, for always saying yes to our invitations and for being anchorman on our lists in Oslo at local and national elections since 1987. He was our political and ideological guarantee. This year for the first time somebody else will have to play that part. It will be a big challenge.

At this time our thoughts go to Arne’s family and friends. We shall do what we can to take his thinking into the twentyfirst century. Thank you, Arne!

 

 

Arne Næss er død, 96 år gammel. Miljøpartiet De Grønne takker sitt æresmedlem fra 1997 for alt han har bidratt med i de 20 årene partiet har eksistert. Næss har vært en stor inspirasjonskilde ikke bare for oss, men for hele den internasjonale grønne partibevegelsen. Som økosofiens far og en virkelig pioner innen helhetlig økologisk tenkning har han skapt fundamentet mye grønn ideologi hviler på. På mange måter var han langt forut for sin tid – hans ydmykhet, undring og lekenhet overfor alt som omgir oss er verdier vi trenger nå mer enn noensinne.

Arne Næss var ikke bare en mann av store tanker, men også av handling. Mange husker hans engasjement i forbindelse med blant annet Mardøla-aksjonen og kampen om Alta-vassdraget på 70-tallet og hans deltakelse i sivil ulydighet for saken. Arne Næss var miljøvern i praksis.

Arne Næss var en virkelig stor mann. Vi er dypt takknemlige for det han har gitt oss, for at han alltid stilte opp og for at han innehadde æresplassen på vår valgliste i Oslo til kommunevalg og stortingsvalg i alle år siden partiets grunnleggelse i 1987. Han var vår politiske og ideologiske garantist. I år blir noen andre for første gang nødt til å fylle den rollen. Det blir et stort tomrom å fylle.

Samtidig går våre tanker til Arnes familie og venner. Vi vil gjøre alt vi kan for at hans tanker bringes videre inn i det 21. århundret. Takk for alt, Arne!

 

http://www.mdg.no/2009/01/13/hedrer-arne-naess

 

William (Bill) J. Holloway, III

William (Bill) J. Holloway, III

William (Bill) Judson Holloway, III, 44, beloved son, brother, uncle and friend, passionate environmentalist, political activist and civic volunteer, computer master, talented violinist, learned scholar, explorer of intellectual pursuits and mountaineer, passed away January 7, 2009, in Austin, Texas.

Bill was born in Oklahoma City on July 31, 1964, to his loving parents Judge William Judson Holloway, Jr. and Helen Hoehn Holloway.

Growing up as an avid outdoorsman, he was a Boy Scout earning his Eagle Scout award in 1980. Second to Bill’s love of Austin, Texas, was his passion for the mountains of Colorado. Bill spent many days mountaineering, climbing and skiing in the Colorado Rockies with his sister, Gentry and cousin, Zach Hornbaker. Some of his greatest memories were of Camp Cheley in Estes Park, Colorado, and the summers he spent there as a camper and a counselor in the tradition of his uncle French Hoehn.

He graduated from Casady School, cum laude, in 1983. He graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree from Bucknell University in 1987, where he received the W. Norwood Lowry Prize the same year. He completed a Masters degree in Non-Linear Physics from the University of Texas in 1991 and did additional studies in Meteorology at the University of Oklahoma.

Bill began his career at National Instruments in Austin, leaving the company to specialize in Web and software design for a variety of institutions and start-up companies.

He volunteered and gave his time generously to various political, environmental and other non-profit organizations. He was Co-Chair of the Travis County Green Party. He was a dedicated and active leader and active contributor at the local, state and national level of the Green Party serving on numerous committees. He was an avid supporter of the Heartland Flyer commuter train and worked tirelessly to preserve the commuter rail service in our country. He served as a volunteer counselor for a rape crisis center as well as dedicating his time to a multitude of other volunteer and civic organizations.

He was preceded in death by his grandparents the late Governor William Judson Holloway, Sr., and Amy Arnold Holloway of Oklahoma City; and William Frank Hoehn and Glowrene Gentry Hoehn of Enid.

Bill is survived by his parents, the Honorable William Judson Holloway, Jr., and Helen Hoehn Holloway; his sister, Gentry Holloway, and nephews, Jack W. and Josh W. Holloway, of Minneapolis, Minnesota, as well as numerous aunts, uncles, cousins and friends.

Memorial services will be held on Wednesday, January 14, 2009, at 11:00 a.m. at Hahn-Cook/Street & Draper Funeral Home at 6600 N. Broadway Extension. Graveside services will be held at Rose Hill Burial Park following a brief reception at Hahn-Cook. A Memorial Service will be held in Austin, Texas, on Friday, January 16, 2009, at 7:30 p.m. at the home of Jim O’Brien, 5003 Wasson Road, Austin, TX.

In lieu of flowers, memorials are suggested to be made to a charity of your choice or Safe Place in Austin, Texas or The Sierra Club.

 

The Passing of Green Party Leader Bill Holloway

January 10, 2009

The Green Party of Texas mourns the tragic loss of Bill Holloway. Bill was a dedicated leader who was currently serving as the
Co-Chair of the Travis County Green Party in Austin, TX. He will be missed as a mentor and a friend.

Through his kind-hearted activism, Bill touched the lives of so many people. He was an active Green Party contributor at the local, state and national levels. Bill served on numerous committees in the Green Party and in other organizations as well.

Bill Holloway passed away unexpectedly last weekend at his home in Austin, Texas. Given the unexpected nature of his death, we know many will have questions regarding details. Out of respect for Bill, his family, and his lengthy legacy of community service, we hope you understand our reluctance to speculate and request that others will also be circumspect in their communication.

Our heart-felt condolences go out to all of Bill’s friends and family. Bill was a very special person who will be sorely missed.

There will be a memorial service in Austin, TX, on Friday, January 16, and his funeral will be in Oklahoma City, OK, on Wednesday, January 14.

For the memorial, a book is being compiled for his parents. If you would like to contribute, please write down a story or memory of Bill, with a photo if you have one and send it to Sondra – lonestarsondra at gmail.com by January 15th. His family never met most of his friends and, we suspect, had no idea of the difference he made in so many lives. The book is being put together to let them know how many people were touched by and loved him. If the photo and the text can be pasted onto one page, that would be ideal, but whatever people can contribute would be appreciated.

Whatever your beliefs, please keep Bill and his family and vast network of friends in your thoughts, prayers, and/or rituals.

In solidarity,

kat swift
co-chair
Green Party of Texas
210.471.1791 – txt okay
kat at txgreens.org

 

Hawaii Green Party leader Bonk dies

November 29th, 2008 ·

Bill Bonk, a former Hawaii Democratic official who helped found the state’s Green Party, died this week, West Hawaii Today reports. Bonk “was changed by his World War II combat experiences in the Philippines and New
Guinea, plus an extended stay in Japan during the American occupation” and became a peace activist and progressive leader in the state.

 

Remembering a ‘Dangerous Man,’ Peter Miguel Camejo 1939-2008

Remembering a ‘Dangerous Man,’ Peter Miguel Camejo 1939-2008

Posted in the Berkley Daily Planet

By Sharon Peterson

Wednesday November 26, 2008

Peter Camejo was perhaps best known for his runs for president on the Socialist Workers Party, Green Party and independent tickets, and for Governor of California on the Green Party ticket. In the 2003 gubernatorial recall election campaign, Camejo’s incisive remarks during the debates received national attention and brought higher measures of visibility and respectability to progressive thought.

He was a friend of Malcolm X, and he marched in Selma with the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. He was a pioneer advocate for immigrant rights and, after 9/11, worked for civil rights and freedom from hate for Muslim citizens.

Read more

 

Late Peter Camejo Honored on Campus

Published in The Daily Californian

By Kat Murti
Contributing Writer
Sunday, November 23, 2008

Nathan Yan/Staff

Ralph Nader speaks at Peter Camejo Memorial at International House on Sunday, Nov. 23 at 2 p.m. The event was attended by a couple hundred people. Camejo was the founder of the Green Party.

Big-name liberal activists-including Ralph Nader and Cindy Sheehan-celebrated the lifelong activism of late UC Berkeley alumnus Peter Camejo Sunday at the International House.

Camejo, who ran as Nader’s vice president in 2004 and was seen by many to be a major figure of the American left, died of lymphoma, a type of cancer, on Sept. 13. He was 68.

Progressive activists and friends from around the world said Camejo was willing to take risks other politicians would not in order to support underrepresented communities.

“He was always reading, thinking, talking with people. He believed in intellectual tension,” Nader said to a crowd of more than 400.

“He firmly believed that we would rally the American people around just causes,” said Camejo’s brother Antonio.

Friends said they were always impressed by Camejo’s drive and dedication. Many said his passion for change inspired others to pursue what they thought was right, no matter the consequences.

“His public philosophy was not an ideology. It was not dogmatic. It was a broad sense of what he felt was right and wrong,” Nader said. “To know Peter was never to know him completely. He never specialized. There was always more.”

Read the entire post

Other articles:

Peter Camejo’s Memorial – (East Bay Indymeda)

Peter Camejo honored by Nader, others at UC Berkeley tribute – (Oakland Tribune)

Nader, Several Hundred Supporters Memorialize Camejo – (KTVU.com)

 

In Memorium

Philip Hufford, Colorado

Colorado Greens mourns the loss of one of their founding members. Philip Hufford, who passed away from cancer on October 3rd, 1998 at age 50.

Hufford was the first Colorado Green candidate for governor, in 1994. He chaired the Denver Region Greens for years and focused on toxic waste
issues, particularly a U.S. Army chemical weapons site near Denver. His background with labor, and his experience as Rocky Mountain Regional Director of the Fair Trade Campaign in opposition to NAFTA a few years back, meant that he brought more organizing experience to the Greens than almost any other party member. His commitment to a broad conception of Green Politics was strong and is one of his legacies in Colorado Green politics.

The will to fight the good fight was deep in Hufford. Near the end, though almost wheelchair-bound, he came to the party’s June, 1998 nominating convention, and operated the tape recording of that event. Soon afterwards there was a reunion at Hufford’s place, which drew Greens whose family or work life had taken them out of active Green work. Despite knowing that Hufford’s time was short, the party was a genuine celebration, as well as a farewell. Hufford is survived by his wife, Linda Gore.

Greens in Colorado and throughout the US, will sorely miss Phil’s activism, experience and advice. But his inspiration will remain with us all.

Walt Bresette, Wisconsin

Long-time northwestern Wisconsin Green organizer Walt Bresette, an Anishinabe peace and justice advocate, died February 21 from a heart attack while visiting friends. A member of the Loon Clan, the 51-year-old Red Cliff Chippewa defended treaty rights and fought to prevent metallic sulfide mining, and to prevent acid from a mining operation being shipped across the state.

A US Army veteran, Bresette was a co-founder of the Witness for Nonviolence, Midwest Treaty Network, Anishinaabe Niijii, Lake Superior Greens, Wisconsin Greens, and was an inspiration to many others.

He was an elegant speaker and writer. Together with Rick Whaley, Bresette wrote “Walleye Warriors: An Effective Alliance Against Racism and for the Earth” The book tells the story about the interracial alliance that rose up in the 1980s at Wisconsin boat landings to protect Chippewa spearfishing, sovereignty, the land, and the water.

Walter and his wife Cass Joy ran a native crafts and art business called the Buffalo Bay Trading Company until a few years ago on the Red Cliff Chippewa Reservation. Their children are Claudia, Katie, and Robin.

At a meeting in Florida during the 1980s, Bresette received a special gift from an alert and agile old woman. It was the war club belonging to the Sauk leader Black Hawk, who more than a hundred and fifty years earlier fought the US Army trying to move him and his people from their homeland. Bresette carried the club to ceremonies, boat landings, mining protests, and schools and churches until his death.

“He was like the north star,” a friend says, ” He held up the sky over northern Wisconsin and the people followed him.”

Marc Sharon, California
A Russian émigré who founded the Westside Greens in the Santa Monica/Los Angeles area in 1988, Marc Sharon passed away in West Los Angeles in October, 1998. He admitted to being over 90. Fifty years earlier, he worked with Leon Trotsky in Norway.

Sharon’s lifetime that took him from Russia, around Europe (including fighting in the Spanish Civil War), New York and San Francisco, before settling finally in Venice, California.

Sharon hosted many Green meetings in the community room of his senior affordable housing building. He remained very sharp of mind until the end, always focusing on strategy. He was a voracious reader, and kept abreast of the Greens in Europe as well as the US. In 1990, he represented US Greens to the European Green Coordination meeting in Bonn, West Germany.

 

Dona Spring, 1953–2008

The Party loses one of its finest members

Contributions by John Selawsky, Green Party of California

Activists across the country mourn the loss of Dona Spring, the longest serving Green Party office holder in California. She held a seat on the Berkeley City Council for 16 years. Despite her long-term struggle with Rheumatoid Arthritis, she was determined to be a voice for the unrepresented and was a formidable force for change in the political arena. Spring died on July 13th at the age of 55.

Spring was first elected to Berkeley City Council in 1992 representing District 4. This was the second longest continuous term for a Green in the entire country. In 2006 she was re-elected by a resounding margin. From the local to the international level, she addressed issues with equal dedication and intelligence. In addition to advocating for tenants, youth, the disabled, and victims of war, she even came out to rally with protesters at the University of California to protect trees despite her worsening health.

“She (was) definitely a role model,” said Pam Webster, Berkeley rent board commissioner and Green, noting Spring helped blaze a trail for Greens in politics.

“The Green Party of California mourns the passing and celebrates the life of one of our finest leaders, Dona Spring. She was a smart and capable politician who remained the conscience of the Berkeley City Council. Her first campaign was galvanizing. She never failed us,” said Hank Chapot, a member of the East Bay Greens.

A documentary film on Spring is available called “Courage in life and Politics: The Dona Spring Story.”

John Selawsky shares his thoughts on Dona Spring:

We will remember Dona Spring for many things: zipping through her District 4 to attend a neighborhood meeting or to City Hall in her motorized wheelchair, her advocacy for people with disabilities, and a new Berkeley animal shelter. She was a champion for animal rights, environmental issues, including strong and early support for the Berkeley Farmers’ Markets, and tirelessly advocating for the need for the funding and political will for a new warm-water therapeutic pool. She was accessible, available, intelligent, and responsive. She was a rare public official in so many ways.

Dona Spring authored a resolution in Berkeley strongly condemning U.S. military action in Afghanistan, and gained national attention and vociferous criticism for this resolution. Due to her efforts and outspokenness she received death threats for that proposal, as well as for others she carried and sponsored.

My own experience and relationship with Dona goes back over 15 years. We met first as Green Party activists; she was already serving on the Berkeley City Council. She appointed me to Berkeley’s Community Environmental Advisory Commission in 1995, on which I served five years with two terms as commission chair. I note this as an example of Dona’s unerring ability to place people in positions where they could succeed and grow.

Dona never backed down from a debate, never apologized for taking the side of the disabled, or homeless, or poor. She lived with the understanding that we, and the society we build, are all ultimately judged on how we treat and empower those who have had little or no opportunity in their lives, or have had hardship and setback. We all need to remember that message in the work we continue to do.

For more information go to: www.donaspring.com

 

Peter Miguel Camejo 1939–2008

Peter Camejo, three-time gubernatorial candidate for the Green Party of California and vice-presidential running mate with Ralph Nader’s independent campaign in 2004, passed away on September 13, 2008 after a two year battle with lymphoma. Camejo was 68.

A profile of Peter Camejo’s career in activism and Green politics will appear in the the next issue of Green Pages

 

A dedicated Green dies

Eddie Boyd will be missed for his commitment to speak the truth

By Barbara Rodgers-Hendricks, Green Party of Florida

What do you do after you experience homelessness? Well, if you’re Eddie Boyd, you join Mitch Snyder and the Community for Creative Non-Violence, an advocacy organization for the homeless. And what do you do when you’re dying of cancer? From your deathbed, you talk about the Green Party with anyone who will listen.

Eddie Boyd, Jr. was born on August 24, 1961, in Miami, Florida. He joined the Navy soon after graduating high school. However, the Veteran’s Administration (VA) didn’t keep faith with Boyd. For years, Boyd suffered from leg pain, but he was never told by the VA Hospital that he had cancer. By the time he was admitted to the emergency room of Union Memorial Hospital, the cancer had spread to his lungs.  Boyd died on August 11, 2008, just shy of his 47th birthday.

Boyd was the Green Party candidate for governor of Maryland in 2006. He was the first African-American to run for governor of Maryland. His issues included promoting equity in funding for all Maryland schools and opposing the death penalty. He made news when he protested his exclusion from the gubernatorial debates sponsored by Maryland Public Television.

Boyd used his own experiences to help others. In Baltimore, after recovering from drug addiction, Boyd helped homeless veterans conquer their own addictions. He worked in the anti-war and counter-recruitment movements, sleeping in a ditch with Cindy Sheehan and other activists, near President Bush’s ranch in Crawford, Texas, as they protested the invasion of Iraq.

Brandy Baker, a former Green Party candidate herself, considered Boyd as one of her best friends.  She said, “He was a compassionate soul.  He would give you the shirt off his back—and he didn’t have many shirts! Just a wonderful person!”