Hard work gets Nader on the Mississippi ballot

KEITH WRIGHT
DM Columnist

Congratulations go out to the many activists from around the state who gathered on the south steps of the Mississippi state Capitol on Sept. 5 to announce the successful completion of the petition drive to put Green Party Presidential nominee Ralph Nader and Vice Presidential candidate Winona LaDuke on Mississippi's fall ballot.

The activists, who have been petitioning citizens since April, got over 2,100 signatures. "We had people signing from all over the state," observed Jackson's Nader Coordinator Landon W. Huey. "No matter where you look, whether it be on the Gulf Coast, the Delta, large cities or small towns, people are fed up with the empty rhetoric of the two major parties, and are ready for a change."

Despite the upbeat mood and the subsequent statewide press coverage, activists recognize that there is still much work to be done, and the stakes are high. "It is easy and true to say that this deep democracy campaign will be uphill," Nader said in his announcement speech in Washington back in February. "However, it is also true that widespread reform will not flourish without a fairer distribution of power for the key roles of voter, citizen, worker, taxpayer, and consumer."

Nader's campaign is the only one not accepting donations from corporate donors or political action committees. Without the millions of dollars gleaned from favor-seeking corporate executives, the Green Party and the Nader campaign is forced to do what political parties are supposed to: build a grassroots organization that is responsive to its member's needs; build coalitions with organizations with similar interests, and use their collective clout to keep elected officials from straying far from their campaign promises.

"This campaign is part of a larger strategy to restore American democracy," explained Nader's Mississippi Coordinator Vanessa Bliss. "The campaign has already brought together over 100 people around the state who are sick and tired of self-serving politicians whose biggest concern is where their next campaign contribution is coming from." Activists have already vowed to use the momentum from the presidential race to establish a permanent Green Party for the state of Mississippi.

In the meantime, a number of projects designed to counter the influence of Bush and Gore's corporate campaign cash are under way. For example, people are putting pressure on the television networks and the Commission on Presidential Debates. Both institutions are attempting to prevent Nader's life-affirming, anti-corporate message from reaching the millions of people who would respond favorably to Nader's message. If you'd like to see Nader take on the corporate duopoly, give the Commission on Presidential Debates a call, at 202-872-1020. Ask for Janet Brown, and let her know that keeping someone as well-known as Nader out of the debates is simply un-American.

Another project Greens are working on is educating people about the campaign. For example, most people have not even heard Nader's stand on family values. He's calling for a minimum wage of at least $12.50 an hour. Greens believe that anyone who works full time should have enough money to take care of themselves and their family, without having to hold down an additional part-time job. But that's not all. The Greens believe that polluters should pay for the environment they trash. We believe that all Americans should have access to quality healthcare. We believe that the war on drugs is a failure. We believe that the Civil Rights movement started, not ended, in the 1960s.

Want to get involved? Do it. The University Greens are working on the campaign right up to Election Day. Our next meeting is Monday, Sept. 18 at 7 p.m. in the Student Union. It's time to take back our political system. For more information, contact Vanessa Bliss at 281-1291, or vanbliss@watervalley.net.