REAL DIFFERENCES 1

I am writing concerning Sam Pfeifle’s article in the September 5-12 issue entitled: Greens enter the fray, Dems cry foul.

Discussing the race in the 27th State Senate district (parts of Portland and the entire communities of Falmouth and Long Island), Pfeifle quotes Portland’s Democratic Committee chairperson Harlan Baker’s reaction to the Green Independent Party’s decision to run Flower Noble against Democratic incumbent Michael Brennan. Baker states, “Why go after a liberal Democrat, when it can only help the Republicans?” This local sentiment is representative of the popular national, and to an extent, global view, that running third party candidates against the more major parties, in this instance, Greens against Democrats, can “split the vote” among “relatively” closely aligned parties and therefore benefits other parties, in this case the Republicans.

My use of the term “relatively” in describing the philosophical consistencies between the Greens and the Democrats is at the root of my interpretation of Baker’s fallacy. Chairperson Baker illogically concludes that the Greens’ presence is inherently detrimental to the more liberal of the other two candidates, Brennan. I disagree with this contention.

From a politically strategic, and idealistic, standpoint, I see a Green candidate like Flower Noble as a positive challenge to a candidate like Brennan to confront issues not popularly addressed. With this challenge, Brennan’s opportunity to address these issues ultimately gives him the opportunity to show strength and the willingness to listen to issues important to others. These traditionally “mainstream unpopular” issues that Noble supports, like building low-income housing, free health care for all, and human rights for the “disenfranchised,” are issues that Brennan, or Republican candidate Vamvakias, are free to discuss, and thus show us that they care about all of their constituents.

Whether they be homeless and/or without wealth, not registered to vote, and/or “voiceless,” like immigrants or at-risk youth, Flower Noble is the only candidate in the State Senate District 27 race who is addressing these issues. This is why I support her in the upcoming election: Noble has made a decisive and focused choice to support what is best for not only our local area, but ultimately our global society. I am very concerned about such social issues, as well as concerned for our endangered civil liberties due to the “muscled-up” USA PATRIOT Act.

For the record, I am not a member of any political party. Being unaffiliated, I am free to support whomever I feel is the most sincere and competent candidate, whomever is most concerned with what I feel to be important, regardless of their party affiliation. I support Flower Noble in the State Senate District 27 race because I not only believe in her values, but I also believe that she has the intelligence and determination to maintain these values as she works for the rights of all people.

Jeff Kimball

Portland

REAL DIFFERENCES 2

I found the comments made by Portland Democratic Committee Chair Harlan Baker, “Greens enter the fray, Dems cry foul” (9/6/02), to be highly offensive. Baker states “You have to work with your allies. You don’t fight with your allies. If the Greens were really serious, they would be running as Democrats.”

How arrogant and insulting! Why does Baker assume that the Greens are his allies? If we are talking about ideological similarities, perhaps the Democrats should ally with the Republicans.

Green Party candidates such as Flower Noble (State Senate candidate in the 27th district) have little reason to ally with the welfare-cutting, pro-landlord, pro-war, Democrat Party. Baker finds Nobel’s race against Brennan and Vamvakias disturbing because she is a Green running against a liberal Democrat. Actually, it is often quite hard to tell the major party candidates apart. Tweedledee and Tweedledum.

The democratic process in our society has been stifled by the stranglehold of the two-party system. We have become stagnant and corrupt (one need look no further than Enron, a scandal brought to us by both parties). The Maine Independent Green Party and candidates like Flower Nobel represent a breath of fresh air, a shaking up of entrenched, knee-jerk party loyalties. Does Mr. Baker not realize that almost all democratic countries have more than two parties?

Marcia B. Cohen

Portland

FLY THE FLAG

I have been extremely worried that our government is going to invade Iraq, causing untold misery there, in our own country, and in other parts of the world.

I have been wracking my brain to think of a way that those of us who want peace can show our opposition to this war. One answer is to fly an Earth flag. The flag says to me: We care about the Earth and the people who inhabit it. We don’t want to see them destroyed.

I am selling the flag to raise money for Peace Action Maine, which is working to educate Mainers about the dangers of war and the need to devote our resources to building rather than destroying the world.

I hope your readers will want to fly the earth flag. They can call me at (207) 725-7675 or email me at ssternli@gwi.net for details.

Selma Sternlieb

Brunswick

CORRECTION

In our September 13 article “Meet the Candidates,” by Jess Kilby, a miscommunication resulted in our reporting that candidate Ivan Suzman was in favor of decriminalization of marijuana. This is not the case. Rather, he is in favor of the “use of medical marijuana with the approval of a doctor who also has the approval of a board of licensure.” Maine state law currently allows for patients suffering from certain diseases to be prescribed medical marijuana.

—ed.