Maine Green Independent Party candidate for Governor Lynne Williams has made a practice of using her candidacy as a vehicle to spread awareness of broader social movements. This morning, Williams let her network of Green supporters know of a hastily arranged but hastily growing national march against the escalation of war in Afghanistan:
Next week, I will travel with other Mainers to Washington DC where I will stand with 2008 Green Party Presidential candidate Cynthia McKinney, activist blogger and author David Swanson, and many others in a Stop the Escalation Rally in Lafayette Park. This rally, organized by End US Wars, will take place from 11 am to 4 pm. on Saturday, Dec. 12, 2009. For more information go to http://www.enduswars.org or contact organizer Laurie Dobson, 207-604-8988, contact@enduswars.org
But she hasn’t stopped there. Williams and her Green Party allies have organized a bus departing from Portland, and she’s spreading word of the arrangements:
Many of us will be traveling to DC by bus, leaving from Portland at 8:30 p.m. Friday night, Dec. 11. I urge you to join us…
Please consider joining us on this bus trip and attending the rally. We need to get as many Mainers as possible to attend. It is so important that we show this administration that we are not going be be any easier on it than we were on the Bush administration, because the fact of the matter is that they are acting no differently.
Following is the information about the bus that will be leaving from Portland on Friday night, December 11. Please join me and others who are working to stop this escalation.
In peace,
Lynne——————————————————————————————–
The bus will leave Portland Maine from the Marginal Way Parking lot [free parking] at 8:30 PM on Friday, Dec. 11. It will also stop in Portsmouth NH at the Exit 3 Park and Ride lot [also free parking] in Portsmouth at 9:45 PM.
The bus will arrive at Lafayette Park in Washington D.C. the following morning. It will depart from DC Saturday, Dec. 12 at 6 PM, arriving back in Portsmouth, NH at 4:45 AM and at Portland, Maine at 6 AM on Sunday morning, Dec. 13.
The bus is equipped with wifi and DVD players. This will be a great way to travel to the Rally and enjoy the camaraderie of friends on the trip. Put a group together and help make this possible.
The cost is only $85, roundtrip. But in order to make certain this trip will take place your check must be in the mail by Sunday, Dec. 6. This bus has been arranged by anti-war activist Herbert J. Hoffman of Ogunquit, so checks should be made out to Herb. (Please write End US Wars bus in the subject line)
Assisting Herb with the bus arrangements is Paul Cunningham of South Portland. So that Herb and Paul can get an accurate count, Please email Paul Cunningham (pcunni61@yahoo.com) that you are sending a check.
Then send your check to: Paul Cunningham
20 Edwards Street
South Portland, Maine 04106
Is Lynne Williams an political activist, a rabblerouser, a political candidate or a problem solver? Yes.
For a general guide to the December 12 DC Anti-War protest, click here.
If people appreciate the kind of work Lynne Williams is doing, they need to support her financially NOW to assure that she gets Clean Election funding next year so she can move her campaign forward.
The Maine Legislature voted this year to make it very difficult for gubernatorial candidates to qualify for Clean Election funding. To qualify Williams MUST raise $40,000 in private contributions from Maine voters to her campaign and also convince 3,250 Maine voters to contribute $5 to the Maine Clean Election Fund in her name.
This is not something that can wait until next summer. She must meet these goals as soon as possible.
To make a contribution to the campaign, go to http://www.LynneWilliams2010.org/contribute
To make a $5 contribution to the Clean Election fund go to http://Maine.gov/ethics and follow the link (lower left) for “Qualifying Contributions” or use this direct link: http://bit.ly/81zTNK