[SfN] BIG MEETINGS TONIGHT (Tues, 9/19)

[Jim Buell]

There are TWO meetings tonight that folks will be very interested in:

1) Students for Nader, from 6 to 7 p.m. in 221 Gregory Hall (on Wright 
Street just north of the library) - UIUC students, faculty and staff meet 
to make plans for campus-based and other campaign-related events.

2) Prairie Greens' 'Green Tea' mid-month discussion, from 8 to 9:30 p.m. in 
the Green Street Coffeehouse, between Wright and Sixth on Green Street. 
Members and friends of the local Green Party affiliate meet to plan 
campaign events, and to discuss this month's reading, a selection from 
'Small is Beautiful.' (If you haven't yet read it, stop by anyway - Joan 
Cole has prepared a great 'cheat sheet.')

Two MAJOR campaign related events that will be announced and planned at 
both meetings tonight are:

* FRIDAY, SEPT. 22 IN SPRINGFIELD: THE all-day BATTLE FOR THE BALLOT and 
noontime BILLIONAIRES FOR BUSH OR GORE RALLY

- Friday's the day when all 1,400 of the Dems' challenges to downstate 
Nader/LaDuke signatures need to be fought back. We NEED people who can go 
to Springfield with us at 7 a.m. (in time to get to the Board of Elections 
office at 9 a.m.) and can stay all day. THIS IS THE ONLY WAY TO GET RALPH 
ON THE BALLOT, SO PLEASE HELP!
- At noon Friday, we've got a permit to gather on the statehouse steps as 
Billionaires for Bush or Gore, to thank this fine state's legislators for 
protecting the electorate from third party candidates! We need YOU, we need 
tuxes, pearls and feather boas, we need rubber chickens, we need signs and 
puppets, and we need media coverage. So if you can't come for the full day 
of ballot challenges, you can still be part of the action. Learn more at 
tonight's meetings, and if you can't be there, please contact me directly.
These events are being coordinated by the Prairie Greens, the Springfield 
Greens and the Illinois Nader Campaign, so it's a great time to get to know 
people from beyond the C/U community who share our goals.

* TUESDAY, OCT. 10 IN CHICAGO: TEN TEN TEN THOUSAND!
- We'll be organizing a contingent of UI and other C/U folks to attend this 
major Nader/LaDuke campaign event - a night of progressive politics with 
the Green Party nominees at the Chicago Pavilion, which seats 10,000. Our 
goal is to sell several hundred tickets locally, and to arrange charter bus 
transportation for people without cars to get there and back. This is a 
major initiative, AND SUCCESS COULD PAVE THE WAY TO GET RALPH DOWN HERE TO 
CHAMPAIGN LATER IN THE CAMPAIGN SEASON.

Apologies for all the caps above, but these are both big, big events - if 
you've been sitting on the fence, lurking on these lists waiting for the 
right time to get involved, THIS IS IT. Things are looking good indeed for 
Ralph and Winona on the Illinois ballot, and the campaign is gearing up in 
Illinois and locally. Getting involved NOW can make all the difference.

Hope to see lots of people at tonight's meetings! If you'd like to be there 
but neither one fits your schedule, let us know about your interest. It may 
be time to start holding some weekend meetings as well.

Jim
337-5386