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GreenMoney Journal - publishing since 1992
Fall 2010 issue
Socially Responsible Investing – Better Companies, Better Communities
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Publisher's Note: The Political Season
Cliff Feigenbaum
Before I give this column over to presidential politics, it's time for more of the good media news
that keeps rolling our way this year. In the June issue of the highly influential industry
publication Natural Food Merchandiser, editors profiled 25 people and businesses who have helped
build the natural products industry; among them were GreenMoney and myself. We're very pleased to
be included.
In the fall we head back out on the conference road; look for the GreenMoney
staff at SRI in the Rockies, Bioneers, and GreenFest in San Francisco.
And so it's
election time. It would be safer, from a circulation point of view, to remain above the fray. But
these are trying times, so I must sum up our position in four words - Vote for John Kerry.
GreenMoney Journal assumes that socially responsible investing implies core values; they include
social justice, desire for peace, protection of the environment, and meeting the basic health needs
of all citizens. The Kerry/Edwards ticket embraces those values; the Bush/Cheney record of reducing
civil liberties, creating huge deficits, making war on a country that did not attack us, gutting
environmental regulations, and "fixing" Medicare to benefit the pharmaceutical makers speaks for
itself.
There is much work for all of us to do to ensure that Kerry and Edwards win the
election in November. The Bush Republicans will use their considerable resources to try to paint
this election with the red herring issues of gay marriage, abortion, and
love-your-country-love-the-war patriotism to divide us. Don't let them get away with it.
Since this issue will be the last one before the November elections, we urge you now, if you
haven't already, to get involved. The future is being shaped. Record deficits, painful job losses,
an all-time global low in respect for America, and the Iraq "mission 'unaccomplished'" by the Bush
Administration mean that it's time for John Kerry to take over. Kerry and John Edwards make a good
team to lead America.
And if presidential politics does not interest you then get
involved locally - with the school board election or a city council race. Do you what can where
you can.
The following are some resources to guide and encourage your political action:
BOOKS-
50 Ways to Love Your Country by MoveOn.org
Strategic Ignorance by Carl
Pope and Paul Rauber
Exception to the Rulers by Amy Goodman and David Goodman
Planetary
Citizenship by Hazel Henderson and Daisaku Ikeda
WEB SITES-
http://www.Michaelmoore.com
http://www.Motherjones.com
http://www.act4victory.org
http://www.MoveOn.org
http://www.Gregpalast.com
http://www.thenation.org
http://www.Emilyslist.org,
and http://www.johnkerry.com
MOVIES-
"The
Corporation," "Fahrenheit 9/11," and "Outfoxed"
SATIRE-
The daily cartoon
"Boondocks" offers political satire at its best. Find it in most major newspapers and online at-
http://www.boondocks.net
RADIO PROGRAMS-
"Democracy Now," a daily radio and TV news
program on over 240 stations in the U.S. hosted by Amy Goodman and Juan Gonzalez. The "Thom
Hartmann Radio Program" is also nationally syndicated daily from noon to 3 pm EST. More information
on these can be found at- http://www.democracynow.org
and at- http://www.thomhartmann.com
respectively. Also tune into Laura Flanders radio program on Working Assets Radio.
(See the expanded lists of resources below)
Remember, SRI is a financial vote that
really makes difference. So does your political vote. Together we can and do make a difference.
In closing I need to acknowledge a friend and long time member of the SRI community,
Peter Camejo, who is running with Ralph Nader for President. Though I support many of their views
on economic and social justice and am glad they are part of the political conversation this fall, I
feel it is important to take the first step in creating a better America. That first step in the
right direction is simply to vote for John Kerry. I hope that President Kerry will invite them to
be part of his administration.
I do look forward to seeing many of you on the
road this fall.
-Cliff Feigenbaum, cliff@greenmoney.com
Founder and Publisher
And one more thing - Consider these figures from the National Priorities Project
on where Uncle Sam spent each tax dollar in 2003:
- Military spending accounted for 29 cents of
every tax dollar;
- Interest on the $7.1 trillion national debt claimed 20 cents;
- Health
care also accounts for 20 cents.
Education and veterans' benefits claimed 4 cents apiece of
every federal
tax dollar, slightly ahead of nutrition at 3 cents and housing and
natural
resources at 2 cents each.
Source: Scripps Howard News Service (April 11, 2004)
Additional BOOKS-
What Would Jefferson do? A Return to Democracy
by Thom
Hartmann
The Last Refuge: Patriotism, Politics, and the Environment in an Age of Terror
by David Orr
An Ordinary Person's Guide to Empire
by Arundhati Roy
The Best Democracy Money Can Buy
by Greg Palast
Limits to Growth (30th
Anniversary Updated edition)
by Donella Meadow, Jorgen Randers, and Dennis L. Meadows
The Corporation: The pathological pursuit of profit and power
by Joel Bakan
Bushwomen: Tales of a Cynical Species
by Laura Flanders
Plan of Attack
by Bob Woodward
Worse than Watergate: the secret presidency of George W. Bush
by John Dean
Again all enemies: Inside America's war on terror
by
Richard Clarke
Weapons of Mass Deception
by John Stauber and Sheldon
Rampton
Let's Stop Beating Around the Bush
by Jim Hightower
Fanatics and
Fools: The game plan for winning back America
by Arianna Huffington
Additional WEB SITES -
http://www.jimhightower.com
http://www.utne.com
http://www.pantsonfire.net
http://www.truemajority.org
http://www.ReclaimDemocracy.org
http://www.alternet.org
http://www.greenestivals.com
http://www.workingforchange.com
http://www.fairvote.org
http://www.mtv.com/chooseorlose
http://www.progressivegovernment.org
http://www.gregpalast.com
http://www.www.prwatch.org
http://www.hightowerlowdown.org
http://www.citizenchange,com
http://www.ourfuture.org
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MISSION
STATEMENT
The GreenMoney Journal encour-ages and promotes the awareness of socially
& environmentally responsible business, investing and consumer
resources in publications & online.
Our goal is to educate and empower individuals and businesses to make
informed financial decisions through aligning their personal, corporate
and financial principles.
“Responsibility from the Supermarket to the Stockmarket.”
The material presented in this news letter is for educational and
informa-tional purposes only. The GreenMoney Journal does not endorse
or recommend firms, products, funds or advertisers.
GreenMoney is a registered trademark.
Copyright 1995-2010 by the
GreenMoneyJournal ®
Green Money is a Registrated Trademark
of The GreenMoney Journal / Cliff Feigenbaum
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