I, Jennifer Gopinathadasi Woodward, JGW,
was banned 9/14/15 from the
Facebook Private Group
Green Party US Discussions
and I remain banned from posting any comments
or replies to GPUS to date.
Writing here on this site is the only way
I can tell other Greens nation-wide
about my censorship in any detail.
I CLAIM: The Green Party of the USA has people in it who impose censorship on dissenter party members, imposing it unilaterally, without warning, anonymously and thus far in my five recent years of trying to be active do so with no record and no accountability. I JGW happen to know of 3 instances in State Green Parties in which this type of unaccountable censorship of dissenting party members has taken place. I think the acts of censorship are 100% un-democratic and the perpetrators of it must be held accountable. If our US Green Parties do not do so in this election season, 2015-2016, we doom ourselves to being more hypocritical than the Duopoly Democrats and Republicans we struggle to prove to the general public, the US electorate and our Green Party base that our politics, internal practices, and our candidates are superior.
The following is my record of my encounter with censorship from the GPUS Discussion group on September 15, 2015. I sent the following posts to the FB GPCA group because (1) I am a co-founder of the GPCA and (2) because I could no longer post to the FB GPUS group and by doing so give 1000+ Greens nation-wide residing in many US states the “heads-up” that censorship of dissenters was and is occurring of the supporters of Bernie Sanders for President who speak out about their support for Bernie on the GPUS group, if not also in the state or local party groups.
Date: 2015.09.15 Tu 1457 PDT
Sent To: FB GP California Group + Democracy Now
Re: THERE ARE TWO STORIES HERE: (1) GP[US group] Censorship + (2) Estab. Media reporting refugee flood avoid[s] reporting poverty levels [of the refugees].
(1) FYI DN, at least 2 ‘dissenting’ members of several state party groups on FB have been kicked out of their state’s group and have complained of ‘harassment’ in face-to-face party meeting in their state.
I’ve only been censored from FB GPUS Discussions twice as of this afternoon. [The first time was 3 days earlier and I was banned from even seeing the GPUS group “wall” pages that time. I complained to the then #1 GPUS group moderator by email the next day and was reinstated in GPUS with full posting privileges as of 9/15 early morning.] I report that [i.e. the most recent events of 9/15 afternoon] as follows:
FYI everyone. I got kicked off and cannot post any longer for the 2nd time from Green Party US Discussions now clearly because I posted something about the Bernie2016 campaign and my work to create 50 state web sites for HIM and for the Jill and the other four Green Pres. candidates. That is censorship and censorship rule-making ex-post-facto and therefore is still a “kangaroo court” of unknown ‘authorities’ who I am almost certain will remain nameless! For that is how minority-run GPs in the USA have dealt with “non-party-line” commenters for the last 25+ years! PS: I’m reporting this to Democracy Now in a few minutes… as in right now.
That bitch said, I WAS going to post on GPUS Disccussions this:
(2) One KEY thing the corporate US media and it seems the foreign press such as Deutche Welle TV dw.de consistently omit in their reports about the mostly Syrian refugees flooding through Greece and western Europe is THEY ARE NOT POOR!!! Reporters have mentioned twice in my listening this last 7+ days that “the refugees are skilled people” implying because they have skills they are worthy to be accepted in countries like Germany, France, Sweden, etc. of the better developed and more prosperous EU countries. Prior to that and mixed with that lately less often is “some are persecuted and in fear of their lives”. I suspect for many refugees living in out-of-country camps in Lebanon, Turkey, and Jordan incessant squalor and hopelessness in the camps is their driving factor not fear of gunshots or grenades or bombs.
IS POVERTY LEVEL STUDIOUSLY AVOIDED BY ESTABLISHMENT PRESS REPORTING THE FLOOD OF REFUGEES ACOSS THE MEDITERRANEAN FROM N. AFRICA AND FROM SYRIA CAMPS?
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Date: 15.09.15 Tu, 1609 PDT
To: DN
Re: [I was just] censored [and banned] from fb gpus group ps (aka part 2)
FYI I got kicked off GPUS Discussions last week and reinstated 2 days later. Reinstated by the one and maybe only group moderator with whom I’ve corresponded for the last several years when she and her partner lived in Sacramento. They’re now in Portland OR. I can read the GPUS FB group postings. But her name and “her simple constraints” for GPUS Group discussions is no longer at the top of the list of postings. LIFO ordered.
I should also mention that I created a no-content “alpha” 50 state web site for Bernie the day after he announced he would run. I haven’t had any feedback from him or his It people saying if and to what extent they’re ever interested in using it once it’s mature. That’s ok with me; no big deal. I’ve got the same nill response from all 5 of the July-announced GP candidates for Pres. apparently only jill of whom has filed her papers. That’s also ok with me.
However from Bernie’s day one I and many other Greens across the country have been posting on our state GP FB sites and on the GPUS Discussion group site our fairly uniform proposal that “promoting Green Votes for Bernie” is a win-win for the Bernie progressive Dems and the Green Party. You might be able to get a copy off FB. But I should have a copy at home if you want those.
But I have been critical of Jill Stein about being “for world peace” and anti-war but not saying thing-1 about how to transition the US Military security services, surveillence services from WHERE THEY ARE NOW still mid-Patriot-Act to where Jill or the other four GP Pres. candidates and the anti-war “coalition” if there is one of the GP USA want it to be. Just laying down all arms doesn’t get Green candidates for pres. the millions of extra votes our candidate and our state candidates for Congress will need to get elected. Those must come from liberals, left-wards head-turning Dems, progressive Dems, progressive libertarians and independents! I’ve had NO feedback about that serious “likely voter” problem for our two classes of candidates; Pres + Congress!
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Date: 15.09.15 Tu, 1609 PDT
To: DN
Re: [I was just] censored [and banned] from fb gpus group pps (aka part 3)
As I said in the “ps” post to you earlier this Tuesday evening the moderator of the FB GPUS Discussion group, Starlene Rankin now living in Portland, is no longer at the top of the GPUS group page of postings. I just this moment went to that group where I can read the posts but still cannot reply to any of them! (1) I clicked the “Join Group” button and will await evidence that I have been “re-joined” into this group. But I also noticed a new “opening post” with the rules for the group. I copy it below:
[Quoting From a new “top” post on GPUS by…]
Craig Seeman
December 16, 2013 · Edited
[jgw: but was this 12/16/13 post edited by Craig today Sept. 15, 2015 and reposted? IMO that is the most likely explanation given the date and that this post was not on GPUS yesterday.]
Please Post Green Party specific News, Events, Campaigns only in this Group. It is a place to share or learn about the Green Party specifically.
Discussion and Questions should be directed to Discussion Group linked below.
Example posts for this Group:
• News items that mention the Green Party or Greens
• Events and Issues that Greens are involved in or, you think should be involved in (Please state involvement or request to Greens specifically)
• Candidates and Campaigns and related
Other posts will be deleted
For general Discussion and Questions about issues…
… that you think are of interest to the Green Party, and Content created by Greens (written, audio, video, etc.) and must be noted as such in the initial post (people may not know the creator is a Green otherwise) please join the Green Party Discussion Group and post there.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/587432744659202/
FYI About 4:25 p.m. PDT I revisited the GPCA FB private group’s page of posting and found the following reminder from Mike Feinstein, leading — some say dominating — figure in the GPUS and GPCA parties for decades.
[Quoting From GPCA Post by…]
Mike Feinstein
Folks – just ANOTHER reminder that several posts here are not in keeping with the California-centric charter of this group. Please re-read the group’s purpose and adjust your posts accordingly. This is NOT the place to debate issues and candidates in other states. If an issue in another state is directly applicable to an issue in California, include that in the subject header when you post it, to make that connection clear. Otherwise don’t post it. There are other Facebook groups to talk about those issues. Thanks, on behalf of the GPCA’s Media Committee.
July 24 at 1:30pm · Like
To his remarks dated July 24, which I only saw this afternoon Sept. 15, I 1st replied as follows:
Mike if you have any criticism of my 45 minutes earlier post about two things (1) being censored for a 2nd time from the FB GPUS Discussion group, which i posted here, AND (2) mentioning here the very media-relevant fact that mass media has been down-playing or ignoring the poverty level of the Syrian refugees now flooding through Greece and western Eurpean countries PLEASE POST YOUR COMPLAINT ON GPUS AND/OR GPCA GROUP(S) AND SEND ME AN EMAIL for my files.
You and other computer and web site novices must know by now that otherwise 99.9% of GP site user “complaints” and “grievances” and “problem reports” get lost! And thus [are] never dealt with!
Then I also replied:
I must add two questions for you Mike and others who seem to have assumed the post of group moderator: (1) Can we Greens talk about supporting Bernie Sanders for Pres? (2) Can we talk about the win-win opportunities that supporting Bernie, aka “riding on his coattails” has for our GP Pres. and Congressional candidates not just in Calif. but nation-wide? Maybe there’s a third question: (3) Why do we need to ask permission like I’m doing now?
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