"[O]ur position is that no grievances or policies will justify resort to aggressive war. It is utterly renounced and condemned as an instrument of policy." -- Supreme Court Justice Robert L. Jackson, U.S. Representative to the International Conference on Military Trials, August 12, 1945, speaking on the culpability of German leaders
WASHINGTON, DC -- As President Bush gave orders launching the invasion of Iraq, the Green Party of the United States reaffirmed its opposition to the war and demand for the withdrawal of troops, quoting Theodore Roosevelt:
"To announce that there must be no criticism of the president, or that we are to stand by the president, right or wrong, is not only unpatriotic and servile, but is morally treasonable to the American public." (Remarks in 1918 on President Woodrow Wilson's suppression of dissent against U.S. involvement in World War I)
Pledging to maintain protests and other nonviolent action, Greens called the invasion a war of conquest and warned that President Bush and White House officials may find themselves indicted for numerous violations of U.S. and international law. Greens and other antiwar activists are organizing emergency responses to the invasion, including a recall campaign, initiated by
www.PeaceEconomy.org
, against prowar Congressmembers who violated their oath to uphold the Constitution by surrendering their power to declare war.
"The success of the U.N. inspections has only proven the need for continued diplomatic efforts undertaken in cooperation with the international community," said Annie Goeke, co-chair of the party's International Committee. "Nowhere in Resolution 1441 is there language that requires overthrowing the government of Iraq in a bloody invasion. There is no legal or moral basis for this war."
Greens listed several examples of crimes that may make Bush and other White House officials vulnerable to domestic prosecution and to Nuremberg-style international trials:
CONSTITUTIONAL VIOLATIONS: Military aggression and conquest violate the constitutionally mandated role of U.S. armed forces. (Article I, Section 8; Article IV, Section 4)
VIOLATION OF INTERNATIONAL LAW (U.N. Charter; Geneva Convention): Preemptive invasion without proof of an imminent attack is an illegal act of military aggression. The Bush Administration has never proved that an attack by Saddam on the U.S. or any other country is imminent. The mission of the U.N. is to avert war, not to rubberstamp invasions.
LYING TO THE AMERICAN PEOPLE AND THE WORLD: President Bush, Secretary of State Powell, Defense Secretary Rumsfeld, and other officials have lied about the weapons capability of Iraq, including nuclear, bio, and chemical arms (Iraq has no means to deliver them); about connections between Saddam and al-Qaeda (which seeks to overthrow Saddam); about Saddam's involvement in terrorism against the U.S. (no evidence); about the U.S.'s intention to establish democracy in Iraq. In his January 28 State of the Union address, Bush used a paranoid fantasy scenario to justify war: "Imagine those 19 hijackers with other weapons and other plans, this time armed by Saddam Hussein....".
"Voice or no voice, the people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders. That is easy. All you have to do is to tell them they are being attacked, and denounce the pacifists for lack of patriotism and exposing the country to danger. It works the same in any country." -- Hermann Goering, Nazi leader, at the Nuremberg Trials, April 18, 1946
RECKLESS ENDANGERMENT: While Bush claims that the war on Iraq is necessary for homeland security, the invasion will result in terrorist retaliation against Americans at home and abroad. While Bush expresses concern for Iraqi civilians, the U.S. plans for a "shock and awe" campaign, with a massive missile attack on Baghdad, and intends to use cluster bombs and landmines, which will kill and maim thousands of civilians. The U.S. will also use depleted uranium, despite the severe health problems it caused American soldiers and Iraqi civilians in the last Persian Gulf War. The U.S.'s illegal coercive techniques in the treatment of al-Qaeda prisoners, with some prisoners sent to Egypt and other countries that use torture openly, places U.S. soldiers who are captured at grave risk of torture.
SUBTERFUGE: U.S. intelligence sabotaged the U.N. inspections in Iraq by withholding crucial information from the inspectors about Saddam Hussein's arsenal -- evident in Powell's own presentation before the U.N. Powell cited a graduate student's dossier on Iraq published ten years ago as 'damning evidence' collected by the British Secret Service. The U.N. is investigating the bugging, allegedly by the U.S., of the offices and phone lines of U.N. delegations whose support the Bush Administration sought for the invasion.
BRIBERY AND EXTORTION: The Bush Administration bribed Turkey and other countries to get their support in the U.N. for invading Iraq, and also threatened to withdraw foreign aid and impose other penalties. (The $26 billion bribe failed to persuade the Turkish parliament.)
AIDING AND ABETTING THE ENEMY: U.S. companies, in deals negotiated in part with Rumsfeld's help, sold Iraq chemical, bio (including Anthrax), and other weapons during the 1980s. While Vice President Cheney served as CEO, Halliburton subsidiary Kellogg Brown & Root did $73 million worth of business with Iraq between 1998 and 2000 and sold Iraq pulse generators, designed for oil drilling but which can be used for nuclear detonations, despite the economic sanctions against Iraq.
WAR PROFITEERING: According to the Wall Street Journal (January 16, 2003), officials from the White House, State Department, and Defense Department have met with execs from Halliburton, ExxonMobil, and other oil firms to determine who will control Iraqi oil after the war. Halliburton now has a multimillion-dollar contract to rebuild Iraq's oil field after the war, and ExxonMobil has won a $47.8 million contract to supply gasoline, diesel fuel and motor oil to U.S. and NATO forces.
MORE INFORMATION
The Green Party of the United States http://www.gp.org
National office: 1314 18th Street, NW Washington, DC 20036 202-296-7755, 866-41GREEN
Green Party antiwar mobilization page http://www.greenpartyus.org/peace.html
PeaceEconomy.org http://www.peaceeconomy.org
United for Peace and Justice http://www.unitedforpeace.org
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LEGISLATIVE ATTACK ON DEMOCRACY
- New Mexico wants to change requirements for for Major Party
Status
New Mexico political parties join together to condemn HB 628, AN ACT RELATING TO ELECTIONS; CHANGING THE QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENTS FOR MAJOR AND MINOR PARTY STATUS, introduced by Speaker of the House, Ben Lujan. This bill would prohibit a party earning major party status through 5% of votes cast and increase the number of registered voters needed to qualify as a major party by 3000%. Currently a party must register one-third of one percent, this bill would increase that by thirty times to ten percent of all registered voters or 95,1720 registered voters.
"If anyone other than Democrats or Republicans show any success in New Mexico's electoral system, they simply change the rules. This anti-democracy legislation would guarantee the state's Democrat and Republican Parties two-party rule and many more years before another party could approach major party status - and then, of course, they would just change the rules again, said Joseph Knight, Chairman of the Libertarian Party of New Mexico."
"This is a slap in the face of tens of thousands of New Mexicans who demonstrate their interest in having more political choices by signing petitions to get candidates from small, growing parties on the ballot and then voting for these candidates on Election Day," said Lisa Houston, Co-Chair of the Green Party of New Mexico. "The two old parties are always talking about giving people choices choice of health insurance, school choice, and on and on. The only time they donšt want to give people a choice is in the voting booth."
"We expected an attack on grassroots democracy in New Mexico," said Joe Lacayo, Co-Chair of the Green Party of New Mexico, "but this is even worse than we had anticipated. The Democrat Party has more than half of the registered voters in NM and access to millions of dollars every election and despite this they continually attack the Green Party and every gain we make."
In addition to causing outrage across New Mexico, this bill has already attracted national attention. Richard Winger, Editor of the non-partisan Ballot Access News, has written to Representative Lujan, "Your HB 628 is far too harsh. If your bill were the law in Utah, even the Democratic Party would not be a qualified major party in Utah. Similarly, the Republican Party would not be qualified in the District of Columbia. No party, other than the Democratic or Republican Parties, has held as much as 5% of the registration of any state since 1916. Your bill is a prescription for a complete Democratic-Republican monopoly, which the US Supreme Court condemned in Williams v Rhodes, 393 US 23 (1968)."
The leaders of the Green Party and Libertarian Party of New Mexico call for everyone in the state to immediately contact their state legislators to oppose HB 628. The Legislative Switchboard is 505-986-4300.
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GREENS URGE
CONGRESS TO REJECT BUSH-FRIST HEALTH CARE CORPORATIZATION,
ENACT A NATIONAL HEALTH INSURANCE PLAN
As corporations take over public health care,
seniors continue to lose prescription coverage; Sen. Frist must
recuse himself from health care financing decisions because of
conflicts of interest, say Greens
WASHINGTON, DC -- The Green Party of the United States urged
Congress to reject the Bush-Frist corporatization proposals for
Medicaid and Medicare and instead enact national health
insurance to guarantee the right to health care in the
wealthiest country in the world.
"Greens have always made single-payer national health
insurance a major goal of the party," said Carol Miller,
public health activist and New Mexico Green. "The U.S. is
the only democracy on earth that doesn't guarantee access to
health care, which is why 41 million Americans are uninsured,
tens of millions more are under-insured, and nearly half of all
personal bankruptcies each year are caused by health problems or
a large medical debt, even though 79% of the families filing for
bankruptcy had at least some health insurance coverage. It's
time to get health care decisions out of the hands of
corporations, whose only concern is maximization of profits, and
back into the hands of patients and physicians. Medicare should
not be turned into the next Enron."
"National health coverage would drastically reduce health
costs for most Americans, would provide quality guaranteed
health care to all Americans regardless of income, age, or prior
medical condition, and would allow Americans to choose which
physician, hospital, or clinic they visit," added Miller.
President Bush, in his January 28 State of the Union address,
proposed giving HMOs a major role in disbursement of Medicare.
The President has also advocated granting states the power to
reduce and eliminate Medicaid benefits for millions of
low-income people, especially senior citizens who need long term
care.
"Bush is eager to have the HMOs take over Medicare, despite
evidence that HMOs increase Medicare costs, provide poorer
qualilty care, and restrict patient choice," said John
Battista, M.D., Connecticut Green and President of the
Connecticut Coalition For Universal Health Care. "HMO's
profit by restricting treatment, restricting the choice of
providers, and enrolling healthy Medicare recipients. As
Physicians for a National Health Program reminds us, managed
care plans seek to enroll the healthy elderly because they are
paid the same amount for each Medicare recipient they enroll.
HMOs offer financial incentives and penalties that compel
primary care physicians to limit referrals, diagnostic tests,
and hospital visits. These practices pit patients against
doctors, and specialists against primary care physicians."
"In the District of Columbia, Mayor Anthony Williams'
privatization plan has caused a health care emergency for
thousands of older D.C. residents on very limited income,"
said Michele Tingling-Clemmons of the D.C. Statehood Green
Party. "We're fighting to get the medicines restored for
seniors and disabled people on Medicare who have had the
prescription coverage they enjoyed through the DC public health
care system for over 30 years, along with the Gray Panthers,
D.C. Health Care Coalition, and other groups in D.C.'s Emergency
Committee to Restore Seniors' Prescription Drug Benefits.
Privatization really hurts people who've worked all their lives
and deserve health care security without sacrificing their rent
and food money."
"Ask seniors about relying on HMOs for health care,"
noted Ron Forthofer, Ph.D., Texas Green, retired professor of
biostatistics from the University of Texas School of Public
Health, and single-payer advocate. "Over 2 million seniors
have been dropped by HMOs during the past few years. We don't
want for-profit companies involved in delivering health care
because their emphasis is the bottom line, not health
care."
Sen. Bill Frist (R.-TN), whose plan President Bush supports, is
tied financially to Columbia-HCA, a recidivist criminal
corporation which has paid the largest fines in the history of
Medicare. The largest hospital chain in the country and
notorious union-buster, Columbia-HCA was founded by Frist's
father and brother; Frist himself owns millions in company
stock, kept in a blind trust. Even though Columbia-HCA had a
patent stake in the outcome of 'Patients' Bill of Rights' and
other health care legislation, Frist refuses to withdraw from
debates and votes on these issues. Meanwhile, Columbia-HCA has
been the focus of the government's longest running health care
fraud inquiry ever. Columbia-HCA recently announced an $880
million settlement with the Justice Department.
"Sen. Frist should remove himself from the Finance
Committee and the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions
Committee, and recuse himself from any vote that affects his
personal wealth," said Jake Schneider, Wisconsin Green and
treasurer of the Green Party of the United States.
Physicians for a National Health Program is announcing a
single-payer national health care plan on February 4, in a bill
to be introduced by Rep. John Conyers (D.-MI). Green candidates
and elected officials support such a proposal as a major plank
of the party platform. The party urges all Americans to tell
their Representatives and Senators why national health insurance
is the only solution to the current health care crisis:
*** The U.S. is the only democracy on earth that doesn't
guarantee basic treatment. 41 million Americans lack health care
coverage; 30 million more have only limited coverage.
*** Those with coverage suffer skyrocketing health insurance
premiums, malpractice costs, reduced care (especially
long-term), restricted referrals, limited choice of health care
professional, and runaway drug prices. Those with inadequate or
no coverage forego treatment until they need critical care,
often receiving last-resort primary care from hospital emergency
rooms, which drives up health care costs for everyone.
*** Private insurers take a 13% bite out of premium dollars for
overhead and profit, and even more, about 30%, in big
managed-care plans. In contrast, overhead consumes less than 2%
of funds in Medicare's fee-for-service program, and less than 1%
in Canada's program. Canada spends $1,000 less per capita on
health care than the U.S., but delivers more care and greater
choice for patients.
*** The U.S. pays far more for health care than any other
country in the world -- 14% of the Gross National Product,
compared to 9% in Canada -- while the quality of American health
care is ranked only 37th by the World Health Organization.
*** According to Congress' General Accounting Office,
administrative savings from single-payer reform would total
about 10% of overall health spending and about $100 billion
annually, enabling us to cover all of the uninsured and
virtually eliminate co-payments, deductibles and exclusions.
"We can win true universal health care, but we need the
political will and elected officials who aren't swayed by
corporate HMO, insurance, and pharmaceutical, and other
corporate lobbies," said Jo Chamberlain, California Green
and member of the party's national Steering Committee. "We
need an informed citizenry that demands national health
insurance. All of us need health care at some time or other. Our
lives are at stake."
MORE INFORMATION
The Green Party of the United States http://www.gp.org
National office: 1314 18th Street, NW Washington, DC 20036
202-296-7755, 866-41GREEN
Physicians for a National Health Program (PNHP) http://www.pnhp.org/
Greens Express Grief Over the Death of Sen. Paul
Wellstone.
MEDIA RELEASE Friday, October 25, 2002
Contacts:
Nancy Allen, Media Coordinator, 207-326-4576, nallen@acadia.net
Scott McLarty, Media Coordinator, 202-518-5624, scottmclarty@yahoo.com
GREENS EXPRESS GRIEF OVER THE DEATH OF SEN. PAUL WELLSTONE
Green Party members honor Sen. Wellstone's leadership and achievements.
WASHINGTON, DC -- On behalf of hundreds of thousands of American Greens, the Green Party of the United States expresses utter sorrow and deep condolences to the family of Senator Paul Wellstone, especially surviving sons David and Mark for the loss of both parents and their sister, to the people of Minnesota, and to all those who knew, supported, and admired the Senator.
"I am deeply devastated at the news of the death of Paul, Sheila, and others in today's plane crash," said Ray Tricomo, the Minnesota Green candidate for the U.S. Senate. Tricomo has suspended all campaign activity for the rest of the weekend.
Sen. Wellstone was an inspiration to Greens for his support throughout his political career for basic principles of social, economic, and environment justice, especially for the rights and needs of working people in Minnesota and across the U.S.
Greens also mourn the loss of Sheila Wellstone, the Senator's close partner in politics as well as marriage. Sheila Wellstone brought the issue of domestic abuse of women to Paul's attention. Minnesotans knew the Wellstones as an inseparable and beloved couple who together made a tremendous impact on Minnesota and national politics.
The Green Party especially notes Sen. Wellstone's leadership on healthcare issues. Sen. Wellstone led the Senate on health care because of his belief that health care is a basic human right. Sen. Wellstone was the sponsor and lead advocate for a single-payer national health care system; he also used his Senate seat to promote mental health issues. Sen. Wellstone turned the lessons he learned from dealing with a mental illness in his family into a passionate campaign for the recognition of mental illness. Sen. Wellstone recently reintroduced a major Senate bill which would require health insurers to provide parity in the coverage of physical health and mental health care.
Greens have also praised Sen. Wellstone for his last most important vote, which he cast against the war on Iraq.
"Senator Wellstone has taught us throughout his too short life, 'don't mourn, organize,'" said Carol Miller, a New Mexico Green who worked closely with Sen. Wellstone on public health legislation. "We will mourn his loss, but we will also honor him by organizing against the war in Iraq and for universal health care."
Greens have suggested that participants in the antiwar demonstrations and other events scheduled for Saturday, October 26 wear black in memory of Sen. Wellstone.
The Green Party of the United States
http://www.gp.org
National office: 1314 18th Street, NW
Washington, DC 20036
202-296-7755, 866-41GREEN
News Release - Friday, October 25, 2002
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THE GREEN PARTY OF
THE UNITED STATES
MEDIA RELEASE
For immediate release:
Tuesday, September 24, 2002
Contacts:
Nancy Allen, Media Coordinator, 207-326-4576, nallen@acadia.net
Scott McLarty, Media Coordinator, 202-518-5624, scottmclarty@yahoo.com
GREENS DECLARE OPPOSITION TO BUSH'S INTENDED
INVASION OF IRAQ
WASHINGTON, DC --
The Green Party of the United States approved a
strongly worded statement last week against
President Bush's intended military invasion of Iraq.
The statement was drafted by the party's
International Committee and passed by unanimous vote
of the Coordinating Committee, which includes
delegates from 39 states and the District of
Columbia. The text of the statement is appended
below.
"While
Democratic leaders in Congress, including Senators
Tom Daschle and Joe Biden, have lined upbehind
Bush's plan to violate U.S. constitutional and
international law, Greens have weighed the
invasion's legality, possible outcomes, and, most of
all, cost in human lives," said Dr. Jonathan
Farley, Green Party candidate for Congress from
Tennessee. "We urge Americans to call their
Senators and Representatives and demand that they
vote nay on any legislation giving Bush the green
light to invade."
The statement
unites Green activists and this year's candidates
behind a common position on the threat of military
action, and also agrees with a September 10, 2002
statement from the Green/EFA Group in the European
Parliamant. Greens internationally are calling for
multilateral diplomatic strategies, beginning with a
resumption of U.N. inspections of Iraqi weapon
systems, rather than unilateral use of force.
Condemning the invasion plans, the European Green
statement "support[s] those voices raised in
the U.S. against such an intervention."
"The
elections in Germany, handing victory to the
coalition formed by Social Democrat Gerhard
Schroeder with the Greens, showed widespread German
support for the Green position against the
invasion," said Jay Robinson, Green candidate
for Governor of Iowa. "Chancellor Schroeder was
reelected, and the Greens increased their number of
seats in the German parliament from 47 to 55.
Opposition to invasion is not confined to Germany;
numerous heads of state and national majorities
around the world agree with us -- with the notable
exception of British Prime Minister Tony Blair, who
increasingly shows himself to be Bush's
lapdog."
"If President
Bush and Congress truly care about the security of
the U.S., they will work with the United Nations to
address any threat posed by Iraq through peaceful,
diplomatic means," said Tod Sloan, co-chair of
the party's International Committee.
"Unilateral military action by the U.S. will
increase the suffering of the Iraqi people, provoke
more terrorist attacks against Americans, and
destabilize the entire region from Israel and
Palestine to Pakistan and India."
Greens note that
the U.S. is already at war with Iraq -- a low
intensity war, with bombing raids every month.
Between the destruction of infrastructure and the
sanctions, hundreds of thousands of Iraqi civilians
have died during the past decade, including half a
million children, according to U.N. figures.
Medea Benjamin,
former Green Party candidate for the U.S. Senate
from California, made front pages last week when she
disrupted Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld's
presentation to Congress with a sign calling for
'Inspectors not War.'
"All across
the U.S., Greens are uniting with a growing
grassroots peace movement of ordinary citizens
challenging Bush's rush to war," added Tod
Sloan. "We're the side of the debate that's
missing from the op-ed pages and talking heads on
television, arguing that a war on Iraq would mostly
serve the interests of big oil and the defense
industries -- lobbies represented by George W. Bush
and his cabinet of former CEOs. If there were an
open and public debate, few Americans would support
Bush's plan."
MORE INFORMATION
The Green Party of the United States
http://www.greenpartyus.org
National office: 1314 18th Street, NW
Washington, DC 20036
202-296-7755, 866-41GREEN
Stephen Zunes: "The Case Against War"
The Nation, September 12, 2002
http://www.thenation.com/doc.mhtml?i=20020930&s=zunes
Index of Green Party candidates in 2002
http://www.greens.org/elections
* * * * *
Statement in Opposition to U.S.
Plans to Invade Iraq
Green Party of the United States
(Issued 09.20.02)
The Green Party of
the United States is adamantly opposed to President
George W. Bush's plans to continue and expand
military operations against Iraq. The Bush
administration claims the invasion of Iraq would
improve the security of citizens of the United
States, but it would do just the opposite. A U.S.
war on Iraq would undo decades of progress in
international conflict resolution and make the world
a more dangerous place for everyone.
The United States
should not undertake military operations against
Iraq for the following reasons:
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An attack on
Iraq would be illegal. The United States must
hold to the highest standards and abide by
international law if it expects other nations to
do so. The United Nations Security Council has
not authorized any military attacks on Iraq for
its failure to cooperate with United Nations
weapons inspectors. In fact, no UN Security
Council resolutions concerning Iraq, including
SC Resolution 688 of 1991, have ever authorized
the "no-fly zones" over Iraq, declared
unilaterally by the U.S. and Britain. Yet these
two countries have bombed Iraq in these zones
nearly daily for a decade.
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Peaceful means
for addressing the possibility that Iraq is
developing weapons of mass destruction have
hardly been exhausted. The threat posed by Iraq
must be confronted through multilateral action
by the United Nations, and not by the U.S.
acting alone.
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Allies in the
region of Iraq are opposed to the U.S. plans for
an invasion. Anti-Americanism would be fueled
further by U.S. military action. Terrorist
activity against U.S. citizens would increase.
Islamic countries would be less likely to
cooperate with the U.S. in anti-terrorism
strategies.
|
The overthrow
of Saddam Hussein's regime through a U.S.
invasion is unlikely to lead to a democratic
government there. Iraqis, already suffering for
a decade from the effects of UN sanctions, would
be likely to suffer more in the ensuing chaos.
|
There is no
evidence that the security and safety of the
United States are directly threatened by Iraq.
Iraq has not been linked to Al Qaeda or other
currently active anti-American terrorists. Even
if such evidence were to be presented,
unilateral attacks by the U.S. on Iraq would not
be the most effective, legal or moral option
available.
|
A war against
Iraq would be immensely costly at a time when
resources are desperately needed for the
eradication of poverty both domestically and
globally.
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We therefore urge
our fellow citizens of the United States to raise
their voices against the U.S. invasion of Iraq.
We must encourage the President and Congress to
build a true foundation for peace and security in
these ways:
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Act in concert
with the United Nations to address any potential
security risks posed by the regime of Saddam
Hussein. Support arms control initiatives in the
entire Persian Gulf region, as already specified
in UN Security Council Resolution 687.
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Take
substantial steps to free our foreign policy
from distortion by U.S. economic dependency on
energy from non-renewable fossil fuels.
Encourage energy conservation and invest heavily
in the development of renewable energy.
|
Shift
investment from military spending to address the
basic needs of humanity, both within the United
States and around the globe: clean air and
water, access to education and health care,
adequate housing and transportation, and civil
liberties.
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In sum, the Green
Party's key value of non-violence implies that war
is neither an effective nor justifiable means for
resolving disputes between nations. The United
States is in a position of unprecedented economic
and military power in the global scene. We should
use that power to work towards security and peace
through justice, rather than through intimidation
and military destruction.
Prepared by the International Committee of the Green
Party of the United States
www.gp-us.org/committees/intl
Approved by the Coordinating Committee of the Green
Party of the United States on September 19, 2002.
News Release -
Tuesday, September 24, 2002
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JEB'S BUDGET DISASTER
IS COVER-UP FOR CONTINUED REPUBLICAN ATTACK ON PUBLIC
EDUCATION
FLORIDA GREENS CALL ON STATE EDUCATION SECRETARY HORNE TO
RESIGN
Today the Green Party of Florida condemned the budget cuts
caused by the incompetent economic management of Jeb Bush and
the Florida Republicans.
The massive $1.04 billion in cuts hide a stealth attack by
extremist Republican activists on Florida's already weakened
public education system.
Jeb's budget also slashes funding for programs to keep young
people out of jail and the financing of drug treatment
programs. The new budget marks a great victory for "big
tobacco" - it virtually eliminates the state's youth
smoking prevention program.
The Republican attack on Florida's public education is part of
a long campaign waged since Jeb took power. With an overall
slashing of an already under-funded educational system by over
half a billion dollars ($636million) the Republicans have
kicked Florida down another step from 49th to 50th of the
entire United States in per-pupil spending.
The elimination of vital summer session, classroom programs
for at-risk youth and other essential facilities all show that
Jeb and the Republicans only care about those who finance
their election campaigns and don't have the slightest interest
the concerns of ordinary working people.
When even Florida Education Secretary Jim Horne adds his voice
to the growing storm of outrage we know that something very
bad has happened in the State Legislature.
On page 4 of the Metro section in the Tampa Tribune of Sunday,
December 2, 2001,Horne is quoted as saying that education
funding is reaching a twilight zone!
Florida Greens add their voices to those of Education
Secretary Horne. We call on him not just to "talk the
talk" but to "walk the walk" and resign in
protest at these appalling cuts and join us as we build the
people movement necessary to overturn the Republican attack on
our public schools.
Greens
see in the Taliban's flight from Kabul a chance to provide
humanitarian aid, restore basic rights of Afghans
WASHINGTON,
D.C. -- The Green Party of the United States has renewed its
call for the U.S. to halt the military assaults on
Afghanistan, as the war threatens to spread and Afghans face
starvation in the coming months.
"Continuing
the strikes through Ramadan will further alienate Muslims and
jeopardize fragile alliances with Pakistan and other Muslim
nations," said Tom Sevigny, Connecticut Green activist
and member of the national party's steering committee.
Pakistan's
President, General Pervez Musharraf, warns that the U.S.
assaults are "perceived in the whole world as a war
against the poor, miserable and innocent people of
Afghanistan" and that continuing attacks during Ramadan
would have "negative fall-out in the entire Muslim
world." The war on Afghanistan puts the military
junta in Pakistan in an explosive dilemma. Already on
shaky ground, the undemocratic Pakistani government faces
destabilization, with dire consequences if Pakistan's small
nuclear arsenal falls into the wrong hands. Meanwhile,
Pakistani extremists are increasing acts of violence in
Kashmir, forcing a confrontation with India.
"Our
ill-considered response to the September 11 atrocities
endangers the stability of two hostile nuclear powers --
Pakistan and India -- with unknowable results," said
Robbie Franklin, a Texas Green activist and treasurer of the
national party. "It is a very dangerous situation with
consequences far greater than anything we can hope to gain in
the war on Afghanistan."
The
military strikes have already proved devastating for the
people of Afghanistan, especially the use of cluster bombs,
fuel air bombs, and carpet bombing by the U.S. as the Taliban
dispersed into civilian areas. But the retreat of the Taliban
from Kabul provides an opening for the delivery of
humanitarian aid and the beginning of restored human rights
for Afghans.
"The
only hope for Afghanistan is massive intervention from the
U.N.," said Holly Hart, secretary of the Iowa Green Party
and co-chair of the national platform committee.
"Such an effort must provide emergency food and medical
supplies, attempt to prevent further bloodshed in the civil
war between the Taliban and the Northern Alliance, and address
the brutal treatment of Afghan people -- especially women --
by both the Taliban and the Northern Alliance. We must
guarantee that the fall of repressive, misogynistic laws in
Kabul after the Taliban fled is not reversed by the Northern
Alliance."
The
Green Party continues to demand that the criminals behind the
September 11 atrocities be tried according to international
law in an appropriate court. The Rome Statute, which the
U.S. refuses to ratify, would provide such a forum. The
non-retroactivity clause of the Rome Statute would preclude
using the International Criminal Court to try the September 11
criminals. However, Greens note that an ad hoc tribunal
based on the principles of the Rome Statute can be convened to
indict and try those responsible for the attacks on the World
Trade Center and the Pentagon.
Unfortunately,
House and Senate negotiators last week agreed to block U.S.
participation in the U.N.'s establishment of an International
Criminal Court to prosecute war crimes, genocide and other
crimes against humanity. The U.S. government refuses to
cooperate in international attempts to hold all nations
responsible for crimes like the September 11 attacks, and
prefers unilateral force, since the U.S. considers itself
exempt from accountability for violation of international law.
"We
urge the U.S. government to build a worldwide coalition of
governments pledging to refrain from acts of violence against
civilians and to prevent independent groups from doing the
same," said Jane M. Hunter, vice-chair of the Green Party
of New Jersey.
(Top)
The Green Party celebrates the FEC decision announced today, as
the party grows and strong Green candidates challenge two-party
dominance across the U.S.
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- The Federal Election Commission (FEC) today
issued a unanimous opinion recognizing the Green Party of the
United States as the National Committee of the Green Party. The
decision, in response to a request to the FEC from the Green
Party in August, follows the Green Party's ground-breaking 2000
campaigns, including the national campaigns of Ralph Nader and
Winona LaDuke for President and Vice President.
"The decision of the FEC adds to the enormous momentum the
Green Party now enjoys," said Dean Myerson, Green Party
Political Coordinator. "We are running more candidates,
electing more candidates, gaining more members and
support."
During the party's annual meeting in Santa Barbara, California
last July, Green delegates voted to establish a national party
and to apply to the FEC for national committee status. Delegates
also approved growth plans that include opening an office in
Washington, D.C. and hiring a team of field organizers for the
mid-term election season.
"National Committee status is a tremendous accomplishment
for the young party, one that acknowledges its place as the
leading and fastest growing political alternative in the United
States," added David Cobb, General Counsel for the Green
Party of the United States. "It will help increase the
numbers of voters who recognize us as the party of change, a
serious contender on the political landscape."
National Committee status will permit the Green Party to accept
contributions up to $20,000 per year from individuals, but
internal Green Party rules cap such donations at $10,000 per
year. The party and its candidates also refuse contributions
from corporations.
"The Green Party is the only political party to oppose the
big money that is corrupting politics in America," said
Steve Schmidt, chair of the party's Platform Committee.
"We're the only party that chooses to regulate itself more
strictly than the federal government."
The Green Party has called for a measured and just response to
the September 11 attacks, demanding that the U.S. avoid further
civilian deaths and continue to protect civil liberties and our
constitutional rights of dissent, free assembly, privacy, due
process, and mobility. The Republican and Democratic Parties
continue to retreat from supporting such protections.
"The attacks were a crime against humanity, and Greens call
for the culprits to be brought to justice in an appropriate
international court of law," said Annie Goeke, a
Pennsylvania Green and chair of the International Committee of
the Green Party of the United States. "The current war
mentality threatens to undermine our rights and cause needless
deaths, abroad and possibly even here in the U.S. It will prove
ineffective in stopping terrorism."
The Green Party of the United States is the national political
organization of the Greens, in which 33 states are represented,
with other states' memberships pending. It organized the Green
National Convention in Denver in June, 2000, at which Ralph
Nader was nominated to run for President, and is recognized
among Green Parties around the world.
Media inquiries about national policies and activities of the
Green Party should be directed to the Green Party of the United
States, through its media representatives as listed in the
heading above. To contact state Green Parties, visit the Green
Party of the United States web site <http://gpus.org> and
follow the links to the state parties and their contacts and web
sites.
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