Richmond Greens

Responding to President Obama’s address to the nation, Greens demand real peace, not just partial troop draw-down, and urge protest against ‘mercenary occupation’ of Iraq

scottburger — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 20:11:10 +0000

GREEN PARTY OF THE UNITED STATEShttp://www.gp.orgFor Immediate Release:Wednesday, September 1, 2010Contacts:Scott McLarty, Media Coordinator, cell 202-904-7614, mclarty@greens.orgStarlene Rankin, Media Coordinator, 916-995-3805, starlene@gp.orgGreen Party Speakers Bureau: Greens available to speak on foreign policyhttp://www.gp.org/speakers/speakers-foreign-policy.phpWASHINGTON, DC — The Green Party of the United States responded to President Obama’s Oval Office address to the nation on Tuesday, August 31, with a call for Americans who oppose the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan to press for a complete withdrawal of US forces from both countries and a halt to attacks inside Pakistan’s borders.”When President Obama says we’re turning the page, we’re really moving to the next page of war without end. It would be a mistake for Americans who desire peace to let the President off the hook after Tuesday’s speech,” said Anthony Gronowicz, New York Green candidate for the US House, 7th Congressional District (Bronx/Queens, New York) and a member of the Green Party’s International Committee (http://www.gp.org/committees/intl).Green Party leaders listed reasons for renewed protest against the Obama Administration’s military policies:50,000 military personnel, rechristened non-combat ‘advisors,’ will remain in Iraq, along with a large number of private contractors (over 200,000 as of last month). The Iraq War has entered a new phase: occupation by largely mercenary forces to protect US interests, especially control over Iraqi oil resources. Skepticism remains that US combat in Iraq will cease, given the destabilization caused by the war. Past US ‘advisors’ in southeast Asia, Latin America, and other regions have been used for belligerent purposes (e.g., Vietnam, El Salvador) and regime change (Iran, Guatemala) rather than for peace.The Democratic White House and Congress have continued to pump up the military budget, while seeking cuts in human services. Until military spending is cut drastically and the money is redirected to human needs and action against global warming, President Obama’s stated goal of refocusing on domestic issues remains a hollow promise. (See “Greens call for a new kind of national defense: defense against catastrophic climate change,” Green Party press release, August 6, 2010, http://www.gp.org/press/pr-national.php?ID=336)The US owes the people of Iraq a sincere apology and recompense after an invasion launched in 2003 for false reasons: nonexistent WMDs, lies about nuclear materials and Iraqi involvement in the 9/11 attacks. The aim was to topple a murderous tyrant, but the US has not acknowledged its own role in propping up Saddam Hussein during the 1980s. The Iraq War resulted in hundreds of thousands of dead civilians, many more maimed, millions displaced, shattered infrastructure, and lingering effects from extremely toxic depleted uranium and white phosphorous weapons used by US forces.US troops who fought in the war and the families of those who gave their lives also deserve an apology and restitution including full health care for service members, especially for those who have suffered physical and mental trauma.President Obama has escalated the war in Afghanistan, expanding it into Pakistan, with thousands of civilian casualties. The US wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, threats against Iran (and support for Israel’s threats), and military aid for Israel’s assaults on Palestinians have been interpreted by many nations as a greater war against Islam. (See “Greens urge Congress to pass the Kucinich-Paul bill for withdrawal of US troops from Pakistan, citing Wikileaks revelations,” Green Party release, July 27, 2010, http://www.gp.org/press/pr-national.php?ID=335)The threats against Iran demonstrate that President Obama has embraced the Bush-Cheney neocon doctrine of preemptive aggression against countries at peace with the US.The Obama Administration has refused to investigate and prosecute Bush-Cheney officials for abuses of power and war crimes: massive deception; manipulating intelligence; authorizing extraordinary rendition and torture. President Obama has maintained warrantless surveillance of US citizens, surpassed President Bush in his pursuit of whistleblowers, and added extra-judicial killing of targeted US citizens to the list of assaults on the US Constitution. Congress has not repealed or amended the USA Patriot Act.MORE INFORMATIONGreen Party of the United States http://www.gp.org202-319-7191, 866-41GREENGreen candidate database and campaign information: http://www.gp.org/elections.shtmlGreen Party News Center http://www.gp.org/newscenter.shtmlGreen Party Speakers Bureau http://www.gp.org/speakersGreen Party ballot access page http://www.gp.org/2008-electionsGreen Party Livestream Channel http://www.livestream.com/greenpartyus“Another False Ending: Contracting out the Iraq Occupation” by Bill Quigley and Laura Raymond, Common Dreams, September 1, 2010http://www.commondreams.org/view/2010/09/01-0Video clips from the Green Party’s 2010 Annual National Meeting, Detroit, Michigan, June 24-27http://www.gp.org http://www.livestream.com/greenpartyusGreen Pages:The official publication of record of the Green Party of the United Stateshttp://gp.org/greenpages-blog~ END ~

TruthOut.org: Despite “All Clear,” Mississippi Sound Tests Positive for Oil

scottburger — Sun, 29 Aug 2010 17:44:39 +0000

From the article:

The State of Mississippi’s Department of Marine Resources (DMR) opened all of its territorial waters to fishing on August 6. This was done in coordination with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the US Food and Drug Administration, despite concerns from commercial fishermen in Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida about the presence of oil and toxic dispersants from the BP oil disaster.
On August 19, Truthout accompanied two commercial fishermen from Mississippi on a trip into the Mississippi Sound in order to test for the presence of submerged oil. Laboratory test results from samples taken on that trip show extremely high concentrations of oil in the Mississippi Sound.

James “Catfish” Miller and Mark Stewart, both lifelong fishermen, have refused to trawl for shrimp because they believe the Mississippi Sound contains submerged oil.

Green Party Candidates Pledge to Protect Social Security, Medicare

scottburger — Sun, 29 Aug 2010 17:35:57 +0000

(Distributed by the Green Party of the United States, http://www.gp.org)Howie Hawkins for Governor of New York - Green PartyColia Clark for US Senator from New York - Green PartyMedia Releasehttp://www.howiehawkins.org http://www.coliaclark.orgFor Immediate Release: August 26, 2010For More Info:Howie Hawkins, 315 425-1019Colia Clark, 646 657-7207Cuts in Military, No more tax cuts for the rich, best ways to resolve federal deficitsThe Green Party statewide candidates in New York today said today that they would resolve the federal budget deficit by cutting the military budget and not renewing the so-called Bush tax cuts for the rich, rather than cutting entitlement programs such as Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid as the Democratic-controlled Congress is expected to do after the November election.”Our federal budget deficit it due to too much taxpayer money being given by the Democrats and Republicans to corporate war profiteers, tax cuts for the rich and huge bailouts for Wall Street bankers and other special interests. Our deficit is not due to spending too much money on poor senior citizens. And if we want to control the costs of health care, the solution is a single payer Medicare for All health care system that saves $400 billion annually by eliminating the waste and profit of insurance companies, not by cutting health care for senior citizens and the poor,” said Howie Hawkins, the Green Party candidate for Governor.The Bush-Congressional tax cuts of 2001 and 2003 end this year, the result of an accounting trick to hide the true costs of the tax cuts from the American public. Extending the Bush tax cuts would add $3.7 trillion to the deficit over the next ten years, with virtually all the benefits going to the richest 1 percent of Americans, people with incomes of more than $500,000 a year. The majority of the tax cuts would go to the richest one-tenth of 1 percent.The Green Party US Senate candidates, Colia Clark and Cecile Lawrence, pledged not to cut Social Security benefits or reduce the retirement age. They challenged their opponents, including Schumer and Gillibrand, to make a similar pledge. The Greens said that the Social Security program is financially sound; even if nothing was done, it is projected that Social Security would still be able to pay out 78% of benefits 27 years from now. A few minor tweaks is needed (e.g., raising the cap on the income for the social security tax), not the drastic changes that the Democrats are contemplating.”Seniors need to know that their life line is secure. Keeping Social Security intact guarantees a measure of assurance in the present uncertain economic climate. After all this is their money hard bought across many years. As Senator, I will work without let up to keep Social Security in its present state no changes. no threats. Why?I am a senior too. I know what it means to have your Social Security Benefits cut. Its like standing on the edge of an icy patch over looking Mt Kilimanjaro.” Colia Clark, the Green US Senate candidate challenging Chuck Schumer.The National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform was set up the Democrats to make a series of proposals to Congress on how to reduce the growing federal budget deficit. Its proposals will be voted upon by a lame duck session of Congress after the November election, where retiring and defeated Congress members will likely cast the deciding votes.Many progressive are referring to it as the “Catfood Commission” because its goal appears to be cutting benefits so drastically that retirees will only be able to afford to eat cat food. The proposals are likely to include raising the retirement age to 70, turning large portions of Social Security over to Wall Street, and cutting Medicare benefits. The commission’s co-chairman Alan Simpson, a former Republican senator from Wyoming , has stated he believes the founders of the Social Security program never expected anyone to actually live to 65 and collect. “People just died,” he has said. “Social Security was never [for] retirement.”William Greider recently wrote in The Nation, “Barack Obama is again playing coy in public, but his intentions are widely understood among Washington insiders…The president intends to offer Social Security as a sacrificial lamb to entice conservative deficit hawks into a grand bipartisan compromise in which Democrats agree to cut Social Security benefits for future retirees while Republicans accede to significant tax increases to reduce government red ink.”Hawkins said that he supports a reduction in military spending in the 50 to 75% range. “The mission of the US military should be defending our republic, not policing an empire on behalf of global corporations, the Pentagon bureaucracy, and the private contractors that feed off of it,” stated Hawkins.~ END ~

US Greens congratulate Australian Greens on election victories in Parliament

scottburger — Sun, 29 Aug 2010 17:34:36 +0000

GREEN PARTY OF THE UNITED STATEShttp://www.gp.orgFor Immediate Release:Tuesday, August 24, 2010Contacts:Scott McLarty, Media Coordinator, cell 202-904-7614, mclarty@greens.orgStarlene Rankin, Media Coordinator, 916-995-3805, starlene@gp.orgAustralia’s ‘greenslide’ is a result of Proportional Representation — a reform promoted by Greens for fair elections in the US”Hung Parliament” will give Australian Greens unprecedented powerGreen Party Speakers Bureau: Greens available to speak on international issues, electoral reform, related topics: http://www.gp.org/speakers/subjects.phpWASHINGTON, DC — The Green Party of the United States congratulates Australian Greens (http://greens.org.au) on their ‘greenslide’ in Australia’s parliamentary elections on Saturday, August 21. Preliminary results show the Greens will take ten seats in the Australian House of Representatives and Senate.”The Australian Greens’ impressive totals follow on the election of Caroline Lucas, the first Green to Parliament in the UK, in May,” said Julia Willebrand, candidate for New York State Comptroller (http://www.juliaforcomptroller.com) and member of the Green Party’s International Committee (http://www.gp.org/committees/intl). “It’s only a matter of time before the first Green is elected to the US Congress. We need a shock to the two-party status quo in America, the kind of shock we’re seeing now in Australia.”"When we get some Greens in Congress in the US, we’ll see an enormous change in the direction of America — a change for the better, since Democrats and Republicans will no longer take their exclusive control over US politics and government for granted. Like Australia and the UK, Americans will have legislators from a party dedicated to human needs, human rights, and the health of our planet,” Ms. Willebrand added.US Greens noted that the Green wins in Australia were a result of Proportional Representation (PR), a democratic reform “whose major goal is to ensure that parties and political groups are allocated seats in legislative bodies in proportion to their share of the vote. For example, a party receiving 30% of the national vote should receive approximately 30% of the seats in the national legislature.” (http://www.fairvote.org)Green Parties in the US, Australia, and other countries support PR and contrast such reforms with the winner-take-all/plurality voting system prevalent in the US, in which a party with a plurality or a 51% majority can sweep an election with a disproportionate number of wins and shut out other parties and the voters who vote for them.Greens in the US have argued that America is too diverse to be represented by only two parties — especially two parties with many similar positions and a mutual addiction to corporate contributions and influence. Green leaders also noted that Australians take elections so seriously that voting is compulsory for state and federal elections.Margaret Blakers, director of The Green Institute in Australia (http://greeninstitute.org.au), provided a preliminary analysis of the election:”Here’s what it looks like at the moment. Overall vote: in the House of Reps 11.4% and in the Senate 12.96%. These will go up a bit as the postal and absentee votes come in where we generally do better which means we’re on 12–13% overall. This is the best result ever for a minor party in Australia.House of Representatives (lower house): the Greens have won their first ever seat in the House of Reps in a general election. Adam Bandt in the seat of Melbourne got 36% of the primary vote; the Liberals (conservatives) got 20% and Labor 39%. With preferences, Adam wins the seat by 56% to 44%.Senate (upper house): we will definitely have 8 Senators and probably nine. That will be two each in Tasmania, Western Australia and South Australia and one in Victoria, Queensland, and probably NSW [New South Wales]. There are still a couple of outside chances for additional seats but we won’t know for up to two weeks. During that time postal and absentee votes come in and we won’t get the final result until they are all counted.”Ms. Blakers, who is also member of the Global Greens Coordination (the body that connects Green Parties on the global level: http://www.globalgreens.org), said that the election will result in a “hung” Parliament “where neither of the major parties has a majority meaning that they will have to negotiate with independents and the Greens to determine who will form the government… It’s going to be fascinating to see how it plays out and whether the old parties can bring themselves to share power.”"What’s clear is this is a huge win for the Greens. Climate change was a key issue but it was much more than that,” added Ms. Blakers.MORE INFORMATIONGreen Party of the United States http://www.gp.org202-319-7191, 866-41GREENGreen candidate database and campaign information: http://www.gp.org/elections.shtmlGreen Party News Center http://www.gp.org/newscenter.shtmlGreen Party Speakers Bureau http://www.gp.org/speakersGreen Party ballot access page http://www.gp.org/2008-electionsGreen Party Livestream Channel http://www.livestream.com/greenpartyus“There’s a new light on the hill, and it’s bright Green”The Sydney Morning Herald, August 23, 2010http://www.smh.com.au/federal-election/theres-a-new-light-on-the-hill-and-its-bright-green-20100822-13axg.html“Make History Melbourne. The Greens.”Video clip featuring Adam Bandt, elected to the Australian House of Representativeshttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Us6LZ75z0A“Australian result shows advantage of MMP [Proportional Representation]”Metiria Turei, Member of Parliament, Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand, August 23, 2010http://www.greens.org.nz/press-releases/australian-result-shows-advantage-mmpVideo clips from the Green Party’s 2010 Annual National Meeting, Detroit, Michigan, June 24-27http://www.gp.org http://www.livestream.com/greenpartyusGreen Pages: The official publication of record of the Green Party of the United Stateshttp://gp.org/greenpages-blog~ END ~

Greens call for a new kind of national defense: defense against catastrophic climate change

scottburger — Sun, 29 Aug 2010 17:32:48 +0000

GREEN PARTY OF THE UNITED STATEShttp://www.gp.orgFor Immediate Release:Friday, August 6, 2010Contacts:Scott McLarty, Media Coordinator, cell 202-904-7614, mclarty@greens.orgStarlene Rankin, Media Coordinator, 916-995-3805, starlene@gp.org“Life as we know it cannot survive business as usual”: Greens blast Democrats and Republicans for rejecting even a compromised climate change bill and for continuing to support offshore drilling, mountaintop removal, and reliance on fossil fuelsGreen Party Speakers Bureau: Greens available to speak on global warminghttp://www.gp.org/speakers/speakers-ecological.phpGreen Party Eco-Action Committee http://www.gp.org/committees/ecoaction/index.phpWASHINGTON, DC — Green Party leaders and candidates called for national defense against global warming, with a demand that Congress cut military spending drastically and transfer the money to efforts to stem the impending climate change catastrophe.”We need a new kind of national defense — defense against catastrophic climate change,” said Alfred Molison, Green Party candidate for City Council (District C) in Houston, Texas, the center of the American oil industry (http://www.votealfred.com). “The White House and Congress keep increasing military funding, for defense contractors and for the unending, unwinnable wars in Iraq and Afghanistan-Pakistan. What we need to do is shift that money to investment in renewable noncarbon-based energy technology, creation of millions of green jobs, public transportation to replace car traffic, retrofitting of buildings, and other measures to reduce greenhouse emissions. If we don’t cut these emissions drastically right now, the resulting damage and breakdown of security will be far worse than anything a terrorist can inflict on America.”"Life as we know it cannot survive business as usual. Defeating global climate change requires more than a set of policy recommendations or schemes like ‘cap and trade’ emissions trading,” added Gloria Mattera, Green candidate for LieutenantGovernor of New York State (http://www.gpnys.org).Green leaders pointed to key developments in recent months:The US Senate’s failure to pass the Climate Change bill in July, even after numerous concessions to corporate polluters: Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid announced that he would not try to bring a compromise bill to the Senate floor.”Democrats and Republicans cannot be trusted to take the minimal necessary steps to curb global warming,” said Laura Wells, Green Party Candidate for Governor of California (http://www.LauraWells.org). “America’s only hope for concrete action is a new kind of politics, in which candidates who reject corporate influence replace Democrats and Republicans in office. The media continue to portray politics as a permanent contest between the two established parties. But people are tired of seeing so little difference between them, since both Democrats and Republicans kowtow to the same corporate interests. The Green Party represents a real difference, and can advance real solutions, because it doesn’t take corporate donations.”Reports of record-breaking temperatures and freak weather occurrences around the globe (”2000-2009 Marked Warmest Decade on Record,” Democracy Now!, July 29, http://bit.ly/curQmv), along with the news that 97 percent of scientists recognize that climate change is real and is caused by human activity (”Report: 97 percent of scientists say man-made climate change is real,” Science Fair, June 22, http://bit.ly/c8vUrG).Evidence that corporate energy lobbies are calling the shots on major US policies: (1) Continued revelations, in the wake of the Gulf oil spill, that government regulatory agencies are under the influence of corporations that they are required by law to oversee; (2) Bipartisan support for continued offshore drilling, mountaintop removal mining, hydraulic fracturing (’fracking’), ‘clean coal’, nuclear plants, and other dangerous, destructive energy sources, while rejecting serious, committed, and immediate plans to expand and diversify our energy portfolio as well as implement high speed, low-cost public transportation and carbon taxes; (3) President Obama’s plan to keep 50,000 US troops in Iraq, and delayed withdrawal of combat troops elsewhere, to protect multi-national interests, which means guaranteeing access to oil resources for western energy companies and their bankers.”Despite recent assurances that the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico has been contained, Americans should see the disaster as only the latest warning about the amount of damage that corporate reckless and shortsightedness can cause. The real issue is not so-called energy independence and ending our reliance on foreign oil. We need a line of defense against the long-range threat posed by an addiction to nonrenewable fossil fuel energy in a post-peak era, regardless of where it comes from. Offshore drilling and mountaintop removal mining must be shut down soon, not only because of the immediate danger of continuing disasters but the sheer fact that these polluting forms of energy are not sustainable for America’s primary interests, its families and communities,” said Jesse Johnson, West Virginia Mountain Party candidate in the special election for the late Robert C. Byrd’s US Senate seat.MORE INFORMATIONGreen Party of the United States http://www.gp.org202-319-7191, 866-41GREENGreen candidate database and campaign information: http://www.gp.org/elections.shtmlGreen Party News Center http://www.gp.org/newscenter.shtmlGreen Party Speakers Bureau http://www.gp.org/speakersGreen Party ballot access page http://www.gp.org/2008-electionsGreen Party Livestream Channel http://www.livestream.com/greenpartyusGreen Party Eco-Action Committee http://www.gp.org/committees/ecoaction/index.phpGreen Party releases“Obama must cancel his plans for Atlantic & Alaskan offshore drilling, and hold BP and Halliburton liable for the Gulf spill’s damage, say Greens,” May 5, 2010, http://www.gp.org/press/pr-national.php?ID=314“Greens call President Obama’s resurrection of nuclear power and handout for Georgia nuclear reactors his ‘worst idea yet,’” February 18, 2010, http://www.gp.org/press/pr-national.php?ID=297“Greens, calling the Kerry-Boxer Senate bill on climate change an ‘armful of retreats and compromises,’ seek more immediate international action to curb global warming,” October 7, 2009, http://www.gp.org/press/pr-national.php?ID=252“Green Party leaders: US in Copenhagen summit helped kill necessary steps against global warming,” December 22, 2009, http://www.gp.org/press/pr-national.php?ID=276“Were Hot as Hell and Were Not Going to Take It Any More: Three Steps to Establish a Politics of Global Warming,” by Bill McKibben, TomDispatch.com, August 4, 2010, http://bit.ly/d8BBC8350.org ‘Global Work Party’ http://www.350.orgVideo clips from the Green Party’s 2010 Annual National Meeting, Detroit, Michigan, June 24-27http://www.gp.org http://www.livestream.com/greenpartyusGreen Pages: The official publication of record of the Green Party of the United Stateshttp://gp.org/greenpages-blog~ END ~

DEADLY JULY: Troop death record shows the war isn’t making us safer and it’s not worth the cost.

scottburger — Sat, 31 Jul 2010 16:06:40 +0000

From Rethink Afghanistan.com:

July 2010 is the deadliest month of the war in Afghanistan so far for U.S. troops.It’s absolutely outrageous that the administration would continue to order U.S. troops to die for a war that the American people do not support. According to a recent CBS poll, most people want a timetable for withdrawal from Afghanistan and a plurality of people want our involvement ended in less than a year. Yet, President Obama continues to throw tax dollars and lives into a war that’s not making us safer and not worth the cost.

AP Story

New Report: Solar Cheaper than Nukes

scottburger — Sat, 31 Jul 2010 01:57:14 +0000

From Solar Nation :

The report’s major finding was that electricity from new solar installations in North Carolina is now cheaper than the electricity that would come from proposed new nuclear plants there. It also found that the continuing downward trend of solar prices will widen the price gap dramatically as time progresses.Reasons for the falling cost of solar include manufacturing and installation advances, economies of scale, and increasingly enlightened tax treatment at both federal and state level in the five years. Over the same period, design problems and rising cost estimates have led to delays and cancellations of U.S. nuclear projects. (The average increase in cost estimates for nine such projects is 140%, with some nearly quadrupling or quintupling their original figures).It’s considered significant that these delays and cancellations have mostly occurred in states with open competition for electricity sales. States with monopoly power markets - many in the south and southeast - are where utilities are still proposing new nuclear plants.

Medical Marijuana Now Legal in DC

scottburger — Sat, 31 Jul 2010 00:41:11 +0000

From Stop The Drug War.org :

“After thwarting the will of District voters for more than a decade, Congress is no longer standing in the way of effective relief for DC residents who struggle with chronic ailments,” said Rob Kampia, executive director of the Marijuana Policy Project. “This moment is a long overdue victory for both DC home rule and the well-being of District residents whose doctors believe medical marijuana can help ease their pain.”“DC Councilmembers and members of Congress should be commended for providing relief to cancer, HIV/AIDS and other patients who need medical marijuana,” said Bill Piper, director of national affairs of the Drug Policy Alliance. “Now we need to make sure that everyone who needs the medicine gets it and that federal law enforcement doesn’t undermine the process. Providing marijuana to sick patients in DC is a major step forward, but this law has some faults that will have to be fixed over time,” said Piper. “By not allowing patients to grow their own medicine, the DC law leaves patients at the mercy of medical marijuana dispensaries and the US Justice Department — who could shut down those dispensaries.”

Greens urge Congress to pass the Kucinich-Paul bill for withdrawal of US troops from Pakistan, citing Wikileaks revelations

scottburger — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 02:13:05 +0000

GREEN PARTY OF THE UNITED STATEShttp://www.gp.orgFor Immediate Release:Tuesday, July 27, 2010Contacts:Scott McLarty, Media Coordinator, cell 202-904-7614, mclarty@greens.orgStarlene Rankin, Media Coordinator, 916-995-3805, starlene@gp.orgObama’s plan to send US troops into Pakistan will turn the war into a greater regional conflict; 2008 Green presidential nominee Cynthia McKinney leaves on Bike4Peace 2010 cross-country tourGreen Party Speakers Bureau: Greens available to speak on foreign policy:http://www.gp.org/speakers/speakers-foreign-policy.phpVideo clips from the Green Party’s 2010 Annual National Meeting, Detroit, Michigan, June 24-27http://www.gp.org http://www.livestream.com/greenpartyusWASHINGTON, DC — Green Party leaders and candidates are urging Congress to pass House Resolution 301 to remove US forces from Pakistan. The privileged resolution was introduced by Reps. Dennis Kucinich (D-Oh.) and Ron Paul (R-Tex.), who said that President Obama’s plans for an increase of US troops in Pakistan violate the 1973 War Powers Authorization (http://www.commondreams.org/newswire/2010/07/23-7).The Green Party supports an end to the US war on Afghanistan, which the Obama Administration has escalated by deploying more troops and ordering air attacks across the border in Pakistan. The party opposes the current war escalation supplemental bill and all proposals to increase war funding.2008 Green Party presidential nominee Cynthia McKinney is currently participating in Bike4Peace 2010 (http://b4p.bbnow.org), a cross-country bicycle ride (San Francisco to Washington, DC) from July 24 to September 22 to protest the Afghanistan and Iraq wars and “demonstrate the bicycle as a transformational tool to solve the problems of Climate Change, Oil Wars, the Health Crisis, and the Economic Crunch.”"The secret files published by Wikileaks show that the White House and Pentagon know the Afghanistan War is a disaster, with hundreds of civilians killed, illegal military operations, and fears that Pakistan and Iran are assisting the Taliban. President Obama’s plan to send troops into Pakistan will turn the invasion of Afghanistan into a wider regional war,” said Cecile Lawrence, Green Party candidate for the US Senate from New York (http://www.cecilelawrence.org).Greens compared the military files exposed by Wikileaks to the Pentagon Papers, which revealed that the Johnson White House had deceived the public and withheld important information about the Vietnam War. Green leaders asserted that the Afghanistan War is weakening rather than improving security for Americans.”Mr. Obama is repeating the reckless and illegal policies of the Bush-Cheney Administration. His refusal to consult Congress about expanding the war, in violation of the War Powers Resolution, proves that he has learned from his predecessors that he can overstep his power with impunity. That’s why the Kucinich-Paul resolution is so important — it holds the White House to at least some standard of accountability,” said Darryl L.C. Moch, DC Statehood Green Party candidate for DC City Council at-large and member of the Green Party Black Caucus (http://www.gp.org/caucuses/black/index.php).Green Party leaders said that the election of a few Greens to Congress would establish an uncompromised antiwar bloc, which would demand quick withdrawal of all troops from Iraq and Afghanistan, oppose funding for the wars, and support reductions in military spending.”President Obama’s escalations of the Afghanistan War, as well as the ongoing Iraq War and abuses like the use of torture at Guantanamo and other sites, should spark a mass revival of the antiwar movement. Americans who voted for the Obama-Biden ticket because they wanted peace should stop making excuses for the Democrats and all the broken promises of change,” said George Martin, Wisconsin Green, member of the Green Party Black Caucus, and former national co-chair of United for Peace & Justice (http://www.unitedforpeace.org).”As candidate for the US Senate from New York, I offer my strong support for House Resolution 301,” said Colia Clark (http://www.coliaclark.org). “It’s time the Congress heard the words of the late Dr. King who asserted that ‘America is the greatest purveyor of violence in the world today.’ It’s time the US Congress take strong measures to end the US practice of carrying wars to other parts of the world in the name of democracy and world peace. We must withdraw all troops from Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iraq, and other parts of the world. We must reinvent American democracy as one of peace.”See also “Wikileaks: Massive Leak of Secret Files Exposes Truth of Occupation”, The Guardian, July 25, 2010 (http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/series/afghanistan-the-war-logs).MORE INFORMATIONGreen Party of the United States http://www.gp.org202-319-7191, 866-41GREENGreen candidate database and campaign information: http://www.gp.org/elections.shtmlGreen Party News Center http://www.gp.org/newscenter.shtmlGreen Party Speakers Bureau http://www.gp.org/speakersGreen Party ballot access page http://www.gp.org/2008-electionsGreen Party Livestream Channel http://www.livestream.com/greenpartyusVideo clips from the Green Party’s 2010 Annual National Meeting, Detroit, Michigan, June 24-27http://www.gp.org http://www.livestream.com/greenpartyusGreen Pages: The official publication of record of the Green Party of the United Stateshttp://gp.org/greenpages-blog~ END ~

Fight back against corporate front groups

scottburger — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 04:31:20 +0000

Corporate front groups are growing in size and influence, but their secret funders want to remain in the shadows.

If they’re trying to influence your vote with election-season political ads, then you should know who they are.

Passage of the DISCLOSE Act (S.3295) would reveal the funders and restrict political ads by government contractors and foreign entities.

Public Citizen set up a page where you tell your senators in Congress to support this act at http://www.citizen.org/disclose-act-action.