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Green Issues and SolutionsHumboldt Greens' Resolution Against the Use of Force in Iraq The Green Commitment to America - July 19, 2002 Local Forest Activists Desperately Need Help! Public Awareness of Greens and Green Issues More Green Issues Coming Soon--Stay Tuned!
We believe, instead, that the attacks of September 11th, 2002, were avoidable, not just by means of better "intelligence," but by a totally different approach to dealing with other governments, other nations, other peoples. It is a virtual certainty that, had Ralph Nader been President instead of Bush, the attacks would never have happened. And we believe there are more constructive ways to respond than by flippantly killing thousands of innocent Aghan civilians in the name of a misguided and racist "patriotism." The Bush regime's penchant for war is accelerating. The Democrats appear to be doing nothing to even slow it down, handing Bush the permission he needs to do whatever he pleases with regard to Iraq. The more the pressure builds on the Bush government about its role in the economic crash of the past year and its complicity in the massive corporate corruption that is now becoming obvious to all, the more Bush and his cabinet cry for blood in Iraq. The very regime that has openly admitted that it intends to lie to the American people and the world, every day trots out rationalizations about the "need" to finish the job started by Bush's father in 1991. However, the facts appear to be that "Iraq is no longer a military threat to anyone," [Hans van Sponek, UN Humanitarian Coordinator, 5/29/02], that Iraq's "chemical, biological, nuclear, and long-range ballistic missle programs...had, by 1998, been destroyed or rendered harmless" [Boston Globe op-ed, 3/9/00], and that while the Bush regime's current military plans against Iraq are being pursued as part of the "war on terrorism," the government has presented no evidence that Iraq is harboring or supporting terrorists. The truth is that the U.S. killed 250,000 Iraqis in the 1991 war and more than 500,000 innocent Iraqi children in the years since then. Madelaine Allbright has publicly stated that it was "worth the price," surely a statement that will live in infamy as one of the cruelest and most racist remarks of all time. Allbright's callousness is more than matched in the current regime by Donald Rumsfeld's. Rumsfeld is one of the most feared members of the Bush regime, and he has been referred to even by those who admire him as "ruthless," "heartless," utterly without compassion or compunction. And Rumsfeld has his hard face turned on Iraq. The same Iraq that, coincidentally, holds some of the world's largest oil reserves. It is time to put an end not only to the Bushites' mad plans to completely destroy the Iraqi culture, but to the very concept of war itself. We must compel our government to begin by participating in the World Criminal Court, to outlaw State terrorism by the U.S. and all other nations, and to begin to build peace by cultivating open dialogue, just treatment, and trusting relations with other nations. By placing itself on a level with other peoples and by starting to fairly and openly address the long-term grievances against it--which give rise to attacks such as those of September 11th--the U.S. can begin to build lasting peace all over the world. But it will take the extraordinary and unglamorous courage of humility to begin. No such gesture will ever come from the Democratic Party. It seems that we can't expect them even to oppose the Bush blitzkreig, let alone replace it with something positive. The only organized, large-scale political voice in America against war and for genuine peace is the Green Party. Greens believe that the time has come to end war forever. We are vociferous in our opposition against bombing Iraq and against the Bushites' megalomaniacal "war on terrorism." We--Greens and all believers in peace--have got to make a rumble! We must prevail, for the sake of every soul on the planet. We must work to elect candidates who will stand against corporate hegemony. But we must also make our outrage and resistance plain through non-violent direct action. It isn't enough to say "It had nothing to do with me." If, through apathy and complacency, you help perpetuate the kinds of deceit and atrocities that America has engaged in for the past two centuries (and more), then the suffering and death of innocent millions has everything to do with you. The Congress is not going to end war for you. You--we--must do it ourselves. The first step is to make a personal committment to peace above all--before patriotism, before nationalism, before economics. The next step is to become active. Phone, write, or fax your members of Congress--those who directly represent you, above all, but don't stop there: contact everyone in Congress that you can, and in the White House, and in the cabinet. Network with others via the Web. In spite of government intentions to the contrary, the Internet is still a marvelous tool for organizing and for building solidarity. And take your voice into the streets. There are many groups organizing protest demonstrations against the impending invasion of Iraq, as there are against the current invasion of Afghanistan, the Phillipines, and other conflicts. Get out there! The world is in crisis. You can't afford to be timid or afraid. Powerless people around the globe need the massive, democratic power of the American populace to move on their behalf. Not everyone has this freedom. You do. Defend your own freedom and expand that of others by bringing our military government to heel! Our nation, and our world, are indeed in crisis, of a kind not experienced since the Civil War. It will take great vision and leadership (by all of us, the common people of America and the world) to avert the crisis and replace militant hegemony with democratic harmony. Let the words of Martin Luther King inspire you: "This call for a worldwide fellowship that lifts neighborly concerns beyond one's tribes, race, class and nation is in reality a call for an all-embracing and 'unconditional' love for all mankind. We can no longer afford to worship the God of hate or bow before the altar of 'retaliation.' The oceans of history are made turbulent by the ever-rising tides of hate. History is cluttered with the wreckage of nations and individuals that pursued this self-defeating path of hate." [To the congregation of Riverside Church, April 4th, 1967.]
Please study the Greens' 10 Key Values, read our Resolution Against the Use of Force in Iraq, and join with us in working toward a vision of worldwide peace, justice, and equality. Please get involved with us, attend Green Party meetings, register to help swell the ranks of the Green Party, and help elect Green candidates who represent an alternative perspective on the role and responsibility of government in American society.
The Green Commitment to America - July 19, 2002Today the Green Party candidates for the United States Congress announce the Green Commitment to America to meet the needs of our families, our communities, our nation and our planet. We promise to work for a clean economy, a safe environment, and a strong democracy. We will not accept contributions from corporate PACs. We will run our campaigns with integrity, and will unwaveringly promote issues supported by the American people but trivialized by the other parties:Security through peace and justice. Crimes against humanity must be dealt with swiftly and justly, in accord with international law and without violating or curtailing civil rights. Peace will be attained through diplomacy, commitment to human rights, and by reducing the gulf between the rich and the poor. The Patriot Act must go, and a Department of Peace must be created. We will end weapons sales to repressive governments, and will demand compliance with UN resolutions as a starting point for peace negotiations. Health care coverage for all Americans. That so many Americans remain uninsured is intolerable in the most medically and economically advanced nation in the world. An uninsured person is far more likely to die than someone with health care coverage, at any age. The Greens' single payer universal health care plan will not only provide care for all: it will save money and save lives. Provide full funding for, and guarantee access to, all reproductive health and family planning services. Restoration of democracy. Allow a voice for all people, understanding that corporations are not people! Provide public campaign financing and access of third parties to government, by revising election laws and implementing Instant Runoff Voting and Proportional Representation. Enforce the Voting Rights Act; end election fraud. Energy independence. Turn the tide of global warming and assure a safe, uninterrupted supply of energy by drastically reducing fossil fuel use and supporting production of decentralized, renewable energy sources. Fund the rapid shutdown of nuclear power plants; include funds for retraining displaced workers. Jump-start the renewables market through investment policies. Restore conservation measures, including meaningful automobile fuel efficiency standards. Corporate reform. Mandate corporate accountability. End corporate personhood. Get a fair share of taxes from corporations and stop corporate flight to off-shore tax havens. End corporate welfare as we know it. Eliminate trade treaties like GATT, NAFTA, and FTAA: they are abominations that undermine national sovereignty. Implement new treaties that protect communities, business, labor, the environment, and national sovereignty. Require rigorous clinical safety and environmental impact testing of pharmaceutical and cosmetic products. Fair trade, fair labor. Abolish slave labor and the corporate practice of paying sub-poverty level wages. Refuse trade where sweatshop or prison labor is involved. Protect workers' right to organize; repeal Taft-Hartley. Reform the tax code to promote sustainable productivity. Tax unearned wealth before income. Develop jobs programs and an inviolable social safety net to protect people during low points in the economic cycle. Preventive social spending and policies. End the failed War on Drugs and fund prevention and treatment. Fund public education for all, including vocational and post-secondary schooling. Provide equal opportunity for minorities and women. Abolish the death penalty. Make restitution to historically oppressed groups by providing funding for infrastructure in minority neighborhoods and by committing to eradicating institutionalized racism. Bring back the Equal Rights Amendment. Protect a woman's right to control her own body. Preventive foreign spending and policies. No trillion dollar first-strike space weapons; no more nonfunctioning helicopters. Drastically reduce the military budget, eliminating all expenditures for offensive weapons. Allocate a portion of the savings to relieve debt in developing countries. Commit our funds to humanitarian, not military aid. Support for small businesses and family farms. Rewrite corporate charters. Promote local development in order to ensure long-term economic health. Replace petrochemical-based fertilizers with organics, to protect our water supply from toxic runoffs. Ban use of genetically modified agricultural products. Survival of the planet. Sign the Kyoto protocol, and adhere to it.
Strengthen and enforce environmental regulations. Restore the Clean
Air Act standards on coal-generating emissions. Fund studies to
identify, and eliminate, the environmental causes of cancer. Fully
fund the Toxic Waste Superfund through renewed corporate taxation.
Ensure the health of the planet for survival's sake, and to ensure
the health of human beings today. Outlaw patenting of genetically
engineered life forms. Include pollution remediation costs in
production costs ("eco-taxing"), and phase out non-sustainable
production. Repeal the Price-Anderson Act.
"Direct action season has hit in Humboldt County, California, and along with an increase in direct action activities comes an increase in expenses. Forest defenders, who are often the only line of defense between the ancient forests and clear-cuts, need your help for supplies and gear. If you can afford to contribute any amount of funds, warmth and rain gear, cameras(video and still), non-perishable food, cell phones, binoculars, and the like, now is the time. Maxxam is currently logging the Mattole River watershed, at an unprecedented rate. Actions in the Mattole are ongoing, while there are still some Old Growth left to be saved. We are requesting that all logging in the Old Growth of the Mattole be halted, until we can find out if an acquisition is possible. The Aradia and Gypsy Mountain campaign is still going strong. We are requesting that all of Gypsy Mountain be set aside as a memorial, at no additional cost. The price has already been paid with Gypsy's life. Maxxam/PL should just cancel the timber harvest plan (THP), and then set aside their holdings on Gypsy Mountain as a memorial. The tree-sits in Freshwater continue, and a new tree-sit in Freshwater just went up. Joan Baez recently visited Remedy and Wren, who have both been sitting in Old Growth Redwoods in Freshwater for several months. Remedy's six-month mark passed in mid-September. We are requesting that the Old Growth Redwoods in Freshwater be saved, and that true sustainable forestry be implemented in this and all watersheds. You can help by donating and also by calling and/or writing Maxxam Corporation and Pacific Lumber Company, and encouraging them to save the last of the remaining Old Growth Redwoods and Douglas Fir forests and to begin practicing true sustainable forestry. (They were certified as "sustainable" by Arthur Anderson, the folks who brought you the Enron scandal and so many others!) Contact information is as follows: Maxxam Corp.(CEO Charles Hurwitz, PR guy Josh Reiss)
Pacific Lumber Co.(Pres. Robert Manne, PR woman Mary
Bullwinkle)
If you can help in any way, it would be greatly appreciated. We thank and bless all of you who have helped in the past, and we look forward to seeing and hearing from you all soon. Re-evolution!" North Coast Earth First!
Everyone remembers Ralph Nader's exclusion from the Presidential election debates last year. Did you know that much the same thing is happening right now in California? So far, Peter Miguel Camejo has not been invited to participate in planned debates between Gray Davis and Bill Simon. Why? You can draw your own conclusions, but just as Nader would have swamped the vapidity of last fall's Presidential debates in sense and substance, Camejo's excellent ideas and enthusiasm about reforming government would overwhelm the two large-party candidates. Camejo is intelligent and articulate, and he has good practical ideas about what is wrong with government and what we could do about it. Everyone should hear him and be permitted to judge for themselves who to vote for. But you are unlikely to get the chance.
The Humboldt Greens urge you to take direct action to assert your right to hear the full spectrum of opinion in these important races. Call or write your government representatives, your local media, and organizations such as the League of Women Voters who typically organize electoral debates. Let them know about Green candidates and about your interest in knowing what the Greens have to offer. If you don't see the coverage you desire, then remember that you, the public, have a right to demand to be fully informed about your political choices, whether they apply to electoral candidates or to alternate perspectives on policy.
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