Green Party USA Calls For Greater Democracy In Wisconsin [Green Party USA]

GREEN PARTY OF THE UNITED STATES

http://www.gp.org

 

Tuesday, February 22, 2011

 

Contacts:

Scott McLarty, Media Coordinator, cell 202-904-7614, mclarty@greens.org

Starlene Rankin, Media Coordinator, 916-995-3805, starlene@gp.org

 

 

The Green Party supports Wisconsin public employees, urges wider

protest against policies that cut benefits and eliminate collective

bargaining

 

• Greens denounce austerity budgets, calling them a ploy to balance

budgets on the backs of working people, destroy unions, and enlarge

the power of corporations

 

• Green solution to deficits and economic recession: rescind tax cuts

for the rich, end the wars and reduce military spending, enact

Medicare For All and public works programs

 

• ‘GreenStream Wednesday’ on Feb. 23: online show will feature

Wisconsin Green leaders and an elected Oshkosh City Council member, 10

pm ET, 7 pm PT, on the Green Party Livestream Channel

(http://www.livestream.com/greenpartyus).

 

 

WASHINGTON, DC — Green Party leaders declared today that the party

solidly supports Wisconsin’s public-sector employees protesting a bill

introduced by Gov. Scott Walker to eliminate their benefits and

collective bargaining rights.

 

“We in the Green Party are standing out front on this issue by

standing with our labor and public service brothers and sisters here

in Wisconsin,” said AJ Segneri, co-chair of the Wisconsin Green Party

(http://www.wisconsingreenparty.org).

 

On Feb. 17, the Wisconsin Greens issued a statement affirming that

their party “salutes the state’s public workers, and stands in

solidarity with their fight to retain full collective bargaining

rights with their employers”

(http://www.wisconsingreenparty.org/?q=node/97).

 

On Wednesday, Feb. 23, Wisconsin Wave will hold a demonstration at a

conference of Wisconsin Manufacturing and Commerce (WMC), which

includes the state’s top corporate lobbyists

(http://www.wisconsingreenparty.org/?q=node/97).  Wisconsin Wave is a

project of the Liberty Tree Foundation and the Center for Media and

Democracy; Liberty Tree’s founder and executive director is Ben

Manski, a Green who ran for the Wisconsin state legislature in 2010

and received the best numbers for an independent party candidate since

1944.

 

Greens speak out on the Wisconsin uprising:

 

• Laura Wells, 2010 Green Party candidate for Governor of California:

“At long last, Americans are pushing back against the rule of our

country by corporate oligarchies.  We’ve been inspired by the courage

of people in countries like Egypt and Tunisia, and now by public

employees in Wisconsin.  This is more than a struggle to preserve

benefits and collective bargaining rights in a single state.  It’s

about saving the infrastructure of our democracy and preventing the US

from lapsing into a new Robber Baron Era reminiscent of the late 19th

century.  We hope that the fire of protest spreads to every state

where such budgets are proposed, whether by Democrats in California or

Republicans in Wisconsin.  It’s a thrill to see working people take

back their rights, their freedoms, and their financial security.”

 

• AJ Segneri, co-chair of the Wisconsin Green Party: “Gov. Walker’s

bill to strip benefits and bargaining rights from state workers, based

on the claim of a state deficit, is an old Republican trick.  The

governor enacted tax breaks and special interest spending for the top

income brackets, then introduced a bill to solve the resulting deficit

on the backs of working people in Wisconsin and break up the public

employees’ unions.  The 14 Democratic state legislators in Wisconsn

deserve our praise for denying Gov. Walker his quorum.  National

Democratic leaders should follow their example, instead of demanding

sacrifice from working people and the needy while excusing the wealthy

and corporations from paying their fair share in taxes.  President

Obama’s budget plan would place a five-year freeze on non-security

discretionary spending, affecting programs like heating assistance to

low-income Americans and community-service block grants, as well as

cuts in money for water treatment plants and other environmental

projects and higher interest on federal loans for graduate students.

The rampaging union-busting extremism of the GOP and their billionaire

supporters like the Koch brothers doesn’t justify the Obama austerity

plan.”

 

• Howie Hawkins, 2010 Green candidate for Governor of New York: “The

biggest myth is that these deficits are caused by excessive social

spending and generous wages and benefits for public workers.  The real

cause is tax cuts for the rich, runaway military spending, and a

recession triggered by the subprime mortage crisis, which was caused

by deregulation of the financial industry.  The Green Party proposes

the obvious solution.  One, call US troops home from Iraq and

Afghanistan and reduce military spending.  Two, roll back the tax cuts

and loopholes for wealthy individuals and corporations.  Three, enact

Medicare For All, which will save 30% by eliminating private insurance

administrative overhead and reduce the cost of health insurance for

public workers.  Medicare For All will also stimulate the economy by

relieving the financial burden on business of providing health

benefits, enabling negotiation to bring down skyrocketing drug prices

and other health costs, promoting competition by letting everyone

choose which physician or hospital to visit, and saving tens of

thousands of people from financial ruin over medical costs every year.

 And four, initiate major public works projects in conservation, green

energy, public transportation, and repair of infrastructure.

Presidents like FDR and Eisenhower proved that public works boost the

economy for everyone.”

 

• Tony Palmeri, Green city council member in Oshkosh serving his

second term: “Gov. Walker says he wants to give local governments the

tools to balance our budgets — including a hammer to destroy

collective bargaining rights.  We reject his tools of divisiveness,

and instead ask state government for assistance based on Green values,

such as fairer distribution of shared revenue dollars to support local

budgets; an end to needless budget-busting and polluting road

projects; a fairer distribution of tax dollars to support equity in

our K-12 system; increased grant money for college students; an end to

special-interest tax breaks for the wealthy that drain millions of

dollars from the budget; a progressive tax system based on ability to

pay; and a green jobs program to help us build a sustainable,

economically viable future.  These measures, taken together, would

save the state money and restore Wisconsin’s tradition as a laboratory

for progressive ideas and democracy.  Citizen activism has

demonstrated, in an inspiring way, that we will not let Mr. Walker and

his corporate sponsors bury that tradition.”

 

 

MORE INFORMATION

 

Green Party of the United States http://www.gp.org

 

202-319-7191, 866-41GREEN

• Green candidate database and campaign information:

http://www.gp.org/elections.shtml

 

• News Center http://www.gp.org/newscenter.shtml

 

• Speakers Bureau http://www.gp.org/speakers

 

• Ballot Access Page http://www.gp.org/ballotstatus

 

• Livestream Channel http://www.livestream.com/greenpartyus

 

• Video Page http://www.gp.org/video/index.php

 

 

Green Pages: The official publication of record of the Green Party of

the United States (Fall 2010 issue now online)

http://gp.org/greenpages-blog

 

GREEN PARTY OF THE UNITED STATES RESPONSE TO STATE OF THE UNION

GREEN PARTY OF THE UNITED STATES RESPONSE TO STATE OF THE UNION

http://www.gp.org

 

 

 

Tuesday, January 25, 2011

 

Contacts:

Scott McLarty, Media Coordinator, cell 202-904-7614, mclarty@greens.org

Starlene Rankin, Media Coordinator, 916-995-3805, starlene@gp.org

 

 

Green Party leaders respond to Obama’s State of the Union speech

 

• Green Party LIVESTREAM: Greens discuss the speech during tonight’s

broadcast, 9 pm ET / 6 pm PT http://www.livestream.com/greenpartyus

 

• Greens on solving the deficit: end the wars, cut the military

budget, tax the rich.  Greens on solving the health care crisis: enact

Medicare For All.  Greens on jobs: a ‘Green New Deal’ with massive

public investment in green jobs and clean energy.

 

 

WASHINGTON, DC — The Green Party leaders offered comments on

President Obama’s 2011 State of the Union speech to Congress and the

nation, scheduled for Tuesday, January 25.  The Green response covers

major issues the President will discuss in his speech, as well as

topics he won’t address.

 

The Green Party will air an online livestream with party members

discussing the State of the Union, beginning at 9 pm ET, 6 pm PT, and

running concurrently with the speech.  Viewers can watch and

participate on the Green Party Livestream channel

(http://www.livestream.com/greenpartyus).  Call-in comments will be

accepted on Skype after the speech ends.

 

“There’s a lot of talk about Democrats and Republicans ‘reaching

across the aisle’ during the State of the Union.  What about the gap

between Washington and the rest of the country, much wider than the

aisle between the two Titanic parties?” said Carl Romanelli, 2006

Green candidate for the US Senate in Pennsylvania.

 

HEALTH CARE

 

Should the Democratic health care reform bill be repealed?  Yes, say

Greens, and replaced with a Medicare For All plan — legislation for

single-payer national health care, covering everyone regardless of

ability to pay, age, or prior medical condition, while allowing

freedom to choose one’s physician and hospital.  Medicare For All

reduces costs dramatically by enabling price controls and because

Medicare’s overhead is only about 3%, while the for-profit health

insurance bureaucracy — the real “death panels” — pad costs by up to

30% for administrative overhead, executive bonuses, and profits for

investors.  Medicare For All would help business and stimulate the

economy by relieving employers of the burden of providing health

benefits.

 

Obamacare and the Republicans’ effort to overturn it demonstrate that

the leadership of both parties care more about profits for the

insurance cartel, Big Pharma, and other corporate interests than

high-quality low-cost health care for everyone.  The Obamacare mandate

(originally a Republican idea from the 1990s) forces people who can’t

afford it to purchase defective, inadequate coverage from private

insurance companies, while doing nothing about skyrocketing costs.

 

The narrow Democrat vs. Republican debate on health care, which

refuses to allow even the argument for Medicare For All, proves the

need to get Greens elected to Congress and state legislatures.

 

THE ECONOMY

 

There are millions of jobs waiting to be created in alternative

energy, retrofitting of buildings and other forms of conservation, and

expansion of public transportation to reduce car traffic, say Greens,

but this can only happen with a ‘Green New Deal’ with public

investment in these ideas at national, state, and local levels.  All

of the Green New Deal proposals have become vitally necessary in the

century of global warming.  See “Fast Forward to Renewable Energy” by

Cecile Lawrence (http://www.greenpapers.net/?p=58).

 

Such measures face a huge political obstacle: opposition from

Republicans and “moderate” Democrats who insist — contrary to all

evidence — that the best way to stimulate the economy is to reduce

government spending (by $100 billion, according to the GOP), slash

taxes on the highest income brackets, privatize essential public

services and resources, and send taxpayer-funded bailouts to reckless

Wall Street firms.

 

The White House and Congress can reduce the deficit drastically by

ending the wars and occupations in Afghanistan and Iraq, cutting

military spending and the number of US bases on foreign soil, and

taxing the wealthy so that they pay their fair share.  Future

meltdowns can be averted by breaking up the “too big to fail”

financial firms into smaller locally-based companies.  The Green

Party’s goal of a decentralized economy, based on Main Street rather

the Wall Street, will restore economic stability and security to the

US.

 

Instead of shilling for Wal-Mart’s grocery section, First Lady

Michelle Obama would do far more good by promoting local produce,

small farms and businesses, local banks and credit unions, union jobs

with good benefits at stores like Walmart, extended compensation for

the unemployed, and aid for people dealing with home foreclosures,

said Greens.  Ms. Obama’s promotion of Walmart coincides with efforts

by the chain to open four department stores in Washington, DC, over

the objections of many local residents and merchants.

 

CORPORATE ‘PERSONHOOD’

 

On the one-year anniversary of the Supreme Court’s Citizens United

decision upholding the legal status of corporations as person under

the US Constitution, Green Party leader Sarah ‘echo’ Steiner announced

that she intends to take the Supreme Court at its word and honor her

marriage when she finds a suitable candidate.  See “First Ever

Marriage to a Corporation Contemplated by Single, Female, 39″ (Jan. 18

press release, http://www.gp.org/press/pr-national.php?ID=384), as

well as an interview and other links on the Green Party’s home page

(http://www.gp.org).

 

The decision, which abolished limits on corporate spending for

political campaign ads, severely damages the integrity of US elections

and caused a flood of misleading and offensive corporate-sponsored ads

in the 2010 election season.

 

President Obama and some other Democrats initially criticized the

Citizens United ruling but have taken no further action.  Greens have

urged the President and Congress to recognize that the growing power

of corporations threatens democracy, economic stability, and human

rights and freedoms in the US and abroad.  The Green Party, along with

Move To Amend (http://www.movetoamend.org), supports passage of an

amendment that limits constitutional rights and protections to humans

and makes corporations accountable to their own charters and to the

public good.

 

 

MORE INFORMATION

 

Green Party of the United States http://www.gp.org

202-319-7191, 866-41GREEN

• Green candidate database and campaign information:

http://www.gp.org/elections.shtml

• Green Party News Center http://www.gp.org/newscenter.shtml

• Green Party Speakers Bureau http://www.gp.org/speakers

• Green Party ballot access page http://www.gp.org/ballotstatus

• Green Party Livestream Channel http://www.livestream.com/greenpartyus

 

Green Pages: The official publication of record of the Green Party of

the United States (Fall 2010 issue now online)

http://gp.org/greenpages-blog

Como Debe Ser EEUU/How USA Should Be [Anonimo/Anonymous]

ARIZONA GREEN PARTY (AZGP) LEADERS/MOMS CALL FOR COMPREHENSIVE IMMIGRATION

(Distributed by the Green Party of the United States, http://www.gp.org)

Arizona Green Party (AZGP) * P.O. Box 60173, Phoenix, AZ 85082 * (602) 417-0213
* http://azgp.org

 

Media contacts:
Erik Andersen, AZGP Media coordinator, (623) 399-5490, egand112@yahoo.com
Angel Torres, AZGP co-chair, (623) 202-3747, info@azgp.org
Celeste Castorena, AZGP at-large member, (602) 430-9714 (bilingual media
contact)
ARIZONA GREEN PARTY (AZGP) LEADERS/MOMS CALL FOR COMPREHENSIVE IMMIGRATION
REFORM
Phoenix, AZ—In honor of Mother’s Day, Arizona Green Party (AZGP) leaders &
mothers formerly oppose SB 1070 (Arizona’s new anti-immigrant legislation), and
call for comprehensive immigration reform. The AZGP leaders say that they stand
firmly for social justice for all those living in this country, regardless of
their immigration status.

Linda Macias, AZGP vice co-chair, mother, and Green Party candidate for the
Arizona State Legislature (House—LD 21) says, “We need major federal reform of
our immigration laws. Immigrants come to the United States in hope of a better
life. We need to give them citizenship now and write immigration laws that are
humane and just.”

Rebecca DeWitt, AZGP secretary, mother, and Green Party candidate for U.S.
Congress (CD 4) commented, “Government should protect and serve the individual,
not terrorize them. Our U.S. Constitution protects the rights of everyone in the
country, whether they are native-born or immigrant.”

The AZGP leaders also state that Arizona’s anti-immigrant legislation does not
address the root causes of migration: poverty, lack of economic opportunity, war
and political conflict, and environmental devastation.

Angel Torres, AZGP state co-chair, Teamsters union steward, and Green Party
candidate for the Arizona State Legislature (House—LD 16) says, “As a Puerto
Rican/Xicano and life-long Arizonan, SB 1070 is an insult to me, my family and
the entire Latino community. To scapegoat or racially profile an entire
community does not solve the problem. Our economic and immigration policies need
to serve the interests of all working-class folks, not the interests of the
corporations.”

The Arizona Green Party (AZGP) encourages all Arizonans to join the grassroots
movement to overturn SB 1070, and organize for comprehensive immigration reform.
Our mission is to build and sustain an alternative, progressive political party
that promotes and practices the Ten Key Values. We do not accept corporate
donations and uniquely rely on the generosity of individual donors and
volunteers. The four pillars of the Green Party are Grassroots Democracy, Social
Justice, Non-violence and Ecological Wisdom.

US Greens congratulate Caroline Lucas, the UK’s first Green Party

US Greens congratulate Caroline Lucas, the UK’s first Green Party
member of Parliament, on her election victory

• Colombian Green presidential candidate Antanas Mockus holds a strong
lead in polls, may become the first Green Party head of a national
government

• Green Party Speakers Bureau: Greens available to speak on foreign
policy http://www.gp.org/speakers/speakers-foreign-policy.php

• The Green Party’s 2010 Annual National Meeting, Detroit, Michigan,
June 24-27 http://greenpartymeeting2010.wordpress.com
Media credentialing page: http://www.gp.org/forms/media
More information: 1-866-41-GREEN, office@gp.org
WASHINGTON, DC — The Green Party of the United States congratulates
Caroline Lucas and British Greens on Ms. Lucas’ election to the House
of Commons on May 6.  Ms. Lucas, the first Green member of Parliament,
will represent Brighton Pavilion.

“The election of the first Green to the British House of Commons is
cause for celebration among Greens in the US and for everyone who
wants to see a new direction in politics and an end to the
stranglehold of the pro-war pro-corporate old parties,” said Cynthia
McKinney, the Green Party’s 2008 nominee for President of the United
States and former member of the US House of Representatives from
Georgia.  “If Greens can win a seat in the UK, we can win one or more
seats in Congress here in America.”

While Ms. Lucas is the only Green Member of Parliament, the Scottish
Green Party holds two seats in the Scottish Parliament at Holyrood and
there are two Green members in the London Assembly.  13 Green city
councillors serve in Brighton and Hove.

“Caroline’s victory was not achieved by watering down the Green
message, but by standing for it firmly by advocating economic
fairness, social justice, and environmental well-being, showing that
voters will support a truly Green alternative when presented with the
option.  With this in mind, we support Caroline’s call for a
referendum on enacting proportional representation for the UK, so that
the Green Party’s true level of support can be realized,” said Mike
Feinstein, co-chair of the Green Party of the United States.  Mr.
Feinstein contributed a foreward to Ms. Lucas’ book ‘Green
Alternatives to Globalisation’ (Pluto Press, April 2004,
http://www.plutobooks.com/display.asp?K=9780745319322&).

While the Green Party of England and Wales expressed elation over the
victory, Ms. Lucas said, “[Brighton voters] have shown that they are
prepared to put their trust in the Greens, despite the overwhelming
national media focus on the three largest parties and a voting system
that is fundamentally undemocratic. I feel humbled by their trust in
me, and I am excited by this vote of confidence and I’m looking
forward to the challenging task of fully representing the voters of
Brighton.” (http://www.greenparty.org.uk/news/2010-05-07-caroline-wins.html)

Videos of Caroline Lucas are posted on the web sites of the BBC
(http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/politics/election_2010/8667032.stm)
and The Guardian
(http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/video/2010/may/07/caroline-lucas-green-party).

US Green Party leaders also noted that polls in Colombia show Antanas
Mockus, the Green Party presidential candidate, in the lead in the
Colombian national election (http://www.mediacoop.ca/story/3345).
Since the beginning of the campaign in March, Mr. Mockus moved from 9%
to 39% and now leads Juan Manuel Santos of the ruling ‘U’ Party by 12
percentage points going into Colombia’s first ballot.

If Antanas Mockus maintains his lead, he will become the first ever
Green Party head of a national government.  Mr. Mockus, former mayor
of Bogota, is credited with leading the ‘Bogota Miracle,’ which
revitalized a crime-ridden city with sprawling slums.
MORE INFORMATION

Green Party of the United States http://www.gp.org
202-319-7191, 866-41GREEN
• Green candidate database and campaign information:
http://www.gp.org/elections.shtml
• Green Party News Center http://www.gp.org/newscenter.shtml
• Green Party Speakers Bureau http://www.gp.org/speakers
• Green Party ballot access page http://www.gp.org/2008-elections
• Green Party Livestream Channel http://www.livestream.com/greenpartyus

Caroline Lucas’ web site http://www.carolinelucas.com/cl.html

Green Party of the United States: International Committee
http://www.gp.org/committees/intl

“Historic win for Greens in tight Brighton race”
The Guardian (UK), May 7, 2010
http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2010/may/07/greens-historic-win-brighton

The Green Party’s 2010 Annual National Meeting, Detroit, Michigan,
June 24-27 http://greenpartymeeting2010.wordpress.com
Media credentialing page: http://www.gp.org/forms/media
More information: 1-866-41-GREEN, office@gp.org

Green Pages: The official publication of record of the Green Party of
the United States
Winter 2010 issue now online
http://gp.org/greenpages-blog

GREEN PARTY OF THE UNITED STATES

GREEN PARTY OF THE UNITED STATES
http://www.gp.org

 

Contacts:
Scott McLarty, Media Coordinator, 202-518-5624, cell 202-904-7614,
mclarty@greens.org
Starlene Rankin, Media Coordinator, 916-995-3805, starlene@gp.org
Wayne Turner, co-chair of the Green Party’s Annual National Meeting
Committee, 919-491-3186, build4green@nc.rr.com
The Green Party prepares for its 2010 Annual National Meeting, to take
place in Detroit, June 24-27

• Meeting theme: “Another US is possible, another party is necessary”;
Green Party meeting coincides with the US Social Forum, also in
Detroit, June 22-26

• Web site for the Green Party meeting:
http://greenpartymeeting2010.wordpress.com

• Media credentialing page: http://www.gp.org/forms/media

• Green Party Speakers Bureau: Green leaders available to speak on
various issues http://www.gp.org/speakers
WASHINGTON, DC — The Green Party of the United States will hold its
2010 Annual National Meeting in Detroit, Michigan, from Thursday, June
24 to Sunday, June 27.

The Green Party’s meeting will overlap with the United States Social
Forum (http://www.ussf2010.org), which convenes in Detroit from June
22 to 26.  Many Greens will also participate in the US Social Forum.
More than ten thousand activists, organizers, artists, and others from
the US and many more from other countries are expected to attend the
Social Forum.

For information about the Green Party meeting’s schedule of events,
registration, and lodging, visit the web site
(http://greenpartymeeting2010.wordpress.com).  The Media Credentialing
page is also online (http://www.gp.org/forms/media).  Reporters are
encouraged to register ahead of time, but media registration will also
take place on-site.

National, state, and local Green Party leaders, Green candidates, and
many others will participate in the Detroit meeting, which will be
hosted by local Greens and the Green Party of Michigan
(http://www.migreens.org).  Plenary sessions, press conferences,
workshops, committees, public forums, and other features are now being
planned for the meeting.  For more information about meeting events,
contact the Green Party’s national office at office@gp.org or
1-866-41-GREEN.

The slogan for the Green Party meeting is “Another US is possible,
another party is necessary” — similar to the Social Forum motto,
“Another world is possible.”

The Green Party’s 2009 Annual National Meeting took place in Durham,
North Carolina.  The 2008 meeting, which was the party’s Presidential
Nominating Convention, was held in Chicago, Illinois.
MORE INFORMATION

Green Party of the United States http://www.gp.org
202-319-7191, 866-41GREEN
• Green candidate database and campaign information:
http://www.gp.org/elections.shtml
• Green Party News Center http://www.gp.org/newscenter.shtml
• Green Party Speakers Bureau http://www.gp.org/speakers
• Green Party ballot access page http://www.gp.org/2008-elections
• Green Party Livestream Channel http://www.livestream.com/greenpartyus

Audio announcements for the US Social Forum http://soundcloud.com/ussocialforum

Green Pages: The official publication of record of the Green Party of
the United States
Winter 2010 issue now online
http://gp.org/greenpages-blog

A Message from the Green Party USA

 

 

 

This week, the Obama Administration rolled out a plan to throw another trillion dollars at banks.  That’s $1,000,000,000,000, going to companies largely responsible for the current recession.

Government should be holding the financial sector accountable for the damage that’s been done to the economy, for the millions of lost jobs in recent months.  Government should be directly helping people at risk, many of whom made no substantial mistakes but have lost their jobs or their savings anyway.  But government is prioritizing Wall Street over Main Street.

This isn’t the change that so many Americans clamored for a few short months ago.  This new wrinkle to trickle-down economics isn’t going to inspire hope.

The real change is the change offered by the Green Party.  The real hope is in the Green Party’s genuine vision for a sustainable future.

The Green Party needs your help to make this sustainable future a reality.  Unlike the other parties, we don’t take contributions from the corporations we’re forking billions of dollars over to.  In fact, we don’t take contributions from any corporations at all.  So we are extremely reliant on average Americans, the very people facing uncertain futures right now.

This is why we urge those of you who are able to give to the Green Party of the United States today.  We too are facing mounting bills and pressure to stay afloat through the down cycle in the economy.  And we understand too that many other groups are facing similar prospects and have similar needs.  We can’t say that those other groups aren’t important.  But we can say why the Green Party is, and why the success of the Green Party is so critical as our nation teeters.

The Green Party is still the largest political party in the United States which is dedicated to establishing Single Payer Universal Health Coverage.  As more people lose their jobs, the necessity for access to health care becomes increasingly dire, but the Obama Administration keeps signaling new handouts to insurance companies as their preferred option.  Green momentum is critical to push Washington toward the solution that people actually want. The Green Party is still demanding that we get out of Iraq and Afghanistan, slash the Pentagon’s budget, and use that money to help the American people.  But the Obama Administration hedges on Iraq, and sends more combat troops to Afghanistan, while expanding the war across the Pakistani border.  This is costing more American lives and billions of American dollars.  Green momentum is essential to confront Obama with the reality that he’s not doing what the people want.

Without the Green voice calling out the federal government on economic policy, health care, and foreign policy, the corporate voices ring that much louder.  We can’t afford for them to pocket any more of our money – and be sure that we’ll be paying for all of it.

We are not the alternative – we are the imperative.  Rosa Clemente

Partido Verde y San Patricio

Green Party Calls Upon Bard College Not to Terminate Dr. Joel Kovel Accuses College of Dismissing Kovel for Writings on Zionism and Israel

Green Party of New York State http://www.web.gpnys.com

Wednesday, February 25, 2009

 

Contacts:

Peter LaVenia, chair2@gpnys.org, 518-463-8653

Eric Jones, chair@gpnys.org, 716-908-5226

 

 

Green Party Calls Upon Bard College Not to Terminate Dr. Joel Kovel

 

Accuses College of Dismissing Kovel for Writings on Zionism and Israel

 

 

The Green Party of New York State condemns the recent termination of

Dr. Joel Kovel by Bard College after 20 years on its faculty. We agree

with Dr. Kovel, a former Green Party candidate for the U.S. Senate

from New York, that this termination appears to be motivated by

political considerations, notably his outspoken criticism in recent

years of Zionism and Israeli policy. This incident is part of an

escalating attack in America on academics who are critical of Israel’s

behavior in the occupied Palestinian territories. The Party calls on

Bard College to immediately reinstate Dr. Kovel and restore its

reputation as one of the most open and intellectually diverse campuses

in the nation.

 

“A fundamental principle of mine is that the educator must criticize

the injustices of the world, whether or not this involves him or her

in conflict with the powers that be,” noted Dr. Kovel. “The systematic

failure of the academy to do so plays no small role in the

perpetuation of injustice and state violence. In no sphere of

political action does this principle apply more vigorously than with

the question of Zionism; and in no country is this issue more

strategically important than in the United States, given the fact that

United States support is necessary for Israel’s behavior.”

 

Dr. Kovel, who is Jewish, practiced psychiatry and psychoanalysis for

twenty-four years. In 1988 he was appointed to the Alger Hiss Chair of

Social Studies at Bard College. He has published over a hundred

articles and essays and nine books, including White Racism, which was

nominated for a National Book Award in 1972. More recently, he has

obtained national attention for his writings on ecosocialism,

including the acclaimed book, The Enemy of Nature.

While Bard defends its action on the grounds of budgetary constraints,

Dr. Kovel said that his problems with the Bard administration began

shortly after he published an article in 2002 entitled “Zionism’s Bad

Conscience.” In 2003, after the publication of another article on the

“one-state solution” in Israel/Palestine — which would grant full

equal rights to all residents, whether Israeli or Palestinian — he

was informed by the Dean and Executive Vice-President of the college

that he would henceforth be employed half-time.

 

In 2007, after publication by The University of Michigan of his book

Overcoming Zionism, Dr. Kovel came under attack by various

pro-Israeli groups and the book was pulled from distribution.

Bard College did

nothing during this period to defend or protect his rights as a

faculty member — a highly unusual act by any institution of higher

learning. Only public outcry forced the publisher to reinstate the

work. Finally, the committee to review his contract this year included

the campus’ Protestant chaplain, Professor Bruce Chilton, an outspoken

member of pro-Zionist circles.

 

“This is an act that has disturbing implications for any scholar that

questions the orthodoxy on Zionism,” said Green Party of New York

State co-chair Peter LaVenia. “Professor Norman Finkelstein was denied

tenure at DePaul University in 2007 because of his numerous works

questioning Zionism and Israeli policies. Professors John Mearsheimer

and Stephen Walt — both hardly political radicals — have been

shunned from numerous speaking engagements because of their book, The

Israel Lobby.

 

“The academy is supposed to be a place where controversial ideas are

welcomed as contributing to knowledge, debate, and discussion: the

foundation of any involved democratic citizenry,” continued Mr.

LaVenia. “This is a systematic attempt by disapproving members of the

public and academic administrations to silence a point of view with

which they disagree.”

 

“I take the view that Israeli human rights abuses are deeply engrained

in a culture of impunity, granted chiefly, though not exclusively, in

the United States — which culture arises from suppression of debate

and open inquiry within those institutions, such as colleges, whose

social role it is to enlighten the public,” said Dr. Kovel.

“Therefore, if the world stands outraged at Israeli aggression in

Gaza, it should also be outraged at institutions in the United States

that grant Israel impunity. In my view, Bard College is one such

institution. It has suppressed critical engagement with Israel and

Zionism, and therefore has enabled abuses such as have occurred and

are occurring in Gaza.”

Blago Should Go

INTRODUCTION

The State of Illinois has been in the news recently and it is not because of the recent election and innauguration of Barack Obama as President. Illinois has a Governor whose name is Rod Blagojevich and he is fighting attempts at impeachment and resignation. Blagojevich or Blago is not fighting it at home but with a World Tour [using the phrase of the Libertarian Party of Illinois] which took him to “Good Morning America”, “The View”, “Larry King Live”, and Fox News Channel.

THE STORY AND ITS CAUSE

The problem with Blagojevich was that he attempted to sell Barack Obama’s vacant senate seat to the highest bidder. This lead to his arrest by the Federal Government and has made Illinois a laughing stock of the world. It also undercuts Blagojevich’s promise that he would be a catalyst for change. He has bought time by sending to the Senate Seat a respectable person called Mr. Burris. Mr. Burris was appointed by Blagojevich and was almost turned away by Reid [a Nevada Lawmaker in Washington DC].

What gave Blagojevich a reprieve were telehone conversations between Reid and Blagojevich which stated that Reid preferred Lisa Madigan [a White Anglo-Saxon] over Jesse Jackson Jr. [an African American] because Ms. Madigan was “electable”. Regardless, the problem has not been resolved even with Blago declaring that he offered the Senate Seat to Oprah Winfrey.

Rod Blagojevich has also been accused of committing mail fraud, attempts to bribe the Chicago Tribune with funds from the State of Illinois, and attempting to obtain campaign contributions from the Children’s Memorial Hospital.

What is Rod Blagojevich to do in the face of what has transpired? He should resign his office and admit that the political process in Illinois governed by Republicans and Democrats is a mess. The Governing Elite in Illinois should also resign as well.

RESIGN

Rod Blagojevich should resign since he has abused the powers that were conferred to him in two elections. He has abused the trust that the people of Illinois placed on him. He has done a lot for the people but his mistakes would have forced someone else out a long time ago.

Mr. Blagojevich should resign since he attempted to sell a Senate Seat, bribe a member of the media, commit mail fraud, and attempt to obtain contributions in an illegal matter from a Children’s Hospital.

Another reason he should resign is that he does not represent all of the people of Illinois including minor parties.

Rod Blagojevich [as well

as the Powers in Illinois] have excluded the Green Party of Illinois from the gubernatorial debate of 2006. This is a flagrant violation of human rights against those who believe that different viewpoints should be heard. It appears that such a different opinion includes the need for transparent government.

For those not familiar with this scandal, Blagojevich and the Republican Candidate for Governor of Illinois in 2006 whose name was Judy Baar Topinka committed themselves orally to a debate in Southern Illinois. The debate was sponsored by the Paul Simon Public Library Institute and WSIU. Both Blagojevich and Topinka pulled out at the last minute because they could not debate a Green Party Candidate.

Dave Brady [who is the State Chair of the Libertarian Party of Illinois] has commented about the “outrageous” and “arrogant” behaviour of Blagojevich and other elected officials in Illinois. He also commented on the “abuse of public trust” by politicians while “enriching” themselves.

I agree with Mr. Brady that the culture of “anything goes” by the Republicans and Democrats have gone too far and that Blagojevich should pay the same price as his predecessors. Mr. Blagojevich should resign with dignity and accept whatever sentence that is handed out. The Govenrment of Illinois should do the same thing as well and there should be special elections in which ALL Political Parties are included.

Reference:

http://www.il.lp.org/

http://hillbuzz.wordpress.com /2009/01/03/is-harry-reid-a-ra cist/

http://www.ballot-access.org/ 2006/110106.html

http://www.whitneyforgov.org/ joomla/index.php?option=com_co ntent&task=view&id=1&a mp;Itemid=9