{news} Wisconsin Greens seek referendum on US troop withdrawal

[Green Party-CT]

Scott McLarty <scottmclarty at yahoo.com> wrote:From: Scott McLarty <scottmclarty at yahoo.com>
To: natlcomaffairs at green.gpus.org, media-states at lists.gp-us.org,
organize at lists.votecobb.org, lavender-caucus at green.gpus.org
Subject: [media-states] RELEASE Wisconsin Greens seek referendum on US troop withdrawal
Date: Thu, 26 May 2005 21:55:57 -0700 (PDT)

Wisconsin Green Party
http://www.wisconsingreenparty.org

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE May 25th, 2005

Contact: Jeff Peterson, Campaign Coordinator,
Referendum on Troop Withdrawal from Iraq
715.472.2728
Jill Bussiere, Co-Chair, Wisconsin Green Party
920.388.0529, cell - 920.255.2175,
jdt at wisconsingreenparty.org


Greens Launch Effort for Referendum on Troop
Withdrawal


The Wisconsin Green Party announced today that it
will work with citizens across the state to place
an advisory referendum on as many local ballots
as possible in next spring's election asking
voters the question, "Should the United States
begin an immediate, phased withdrawal of its
troops from Iraq?"

Jeff Peterson, of Luck, will coordinate the
various efforts around the state, most of which
will involve convincing county boards to give
their constituents the opportunity to weigh in on
the war. "We intentionally crafted a referendum
that is neutral in its language," said Peterson.
"We’re not trying to put local elected officials
on the spot by forcing them to take a stand on
the war. We just think that, after two years, it
would be the democratic thing to do to allow
average citizens to weigh in on the Iraq
situation."

Peterson, who was the Green Party's candidate for
lieutenant governor in 2004, said he expects the
idea of a voter referendum to receive an
enthusiastic response not only from local Green
Party chapters, but also from the informal
network of peace and justice groups that have
sprung up around the state in recent years. They
will also reach out, he said, to families with
loved ones in the military.

Wisconsin law permits statewide referenda of an
advisory nature, but only with the legislature's
approval. Because that can be difficult, many
referenda questions are submitted at the county
level. In last April's election, for example, the
Wisconsin Counties Association succeeded in
getting two questions regarding state funding of
court and social service systems on the ballot in
almost every county. Both questions passed
overwhelmingly.

Cities and villages may also vote to put
referenda on their ballots; they are obliged to
do so when presented with petitions containing
signatures totalling 15% of the vote for governor
in the last election.

Wisconsin Green Party Co-Chair Jill Bussiere of
Kewaunee thinks people are ready to have a say on
the war. "We've had countless vigils and marches
and protests," she said, "but too often they go
unreported by the media. I think if the majority
of those voting next April 4 vote in favor of
withdrawing our troops from Iraq, that will send
a strong message to our national elected
representatives in Washington."

While their proposed referendum may be worded in
neutral language, the Green Party is anything but
neutral on issues of war and peace. One of what
they call their "key values" is nonviolence, and
Greens were among the earliest and most outspoken
critics of the Bush administration's decision to
invade Iraq. And while theirs may have been the
minority view two years ago, Bussiere says she
thinks people are growing weary of a war that
appears as if it has no end.

"There are still some people who think that, to
support the troops, you have to support the war,
too," she said. "I think the best way to show
support for our troops is to make every effort to
bring them home as soon as possible."


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      THE GREEN PARTY OF CONNECTICUT is the third largest political party in CT. The Greens are also the third largest political party in the US, with 220 Greens officeholders in 27 states. Over 80 countries in world have Green Parties. Wangari Maathai, the 2004 winner of the Nobel Peace Prize, is Kenya's assistant minister for environment and an elected Green Party member.
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