{news} GP RELEASE Greens respond to Bush State of the Union & Dem rebuttal

Thu Jan 25 15:02:44 EST 2007

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

For Immediate Release:
Thursday, January 25, 2007

Contacts:
Scott McLarty, Media Coordinator, 202-518-5624,
mclarty at greens.org
Starlene Rankin, Media Coordinator, 916-995-3805,
starlene at gp.org

Green Party leaders respond to President Bush's
State of the Union address and to the Democratic
Party's rebuttal

Nan Garrett, co-chair of the Georgia Green Party,
co-chair of the National Women's Caucus of the
Green Party: "President Bush opened his State of
the Union address with a plea for bipartisanship.
 Bipartisan blind faith in the White House's
dishonest justifications for invading Iraq
resulted in more than 3,000 U.S. troop deaths,
hundreds of thousands of dead Iraqi civilians,
and worldwide anger against the U.S. 
Bipartisanship too often means a conspiracy
between two corporate political parties against
the partisan interests of the American people,
and it's one of the best arguments for multiparty
democracy.  Sen. Jim Webb (D-Va.), in his
Democratic rebuttal to Mr. Bush, was right when
he recalled the Robber Baron Era -- but he failed
to note that both Democrats and Republicans have
placed themselves on the side of the robber
barons, stealing from the middle class and poor
people for the benefit of corporate interests. 
The Green Party now represents majority opinion
on the Iraq war and on health coverage, according
to polls."
http://www.gp.org/press/pr_2007_01_22.shtml
http://www.gp.org/press/pr_2006_11_13.shtml

Ron Hardy, co-chair of the Wisconsin Green Party
(which initiated and campaigned for a 'Bring the
Troops Home initiative,' resulting in 34 out of
42 municipalities voting for U.S. troop
withdrawal): "President Bush said that Americans
'didn't vote for failure' in Iraq -- but failure
is inevitable in a war of aggression that was
justified by lies, and which weakened U.S.
security by inflaming anger against us in Iraq,
in the Middle East, and around the world.  The
only way to support our troops is to bring them
home now.  The Green Party demands immediate
withdrawal of U.S. forces, we demand that
Congress stop funding for all U.S. military
operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, we demand an
end to military threats against Iran, and we
demand a cutoff of aid to Israel until Israel
ends its illegal and murderous occupation of
Palestinian lands and violations of human
rights."
http://www.gp.org/press/pr_2006_12_19.shtml

Sylvia Inwood, chair of the Green Party of
Michigan: "The Green Party has shown political
leadership in opposing President Bush's
disastrous foreign policies, while Democrats
acquiesced to the Bush agenda.  Green candidates
and party leaders spoke out against the war from
the very beginning, while Democrats fell over
themselves supporting the invasion.  Democrats
like Hillary Clinton -- who a year ago
recommended sending 80,000 more U.S. troops to
Iraq -- only turned against the Iraq war when it
became a political liability, and most Democrats
still base their opposition solely on the Bush
Administration's strategic mistakes.  The
invasion itself was a crime and an abuse of
power, regardless of military strategy.  Only
impeachment will restore the rule of law, but
even Democrats like Rep. John Conyers [Mich.],
after compiling evidence of impeachable crimes,
have retreated from holding President Bush and
Vice President Cheney accountable."
http://www.gp.org/press/pr_2007_01_03.shtml
http://www.gp.org/press/pr_2006_12_11.shtml

Rebecca Rotzler, co-chair of the Green Party of
the United States and Deputy Mayor of New Paltz,
New York (which recently passed a resolution in
favor of impeachment): "The only winners in the
Iraq war are U.S. oil companies, arms
manufacturers, and military contractors like
Halliburton and Blackwater.  Oil companies like
Exxon Mobil, Texaco, Chevron, and BP stand to
make billions thanks to a proposed law giving
them lucrative 30-year contracts allowing access
to Iraqi oil.  The billions of dollars these
corporations have made and stand to make from the
U.S. invasion of Iraq prove that this was 'blood
for oil' all along.  President Bush's proposal to
send 21,000 more troops is part of a plan to keep
U.S. forces in Iraq for the long haul, to protect
American corporate investments and maintain
political control in the region."
http://www.gp.org/press/pr_2007_01_10.shtml

Starlene Rankin, Lavender Green Caucus delegate
to the Green Party's national committee: "The
greatest obstacle to health care is the backroom
deal between the Democrats and Republicans to
maintain control by private HMO and insurance
companies over our health coverage.  Despite
President Bush's State of the Union promises,
proposals like Medical Savings Accounts will not
help uninsured low-income Americans who lack
coverage, and would even penalize working people
who do enjoy good coverage.  But most Democrats,
offering only modest alternatives and reforms
that leave private HMOs and insurance firms in
charge, are refusing to consider single-payer
national health insurance, despite polls and
recent government figures
<http://www.citizenshealthcare.gov/recommendations/finalrecs.php>
showing that a majority of Americans would
welcome such a program.  The Green Party strongly
supports single-payer, and our state and local
candidates have made state-based single-payer
plans a top priority in their campaigns."
http://www.gp.org/press/pr_2006_11_27.shtml
http://www.gp.org/press/pr_2006_08_24.shtml
http://www.zmag.org/content/showarticle.cfm?ItemID=11305
http://www.phnp.org

Liz Arnone, co-chair of the Green Party of the
United States: "We agree with President Bush that
the U.S. must drastically reduce our dependence
on foreign oil, but this is only part of the
greater crisis of energy consumption.  Our first
priority should be conservation -- diminishing
our energy use -- as all of our consumption
options have consequences for our sustained
survival on earth.  We should implement policies
such as carbon taxes, increased public
transportation, zero emission regulations for
cars, reorganization of economic policies and
land use to discourage car traffic, and other
innovative, ecologically sound solutions."
http://www.gp.org/press/pr_2006_07_19.shtml

Jim Coplen, co-chair of the Green Party of the
United States: "President Bush never mentioned
New Orleans and Sen. Webb only named it in
passing, but the federal response to the
devastation caused by hurricanes Katrina and Rita
remain the greatest evidence of the Bush
Administration's indifference to Americans
without power and wealth.  The disaster
continues.  Middle- and low-income residents of
New Orleans are being systematically compelled,
through economic pressure and eviction, to give
up their homes to big developers.  The first
priority after the storms should have been
helping residents return to their homes, or at
least to their own neighborhoods.  It's not too
late to prevent an old city with a complex,
unique culture from being replaced by a theme
park.  We challenge Congress and the White House
to stand up for the rights of the people of New
Orleans."
http://www.gp.org/press/pr_2006_03_02.shtml

MORE INFORMATION

Green Party of the United States
http://www.gp.org
1700 Connecticut Avenue NW, Suite 404
Washington, DC 20009.
202-319-7191, 866-41GREEN
Fax 202-319-7193
Green Party News Center
http://www.gp.org/newscenter.shtml

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