Date: Wed, 07 Aug 2002 09:17:53 -0400 From: carol@carolmoore.net (Carol Moore) Subject: [libs4peace] GREEN PARTY RELEASE Senate hearings on Iraq invasion a 'sham,' say To: lpus-plat-iv@dehnbase.org ( LP Plat ForPol), libs4peace@yahoogroups.com (L4P ), organize-libs4peace@yahoogroups.com ( "L4P-O!"), LPNCpeace@yahoogroups.com (LPNCpeace ), WarLibertarians@yahoogroups.com (War/ReallyPeace/Libs) Cc: GeorgeGetz@hq.lp.org ( George Getz), stevedasbach@hq.lp.org (Steve Dasbach )
> THE GREEN PARTY OF THE UNITED STATES
>
> MEDIA RELEASE
> For immediate release:
> Wednesday, August 7, 2002
>
> Contacts:
> Nancy Allen, Media Coordinator, 207-326-4576,
> nallen@acadia.net
> Scott McLarty, Media Coordinator, 202-518-5624,
> scottmclarty@yahoo.com
>
> GREEN PARTY CALLS SENATE HEARINGS ON IRAQ A 'SHAM'
>
> Greens demand that critics of Bush's intended invasion
> be included in hearings, especially UN weapons
> inspectors
>
> WASHINGTON, DC -- Warning that a U.S. invasion of Iraq
> would violate international law, candidates and other
> members of the Green Party of the United States called
> on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee to reopen
> hearings on President Bush's planned war against
> Iraq. Greens demanded that the hearings be open to
> dissenting voices, including former U.N. weapons
> inspectors who could provide an adequate analysis of
> the security threat posed by Iraq.
>
> "Sen. Joe Biden [D.-Del., chair of the hearing]
> excluded anyone who opposes Bush's policy on Iraq, or
> who might have offered a realistic assessment of
> Iraq's military and chemical weapons capability or the
> human costs of an invasion," said Holly Hart, Green
> Party candidate for Lieutenant Governor of Iowa.
> "Instead, we heard Caspar Weinberger, a pardoned
> criminal, repeat the Bush line. Americans deserve to
> hear a real debate before we sacrifice lives on both
> sides in a military venture that could cause a shock
> to the U.S. and world economy, destabilize the region,
> and flare up into a greater war involving dozens of
> nations."
>
> Jennifer Daniels, Green candidate for Lieutenant
> Governor of New York, said that "[Bush's] strategy
> places the U.S. in the position of becoming the very
> threat it opposes. The present U.S. strategy makes us
> all less safe."
>
> Former U.N. weapons inspector Scott Ritter, who spent
> seven years investigating Iraq's weapons program
> before resigning in protest over U.S.-led economic
> sanctions, has repeatedly stated that Iraq neither
> possesses weapons of mass destruction nor maintains
> ties to international terrorism. NATO asked Ritter
> (who is Republican) to testify shortly after Secretary
> of Defense Donald Rumsfeld asserted that Iraq posed a
> security threat. After Rumsfeld's presentation, 16 of
> the 19 NATO nations wrote letters of complaint to the
> U.S. government about Rumsfeld's comments and about
> Bush's justification for war.
>
> "We're not only concerned about massive U.S.
> casualties in our armed forces, but about the
> slaughter of Iraqi civilians," said Rahul Mahajan,
> Green candidate for Governor of Texas. "6,000 Iraqi
> children a month are already dying from the economic
> sanctions, according to the U.N. Children's Fund. Two
> years ago the Pentagon estimated that about 10,000
> Iraqi civilians could be killed in such a war.
> Destruction of Iraq's water supplies, medical care,
> electricity, and other infrastructure could lead to
> hundreds of thousands of additional deaths, especially
> among children and the elderly."
>
> "A unilateral invasion would violate international law
> and the U.N. charter, as well as the U.S.'s
> constitutional limit on the use of armed forces for
> defense," said Steve Greenfield, New York Green
> candidate for the 22nd Congressional District. "It
> has no support among our European allies. Secretary
> of State Colin Powell, CIA chief George Tenet, and
> numerous military officials and experts are skeptical.
> There's no credible evidence of a threat to American
> security. Such a war would further destabilize the
> Middle East, could lead to the overthrow of other
> governments in the area, and is unlikely to promote
> democracy in Iraq or its neighbors."
>
> "This war is being launched for political reasons, and
> without Congress's required approval," added Margart
> Lewis, Green candidate for Congress in the New York's
> 20th District. "Only Congress has the constitutional
> power to declare war, regardless of earlier 'blank
> checks.' Bush is furthermore using the invasion as an
> excuse to drill for oil in the Arctic National
> Wildlife Refuge. Once a White House-mandated invasion
> is justified, all sorts of destructive policy can and
> will be enacted, and with minimal public debate."
>
> Greens note that, if the relatively short Persian Gulf
> War cost $80 billion, then the invasion, extended
> occupation, and rebuilding of Iraq would likely cost
> the U.S. far more, further diverting taxpayer money
> from needed domestic investment in schools, health
> care, and the environment.
>
> "Our Arab allies, already encountering strong
> anti-American sentiment at home because of U.S.
> support for Israel, not only fear domestic rebellions,
> but will demand huge pay-offs from the U.S.,"
> explained Tim Harthans, Iowa Green candidate for the
> U.S. Senate. "Jordan says that it wants the U.S. to
> help make up for the loss it would suffer if the
> discount-price oil it gets from Iraq is cut off. The
> cost of the Gulf War and the resulting rise in oil
> prices led to an economic recession. An invasion of
> Iraq will have even a worse effect on the troubled
> U.S. economy."
>
> "The Bush Administration is planning this invasion
> with no exit strategy," said Dick Kaiser, who is
> seeking a House seat in Wisconsin's 8th District .
> "Saddam's successor is likely to be military strong
> man with the same kind of bloody past and disregard
> for law and life. We didn't see democracy, human
> rights, or equality for women in Kuwait after the
> Persian Gulf War, either."
>
> "Even Britain, America's staunchest ally, does not
> support war for the sake of 'regime change,'" said Dr.
> Jonathan Farley, a Tennessee Green candidate for
> Congress currently visiting England on a Fulbright
> scholarship. "This war is illegal and immoral, and
> I'm against it."
>
> "The Senate needs to protect the interests of the
> American people and the world community, not provide
> political cover to President Bush," added Pennsylvania
> Green activist Carl Romanelli. "It's not enough to
> call Saddam Hussein evil incarnate."
>
> MORE INFORMATION
>
> The Green Party of the United States
> http://www.greenpartyus.org
> National office: 1314 18th Street, NW
> Washington, DC 20036
> 202-296-7755, 866-41GREEN
>
> Index of Green Party candidates in 2002
> http://www.greens.org/elections
>
> The 2002 Campaign Pledge: A Green Commitment to
> America
> Signed by Green Congressional candidates
> http://www.gpus.org/candidate_pledge.html
>
> - END -
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