Green rebuttal to the State of the Union and national and state Green statements on Ukraine

Green Party SOTU rebuttal: parties of war and Wall Street place profits before people

The Green Party rebuttal to the State of the Union, given by North Carolina U.S. Senate candidate Matthew Hoh, is available for viewing on the Matthew Hoh for Senate website. The full rebuttal is just under 30 minutes. Excerpts are posted below.

Green Party of the United States
www.gp.org

For Immediate Release:
March 3, 2022

Contact:

Michael O’Neil, Communications Manager, meo@gp.org, 202-804-2758
Diana C. Brown, Co-chair, Media Committee, media@gp.org, 202-804-2758
Philena Farley, Co-chair, Media Committee, media@gp.org, 202-804-2758

Hoh, a U.S. Marine veteran turned antiwar organizer, said, “We just witnessed during the State of the Union the two parties of war and Wall Street cheer for profits and stock prices over human life and our planet.”

“Obscenely, perhaps the loudest cheers tonight were for the killing that is occurring in Ukraine. The catastrophe in Ukraine has very nearly everything to do with liquid natural gas markets and other commercial concerns and the megalomania of those in D.C., Moscow, London and Kiev. Those, as well, are the reasons that have driven the U.S. wars, invasion, aggression and occupation throughout the Muslim world. Wars that are now mostly secret and extend from the West Coast of Africa all the way to Pakistan. Wars that may be unseen to us, but are brutal, calamitous and criminal to those living through them. Perhaps nowhere is this better displayed than in Afghanistan, of which the president made no mention tonight. [Twenty]-plus years of U.S. war in that country has led the population to be governed by the Taliban again. The people of Afghanistan are starving and freezing through the winter, and the United States has just stolen their money. This is why we say we see no difference in these wars.”

Hoh also discussed the failures of both parties to address the pandemic and climate change and provided Green Party solutions.

“We look at the climate crisis and the pandemic and we see the same reasons – decades of disuse, disinterest and disregard for human life and dignity at the expense of profit.”

“The first thing we need is an economic bill of rights that will sustain working families and will prepare us for the future that climate change will bring. This is what separates us from the two parties of war and Wall Street – our belief in human dignity and rights. We believe that healthcare, housing, education, and jobs are a human right. And we believe that our government has a duty to meet those rights.”

“We have a choice, just as decades of Republican and Democratic greed have brought us to this point. We can now choose to take back control, make things right, and ensure our future. Together, we can not only move forward, but we can rebuild, heal and prosper. Think of why you tuned in tonight to watch a Green give this rebuttal to the President. Remember who you are doing this for. And remember who is against us. We must stop this profit-taking by the parties of war and Wall Street. We must do it for ourselves, our loved ones, our neighbors and our planet.”

Green Party of the United States

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GPUS, February 25th:

Green Party Calls for Ceasefire and Diplomatic Solution to Ukraine Crisis

Greens stand in solidarity with the people of Ukraine and Russia who oppose the invasion

The Green Party is calling on the leaders of the United States, NATO and Russia to immediately initiate diplomatic talks together with Ukrainian leadership to resolve the crisis in Ukraine. On February 24, Russian President Vladimir Putin launched a ground-and-air invasion throughout Ukraine, including the capital city of Kyiv.

Green Party of the United States
www.gp.org

For Immediate Release:
Friday, February 25, 2022

Contact:

The Green Party condemns Russia’s military incursion, which is in violation of international law, regardless of real or perceived provocations. We also recognize the US government and Western powers are responsible for 30 years of provocations by failing to respect the promise to not expand NATO after the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989. This reckless antagonism between world powers has led to war with the potential for massive destruction, environmental damage and loss of life.

“The threat of all-out nuclear war is hanging over everyone. The US and other countries should be working together to combat climate change instead of fighting over resources that gain profits for the multinational corporations,” said Rita Jacobs, member of the Green Party’s Peace Action Committee (GPAX). We call on the parties involved to pursue a diplomatic solution through the United Nations, in accordance with international law. A serious solution that prioritizes the lives of Ukrainian civilians will require an immediate ceasefire, withdrawal of Russian troops, a promise of no US troops or arms in Ukraine, and a commitment to diplomacy.”

“We reject the insipid demands of US and European politicians and media to pick one side or another,” said Matthew Hoh, Green Party candidate for US Senate in North Carolina. “Rather we choose another side—the people—and condemn the decades-long policies of US, NATO, Russian, and Ukrainian leaders that have led to this point.”

“Let’s not fool ourselves, this is also about control of resources and riches among world powers,” said Margaret Elisabeth, Green Party US National Co-Chair. “Putin wants to preserve Russia’s natural gas exports while the US wants control over Europe’s spigots, and Europe teeters between desire for cheap and available gas and the need to move away from fossil fuel energy sources. Fossil-fuel addiction is so intense that superpowers are still willing to go to war over it instead of kicking the habit to save the planet. We need a global Green New Deal to move away as quickly as possible from fossil-fuel addiction.”

Green Party US declares solidarity with Russians who oppose the invasion, often at great personal cost, and joins peace activists in Russia, Ukraine and around the world in demanding a negotiated solution.

More Information

The geopolitical upheaval surrounding Ukraine are in part the result of the EU's dependence on fossil fuels and the faltering transition to renewable energy, Fell, Hans-Josef (former German Green MP). Hans-Josef Fell, February 23, 2022

NATO Expansion: What Gorbachev Heard, National Security Archive, December 12, 2017

Green Party of the United States

GPUS, February 2nd:

Stop the Saber-Rattling! Greens Call for Immediate Diplomacy to Resolve Ukraine Crisis

WASHINGTON, DC — Green Party leaders called on the Biden administration to immediately cease escalating military tensions and pursue a diplomatic solution to the Ukraine crisis.

In response to fear of Russian military incursion into Ukraine, this week U.S. troops from a number of bases across the country have been put on high alert for possible deployment to Europe, and the U.S. has sent a second batch of weapons to Ukraine. Paramilitaries trained by the CIA in the U.S. are reportedly advising counterparts in eastern Ukraine, even while D emocrats in Congress are fast-tracking for passage this week a bill for $500 million more in weapons for Ukraine.

The Biden administration’s threats of military buildup and sanctions against Russia are escalating this crisis to an increasingly dangerous level. The one-upmanship and nuclear and military rhetoric must cease immediately. The only gains in a military clash are for military contractors.

“The risk of this conflict erupting into a disastrous large-scale war is too great to ignore in order to please arms makers and bellicose politicians,” said Madelyn Hoffman, 2020 Green Party candidate for U.S. Senate from New Jersey and a member of the Green Party Peace Action Committee (GPAX). “Specifically, in the matter of Ukraine, the U.S. should negotiate a reduction of military forces in the conflict zone. We call on the Biden administration to pursue a diplomatic solution. We urge the Biden administration to heed European Union allies France and Germany calling for diplomacy, to acknowledge that Ukraine leaders believe Russian invasion is not imminent, and to pursue possible grounds for talks on secondary issues. The United States must also respect Ukraine’s right to self-determination.”

The Green Party supports the recognition by the U.S. of the sovereignty of nations and their right to self-determination, and our obligation to take disputes with other nations to the U.N. Security Council and General Assembly for negotiation and resolution. The Green Party urges both the U.S. and Russia to respect Ukraine’s sovereignty.

“The U.S. should restore the security guarantees it gave to Russia in return for German unification 30 years ago and instead use this crisis as an opportunity for nuclear disarmament negotiations,” stated Howie Hawkins, Green Party 2020 presidential nominee. “U.S./Russia talks in this crisis should expand to include nuclear disarmament along the lines of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons. (86 nations - all non-nuclear - have signed the treaty. The U.S. has not yet ratified it.)

MORE INFORMATION

Ukraine Crisis: US ‘Toolboxes” Are Empty, Ritter, Scott, Consortium News, January 23, 2022

Democrats Are Rushing Through a Massive Ukraine Defense Bill, Sirota, Sara. The Intercept, January 25, 2002

Ukraine receives second batch of U.S. weapons in Russian stand-off, Reuters, January 23, 2022

Ukraine crisis updates: what to know as tensions rise, Gera, Vanessa. Associated Press, January 27, 2022

How the US and NATO Could Settle Dispute Over Ukraine Without War, Gerson, Joseph.

Common Security Approaches to Resolve the Ukraine and European Crises, Gerson, Joseph. Abolition 2000, January 23, 2022

Scholz, Macron say diplomacy can fix Ukraine-Russia standoff, Deutsche Welle, January 25, 2022

Ukrainian leaders: Stay calm, Russian invasion not imminent, Karmanau, Yuras. Associated Press, January 24, 2022

Green Party Platform: Foreign Policy - Peace and Disarmament

D. 1.c. “The U.S. must recognize the sovereignty of nation-states and their right of self-determination.”

Foreign Policy, D. 1.a. “…We demand that our government adhere to international law, including the Kellogg-Briand Pact, Nuremberg Charter and United Nations Charter, which prohibit any and all preemptive wars or first strikes with any and all weaponry, nuclear and non-nuclear.”

Green Party of the United States

~ END ~

March 3rd:

Green Party of California Statement on the War in Ukraine

SAN FRANCISCO – The Green Party of California condemns in the strongest possible terms the recent attack on Ukraine by the Russian military that has so far caused hundreds of civilian casualties, including children, and forced thousands of Ukrainians to take refuge in Poland and other neighboring countries [1].

Likewise, we also condemn the relentless provocations and warmongering tactics that the U.S. has been using against Russia in an effort to expand influence in the region as a co-leader of NATO. By sending hundreds of millions of dollars in military aid to the Ukrainian government each year – $600 million alone last year and more than $2.7 billion since 2014 [2] – and by authorizing NATO countries to transfer U.S. made weapons to Ukraine [3], the Biden Administration has been actively contributing to tensions between Russia and Ukraine.

Peace, non-violence, disarmament, and the right to self-determination are fundamental pillars of the Green Party since its inception [4]. Therefore, we believe our global priority must be the de-escalation of threats by stopping NATO's expansion through Eastern Europe to the borders of Russia, and the immediate escalation of talks with Russia as a part of diplomatic efforts to prevent an armed conflict and promote worldwide stability [5].

The U.S. spends more on its military than the next nine highest spenders combined, including Russia, China, and India, yet Congress proposes further increases to the already overinflated $778 billion military budget, which stands at almost 50% of the U.S. discretionary spending [6].

A staggering cost to support the U.S. war budget is paid by the residents of California, reflected in the record numbers of unhoused people in our communities and the hundreds of thousands of others struggling with unsafe, overcrowded, and unaffordable housing.

While thousands of Californians are unsheltered and unhoused, California sends $450 billion dollars a year to the federal government in taxes [7] while ranking 40th out of 50 states in terms of net federal funding received [8], a significant proportion of which still goes to fund California's share of the military-industrial complex [9].

Our government’s propensity for wars – including the proxy wars in Yemen, Libya, Iran, and now Ukraine – is fueling the huge international arms market. In 2019, the defense industry invested over $160 million dollars in lobbying and political contributions bribing our representatives nationally, split nearly equally between the two corporate parties [10]. In response, they received a massive return on their investment when the Department of Defense awarded $66.2 billion dollars to defense contractors in California alone, the largest share among all states and the District of Columbia [11]. Weapons manufacturers and defense contractors Lockheed Martin, Raytheon, Northrop Grumman, Boeing, General Dynamics – all of which have offices in California – and their investors have raked in huge profits from wars and will again, from a war in Ukraine [12][13].

“They are making a killing on deals that are literally killing people and destroying the planet!”, said Laura Wells, Spokesperson for the California Green Party and Green candidate for State Controller. “Meanwhile at home in California, our elected officials – a supermajority of which are Democrats – refuse to back bills for more affordable housing, guaranteed healthcare for all, and tuition-free higher education.” The California Democratic Party's recent failure to approve CalCare, the state single-payer healthcare bill, is just one more example of the sacrifices imposed on Californians [14].

The U.S. military is the world’s largest institutional oil consumer and the single largest producer of greenhouse gasses [15]. Its operations and expansion in support of endless wars force an unsustainable and devastating global sacrifice on future generations and communities worldwide.

The Green Party is the only national party committed to cutting the military and war budget by at least 50% and using the resulting “peace dividends” to fund much-needed programs tackling the massive gaps in social services, housing, education, and effective climate action [16]. The Green Party of California demands that our government prioritize the needs of its people and the future of our planet over the greed and profits of its billionaires. Today, it is essential that we reignite the anti-war movement and transition to an eco-socialist peace economy by ending the cycle of imperialist wars.

Join us in our work towards global peace for a world we need and deserve.

CAGreens.org

Green Party of California
CAGreens.org
March 2, 2022

REFERENCES:

[1] https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/2/24/russia-ukraine-invasion-casualt...
[2] https://news.yahoo.com/much-u-spent-aid-ukraine-012539821.html
[3] https://www.politico.com/news/2022/01/19/us-allies-ukraine-weapons-russi...
[4] http://cagreens.org/platform/peace-non-violence
[5] https://www.commondreams.org/views/2022/01/31/us-reaping-what-it-sowed-u...
[6] https://www.pgpf.org/chart-archive/0053_defense-comparison
[7] https://dyernews.com/which-states-pay-most-federal-taxes/
[8] https://worldpopulationreview.com/state-rankings/federal-aid-by-state
[9] https://legacy.tyt.com/2017/11/17/lockheed-martin-already-received-big-t...
[10] https://www.opensecrets.org/industries/indus.php?cycle=2020&ind=D
[11] https://www.defense.gov/News/Releases/Release/Article/2470586/dod-releas...
[12] https://inthesetimes.com/article/ukraine-russia-raytheon-lockheed-martin...
[13] https://www.fool.com/investing/2022/02/25/why-lockheed-ge-and-qiwi-stock...
[14] http://cagreens.org/greens-call-out-democratic-party
[15] https://www.nationalpriorities.org/blog/2020/05/04/if-us-military-major-...
[16] http://www.cagreens.org/platform/peace-dividend

Green-Rainbow Party of Massachusetts, March 1st:

No War in Ukraine!

March 6, International Day of Protest

"War between the United States and Russia would risk human extinction. Both have policies to use nuclear weapons and could resort to them in the fog of war. Nuclear war would cause ecosystem collapse and humanity to starve. What exactly are we risking this for?" Dr. Jill Stein

This is the closest we have come to "nuclear confrontation" since the 1962 Cuban missile crisis. We have become desensitized to the term "nuclear confrontation" as if it is an argument between friends. In reality, it is a euphemism for potential nuclear annihilation, the end of life as we know it. It is time to get serious as the world around us becomes more dangerous, as two nuclear powers–the US and allies face off against Russia. On March 6 let us Greens stand up, stand out, speak up and speak out for PEACE. Let the world know that Greens are committed to peace and the economic and political policies that promote it. Take action on the 6th and join with the world community demanding "NO War Over Ukraine."

Zelensky agrees to peace talks. Putin agrees to peace talks. The Ukrainian people want peace talks. The Russian people want peace talks. The world wants peace talks. Guess who is opposed to peace talks? The US State Department.

As a political party committed to non-violence, The Green Rainbow Party has a responsibility to address both overt events of violence as well as the contributory process which precedes the act itself. Just as peace is not merely the absence of war, violence is not merely the act of war. Sanctions, threats, covert regime change efforts, propaganda, refusal to consider the security needs of others, are all contrary to non-violence and detrimental to human advancement. We oppose all such acts of violence.

For those of us who desire peace, non-violence is one of our 10 Key Values. We must become more vocal and more active to drive home our demand that the US foreign policy establishment and its perpetual war mentality are not acceptable and by no means represent the interests and needs of the American people.

There are no good guys in this crisis. Putin was wrong to invade. The US foreign policy establishment has been consistently wrong for decades egging Russia on while at the same time invading, overthrowing, sanctioning, threatening, droning, and cajoling throughout the world to maintain a fictional hegemonic attitude of "our way or the highway."

Over many decades, millions have died and 10’s of millions have had their lives totally ruined as the result of US hegemonic dreams. The world is in turmoil. The fact is that the US and NATO allies have been an ongoing catalyst.

But first things first. The opposing factions in Ukraine must jointly agree to a ceasefire and withdrawal of foreign forces and armaments from Ukraine. Ukrainian neutrality must be accepted by all parties. International mediation must be implemented to establish a mutually agreeable solution that guarantees the security and well-being of all.

Biden continues authorizing untold millions in arms for Ukraine, further injecting Washington into this war. The German government has approved arms for Ukraine for the first time. In 2008 NATO announced its intention to include Ukraine in NATO, followed by the US-supported coup in 2014. Additionally, US/NATO refused to negotiate the security interests of all stakeholders, including Russia.

US credibility is near zero. The most recent news is that Zelensky and Putin are negotiating a time and place for peace talks. It is now time for us to speak out and bring the message of non-violence into the mainstream of American policy. The GRP is the only party within the American political system that unabashedly stands for non-violence while defending the peoples’ democracy and addressing their true needs. It is the only party committed to values that will secure the continuation of the human species.

On March 6 an International Day of Protest against this war is being organized. We will keep our readership notified via "News Alerts'' of actions being planned throughout Massachusetts. Stay tuned for "PEACE."

February 28th:

North Carolina Green Party statement on the Ukraine crisis

PITTSBORO, NC - The North Carolina Green Party stands for an immediate ceasefire in Ukraine. We call for the United States and other NATO powers to begin immediate peace talks with Russia towards a return to the terms of the 2014 Minsk Protocol. NATO forces have made incursions into the region for decades. The overthrow of Ukraine’s democratically elected government in 2014 happened with the direct involvement of US diplomats. These aggressions have led to Russian security concerns and have inflamed and destabilized the situation in Ukraine.

Because of this we call for the dissolution of NATO altogether. NATO serves to maintain global subjugation and dominance of all nations on behalf of the European Union, the United Kingdom, and the US, as well as their wealthy beneficiaries. This has resulted in more global destabilization, not peace building. We call for all people of good conscience to take a stand and resist these dangerous escalations and against the deliberate policy of interference in the region by US and NATO leadership. Instead of pouring trillions in resources into military contracts with no benefit to the vast majority of people, we must instead build a new society based on providing healthcare for all, good sustainable jobs for all, including veterans, guaranteed quality housing, and access to healthy food, water, and other necessities. The needs and progress of people, peace, and the planet must come before the profit of the few and wars for limited natural resources.

To that end, the North Carolina Green Party also calls for an end to the US’s continuity of aggressive foreign policy toward Russia and other nations. This continuity of US foreign policy has been bipartisan, by both the Democratic and Republican Parties. The North Carolina Green Party calls for building a mass party founded in ecological socialism, and supported by the pillars of global peace, social justice, racial justice, and environmental justice.

North Carolina Green Party
www.ncgreenparty.org

Pennsylvania Greens say "No War with Russia!" February 17th

PHILADELPHIA – On February 12, the pre-Valentine's Day crowd at Philadelphia's Love Park was joined by 75 demonstrators who gathered for a rally to stop the U.S. escalation of tension with Russia. The protest called for an end to U.S. military and economic moves against Russia. Signs said, "Fight Racism, Not Russians!" and "Union Contracts, Not Military Contracts!"

"The drumbeat for war should be shown for what it is -- a distraction," declared Hillary Kane (Cedar Park), a member of the Green Party of Philadelphia City Committee (GPOP). "It is a convenient distraction from all of the ills plaguing Biden domestically -- from the COVID pandemic to the housing crisis to the climate crisis. We need to focus our energies on those issues, not some trumped up conflict with Russia. This is 2022, not 1962."

Green Party of Pennsylvania
www.gpofpa.org

For release:
Thursday, February 17, 2022

For more information please contact
Chris Robinson, media@gpofpa.org

Indigenous performers Kalpulli Kamaxtle Xiuhcóatl drummed and danced to raise demonstrators' spirits. The rally had been endorsed by a coalition of groups including Black Alliance for Peace, Green Party of Philadelphia (GPOP), International Action Center Philadelphia, Party for Socialism and Liberation Philadelphia, Peace Action, Philadelphia Boricua Committee, Socialist Resurgence and Workers World Party Philadelphia.

"I haven't been to any public gatherings, protests or demonstrations since the pandemic began," confessed GPOP member Beverly Rolfsmeyer (Roxborough), "but sometimes you know when you need to be somewhere -- when a cause is so important that you put your concerns aside. Why are we still doing anti-war demonstrations? I thought we were over that! As a registered Green Party voter, I can't, in all consciousness, be part of a system where both Parties in power put militarism over improving our infrastructure, eliminating poverty, and putting all of our resources into reversing climate change."

"The U.S. is in a crisis of its own," said GPOP member Georgie Georgeson (South Philadelphia). "I can think of far better uses for our tax dollars than to line the pockets of war profiteers and gamble with the lives of our youth and the lives of innocent Russians and Ukrainians. Biden should exercise diplomacy and focus instead on fulfilling his campaign promises and making tangible improvements in the lives of his constituents." Georgeson is a past member of the GPOP City Committee.

"The Green Party is the Peace Party," said Chris Robinson (Germantown) to the gathered crowd. "There is no way that the Green Party will support a war with Russia! We have demanded that the Pentagon budget be cut in half. Those wasted funds should be used instead for housing, universal healthcare, and transforming our fossil-fuel economy into a renewable-fuel economy. Right now, the Pentagon is spending $1.2 trillion ordered by Barack Obama for a complete rearmament of the Pentagon's nuclear weapons. Those funds should be used, instead, to end world hunger and to end man-made climate change." Robinson was a member of the GPOP City Committee and is now leader of the Green Party of Pennsylvania Communication Team (GPPA).

"The Green Party needs you to run for office to turn around our country," urged Robinson. "We want to run environmental candidates, peace candidates, community-control-of-police candidates, and universal healthcare candidates. Please let us know if you are ready to do your part."

The Green Party of Pennsylvania (GPPA) is an independent political party which stands in opposition to the two corporate parties. GPPA candidates promote public policy based on the Green Party's Four Pillars: grassroots democracy, nonviolence, ecological wisdom, and social justice/equal opportunity. For further information about GPPA, please visit www.gpofpa.org. Please follow GPPA on social media: Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.

For more information, please see:

Photos from 2/12/22 rally in Love Park by Rich Gardner,
http://prawnworks.net/rlg/2022/Rally-Russia-Ukraine-220212.html

Kalpulli Kamaxtle Xiuhcóatl,
https://m.facebook.com/Kalpulli-Kamaxtle-Xiuhc%C3%B3atl-1146297718844197/

"In 2018 the Congressional Budget Office floated a figure of $1.2-trillion for a complete rearmament of our nuclear delivery system. All of this . . . is a continuation of an initiative begun under President Obama." by James Hanink, New Oxford Review, Nuclear Rearmament, September 15, 2020.
https://www.newoxfordreview.org/nuclear-rearmament/.

Durham Spark - Durham, North Carolina, USA

Friday, March 18, 2022