Greens: Justice Dept. must appoint a special prosecutor to investigate and prosecute Bush officials who OK'd torture

http://www.gp.org/press/pr-national.php?ID=209

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

For Immediate Release:
Wednesday, April 29, 2009

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

Any attempt by the White House to limit investigation will be an obstruction of justice, say Greens; Witness Against Torture protests planned for April 30

Green Party Speakers Bureau: Green leaders available to speak on related issues http://www.gp.org/speakers


WASHINGTON, DC -- Green Party leaders called on Attorney General Eric Holder and the Justice Department to investigate evidence of torture and punish any and all Bush White House officials who broke the law. Greens urged President Obama to release all torture memos.

"Political considerations have no place in this matter. The Department of Justice -- which is authorized to act independently of the White House -- must appoint a special prosecutor to investigate who broke the law and approved the use of torture," said Starlene Rankin, co-chair of the Lavender Green Caucus (http://www.lavendergreens.us).

Greens named several former White House officials who have been implicated in evidence already published: Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, national security advisor Condoleezza Rice, counsel John Yoo, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, Vice President Cheney, and President Bush. Some Greens plan to participate in the '100 Days to Close Guantanamo and End Torture!' demonstrations (http://www.100dayscampaign.org) planned for Thursday, April 30, an event initiated by Witness Against Torture (http://www.witnesstorture.org).

Green Party leaders noted that some Democratic (including House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Senate Intelligence Committee chair David Rockefeller, and former House Intelligence chair Jane Harman) and Republican members of Congress were allegedly informed about the use of torture, and said that their silence and failure to object should be investigated as well.

"President Obama has said that '[n]othing will be gained by spending our time and energy laying blame for the past.' On the contrary, the President's oath of office requires that he uphold the law. If he tries to discourage the Justice Department from investigation and prosecution, he is abusing his own power as President and obstructing justice. Any attempt by the White House to immunize those who ordered, allowed, or participated in torture would violate international laws and agreements, especially the Convention Against Torture signed by President Reagan in 1988 (http://www.hrweb.org/legal/cat.html)," said Phil Huckelberry, Co-Chair of the Green Party of the United States.

The Green Party, which lists nonviolence among its key values, categorically opposes the use of torture under any circumstances. Greens listed several urgent reasons to investigate and prosecute officials allegedly involved in torture:

Torture violates US and international law. In the past, US and international courts have punished war criminals for waterboarding prisoners, establishing an inescapable precedent.

The use of torture has damaged the US's standing in the world and motivated greater hostility against Americans: how many US military personnel were killed or maimed in Iraq by those enraged by the Abu Ghraib abuses? International revulsion over torture may have made US allies less willing to cooperate with the US, thus reducing the US's ability to gather intelligence. Some of the damage can be repaired by punishing those responsible for torture.

Torture places US troops and other personnel at risk of similar retaliatory treatment if captured.

The circumstances of Abu Zubaydah's treatment, including 83 instances of waterboarding in August, 2002, suggest that torture might have been used to extract "evidence" of collusion between Saddam Hussein and al-Qaeda in order to justify the US invasion of Iraq. No genuine evidence of such an alliance existed, but the Bush Administration's deceptions led to a bipartisan vote in Congress in October, 2002, transferring war power to the White House in violation of the US Constitution.

Torture has never been a reliable way to gain information. Under torture in Syria, Ibn al-Shaykh al-Libi's words were used to support the US invasion of Iraq, despite questions of credibility and his later admission that the information was fabricated (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ibn_al-Shaykh_al-Libi). Information extracted through torture is especially unreliable in the 'ticking bomb' situations that Bush officials have been used to justify it. However, whether torture works is besides the point; Mr. Cheney's claims that such methods protected Americans lack credibility in light of his past deceptions.

Historically, torture has often been employed by lawless governments less to gain information than to create terror among targeted populations. Continued torture of some prisoners at Guantanamo Bay after they were known to be innocent is consistent with torture for this purpose. Under George W. Bush, the US joined the list of terrorist states around the world.

The use of torture cannot be separated from other Bush Administration abuses of power and violations of the US Constitution and international law (deceptions to win support for the invasion of Iraq, 'preemptive' military aggression, warrantless surveillance of US citizens), or from the Bush-Cheney doctrine of 'unitary executive power' placing the president above the law.

White House crimes that go unpunished are a license for future administrations to commit similar crimes, and new ones too.


MORE INFORMATION

Green Party of the United States http://www.gp.org
202-319-7191, 866-41GREEN
Fax 202-319-7193

Tally of Green election victories http://www.gp.org/2008-elections/election-results.html
Green candidate news http://www.gp.org/2008-elections/candidate-news.php
Green candidate database for 2008 and other 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 Pages, Vol. 13, No. 1
The official publication of record of the Green Party of the United States
http://gp.org/greenpages-blog


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A Poem about Stash

a little something about stash and me

roll away the dew
plays in background
jerry's incredible guitar licks
penetrate my body
and the candle light fills my room
i am alone with my feelings
and my thoughts and my self

my paula, my stash,
my friend, lover,
co-tv-host, co-parent
we were artists in love
living together for a few wonderful years
creating our way through our lives
teaching each other new tricks
and giving each other freedom to be
individuals and co-consorts

i sit and stare at the picture

she was young and adorable
in those sunglasses and standing that
cocky way butches stand
and look at a girl
that makes us melt

the first summer was pure bliss
we fucked at least twice a day
her energy was incredible
and i often thanked myself for
finding a lover ten years younger
than this middle-aged,
green, pagan, queer hippie-chick

i wrote a song about my stash babe
and sang it at a queer coffee-house
she sat in the front row
grinning from ear to ear
she adored me and wasn't shy
about showing it

i'd swoon at her touch
sometimes even at her look
i miss that experience
i miss her holding me tight
and softly kissing my neck
i miss singing indigo girls songs together
harmonizing beautifully
high as a kite
and grounded as a tree

my darling stash, was society's child
born into the violence of an
alcoholic, dysfunctional household
beaten from infancy
raped by the brother
tortured by the drunk dad
disowned by everyone
when she didn't act like a girl
the so-called caregivers
left her to institutions and jails
and a nurtured-less existence

she survived
being an artist
she created what she needed
to get through it
the shrinks claimed her
to be a "multiple"
i claimed her
to be diverse!

i told her
it's better to have too many personalities
than no personality at all
she giggled and grabbed me
and threw me on the bed
and passionately devoured me
for awhile i was totally in my body
yet, totally out of control
she took me over
and i willingly surrendered
to the orgasms
and to the moment

stash was torn between the
memories of years of abuse
and a future with me
filled with respect and love
i pumped her up with self-esteem
but the doctors pumped her full of drugs
that changed her
that took away her passion
in order to calm her fears

i work hard everyday as a green activist
to bring some sanity back to our country,
to our ailing planet
and everyday i ask
what can we do to end war?
what can we do to end violence
between countries and between ourselves?
two to three children die everyday at the hand of a caregiver
we don't see that story on the tv screen
we see a "war against terrorism"
that drops bombs on innocents
where is the
"war against violence?"
where is the
"war against children terrorized in their own homes?"

my stash babe survived her childhood
but not her adulthood
society's child took a nap
on the last day of 2001
and didn't wake up
maybe another day on this crazy planet
was just going to be too much

i feel happy for stash now
she's with mother, she's returned home
to a safe place where love reigns
and one's potential is naturally manifested

like my boys sing, all you need is love...

written by:
starlene rankin
chicago, il, usa

starlene@greens.org

5/27/02

Greens offer six big steps for economic recovery

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

For Immediate Release:
Wednesday, December 10, 2008

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


Greens offer six big steps for economic recovery

• Greens support workers occupying a factory in Chicago after layoff: bailout money isn't being used to help working Americans


WASHINGTON, DC -- Green Party leaders said today that the incoming Obama Administration and Congress should take six major steps to reverse the financial meltdown and restore financial security for Americans.

The steps include a Green public works program, aid for state and muncipal governments, expansion of mass transit, Single-Payer health care, a peace dividend gained by ending the occupations of Iraq and Afghanistan, and an end to the wasteful war on drugs.

Green Party candidates running for local, state, and national office in 2008 promoted many of these ideas even before the crisis precipitated. In September, Cynthia McKinney published a ten-point list of solutions and reforms in response to the Wall Street meltdown, titled "Seize the Time" (http://votetruth08.com/index.php/learn/mckinney-messages).

Greens expressed support for United Electrical Workers union members occupying a Republic Windows and Doors plant in Chicago after the plant was shut down and they were laid off with three days' notice and told they had no assurance of receiving severance and unused vacation pay. The company's creditor, Bank of America, received $25 billion from the government's financial bailout package. Greens said that the bank's actions, including refusal to allow Republic to give workers 60 days notice (as required by law), demonstrates how bailout money isn't being used to assist working Americans facing financial hardship.

Six Green steps for economic recovery:

(1) Enact a massive Green public works program, creating new living-wage jobs in conservation (including weatherization and energy retro-fitting); clean and safe energy technologies to replace fossil fuel and nuclear sources and create a carbon-free economy; repair and improvement of America's deteriorating infrastructure (especially water and sewer systems); and improvement of public schools and Green job training programs.

"The collapse of the I-35 bridge in Minneapolis in 2007 was a result of the neglect and starvation of funds for maintaining infrastructure that was built decades ago. The ideology of privatization and hostility to 'big government' is no longer tenable during the financial crisis -- the current White House and Congress conceded as much when they began pushing for bailouts. Public works programs built America, and public works, with hundreds of thousands of new Green jobs, is what America needs now for economic recovery," said Rosa Clemente, the Green Party's 2008 candidate for Vice President (http://www.rosaclemente.com).

"We're encouraged that President-elect Obama intends to launch a public works program along these basic lines, but we hope Congress and his own administration don't undermine and dilute such a program out of traditional Democratic and Republican loyalty to corporate interests and fear of being labeled liberal or socialist. It's time to follow the lead of the Green Jobs For All movement," Ms. Clemente added.

(2) Bail out financially ailing towns, cities, and states before bailing out private corporations: millions of public sector and contractor jobs depend on the fiscal security of municipal and state governments.

Greens noted that municipalities and states are businesses that drive state and local economies throughout the US. They also provide the social safety net that millions of working people need during the current crisis.

(3) Jumpstart our country's mass transit system, giving people an alternative to cars while saving them money and providing jobs.

"Making autos more efficient will only get us part way toward solving our energy and climate challenges. We need to get people out of their cars altogether. Communities need the ability to provide local solutions for mass transprotation: new trains, subways, light rail wherever they fit," said Wes Rolley, co-chair of the Green Party's EcoAction Committee.

(4) Enact a Single-Payer/Medicare For All national health plan, providing every American with coverage and removing the burden of health care from small and large private businesses.

"The skyrocketing cost of health care under our private health care system has created much of the economic instability as businesses struggle to provide workers health benefits. If President Obama and Congress have the political will to resist the power of the insurance, HMO, and pharmaceutical industries that siphon their profits off America's need for health care, the relief that Single-Payer will be a huge economic boost," said Sanda Everette, co-chair of the Green Party of the United States.

Single-Payer would cover all Americans regardless of income, employment, residence, age, or prior medical condition, allowing choice of health care provider, and costing working people far less than they now pay for private coverage. In 2003, the New England Journal of Medicine published an article estimating that Single-Payer could cut health care costs by $350 billion annually (http://www.pnhp.org/publications/nejmadmin.pdf). Greens sharply criticized Barack Obama during the election season for rejecting Single-Payer out of concern for health insurance companies.

(5) End the occupations of Iraq and Afghanistan.

"The staggering expense of the Iraq and Afghanistan invasions and occupations haven't only cost American, Iraqi, and Afghan lives. It also ate up trillions of dollars away that could have been spent on human and environmental needs. If we call home our troops right now, we can divert the money needed for military occupations to Green public works and other programs to jumpstart the economy -- a new peace dividend," said Starlene Rankin, co-chair of the Lavender Green Caucus.

The Green Party opposed both wars from the beginning and has criticized Mr. Obama's plans for delayed and partial troop withdrawal from Iraq and for sending more troops to Afghanistan.

(6) End the war on drugs, which wastes billions annually, hasn't curbed drug use, and ruins lives by incarcerating nonviolent offenders (mostly young, African American, Latino, and poor white) at further government expense.

"The war on drugs is America's longest and costliest war. With Afghanistan providing the world's world's biggest poppy crop, it's one of the main reasons the US is fighting a war there," said Cliff Thornton, co-chair of the Green Party and co-founder of Efficacy, Inc. (http://www.efficacy-online.org), which promotes major reforms in drug policy.

Harvard economist Jeffrey Miron has estimated that legalizing cannabis would save federal, state, and local governments $44 billion a year in enforcement costs (http://www.prohibitioncosts.org/mironreport.html). Governments could collect another $33 billion in revenues by taxing cannabis as heavily as alcohol and tobacco.


MORE INFORMATION

Green Party of the United States http://www.gp.org
202-319-7191, 866-41GREEN
Fax 202-319-7193
• Tally of Green election victories http://www.gp.org/2008-elections/election-results.html
• Green candidate news http://www.gp.org/2008-elections/candidate-news.php
• Green candidate database for 2008 and other 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

"The financial meltdown requires far-reaching Green solutions, say Green Party leaders"
Green Party press release, September 23, 2008
http://www.gp.org/press/pr-national.php?ID=107

"The Auto Bailout Shows the Failure of Corporate-Government More than the Failure of Detroit: And Solving it Presents Opportunities for a New Economy"
By Kevin Zeese, OpEdNews.com, November 21, 2008
http://www.opednews.com/articles/The-Auto-Bailout-Shows-the-by-Kevin-Zeese-08112\1-683.html


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