Green Party of Pennsylvania
www.gpofpa.org
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 17, 2019
Contact:
Alan Smith, wishingpeace2all@hotmail.com
Chris Robinson, 215-843-4256, chrisrecon@netzero.net
The Green Party of Pennsylvania (GPPA) Steering Committee has endorsed and joined the new coalition, Divest from the War Machine. The purpose of Divest from the War Machine is "removing invested assets from companies that derive their profits from U.S. military interventions, the global arms trade, and the militarization of our streets."
Alan Smith, co-chair of GPPA from Chester County, explained, "A year to the day before he was killed, April 4, 1967, the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. gave his "Beyond Vietnam" speech. On the anniversary of that speech, Code Pink and the Black Alliance for Peace with Ajamu Baraka, 2016 Green Party nominee for vice president, co-sponsored the new coalition, Divest from the War Machine."
"In his speech," continued Smith, "King railed against racism, materialism and militarism calling for a revolution of values. The U.S. is heavily invested in these three things which oil the war machine. War and violence are used to protect the property of the ruling class and perpetuate their interests. The Pentagon budget is $1 trillion. The U.S. is the number one arms trader on the planet. The U.S. has over 1,000 military bases occupying 160 out of the 196 countries. Corporate and financial institutions are heavily invested in racism, materialism and militarism. Democrats and Republicans, including the Trump administration, all support the expansion of the military. A commitment to people, planet and peace is at the heart of the Green Party. We stand against racism, materialism and materialism. We must divest financially, intellectually, culturally, and emotionally from those things that run the war machine. No more oil for the war machine!"
The Divest from the War Machine coalition says, "We are demanding that our universities, religious organizations, individual investors, retirement funds, mutual funds, and other financial institutions stop making a killing on killing."
Chris Robinson, a GPPA delegate from Philadelphia, offered some background, "There is a rejuvenation of the peace movement taking place through new coalitions like Divest from the War Machine and Black Alliance for Peace. These organizations give Green Party members a chance to live the Green Party platform. One of the Green Party's four pillars is 'peace.' I plan to work closely with Divest Philly from the War Machine to demonstrate how the Green Party differs from the war parties."
The Green Party is an independent political party that stands in opposition to the two corporate parties. GPPA candidates promote public policy based on the Green Party four pillars: grassroots democracy, nonviolence, ecological wisdom, and social justice/equal opportunity. For further information about GPPA, please visit www.gpofpa.org. Follow GPPA on social media: Facebook and Twitter.
*** END ITEM ***
March 19, 2019
