Green Party of Pennsylvaniawww.gpofpa.org
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEMarch 17, 2019
Contact:Alan Smith,
wishingpeace2all@hotmail.comChris 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 ***
posted by
Dave Ochmanowicz |
2055.60sc
March 19, 2019
