GOP Power Grab Imperils U.S. Democracy and Security.
Monday, November 29, 2004
Contacts:
Scott McLarty, Media Coordinator, 202-518-5624, cell 202-487-0693, mclarty@greens.org
Nancy Allen, Media Coordinator, 207-326-4576, nallen@acadia.net
GREENS SEE INDICATIONS THAT A 2nd BUSH
ADMINISTRATION WOULD IMPERIL U.S. DEMOCRACY AND SECURITY
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Greens warned that the second
George W. Bush Administration, emboldened by his apparent 2004 victory,
is pursuing agenda that threaten to destroy the integrity of U.S.
democracy and place Americans at risk.
"Like many Americans and most of the rest of
the world, Greens see the second Bush Administration as a lawless
menace," said Jake Schneider, treasurer of the Green Party of the
United States. "We're urging Americans to remain vigilant, not
tolerate Bush extremism, and be ready to stand up for our rights,
freedoms, democracy, and the rule of law. With a slim majority, Mr. Bush
can claim no national mandate."
Greens listed several post-election indications of
how President Bush may spend his "political capital":
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The nomination of Condoleezza Rice as Secretary
of State, replacing Colin Powell, signals a complete takeover of the
Bush foreign policy by ideologues with little regard for internal
dissent or responsibility to the American people. Greens noted that
Ms. Rice, as National Security Advisor during the first Bush term,
misrepresented intelligence about the threat of Iraqi WMDs and
dismissed clear warnings in mid 2001 about impending terrorism.
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New CIA chief Porter Goss is enforcing adherence
to the party line among all CIA officers, in an attempt to complete
the transformation of the agency from an impartial collector of
intelligence into an ideological arm of the Bush Administration.
Americans can look forward to more engineered intelligence and
misleading propaganda on the deteriorating situation in Iraq.
-
While Attorney General nominee Alberto Gonzales
may lack many of the theocratic sentiments of John Ashcroft, he
authored a memo arguing that the Geneva Conventions sections
prohibiting torture did not apply to al-Qaeda or other Afghan
prisoners. The Bush Administration is in the process of dismantling
international law, especially Geneva conventions and U.N. charter
provisions regarding war, prisoner treatment, and pillage.
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Privacy, freedom of speech and assembly, freedom
from unwarranted searches, freedom to travel at will around the
country, and due process are all on the table, as the U.S. faces
enactment of a national ID card, possible expansion of the USA
Patriot Act, and increased surveillance of American citizens.
President Bush is likely to name federal judges willing to back
these measures and others -- including total or partial repeal of
Roe v. Wade.
-
The rule change proposed by Rep. Henry Bonilla
(R-Tex.) and other Republicans to allow Rep. Tom DeLay (R.-Tex.) to
keep his House majority leader position if he is indicted for
criminal activity signals a new era of blatant political corruption
and contempt even for the appearance of public accountability.
-
Voting irregularities, in evidence in Florida in
2000 and in Ohio, Florida, North Carolina, and possibly other states
in 2004, have become a regular part of the political landscape;
Republicans in Texas have already abandoned the once-every-decade
rule and redraw district lines at will to ensure election and
reelection of their own party members. (Green presidential candidate
David Cobb and Libertarian Michael Badnarik have filed for a recount
in Ohio.)
"Four years of Republican rule herald an era of
manipulated elections comparable to Latin American dictatorships of a
generation ago," said Gray Newman, national co-chair of the Green
Party. "The eroded integrity of our electoral system isn't news to
the Green Party. Greens and other third parties have suffered curbs on
our right to participate for many years, at the hands of Democrats and
Republicans seeking to narrow both the political field and the public
debate. George W. Bush is a product of two-party politics, and much of
his reckless agenda has already been enacted with bipartisan
consensus."
MORE INFORMATION
The Green Party of the United States
http://www.gp.org
1711 18th Street NW
Washington, DC 20009.
202-319-7191, 866-41GREEN
Fax 202-319-7193
2004 Cobb/LaMarche Campaign: news on the Ohio recount
http://www.votecobb.org
