State Green Party Press Release

Greens Mourn War Dead, Blame Democrats and Republicans.

THE GREEN PARTY OF CALIFORNIA
www.cagreens.org

Thursday, September 9, 2004

Contact: Beth Moore Haines, spokesperson 530.277.0610 beth@ncws.com
Sara Amir, spokesperson 310.270.7106 saraamir@earthlink.net
Cres Vellucci, State Press Office, 916.996.9170 cres@greens.org

Greens mourn 1,000 U.S. war dead tonight; insist Democrats must share 'guilt' for Iraq 'war crimes' with the Bush Administration.

SACRAMENTO - When the nation mourns the 1,000 war dead Thursday night at candlelight vigils organized by peace groups all around the U.S., the Greens in California will be there - but the party said it blames Democrats as well as the Bush Administration for the "insanity" in Iraq.

Green candidates said Democrats must share the blame for the ill-advised war, charging that the Democrats are "guilty" along with the Bush Administration of "war crimes" that have led to more than 1,000 U.S. and 10,000 Iraqi deaths.

The Green Party, unlike the Democrats and Republicans, repeatedly has said the U.S. should end the war and occupation in Iraq and bring U.S. troops home as quickly as possible.

Vietnam veteran and Green Assembly candidate Tom Hutchings (33rd AD, San Luis Obispo), said: "George W. Bush has put 1,000 notches on his western-style diplomacy - our sons, daughters and neighbors. The Democratic Party shares the guilt for these war crimes."

"The blood of 1,000 American lives and more than 10,000 civilian lives stains the hands of Democratic and Republican legislators who supported an unjustified war and now support an immoral occupation," added another Vietnam-era veteran, Pat Driscoll, the Green congressional candidate in the 5th CD (Sacramento).

"How many more American soldiers and Iraqi civilians will have to die before we stop this insanity? Our leaders, who planned this invasion, are war criminals who must be brought to justice before an international tribunal," said Terry Baum, Green congressional candidate (8th CD, San Francisco).

And, another San Francisco-area congressional candidate, agreed. "How long will this tragedy continue? While Kerry and Bush and their two headed single party agree on the war, the people of this nation do not," said Pat Gray (12th CD, San Francisco, San Mateo).