State News Release

Dave McReynolds Announces for US Senate as Green Party candidate.

McReynolds for the U.S. Senate Media Release
http://mcreynoldsforsenate.org

July 11, 2004

For More Information
David McReynolds (212) 674-7268; (646) 942-7118
Gloria Mattera (718) 369-2998 or (917) 886-4538

Longtime peace activist David McReynolds announced today that he is running for US Senate from New York as a Green Party candidate.

McReynolds, who was co-secretary of the War Resisters League for four decades, made his announcement outside of the Manhattan offices of this incumbent, Charles Schumer.

"The overwhelming issue confronting the United States is the militarization of this country," stated McReynolds. "One result of this militarization is that when the nation faces a genuine crisis, as it did on September 11, 2001, the only response that comes to mind is military action in that case the invasion of Afghanistan. Because of this military mind-set, George Walker Bush was able to gain broad support when he launched an aggressive war against Iraq. Currently tens of billions of dollars of national treasure are being drained in Iraq, the lives of our own troops, and the lives of many Iraqis, are being wasted as a result of this criminal adventure."

"Like many Americans, I am appalled that President Bush and our government misled our country and the world about the reasons for the illegal invasion of Iraq. It is equally disturbing to hear Senators Schumer and Clinton, following the release of the Congressional report about the CIA misinformation about weapons of mass destruction, state that they still would have voted for the invasion. I support an immediate withdrawal of all US troops from Iraq," added McReynolds.

McReynolds also called upon Senator Schumer and the Bush administration to support a UN resolution requiring the dismantling of the illegal security wall by the Israeli government. The International Court of Justice recently ruled against the wall, stating that the confiscation of Palestinian lands could not be justified by any military emergency.

"The Green Party is a party of peace," said Gloria Mattera, Co-chair of the Green Party of New York State. "David McReynolds gives the greens an opportunity to run a candidate who will speak out against war, against the Patriot Act and the curtailment of our civil liberties. The race also provides an opportunity to speak in favor of increased action to curtail global warming, to promote single payer universal health care and to create living wage jobs for all New Yorkers." The state committee of the Green Party of NYS is presently voting upon the endorsement of McReynolds. Greens are helping to collect the 15,000 signatures needed to qualify McReynolds for the ballot.

"A Senate race means the chance to talk to people all across this State about the need for an America which will develop a foreign policy designed with the interests of the children of the world in mind, not the interests of the US corporate structure," added McReynolds.

Other issues that McReynolds and the Greens will raise in the 2004 Senate race include:

A program of low and middle income housing to reverse the present trend in which our large cities, New York City being the prime example, become "Disneylands" for the wealthy to live and play, but places where working people cannot afford to live, from which the poor are excluded.
Reform of the police and the prison system, so that there are in place civilian review boards to monitor police conduct, and a court system which does not have a double standard for the rich and the poor, for those who are white, and those of color. Our present prison system is a failure which has punished the poor and those of color. An end of the death penalty.
A tax program which would have as one objective the elimination of the present enormous concentration of wealth in the hands of less than 1% of the population by introducing inheritance taxes that would prevent one generation from passing on its billions of dollars to the next
Repeal of the Rockefeller drug laws, and a complete re-examination of present approaches to addictive drugs, looking toward substituting medical treatment of addiction rather than imprisonment, and with the legalization of the use of marijuana
Defense of a woman's right of choice to abortion
and also to make it possible for women who might want to have children, to feel a genuine safety net of health care and economic support to make that choice an option.
Repeal of the Taft-Hartley Act, and defense of trade unions in their right to organize and bargain.

"The Green Party offers voters an alternative to the failed policies of the two corporate parties," said Ian Wilder, the other Green Party of NYS co-chair. "Green candidates in New York like Mr. McReynolds promote our platform of ecology, nonviolence, justice and grassroots democracy." The Green Party is coordinating the collection of the 15,000 signatures needed to qualify McReynolds for the race.

Persons wishing to assist in the ongoing statewide petitioning effort should contact coordinator Colby Hamilton via e-mail at quelbyc@yahoo.com or via telephone at 212 240-0501 or 917 627-8000. A mailing list for petitioners has been setup at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/petition2004gpnys/
The official campaign website is located at www.mcreynoldsforsenate.org

David McReynolds, 74, previously ran for President on the Socialist Party line. He has been arrested a number of times in civil rights, labor, and peace demonstrations. He was one of those active in the Vietnam Peace movement. An open gay, he has lived for many years on the Lower East Side. He is currently on the Board of the Mutual Housing Association of Cooper Square, and on the Board of the A. J. Muste Memorial Institute.

The Greens are committed to ecology, grassroots democracy, nonviolence and social and economic justice.