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Green Legislator Eder Says UN Weapons Inspection Process Will Not Deter Bush from War. |
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THE GREEN PARTY OF THE UNITED STATES MEDIA RELEASE Contacts: Exxon/Mobil Buys U.S. Foreign Policy for $47 Million; Gets Bush, Congress to Prepare for War in Iraq John Eder, recently elected Green Party Representative for District 31 in Maine, said today that the Bush Administration is headed for war regardless of what happens with UN weapons inspections. "The war on Iraq is set to proceed," said Eder. "While the Bush Administration insists Iraq has a hidden agenda, it is the U.S. that is making a farce of the weapons inspection process. Bush will find or twist any information he can to discredit the inspections as proof that we must go to war. This Administration is using both Americans and Iraqis as pawns in the quest for U.S. military and oil dominance." The Green Party of the United States remains adamantly opposed to the war. Despite the latest U.N. Security Council resolution on November 8 requiring further discussion if Iraq fails to meet weapons inspections criteria, the Bush administration continues troop and weapons deployment that point toward war regardless. Defense Department advisor Richard Perle has stated that nothing Saddam Hussein does will convince the U.S. that there's no danger coming from Iraq, and that the U.S. is on a clear path to war. ExxonMobil Buys U.S. Foreign Policy With four of the biggest oil companies based in the U.S. and the U.K., the effect of lobbying and political contributions by oil companies on these two nations who have taken the lead in preparing for war against Iraq cannot be discounted. British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw conceded in a Commons debate on November 25 that British lawmakers may be denied a vote on military action in Iraq, giving Prime Minister Tony Blair the final say. Greens are targeting ExxonMobil, the second biggest corporation in the U.S., as a prime example of corporate governance through buying government influence. In the past five years, ExxonMobil has spent $47 million lobbying officeholders. Their investment was recouped this year when they won a $47.8 million contract to supply gasoline, diesel fuel and motor oil to U.S. and NATO forces. "For this company, there's no doubt that the war on Iraq will let them gain immensely, putting them in the lead as the largest oil company in the world. ExxonMobil is the most compelling example of a corporation getting away with outrageous activities - from practices of environmental destruction to human rights violations to pushing for war for their own economic gains," said Annie Goeke, Co-Chair of the International Committee of the Green Party of the United States. "Groups such as PressurePoint have founded the Stop ExxonMobil Alliance, a coalition of environmental, human rights, social justice, and pro-democracy groups, to pressure ExxonMobil to change its policies," she added. "All around the world, people are standing up to ExxonMobil and its increasingly severe corporate abuses," said PressurePoint Campaigns Director Chris Doran. "In the U.S. alone, there have been hundreds of protests over the past year and a half, with many more planned for the new year. And now people are making the connection between ExxonMobil, its very close ties to the Bush Administration, and the imminent invasion of Iraq." Bush, Congress Rewrite Constitution to Prepare for War The Bush policy of preemptive military action against any nation perceived to be a threat is a direct violation of Article I, Section 8 of the United States Constitution. In a joint resolution, both Democrats and Republicans in Congress have handed over their power to the President "to use the Armed Forces of the United States as he determines to be necessary and appropriate in order to defend the national security of the United States against the continuing threat posed by Iraq". (Representative Nancy Pelosi and Senators John Kerry and Joe Lieberman have recently stated that they will support military action without U.N. approval if necessary. Our elected officials are egregiously failing to represent our interests and needs, while they cater to major corporate campaign donors," said Barbara Payne, a Green Party Co-Chair. "Experts of all political affiliations have questioned the 'proof' being presented of an imminent threat from Iraq. There is no substantial movement in Congress to avoid war and demand the U.S. complies with U.N. resolutions - the majority of U.S. citizens have no one to speak for them," concluded Payne. MORE INFORMATION The Green Party of the United States John Eder westendgreens@yahoo.com Stop ExxonMobil Alliance http://www.stopexxonmobil.org search: pce, fpol, irq, mdest, cpr
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