[GPRI] 3/18/07 Speech

[jeff toste]

Hello -

I've been thinking a great deal about how best to convey, in a simple 
manner, why the Green Party is needed today more than ever.

Therefore, I would like to share the speech I gave at the Beneficent Church 
this past Sunday. I'd love feedback should you have interest in reading all 
or part. However, it is the last six paragraphs where I summarize the need 
to build the party.

Thank you,
Jeff Toste


________________



What was the result of the 2006 elections? What happened to the anti-war 
mandate that voted in the new Congress? Did the people of this country vote 
for a “non-binding anti-war Congress?” Did they vote for a possible 2008 
deadline to the war? NO; they voted for a Congress that would bring U.S. 
troops home from Iraq now.

Some say that we cannot leave Iraq because we will create a power vacuum or 
somehow aid terrorism. Then, let us work sincerely with the international 
community to monitor and establish peace in Iraq as we move U.S. troops out. 
Congress needs to take action now.

What good is YOUR VOICE and YOUR VOTE when lip service replaces leadership?  
The National Priorities Project puts the cost of the Iraq war at over $400 
billion while Congress plans to give the President ANOTHER $100 billion. 
Where is the “new” leadership that was promised to voters by the Democrats?

Bush may be the boogeyman to many, but all he’s done is demonstrate that 
when power goes unchallenged, it knows no limits. The Democratic Party has 
done a great deal of reactive finger pointing at Bush’s policies and 
actions, but has offered few concrete challenges to his power and few real 
alternatives or solutions to his policies. How long will voters accept this 
“finger pointing” approach to politics? I suggest to you that it is this 
kind of reactive and misguided politics that allows for the Iraq War to 
continue, for future wars to begin, and for war to even go by different 
names.

We’ve seen recent examples of this as two different styles of “war” against 
Iraq have taken place with the past two administrations: A pre-emptive 
strike under Bush’s Republican administration and twelve years of economic 
sanctions against Iraq -- started by Bush Sr. -- and continued under 
President Clinton’s eight-year Democratic administration. A study published 
in the Washington Post Oct. 11th 2006 estimated civilian deaths from the 
pre-emptive Iraq War at approximately. 650,000 and UNICEF has put the 
civilian death toll from the Iraq sanctions at approximately 500,000. A 
total of well over ONE MILLION innocent civilian lives lost IN ADDITION to 
thousands of U.S. troops. It would appear that whichever of these styles of 
“war” you have, both are equally horrific. We can’t have international peace 
without sincere, intelligent and strategic efforts for international 
justice.

In 2003 I met with my Democratic U.S. Senator before the start of Bush’s 
war, and my U.S. Senator’s view was more or less a “wait and see” strategy. 
I found this rationale hard to accept, as we both knew many innocent lives 
were at stake and many lives had already been lost due to the sanctions. 
However, I have now come to understand that “wait and see” is a popular 
strategy, as Congress remains reluctant to take immediate action to stop 
this war. It seems strange to me that a political party that claims to 
represent working people, doesn’t seem to listen to the working people who 
voted them in. Maybe this explains why Congress’ approval rating at 31% is 
lower than President Bush’s approval rating at 35%. The 
Democratic-controlled Congress has the power to end this war now.

We see more examples of misguided politics by looking at our country’s last 
two elections. We saw the Democratic Party point their finger at Ralph Nader 
in 2000 and claim he put Bush in office, but it was NOT Ralph Nader but the 
Supreme Court of the United States that went unchallenged as it did 
something it has never done in our country’s history: It stopped the 
counting of our votes.

Many voting irregularities also took place nationwide in 2004, but these 
irregularities went unchallenged as Bush won reelection. It was not the 
Democratic Party, but the GREEN PARTY that challenged Bush and led the Ohio 
vote recount. But even with numerous discrepancies documented as a result of 
the recount, the Democratic Party took no substantive action. What good is 
your vote when lip service replaces leadership?

Our country’s leaders continue to allow billions to be spent on this war as 
working families continue an economic race to the bottom. Our economic slide 
is due in large part to global TRADE AGREEMENTS like NAFTA--signed into law 
by President Clinton--and CAFTA--signed into law by President Bush. As U.S. 
jobs are lost as a result of “outsourcing” due to these trade treaties, many 
in our country now choose to enlist in the military not ONLY to fight for 
freedom, but because they have few other choices to support themselves and 
their families.

With power unchallenged, war becomes policy, so long as the majority of the 
people can be convinced they are in danger. This was clearly achieved as the 
Iraq War was MARKETED to the American people with the help of an obedient 
media and Democratic leadership that took a “wait and see” approach. The 
accusations against Iraq made by the Bush administration simply went 
unchallenged by the Democratic Party, and power unchallenged knows no 
limits.

No country is safe from war--not Iran, not Syria, not the United 
States--when might makes right and innocent people are killed for the sake 
of one tyrant or terrorist. No country is safe when its leaders can be 
impeached for lying but NOT for a war based on lies.

To stop this war and future wars we must be vigilant but we must also be 
strategic. We must keep up the pressure and force leadership FROM lip 
service, but we must do this as we work together to build a NEW foundation 
for justice and democracy.

If you want different politics, if you want a foreign policy of 
international justice, if you want leadership that respects and listens to 
all people, then you need a political party that is fundamentally different. 
  You need to be a part of building a new political party in your community.

I am here today as a representative of the Green Party, because I am 
committed to building a fundamentally different political party in the 
United States. As a former candidate for RI State Senate I built a campaign 
of neighbors and community organizers. A different kind of political 
campaign where all worked as equals. Although we did not win this past 
election, our message of a return to local manufacturing for local jobs; 
universal healthcare; and fair taxes for all will act as a foundation for 
future Green Party campaigns. Campaigns built on community based leadership 
not lip service.

With leadership the Green Party was the first political party to speak out 
against this war, the first party to call for Bush’s impeachment, the first 
party to speak out against the unpatriotic patriot act, and the only major 
political party calling for the public funding of public elections instead 
of moneyed or corporate interests that dominate the funding of today’s 
political campaigns and put war and greed above the need of working 
families.,

You cannot salvage or rebuild a party whose leadership is actively working 
against you. You need a political party whose leadership actively practices 
grassroots democracy. The Green Party IS that political party but it cannot 
build real democracy unless YOU decide to take part.

We CAN build a political party that will challenge unchallenged power. We 
CAN end this war and prevent future wars. We CAN build a political movement 
whose leadership practices grassroots democracy NOT lip service. But we 
can’t do it unless we work together. I ask you to work with me and help me 
build a different kind of political party.

I hope that many more join us as we continue to work together to end this 
war, to bring our troops home now, and to build a NEW foundation for justice 
at home and abroad.

Thank you very much and god bless.

_________________________________________________________________
Mortgage refinance is hot 1) Rates near 30-yr lows 2) Good credit get 
intro-rate 4.625%* 
https://www2.nextag.com/goto.jsp?product=100000035&url=%2fst.jsp&tm=y&search=mortgage_text_links_88_h2a5f&s=4056&p=5117&disc=y&vers=743