12-2-09 For Immediate Release:

“Green Party of Texas Disagrees with Obama War Escalations”

The Green Party of Texas totally disagrees with President Barack Obama’s decision to send 30, 000 more US troops to fight in Afghanistan. Like many in the US, the Green Party of Texas had high hopes that “change” had truly come to America. For the first time in the nation’s history, the White House houses a “person of color” whose ancestors historically were people who had been oppressed. Therefore, we expect more sympathy for other oppressed people in the world. With this decision it appears this president does not share those sympathies. And still there will be others in the country who would say, “Hold your tongues; our nation is at war with those who attacked us. Don’t forget 9-11!” Our very hearts go out to those innocents who lost their lives in that terrible attack, and we are in great sympathy with them and their loved ones. However, we also must not forget that no Afghans were among the nineteen suicide bombers who flew planes into the towers that fateful day; no matter how hard it’s tried, you can’t bomb people into peace! Yet we know from the past that this is precisely the time to challenge the government on decisions of an unjust war.

That champion of civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr., came to the very same decision decades ago and stands as a model for our position today.

King said, “Even when pressed by the demands of inner truth, men do not easily assume the task of opposing their government's policy, especially in time of war. Nor does the human spirit move without great difficulty against all the apathy of conformist thought within one's own bosom and in the surrounding world. Moreover when the issues at hand seem as perplexed as they often do in the case of this dreadful conflict we are always on the verge of being mesmerized by uncertainty; but we must move on.”

The Green Party of Texas reached this decision in this light and takes solace that we stand on the shoulders of such a giant thinker and awesome person of courage. To speak against one's government is not easy, especially when it is against one of such progressive historical importance, but as King said, “We must move on.” We call on other Texas organizations to join us in this call. “President Obama, this is the wrong decision. You must turn around and end this and all US wars, now!”

Green Party of Texas Co-Chairs: Thomas Muhammad and Christine Morshedi

For more information, write to txgreens@txgreens.org.