Greens mourn loss of Marine lives in Iraq, urge cities, counties to also consider loss
of funds that could save lives at home
GREEN PARTY OF CALIFORNIA NEWS RELEASE
For immediate release: Wednesday, August 3, 2005
Contacts:
Cres Vellucci, State Press Office, 916-996-1970,
Beth Moore Haines, GPCA Spokesperson, 530-277-0610,
Sara Amir (Los Angeles) 310-270-7106,
Stuart Bechman (Ventura) 805-405-3929,
Pat Driscoll (Sacramento) 916-320-6430,
Susan King (San Francisco) 415-823-5524,
SACRAMENTO (August 3, 2005) The Green Party of California today mourned the loss of another 14 Americans Wednesday, and at least 21 since Tuesday in the war in Iraq and said that the cost of war not only takes human lives in the war zone, but here in California.
Citing statistics that indicate more than $26 billion could have been spent on human needs in California many of them life-saving the GPCA urged local governments to send a clear message to Congress and the Bush Administration that the U.S. should withdraw immediately from Iraq.
According to National Priorities.Org which monitors the cost of the war using government statistics California could have used the money spent on the war to provide healthcare to nearly 11 million Californians, or 16.5 million children, hired 409,000 elementary school teachers or built 153,000 affordable housing units.
In Sacramento Wednesday, a coalition of organizations, including Greens, veterans and minority representatives, previewed a resolution asking the City Council to call upon Pres. Bush and Congress to leave Iraq immediately, end military recruitment on high school and college campuses, ensure veterans are cared for and reallocate the war expenditures to provide health care, education and affordable housing for Sacramentans.
Similar resolutions have been introduced and approved, including one in San Francisco. Other resolutions, including one on the ballot in San Francisco, also call for an immediate end to military recruiting in high schools, colleges and universities.
"This war in Iraq has truly become a quagmire, as many predicted. The human cost of this illegal war touches not only the troops on the ground in Iraq but all of us here at home," said Pat Driscoll, a GPCA spokesperson and former congressional candidate.
"When we think of the lives we could save in California by providing health care and other human services instead of spending it on this ill-conceived war, then it behooves us to pressure not only Congress, but our local elected representatives to stand up and say enough is enough,'" Driscoll added.
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The Green Party of California
http://www.cagreens.org
P.O. Box 2828, Sacramento, CA 95812
Phone: (916) 448-3437
gpca@greens.org