• The Domestic War Machine Will Never Be Satiated

The violent removal of Marine veteran and Green Party Senate candidate Brian McGinnis from last Wednesday’s Senate Armed Services hearing exposed the deep-seated issues facing the US political system. McGinnis valiantly protested the root of the problem, shouting, “America does not want to send its sons and daughters to war for Israel!” His voice represented the 60% of Americans who reject the current status of US foreign intervention, yet he was met with brute force.

The hypocrisy was laid bare when Senator Tim Sheehy—who has received significant campaign contributions from pro-war lobbying groups like AIPAC—left his seat to physically intervene. A sitting Senator and fellow veteran assisted in the assault of a citizen, leading to the audible “snap” of Brian’s arm as he was forced from the Senate hall.

When a public official breaks the arm of a firefighter, a father of four, and a military veteran who sacrificed his life for this country, it stands to reason that the game being played only serves the highest bidder: the military contractors and political lobbyists who profit off of death and destruction.

Following his hospital stay for injuries sustained at the hands of a U.S. Senator and Capitol Police, Brian was charged with three counts of assault of a police officer. This calculated attempt to silence a Green Party candidate is a denial of due process. The government uses veterans as props, yet the moment a service member uses their freedom of speech to speak out against illegal and unconstitutional war, their rights are discarded.

The media has fixated on the “scuffle” and conveniently glossed over his Green Party affiliation. This framing is an intentional erasure designed to distract from and delegitimize critique of Israel and maintain the image of a two-party duopoly against the threat of a social justice-powered platform. The North Carolina Green Party has issued a press release on the incident: Marine arrested shouting, "No one wants to fight for Israel.”

To the veterans of this country: Brian’s broken arm is a message that your service is only “honored” as long as you remain silent and complicit.

Your oath was to the Constitution, not to the military contractors or the Senators who serve them. We invite you to use your words as weapons and join us in this movement. Standing with the Green Party is the most patriotic act you can take to save the future of this country.

The Butch Ware for Governor campaign stands in unwavering solidarity with Brian McGinnis. It is time for a Third Option: vote Green.