SOLON, Me – Today Lisa Savage, independent Green candidate for US Senate, delivered a petition to Maine Governor Janet Mills and leadership of the Maine State Legislature, calling for them to immediately close Bath Iron Works in light of the COVID-19 outbreak:

"As the COVID-19 outbreak spreads through Maine -- with 376 confirmed cases as of this writing and broad understanding that there are as many as 10 times more in the state population -- General Dynamics, the owner of the Bath Iron Works Shipyard, must close the facility immediately," Savage said. "The diagnosis of a worker there on March 22 is a canary in the coal mine. As a state, we would be unwise to ignore that warning.

SOLON, Me – Today I sent a petition to our elected officials who have the responsibility and the power to close Bath Iron Works for the public health. Thank you to the 200 people who rallied to sign this petition quickly in the face of a severe pandemic.

Background on why BIW should close and send workers home with pay is in our campaign press release announcing delivery of the petition.

The gross inequalities and declining standards of life in the United States are magnified by the corona crisis, pushing already marginalized populations to the brink.

There is an old saying that if America catches a cold, black people get pneumonia. The communicable disease reference is especially relevant now that the COVID-19 corona virus pandemic has created a crisis in this country. A privatized health care system worsened a medical emergency whose impact could have been mitigated if the United States was as advanced as it claims to be.

PHILADELPHIA – On Monday, March 30, the Green Party of Pennsylvania (GPPA) Steering Committee and statewide candidates demanded relief from the Pennsylvania candidate nomination procedures. In a letter to Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf and legislative leaders, the Green Party asked that “the [nomination paper] signature requirement for the statewide ballot be waived or suspended for the current election cycle” for Green Party candidates in response to emergency circumstances caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

ALBANY, NY – A source tells us Andrew Cuomo has SUCCEEDED in inserting the same language into the 2020 New York State Budget to kill the Green Party that was struck down by a judge in March.

Governor Cuomo and the leaders of the State Legislature are attempting to use the current COVID-19 crisis to destroy the Green Party in New York by changing our state's ballot access requirements to be among the worst in the nation.

GRAY, Me – Lisa Savage, Independent Green candidate for U.S. Senate from Solon, launched a Congressional petition today, calling for legislation to enact forgiveness of rent payments for all residential renters and abatement of all mortgages on residential buildings with five dwelling units or fewer. While the legislation should be enacted immediately, she said, any eventual legislation should be retroactive to April 1 and last one month past any local, state, or federal declaration of emergency, shelter in place order, or widespread social distancing order that keeps a significant portion of the populace out of work.

• Why was a state of emergency declared so quickly for COVID-19, but not for the city's lead water crisis?

• Newark Water Coalition co-founder Anthony Díaz and Madelyn Hoffman, the New Jersey Green Party candidate for U.S. Senate, discussed COVID-19 in Newark last week

NEWARK, NJ – Why was a state of emergency declared so quickly for the new coronavirus, but not for Newark's lead water crisis? This question was one of several posed during a recent conversation between Newark Water Coalition co-founder Anthony Díaz and Madelyn Hoffman, the New Jersey Green Party candidate for U.S. Senate in 2020.

BALTIMORE – The Maryland Libertarian and Green Parties are calling on the General Assembly, Governor, and Board of Elections to place them on the ballot for the November general election, due to the COVID-19 outbreak.

Both parties have been petitioning throughout the state to each collect over 10,000 signatures to get back on the ballot, but their petition drives have ground to a halt, because of the COVID-19 outbreak.

BALTIMORE – The Maryland Green Party is calling on the General Assembly, Governor, and Board of Elections to place our party on the ballot for the November general election, due to the COVID-19 outbreak.

We have been petitioning throughout the state to collect over 10,000 signatures to get back on the ballot.

Our party's participation in the democratic process should not be made impossible or dangerous due to the declared public health emergency.

Death stalks us.

Fear Grows.

Humanity is threatened at both the micro and macro levels. Covid-19. Climate change.

Underlying all of this is inequality, fueled by robber-baron capitalism. And a lack of democracy.