We Will Not Be Stopped in 2025

Greens Eliza Lumen and Lois Gagnon join the Holyoke March to End Nuclear Bombs

No to Nuclear War; Yes to Peace

By Patty O’Neill & Lois Gagnon

On Saturday, December 14, our GRP superstar Gloria Caballero Roca led a march through the streets of Holyoke to raise awareness of the increasing danger of nuclear war. Approximately 45 people braved the cold to sound the alarm about the need to abolish these horrible weapons before they end us.

The protest wasn’t calling for anything new—a ban on nuclear war and the mutually assured destruction it would yield. This has been understood for decades to be so disastrous that everyone should just agree never to use them for war. It gave rise to the widely-ratified Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) in 1970. And yet, the specter of nuclear annihilation is being articulated by superpowers more menacingly than ever.

We then participated in a rally in front of city hall. Speakers included Gloria, Sr. Clare Carter of the New England Peace Pagoda, Vicki Elson of Nuclear Ban.US/ Warheads to Windmills, and Kevin Young from the Western MA Labor Federation.

Sr. Clare made an impassioned case for peace in our world. Miriam Ansara spoke on behalf of Mass Peace Action. Vicki Elson spoke about targeting nuclear weapons manufacturers for divestment. She described successful campaigns to pressure companies to divest. Kevin Young talked about the necessity of including labor in our coalition building to abolish nuclear weapons. He pointed out that labor unions possess a lot of power to bring pressure to bear on politicians. They need to be a big part of our organizing efforts.

A member of Back from the Brink declared, “Nuclear weapons are the most extreme example of power consolidated into the hands of a small number of people and countries wielded against the rest of us and all of humanity…What’s more, nuclear weapons are also deeply linked with pressing problems like racial and economic justice, militarism, preserving our democracy, and climate change.”

Gloria spoke of the coalition-building needed to unite all peace-loving working people in our communities to demand investment in the issues that serve us all—housing, Medicare-for-all, and peaceful sustainability; UMass’s Professor Kevin Young highlighted the inspirational Lucas Aerospace Corporation’s engineers’ Alternative Plan to convert their factory from weapons manufacturing to socially beneficial technologies, published as “The Lucas Plan.” An upcoming screening and discussion of the documentary “The Plan that Came From the Bottom Up” at UMass on February 7^th, will be co-sponsored by Western Mass Science for the People, the Western Mass Chapter of the Green-Rainbow Party, Dissenters STEM Caucus, and many others; and calls to keep pushing our municipalities, like Northampton City Council and Mayors of the past have, to pass resolutions that assert our commitments to peace and justice.

Participating Organizations: Back from the Brink Western MA Hub, Ban Killer Drones, Code Pink W MA Demilitarize Western MA, Greater Springfield Campaign for Nonviolence, Green-Rainbow Party, Massachusetts Peace Action, New England Peace Pagoda, NuclearBan.US, Pax Christi Western Massachusetts, Sisters of Saint Joseph of Springfield, Veterans for Peace.

On to 2025

by John Blumenstiel

As we turn the calendar, Americans should ponder, "How did our democracy descend into the disaster of the 2024 presidential election? Our vaunted two-party system (Democratic and Republican) provided the voter a choice between genocide/perpetual war and genocide/fascism?"

One consideration is the nature of our entwined economy and political system. We have for decades been caught in a vice grip of two political parties each under the control of America's corporate interests with a shared vision of America's hegemonic control over the global community. This past year we reached the breaking point and our political leadership is tragically responding with desperation and destruction. In the recent election cycle, amidst the international and domestic chaos, one party stood out: the Green Party US (GPUS) and its Massachusetts affiliate Green-Rainbow Party (GRP) spoke the truth. They stayed faithful to their founding principles and the American people.

The Voters Spoke

Did we win the presidency? No.

Did we come close? No.

Did we present to America a new direction, a political option that honors and promotes People, Planet, and Peace? A resounding YES.

And we did it with bold candidates, a bold vision, and a clear message: the US must change course or drag ourselves and the world into total chaos. We have choices beyond yielding to despair and giving up. The GPUS/GRP provides that option.

One lesson made obvious to many, except for the Democratic Party leadership, is that you cannot fight something as powerful as anger and fear (captured and manipulated by Trumpism) with nothing but ambiguity and jingoistic speeches, the only offering the Democrats provided.

As to the role of the GRP, we are clear on what is broken and needs to change. Envisioning and putting forth what can be, is the task moving forward. A positive image of the future, built together, will inspire others to join us. That is what we must develop and promote.

This is the legacy of our past year and the stepping stone to 2025. With 60% plus of American voters expressing the need for more political options to preserve our democracy, the time is ripe for a political movement to coalesce around progressive values. The right-wing has succeeded in its goal of regressive change and sadly coalesced around anger under the demagoguery of Donald Trump with no policy considerations other than hatred and scapegoating. The anger is legitimate, but the voting choice is wrong. The liberal democratic coalition continually slides to the right while ignoring and manipulating its voter base to its own political oblivion. Their desertion is real and the people's continuing support of them is self-destructive. They offer no authentic opposition to the decline of our democracy.

Build It and They Will Come

Given this state of affairs, what is the agenda for our party and the progressive cause in America for moving forward?

To this end, we must build sustained working relationships with these multiple groups:

First, we must acknowledge that we are building a movement with critical components:

Social movements

Labor unions

Working class across all ethnic, racial, gender, national, religious and age groups

Progressive political alternative parties committed to the working class and poor

Local politicians and aspiring officeholders who shre our 10 Key Values

Next, we must educate the American public that a dollar spent on war is a dollar lost to domestic needs. We must develop citizen engagement and education strategies to drive this point home.

Beyond this awareness, we should promote the following concrete action steps.

1) Register "J" ( Green-Rainbow Party) as your party designation with the Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth. By succeeding in registering 50,000 "J" voters we gain permanent status as a recognized political party in Massachusetts.

2 ) Join a local or regional chapter of the GRP and actively participate in its efforts and growth.

3) Engage with other social action groups and bring your Green thoughts and support to their efforts while encouraging their participation in the electoral and party building efforts of the GRP.

We do not need to reiterate the crises of our times. We are all too familiar with them. What we need to focus upon is building our strength through growing our numbers and keeping clear in our mind that the changes we need are not "rocket science", but practical, people oriented solutions that presently lack the political will to implement.

As the old challenge states: "If not us, who? If not now, when?"

Grow Your Green Voice

Every Green and Green supporter can help get the message out. Suggestions from our Social Media Coordinator, Sayeda Maham Al Rafai

Use your personal (or phantom) social media accounts to spread the word
Share from social media accounts you follow at least once a day
Post stories you receive by email to your social media account
Like and comment on appropriate posts from GRP and GP members
Share Green themes from Green-Rainbow Party, Green Party US, GRP Candidates, Sympathetic Thought Leaders
Join the team creating videos and other graphic content.

Tips for Boosting Posts

15-Minute Bonus
- The first 15 minutes of a post is crucial, so make sure to like it as soon as you see it
Eye-Candy
- 9 words or less
- Respectfully disagree with detractors
- Repeat: Leave multiple comments
Be a Diplomat
- Chat GPT will help with the diplomacy. Type your proposed comment at https://chatgpt.com/

Increasing Hostilities to the Queer Community

by Eliza Lumen

2024 was quite the year to experience for those in the queer community. The community has faced increasing hostilities through legislation around the country and anti-queer treatment by society in our public spaces.

The rise of white supremacy and fascism, driven by christo-fascist extremist religious groups, is attempting to drag us towards a time where queer people are forced back into the closet for their own safety and unable to express their identity and be with those they love. This is a future rejected by those of the community and their allies, a future of oppression and harm that drives Americans further apart. Weaponizing transgender existence has been a popular tactic, utilizing buzzwords to strike unfounded fear around safety and ethics. We are not to be fooled with such tactics. To be human is to be diverse, and our species, just as nature is, is queer.

There is no future where queer people do not exist, ever.

Education and support are key to working within your own communities, to understand fact and basic biology to dismantle disinformation campaigns. Approach from love, not hate or fear, for the future, is one of communal centrality and mutual aid to grow to oneness and reject division. Become an ally or strengthen your allyship through supporting local and national LGBTQ+ organizations, mutual aid programs, and education leaders. Providing further support for those fleeing red states and in need of respite are further ways to aid queer people navigating a pathway to safety. 2025 brings with it an uncertain year, one with possibilities of both harm and hope. United we are stronger and united we will thrive.

Let us reject oppression and embrace love. Love always wins.

SOURCES/References:

Green Party Lavender Caucus

If Not the U.S., Then Massachusetts

It's Time to Declare a Climate Emergency Here

by Eliza Lumen

A sense of urgency around our climate crisis has steadily grown in recent years. Now with new data showing the reality of a climate collapse if we do not take massive steps away from fossil fuels, we find ourselves facing a choice: declare a climate emergency. This declaration would create a new action pathway to divert collapse. The Green Party and many other organizations have pushed for this, demanding that Biden take the necessary steps for the federal government to take charge. And to no surprise, he hasn't and will not. The incoming administration has voiced wishes to gut the EPA, withdraw from any climate goals. It considers the climate crisis a hoax. None of which is good for our future to avert climate collapse. So what do we do? Let's start right here at home! The Massachusetts Governor has a unique opportunity to join over fifteen cities in the state to make this declaration, one that would align well with the recent climate bill passed in November(S.2967.) MA has large economic power in the nation and contains vulnerable coastal regions, giving strong reasons to enact a declaration of climate crisis and create more aggressive action on these issues. Action is needed now, and now is the time. Let's declare a climate emergency and show the nation how it's done, Governor!

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