Why I became a member of the Green Party
This is not mine, folks, but I thought that Chuck put it so well that it deserved to be repeated.
Also, check out Diane’s interview with Chuck
–Adam
Having had a political journey that started out growing up Republican in
central Illinois, and becoming a Democrat after WW II, it has been a
great satisfaction, near the end of life, to feel that I have arrived
home in a political party that truly expresses and extends my hope for
the future of my children and grandchildren.
As a Taft Republican, I became disillusioned by the nomination of
General Eisenhower at the Republican Convention of 1952. And as a
Humphrey Democrat, I became disillusioned with Hubert’s support of
Johnson’s Vietnam War when he ran against Nixon in 1968.
It seems to me that the Green Party is now the only hope of saving our
democracy from the electoral corruption of Democrats and Republicans
and their subservience to the military-industrial-government complex, or
corporatocracy, that President Eisenhower warned about near the end of
his presidency.
At first I was attracted to the Green Party by two things: 1) the
policy of “Non-Violence” as one of the ten key values on which the party was
organized and 2) the fact that there are Green Parties in some ninety
other countries that are organized by regions: European, Asia-Pacific,
the Americas and Africa, all committed to the same ten key values.
The Ten Key Values
As a former Republican, I particularly appreciate Grassroots Democracy,
Decentralization and Community Based Economics.
As a former Democrat, I particularly appreciate Social Justice and
Equal Opportunity, Feminism and Gender Equality and Respect for Diversity .
As a grandfather, I particularly appreciate Non-Violence, Ecological
Wisdom, Personal and Global Responsibility and Future Focus and
Sustainability.
Most Democrats see Greens as spoilers and overlook their own
deficiencies and conflictions. Most Republicans are riding high on
power and don’t see their abuses and contradictions. But those in both
parties, who see the need for a fresh and responsible start, are
switching to the Green Party, the party that is growing faster than any
other in the United States.
Chuck Harker, May 4, 2005