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Wednesday,
April 11, 2012. Chaos and violence continues, Iraq's LGBT community
gets some attention, Martin Kobler talks about Camp Ashraf, did two
bodyguards of Tareq al-Hashemi die, and more.
As pointed out in yesterday's snapshot, Omar Ali (Liberation) notes A.N.S.W.E.R.'s
San Francisco chapter held a teach-in the afternoon of March 25th at
the First Unitarian Chuch on Franklin. The topic of the teach-in was
the Iraq War. Speakers included Dr. Jess Ghannam, Nazila Bargshady,
Dr. Henry Clark, former Attorney General Ramsey Clark, Richard
Becker and Gloria La Riva. Ali notes, "The teach-in was well attended
by progressives from many different movements and communities. The
diversity of the attendees demonstrates the sense of unity of different
strata of the working class of this country in opposition to the war
against the Iraqi masses.
We included some of Iraq War veteran and March Forward
co-founder Mike Prysner's speech in yesterday's snapshot. A number of
e-mails state that the video with Omar Ali streams visually but there's
no audio. I didn't know that. I was using my own notes of Mike's
speech. Since there are problems with the stream, we'll note some more
of his speech (I didn't take notes during the other speeches)
Mike
Prysner: Families would come to us whose children had been killed,
whose children's limbs had been blown off, who came to us begging for
some kind of monetary compensation because they were left with
absolutely nothing. I saw literally thousands of detainees who did
absolutely nothing except be a military age male who happened to live
in a village that was picked at random to be raided one night and who
was brought into detention facilities to be tortured and humiliated.
You know, for me personally, as I said earlier, I wanted to go to this
war. I believed very much in it. I believed very much in the military
and our country. But all of the lies and indoctrination that we were
being fed couldn't match reality because I had other teachers beyond
the president and the military commanders and those were the Iraqi
people. And there are several people who will always be burned in my
memory, they're the ones who taught me the truth and taught me which
side I was on. It was men who were urinating themselves, pleading
through sandbags on their heads in detention facilities. It was a
father who was shot through the neck and as he was dying saying over
and over, "I just want to see my family, I just want to see my
family." And the number one person, the one that really did it for me
was -- I have a little sister who's now 18 so she was about 8 at the
time I deployed. I got her name tattooed on my arm before I -- before
I left. Her name's Rachel. And we were ordered at this one point to
kick these families out of their home for whatever reason. And there
was this 8-year-old girl who looked exactly like my sister and it was
my job to drag her out of her house as she was crying, as her parents
were crying, as her siblings were crying, arrest the males in her
family, put them on a truck and send them to those detention
facilities. And I couldn't stop looking at her face because it was my
sister's face. And I realized that this girl was exactly like my
sister, that man who was shot was exactly like my father and that these
people were just like my family. And so what happened was, I couldn't
stop seeing that everything that we were doing to the Iraqi people, I
was doing to my own family. Because they are our family, they're our
brothers and sisters. And so this was the breaking point for myself
and so many others. And the daily violence, the daily abuse, the
daily humiliation all by an unwanted foreign invader, led to a
widespread popular uprising against the occupation. And no
rank-in-file soldier who has been to Iraq can say that they don't
understand why the Iraqi people stood up and fought back. In fact,
that's the main factor why the majority of US troops ended up opposing
the war: Because it was clear that the resistance of the Iraqi people
was justified. But the US government had a plan for the popular
rebellion too. They used the tactics of divide and conquer and
shredded a once united country. And in it's wake, they left a country
completely destroyed. And it's difficult to overstate the level of
suffering and destruction that the Iraqi people now deal with. And
anyone believing the lie that the war in Iraq was somehow out of care
for the Iraq people, one just has to look to the wave of the war within
the US military to see how true that is, to see how much this
government cares about its own soldiers -- let alone Iraqis. Today, in
the wake of the Iraq War, there's an epidemic of suicides in the US
military -- where, for the past three years more active-duty soldiers
are killing themselves than are being killed in combat. This is a
staggering, shocking number. Thousands already have been abandoned and
left to die alone with the guilt and trauma of what they've been sent
to do, hundreds of thousands of families thrown into chaos by loved
ones they no longer recognize. Suicide and suicide attempts are at
such a staggering record breaking rate, they can only call it an
emergency situation. You can only call it a crisis that this
government has refused to respond to in any meaningful way. I've
traveled to different bases that have high rates of suicides and the
numbers are staggering. Among veterans there's 950 suicide attempts a
month. But when you see these peoples' faces -- I mean, I met people
who jumped out of their window in the middle of the night because they
heard voices speaking in Arabic every time they turned the lights off.
I've met people who can't eat because they can't hold their utensils
because they shake so bad. And these same people, when the go to the
doctors in the army and say "I need help," they're told that they're
fine and that they have to go on other deployments. And they can go a
million times a day to every doctor, every chaplain, every leader that
they have in their chain of command and they'll be told the same thing.
It will always be written into the history of this war that during this
time the US government allowed a wave of preventable suicides through
it's US military and did absolutely nothing to stop it but not only did
nothing to stop it but actively tried to deny soldiers their access to
treatment, to deny them compensation. This is what they're doing now as
they try to save precious tax dollars -- you know the same people who
spared no expense writing blank checks for new weapons systems. And of
course if you can witness the truly shocking, devestating effects of
the war on US troops, one can only imagine the level of psychological
trauma experienced by Iraq's entire population who didn't do just one
tour or two tours but lived 20 years under constant bombing and nine
years of brutal occupation. None will bear the scars of the war deeper
than the Iraqi people.
The Iraqi
people have suffered and the suffering continues to this day. In many
ways, that's due to the fact that the US government refused to utilize
trained people and instead put thugs in power to scare the people with
the hopes that a scared people couldn't fight back against the empire.
The thugs get bored and consumed with their self-hatred so they lash
out at others. Sometimes it's women, sometimes it's Christians,
sometimes it's the LGBT community, sometimes it's . . . Anyone who
isn't in the thug class is at risk of targeting in Iraq. Iraqi Refugee Assistance Project has released a video on being gay in Iraq which the Huffington Post has posted to their site. There is no closed caption but here's a transcript of the video.
Ahmed's Story: Surviving Persecution Against LGBT in Iraq
War and sectarian violence in Iraq forced thousands to flee for their lives and seek refuge elsewhere.
These people are stranded, unable to return to Iraq without risking their lives.
Ahmed had to flee Iraq as after the war intolerance towards homosexuality increased.
Neighboring countries fail to provide adequate protection to the growing number of refugees in Ahmed's situation.
For the safety of Ahmed and his family, identities have been concealed.
Ahmed:
I was studying medicine in Baghdad University but after the war
everybody starts to express every hatred he has. I don't support Saddam
[Hussein -- ruler the US overthrew with the Iraq War] and I don't like
him but at least there was law somehow. Sadly, my ex-boyfriend that I
met four years ago and I was devoted to him for four years, I gave him
my life, I gave him everything. He was the first boyfriend for me. He
lost his job and he started to ask me for money, okay? Immediately, I
started to give him, I give him everything I have. But then he started
to ask for more and more. I told him, "My love, I cannot any more
because my parents are suspecting. You know, I may lose my parents.
He said, "I don't care about your parents." I had a lot of private
pictures between me and him. He said, "You remember the photos we
had?" I said, "Yes." He said, "Imagine that I will send the CDs to
your uncles." I said, "No, you're joking." One day my sister called
me. She said, "You have to flee Baghdad now. I have just received a
call." She said that six of my uncles -- I have eight uncles -- they
received a small envelope under the main gates of their houses. A
letter was written with the CD: "Your son is one of Baghdad's biggest
gay bitches." They made a meeting, those uncles, and they decided they
want to make an 'honor' killing. And they want to shoot me in front of
people. I said, "Are they serious?" She said, "Sure they are serious.
You have to flee now. I prefer that you live in a far place rather
than seeing your name on a rock on a grave." I said, "Do you hate me?"
She said, "No, no. Just please, for God's sake, you have to flee."
Ahmed was able to escape to a neighbouring country, where he joined other family members.
Ahmed:
I had a kind of stable, calm life. You know, I lived with my mom and
dad, they loved me so much. I have my own friends and I had a
boyfriend there.There was a small shop called Sense for perfumes and I
liked some of their perfumes. I went there and I am paying. At that
moment, I felt a hand is grabbing my hair and two hands grabbing and
pulling my hands. I looked at them. I was shocked. The religious
police. They say, "You're a f**. Is that how a man has to look like?"
Then we went to the high court. The judge, he said, "You know, you are
accused for being a homosexual. I want to tell you something, you
don't deserve to live and you are a shame for your family, for the
Iraqi nation, or for the Muslim nation. God, he took a lot of time.
More than you deserve." In that jail, a police man entered. He said,
"I know your story and I feel sorry for you." I was so happy. I said,
"At last there is a good guy here." He said, "I want you to stand up."
I said, "Okay." I stood up. He said, "I want to make sure. Are you
really f**got?" Then he said, "Yeah, it seems that you are." Okay,
then he tried with me. I refused. I refused. I refused. I clenched
and clenched and spass-ed my muscles so as he won't be able to rape me
fully. He was so mad. And he said, "You bitch. I will turn your days
to hell in this jail.
Ahmed's parents were able to get him a conditional release from jail, prior to his trial.
They then contacted IRAP.
In Iraq, however, violence against the LGBT community is resurging.
Support the work of IRAP and help others like Ahmed.
Imagine living in Iraq today and being gay (or just being thought to be gay). Huffington Post notes, " As Reuters reports,
death squads have been targeting two separate groups -- gay men, and
those who dress in a distinctive, Western-influenced style called
'emo,' which some Iraqis mistakenly associate with homosexuality, since
the start of this year."
Near the start of last month, Trudy Ring (SheWired) reported: A
recent wave of violence in Iraq has resulted in the kidnapping,
torture, and killing of about 40 people perceived to be gay or lesbian,
with the murder weapon sometimes being a concrete block to the head.The
killings began in early February after an unidentified group put up
posters with death threats against "adulterous individuals" in largely
Shiite neighborhoods of Baghdad and Basra, reports
the International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission. The threats
listed the targets' names and ages, and gave them four days to change
their behavior or face divine retribution.Some
of the murders have been carried out by smashing the victims' skulls
with concrete blocks or pushing them off roofs of tall buildings, says
a report from two other groups, the Organization of Women's Freedom in Iraq and Iraqi LGBT.
Again,
imagine living in Iraq today and being gay (or just being thought to be
gay). And, yes, it was better for Iraq's LGBT community under Saddam
Hussein. As it was for Christians and for women and for minority
groups in general.
What
pretty words. What a shame his Special Envoy to Iraq spits on those
words, betrays Iraq's LGBT community, stays silent as they're targeted
and killed, ignores the persecution.
As we noted yesterday, the
Special Envoy Martin Kobler appeared Tuesday before the United Nations
Security Council where he yammered away for approximately 20 minutes
and also handed in a written report/statement which was 17 pages long.
Though he was supposedly concerned about violence and targeted groups
and though he made his focus the first three months of the year, he
couldn't bring himself to mention the targeting of Iraq's LGBT
community. He could talk about the so-called 'honor' killings but not
in relation to gay men or lesbians. Ban Ki-moon assured the world's
LGBT community just last month that they were not alone. Just
yesterday, his Special Envoy to Iraq, made clear that, in fact, Iraq's
LGBTs are very much alone. Martin Kobler made very clear that the
United Nations, as represented by him in Iraq, will gladly and always
look the other way while thugs go on killing sprees. One of the slogan
of the United Nations is, "It's your world." But apparently that
doesn't apply for LGBTs. Someone with the UN to address whether Ban
Ki-moon was lying or if Martin Kobler just doesn't understand how
offensive what he did yesterday was?
Also
smelling up the room was US Ambassador to the UN Susan Rice who didn't
say a word about the exclusion and silence despite the fact that she
presided over the Security Council hearing. The White House is aware,
see this White House announcement,
that this is LGBT Pride Month. But Barack mouths a lot of pretty words
he apparently doesn't mean. This was made clear today when the White
House announced they would not issue an executive order barring
discrimination against LGBTs on the part of contractors awarded State
Dept or Defense Dept contracts. Byron Tau (POLITICO) reports:
Obama
is under pressure from some gay activists to endorse same-sex
marriage -- and his refusal to address discrimination through executive
order is unlikely to help him among those in the community who are
hoping for a more forceful stance on equality from the White House.
"I
don't know if the White House is politically homophobic, actually
homophobic, or just afraid of doing anything that might risk some
attention," Heather Cronk, the managing director of GetEQUAL.
"He's
not going to have hoards of gay folks running over and voting for
Romney," Cronk said, admitting that Obama stands little chance of
losing votes to Republicans over the issue. "The problem [is] that the
White House is making a calculation."
And
making it clear that they aren't that 'gay friendly,' let alone the
fierce advocate for gay rights Michelle used to insist Barack was.
As
shameful as Kobler's silence on the targeting of Iraq's LGBTs is the
Iranian press' refusal to be honest about what happened yesterday in
the hearing. Fars News Agency and the Islamic Republic News Agency
are among the outlets focusing on remarks read out loud by Iraq's
Ambassador to the UN Hamid al-Bayati while ignoring Kobler's remarks.
al-Bayati can demand that the Iranian dissidents who have been housed
in Iraq since 1986 leave and imply that this is the case and he can
state that the government of Iraq cannot keep these MEK in Iraq.
That's in contrast to remarks made by Kobler who stated that Iraq may
have to learn to be flexible with regards to the departure of the MEK.
Only the Iranian press even seemed to care about the issue, this
despite it being a signficant especially with regards to the US
government which gave the dissidents of Camp Ashraf protected persons
status under the Geneva coventions. We're going to include Kobler's
full remarks on Camp Ashraf since they've been ignored near completely
by the press.
UN Special Envoy to
Iraq Martin Kobler: Madam President, a year ago on 8th of April 2011,
the tragic incidents in Camp Ashraf led to the death of dozens of Camp
Ashraf residents and hundreds injured. In an effort to reach a peaceful
and durable solution, UNAMI and the government of Iraq signed a
memorandum of understanding on 25th of December 2011. The government
of Iraq agreed to extend the deadline for the closure of the camp.
From mid-February until now, almost 1,200 residents of Camp New Iraq
were safely relocated to the temporary transient location in Camp
Hurriyah, near Baghdad. UN monitors are deployed to monitor both the
relocation and the situation in Camp Hurriyah around the clock. The
UNHCR has a team at Camp Hurriyah to carry out the verfication and the
ajudication. I wish to make it clear that this memorandum of
understanding concerns voluntary relocation and its implementation is
based firmly on all sides acting peacefully and in good faith. It
should be noted that on 8th of April an incident took place at Camp
Iraq during the prepartion for the fourth transfer of residents. A
confrontation developed. UN monitors now report that the situation has
returned to calm. Both sides have no resumed cooperation in
preparation for the next trasfer. I would love to have reported that
another 400 group of residents have moved to Camp Hurriyah. These
incidents have momentarily interrupted the relocation but as we speak,
UN monitors are at Camp Hurriyah and in Camp Liberty -- in Camp New
Iraq and, I'm pleased to report, that the next 400 residents will move
immediately once the loading of personal belongings is completed. This
is a sign of good will of the residents. And I will continue to be
actively engaged that an understanding is reached on the remaining
issues. With this move, half of the residents of Camp New Iraq will
have been relocated to Camp Hurriyah. I would like to take this
opportunity to make the following four remarks. First, I would like to
commend the Iraqi authorities, particularly Prime Minister
al-Maliki for his advisers and the commanding general and the many
Iraqi police men and the Iraqi army for their patience and cooperation
in ensuring the safe and secure relocation of the first three groups of
the residents. I encourage them to pursue the relocation of the
remaining residents in a manner that guarantees the residents human
rights, safety and security. And avoid everything which can be seen as
provocative. We will do everything possible to assist the government
of Iraq to relocate the remaining residents. There are, however, still
major obstacles ahead which might require flexability on the deadline.
Second, I would also like to highlight that the Camp residents, despite
initial difficulties, have shown goodwill and cooperation recently in
the relocation process. The residents have indeed come a long way. It
is difficult to abandon a place where one has lived for more than two
decades. And I do encourage the residents to continue to show good will
and continue to work in a cooperative spirit. Third, and most
importantly, I reiterate my call to member states to accept the
residents. Now that the UNHCR has begun its work, it is high time for
the international community to accept eligable candidates and fund the
relocation process. The support of the international community is
urgently needed. I welcome the joint UNHCR - UNAMI resettlement
conference which took place last month on March 23rd. More than 30
member-states participated; however, no country has committed to accept
residents. A donors appeal meeting also took place the same day seeking
to raise $39 million US dollars fund for the Ashraf Project. Only one
member-state made a concrete pledge and this falls far behind what we
had hoped. Without international support, the process cannot
succeed. Last, but not least, I would like to thank my colleagues in
UNAMI, UNHCR and the Office of High Commissioner for Human Rights for
the hard work and support. The Ashraf file placed a heavy burden on
the mission. I could count on the support of most of my colleagues. My
admiration goes to the monitoring staff at Camp Hurriyah and the UNHCR
staff in particular -- those who accompanied the convoys under truly
dangerous conditions. As stated by the Secretary-General in his
report the process is still fragile and incidents of violence cannot
be excluded. We must, therefore, remain vigilant.
Again, Kobler speaking to the UN Security Council yesterday.
On the hearing, AP, Trend News Agency, Antiwar.com (Margaret Griffis)
rushed to tell you that Special Envoy Martin Kobler declared 613 Iraqis
were killed in the first three months of the year. Those are not UN
numbers, the United Nations doesn't keep its own count. Those are the
official numbers from the Iraqi government. For a more reliable and
independt The independent Iraq Body Count
has a different number. IBC says 295 civilians died in March, 278 in
February and 458 in January. That's 1031. That's over 400 more than
what Kobler offered. (418 more, check my math -- always.) If you're
going to run with a number Kobler gave, it's probaby a good idea to
provide another number so that readers can compare and contrast. The press also missed that Kobler states the ongoing political crisis is resulting in violence. UN
Special Envoy Martin Kobler: [. . .] the tensions that have arisen
between the main party blocs in Iraq which have developed into a
political impasse. I have therefore Iraqi political parties and leaders
to work together in the spirit of partnership towards finding common
ground that will resolve their differences. In this regard, Iraqiya's
decision to end its boycott of the Council of Ministers and Council of
Representatives was the right step. President [Jalal] Talabani
suggested holding a National Conference as a way forward to bring about
an end to the stalemate. Unfortunately, until today, there was no
agreement on the agenda. An inclusive forum is needed, however, as a
first step to end the political impasse. I call on all Iraqi leaders to
sit together to address all their differences in a meaningful way.
UNAMI stands ready to continue supporting these efforts. [. . .] I'm
concerned that Iraq's political situation is heightening communal
tensions in the country and leading to an increase in the number of
attacks on civilians. Not only was Kobler's remarks on the political crisis ignored so were those by US Ambassador to Iraq Susan Rice in her press briefing
(mainly on Syria, she dismissed the topic of Iraq quickly) who noted
Martin Kobler had spoken of the political crisis, "SRSG Kobler and
Council members noted the importance for Iraq to resolve political
differences and to address the concerns of all political blocs in an
inclusive forum."
On the topic of violence, Reuters reports
that Diyala Province saw multiple home bombings today in an organized
attack by unknown assailants which left 5 people dead and another six
injured.
Meanwhile the day started with confusion and ends that way. This morning BBC News and Sameer N. Yacoub (AP)
were among those reporting that Iraqi Vice President Tareq al-Hashemi
stated two more of his bodyguards had died in the custody of Nouri's
security forces. In a later report, Yacoub notes that Iraq's Supreme Judicial Council is maintaining there have not been any deaths. Al Rafidayn was reporting the denial several hours prior to AP.
They also note that al-Hashemi is calling for Parliament to
investigate. Someone needs to and doesn't appear that the press did
since the story is no more clearer this evening than it was this
morning.
In the US, peace activist
Cindy Sheehan refuses to pay her taxes as a protest against empire and
the perpetual war. As a result of her activism, the US government now
wants to take her to court. She notes:
-
Thursday, April 19, 2012
10:30am
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US Court, 501 I St. Sacramento, Ca 95814
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Peace
Activist and Gold Star Mother, Cindy Sheehan, is a conscientious war
tax resister and the US Attorney, on behalf of the IRS, has summoned
her to court to produce requested documents. This hearing date is just
a few days after Tax Day where millions of Americans will help fund the
war machine with their hard earned money.
Cindy
is calling for a rally before the hearing in Sacramento, Ca and wants
everyone who can make it to be there to support her and show opposition
to the war machine, the wars, and other oppressions.
CLICK HERE TO JOIN THE FACEBOOK EVENT
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Ecological Wisdom • Social Justice • Grassroots Democracy • Non-Violence
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
News Release
April 11, 2012
For More Information, Contact:
Media Coordinator: Jennifer La Pietra (508)280-1360
Green Party of Michigan Concerned About Consent Agreement
(Detroit)
- On April 4th, the Detroit City Council approved a consent agreement
by a vote of 5-4. The close vote emphasizes the controversial nature of
the final agreement, its measures clearly unfair to citizens of
Detroit, and especially union workers.
The
Green Party of Michigan has long supported unions and works to assure
that the people's voice is heard in government, encouraging groups
which are in line with our stated goals. John Anthony La Pietra,
Platform Committee Chair explains: "We endorse the sharp criticisms of
the consent agreement expressed on Monday in a letter to City Council
members by Concerned Citizens for Democracy. The Green Party of
Michigan believes in grassroots democracy as one of its key values --
that's why we oppose the anti-democratic power grabs of Public Act 4
and this coercive contract on Detroit."
One
of the most unsettling of the measures include the ability of the city
to void contracts, which could prove detrimental to the unions which
are the heart of many of Detroit's industries, clearly a measure not
desired by the numerous union workers in the city. The agreement also
calls for the city to slash costs, unfortunately, with no assistance
from the state. While re-examining expenditures and emphasizing
efficiency is important for recovery on any level, cuts called for by
this agreement will have to be made by the average struggling citizen.
The
threatened alternative of an emergency manager could be even worse than
a consent agreement, so a well-reasoned consent agreement which places
more power in the hands of the citizens it affects would pave a road to
recovery. For weeks, Detroit's residents watched press releases
anxiously, hoping that the unjust Emergency Manager Law would not be
implemented in their city as has been the case in surrounding
communities. However, as the debts continued to mount, a record-making
financial collapse began to seem disturbingly possible. And without
adequate financial support, the consent agreement could slide down the
slippery slope and put the city under an emergency manager anyway.
What
makes this consent agreement worrisome is the similarity between the
emergency manager and the appointed "financial advisory board" (along
with other bureaucrats appointed by the mayor). Even though the consent
agreement states explicitly that its goal is to improve finances while
maintaining a safe, secure environment, maintaining public services and
attracting business, the financial advisory board's main goal is
improving finances. Maintaining, or especially growing, a city requires
an influx of funds - not a reduction. The consent agreement is
self-defeating.
A
city in such financial straits undoubtedly needs a boost to get it
started down the path to financial solvency. The expectation that
Detroit will be able to live under the strict budgetary constraints and
pay down its debts at the same time seems unreasonable. Flint's
emergency manager realized the same of his situation as he prepared a
budget proposal for the city. It included a request for $20 million in
bonds backed by the state. Detroit leaders should have insisted on a
similar commitment.
The
timing of the back and forth agreement authorship between Governor
Snyder and Mayor Bing is far from coincidental. This consent agreement
could not have come too quickly for the governor as a successful
petition drive is very near to making the implementation of an
Emergency Manager a moot threat. Even despite a feeble challenge to the
type size on the petition, there is every likelihood that it will pass.
If it does, the Emergency Manager Law will be suspended until
Michiganders can vote on it. The governor undoubtedly knows that
support for his law is very slim, so he is using it while he can.
Art
Myatt, Green Party of Michigan Vice-Chair, sums up the reasons why the
consent agreement isn't in the city's best interest: "It looks to
service the city's budget at the expense of the city's people and the
city's employees, and to preclude the possibility of the affected
population interfering with the process by way of local elections."
###
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GPMI
was formed in 1987 to address environmental issues in Michigan
politics. Greens are organized in all 50 states and the District of
Columbia. Each state Green Party sets its own goals and creates its own
structure, but US Greens agree on Ten Key Values:
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