Green Party of Philadelphia holds campaign kickoff for 2012 Presidential Election, featuring Vice Presidential candidate Cheri Honkala.

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On Friday, September 21, the Green Party of Philadelphia (GPOP, www.gpop.org) held their Kickoff for the Green Presidential Campaign at the William Way Community Center, www.waygay.org, in Philadelphia.

Fifty members of the press and friends of the Green Party gathered to hear how Dr. Jill Stein, who is running for President, and Cheri Honkala, running for Vice President, will present a real choice for voters, www.jillstein.org. Erin Worrell Esq., a member of the GPOP City Committee was MC for the evening.

Chris Robinson, a member of the GPOP City Committee, began by explaining how the Green Party is not an alternative Party. "It is the imperative Party," he said, "because only the Green Party has solutions to the crises facing our nation." Robinson spoke about the Green's opposition to the U.S. occupation of Afghanistan, their demand for a ban on fracking, the Green's support for an elected school board in Philadelphia and their opposition to the sale of Philadelphia Gas Works (PGW). "On each of these issues," Robinson said, "the Green Party is the only opposition to the two corporate parties which are running our society into the ground."

Dr. Walter Tsou, a former Philadelphia Health Commissioner, spoke about the Green Party being the only political party working for single-payer healthcare. "Single-payer health care would be easy to introduce because it is really Medicare for all," Tsou said. "All we will have to do is change two words in the Medicare legislation, change "over 65' to "for all,' and we will have healthcare for every American, no matter your income, your sex, and no matter your race or where you live." Tsou then discussed two ways to cut the $16 trillion federal debt. "End the wars we do not need," demanded Tsou, "and get rid of our for-profit healthcare system that does not work."

Carl Romanelli, chair of the Green Party of Pennsylvania (GPPA, www.gpofpa.org), then thanked all of the people who collected 38,000 nominating signatures to get Jill Stein and Cheri Honkala on the Pennsylvania ballot. "These volunteers are sometimes called "Little People,' but I think that's wrong," said Romanelli. "These were "Hugh People of Character" working for an important cause."

Part of that cause is an end to the privatization of mass incarceration. Romanelli said, "It is wrong for people to be put in jail just to service the prison-industrial complex. Our country (with five percent of the world's population) now has 25 percent of the world's prisoners. The presidential candidates from the two corporate parties refuse to talk about this." Romanelli then introduced Green Party Vice Presidential Candidate Cheri Honkala, saying, "I have no hesitation in saying that Cheri Honkala is one of Philadelphia's Finest."

Honkala opened her remarks by saying that she and Jill Stein plan to "turn the White House into the Green House." They plan to do this by "turning the Rust Belt into the Green Belt." She also spoke about the differences between the two women. "It's the difference between Trotting Horse Lane in Massachusetts (Stein) and Mutter Street in Kensington (Honkala)." Honkala then spoke about getting arrested with Stein on August 1 doing civil disobedience to protest foreclosures at a bank on Market Street in Philadelphia. "None of the other candidates have a proposal to solve the problem of home foreclosures," Honkala charged.

She also told about the Stein/Honkala appearance at the first anniversary of Occupy Wall Street in New York City. "We explained to them that if Occupy is serious about changing our country and serious about making it better, then they will have to build a movement that can Occupy the Ballot Box. I think that the Green Party has made a good start at building such a movement."

For more information on the Stein/Honkala Campaign for President/Vice President, please contact 215-243-7103. 
 

Videos by Michael Gellman are available on You Tube:
Chris Robinson's speech: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HOOJZQYT7iI&list=UUIhN7KSESCQZcpZDusnZniA&index=1&feature=plcp

Dr. Walt Tsou's speech: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6syjU90rLwo&feature=BFa&list=UUIhN7KSESCQZcpZDusnZniA

Carl Romanelli's speech: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g_Wkq3jppqU&feature=BFa&list=UUIhN7KSESCQZcpZDusnZniA

Cheri Honkala's speech:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1bvE_KsuV_4

Authors Bio:

Chris Robinson is a graduate of Central High School (#219) in Philadelphia, PA. He lives in Germantown and was been a member of the Green Party of Philadelphia (www.gpop.org) City Committee from 2011 thru 2017. Chris Robinson is also a member of United Food and Commercial Workers Local 1776. He has been the communication team leader for the Green Party of Pennsylvania since January 2019.