Green Party leader rallies college students

Alicia Robinson

If more people voted for the political party that truly represents

what they believe, more of them would probably vote green, social

activist Peter Camejo said Friday during a talk at Orange Coast

College.

Camejo, a Green Party candidate for governor in the October recall

election, drew a standing ovation when he shared his criticisms of

the Iraq war, the U.S. tax system and the Bush administration with

several hundred students at OCC.

One of his themes was the inequality of American income taxes. As

the tax system is now structured, the richest people pay the smallest

percentage of their income in taxes, he said. If California would

raise taxes slightly for the state’s wealthiest residents, there

would be enough money to replace the funds that have been cut from

education and have a budget surplus, he said.

But the wealthiest few Americans control the political system

because they donate the bulk of the money that pays for campaigns,

Camejo said.

“Our electoral system isn’t in your hands,” he said. “It’s in the

hands of money.”

He criticized the first Bush administration for supporting Saddam

Hussein with weapons and funding, and he scoffed at the idea that top

U.S officials weren’t aware of the abuse of Iraqi prisoners that was

recently revealed in photos.

“They really should give Oscars for this stuff, [like] Bush saying

he didn’t know,” Camejo said. “Everybody in Iraq knew.”

A majority of Iraqis as well as many other nations oppose U.S.

military operations in Iraq, he added.

Although Americans are used to trying to solve problems on their

own, many of the issues facing the world today can only be resolved

by people working together, he said.

“We have to learn that our family now is the entire species and

our home is the entire planet,” he said. “Our problems are the

problems of the world.”

Camejo advised students not to accept everything they’re told

because the media often only presents one side of issues. They should

work for whatever causes are important to them and also vote for the

party they agree with rather than thinking their vote is wasted if

it’s not for a Republican or a Democrat, he said.

“If you could vote for who you want, maybe you’ll discover you’re

not alone and there are millions and millions of people who agree

with you,” he said.

Camejo found a receptive audience in the students.

Genene Salman, 24, said she already knew most of what Camejo said

about Iraq and the U.S. tax system, but she appreciated that he

vocally goes against the mainstream. Because he’s outspoken, Camejo

is ostracized by the media, she said.

Both Salman, who is taking classes for her post-graduate studies,

and another student, Beau Gertz, said they’ll consider voting for

Green party candidates after hearing Camejo’s talk.

Gertz, 20, came to the event to get extra credit for class but

agreed with some of Camejo’s points.

“I ended up actually liking what he had to say,” Gertz said.

“[America] is becoming more of a dictatorship than a democracy.”