Greens welcome progressives

After all the vilification of the Green Party for daring to run Jill Stein for president, who turns out to have played the spoiler role and given us Der Trump? The Clintonite establishment of the Democratic Party cheated its party of a likely victory by a popular and winning candidate, Bernie Sanders.

Now, how do we prepare for what looms as a fascist era? The signs are clear. The armed thugs in Oregon who ran federal employees off of their wildlife refuge worksite were exonerated. The Native Americans in North Dakota peacefully defending their water from pollution by a pipeline relocated away from Caucasian communities are shot, hosed and dog-bitten by armed thugs in police and private security units.

The fanatic right-wing appointments to Trump’s cabinet confirm that these stories are bad omens for our dark future.

The silence of Democratic leaders on Standing Rock is rooted in their being owned by the same energy companies as the Republicans. Obama should nationalize the local state guard and stop the violence, just as Eisenhower did years ago in Arkansas.

Throughout my lifetime the Democratic Party has proven hopeless and beyond reform. Progressives need their own party. The Greens welcome you.

Morton Alexander

Spokane