Some thoughts and info from Norman Solomon
Six scary words: Governor Whitman. Senator Fiorina. Speaker Boehner.
From Sacramento to Washington, the political anatomy of elected officials is crucial: Republicans are heartless. Disaster follows when Democrats are spineless.
During the past decade, boosts of the federal budget for military spending have vastly outpaced the funding for state and local governments. The cascading effects of those priorities are devastating.
It's painful to consider how much money taxpayers have already sent to the IRS to directly pay for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan -- nearly $1.5 billion from Marin County and close to $2 billion from Sonoma County.
Of course the human toll of the warfare state can't be measured in dollars.
The war machinery is oiled by secrecy, which took a hit from the recent WikiLeaks release of Pentagon documents. The latest Pacific Sun includes an article I wrote -- "New Afghan Policy?" -- about efforts to downplay the importance of the big leak.
Last Friday, I was glad to be a speaker at the Hiroshima Day rally near the Lawrence Livermore lab. My article "Nuke U," appearing in the current edition of the North Bay Bohemian, asks: "Should the University of California be managing laboratories that design the latest technologies for nuclear holocaust?"
An interview with Haydn Reiss, the director of the new documentary "Every War Has Two Losers," is now online courtesy of Marin TV.
While some elected officials are disappointing, others set a high standard. For instance, it's heartening to see State Senator Mark Leno's thoughtful approach to leadership, reflected in his recent op-ed piece "Curbing Repeat Drunk Drivers Is Not as Easy as Taking Away a License."
This month, I'm working on the healthcare section of the upcoming report from the Commission on a Green New Deal for the North Bay (which I co-chair along with Lisa Maldonado, Will Pier and Ginger Souders-Mason). I'd appreciate any information and analysis you could send to me about the current healthcare situation in Marin and Sonoma counties. After more than a dozen forums and hearings since early 2009, the Green New Deal report will be released in the fall.
Best wishes,
Norman
P.S. -- This week: On Tuesday (Aug. 10), I'll be speaking in Santa Rosa at a MoveOn-sponsored rally to challenge corporate money in politics. On Wednesday (Aug. 11), at the Sunrise Center in Corte Madera, I'm making a presentation on "Democracy Awakening." For details on these and other speaking events, click here.
Next week: North Bay chapters of Progressive Democrats of America are sponsoring Brown Bag Lunch Vigils -- with the theme "Americans need jobs and security, not wars" -- happening nationwide at district offices of more than 100 members of Congress. Vigils will take place at noon on Wednesday, August 18, in Santa Rosa (1101 College Ave.) and in San Rafael (intersection of Freitas Parkway and Northgate Drive).
