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As Deer Isle Goes... A Small Town Makes a Bold Demand: Bring Our War Money Home
Deer Isle Town Meeting Day, March 1, 2010. It was an event for which to be proud and it ought not go uncelebrated. Two thirds of those at the Deer Isle Town Hall on this picturesque island of 2400 lobstermen, artists, tradesmen, and “from-awayers” took their stand. Effectively saying, “No more”, the substantial majority voted to approve an article on the town warrant calling on Congressman Mike Michaud not to fund the wars in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Pakistan and to take a lead in demanding the same principled position of his colleagues. Thanks in large part to impassioned statements made in support of the article (No one spoke in opposition.) Deer Isle may boast of playing a lead in Maine’s prerogative, showing the country the way.
Resident Deb Suran, a gardener and self-employed webmaster, speaking from the floor, offered convincing testimony. Citing the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, she reported that U.S. military expenditures in 2008 were $607 billion while the People’s Republic of China came next at $84.9, trailing by a mere $522 billion! Suran also mentioned that while the U.S. is busy bombing the Afghanistan countryside, China has the largest foreign investment project in that country. Deer Isle taxpayers got the picture: The U.S. is waging war, China is concentrating on commerce.
Marcia Kola, an artist and ardent community activist, persuasively reminded townspeople of Donald Rumsfeld’s response to widespread public resistance to war in Iraq. “I don’t care what the people think as long as they continue to pay their taxes,” said George Bush’s Secretary of Defense. How revealing! Kola asked citizens to take a close look at America’s budget and consider the question, “Do you see yourself as a person who wants their country to be using 50% of your taxable income to pay for bombs and drones and bullets?”
The vote wasn’t even close. Deer Isle’s answer to Kola’s question could be thought of in these terms, “No we don’t want our tax dollars funding the reduction of Afghan homes to rubble and the further degradation of Iraq’s environment, while frost heaves grow and potholes multiply on our country roads and schools and hospitals struggle.” The majority on Deer Isle no longer buys into the fear tactics that enable the (so called) defense industry. Communists and drug lords, al Qaeda and terrorists, all hobgoblins that can’t possibly justify a military empire of over 1000 foreign military bases, can’t justify a “defense” budget equal to that of the rest of the world’s, and can’t justify another drone attack!
The article on Deer Isle’s Town Warrant was inspired by the Bring the War Dollars Home campaign, a collaboration of 17 concerned citizens’ organizations led by the Global Network Against Weapons and Nuclear Power in Space and Code Pink Maine. A number of other towns and cities in the state may soon follow Deer Isle’s lead as the campaign reports similar resolutions being considered in 10 other municipalities. There are other promising signs. One of Maine’s school district boards has voted 9-4, to support a “Bring the War $$s Home” resolution which will ask state legislators to request Congressional representatives to stop funding war and to use the money to fund education. The campaign also reports that 17 state legislators have now signed on to the “Bring the War $$s Home” letter asking Maine’s Congressional reps to support votes that will terminate war expenditures. On the weekend of April 10 and 11, supporters of the campaign weary of good-money-after-bad rationale, and unwilling to support one more appropriations bill will fan out in many towns across the state to place notices on residential doors which remind us that the average Maine family has paid $10,000 for warfare in Iraq and Afghanistan.
At the end of the day on Deer Isle, the Town Moderator quoted Thomas Jefferson, “The will of the people is the only legitimate foundation of any government, and to protect its free expression should be our first priority.” It was an eloquent testimonial to that cherished keystone of democracy in New England—the Town Meeting. The people of Deer Isle spoke. Our representatives in the people’s House, the House of Representatives, have the authority to stop funding the wars. Our Congressman Michaud will hear from us. May the Deer Isle example be followed across the land.
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21 Comments so far
Show AllThis is a great idea.
Even though i don't believe that the 'system', as it has evolved, will be changed - i do believe we need to start creating alternative groups of like minded and passionate people.
These groupings from all walks of life, will be neccessary in the very near future. That is the feeling i have, anyway. I don't think our votes are terribly meaningful. We don't have a representative democracy. Just watch CSpan.
Post modern america isn't going back. There really weren't any 'good old days', to be honest. And memories of old times are romanticized and based upon our own childhood memories (those of us who were born before 1965, perhaps)?
I think we are going into a whole new paradigm. Things need to fall apart, if they are ever to be built anew. Or not.
You're probably right. A sort of implosion?
Things will certainly have to change, America is no longer top of the heap in much of anything BUT war-making and "defense" spending. Meanwhile our schools and roads and railways crumble, social programs are cut, and Social Security and Medicare seem destined to be trimmed past the bone. WE have glutted the world's resources to support a plutocratic establishment -- and to be frank, a nice middle-class existence for several decades. We've gotten used to all this plenty and cutting back is going to be stressful at the least.
But notions we are suddenly going to become a country of farmers and return to the country are ridiculous. We WILL have to be more efficient (and cleaner) in our use of resources and power but lifestyles will not be changing all that much in the near future; nor I suspect much further onward.
But we HAVE to stop using force of arms and economics to squeeze out foreign resources and money. We need fair trade not "free." And we need to adjust our attitudes toward the rest of the world and the Earth itself.
Can we do it? We must.
Gary
“When we get to the future, I'll determine the future.”
-- George Allen
Adjusting our attitudes towards ourselves ands the Earth itself is the very first place to start.
Capitol Hill will not change course until after the revolution.
The people still believe that there are a few "good ones"... once that fantasy is gone, there will be a huge backlash against the tyrants and oligarchs.
The French Revolution will look like a pikers holiday compared to what D.C. has coming.
Huzzah Deer Isle ! Beautiful down there. The Article brought back many fond memories of the July 4th Parade in Stonington. I used to play in the Town Band for that event. Then...Lobstah on the Pier.
The people have spoken. You Maine delegation - Snowe, Collins, Michaud, Pingree - listen up and heed the will of the people.
Stop the Warmongering insanity of the US government.
Go Deer Isle!
I bet Cambridge, MA could vote to Bring War $$$ Home, as well.
The school board of the little Maine Town of Anson just voted to support Bring Our War $$ Home, as well. I see the hierarchy of this nation and the world begin to fall apart at the seams. No one believes their crap any more. As soon as the grass-roots groups of people come together with the common cause of 'justice for all', we shall see a great turning of hearts. The military-industrial complex can kill people by the millions and destroy homes, hospitals and schools by the hundreds of thousands but they will never kill the spirit of people who know they were created to be free.
You murderous, loathful military leeches: your day is nearly done. Enjoy your killing while it lasts. The Yellowstone Caldera awaits you.
Cool to see brilliant initiatives like this one - and moving-forward energy on the comments too. Really there's plenty of good stuff to be done, long as we don't spend too all our time dissing the bad guys. :-)
We need the energy to think up cool stuff like these Deer Isle folks did. They made the issue really local, where the issue really stands out. I'm sure if we were on the ground in Iraq or Afghanistan, it would show up clearly too.
Andrew
www.radicalrelocalization.com
Wicked good! If democracy doesn't work here, it won't work anywhere.
This is another of those things to print out and personally deliver to your local officials.
This is the only hope that I see: local action! Federal efforts are, for the moment, completely broken. This action in Maine is great and I think that my town of Santa Rosa has a make-up which might allow for such a declaration as well.
What I think is great is that people are finally getting FED up and are not waiting for the feddies to do the things we want. They are bringing expectation of action back down to the local level where they can control it. There are some great examples of this: Oregon's progressive taxation is a great place to start for school funding; California's recent passage of state single payer legislation; Marin county's passage of community choice aggregation for power acqusition and carbon reduction; my own Sonoma County's zero net carbon by 2015 legislation and the Sonoma County Energy Independance Program, which provides loans paying all up-front costs for those who install solar (loan pay-back is accomplished through your porperty taxes.
There is so much going on on a local level, it is a very heartening thing in this time of mutilistic wars, morally bankrupt federal governance, and sociopathic Wall Street CEO's. GO LOCAL!! I am going to see what I can do to get a Bring the $$s Home Resolution rolling in my area. Fuckthewar! Goodnight and good luck!
Maine, what a great place for the "Awakening' to begin. Symbolically, it's the dream place for starting this!
Maine facts: The first light of each new dawn, hits here first! Wow, the dawning of the revolution of the people, by the people and for the people!!
Maine: Margaret Chase Smith was the first woman to serve in both houses!
Maine; State motto: Dirigo ( I direct) yes you do!
Maine: state bird, the chickadee..... ( This is one chickadee that loves what you're doing.)
Maine: postal abbreviation ME... and it's time we all stated thinking of "me'" instead of THEE, the Pentagon budget!
The 23rd state to join the union becomes the FIRST in leadership! Go Maine!
I will go to my city council meeting and urge that they join you too! BRING OUR WAR MONEY HOME!
There isn't any way to peace...Peace IS the WAY!
An excellent and inspiring beginning to the revolution we need. A way to further support the movement toward sanity and dismantling the military oligarchy is to urge your representatives to support H. Con Res 248, as recently introduced by Dennis Kucinich, and co-sponsored by Maine Rep Chellie Pingree. The resolution will force a full House debate on continuing funding for the Afghan war.
Write or call your representatives! Do it now! Thank you Deer Isle!
Congratulations to these inspirational people who actually made their voices heard! They did their part. If the rest of us who are a part of CD would all go out and do as much we would have an impact.
Don't mourn, organize!
It brings such happiness to me this morning to learn that some people in these United States of America finally not only saw through the phoney wars waged by the Pentagon, the obscene military budget, and its true function (the maintenance of Empire and its dominion over the world), but also acted upon their insight without fear and unapologetically.
Unlimited congratulations to the folks of Deer Isle! You are my kind of people!
Rep. Mike Michaud's past/present association with the Marxist Institute for Policy Studies does not make him a likely congressman to protect any of his constituents' liberties, especialy so since he's supportive of illegal immigration!
See: http://www.knology.net/~bilrum/ips1.htm
and: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TZUOG70aWDs
I hate to have to tell you, but Marx was right about a few things.
Point being that this has the potential to become a sort of grassroots movement. I know I'm going to talk it up here in Florida. This is the right thing to do.
Who gives a damn about what club the congressman was in? Only the political enemies of this idea.
A few Marxist congress people would be a good start.
Wow! I'm thinking you are so far to the right of center that you are going to meet yourself goin' around. Does Marxism frighten you? Well, laissez faire capitalism scare the crap out of me. It's pretty much destroyed this country. You, just head on back to your cave.
Deer Isle and Anson. Live like them.
Joe
To paraphrase a song...the Gain in Maine will fall plainly on those remaining. Maine, Deer Isle, we salute you.