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.