Letters to the Editor

Vol. 2, No. 4--May 11, 2005

Editor's note: Our last newsletter drew responses on a number of issues that our readers hold near and dear to them. This is a sampling intended to stimulate thought and conversation.

Media

I think David Swanson's article (Labor Media or the Lack Thereof) is right on. I have listened to various blather about media decisions being based on profits…hooey. They base their decisions on politics. That has been clear as a bell. The media chose John Kerry as the Democratic candidate. They chose what slant to print or air. They dictate to us what to think and all the things this article suggests. I couldn't agree more the the solution. The powers that be would be left cold and shaking in their boots if labor truly got organized again. Labor media would be a boon to all of us that feel like we are on the fringes. Instead of sharing the true feelings and ideas at the "majority." Thank you, David.

Mary Etta Findle
Dundee, Oregon

PDA Petition to Howard Dean

Thank you, thank you, thank you for articulating and organizing the Petition to Chairman Dean regarding his stated reasons for staying in Iraq. I had written to Mr. Dean of my extreme disappointment regarding his very first public statement, after assuming the chairmanship, in his debate with Richard Perle. His comments in Minnesota reaffirmed that disappointment and refueled my anger that not one soul, with the exception of Congresswoman Barbara Lee, voted against going to Iraq. And that is where I depart from your statement somewhat. Hardworking American citizens should not have to pay to rebuild Iraq. Bush, Rumsfeld, and cronies and "Congress" including Democrats should pay to rebuild what they destroyed by voting to go to war. Democrats masquerading as Republicans should be prepared to stand up and raise taxes on those who got a free pass and put the cost of the war on those who could least afford to finance Bush's desire to "restructure and democratize" the rest of the world to his liking. Traditional hawk democrats shouldn't count on voters continuing to accept empty rhetoric for deeds and should be prepared to move over for Progressive candidates, office by office, state by state, as long as it takes.

(name withheld)

Darfur

I just want to say that I respect your organization and everything that it has done to make America more progressive. I am concerned, however, about the situation going on in the Darfur region of Sudan. Government sponsored militias have killed tens of thousands of villagers and hundreds more continue to die each day. Men, women, children, and the elderly are being raped, murdered, beaten, tortured, and having other horrible atrocities committed to them on a daily basis. I think that it is utterly disgusting that the Bush administration as well as the leaders of Europe aren't doing a damn thing to stop this. I think that it is hypocritical that the Republicans try to endorse a culture of life as well as drop everything for one woman (Terri Schiavo) and they are letting this happen on their watch. Right now I am selling green wristbands from www.savedarfur.org and I plan to give all the proceeds to Oxfam to help the Sudanese people get the basic aid they need in the filthy and dangerous refugee camps that they are forced to inhabit in the unforgivable terrain of the Sahara desert. Do you think that the PDA could do something to press this administration to help these people as well as bring more awareness to the American public about this. After the Holocaust we said NEVER AGAIN, and then we said the same after Rwanda. It just seems like that phrase is good on a PR level.Thank you for your time and all that you have done so far to try to make America a better place for all of our citizens.

Chris Pacifico

Election Reform

When I was in Iowa working on the presidential campaign last Oct., a few people mentioned "why vote, it won't count anyway" or something else in that vein. Unless something is done about voting integrity, I'm afraid that there will be more such people in 2008--and we will have another rerun of '00 and '04.

DNC chair Howard Dean has suggested Initiatives re no election methods without ability to have hand recount in the ~24 states that have the Initiative process. A couple of months ago at Sonoma State Ca, Ralph Nader suggested using university faculty and students to work on Initiatives, as his organization did in 1988 in Ca on an auto insurance Initiative, that passed easily despite being out heavily outspent. Last Nov an increased minimum wage passed in Nv and Fl, despite being heavily outspent.

Unfortunately, the faculty rep at SSU thinks that voter protection might upset their legislative supporters, who are content with the current situation, and isn't close enough to faculty interests. Unfortunately, Democrats and Greens in Ca don't seem to be as "radical" as Dean. In 1974, Ed and Joyce Koupal (who both died of cancer a few years later) of the Ca People's Lobby invited me to Nader Critical Mass conference, out which came (anti-nuke) Nuclear Power Safeguards Initiatives in a number of western states--all lost, but the issues re nuclear power, including that nuclear sites might become terrorist targets in the future, became much more known in the general public and another nuclear plant hasn't been started in construction since then.

Voter Protection Package: (perhaps some of these could be combined in one overall Voter Protection Act--probably as an Initiative unless these items could get through the legislature and be signed by Gov.)

No voting methods or machines that don't allow for hand recounts, which Howard Dean suggested as Initiatives in ~24 states with Initiative process on Move-on conference call about 3 weeks ago.

Instant run-off voting for statewide and legislative offices.

Public Forum Campaigns for statewide and legislative offices, which would be similar to Arizona as to how candidates qualify with $5 contributions, but would minimize 30-second political ads and public relations spinmeisters by allowing candidates to appear side-by-side in mailings and in radio and TV spots from 30 seconds up to 90 minutes with an empty seat if a candidate opts out of the Public Forum Campaign. [ I ran as a "clean" statewide candidate in Az in 2002--the AZ clean election model would institutionalizes the 30 sec. TV ad in Ca for statewide offices and would "institutionalize" whichever party has majority in an area--see below for legislature results in Az]

Proportional voting so that political parties get Assembly seat(s) if they get a certain percentage of the vote statewide.

No voting official (Secty. of State or County Elections) or elections employee may be involved in political campaigns other than their own (preferably, election officials should be appointed by a non-partisan board).

Roland James
Santa Rosa, CA

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