To Eliminate

Vigil in Tucson, AZ for those harmed in the Safeway Shooting.

Nothing is ever simple.

Rep. Gabrielle Giffords had blood on her hands from funding our vicious attacks on civilians in other countries, and continued occupations. But that's not ostensibly why she was shot in the head.

It looks like her slightly mad would-be assassin was instead worked up over the health care "reform" bill that was a big giveaway to large corporations, and that she voted for. And that a lot of gun imagery was employed against Rep. Giffords before the deed was done, urging elimination of undesirable elements. And that the rest of the world thinks we're a bunch of heavily armed wackos.

Then there was the beautiful 9 year-old child who died. Nine year-olds die all the time in Afghanistan and other places the U.S. government and NATO terrorize. This time a girl who had been born on precisely the day of 9/11 in 2001 died.  Her whole short life was lived during the war on terror -- think of it.

A girl on the verge of adolescence is often collateral damage in the violence of our times.

And 92% of men in Afghanistan asked how they felt about 9/11, said "What's 9/11?"

Three congressional staffers, some in charge of community outreach and therefore of the event itself, were killed because of political beliefs. And the other slain and injured members of the public who had come to meet their congressional represenative -- did they agree with her stand on health care legislation? Maybe they were there to complain about it. Some were older; I wonder if they wanted to talk about Social Security?

A federal judge appointed by Bush Sr. was slain after drawing threats over his rulings on immigration. Was this incidental, or was he one of the targets, too?

The AZ shooting will become famous in the way Columbine is famous.

The accumulated acts of public violence in the U.S. grow from a culture based on proliferation of guns, and truly massive amounts of advertising for violence. It is hard to conceive of the vast number of images of war, fighting, aggression that even small kids in the "mainstream" culture have seen by the time they start school.

Shakespeare would probably write it as a tragedy set in motion by the age old tendency of political actors to use unbalanced minds to do their dirty work.

I sense many see this incident as a turning point in our dance with fascism in the 21st century. May it not be so.

But if it is so, using non-violent action will be the beacon for our time.

See Rob Shetterly's show of civil rights activist portraits at the Portland Public Library this month.

Freedom From Want

As I digest the news that progressive congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords was gunned down in Arizona in what appears to be a politically motivated assassination, I am working on an op-ed in response to meeting I was at yesterday about poverty in Maine.

The new governor of Maine, Paul LePage, won when a third party candidate with a lot of foreign capital in his resume split the progressive vote. Tea Party candidate LePage and company begin the work of coping with an $800 million shortfall in funding for existing programs this month.

It is not a task to be envied. LePage is making grandiose claims such as refusing all federal funding, but overblown rhetoric won't make the task of facing up to reality any easier. If federal funds are not available to maintain and repair roads, or plow them, this will have swift economic consequences. Almost all Mainers rely on trucks running along Interstate 95 to bring us food and medicine, for instance.

Once upon a time Norman Rockwell illustrated the four freedoms that FDR had identified as the foundation of our well-being. Rockwell's painting of a grandmother putting a roast turkey on the table for her assembled family was titled “Freedom from Want.” Once we thought this an essential freedom, the foundation of a secure social order.

During my lifetime poverty has grown so that now 1 in 7 in the U.S. live below the poverty level. For children, it is 1 in 5. That is 20% of children living in households where adults must choose whether to pay rent or buy food, because they cannot afford to do both. Maine is poorer than average, and the county I live in, Somerset, is the poorest in Maine.

I met with members of the Maine Poor People's Economic Human Rights Coalition twice recently to examine their vision of a society I would want to live in. I will lobby to have my taxes support this vision rather than funding 800+ military bases around the globe, and occupations that make us no safer. Bring our war dollars home to make this a reality for every family and individual in Maine.

Bill of Maine Economic Human Rights

1) Every individual has a right to have basic needs met, such as:
    * food and clothing
    * permanent housing
    * health care
    * child care

 2) Every individual has a right, to income  to provide the basic needs of the family, through productive employment and/or through entitlements.

3) Every individual has a right to:
    * freedom from discrimination in obtaining basic needs
    * seek one's choice of employment
    * productive work with equal pay for equal or comparable work at a liveable wage
    * protections against the ill effects of unemployment
    * a standard of living that is adequate for security and well-being

4) Every individual has a right to:
    * form and join labor unions and other groups which protect their interests
    * bargain collectively on issues such as pay and working conditions
    * work in businesses or cooperatives with opportunities for economic democracy
    * strike without fear of reprisals

5) Every individual has a right to education or training to obtain the skills that allow participation in and contribution to the Maine economy.

6) Every individual has a right to access financial services, including, but not limited to, savings or checking accounts, loans and IRAs.

7) Every individual has a right to access quality legal services regardless of ability to pay.

This sounds like the kind of Maine I want for my children and grandchildren.

BANGOR DAILY NEWS PHOTO BY JOHN CLARKE RUSS    Holding a freshly lit candle, Daniel Flagg of Bangor joined dozens of others in front of the Bangor Area Homeless Shelter for Bangor's annual Homeless Memorial Day vigil walk Tuesday evening. Flagg said he was homeless for a spell until a few weeks ago. "I didn't realize the homeless situation until I was homeless myself," said Flagg. Flagg added that he hopes to volunteer his time to help other homeless persons.

Camp Hermana, AZ visits Gov. Jan Brewer's home with a message of love, not hate

Camp Hermana Interrogation
Originally uploaded by caterliz

CODEPINK women from all over joined AZ residents to bring love, not hate into the town where Gov. Jan Brewer lives. Gov. Brewer signed SB 1070, portions of which have been blocked by the federal govt. as unconstitutional. The law encourage racial profiling by making law enforcement officers like this one accountable if they do not demand proof of citizenship from people who "appear illegal."

This officer is probably asking himself if these women look illegal...