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“Of all forms of inequity, injustice in health care
is the most shocking and the most inhumane” –
Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
As we reflect on Dr. King’s words, let us ponder what he was referring to when he proclaimed “injustice in health care is the most shocking and the most inhumane”. What exactly, does “injustice in health care” look like? It looks like this: [more]
CDP 2010 Platform
The California Democratic Party will be voting on the 2010 platform at the convention in April. CDP has invited interested Democrats to participate in the process by submitting suggestions for the new platform. The Progressive Caucus solicited input from members and our Platform Committee presented the folowwing sugestions to the CDP. Read what the Caucus submitted here.
The California Democratic Party
Adopts Progressive Caucus Resolution
"End the U.S. Occupation
& Air War in Afghanistan"
More
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Contact: Karen Bernal, Sacramento 916.359.2151
nekochan99@hotmail.com
Marcy Winograd, Los Angeles 310.795.2322
winograd4congress@gmail.com
California Democratic Party Executive Board passes a resolution calling for end to war in Afghanistan, sends message to President Obama to not escalate conflict
SAN DIEGO – The California Democratic Party Executive Board has approved an extraordinary resolution – to be forwarded to President Obama – that generally calls for an end to the occupation and air war in Afghanistan.
The resolution authored by the state party’s Progressive Caucus (http://www.progressivecaucuscdp.org/afghanistan_reso.html), calls for a “time-table for withdrawal of military personnel” as well as an end to the use of “mercenary contractors...(and) air strikes that cause heavy civilian casualties.”
The Executive Board also passed the Legislative Action and Equal Opportunity Committee's report which contained Barbara Lee's bill HR 3699 prohibiting the funding of any increase in troops.
The resolution cites public opinion polls showing the vast majority of Americans opposed to the war because of the toll on U.S. military personnel, and the billions of dollars being diverted to the war in the face of economic crisis in the U.S. and “particularly the state of California.”
“The presence of foreign troops has instead strengthened them (Taliban), creating greater insecurity, death and impoverishment of the Afghan people,” the resolution states.
“Having taken into account the President’s deliberative pace as he comes to a decision on whether or not to send more troops, we recognize a unique opportunity to send a message with the hope of persuading him against making a huge mistake,” said Karen Bernal, Progressive Caucus chair and co-author of the resolution. “Now, there can be no disputing the fact that the overwhelming majority of California Democrats are not only saying no to escalation, but no to our continued presence in Afghanistan, period.”
“Our voices must not be ignored, for ours are the voices of reason and hope that elected Barack Obama to the White House. Bring veterans to the table, bring our young men and women into the room and bring an end to a foreign policy that only breeds more enemies,” said co-author Marcy Winograd, congressional candidate in the 36th CD (now held by Jane Harman).
Added Rick Reyes, vice president of Iraq Veterans Against the War, in support of the resolution:
“I would rather suffer the consequences of fighting on the side of justice in the name of true Democracy, than to suffer the consequences of injustice in the name of national security.”
Another co-author of the resolution, Norman Solomon, commented: “The California
Democratic Party has just sent President Obama a formal and clear message: Stop making war in Afghanistan. The California Democratic Party’s adoption of the resolution is the most tangible indicator yet that escalation of the U.S. war effort can only fuel opposition within the president’s own party – opposition that has already begun to erode his political base.”
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AFL-CIO Convention
Endorses Single-Payer!
Unanimous Vote for Medicare-for-All Reform
September 15, 2009 by Healthcare-NOW!
PITTSBURGH - In a historic vote that adds the nation's leading voice of American workers to a broad national campaign, the AFL-CIO voted unanimously at its national convention here today to endorse the enactment of single-payer, universal healthcare for all Americans. [more]
Norman Solomon’s Latest Article. More articles here.
We are very proud to announce that we will be featuring articles by Progressive Caucus member Norman Solomon on our website. For an archive of his articles please check the Norman Solomon page.
Vast Change Is Essential
By Norman Solomon
Marin Independent Journal
December 27, 2009
AN AILING ECONOMY and a warming climate have caused many people to become more skeptical of business as usual in such matters as food, energy, housing, water and the environment. The virtues of self-reliance are compelling - and in Marin County, more than ever, the hunt is on for local solutions.
There's a lot of value in "go local" perspectives. Far too often, our communities are beset by cookie-cutter chain stores, centralized bureaucracies and impersonal, corporate-driven forces that take precedence over environmental concerns, employees' rights and civic compassion.
With much wisdom, many people are engaged in supporting small businesses, farmers' markets, co-op ventures and other efforts to make the best use of talents and dollars close to home. In the process, they're often making wonderful strides for green sustainability and economic viability.
Yet we should be wary of assuming that any community can go it alone. Going local has the potential to solve many problems - in tandem with going regional, national and global.
Localism, if carried to an extreme, can drift toward isolation rather than connectedness. A key insight of environmental awareness - that all of nature is interconnected - is liable to be squandered if we tune out the larger regions, jurisdictions and forces at work.
If public investment is insufficient at federal and state levels, then the financing needed for truly green mass transit is apt to be woefully inadequate for local communities.
If the power of huge energy conglomerates is excessive in Sacramento or Washington, the best-laid plan for local consumption of clean energy is in danger of "greenwashing."
A heated controversy over the proposed asphalt plant near Petaluma has been largely confined to Sonoma County. But opponents warn that the plant's negative impacts could go far beyond the immediate area of the site on the Petaluma River.
Similarly, the effort to expand the Redwood Landfill in North Marin has significant potential long-term hazards for nature and human health on both sides of the county line.
Without becoming heavy-handed or grandiose, we need an enlarged regional approach for the North Bay. And, in the long run, our vision should go beyond any lines on a map. Just focusing on the region can shutter our window on the rest of the country and the world.
In theory, if everyone acts locally, then the combined action will become global. And there's a lot to be said for that theory.
But we also need structures - including regulatory mechanisms, funding processes and systematic protections - that span the nation and the globe.
That's why many thousands of activists, from all over the planet, converged on Copenhagen for the recent UN conference on climate change.
In the real world, careful macroeconomic policies and large-scale safeguards are essential to implement vast change. And - in an era of rampant poverty, global warming and widespread warfare - vast change is essential.
At the same time that we're thinking globally and acting locally, we'll need to find better ways to think locally and take action in concert with many other people, near and far.
Norman Solomon, a West Marin author and political activist, is co-chair of the Commission on a Green New Deal for the North Bay. Its Web site is: www.GreenNewDeal.info
Norman Solomon
