There comes a time in a Kossack's life when he or she must step up to the plate and, pen in hand, engage the enemy. Except in this case, it isn't the enemy, at least it isn't supposed to be, and we both want the same things. We just have very different ideas about how to get there.
I live just outside of Brunswick, Maine, a small coastal town maybe 30 miles north of Portland (Hi Bill!). It's a great area to live - people are friendly, mostly liberal, and can be counted on to support Democratic candidates and issues by about 2 to 1. There is a very progressive, very vocal, and very active group in our area, the Maine Coalition for Peace and Justice, known locally as "Greater Brunswick PeaceWorks." Some of the people in this group I only know of through their activism and their writings. Some are aquaintances, and some are my friends. If I run into one of them around town, there's the usual, "oh, you've got to come to one of our meetings!" and the obligatory exchange of e-mail addresses. I'm always promising to show up and "check it out," but I never seem to be able to make it. The truth is, we just don't see eye-to-eye.
Join me "fighting for Tom Allen" below the fold...
Recently, a letter-to-the-editor published by my hometown newspaper, The Times Record, literally took my breath away.
...He (Tom Allen) has voted, each and every time, to fund the war and the subsequent occupation of Iraq. Having come out against the war at first, he then decided to vote for it and thus helped continue one of the most heinous international crimes in recent memory.
(...snip)
Our representatives in Congress — Susan Collins, Olympia Snowe, and Tom Allen — have all followed the false path set out by the Bush Administration into the civil war that is now Iraq. These people have taken this nation into a very dark and dangerous place — and we are supposed to believe that there will be a "vibrant contest" come November 2008?...
The gentleman who wrote that letter is very active in these parts and we agree on most issues probably 90% of the time. A quick perusal of some of his letters the Times Record has published will show he is very progressive, and could be assumed to be a Democrat - except that he isn't. He works, with the greatest of intentions, against the Democratic party, and against Tom Allen - from the left. So, with pen in hand, proudly, and with Kossacks at my back, I have responded in kind with my own letter-to-the-editor.
"There's a world of difference between Allen and Collins"
06/27/2007
A letter-to-the-editor titled "Allen vs. Collins," written by Ted Markow, and published on June 12th demands a rebuttal. These are two quotes from that letter:
"He (Tom Allen) has voted, each and every time, to fund the war and the subsequent occupation of Iraq. Having come out against the war at first, he then decided to vote for it and thus helped continue one of the most heinous crimes in recent memory."
"...Susan Collins, Olympia Snowe, and Tom Allen - have all followed the false path set out by the Bush administration into the civil war that is now Iraq. These people have taken this nation into a very dark and dangerous place..."
Now I am as anti-war as anyone on the left, and I consider myself to be a proud liberal. But I am also a proud Democrat, a distinction between myself and Mr. Markow, whose letter was also a scathing diatribe against the Democratic party. He is trying to convince us, as Ralph Nader has tried, that "there is not a dime’s worth of difference between the two parties." Nothing could be further from the truth. If the Supreme Court had not intervened on behalf of Bush in the Florida recount in 2000, and Al Gore were President, would we even be in Iraq now, where over 3,500 of our brave soldiers have died? Would Alito and Roberts be Supreme Court justices, threatening a woman’s right to choose. Would our own government be spying on us, threatening one civil right after another? Would the Department of Justice be usurped as a branch of the DNC in order to suppress Republican voters? Would climate change be shortchanged by the administration as "still open to debate?" Would the richest among us be given huge tax breaks while the middle class stagnates and poverty grows? Would a Gore administration be the most corrupt administration in history? Would our country be reviled around the world? The answer to all of the above is a resounding, "NO!"
Now I know that the Democratic party is beholden to some of the same corporate interests as the Republican party, and that is something that needs to be addressed through election reform. But it is totally without merit to imply that a Senator Allen would be no different than a Senator Collins when it comes to enabling Bush’s illegal occupation. Congressman Allen has been one of our strongest voices trying to end this national nightmare, and anyone who believes that simply "cutting off funding" would force President Bush to admit his mistake and begin pulling our troops out is simply not being realistic. He would not relinquish, and he would not withdraw. If it was as simple as a vote to "defund" it would already have been done. Were such a vote to take place, all that would happen is Karl Rove, gleefully rubbing his hands, would have a field day portraying the "cut and run" Democrats as wanting to abandon our troops on the battlefield without armor or bullets to defend themselves - and the war would go on. Without succumbing to this trap, Congressman Allen has consistently voted to help bring an end to the occupation. For example:
He voted for "The Iraq Accountability Act (H.R. 1591)," which would end U.S. involvement in the war and bring our troops home safely. The bill establishes timelines and benchmarks that call for the removal of U.S. troops as early as December 2007. He also voted to override the President’s veto of this bill. Senator Collins did neither.
He is a cosponsor of "The Comprehensive Strategy for Iraq Act of 2007 (H.R. 645)," which would terminate the authorization for war by December 31, 2007. Congressman Allen did not vote for the authorization in the first place. Senator Collins did.
He has been a leader in the effort to prohibit permanent U.S. bases in Iraq. Senator Collins - crickets.
He spoke on the floor of the House in favor of a resolution disapproving of Bush’s recent escalation, or "surge." Senator Collins voted in favor of the escalation.
There is a world of difference between Tom Allen and Susan Collins. Those on the left who would support a third party candidate hoping for "defunding" and an immediate end to the occupation are deceiving themselves. Siphoning votes from Tom Allen to satisfy a need for ideological purity will only guarantee six more years of Susan Collins supporting more war, more tax breaks for the wealthy, and more American lives lost on the altar of George Bush’s ego. Sometimes ideological purity is the enemy of the good. We of the left need to save this debate for a later date. Right now, American lives are on the line.
This letter was printed as "Commentary" and given prominent placement on the editorial page. Except for a couple of really bad typos and a small, unwarranted edit, I couldn't be more pleased. I've already gotten a couple of phone calls from people in town that I don't even know, thanking me profusely. If I make grammatical errors, if I don't use proper syntax - even if I misspell a word - it doesn't matter. I've decided I won't sit back and let Congressman Allen be attacked, especially from the left. I've got my pen, and it's in my hand...